How to Survive a Shounen

by Dovahkean

Summary:

My Hero Academia, the shounen world where any problem, no matter how complex and morally debatable it is, can be solved with a Detroit Smash… except not really.

Defeating the bad guys doesn’t solve the issues that created them, and there’s no way hero society is truly recovering from the absolute mess it’s dug itself into over the last few centuries, so when a transmigrator is (forcefully) given the chance to enter U.A. High School alongside the main cast and help beat up, among many others, the League of Villains, Meta Liberation Army, Creature Rejection Clan, HPSC, Shie Hassaikai, Humarise, and the centuries-old demon lord LARPer himself, his response is simple and straight to the point.

“Are you nuts?! Screw that! I’ve got a few years tops until Quirk Singularity Doomsday wrecks the world and I’m preparing for it!”

Chapter 1: Prologue - All For Fun

Good ol’ transmigration… or is it isekai? Basically, it’s the idea of starting a new life in a new world.

 

Getting a little more specific, transmigration is usually reincarnation through the soul into a new world and a new body. Isekai, on the other hand, is usually when a person is transported to another world in both body and soul.

Transmigrators are usually stuck being born again in a new world and have to grow up in a brand new body. Isekaiers are just plopped into a new world from their old one, keeping their identities, age, whatever clothes they have on, etcetera. 

These concepts have exploded in popularity over time as more and more people take up escapism, looking to distract and distance themselves from reality. Such a craze has led to the creation of many different anime, mangas, fan fiction, and so on that revolve around this very concept.

There are probably countless people out there who have fantasized getting sent into another world, whether it’s the world of your favorite franchise or a stereotypical fantasy world where you become a hero and go on a quest to slay the demon lord.

And honestly… I’d be lying if I said I never had that guilty fantasy once or twice. 

With how boring real life can be for most, can you really blame me?

Now of course, if you put more then five seconds into properly thinking about it, you realize that unless your plot armor is maxed out, then you’re going to be struggling quite a bit in a brand new world where most things probably want to kill you, if not worse. 

That’s why I was most certainly not thrilled about suddenly appearing in an endless white void.

I was also confused, because I have absolutely no clue how this happened.

 

There was no magic circle. No truck-kun (I was on the twenty-seventh floor of a skyscraper last time I checked). No random portal that some monsters or waifus popped out of to spur me into action as some shounen protagonist.

So what gives?

“Well, technically speaking, a group of terrorists gave you and most other people in that building a few tons of explosives. They also gave most of you an instant death.” I hear a calming voice explain behind me and…

Morgan Freeman?

In a very, very white suit?

“God works too. I try not to scare people too much when I drag them here and you were watching Evan Almighty on your phone about half an hour ago, so…” The guy informs me in Morgan Freeman’s calming voice while gesturing at his appearance.

“Oh. So I’m dead then?” I confirm, just going with the flow before my mind fully processes this and I start freaking the fuck out. “What happens now? Am I sent to Heaven or Hell or… oh no.”

“Well, you don’t exactly qualify for Heaven with your track record. Then again, hardly anyone does. It appears that my requirements have become a bit too strict overtime as you mortals keep finding new and inventive ways to sin. Even Lucifer is starting to complain about his realm being too overcrowded lately.”

That gets a slight chuckle out of me, but I shut back up when Not-Freeman gets back to casting his judgment… not like I have much of a choice to begin with.

“You could always try to argue your case, but that doesn’t tend to end well for most people.” He comments nonchalantly.

“...Can I at least ask if I was really that bad? So I trespassed and stole a few things, but we were all- I mean, us mortals were all teenagers once, and besides, it isn’t illegal if you don’t get caught, right?”

“But you did get caught. By me. Remember?”

“...God damnit.”

“I am.”

Well, at least this guy has a sense of humor. 

 

“You probably aren’t going to like that fact in a bit. But getting back on track, to fix this issue, I decided to take some inspiration from a recent trend you mortals have come up with.”

“Transmigration… or isekai. Great. So do I need to slay a demon lord or something to get access to Heaven?”

“Not exactly. Simply put, in this second life you’re about to start living, there are two main methods to get enough merit to enter Heaven. Method number one is doing good deeds and method number two is suffering.”

“Suffering?”

“Call it repenting for your sins. Oh, and doing evil acts will lower your accumulated merit, but I’m willing to be much more lax with those. For example, if you kill a monster or some bandits to save innocent lives, then you will be awarded positive merit.”

“So a classic case of the ends justify the means, good to know. What about actually slaying the hypothetical demon lord and stopping their plans to rule or kill the world?”

“Then you will be given the appropriate amount of merit, which is a lot. Enough to guarantee you a spot in Heaven at the end of your second life as long as you don’t become as bad as them.”

“So I’m free to do what I want then as long as I have a positive impact overall?”

“That is correct. I’m aware that these rules are a bit vague, but this is a trial run. You and a few thousand others can be considered guinea pigs for this new project of mine. Discover loopholes in these rules that I will likely patch after these trial runs end and get bonus merit from them; that should be a decent perk for you.”

“Will I be paired up with other people then? And do I get a system or something to help me out?”

“No and no. Everyone gets their own world to venture through and the world you’re going to has no such thing. Well, it may be possible in said world, but you won’t have that as your quirk.”

“Quirk?... oh. Oh, no no no nononononono. Please, don’t tell me-”

“It’s a favorite anime of yours, right?”

 

To say I completely lose it after that is an understatement.

“IT’S ALSO COMPLETELY FUCKED!” I cry out in exasperation. “EVEN IF I SOMEHOW MANAGE TO STOP THE HPSC, DOOFENSHMIRTZ, AND THAT LARPING POTATO, QUIRK SINGULARITY IS GOING TO DESTROY THE WORLD REGARDLESS! YOU CAN’T SOLVE THAT SHIT WITH A DETROIT SMASH!”

“Last I checked, this was meant to be a punishment that clears you of your sins. Did you think you would suddenly become a harem protagonist with invincible plot armor or something?” Not-Freeman counters my rant.

“No, but at least give me a fighting chance here!”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something. After all, you know the anime and manga inside and out. Just use that head of yours and you’ll be fine.” 

“But I don’t even know Japanese!”

“Don’t worry. You’ll be sent to a world with the equivalent of an English dub. Good luck!” Not-Freeman encourages me.

And before I can try to argue back, he snaps his fingers and everything goes black.

 

 

When I wake back up, it doesn’t take long to realize that everything looks a whole lot more animated than I remember.

I’m also a whole lot younger than I remember being a moment ago.

‘Well, considering that my arms and legs aren’t purple or shaped like a dinosaur or something, I don’t have a mutant quirk. I’m also a teenager again, but I suppose that’s better than being completely reborn as a baby.’ I try to console myself.

The current ‘me’ is sitting on a chair in front of some desk with a bunch of crap littered on it, but smack dab in the center of all that is a note written in gold ink.

 

Dear Sekan Doraifu,

Here is the remaining crucial context you will need to start your new life. You’re welcome. 

Your new name is up top. Current date is a week before the Sludge Villain Incident happens. You are replacing one of the background characters at Aldera Junior High. Your quirk is registered as Mind Web. Excluding whatever changes you make, this world is 100% canon (with maybe a bonus thing or two from the MHA games for some extra fun, but those won’t affect the main story).

You can figure out the rest. Do nice things, suffer, put on a good show, or do all three and you’re good to go. 

- Not-Freeman

 

A quick online search and translation reveals my new name, Sekan Doraifu, to literally mean ‘Second Life’ when meshed together. 

How subtle.

“Alrighty then!” I tell myself and the god who’s probably watching this like it’s a reality tv show. “Time to restart Middle School, befriend some main characters, enter UA High, and save the world from- nah, I’m just fuckin’ with you.

I am getting the absolute FUCK out of here, properly preparing for the inevitable worldwide doomsday in this stupid shounen, and if god doesn’t like it, then he can strike me down where I stand!”

One second passes.

Then another.

Then a few more.

“No? Well, okay then. You asked for it, god!” I yell at my ceiling while ripping the note to shreds.

“You want a good show? Fine then, I’ll show you how the hell to survive a shounen!”

Chapter 2: Happy Huntings

“Now which background character in Aldera to make the swap with for my next candidate… long neck? Pinocchio nose? Or maybe-”

“Can’t even remember their names? Aren’t you supposed to love everyone equally or something? Where’s your pretend neutrality, ‘God’?”

A tidal wave of hellfire crashes past the barrier of clouds and God sighs as he’s forced to repair yet another hole in his domain.

“Really? I made like eight doors to this place for a reason.” The deity huffs. “Now is there a reason for you barging in here this time or are you just being a drama queen again?”

The quote unquote 'devil' huffs back at his long-time rival before eyeing the screens he’s looking at.

“I’ve got a few things to say about this latest experiment of yours, considering it just makes our overcrowding problem worse. For starters… oh? What’s that one doing?”

The ruler of what most would call Heaven turns back around to watch one of his candidates throwing the gifts and story he provided him to the wind. But not before tearing his note up and flipping him off.

“Cheeky little bastard, that one. I like him.”

“Of course you would.”

 

Countdown to Canon: 10 Months, 1 Week before Entrance Exam

Okay, so this is all real and I have a bit over ten months before Izuku gets One For All and this shitshow gets underway.

As for how to properly prepare for this… event, I started brainstorming while packing up and searching for any spare change. 

Yup, I’m running away. I don’t even know who my ‘parents’ are here and I don’t care. I have no memories of this second life either (from before I woke up here, anyway), and again, I don’t care.

There’s no ignoring the main plot whether it’s the anime or manga I’m currently in. Even then, the contradictions between the two are minimal storywise. The OVA’s are basically filler and the movies are seen as canon; it all leads to the same conclusion.

Most of Japan gets turned into an anarchic, apocalyptic wasteland less than two years from now so pretending that everything’s going to be all fine and dandy won’t work.

But wait, doesn’t everything go back to normal and everyone lives happily ever after during the stupid timeskip ending? Well let me put it this way.

Even if none of my actions changed the main story and the world still gets its happy ending, the singularity will eventually reach a scale similar to what Flect Turn forced with his Trigger Bombs. It could be in two years or ten years or fifty years for all I know, but the point is doomsday will come and I intend to be prepared for it.

And you know what they say: ‘Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.’ 

 

My Hero Academia has more problems than just bad guys you need to punch. The biological inequality of quirks, the unfair biases within the hero system, the resulting systematic abandonment, and so on.

These are grander concepts that can’t be solved by a Detroit Smash, but rather societal action and awareness… yeah, that’s not happening. Not in a shounen world like this one. The best that rushed, timeskip series ending did was fix systemic prejudice and the Hero Ranking System a little bit.

There’s no way I’m trying to convince the people of Japan and the rest of this world to get its shit together either, and even if I could, I probably wouldn’t since most of these guys are massive assholes. I’m not Izuku Midoriya; I’m not suffering for these sheeple.

I can beat up bad guys all I want, but the villains of this series (besides the potato man; he’s just a natural-born dick) are the victims of these numerous dysfunctions taken to a deststating extreme. 

Beating them doesn’t mean solving the world’s issues. Not even the centuries-old LARPer who claims to be behind everything wrong in the world biting the dust will fix this worldwide mess.

Besides, philosophical stuff aside, I’d rather not be forced to repeat part of Middle School and High School again, even if the latter includes training to be a hero, which I most definitely do NOT want to be. 

Not-Freeman made the rules and requirements lax for a reason; I can’t pull this off while going by the book. The only laws I’m going to follow here are Murphys!

Sticking to pure-hearted morals isn’t going to work unless you’re a plot-armored punching bag like Izuku Midoriya. 

It’s not that I don’t like the character, but someone like him actually being successful in saving the world is only possible for the same reason that clothes covering private parts can withstand literally anything that’s thrown at them.

Looking at you, Tomura’s pants. You survived the blast from a group of NUCLEAR BOMBS that tore AFO Tomura (who had a body rivaling Prime All Might in power at the time) apart with only a few small holes and some scratches.

Does that make any sense whatsoever? Absolutely not. 

It’s that kind of unfairness the main protagonist of most shounen manga gets unlimited access to once the main plot gets going, this one being no exception. 

 

Speaking of the bush-haired teenager, most would probably think that the best solution to my current predicament would be to take his place and scam One For All out of All Might by ‘running in without thinking’ when the sludge villain comes and either attacks him or Katsuki Bakugou.

Well I considered that option, but eventually decided to forget about it. I could harness OFA far better than the protagonist who figures out he can use his goddamn legs after like half a year and numerous broken bones, but that’s about the only positive.

For starters, by taking over as the main protagonist, all the attention would be on me. I would have to behave like a picture-perfect hero for All Might and UA and deal with numerous villains while saving idiotic, hormonal teenagers from their own stupidity and probably get hurt a lot too because I would be forced to go Plus Ultra way too fucking often.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the show and all, but like I said before, there are just some aspects of shounens that aren’t exactly quote-unquote ‘realistic’ and you kinda just have to turn your brain off for a bit to really enjoy them.

Besides, I’ve always lived by the phrase ‘work smarter, not harder’ and I don’t intend on changing that anytime soon no matter how incompatible it is with ‘Plus Ultraaaa!!!’

And yeah, I could tell a select few people about my previous life and goals here, forming my own little A-Team like All Might originally did to combat AFO, but that wouldn’t help much either because this is a shounen and even the smartest characters can be complete dumbasses sometimes… mostly for plot purposes.

For example, why a certain chimera didn’t have a certain teacher who cosplays as a homeless man stare down AFO at Kamino so even your average cop with a pistol can put him down if he doesn’t just wither away from losing access to his mad scientist’s age-slowing quirk is beyond me. 

If this was fanon Nezu, aka the almighty rat god, then I would consider it. Mastering OFA and bringing this world to its knees as an apostle to the divine lord of chaos sounds like a pretty good time. 

But this is just the regular, canon Nezu we’re talking about, and this Nezu isn’t nearly as almighty.

And don’t even get me started on the complete idiocy that is the sentient scrotum LARPing as a demon lord because he’s an attention whore.

 

Again, I love the story (mainly the first half of it and MHA Vigilantes), but Kohei Horikoshi can not write genius characters for the life of him. 

That’s going to help me out a lot, as are the other shounen tropes and plot holes present, but I’m going to need much more if I want a chance at survival. 

Complaining about a few plot holes and questionable decisions made by important characters won’t get me anywhere. Taking advantage of said plot holes and questionable decisions will.

But back to the main point, those issues can be solved if I just run for the hills after obtaining OFA, right? I could copy the fourth user’s strategy, spend some time as a hermit while undergoing a training montage, and come back when the potato starts causing problems to completely wreck his shit as well as every other villain in this franchise while I’m at it.

Nabu Island would probably be the best place to hide out. I could befriend Katsuma and Mahoro Shimano, work a labor-intensive job at the farms or production factories to train and earn a decent enough living, and further train my heart out for a few months while having access to an overpowered healer. 

Not even Recovery Girl compares to Katsuma, as Cell Activation also improves physical condition alongside the initial healing. In other words, Katsuma’s quirk heals your stamina too, unlike Recovery Girl’s quirk that drains your stamina to heal you.

I’d master OFA in no time by abusing Cell Activation and the human version of Dragon Ball Zenkai Boosts. My body would rapidly adapt to the constant strain of that stockpile quirk and I already know how the other extra quirks work, so it would only take a few months at most to finish up that training montage.

I could even potentially counter the side effects of having both OFA and another quirk through Cell Activation, preventing me from rapidly aging and cracking like the fourth user did. Or maybe I could pull a Kurogiri and fuse my original quirk with OFA acting as a base to make a new Artificial Quirk.

At the very least, the former method could help me survive until I undergo the same Quirk Singularity transformation Tomura did at the end of the story, allowing my body to properly adapt to all the quirks within me.

At that point, tearing the heads off any AFO users and beating their brains into mush before they can regenerate would be childsplay as I won’t be showing any mercy like Izuku did, so what’s the problem?

 

Well, the issue with that (and the main issue with getting OFA in general) is the previous users themselves. It isn’t specifically stated just how much of the current user’s memories they can obtain by themselves, but I get the feeling that most wouldn’t approve of my methods.

The second, third, and fourth users probably would… for a time. After AFO is dealt with, they would probably want me to try and be a hero until the Quirk Singularity Doomsday kills us all, and I don’t want to be a goddamn hero.

Then there’s users five through seven as well as All Might himself. The latter probably wouldn’t be happy with me even if I squashed the potato before he found me due to my not-so pure hearted morals and methods. And that’s if the vestiges don’t just destroy me out of spite like they did to AFO Tomura in canon after I beat the big bad demon lord.

All Might would also probably try tracking me down with his band of merry men (Nighteye, Gran Torino, Tsukauchi, etc) and that’s on top of AFO looking for me too. 

I don’t want the current power players to have me on their radar so early on, so no scamming All Might or All For One of any quirks. The latter would probably pull the same crap he did to Lady Nagant with me and I’d rather not get blown up, thanks. 

Oh, and while we’re on the subject of quirks, I should probably mention what my own quirk is.

 

It’s… okay, I guess. After some testing, I discovered that I’m pretty much a severely nerfed version of Charles Xavier from the X-Men franchise. 

No wonder Not-Freeman said to ‘use your head’. Very funny, asshole.

Mind Web, as the name implies, is a mental quirk that allows me to telepathically communicate with people around me like Shino Sosaki or Mandalay of the Wild Wild Pussycats, but there are some major differences.

For starters, her quirk, Telepathy, has a ridiculous range and number of people she can connect to. During the Training Camp attack, she was able to message dozens of people throughout the entire forest. 

My quirk’s range is only around 50 feet at best and I can only connect to about a dozen people at once. Going over either of those limits gives me a headache with it only getting worse and lasting longer the more Plus Ultra I go.

However, what my quirk lacks in range and number of potential connections makes up for in versatility. My quirk allows for two-way communication instead of one-way, meaning I can hear the target’s thoughts and receive mental responses from them. I can even prevent my own thoughts from spilling out to others if I want to.

I can also develop something similar to Dr. Xavier’s ‘Mind Link’ with people, allowing me to stay connected with them no matter how far away they are. However, I can only do this with a few people at once and both parties can feel the connection. 

The target or targets can also break it with enough willpower, and doing so gets gradually easier the longer the Mind Link stays active. To renew it, the target has to be back in the initial 50 foot range.

Best of all, with enough focus, I can go a step further than simple mental communication. I can read, alter, and even control people’s minds to a certain extent, but I can only do this with one person at a time (unlike Hitoshi Shinso and his Brainwashing quirk) and it takes a lot out of me extremely quickly. I can barely do it for a minute or two in total before needing a few hours of rest, and I can’t exactly rewrite someone’s entire life in that short window.

This is how I was able to experiment with my quirk after leaving the house and not get called out for unlawful quirk use. That and any ‘basic’ mental connections I make with people can’t be spotted unless I send them a mental message.

 

So to summarize, my quirk has three main applications or stages.

Stage 1 lets me form a basic mental connection with people, letting me listen in on their thoughts without them knowing. The range is about 50 feet and I can do this with up to a dozen people.

Stage 2 lets me form a Mental Link with people that gets rid of the range issue in exchange for making them aware of the mental connection and said connection gets easier to break as time passes. Also, I can only do this with about 3 or 4 people at a time.

Stage 3 lets me read, alter, and control minds to a certain extent, but I can only do this for one person at a time and this drains me a lot more then the first two stages, only allowing for minimal changes.

 

All in all, it’s a decent quirk that’s pretty much a weaker combination of Mandalay’s Telepath and Hitoshi Shinso’s Brainwashing, or at least parts of those two quirks. It isn’t anything amazing and has numerous weaknesses with the biggest disappointment being the quirk only involving telepathy, not telekinesis, so no moving around anything with my mind.

Also, if people know about the third stage, I would definitely get the Shinso treatment as a ‘Villainous Quirk Wielder’. Considering that my quirk is registered as ‘Mind Web’, so like a spider’s web that prey can get caught in and killed soon after, it wouldn’t surprise me if they did, since from what I know, not many people like spiders.

So how exactly am I supposed to save the world or even survive the upcoming apocalypse with this quirk? After all, I’m basically a weaker but more versatile version of Shinso. I could probably make for a decent Underground Hero or Vigilante with a quirk like this and some training, but I’m looking at a much bigger picture here.

I’m going to need a lot more than this. I need more power. More allies. More quirks.

But without OFA or AFO, how can I achieve that? Get the Nine treatment? Become a High-End Nomu?

Fuck. That.

 

Luckily for me, there’s one more option involving a different mad scientist, one that should provide me with a decent starting point that has plenty of potential going forward, bonus quirks included.

That’s why my first major act in the world of My Hero Academia is going bird hunting.

‘Alright, the main compound is said to be near Nighteye’s agency in canon… if I cross-reference that with the amount of drug or Trigger dealers reported in nearby areas and Google Maps or whatever the equivalent of that here is, then I should be able to locate it.’

Today’s target: a sociopathic toucan with mysophobia. 

With nothing but my phone and a backpack full of food, clothes, a few thousand yen, and some other supplies, I set off on my first and hopefully not last quest. 

The outside world is… really not that different from my old world besides the occasional hero and villain walking around. And plenty of mutant quirk users.

Technology has stagnated horribly thanks to quirks becoming a thing, so despite being a few centuries in the future, I had no problems using any basic tech here. Everyone was also speaking and reading English despite me being in the middle of Japan, so that was another plus.

Looking up a couple videos of people like All Might and Endeavor doing their thing confirmed that they all have their English Dub voices from the anime. Good to know.

 

Anyway, I first take a couple trains (and consult Google Maps) to get where his nest should be. I then spent the rest of the day staking out the area, slipping down alleyways while keeping my eyes and quirk open for any suspicious characters. 

‘My first night here and I’m already homeless. This should count as suffering, right?’

I sure hope it does. Some of the things I’m gonna do if my initial plan works are… unsavory, to say the least. It shouldn’t hurt too many people, but it’s still pretty damn far from being heroic.

My second day in Boku No Hero Academia begins with me luckily not getting robbed while sleeping. Passing out in a dumpster probably helped out with that. 

I’ve gone camping a couple times in my last life and even hid in an abandoned building throughout the night once or twice while exploring with some old buddies, but this was a whole lot worse. 

This was a new low, and I’m probably going to have several more of those in rapid succession, but desperate times call for desperate measures. 

At least there’s nowhere to go but up, right?

Things do end up getting better for me, as just a few hours later, I find one of the three things I’m looking for… a drug dealer selling Trigger.

I know the potential risks involved with using this stuff. I also know what constant use can do to a person, but I should only need it once.

This shouldn’t be necessary for my plan to work, but I refuse to take any chances. My life is on the line, so of course I’m gonna be a little paranoid!

Day 2 of my second life ends with me sleeping in a cardboard box thrown near another dumpster. I still have enough food, water, and phone battery to last a few more days, but this is really starting to get old.

Also, I made sure to delete all contacts and double check for any trackers in my phone when first leaving the house. My given origin story can go fuck itself; I have something much grander in mind.

 

My third day in the world of Boku No Hero Academia went about as well as it could’ve. 

For starters, I managed to find the second thing on my checklist before lunchtime, and now that the nest is in sight, I just need to wait for the alpha bird to leave it.

And a few hours later, I finally spotted my main target heading out alone. The scarier version of Tomura Shigaraki until the battle in Deika City happens. The anti-quirk quack who had an entire arc dedicated to him… the total psychopath who tortures a child day in and day out for his ridiculous plans that have more holes in them than swiss cheese.

The person I’m going to enjoy taking everything from.

‘Heheh, using his own damn Trigger to enact his downfall.’ I grin the moment I see him. ‘This is gonna be more ironic than it is painful… no going back now.’

A scene with the Serpenter Twins from MHA World Heroes Mission serves as a decent enough Trigger insertion tutorial for me, the two having used it during their fight against Katsuki Bakugou. I grit my teeth and jam the quirk-boosting drug into my neck, and the Trigger effect isn’t immediate like it was with them, but I already figured as much.

 

I slowly trail the guy, walking further and further away from his main compound while waiting for the drug’s effects to kick in. I need him a decent distance away from his cronies to make sure nothing goes wrong.

Now this guy isn’t an idiot. He’s overconfident and egotistical, definitely, but not an idiot.

That's why, when he notices someone following him after a few minutes, he begins to walk deep into a dark alley far away from any prying eyes.

‘He probably thinks I'm some stupid thug who wants to rob him… perfect.’

Soon after that, the Trigger decides to finally kick in and it’s a really good thing we’re already a long distance away from everyone else because my senses would get completely overwhelmed if I was in a crowded area. 

I feel like everything from my range to the number of people I can affect and control has increased. I feel more in tune with my surroundings and I feel my emotions becoming more volatile. 

But I stay in control. I have to for this do or die plan to work out.

I have to if I want to accomplish anything that’s actually meaningful in this world.

I’m not some bootleg Shinso with a bit of foresight. I’m not some background character forced to rely on the suicidal protagonist who breaks himself far more then his opponents.

I’m doing this my OWN way! On my OWN terms!

 

“You can come out now, filth.” My target speaks with clear disdain in his voice.

I want to destroy this piece of shit. This child-torturing monster.

And I will, but that isn’t the end of my plans. No, this is only the beginning.

I heed his request and he raises an eyebrow at the kid standing on the opposite side of this dark, abandoned alley.

Big mistake.

I immediately put everything I have into controlling him through Mind Web. Every ounce of willpower I can muster is put into suppressing his own before he can even think about attacking me.

He would slaughter me in a heartbeat if I didn’t. His matter manipulation quirk is one of the most overpowered in the entire series, and that’s without all the other potential tricks MHA fans have theorized it can accomplish.

He wouldn’t need any of that to kill me. He could make this entire alley resemble a mutant porcupine or turn me into bloody mist with a single touch, but he won’t get that chance. 

Once he’s subdued, I give my one and only order to the young yakuza boss.

“Use your quirk to fuse with me, but have ME be the one in full control over our combined form! Give me your body, quirk, memories, and everything else, Kai Chisaki.”

 

There is no internal monologue or dramatic OST playing in the background to accompany this crucial moment of mine. We’re just two people in a dark alley, ready to forever alter this world as one.

We walk towards each other while I keep my grip on both him and my own volatile emotions. Then there’s mentally preparing for what’s to come.

It’s gonna hurt like a bitch, but it’ll be so fucking worth it.

I feel slight hints of struggle in his mind, but my boosted quirk focused entirely on him is far too much to counter.

Maybe Izuku with OFA could break out. Or AFO or Stain or Gigantomachia. But Kai?

Not a chance. I won’t let him.

‘Well, here we go.’

He takes off his glove, and I give one last nod before it begins.

The next moment is one of complete and utter agony. Then it all goes dark, and I am reborn a second time in the span of just a few days.

What fun this transmigration is turning out to be.

Chapter 3: Cleaning House

“This place has seen better days.” Kendo Rappa of the Eight Bullets grumbles before getting yelled at by an ugly puppet.

“What do you think you’re doing, disrespecting the Shie Hassaikai like that, you-”

“Aww, put a sock in it, Mimic. Or better yet, go merge with one and save everyone in this building any future headaches. I’m gonna go challenge the boss again when he gets back; he can’t keep landing lucky hits forever.”

Joi Irinaka, main manager of the Shie Hassaikai, prepares to go on another rant, but stops as the brawler stomps off. 

That loser will just get murdered in a heartbeat before being put back together again… or maybe the boss will finally stop showing mercy on that brute and find a new bullet.

The Yakuza’s due for a revival, and anyone who gets in the way of their return is going down!

 

Countdown to Canon: 10 Months, 4 Days before Entrance Exam

I remember living at an orphanage, reading a book about an old quirk theory.

I remember growing to hate quirks, seeing them as nothing but a rat-carried disease, a curse.

I remember being taken in by the old man, the former boss of the Shie Hassaikai, a debt that I could only hope to someday repay.

I remember being taught by the man I considered a father how to be an honorable Yakuza, and lashing out at anyone who dared to badmouth it.

I remember becoming more desperate, resorting to various forms of villainy and drug dealing to try and reinstate the Yakuza. To try and pay the old man back for everything.

I remember when he refused to listen as I offered a way for the Yakuza to finally rise again in this superpowered society.

I remember finding out about Eri, and-

“SHIT! GODDAMN, FUCKING SHIT! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, OVERHAUL?!?”

 

I collapse to the ground, dry heaving while trying to recollect myself from that.  

Suddenly waking up with a few more decades of memories is a lot. Waking up after a moment of incredible pain is also a lot. Then there’s the recoil of my Trigger stunt and this new body and THIS BEAK-FACED FUCK!

Having multiple months worth of child-torturing memories does not fucking feel good. The fact that she was anything more than a shattered husk after years of that is just… wow.

But it won’t be like that here. This isn’t canon. Not anymore.

Kai Chisaki is dead, and I just got one of My Hero Academia’s most powerful quirks without relying on OFA or AFO! Not even three days in and I already succeeded in what the latter couldn’t, getting full control over the perfect body and quirk for my plans.

Take that, you fucking potato!

 

I get back up and take a look at my new self with Kai’s phone. I’m not nearly as monstrous-looking as Overhaul when he fused with Shin Nemoto, let alone Rikiya Katsukame, but I’m still pretty far from looking human at the moment.

At the very least, there still isn’t anyone around. That makes this next part a whole lot easier.

Using Overhaul’s quirk and his memories on just how to properly use it, I begin to discard some pieces of flesh in an attempt to look as much like Kai Chisaki as possible. The pain may only last for a moment each time, but all those moments do not feel comfortable to put it lightly.

This also helps me get used to my second quirk. My mind knows how to use it and Kai’s body has plenty of muscle memory on it; I just need to catch my new, merged body up to speed. 

It takes around half an hour with trials, errors, many moments of pain, and lots of gore, but my body soon very closely resembles that of Kai Chisaki. I may be a few centimeters taller and I have a bit more meat on my bones, but you’d have to know what you’re looking for to spot the differences.

After that, I use Overhaul to get all the blood off my (his) yakuza outfit, gather up all the evidence, and use Overhaul again to have the ground swallow it up. Nobody’s gonna find a small heap of blood, clothes, and body parts when it’s over 20 feet underground in some random alley with no evidence of tampering.

Now then, with that all done and over with, it’s time for Phase 2 of my first (and definitely not last) master plan.

Kai Chisaki’s quirk is an absolute godsend that has the potential to give All For One a run for his money if even a fraction of the fan theories I read regarding its capabilities are true, but I’m going to need more than that for my preparations. I’m looking at the bigger picture right now.

I need manpower, resources, funding, a place to call home, and so on, and the Shie Hassaikai offers me a start to all of that despite the awful situation it’s in.

The Yakuza are a small organization on the branch of extinction with very little funds and manpower. The police also keep their eyes on them, ready to slap the villain label on them the second they step out of line, but their monitoring is… kinda half-assed according to Kai’s memories. 

It took Sir Nighteye, the old sidekick of All Might who spent years fighting a secret war against All For One, to finally catch them in the act and orchestrate their takedown (and even then, it took ages). The number of heroes and police in Japan with that level of experience and expertise can be counted on one hand.

 

Now in canon, Kai mainly relies on selling his own brand of Trigger to get the funding needed for his mad science, but he also commits a few crimes here and there with his men where they escape with some money already stolen by other villains.

With a quirk like his, these funding tactics are fucking laughable at best. The power to literally alter matter with a touch has endless capabilities, but all he does is torture a child in his secret basement and occasionally make people explode before (maybe) healing/ressurecting them. 

He also treats pretty much his entire organization as disposable cannon fodder to either throw away or directly murder at a moment’s notice. I mean his elites are literally called the ‘Eight Bullets’ for crying out loud! 

As Shouta Aizawa would say, some of these people have far from zero potential, and I intend to bring that potential out of them.

I’m gonna be making some serious changes to this Yakuza, and these changes are going to be beneficial for everyone, but some people are gonna notice their big bad bird boss acting OOC and start asking questions once I start this up.

Hari Kurono (Chronostasis) and Joi Irinaka (Mimic) will definitely pick up on this, and while I could just get rid of them now, those two are some of the most competent and loyal people Kai has working for him and there is a lot I could do with them following my orders.

Also… I know these aren’t my memories, but Kurono has been a friend of Kai’s since his childhood and all those memories have made me pretty fond of the guy despite him going along with Eri’s ‘treatment’. He did it mainly because Kai wanted to and he’ll stop doing so if that’s what Kai wants.

I just need to have a good reason for ‘Overhaul’ to stop doing so. A good reason for Kai Chisaki to suddenly change his ideals and how he runs things, and I have the perfect way of doing that as well as solving another major potential problem taking over this yakuza causes.

I first arrived back at the main Shie Hassaiki Compound and walked in without any problems. I know this place and the people in it like the back of my hand now, so I have no issues with activating the secret switch underneath a vase on the first floor to enter the hidden passageway.

Walk in like you own the place, and people will think that you do. In my case, I actually do technically own this place now.

I then reach the underground labyrinth and use Mind Web to help locate the Yakuza member I need for this next part of the plan. 

 

“You need something, boss?” Shin Nemoto of the Eight Bullets asks me.

“Follow me. We’re checking on the Old Man.” I bluntly reply, mirroring Kai’s mannerisms perfectly after making sure nobody else is in listening distance. 

Shin pauses for a second before beginning to follow me and we both make our way through the underground labyrinth before arriving at the room where the old Yakuza boss is being kept in.

Kai put the guy into a forced medical coma with his quirk and planned to ‘fix’ him after he succeeded with his plans to restore the Yakuza’s glory. 

That won’t be happening this time, and the truth will never get out.

As the two guards make way for Shin and I to enter, I suddenly feel a small part of myself want to just abandon this idea. To not kill the Old Man no matter what.

‘My memories? No, Hari Kurono is one thing, but I need to do this for my future plans to work. So why… fuck, the vestige!’

Shin and Rikiya were still alive when Kai fused with them. Eri’s quirk can’t bring dead people back to life so they would’ve stayed dead when she undid Kai’s fusions if they were.

While whittling my form back down to physically resemble Kai Chisaki, I checked numerous times to ensure that he was completely and utterly dead with no chance of resurrection. Unlike what Kai did in canon when fusing with others, I had him fuse his mind into me too. I made sure that there was no chance of him turning the tables.

But his quirk vestige is another issue entirely. 

Look at what AFO (the original quirk) did with Tomura when it was implanted into him. Look at how AFO was screwed over by the numerous quirk vestiges he amassed overtime. Look at what the vestiges of OFA can do. 

Kai isn’t some random chump either. He may be crazy, but he was crazy determined to achieve his goals. 

‘Great. That’s going to be an absolute pain in the ass to deal with going forward, especially as I gather more quirks. I better nip that problem in the bud as soon as possible, but for now…’

For now, I use my original quirk to mentally suppress all those feelings and emotions. It may not be All For One, but it’ll do for now.

Now then… time for phase two.

 

I use Mind Web to take control of Shin. I’ve recovered enough from Trigger to do so and he shouldn’t have nearly as much willpower as Kai. 

I then have him speak, making sure that the thugs guarding the now closed entrance can hear us well enough. 

“I told you, emotions are unnecessary burdens if we want things to progress smoothly.” I have him say.

“Did you forget what this is all for? The Old Man is- wait, what are you… DON’T YOU DARE!!!”

I then have him take out his handgun and fire several shots at the old Yakuza boss, killing him instantly. 

“YOU TRAITOROUS BASTARD!!!” I roar, playing the part perfectly while using Overhaul to completely demolish the room.

The two thugs are scared out of their minds and I scream at them to get backup while having Shin point his gun at me. The two do so and I use Overhaul on the ground a few more times to cause some more chaos while walking towards Shin.

I then smile under my mask as I approach the villain and complete Phase 2 of my plan.

 

Less than a minute later, the two guards and several dozen other Yakuza members storm into the ruined room with Kurono leading the charge, and gasp at the sight in front of them.

I’m on my knees with lots of blood and a few extra body parts on me. Several other body parts belonging to Shin are scattered around the room and the old Yakuza leader is lying at the edge of the room with blood leaking out of several holes on his head and chest.

“Overhaul, what happened?!” Kurono eventually yells after a few seconds of silence.

“Shin Nemoto.” I growl with as much fury as I can muster. “He requested that I visit the Old Man with him before claiming that our emotional attachment to him was a burden holding the Shie Hassaiki back from reclaiming its former glory… and killed him before I could stop him.”

Shin Nemoto, the Yakuza member with a quirk that serves as both a perfect interrogator and the wet dream of every counterintelligence agency in the world.

His quirk, Confession, makes anyone he asks a question to answer truthfully. Needless to say, keeping him around would be a serious problem as all it would take for my plans to completely unravel is him getting somewhat suspicious and asking me what the deal is for the jig to be up. 

Phase two of my plan essentially killed two birds with one stone. I would get rid of the one guy who could expose me and also give a valid reason for ‘Overhaul’ changing to the rest of the Shie Hassaikai. 

Oh, and I made sure to acquire his quirk too, hence my current, slightly mutated state. There’s no way I’m letting such a useful ability die with him.

After my explanation, I used Overhaul to fix the damaged room around me before telling everyone except Kurono to both leave and spread the word that there would be a meeting with everyone currently present at the compound in an hour to explain what happened.

 

Once everyone else leaves, I collapse onto a wall and begin to cry.

These tears aren’t fake. I’m decent at acting, but I’m far from being at the level of a professional. It’s thanks to Kai’s memories and my knowledge of MHA that I know how to act here… and it’s thanks to his memories that I’m so emotional right now.

“What are we doing, Chrono?” I ask my (Kai’s) right-hand man as he slumps down right next to me. I even use the nickname Kai gave him to drive the point home.

“I wanted to turn the Hassaikai into something the Old Man would be proud of. I wanted to get the power, respect, and influence he deserved to have. I even wanted to destroy quirks themselves to make it happen… it was never going to happen, was it?”

“It still could.” Kurono comforts me. “With Eri-”

“Eri is the only person related to the boss I have left! He trusted me to look after her and I tore her apart again and again for the sake of her grandfather! Having the Hassaikai branch off into villainy is one thing, but to do that to his family? His own flesh and blood?”

Kurono takes a moment to ponder this, having also formed a bond with the Old Man over the years.

“This big plan of mine… it’s still in its starting stages, but I can already tell it isn’t going to work out. Even if we were able to create a quirk-removing bullet and produce enough of them to cure the world, who’s to say that they won’t simply evolve as viruses so often do? No erasing bullet would work on them and what then?”

“What are you suggesting, Kai?” Kurono finally asks, getting to the point.

“I’m suggesting we rethink our approach to all this, and I already have a few ideas on how to do so.” I confidently answered.

“...Alright. I trust you, Kai; you’ll have my support until the end no matter what.” He lets me know.

“Thanks, Chrono… for being such a great assistant and an even better friend.” I respond, taking off my mask and giving him a smile. 

An hour later, I gave a similar (albeit more dignified) version of that speech to everyone in the building. Rumors of what happened already spread with the two guards blabbing what they overheard at the start, just like I thought they would.

I also used my latest quirk on everyone present to ensure that there were no more traitors in our ranks. I still had some time before the meeting, so I used Overhaul to make myself appear as close to my previous state as possible, and the end result was me being a bit taller than before as well as a slightly altered head.

Now as you know, most people can’t handle having multiple quirks due to the interior strain it causes. However, Overhaul can get around that restriction since the quirk isn’t just taking others' quirks, but the rest of their bodies too.

But wait a second. Didn’t I get rid of most of my old body as well as Shin’s body? How am I still okay?

 

Well for starters, I’m still fused with both of their Quirk Factors or ‘Plus Alpha' elements as MHA calls them. My original Quirk Factor is my brain (mental quirk, remember?), Kai’s Quirk Factor is in his hands, and Shin’s Quirk Factor was no doubt somewhere in his head (most likely his throat). 

I got lucky with those, but finding the Quirk Factor locations with most other emitter quirks and transformation type quirks is going to be a lot trickier. I’ll be dealing with that problem later.

There’s also the fact that most people don’t need that much of their body mass to ‘contain’ a Quirk Factor without any strain. Look at how many infants and little kids in MHA can use their quirks without a problem. 

And no, people like Touya Todoroki and Nine don’t count here. Those are quirks that hurt their users no matter what due to not having the secondary natural adaptations needed to properly wield it (like fire resistance in Touya’s case).

So the first time I did an Overhaul fusion, that half an hour of trial and error was meant to both make me resemble Kai as much as possible and make sure I had enough of my old body to still wield my original quirk without strain. 

My second Overhaul fusion had a similar goal, but I already had experience with this and I didn’t need to resemble Kai that much anymore due to having a good explanation for the sudden physical changes this time around, so it was a lot easier.

Oh, and I don’t even have to worry about people questioning physical changes from the first fusion either thanks to this, so technically, I just killed three birds instead of two with one stone.

 

Now then, with a proper reason to start implementing changes and my position as Shie Hassaikai leader firm, I just have one last immediate thing I need to do (besides trying to pay ‘VestigeHaul’ a visit, but that task will be done tonight).

This final task of mine is very important both professionally and personally. It will be greatly beneficial for me going forward and it’s also something I genuinely want to do out of the (slight) kindness of my heart.

Obtaining Kai’s memories made me a lot more ruthless, I won’t argue against that. I’ve already killed three people and mutilated two of those three people for my own gain, yet I barely feel a thing because I have memories of Kai doing so, so much worse. 

Looks like I inadvertently got myself into that transmigrator trope of instantly accepting the ridiculous, otherworldly situation I got thrown into. Good to know.

But more importantly, Kai’s perspective lets me understand quite a few things that watching the show didn’t, making this far more real to me. You could say I’ve already lived a life here, and a very dark one at that.

I experienced what living in this shounen world was truly like, and it only made me more determined to move forward with my plans, but I don’t intend to be like him.

I won’t be like him, and there’s an adorable little unicorn I plan on proving that to.

Chapter 4: Toucans and Unicorns

Something’s going on, if all the rapid movement is anything to go by.

A meeting? Some kind of big announcement?

Even her guards seem to be gone. This could be her big chance; she can run away and make sure that the bird men can’t find her this time!

But… something stops her from trying. Something deep down inside of her tells her to be patient and wait.

Is it fear that she’ll get caught again? It’s not like Overhaul can do anything worse to her.

Is it acception? Is she finally believing that she’s the curse Overhaul constantly says she is?

No… this is something else. So she’ll wait for now and hope that she’s right about this.

It’s not like she has anyone or anything waiting for her out there anyway.

 

Countdown to Canon: 10 Months, 4 Days before Entrance Exam

((“Hi there, Eri!”))

The white-haired little girl squeaks in surprise at the voice in her head.

“H-Hello?” She then whispers back while taking a quick look around the room she’s locked in.

((“My name’s Sekan. It’s nice to meet you.”))

“Are y-you… in here?” Eri asks. “Overhaul… the masked people will-”

((“You don’t need to worry about them anymore, Eri.”)) The voice reassures her. 

The confidence in that statement is enough to ease her thoughts for a moment, but only for a moment.

“B-But he-”

((“He hurt me too, you know.”)) 

That gets her to pause.

((“He hurt me a lot, told me my quirk was cursed and tore me apart. He did the same thing to you too, right?”))

She gives a slight nod back with her thoughts revealing so much more.

 

((“Do you know why he did that to us, Eri?”)) The voice then asks.

A brief silence follows before the voice in her head elaborates, ((“He did that because he was scared of us. He was scared of what we can do with our quirks… and he was right to be scared.”))

Before Eri has much time to process that, the voice continues.

((“You tried breaking free before, right? I did too… and I succeeded this time. He took so much from me, so I decided to take everything from him. Want to see the result of that?”))

Many more thoughts race through her head at that moment. 

He’s like her? He really stopped Overhaul? Overhaul was scared of her?

…Was he right to be scared of her?

Eventually, Eri gives another silent nod and the door to her room opens up with none other than Overhaul walking inside.

The girl gasps and subconsciously begins to back up, but she soon notices a few oddities with ‘Overhaul’.

He’s taller. He isn’t wearing his mask. He looks a little different. He’s… smiling? Like a genuine smile?

“Tada!” I cheer to the little girl in front of me. “Like I said, I took everything. His body, his quirk, his entire organization, and nobody else has a clue about it! Nobody except you, Eri.”

“S-Sekan?” Eri gently asks as I kneel down in front of her.

“Yup! The nightmare is over, Eri. I promise.” I assure her before giving her a warm hug, and after a few seconds, she reciprocates. 

 

Kai’s quirk-erasing plan hasn’t started that long ago. There’s still nearly a year and a half before the canon Overhaul Arc… that’s a year and a half of torture I just saved Eri from. 

A constant loop of being mutilated, blood-drained to death, and resurrected through Overhaul just to make some shiny bullets that erase people’s powers. With the ability to rewind time itself, Eri could probably do that herself with enough training.

But Kai Chisaki, being the sick fuck he is, decided raising a five year old girl was too difficult and harvested her body in his basement over and over again instead.

I can immediately tell that she hasn’t been nearly as broken as she was in canon so far, but she’s still been through a few months of Overhaul’s ‘treatment’ and I know very well how much it sucks to be blown into pieces and put back together. 

Most of what I told her was the truth. Kai hurt me both physically and mentally after our initial fusion (pain or merging and pain of a select few memories). The guy thinks all quirks are cursed, so my original quirk applies too.

He did take a good chunk of my innocence and some of my sanity away, and I did take everything from him in return.

So what I said was true, from a certain point of view. 

“Can… can we go outside?” She then asks after a few minutes of hugging me.

“Of course we can. We just need to get you some clothes first; people don’t usually wear rags when wandering around. I had some of Overhaul’s henchmen go out to get you a new wardrobe and they should be back soon. For now, if there’s anything else you need or any more questions you want to ask, just let me know.”

She does so with me telling her a slightly altered version of my previous plans to satisfy her curiosity. As for what happened with the old boss, she didn’t mind. 

He’s the one who put her in Kai’s custody to begin with.

The thugs I sent shopping soon arrive with some new outfits for her, and once she’s done dressing up, the two of us head outside to just walk around. It was nighttime by then, but the star-filled sky offered us a truly mesmerizing view.

One that Eri would never forget.

She was still a bundle of nerves and clung to me like a barnacle (not that I can really blame her for such), but the longer this went on, the more safe she felt. I even got her some red bean mochi at a dessert cart we came across.

 

“What are you gonna do now, Sekan?” Eri asks me as we sit on a bench and enjoy our treats.

“Well… there’s a reason why I’m still pretending to be Overhaul.” I start to explain.

“Kai Chisaki was a madman and a hypocrite. He called your quirk a curse because you accidentally used it on someone, yet he purposefully used it to hurt people all the time. 

But quirks aren’t curses. They aren’t good or evil either; that all depends on the people wielding them. Take Overhaul, the quirk, for example. It can be used to tear people apart or heal people when they’re hurt. Then there’s my original quirk. It can be used to warn people of danger or forcefully control their minds.

Even your own quirk is like this. It can undo people’s injuries, making them healthy and happy again, or it can kill them if too much of it is used. Do you get what I’m saying?”

“...I think so.” The little girl mutters, finishing the last of her mochi. “Quirks only become bad if people use them in bad ways.”

“Bingo.” I smile while ruffling her hair. “Now that being said, Overhaul was somewhat right about quirks becoming a problem. Being able to rewind time and manipulate matter are really powerful abilities, but quirks didn’t start out this powerful.

They started out pretty weak, actually. That was hundreds of years ago, and as time passed, quirks started to grow stronger with every generation, meaning that bad people were able to start doing more and more with their quirks as time passed. Add in the fact that practically everyone has a quirk nowadays and you get plenty of people going around causing chaos. Are you following along so far?”

A quick nod lets me know to continue.

“There are also cases like you where quirks start out as hard to control. You rewinded your father to death back then completely by accident, and there are many others who have had similar situations occur when they manifested their quirks.

Then there are bad people like Overhaul who will purposefully use their super powerful quirks to hurt people and destroy things for completely selfish reasons or even just for kicks. Other people may try to stop them with their own powerful quirks, but that will just cause even more damage and death.

Heroes and villains… those are just labels given by those currently in power. Some are good and some… most are bad. Some mean well despite hurting people, and some wish to hurt people simply for the sake of hurting people.”

“What about you?”

“Even if I didn’t hurt or kill anyone while saving you, if people found out about it, I would be called a villain for using my quirk while not being a professional hero. 

Then the group currently in charge of this society, the Hero Public Safety Commission, would no doubt take you and train you to be a weapon of theirs upon learning what your quirk is, just like what they did to the Winged Hero: Hawks, one of the top professional heroes in the country, as well as their secret enforcer and assassin.”

Right now, honesty is the best policy. I have no doubt that the de facto rulers of Japan would turn Eri into the next Hawks if given the chance, as while the current president isn’t as bad as her predecessor (the one who got his brains blasted out by Lady Nagant, and for many very good reasons), she’s still a far cry from acting like a decent human being.

There’s no point in hiding reality from her. She deserves to know the truth after everything she’s been through; not every hero out there is like Deku or Lemillion. 

“Why is the world like this?” Eri asks me.

…How am I supposed to answer that? Shounen logic?

 

Even if I let this story play out like canon, what exactly does that achieve? 

Crammed in the final few chapters is some people opening up rehabilitation centers for villains, some people fighting for heteromorphic rights, a very slight restructuring of the Hero Billboard system and HPSC, and that’s about it. And even that feels completely and utterly fake, like someone’s fever dream of how the whole world is now perfect.

Quirk Singularity, heroes as a platform of commercialism, the ranking structure, and only the strongest people becoming Pro Heroes; those are just some of the problems hero society has in MHA’s timeskip finale, and those are literally the exact same problems that were present since the beginning of the story.

Hero society doesn’t change after some teenagers beat up a demon lord LARPer and his hand-obsessed apprentice. Its problems have simply plateaued like always and will no doubt explode into another crisis with another League of Villains or Meta Liberation Army.

And that cycle will continue as Quirk Singularity comes closer and closer, and when it arrives, it’s game over for everyone. People’s abilities will become too powerful for them to control, and they become walking nukes capable of destroying entire cities as a result.

Thousands will become like this. Then millions. Then billions.

Heroes? Villains? Who cares about them when a global doomsday approaches? Quirk Singularity is a product of evolution, and you can’t fight evolution. You can’t Detroit Smash evolution and save the day.

Just like Nine, Quirk Singularity is a natural disaster, a destructive event that you can’t do jack to stop. All you can do is shield yourself and try to survive the phenomenon.

It’s a dynamic that overarches every other plot point in this world, because it represents the unquestionable end of the world. I decided to become a villain because being a villain lets me better prepare for this natural phenomenon. That’s all there is to it.

But how can I explain this to the five year old girl sitting next to me? 

 

“Honestly, I don’t know.” I eventually settled for an answer. “All I know is that if this continues, then this superpowered society is destined for disaster, and there’s no way this trend isn’t continuing.”

“My blood…”

“Won’t help, even if Overhaul succeeded with his plans.” I cut her off. “It’s impossible to rid the world of quirks, not when they’ve become so powerful and widespread.”

“So what do we do then?” She asks me with tears starting to form in her eyes. 

“Simple. We prepare.” I answer. “We can’t save the world, but at the very least, we might be able to save each other. At the very least, I can try and save you.”

“You did save me!” The child cries out. “You’re the only person who has ever been nice to me! You saved me from him, and I wanna save you too!”

“Are you sure, Eri? There will be no more experiments on you and the Shie Hassaikai will treat you like the princess you deserve to be, but I know all too well how that building has plenty of bad memories attached to it.”

“It’s okay, Sekan. After all, if I run away from this… how can I get them to pay me back?” The little girl gives me a smile.

A slightly devious smile.

The Yakuza better watch their backs. They now have an angry unicorn child that’s just itching for some sweet, sweet revenge.

But in all seriousness, it’s so nice to see Eri emerging from her shell this early on. She won’t be able to help me much at the moment, but once she gets a better handle on her quirk, this world is going to see just how terrifying our quirks’ synergy can be.

I just need to make sure a certain toucan doesn’t get the chance to haunt me before then… or ever.

 

That’s why, as I head to bed with Eri (her new room will be done by tomorrow), I get ready to nip this problem in the bud.

‘It’s not just you now. Remember what and who you're fighting for now.’ I tell myself while staring at the little girl in unicorn pajamas nuzzled up next to me.

‘Remember what you need to do…’ I remind myself over and over.

Keeping my mind and quirk focused on this singular goal. Doing what I know I can do with the knowledge I have, the script or cheat sheet right in front of me.

Even while drifting asleep, that’s the only thing on my mind.

And the next time I open my eyes… I’m not in my room. Far from it.

“YOU BASTARD!!!”

“Hello, Kai.”

 

I wake up in a dark void. A smoky, featureless expanse that feels far more otherworldly then the world I was recently transmigrated to.

It’s evenly lit, yet there’s no obvious light source. I’m on a platform of stone, yet there’s nothing holding it up.

It also feels familiar, and not just because I’ve seen a similar space in canon, within both the depths of All For One and One For All.

I guess it makes sense. After all, this world is inside my head. Inside my body. 

I’m this world and this world is me. In Tomura’s game-lingo terms, I already have the dev kit for this map and a manual on how to use one from a similar game. What I need to do now is apply that knowledge to my version, to my vestigeworld.

And quell the guests I’ve invited into this place.

One of the vestiges screams incoherently as he charges at me while the other simply stands there, behaving like an empty husk.

Mind Web + Overhaul

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

“WHAT?!?”

 

“Come now, Kai. Surely you’ve figured it out by now if you’ve seen even a fraction of my memories.” I monologue while stepping closer to the cage of stone that just encompassed everything up to his head.

He attempts to use his quirk to break free, but it isn’t working.

“He’s controlling us and our quirks through use of his own. It’s no All For One, but quirks that can mentally control others have been shown to affect multiple-quirk wielders and, to a lesser extent, the vestiges attached to them, like what that Shinso kid did at the Sports Festival, right?” Shin concludes after giving it some thought.

“And just like that, you’ve proven yourself to be better than most quirk analysts in the country! Good job, Shin!” I compliment my other permanent guest.

“Now of course, the vestiges of One For All were able to break free from his quirk’s influence, but compared to the group of vestiges that even fended off the demon lord LARPer for generations, you simply aren’t up to snuff, especially considering that unlike them, I actually know what the hell I’m doing.

This is my world and these are my quirks. You two best get used to it.”

“YOU THINK YOU’RE ACCOMPLISHING ANYTHING, YOU COWARD?!?” Kai roars at me. “YOU HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE AND MATERIALS NEEDED TO END THIS DISEASED SOCIETY, AND YOU JUST-”

“First of all, Eri is more than just ‘materials’, Kai. Second of all, you know as well as I do that your plans were never going to work. The Shie Hassaikai is a mini version of Humarise and you’re a mini version of Flect Turn, and even if you somehow had full control over Humarise, your plans, like theirs, would end up wiping out most of the world.”

“YOU’RE DOOMING THE WORLD TOO BY DOING NOTHING!!!”

“So? I don’t give a rat’s ass about this world and I know that you don’t either. All you want is for the Shie Hassaikai to return to their former glory; the rest of the world’s population is merely sheeple for you to rule over once you’re finished.

That won’t work, and there’s a very good chance that my own plans actually will save the Yakuza, unlike what happened in canon, so why oppose me?”

“YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WHY!”

“Okay, I’ll admit that killing the Old Man and framing Shin for it was a dick move, but are you really one to judge me after what you did to him? Besides, we both know how he would’ve reacted to your finished plan. Just look at the fate you and him had in the canon epilogue.”

 

“You almost made it seem like you don’t want to be enemies with him.” Shin points out while observing our conversation. 

“Because I am.” I answer, surprising them both. “Don’t get me wrong, I hate Overhaul and what his organization did, but I also got my revenge already. You aren’t Kai Chisaki and Shin Nemoto; you’re just the few lingering wisps of them that came along with their quirks, and I see no reason to beat a few dead horses when they can be quite helpful to me just the way they are.”

“Aren’t you afraid of a potential uprising like what happened with All For One?” Vestige Shin asks me.

“I should be fine for now as long as I don’t take too many quirks.” I nonchalantly answer the former bullet of death. “And I already have a few ideas to safely expand my collection without that issue down the line.

Of course, you’re free to test your luck and fail miserably before being subjected to an eternity of torment in here, but I know enough about you from the anime and manga to know that this is merely a test on your end. 

You value people who are heartfelt and have always been on the logical side rather than the emotional side, so you know that the past events which led to this situation don’t matter at all in this current, changed present and willingly following me now is your best course of action. Am I right?” I ask, using Shin’s own quirk on him for that last question.

“Yes.” He responds under the effect of his quirk, proving my point.

“Excellent. Glad we’re all clear on that. By the way, the same offer goes for you, Kai. If you ever want to even slightly influence the Shie Hassaikai again, you’ll agree to help me out.”

“DAMNIT, NEMOTO! GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE!” VestigeHaul screams.

“I’m just gonna give you some time to cool off.” I sigh at the ghost bird frothing in rage.

“I’M GONNA RIP YOUR FUCKING HEADS OFF!!!”

“Okay, so you need more time.”

“RAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!”

 

VestigeHaul goes back to screaming in rage as I bury him deep within the lump of rock we’re standing on. 

“Hmm, I’ll have to try and figure out how to customize this place soon. The view is kinda cool, but have more then a fucking floating boulder to stand on would be nice.” I reflect while walking over to Shin.

“You know what, consider that your first assignment, Shin. The OFA vestiges could customize their own world a little, so we should be able to too.”

“Maybe the world is like this since you only have the One For All and All For One vestigeworlds as inspiration for a starting point?” Shin questions. “This is technically your mindscape, after all.”

“I suppose that makes sense. You can go and experiment with that until our next meeting. Feel free to create and alter what you want as long as you don’t free Kai from his hopefully temporary prison, and remember, I have your quirk so there’s no keeping secrets from me.

Oh, and if you happen to run into my own vestige, let me know and work with him from then on out. I don’t see him anywhere around here at the moment and quirk vestiges only seem to truly manifest when the quirk they’re connected to is taken by others, but it should be possible to fully manifest my own with enough control over my inner world. I’ll work on that while you handle the former.”

“Got it, boss.” Shin gives a quick salute and starts looking into it as I attempt to leave, and after a couple minutes, I figure out the trick.

 

When I wake back up, I slowly and silently check my phone so as to not wake up the little unicorn resting in my arms.

‘5:30 am… I fell asleep at around midnight, so… was I really in the vestigeworld for that long? I’ll have to work on my sense of time there among other things, but I have plenty of time to do so.’

I should have enough time to do everything I have in mind before canon really gets going, and ohhhhhhh man do I have a lot in mind.

But that can wait. For now, I’m just gonna get some more sleep. 

I say I’ve more than earned it after that absolute rollercoaster of a day.

Chapter 5: Double or Nothing

Hario Kurono, or Chronostasis as he often calls himself, would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried.

He knew how much Kai cared about the Old Man, despite being the one to put him into that coma in the first place. He knows how volatile Kai can be, and what he’s capable of if he throws caution to the wind.

But despite everything, he seems oddly… composed.

Did this tragic event really serve as a wake-up call for him? Or is it the calm before the storm?

He knows that once Kai has decided on something, nothing can stop him. He’ll use anything and everything for the sake of his objective; that’s just the kind of man he is.

Well whatever his newest objective is, he’ll just do what he’s always done; support his childhood friend however he can.

 

Countdown to Canon: 10 Months before Entrance Exam

“Who the hell are you? Oh, I remember that guy!”

“Me?” I ask rhetorically as I fully step into the apartment room. “I’m the guy who’s gonna end all your suffering, Jin. You’re welcome.”

Yes, I’m face to face with that Jin right now. As for how and why this happened, let’s flash back a bit.

 

Several days have passed since I reformed the Yakuza, and I immediately put my new villainous organization to use. Getting off the ground isn’t gonna be easy, but I’ve got a decent enough template to work with.

For starters, I gathered everyone else in this villain gang up to both announce the new changes and do an up to date loyalty test through the Confession quirk. 

As for current members, all the (remaining) Eight Bullets are already present, but the number of properties and thugs at my disposal is severely lacking when compared to canon. 

Speaking of canon, Kai mainly increased his assets in the show by monopolizing Trigger distribution across the country, increasing the quality of his quirk-boosting products thanks to all the experimenting he did on Eri. 

He also did the occasional robbery while healing any enemies involved so as to not leave any evidence behind. Having a good way to cover your tracks is nice and all, but robbing a few convenience stores doesn’t exactly make you a millionaire.

Needless to say, the Hassaikai were understandably on the verge of extinction with a lack of money, resources, and connections, which is why Kai tried recruiting the League of Villains after Kamino.

My current situation is even worse with only the main compound, a few smaller properties across the country with a skeleton crew manning them, my eight (now seven) bullets, and less then two hundred loyal thugs in total to handle most of the dirty work.

It’s still somewhat impressive when compared to most villain gangs in the ‘Era of Peace’, but AFO’s remains of a criminal empire and the Meta Liberation Army make my organization look like an absolute joke.

 

I’ll surpass both the Demon Lord and Grand Commander in time, but I need to be careful. Getting even this far was an incredibly risky gamble, one I don’t plan on repeating anytime soon. 

I need to be smart about this. Investing a little is one thing, but taking territory and quirks like nobody’s business would just be asking for Sir Nighteye and All Might to chuck me into Tartarus.

However, I can’t be too cautious either. I’m on a very strict time limit here and my opponents are not going to play nice, so taking the occasional risk is pretty much required to succeed. In short, my second life is one big balancing act. 

So there’s almost always going to be at least some risks involved with plans here, but I’ve got plenty of ways to minimize them. Half-assing my preparations or leaving everything up to the protagonists isn’t going to fly here; just look at what happens in canon to begin with!

Going into more detail about this latest plan of mine, I instructed pretty much my entire organization to start a manhunt for several different people, with anyone who finds them (and sets up a meeting with some of them) getting pretty hefty bonuses added to their payroll.

Some people on this list should be easy enough to find, given what I know from canon. Others will be a bit trickier, but they should emerge from the shadows eventually. All of them will be important for my plans moving forward.

As for me, I personally take a little trip over to Tokyo Medical University. 

 

Now Kai Chisaki already knows a fair bit about the human body. He can heal most wounds easily enough and even merge people together with his matter-manipulation quirk, but his knowledge regarding topics like surgery, biochemistry, and genetics in general is painfully limited. 

I intend to fix that, and not by applying for college. There is no time to go through an Academy Arc right now; the apocalypse would show up before I even come close to graduating! 

Besides, I already went through college in my last life. A bachelor’s degree in Business Administration should be at least somewhat helpful with the whole ‘leading a yakuza’ thing, but there are much more important subjects to pursue right now. 

Mind Web allows me to check for suitable candidates while wandering around close by to the college campus. I can use my quirk to dig into their minds a little bit and alter their memories to completely forget about the previous few minutes right afterwards.

Now obviously, I’m not walking around in Kai Chisaki’s trademark Yakuza outfit right now. I look like your average young adult with a collared shirt, blazer, jeans, and messy brown hair strolling around the city for fun, but the truth is I’m on a hunt.

And yes, it’s just me right now. The other members of the Shie Hassaikai are… well…

 

Kendo Rappa acts like an NPC in old Pokemon games, demanding to fight anyone who passes by or even looks at him.

Soramitsu Tabe is hungry 24/7 and there are markets everywhere in public. Markets filled to the brim with food. Food that this goddamn glutton will not bother paying for in the heat of the moment.

Joi Irinaka has kleptomania issues from his quirk wanting ‘things’ to be and he’s also busy being my organization’s general manager/treasurer. 

Shin Nemoto is still dead and his vestige can’t really help me with most irl problems.

Rikiya Katsukame is busy guarding the compound with Soramitsu. His size and strength makes him very good at that; being able to drain people’s energy with only a touch is just icing on the cake. The latter is better off being a multi-purpose humanoid roomba then a security guard, but I can just have him slurp up any dust or dirt he finds while wandering around.

Toya Setsuno is out on a job his quirk is perfect for. He’s like weaker, ranged version of Mr. Compress and that can be very useful in some villainous situations.

Yu Hojo is busy taking Trigger and pumping out his quirked crystals for another project of mine. The boosting drug strengthens those crystals and lets him make more of them before running out of steam, which will be very helpful when I eventually put those to use.

Deidoro Sakaki is completely hammered most of the time so letting him be anywhere besides my compounds and a bar would just be asking for trouble.

Heikji Tengai is doing what can best be described as ‘monk things’ and also babysitting Rappa.

And Hari Kurono is busy overseeing the scouting project the majority of my rank and file are currently off doing.

But that’s fine. I don’t need any of them for this hunt.

 

And a bit over half an hour after starting, I found my first suitable target.

I first use Mind Web to take control of him and lead him into an alley away from any prying eyes. 

I then use Overhaul to do a body fusion with him, obtaining his flesh, blood, quirk, and memories.

I then use Mind Web again in conjunction with Overhaul to quickly scour through his mind and find the group of memories I’m looking for, memories of him in various college classes, listening to lectures, completing projects, gaining practical experience, and learning all about the subject of surgery over the last few years.

I create a copy of these memories that goes straight into my own brain before using Overhaul again to undo the body fusion, returning us both to the physical states we were in pre-fusion.

Finally, I use Mind Web once more to alter his memories regarding the last few minutes and have him go on his merry way.

Overhaul is a wonderful quirk that can be used to stock up on other quirks like a rough version of AFO… but why stop at quirks? 

Quirks aren’t the be-all and end-all of people despite what this god awful society attempts to convince you. Having some actual fucking skills outside of quirk use are important too.

An overreliance on your quirk is a slow and insidious killer. I won’t be falling into that rabbit hole.

No. With Kai’s quirk and my own working in tandem, I won’t just be creating an ultimate quirk combination to match One For All and All For One. I’ll also be creating an ultimate skill combination to grant me the upper hand against opponents.

And the first skills I will be acquiring are a mastery in biochemistry, surgery, and genetics in general that rivals or even surpasses Dr. Garaki, My Hero Academia’s resident mad quirk scientist!

The Overhaul quirk, when wielded by someone significantly smarter and better educated than canon Kai, creates a person who is much less of a quack about their particular brand of mad science. 

Spice this lovely quirk up with some actual anatomical knowledge and expertise in biochemistry, and what do you get? Here’s a hint: it’s something very, very terrible for my enemies. 

 

And that’s just one category I plan on mastering via temporary fusion! Before coming here, I tried this quirk cheat out with Kendo Rappa who challenged me the day after I took over (not that anyone besides Eri and my vestiges know that). 

I forcefully fused with him before he could land a punch and figured out how to use Mind Web and Overhaul in tandem to look into certain bundles of memories present in his mind. 

I then copied over all his knowledge and experiences when it comes to combat (and a few other small things regarding his presence in MHA Vigilantes) before undoing the fusion and slightly altering his memories to where he thinks I simply put him back together after insta-killing him rather then temporarily merging with him.

After trying it out some more on a few random goons over the next few days, gaining some much needed experience with bodyfusing and memory-copying, I went into Tokyo to get several master’s degrees worth of medical knowledge in a single day.

That day involved me doing what I just described to no less than a dozen students at this top tier medical school before traveling to the ‘regular’ Tokyo University and repeating the same process with students studying genetics and biochemistry.

The process got faster as I became more knowledgeable about neurosurgery, opening up another brand new avenue for Overhaul usage that includes, but isn’t limited to, altering memories, making my opponents unable to activate their quirks, and directly making them brain-dead zombies like the Nomus (High-Ends excluded) are.

With some detailed brain surgery using Overhaul, I could probably even brainwash people! It’ll require some practice, but it’s definitely a possibility.

By speedrunning this little ‘Academy Arc’, not only am I getting years upon years worth of knowledge that pairs up perfectly with my most dangerous quirk, but I’m also getting good training with both it and my original quirk when it comes to its third application.

I’m gonna go off on a limb here and guess that ‘Sekan’ didn’t really train that last part, or train his quirk much in general. The bullying and quirk discrimination would just get worse and he could even be sent to some juvenile hall for unlawful quirk usage.

I intend to fix that. Every quirk I own will be mastered to the best of my ability no matter how simple or complex it is; I’m not a lazy throne potato like All For One.

 

Of course, I won’t simply be collecting every quirk in sight like AFO either. Unlike him, I have very limited space for quirks unless I want to walk around as some fucking kaiju or Lovecraft monstrosity, so I need my small arsenal to be as perfect as possible. 

Once the day ends, I head back to the main compound with several master’s degrees worth of crucial information in my head. All that’s left is to practice applying it… and run the yakuza… and spend some quality time with Eri… and make plenty of plans for the future.

Yeah, I have a lot on my plate going forward. 

Luckily for me, I know the perfect overpowered quirk to help out with that.

Is it an intelligence-boosting quirk like Nezu’s or Saiko Intelli’s? Nope.

Is it some parallel processing quirk? Also nope. 

I’m not scary smart like canon Mei Hatsume is and fanon Izuku tends to be, but I consider myself to be pretty intelligent. While I wasn’t valedictorian or anything, I did study hard and got good grades in college after a wild few highschool years. 

Bodyfusing with Kai Chisaki boosted that natural intelligence even further, because for all the mistakes he made (or would’ve made down the line), he’s a really smart guy when you consider all the medical marvels he pulled off.

It’s not the kind of thing your average background character can do, even with a completely broken quirk like Overhaul and a severe lack of morals.

So while I can’t create a dimensional teleporter or particle accelerator with some garbage and grit like a certain pink-haired future UA Support Course student probably could, I can be a practical and sane mind, unlike a certain matter-manipulating toucan. Scientific inventions aren’t the only form of genius. 

But I digress. A further boost in intelligence would be nice and all, but I’m looking for a much more practical quirk to solve all my problems, and I have just the quirk in mind.

 

“You really found him already? Wow, that was quick!” I happily comment as Kurono tells me the good news.

“Well there aren’t many guys who walk around in public with a paper bag on their head. The bonus you offered for finding him was also the largest on your list of targets and you already had the potential location limited to just a few cities. Was it really that much of a surprise?”

After using Confession to confirm that the yakuza thug was genuine, he takes Kurono and I by car to the apartment building a very familiar face is hiding in.

I knew some of the areas he hung around thanks to the show. I also knew his quirk in both the figurative and literal sense, and not a whole lot of people openly contradict practically everything they say mere moments after saying it. 

So I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised about the Shie Hassaikai finding him so fast. They ran into him in canon easily enough, and that was completely by accident!

It’s close to midnight, so most people are already asleep. Any staff or residents wandering around quickly get knocked out and I alter their memories while passing through.

I then use Overhaul to disassemble the door leading into a future LOV member’s room. A villain who is definitely another top contender for most overpowered quirk in My Hero Academia.

“Hey! What the hell did you do to my door?! Who cares? It was ugly!”

 

Jin Bubaigawara. Villain name: Twice. 

Quirk: Double. Lets the user create a copy of anything as long as they have enough accurate data. This is done through creating a dark-colored, viscous fluid from his hands that forms into the person or object in question.

Body doubles possess the same personality, memories, and abilities, quirks included, of the original. Their memories are limited to the last time they interacted with the quirk’s wielder and copies are far less durable from the originals. 

Also, the user can only create two doubles at a time, and while destruction of any double doesn’t affect the wielder (and they can even feel when they’re destroyed no matter how far away the doubles are), that limit of available duplicates severely limits the quirk’s potential, right?

Well, it turns out that being able to create a copy of ‘anything’ includes being able to create a copy of yourself. A copy with your skills, memories, and quirks.

One double creates two. Two creates four more. Four creates eight more. 

You get the picture. Trampling the entire world is possible with this quirk if it’s utilized properly! Its wielder can quite literally become a one-man army!

Only there’s a slight problem with that, and this is why, unless I’m left at death’s door with no other option, I won’t be spamming clones now that I used Overhaul to fuse with him.

Copies aren’t forced to follow the orders of their creator; they are their own beings with their own thoughts and memories. Jin’s villain origin story involves his clones turning against him and him not even knowing if he’s the real Jin anymore (plus an unhealthy dose of Multiple Personality Disorder).

I… do not want to risk that happening. Jin, excluding his quirk, was just a regular human. Imagine thousands of me running around with multiple overpowered quirks, otherworldly knowledge, and free reign on their actions no matter how good or awful they are. Oh, and they could all make even more duplicates of themselves for the hell of it! 

Add in my mindset of selfishness and survival as a top priority rather than the ‘All for one and one for all!’ mindset of Jin where clones sacrifice themselves en masse for their ‘real’ teammates, and you get endless amounts of clones that have very little interest in dying for my benefit, or anyone’s benefit outside of their own.

Needless to say, it would be absolute chaos. Complete armageddon. An early apocalypse.

And that right there is the other main reason why I desired this quirk so much, why I wanted to acquire it as soon as possible.

 

Overhaul is an incredible quirk, don’t get me wrong, but it isn’t an instant ‘I win’ button. Neither is All For One, One For All, or even New Order.

But Double? Look at what Jin did with it when fighting the MLA. Look at what Toga did with it during the Final War.

And just imagine what I could do with it when going all out, especially with all the self-improvements I've made.

The global apocalypse would start early. The entire world would fall. I wouldn’t win, but neither would my enemies. Neither would this world.

I won’t lie; I can be a very spiteful person at times, and I refuse to lose this crappy game that my second life is shaping out to be, so I got the one quirk that lets me take down the entire world alongside myself if I desire such. I’m probably gonna end up in Hell no matter what, so I might as well give god one last middle finger before the end comes.

It’s the equivalent of flipping over a game board or smashing a video game console. A way to just rage quit if things take a turn for the worse and all my plans are Detroit Smashed into oblivion. 

Of course, unleashing the infinite doubles of Sad Man’s Parade will only be an absolute last resort, so in other words, it’s only being unleashed if I’m ever, say, cornered by All Might or All for One in the future. 

If I’m going down, I’m taking them down with me! My second life will NOT be spent locked up in Tartarus or one of Garaki’s secret labs before taking a one-way trip to Hell! 

As All For One himself once said while on the verge of death, like heroes, villains are also scariest when wounded. I won’t hesitate to unleash armageddon out of sheer spite if I’m going to die either way.

At the very least, I refuse to let those so-called heroes win.

But it’s best for everyone if none of those events play out, and I refuse to resort to that unless there’s no other way out besides death. I genuinely want to try enjoying this second life, even if I constantly have a descending doomsday to stress over.

Besides, isn’t it better for this world-ending trump card to be with me rather than Twice or Toga, some of MHA’s main antagonists? Me having but never using Sad Man’s Parade is better then Twice or Toga using Sad Man’s Parade to try and wreck the world like in canon, right?

Unlike them, I’m not going to get carried away with this new quirk. Like I said before, I need to play this smart if I want to end up on top rather than completely crumbling like the rest.

 

How I merged with Jin should be proof enough of that. The guy is actually pretty built with his skintight costume showing it off clearly enough in canon, and it’s no different here. 

My old, teenage body was never really trained physically; yet another similarity I happened to share with Hitoshi Shinso. 

Kai Chisaki and Shin Nemoto didn’t really train physically either, or at least, not at this point in time. Kai himself was shown being pretty muscular after escaping Tartarus, but it seems that the majority of his physical training came from later on in his life. Luckily for me, I have a workaround for said problem.

With my new wealth of knowledge on the human body, I was able to take most of Jin’s bulky frame for myself, allowing me to become much stronger physically and have much more stamina (saving myself months, if not years worth of physical exercise) and gain enough of his flesh and blood to use his quirk without any strain.

In short, I just cheated my way through Izuku Midoriya’s ten month long ‘American Dream Plan’ training montage in less than an hour and got a new quirk that’s as overpowered as One For All, if not more so, along with it.

Work smarter, not harder. Those really are words to live by.

But back to Jin’s wonderful quirk, and these new quirks in general… how best to explain this?

Getting new quirks is like getting another sense or instinct. It gnaws at me every time, driving me to test out this new bodily function, and I just follow that instinct before refining it with my otherworldly knowledge.

And in this case, after cleaning up any evidence of our intrusion and heading back to the Main Compound, I only make a singular duplicate of myself through it instead of going balls to the wall with doubles.

 

“Yaaaay, great. Step three is somewhat complete.” Clone me says in a monotone voice.

“Yeah, ummmm… Sorry dude, but do you mind-”

“I know, I know. I’m you, remember?” Clone me deadpans before creating two more clones of us. “And FYI, you can just make clones of Jin and brainwash them to do this crap instead of creating and immediately killing us.”

“But then I’d still have to kill a clone.” I deadpan back. “It would just be a clone of Jin instead of a clone of me.”

“And clones aren’t technically people, yeah. Counterpoint, we have an unfair bias for ourselves.”

“...Touche.” I relent and my clone smirks before flipping me the bird and using Overhaul to kill himself, splattering goo all over the place.

“Can’t really blame him for that, I suppose. Cleaning that up is gonna be a bitch.” One of the new clones mumbles and the other clone and I nod.

So another fun fact about Jin’s quirk, the clones all disappear when the original is killed. But when a clone is killed, anything that clone made with his copy of Double sticks around.

For my plans, I decided on having two clones of myself with all three of us having both clone slots open in case of an emergency. Therefore, I used my first slot to create a clone that used both slots to create two more before killing himself, freeing back up the first clone slot for me.

Now as for what I’m gonna do with these two clones…

 

“Alright, you both have my memories so you both should already know the plan. I’ll handle most outside excursions since I’m a lot less squishy then you two. Who wants to play villain boss and who wants to play mad scientist?”

“Won’t we both just choose the same thing?” One clone asks. “We’re the exact same person, remember?”

“Ah, right. Should I choose then?” I ask back and both clones think about it for a bit before nodding.

“Alright! From now on, you will be BossHaul and you will be LabHaul.” I announce before pointing at each clone. 

“And you’re MainHaul or the original. Got it.” BossHaul agrees. “Try to do a better job remembering that than Twice did.”

“Yes, sir.” I jokingly salute back.

Taking Twice out of the picture before canon properly starts is one thing. He doesn’t affect much before Kamino and only becomes crucial during the Meta Liberation Army Arc… not that I intend for the Paranormal Liberation Front to become a thing here to begin with.

Taking over for Overhaul has a similar, minor butterfly effect when it comes to the big picture. I’m going to be making changes no matter what, but I also don’t want to lose my information advantage so early into the game.

That’s why I’m limiting myself to making the bare minimum of main plot-impactful changes BEFORE the events of Kamino happen, because All Might and All For One taking each other out makes so many things far easier for me, and (ideally) by the time that happens, no other person or organization should be able to rival me in power, MLA and Humarise included.

I’ll be able to make this world’s story my own by then, but for now, it’s best not to throw away one of my greatest transmigration trump cards.

But back to my clones, like I said before, I have plenty of stuff on my plate. Way more than one person can reasonably handle. Sure, I have Chronostasis and Mimic helping me out as my assistant and the Hassaikai’s manager respectively, but I need something more.

Also there’s only so much I can tell them, even with the greatest non-disclosure agreements and contract-enforcing quirks in the world (if the latter is even a thing, but then again, quirks are complete bullshit to begin with). I don’t have to worry about keeping secrets if I’m working with myself.

Being able to do several things at once would be a lot more convenient, so I obtained a quirk which lets me do just that. 

 

Clone #1 or ‘BossHaul’ will focus on running most of the Shie Hassaikai’s day to day operations and big projects. Even a small mafia like this one isn’t easy to lead, especially when we’re on the brink of collapse like this. Having someone competent and ‘in the know’ handling the business side of things full time should help a lot with my future plans. 

My invalid college degree from my first life should help him with that. Worst case scenario, I can just do my memory-copying trick at one of Japan’s top business schools.

Clone #2 or ‘LabHaul’ will focus on the mad science stuff, achieving breakthrough after breakthrough with our advanced frankenstein neural network, rapidly increasing amount of medical knowledge, and a few suitable quirks like Overhaul. He’s gonna be looking for ways to improve both our bodies and quirks as well as experiment more with our own version of Nomu, body fusions.

My invalid college degree from my second life should help him with that.

As for me, I’ll be handling most tasks that involve going outside the main base. I know the safer option would be to send clones out instead so there would be no risk of me dying, but I have a good counter argument for that.

Twice is an S-Rank villain, and for good reason (it’s probably one of the only things this world’s villain ranking system got right!), so if anyone catches myself or someone in my clan dissolving into dark goo, we’re going to have hell rained down upon us… likely in the form of a Hell’s Curtain courtesy of Endeavor. 

Simply put, my second life would become much harder if a clone died and some enemy lived to tell the tale, and I’m far more durable then my clones (they dissolve after the equivalent of a broken bone for reference). Doesn’t matter if they can Overhaul the damage away if they lose their limited amount of HP in one good hit.

…Great. Now I’m talking like Tomura again.

 

Now I’ll also be handling a few miscellaneous tasks like spending time with Eri, copy-pasting more knowledge and memories from various targets, going undercover from time to time, and so on.

My clones and I will be able to communicate and share memories through Mind Web, which will also serve as great training for that quirk. We’re gonna build each other up and make sure we’re all up to date on each other’s line of work.

If one clone ends up dying and any stored data they gather is somehow deleted, then at the very least, no knowledge and experience is lost. Just another helpful contingency plan that doubles as quirk training; talk about efficiency.

Izuku Midoriya should be starting his One For All preparations with All Might right about now. Let’s see who’s little training montage is better, shall we?

Chapter 6: Monopoly

It still feels like a dream for Izuku Midoriya. 

Being trained by the Number 1 Hero and Symbol of Peace, All Might himself?

Being gifted his quirk so he can become a hero?

He knows it won’t be easy, but he can’t let his idol down! How can he let a chance like this slip away?

He can’t even imagine how bad Japan will get without All Might around. Villain activity already seems to be slightly rising lately. That giant villain Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods fought, the Sludge Villain that almost killed him and Kacchan… even one of his other classmates at Aldera recently went missing.

He didn’t know Sekan Doraifu very well. Everyone at school shunned him due to his ‘villainous quirk’ and he mainly just kept to himself as a result. He supposes that’s better than the guy being directly bullied… or Sekan joining in on the bullying towards Izuku.

But that doesn’t matter. He will become a hero and make sure that the Golden Era of Peace remains in Japan for decades to come! He’ll be like All Might and save everyone with a smile on his face!

“How utterly naive and oh so shounen like. Are you sure we can’t make this a Villain Deku world? Some of those mortals' fanfics are quite the treat to-”

“Oh, shut up. This world’s Sekan should be more than enough to keep it entertaining.”

 

Countdown to Canon: 9 Months, 3 Weeks before Entrance Exam

“So, why the sudden interest in me, Yakuza? Most intel on your ways of villainy have been lost to time, but honor and traditions are your MO! You’re not planning on ratting me out to the heroes, right?”

The shifty man who regularly dresses like he came out of a Grand Theft Auto game stares me down, not seeing the grin forming from under my plague mask.

“No need to worry, Giran.” I assure the underworld’s biggest broker. “Times have changed. The rise of quirks and the Era of Peace… it’s not a good time to be a criminal. On the surface, anyway.”

Giran cocks an eyebrow at this, inviting me to show off how informed I am.

“With All Might doing all the heavy lifting, many other heroes have grown complacent and many villains have retreated to the shadows to either grow or fade away. The Symbol of Peace is only one person; he’s human like you and me… and he can’t be everywhere.”

“You plan on taking him on?”

“Of course not. That would be suicidal at best, and besides, I believe a certain demon lord already has dibs on that.”

That gets his attention, and I take this chance to have Kendo Rappa and Hekiji Tengai place a few briefcases on the table we’re both sitting at.

 

“Villains everywhere are growing, preparing for when the Symbol of Peace finally gives out after so many years of service, and I intend to help them with that… for the right price, of course.”

The briefcases then open with one of them containing a dozen hits of Trigger, another containing modified weapons and bullets, and a final one revealing some documents.

“And these are?...” The villain broker trails off.

“Samples of products that should take the Black Market by storm. First up is my custom-brewed Trigger, which you’ll find to be a much higher quality than anything else currently being sold around Japan. 

Next up is a cheaper yet effective alternative to overpriced Support Gear from legit companies like Deternat. My own customized, quirk-modified weapons and bullets, which fly faster and pack far more of a punch then anything law enforcement has right now. Even most mutant and strength-enhancing quirks won’t be able to tank the piercing power of these things.

You’ll find some more details in those documents I brought along. Not enough intel to replicate these new products on your own, and even if you managed to fill in the blanks, the quirk helping to make these products is rather unique, so I’ll be maintaining my monopoly on these products. There’s also somewhat of a rough draft contact regarding our trades and other services in the future.

As for what the latter entails, my clan also has quite the capable healer at our disposal, so if there are any old villains who wish to rid themselves of their wounds or scars and get back in the game, send them my way after ensuring they pay an appropriate price.”

“Quite the risky move, but one that promises a whole lot of profit if you aren’t bluffing.” Giran summarizes. “What’s your price for this sample?”

“Nothing! Hand ‘em out to your cronies and see how they fare for yourself; call it a sign of good will for many more deals to come.” I smile with him giving a greedy grin back.

 

Yup, another one of my key targets for this step was Giran. Unlike canon Kai, I plan to produce a very wide range of products to be spread across the underworld. It’ll make the grunts and gangs slightly better equipped when compared to canon, but that shouldn’t mean too much with the over-abundance of heroes.

If anything, my products will work wonders against most of today’s crappy, complacent heroes, and that will get me more business which means more profit.

As for potential investigation, it’s all about quirks nowadays so who’s gonna bother investigating slightly special guns and bullets, even if they kill a few random, unranked, nobody heroes? So long as they don’t affect their precious powers like the quirk-erasing bullets do, the heroes and HPSC won’t give a flying fuck.

As for what makes them so special, Overhaul literally lets me rearrange matter to my liking, so after tracking down the nearest couple gunsmiths and copy-pasting their experiences related to the craft, I had LabHaul look into it while BossHaul began planning out potential deals and contracts.

It didn’t take long for me to create my own custom bullets with a whole lot more mass packed into them for better bullet sectional density. The higher the weight (mass) divided by cross-sectional area is, the more penetration and energy these bullets are gonna have. A higher SD also means bullets will be better at retaining momentum, both in the air and in a target.

To summarize all the mathy stuff, bullets with higher sectional density pack more of a punch, and mutant or strengthening quirk users are going to be in for quite a surprise when puny bullets suddenly stop becoming so puny.

Then there’s the modified weapons themselves. I don’t have many materials to work with (something I plan on fixing very soon), but all I need is a regular weapon, the appropriate knowledge, and Overhaul, and I can upgrade stuff in mere moments with a touch.

It’s a lot easier and cheaper than creating support gear; it’s also much less likely to get attention and has much less competition. When it comes to quirk-boosters, I’ll stick with Trigger, thanks.

Then there’s my healing offer. According to canon, healing quirks are quite rare with most users taking jobs in hospitals. That’s nice and all, but villains get hurt too and I’m willing to bet that there aren’t many underground healers around. 

Not to mention the fact that in terms of healing properties, Overhaul makes even Recovery Girl’s quirk look weak in comparison. 

I’ll be monopolizing multiple markets soon enough, and all under the hero’s noses at that, but I need to get them off my trail first and foremost. 

My facilities are still under the half-assed watch of a few police stations and the occasional hero walking by, and even they’re gonna start noticing something fishy if I increase the clan’s activity by such a massive degree.

To solve this problem, simply put, I plan on pulling a Deika. 

 

Re-Destro, Grand Commander of the Meta Liberation Army, managed to put together an entire city for his army to secretly amass and train in. Literally 90% of the town’s citizens were MLA members according to canon; that’s tens of thousands of people, and the heroes didn’t have a single fucking clue about it!

I won’t be doing anything nearly that big with Osaka, but I do plan on slowly converting the city’s law enforcement and local heroes to my side so the Hassaikai can act semi-openingly, offering protection from a few (staged) villain attacks and getting the entire city dependent on my clan.

It’s surprisingly easy to stumble across numerous fanatics to recruit. Kai Chisaki did it easily enough in canon. Then there's groups like the MLA, Humarise, and AFO himself that get hordes of supporters for their ridiculous causes with ease. Just another shounen thing, I guess.

But that’s way down the line, and there’s one major problem with this plan that I haven’t addressed yet. In fact, this person is one of my greatest problems period! 

The Symbol of Peace’s ex sidekick, Sir Nighteye. 

He’s the main hero responsible for Kai Chisaki’s downfall in canon; he discovers them, investigates them, plans the heroes’ assault on them, and ruins them, and I do not want history to repeat itself here. 

There’s no avoiding conflict with him, especially with how much more active the Shie Hassaikai is now, so it’s best to deal with him on my terms rather than his own. I won’t let him destroy the Shie Hassaikai this time, not when I’m in charge.

For people like him, the gloves are coming off.

Dealing with him isn’t going to be easy, and not just because of him having access to his own future knowledge cheats. The potential fallout is my main concern.

Say I manage to quickly and quietly assassinate him before he can even try using his quirk. That’s nice and all, but that’s also going to bring the Symbol of Peace to my doorstep. 

Be extra cautious? I already am! The guy may be a bit of an ass in canon, but Nighteye’s investigative skills are among the best Japan’s heroes have to offer, and while I’ve specifically warned the entire Hassaikai about that guy and his sidekicks, someone’s going to screw up eventually and it’ll be game over.

Blackmail? I could threaten to reveal the existence of One For All to the world if he doesn’t fuck off, but that would just get All Might’s attention on me and he would definitely be willing to sacrifice his secret if it meant stopping the second coming of AFO.

Rat out All For One’s survival to Nighteye? That would completely change the main plot and render most of my canon story knowledge useless. 

That just leaves one option left, and while it is smart, it’s even more insane.

He dissolved his partnership with All Might years ago with them not even being on speaking terms right now. His hero agency only consists of himself and two sidekicks, and he isn’t very close with other agencies unless he decides to request a temporary team up like he did when facing the Shie Hassaikai in canon.

…So what if I copy what I did with Kai Chisaki?

 

The body-fusion would have to be done with a clone of me, and even if that did work out, his sidekicks would notice… I guess that means doing the same to them then. It’s not like those two are that powerful, so there shouldn’t be any problems.

But what about Mirio Togata, future UA Big 3 member and third biggest pain in the ass for canon Kai after Izuku Midoriya and Sir Nighteye?

Well I don’t have to worry about him because he hasn’t even met Sir Nighteye yet!

Remember, Mirio is in his second year right now, and while it isn’t directly stated when Mirio was taken in by Nighteye, there are other bits of information I can piece together with a little detective work to get that answer.

It’s stated that he’s been working under Nighteye for ‘at least a year’ during the canon Work Studies arc. It’s also shown that Mirio does terribly during his second UA Sports Festival.

Putting those two pieces of intel together, I can come up with a basic timeline for the blond Big 3 member. 

Sir Nighteye takes notice of him during his second year Sports Festival and decides to offer an internship to him. Mirio accepts and does both that and Work Studies at the Nighteye Agency for his second year. He then does the same exact thing his third year, and that adds up to over a year of time once Izuku joins that agency for his own Work Studies.

Problem solved.

So theoretically, if I did my own take on Invasion of the Body Snatchers with Nighteye’s Agency, have a clone do body-fusion on Mirai himself, and have some loyal yakuza members of mine do something similar with his two sidekicks through more body-fusion, I wouldn’t have to worry about that future-fucking thorn in my side.

Now it will take time for them to fully adjust to their new roles, but that’s just fine. Sir Nighteye himself separated from everyone who knows him well enough to spot any differences once we make the swap, and he has no reason to reconnect with them anytime soon. Assuming canon stays relatively on track, I’ve got well over a year until then.

In fact, with how many years they’ve been out of contact for, it would be surprising if he didn’t develop and change personality-wise at least a little after that falling out with the anti-AFO squad. We can forge a new, slightly different personality for ‘Sir Nighteye’ and such would be blamed on the natural passage of time.

As for Mirio, he certainly won’t know the difference if we decide to bring him in since he never even met the guy before.

Actually, now that I’m thinking about it, should we even bring him in to begin with?

On the one hand, he probably won’t become nearly as much as a threat without guidance from Nighteye or myself. On the other hand, we can ensure he doesn’t end up anywhere near Shie Hassaikai operations by roping him into Nighteye’s agency.

In fact, once he has his hero license, we could even use him as a legal, heroic means of dealing with villain opposition if we wanted to. Wouldn’t that just be the peak of irony.

Hmmmm. Decisions, decisions.

 

You know what, I’ll let BossHaul handle that choice and preparations for this assignment. Man, it is nice having several versions of you to split all the work between!

So while my clone handles that plan (as well as organizing the rest of Operation Deika), and Giran is off field testing my products, I have some time to spend with Eri.

She’s been left to wander around the mostly empty compound for the last few days after I let the Hassaikai know about the old boss’ granddaughter. Kai kept her a secret from all but a few members at this point in time, so spinning a mostly true story about her parents not wanting her anymore and leaving her in my care wasn’t hard.

And I made it very clear what would happen if anyone tries something funny with Eri Chisaki, heir of the Shie Hassaikai. 

Side note, Eri Chisaki is her ‘pretend name’ as she calls it. That’s also the name going on her official documentation with her quirk being officially registered as Glowing Horn (with it doing exactly what one would think it does), so as to hide her time-reversing properties.

 

Speaking of Rewind, she’s begun training that quirk of hers in a similar method towards the end of canon, so restoring the limbs of bugs and lizards I had a few goons collect and store. 

She still has the occasional quirk outburst, but since Rewind only affects living organisms (at the moment), anyone with her at the time can simply leave the room she’s in and wait for her to naturally run out of stockpiled energy.

We (luckily) haven’t had any quirk outbursts outdoors, mainly because I know the signs of her quirk reaching its stockpiled limits such as her horn growing a certain degree and the occasional spark shooting out.

Helping her release accumulated energy on command was our first main goal. Just like in the anime, Eri’s horn gets itchy when the stockpiled energy reaches its limit and begins to spark out. 

That took a day or so for her to figure out. Next up was learning how to manually start and stop her quirk’s activation, rather than start it up and let it go until she runs out of stockpiled energy.

It’s only been a few days since then, but she’s been making some amazing progress despite starting this training over a year earlier than in canon. Probably because her teacher knows what the hell he’s doing.

Seriously, quirk analysts here are a fucking joke. It took like two months for Japan’s best doctors and hero teachers in canon to figure out that the energy from Rewind comes from her horn, literally the only mutated part of her body. It even starts sparkling once enough of that energy builds up! 

Get a damn clue, you idiots! Or better yet, a job you’re actually good at.

“Look! I did it, dad!”

…Uhhh, did I say teacher earlier? I meant adoptive father.

 

She’s officially Eri Chisaki, but she really sees herself as Eri Doraifu, taking my second life’s last name for herself after I unofficially adopted her.

This world hurt her so much. It left her to rot and be torn apart over and over again, but she didn’t let that fire in her die. Even in canon, despite going through far more torture, she still stood up to Kai and helped the heroes stop her.

Izuku and Mirio were the first people to give her kindness, so she happily followed along with them and the heroes as they squandered her potential. I won’t make that same mistake.

“Awesome job, Eri! At this rate, you’ll have complete control over time itself before you know it!”

The argument could be made that I’m manipulating Eri for my own gain, but I disagree. We both know how cruel this world can be, and we both agreed to have each other’s backs while it fell apart.

Is Eri still young? Yes, but look at how much little kids accomplish in this shounen. 

And I do genuinely care for the adorable little heartstrings character. I’m not opposed to creating some actual friendships and comradery rather than simply manipulating everyone in this world for my own gain. 

So I’ll raise this time-bending child as my own, and together, we’ll survive this shounen.

Even if the Shie Hassaikai is exposed or turns against us, even if the Symbols of Peace and Evil themselves come for our heads and quirks, we’ll stop them together. I’m not afraid to unleash Sad Man’s Parade and burn this world to the ground out of sheer spite.

But again, let’s not focus on the worst case scenarios for now. I’m still far from needing to pull one of those contingency plans out.

For now, I can just enjoy spending time with my daughter and watching as high schoolers beat the absolute shit out of each other on national television. 

The UA Sports Festival, everybody!

 

 

 

The security cameras cover a lot, but that’s only on the surface, both figuratively and literally.

The agency building is out in the open, but not many people wander around during the night, and they have even less reason to wander around this particular area.

The hero and sidekicks present are well above average, but they can only do so much when the enemy has numbers, Trigger, otherworldly knowledge of their opponents, a solid strategy, and the element of surprise. 

Mind Web confirms when civilians aren’t around and the three targets are all on the first floor, getting ready to go home. The assault will be slightly noisy, but end as quickly as it began.

The first quirks used are Overhaul and Mimicry, the two manipulation powers serving three crucial roles at the very start.

First is bursting the assault party through the ground floor. They may not have a warping quirk like Kurogiri at their disposal, but the quirks they do have made forming underground tunnels a simple task.

Second is separating the hero and two sidekicks present from each other, preventing the former from using his quirk on either of the latter. The hero’s eyes were also covered so he couldn’t get a good look at his opponents, preventing any potential usage of his quirk on them.

The third is covering up any exits such as doors, windows, the staircase leading up to higher floors, and the underground tunnel the two quirks previously created to escort the assault team here.

 

A combination of Trigger-boosted Sloshed and Energy Suck hits them at the same time, making the three both drained and dizzy before they can even react. 

Kurono or Chronostasis quickly finishes the job with his own quirk, rendering the three helpless in front of their attackers and the very building that is twisted and turned into their tombs.

For the hero’s quirk to activate, he first needs physical contact with the target before making eye contact with them; Kurono just satisfied the first prerequisite, but he would not allow the second box to be checked.

Not only were the hero’s eyes previously covered up, but Chronostastis was positioned behind Rikiya as a just in case. The far larger yakuza member could act as a human shield for the smaller member, preventing him from being within the hero’s line of sight.

Rikiya would not touch the hero, nor would anyone else. Not until the three were down for the count. Their own building would be used instead, courtesy of Overhaul and Mimic.

As a final precaution, the moment Chronostasis hit his targets, he kept his eyes shut and would not open them again until his boss gave him the go-ahead. His boss was very clear about preventing their futures from being read, and the assault team was prepared accordingly.

 

From the moment Kurono’s sharpened hair hit his targets, they were slowed down to the speed of a snail. It will take an entire hour for that effect to wear off, not that the assault party will need anywhere close to that long.

Even if they did, the heroes present now have two other crippling debuffs keeping them down, and nothing is stopping Chronostasis from simply reapplying his quirk on them, resetting that hour-long timer whenever needed.

That’s not even mentioning the fact that the floor below them has been manipulated into becoming an encasement for him and his sidekicks, covering everything up to their heads, with the hero himself still having his eyes completely covered.

They were drained, dizzy, slowed to a crawl, and not given even an inch of wiggle room in their makeshift prisons. From there, Overhaul was used to put them in permanent comas, one after another.

The three would be killed for good soon, but their bodies being intact makes what comes next easier for the big bad.

Bringing along Joi Inaraka (Mimic) and all Eight Bullets (Kurono having recently been assigned to the group as their leader) may have been a tad bit overkill, especially with most of them currently being on Trigger, but Sekan and his clones refuse to take any chances.

No time to call backup. No time to put up a fight. No time for insight, hindsight, or Foresight.

Swift, merciless, and extremely effective. Just as planned. 

“Sorry, Mirai Sasaki. But I can’t have anyone stealing my shtick.” The eccentric transmigrator whispers to the fallen, wide-eyed hero before properly getting to work.

Chapter 7: A Stain on Society

This should be enough of a disguise for now… he’s honestly surprised how easy this was.

Although, when the main body is as much of a paranoid bastard as he is, this was only gonna go one way. 

It didn’t matter to him that canon Kai Chisaki skewered this hero in a 1v1 despite said hero having his quirk activated; the original went and made THREE separate countermeasures to all be used at once just to prevent that quirk’s activation when any one of them would’ve been more than enough.

The hero was too weak to even speak with everything else the assault crew was hitting him with! It wouldn’t have even made a difference if he did activate it; he'd be too dizzy, slowed, and drained to warn anyone else or do anything meaningful enough to turn the tides!

But considering the effects such a powerful quirk has, he supposes he can’t blame the original for his cautiousness. They should already have the key to changing the futures that quirk predicts, but again, better safe than sorry.

Adjusting his glasses (which he supposes he doesn’t really need, but they complete the look), the fusion of man and clone looks in the mirror.

“Leave me to clean this crap up, why don’t you?” He groans to himself.

“You need our help at all, boss? Uhhh, clone boss? What exactly should we call you?” His fellow fusion asks, him now flawlessly resembling Centipeder’s appearance thanks to a bit of playing around with Overhaul.

“Hmmm, what to call myself… boss is fine for now, but for my fellow clones and the original, I think I’ll go with… NightHaul.”

 

Countdown to Canon: 9 Months, 2 Weeks before Entrance Exam

Crowds cheer and fireworks explode as the final Sports Festival before canon begins.

As for which year Eri and I are at, I decided on the second year festival since that’s where MHA’s future big three, Mirio Togata, Neijre Hado, and Tamaki Amajiki are. 

And as for why the hell I would show up here with Eri to begin with instead of watching this event on tv, well, there’s a couple reasons.

For starters, this little field trip should serve as a nice break. ‘Overhaul’ isn’t a registered villain yet and I plan on keeping it that way for as long as possible. Oh, and I’m obviously not in my Yakuza clothes and mask for very obvious reasons.

So there’s no risk involved with me coming here alongside my adopted kid, and a stress-free environment is something I seriously need after a spree of stupidly risky moves over the last month or so.

This trip is also meant to serve as a lesson for Eri about hero society and how screwed up it is. I thought the canon Sports Festival Arc was great, but when looking at this from a logical, real life perspective, problems start appearing in droves. 

 

Sorry to any MHA Sports Festival superfans, but the concept of this is so fucking stupid, I don’t even know where to start.

Seriously, all it would take is one villain tuning in through their tv and taking some notes on the next generation of potential top heroes and how to prepare for them, spread the word, and the second internships start up, kids are gonna start dying!

Everything from their quirks to their personalities to their friends and foes both inside and outside the ring is on full display for anyone to take advantage of. Everything a villain needs to beat those inexperienced child soldiers is right there, out in the open.

Just look at the UA Crush for crying out loud! 

Every year, pretty much every hero school in Japan gangs up on UA during the Provisional License Exam because they already know the students’ quirks, and all thanks to the Sports Festival showing them off. If hero students are willing to use such a dirty tactic, then hardened villains should too.

And yet the latter is never shown doing so, because plot, I guess.

Want some massive media cash grab event? Then do something similar with professional adult heroes! Most villains already know their quirks, so it’s not like they’ll get anything extra. 

Not only that, but adults with years of experience are obviously going to be a lot more powerful and skilled than literal high schoolers who barely ever used their quirks before because of Japan’s ridiculous restriction laws.

But that’s a whole other can of worms I’ll save for a later rant.

 

Have All Might, Endeavor, and Hawks or some other top 10 heroes race around an obstacle course of doom for a few hours; that’ll get people tuning in! Comparing that to UA’s Sports Festival is like comparing the NFL to high school football!

But nope. This society is shooting some of its best upcoming heroes in the ass, and that’s if they even live to start hero internships in the first place. If the one Sports Festival we saw details of in canon is used as a standard, then it’s a miracle that nobody hasn’t died yet.

Want an example? Just look at the first obstacle of the first event for first year students (so 14-15 year old children), 'Robo Inferno'. If anyone other than Kirishima or Tetsutetsu happened to have Godzilla-sized robots fall on them or even step on them, they would be reduced to blood splatters. And do I even need to talk about the literal minefield obstacle in that event?

Recovery Girl is a miracle worker, I get it, but even she can’t heal instant death!

Move over, All Might; plot armor gets the all-time record for most lives saved in this world.

And back to my earlier suggestion, before you argue that having so many top heroes off of duty at the same time may cause villains to rise up, this country already has the ‘Hero Billboard Chart’ event which does the exact same thing twice a year!

Or if you just have to have your hero students showing off their skills for internship purposes (because I guess footage of them training in their regular hero classes just isn’t enough), have the ‘festival’ be viewable by heroes only. Not the public, and villains by extension!

 

“Why do you think they have these then, dad?” Eri asks me, munching away on a candy apple after I give her a censored version of my earlier rant.

“Simple, they’re overconfident.” I quietly answer, making sure nobody else is listening in. “We’re living in the ‘Era of Peace’ as they call it, with an oversaturation of heroes and extremely low crime rates, but there’s quite a few details missing from that summary.

The heroes? Besides a select few, they grow more lazy, weak, and complacent with each passing day. The villains? They’re simply getting better at hiding, as you’ve no doubt noticed. It’s a powder keg that’s been building up for years, and once it blows…”

Chaos. Anarchy. The citizens of this stupid society running around like headless chickens after their guardian deities are torn apart by a sentient potato or some man-child with a hand fetish. 

Now in society’s defense, most people didn’t know any better. Ignorance is bliss and all that.

Other people, like All Might for example, lie with the best of intentions. They genuinely tried to do the right thing, but ended up making everything worse instead.

All Might spent decades making Japan as safe and peaceful as he could, being an invincible pillar that kept society afloat. He never realized what would happen the moment that pillar came crashing down.

 

“Most heroes may be in it for fame, money, and glory, but there are still a few people out there who genuinely wish to save people for the sake of saving people.” I explain as the festival carries on.

“True heroes?” She asks back.

“True heroes.” I confirm, borrowing a certain hero killer’s trademark term. “They try to do what even I don’t dare to attempt, save everyone they can no matter how bad things get. Those are the kind of people that I can respect, and as long as I have a choice in the matter, I won’t get in their way.”

“But if they try to stop us from saving each other, we’ll stop them too.” My determined daughter whispers with enough conviction to make Stain proud.

“Atta girl.” I smile, ruffling her hair as the announcements end and the first round begins.

Stain was right, no point in claiming otherwise.

His methods of delivering justice and getting hero society to change could’ve been less murder-y, and All Might isn’t the only great hero out there, but he was spot on about the problems this hero society has. The very term ‘hero’ has lost its meaning. Nowadays, it represents a capitalist corporate industry rather than an aspirational quality.

Now does this mean I want to go out and stop him? Of course not!…Well, unless he screws with my own plans. Then I will, because someone just had to make it personal.

And guess who conveniently decided to bring his hero-hunting crusade over to my city just as I think that?

 

'TheLongHaulers' Group Chat:

BossHaul: So yeah, Stain’s right here in Osaka according to Kurono’s latest report. Killed a local hero I literally had bribed yesterday to start looking the other way.

BossHaul: Some of our security cams picked up a bit of the fight. I’m sending some mental images of the footage I saw now. [Img] [Img]

LabHaul: Either the butterfly effect is fucking with us or Not-Freeman is fucking with us.

MainHaul: You think he knows about us? The Shie Hassaikai?

BossHaul: God damnit, Giran. I specifically told him to keep us anonymous when selling our products! 

LabHaul: Didn’t you or MainHaul ask him to track down Abegawa Tenchu Kai remnants to boost our numbers? You think Stain caught on to that? He’s the one who took that Yakuza clan down and murdered all its high-ranking executives after all. MHA Vigilantes, remember?

MainHaul: Either that or it’s a complete coincidence, but I wouldn’t hold my breath about the latter. FUCK! Killing Twice is one thing, but STAIN?! He’s way too important to the main plot early on!

NightHaul: Let’s not get hasty now. He was going around as the Vigilante Stendhal back then; his attention is much more towards corrupt heroes now. He didn’t murder Tomura for a reason despite their conflicting goals.

MainHaul: Both wanted to destroy the present. You want to do what the LOV tried?

NightHaul: Think about it. We offer him a partnership where we provide our best supplies for him to test run. Not only will Stain being with us aid our products’ reputation in the underworld, but it will also give us a powerful subsidiary to throw at heroes we don’t like.

NightHaul: Not only that, but he might just help us sharpen our goals for this world. Look at the effect he had on Tomura; we can do better than him because we’re actually seeking out Stain’s input on our conviction. Call it character development.

BossHaul: That… might actually work. I’ll send my guys out to find him and request a meeting. Mind using your new quirk once I get confirmation, nighty?

NightHaul: Not a problem. Say when and I’ll send you the updated script.

 

Well… that surprisingly worked out. Getting the Hero Killer as a subsidiary would benefit us a lot, so long as the heroes don’t catch on. 

Giran was over the moon during our second meeting and already had a list of individual villains and small gangs interested in our products. As for their prices, Giran made sure they were at an acceptable level. He’s getting a cut of the profits after all.

He also brought over some random old A-rank villain who got into a nasty fight with Mirko a year or so ago. I took him to the Hassaikai and returned him the next day with a few altered memories and completely repaired legs.

Giran treated me and my organization very seriously after that with him promising to get us all the money we could ever want and more as long as we keep pumping out these products. 

Unlikely, considering how expensive LabHaul estimates his mad science to be, but it’s nice to finally be getting a profit. 

Taking inspiration from MHA Vigilantes, BossHaul requested that I also ask him to track down any old Abegawa Tenchu Kai members. They’re the only other canon Yakuza I know of, so I figured that as far as mass recruitments go, they would be a nice place to start.

Unfortunately, that had the unknown side effect of getting Stain’s attention, but this may actually be a positive if NightHaul’s plan works out. 

‘Jeez, this is supposed to be my vacation day! Here I am worrying about the goddamn Hero Killer over a year before his canon arc starts.’

 

“Who’s that, dad?” Eri asks me, bringing my attention back to the ‘festival’ going on.

I then pale at the naked, smiling blond boy Eri is pointing at- SHIT! I completely forgot about that!

Whoops. At least we’re far enough away for Mirio to be blurry at best. Small mercies.

Now what to say to Eri…

“Mirio Togata. He’s one of the good ones; I can tell you that much.” I smile while looking at what can best be described as a mini All Might who is part ghost. He just got his UA pants back on and is hauling ass on the race track with a smile on his face.

((“What do you want to bet that you two run into him after the festival ends?”)) LabHaul jokingly asks through a mental message, and honestly, I can totally see that happening.

Butterfly effect or shounen logic; the reasoning doesn’t matter, only that it’s probably inevitable. 

And what do you fucking know. Once the festival ends (with none of the future Big 3 taking home any medals like in canon), Eri and I just so happen to run into him while exiting the arena.

 

“Look, dad! It’s Ghost Might!” Eri points at the blonde-haired hero.

Said blonde-haired hero doubles over laughing right after.

“Sorry about that.” I awkwardly apologize. “My daughter thinks you’re like All Might if he was a ghost.”

“That’s totally fine! You mind if I tell my friends about this? They’d get a real kick out of that new nickname. I’m Mirio Togata by the way.”

“Sekan Doraifu. Nice to meet you.” I smile and shake his hand.

((“VestigeHaul must be blowing a gasket right now.”)) BossHaul mentally chuckles.

((“And Kai Chisaki must be rolling in the grave you dug him with his own quirk.”)) LabHaul adds on.

‘Yeah, probably. By the way, have any of you guys had run-ins with your vestiges?’

I get several versions of ‘no’ as answers back. How strange.

Is the Double quirk simply not capable of copying those? I know cloning multi-quirk wielders is possible since AFO Tomura, AFO himself, and even the Nomus could be cloned during the Final War, albeit they couldn’t use their quirks thanks to Toga’s own restrictions with Double.

It would be one thing if Twice or Toga can’t since I doubt they knew anything about quirk vestiges, but I don’t have that knowledge problem. 

Whatever, it’s not like that matters too much. Me having contact with my own vestiges is good enough since I could just send those memories of interacting with them to the clones whenever I wish.

That alone should help plenty with our quirk research. I don’t give a damn if doing so is a de facto taboo for everyone else; what they don’t know won’t hurt them.

 

Anyway, Eri and I end up chatting with the hero for a bit before we head back home. Eri even got an autograph from the guy!

No, I’m not jealous or anything. No, I’m not afraid of Lemillion busting into my home while yelling ‘POWEEEERRRR!!!’ and taking my daughter away. NightHaul will ensure the villains that guy takes down will be the villains we want taken down.

Besides, I’m already far better at using my quirk and combat in general than Kai ever was. I also have several other quirks at my disposal with my original quirk letting me see the thoughts of people even as they’re fighting me, so I won’t be caught off guard by Phantom Tintin.

I proved that by taking on Rappa without using Overhaul, gaining a lot more respect from the brawler as a result. Sure, I secretly had all his memories and knew his fighting style to a tee, but what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

I didn’t use Confession or Double either, the latter of which has made me quite a bit taller and more muscular thanks to extra flesh needed to use his quirk without any strain. 

I was only a little over five feet tall upon first arriving here and Kai is 5 foot 10. Right now, with my current body modifications and fusions, I’m over six and a half feet tall! AFO is 7 foot 4 for reference and All Might in his buff state is around the same height, so yeah, I’m becoming quite the big bastard.

After both the expected and unexpected bumps in the road, it was smooth sailing from there. The trip home had no problems and it was back to the normal routine after that… for the next few days, anyway.

BossHaul was handling the influx of new funds and recruitment.

LabHaul was leading Trigger production, Trigger experimentation, quirk and body research, and most other tasks related to Hassaikai R&D.

NightHaul was getting us access to the Hero Network while preparing his agency for Mirio. There won’t be much physical training, but initial introductions are obviously important.

Stain was being a real pain in the ass according to BossHaul. Recruiting corrupt heroes and yakuza is tough when there’s a psychotic assassin in town hunting them down like animals.

And as for me, I was handling whatever was left like modified weapons production and tutoring/training Eri. 

 

Several days after the Sports Festival ended is when the Shie Hassaikai makes contact with Stain. The meeting is set up for that night at an old warehouse we rented, one not too different from the one the LOV met Overhaul in canon, just in case he rejects my offer and escapes my grasp.

There aren’t many people who have a greater will then Stain. Even with Trigger, he would probably shrug Mind Web off before trying to cut me to pieces… not that he would succeed. But better safe than sorry, right?

I’ll be taking some of the Eight Bullets as backup too as another just in case. 

But our real trump card is our expertise with Overhaul. LabHaul and I have come across what can be considered a few genetic-themed countermeasures for the killer during our experimenting with the quirk, and I’ve got those quirk uses down to a tee after enough practice.

They aren't at the level of All For One’s Antigen Swap quirk in terms of effectiveness (yet), but they should work well enough if things get ugly. 

I’m not Tomura Shigaraki and this isn’t the League of Villains. 

Stain should be in for a big, pleasant surprise if all goes well, and if not… he better hope it doesn’t come to that.

Chapter 8: Convictions and Contingencies

He doesn’t know where this guy came from or that any yakuzas were even still around until a few weeks ago, but the broker doesn’t mind.

Not when partnering up with this guy has so much potential!

Modified weapons! High-quality Trigger! A villain organization that’s rapidly increasing the ways he can profit!

And the best part of it all? The heroes don’t have a single clue about it and most likely won’t for months or even years to come with how cautious this guy seems to be!

He can’t let this opportunity go to waste. He already lost one ally who could potentially topple the country (rest in peace, Jin; you deserve it after the crappy life you had) and he will not lose another!

This is a dangerous game he’s playing, keeping secrets from even the quirk-stealing demon lord himself, but there’s always gonna be a little risk and investment involved in this kind of business.

Giran just needs to make sure he gets his money’s worth, and with how profitable this yakuza leader is turning out to be, forget turning a profit, he’ll probably be getting so much more.

 

Countdown to Canon: 9 Months, 10 Days before Entrance Exam

“Yakuza… I’ve slain your kind before. You hide behind the flimsiest of honor and conviction. You’re a dying breed that’s barely any better than the criminals with petty dreams who plague this society.”

If it wasn’t for me specifically ordering my entourage multiple times to not give in to his taunts, this warehouse would’ve been trashed by now. 

“I’m aware of your battle with Abegawa Tenchu Kai as the vigilante Stendhal, Hero Killer, and I can assure you that not all yakuzas are the same.”

That gets me a glare from Chizome. Looks like someone doesn’t care too much for his past.

He certainly doesn’t look like his old vigilante self anymore. He got a new haircut and seems to think that ‘homeless psychopath’ is a fashion statement.

But in all seriousness, this is a guy you don’t want to piss off, and I know I’m already testing his patience. Not a good start.

 

Across from him is myself, Kurono, Rappa, and a few thugs holding briefcases with gifts if all goes well (not that Stain knows such), but he isn’t intimidated in the slightest.

“As quirks became more and more widespread, the yakuzas of old began to wither and dissolve with heroes and villains becoming more widespread. We are at the brink, yes, but there is hope without completely tarnishing our traditions of honor.”

“Completely?” Stain inquires.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures. I’m sure you’re aware of that, but a line must be drawn somewhere as becoming something completely different while revitalizing is no different from permanently dying out.”

“Tell me then, yakuza, why do you seek my aid? What is your conviction? What do you desire?”

He’s testing me like how he tested Tomura, and unlike the handman, I know how to pass.

And who knows. I might just learn an extra thing or two about myself as a bonus.

Well, if anything, getting Stain as an ally is the bonus here. Sharpening my goals, refining my beliefs, deciding what I truly want in this world from here on out, that’s the main goal for this meeting. That’s what is truly important to me. 

Look what his encounter with Stain turned Tomura into. Using the handyman’s terminology, this is a perfect opportunity for some major character growth. I’d be a fool not to take advantage of that.

 

“Me? It’s simple. I desire to keep the legacy of the Shie Hassaikai alive through this age of heroes and villains. As a child, I was saved by the old leader of the clan. He took me in at my lowest point in life and honed me into an honorable yakuza, but it wasn’t enough.

As you said, our kind is on the verge of extinction with petty criminals and fake heroes becoming the new protectors of society. I seek to destroy them both, and through that, propel the Hassaikai back to its former glory. We can protect our territory and the citizens in it with far more effectiveness and honor then heroes and villains ever could. 

I don’t wish to take over Japan or anything like that. I just want to protect those who are under me and honor the legacy of my predecessor. That is my conviction, Stain, and there’s not a whole lot I wouldn’t do to achieve it.”

“Is that right…” Stain trails off before throwing a knife at me.

But I saw it coming a mile away. 

The knife flies over me as I lean back, but Stain is already up in the air with his katana out. 

My mask may have covered the grin on my face, but his instincts are something else. He proved that by deflecting the multiple metal spikes that shot out of me with his katana and another knife right before contact.

One of the new additions to my villain outfit (or rather under my villain outfit) is multiple pieces of thin, crystal sheets from Yu’s Trigger-enhanced quirk that I can turn into weapons with a single activation of Overhaul. 

The crystals themselves are quite durable before accounting for the drug permanently boosting them so instantly turning them into spears or similar weapons through Overhaul should skewer most who get too close or provide me with a solid defense against most blows.

And speaking of my matter manipulation quirk, one of its two main weakness is something a combatant like Stain can easily take advantage of.

 

Overhaul can only affect solid materials, so no using it to alter bodies of water or gasses or energy. That’s the first big weakness.

Weakness #2 is that the quirk can only be channeled through the user’s hands. Destroy them or simply chop them off and you’re basically quirkless. Such is what happened to Kai Chisaki in canon.

While I haven’t figured out a way around the first weakness, the second weakness is a different story. Ironically enough, the inspiration for this came from the very villain who crippled Kai in canon.

Taking inspiration from Tomura Shigaraki, the AFO version of him to be specific, I modified my body to have multiple smaller sets of hands on my chest and back with said hands being perfectly hidden underneath my clothes. 

It’s essentially a dialed down version of AFO Tomura’s Apex Form during the Final War arc, and while this took a bit to get used to, the benefits it brings are more than worth that slight struggle.

All these extra hands are capable of using both Overhaul and Double; cutting off ol’ lefty and righty won’t be enough to completely fuck me over like what happened with Kai in canon. 

Just another creative use of my wonderful matter-manipulation quirk.

Another activation of Overhaul turns the crystal spikes into gauntlet wristbands on my arms, allowing me to catch and hold Stain’s blades in place without getting any injuries, but the killer adapts quickly and sweeps my legs with a kick, sending me partially into the air.

I manage to spin around and block his next few strikes, but he still manages to land another kick with his toe-spiked boots. 

“Not bad, yakuza, but you’ll need far more than that if you wish to get anywhere.” Stain grins while wiping the blood off his shoes and bringing it to his mouth.

“The name…”

He then licked that bit of that blood… and the paralysis lasted for only a heartbeat before I changed my blood enough for his quirk to stop working.

“Is Kai Chisaki.”

Overhaul. 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

LabHaul hasn’t just been working on Trigger; he’s also in charge of discovering and perfecting all the fun little tricks Overhaul turns out to be capable of, like what I just used to counter Stain’s trump card.

He already figured out how to alter the nervous system to where you no longer feel pain, something I greatly appreciate because having parts of your body literally explode into blood and guts galore, even if only for a moment, hurts like hell.

He also figured out how to instantly sever people’s key nerves, so a simple touch can now make people unable to see, hear, smell, taste, or some combination of those if I desire to. 

It isn’t much, but this is only the start of our growth, of our development into something far scarier then even the quirk-stealing demon lord ever was.

“A petty trick from a petty villain.” The Hero Killer growls while jumping between stone spikes. "By your ‘honorable’ means, try and prove otherwise."

He’s stronger, faster, and way more experienced than me.

Not only that, but he shook off my mental probing through Mind Web shortly after the battle began, so I don’t have the advantage of knowing what he’s thinking.

From his lack of comments on the matter, he probably did it subconsciously too, but I figured as much. 

Excluding Kai himself, Stain is well beyond the danger level of anyone I’ve faced so far in this world, and I only defeated the former by taking advantage of his cockiness and overreliance on his quirk (oh, the irony). 

But that wasn’t just a fluke. I’m not all talk, and I’m gonna fucking prove it!

“Oh, you haven't seen anything yet. Now COME ON, HERO KILLER!!!”

 

Hordes of spikes are sent his way as hordes of blades are sent my way. Both of us block and dodge before charging full speed ahead.

I only need to touch Stain once to end this, but that’s a lot easier said than done. Any fingers that come close are chopped off by his blades, and while Overhaul can repair that damage, it still doesn’t help me with my current problem.

Overhaul is only a single-stage contact quirk, meaning I can’t simply channel it through the ground and into Stain or through my weapons and into Stain’s own as they clash. 

Also, the guy may mainly be a close-quarters combatant, but he is really damn fast and even more agile, jumping through waves of spikes like nothing and even using them to better attack me from all different angles.

I know that. I know all about the guy thanks to the anime and manga based around this world.

However, having knowledge about your opponent is one thing, but knowing how to use it is another.

Taking on a superhuman assassin bouncing through one spiked death trap after another takes skill. It takes determination. It takes creativity.

I got the support I needed. I planned out the best way to do this and planned plenty of backup plans in case shit hit the fan.

I’m optimizing my quirks beyond anything normal training could provide and I’m building an empire of those destined to be defeated and forgotten that will help me get the job done!

But there’s practice and planning, and then there’s the execution of all that.

 

As for who my (mostly LabHaul’s) test subjects for Overhaul improvement/experimentation are, BossHaul and Mimic used their quirks to expand the labyrinth a little bit and created what can basically be called a mini prison for people. 

Prisoners so far consist of villains (only random goons, so F-ranked and E-ranked at best) causing problems on our turf as well as a hero or two that decided to not look the other way and tried to expose us for the glory of taking down a villain organization or some shit. 

Key word being tried. Thanks again, Confession quirk.

Oh, there was also one Shie Hassaikai thug who recently planned to steal our current stock of Trigger and run away to get rich selling it on the other side of the country. I made sure that dumbass served as an example to the rest after exposing his crimes.

Again, prisoners double as test subjects for LabHaul, allowing him to both train his quirk and do some of our particularly unethical experiments on, so they are probably regretting ever being born by now.

Is this inhumane? Yes, but I gave them a chance to benefit alongside myself and these idiots are the ones who not only declined, but also tried to destroy everything I’ve built up.

I am not canon Kai. I don’t kill people for things they had no control over; the last thing I need is people freaking out over getting murdered for some small mistake and running to the heroes for protection.

I can differentiate bad luck or lack of success from sheer incompetence. I only kill for mistakes that are sufficiently bad, stupid mistakes that could cost me everything, including my daughter’s happiness.

 

Did fusing with Kai Chisaki change me? Definitely. Unlike with everyone else I fused with or took memories from, I took everything from Overhaul. Over two decades of memories in his perspective changed mine, and while I wasn’t the greatest guy ever before, I’m definitely more villainous and ruthless now.

But I still draw a line far above whatever angry squiggle Kai drew. I don’t harm innocents for the hell of it. I don’t go out and cause chaos for shits and giggles. I treat my followers far better than the old ‘Overhaul’ ever did.

In fact, getting so attached to Eri straight from the get-go was, more than anything, a subconscious desire to differentiate myself from Kai Chisaki. And yet I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t truly starting to care for the little girl I adopted.

However, I don’t take threats to my family and organization lightly. Same goes for traitors looking to make a quick buck by fucking over their comrades and clan. I have to draw the line somewhere.

The people that really piss me off are the ones sent to LabHaul and used for training the finer details of my most powerful quirk. It’s horribly painful for people when my clone experiments with their nerve receptors to see how much pain someone can feel before dying or how long someone can continue breathing while missing an organ or two. 

Each time they die, he brings them back to start everything anew. Over and over again.

And if I didn’t have Double, I’d be doing this all myself.

Then there’s the training I personally do with Mind Web, training that involves the third application rather than the first and second ones, and spoilers, it isn’t fun having your mind torn apart and repaired over and over again. Having clones figure out the best way to improve your quirks for you makes things so much easier, but I still have to put those methods into practice.

I spend at least four hours a day training Overhaul and Mind Web (mostly Overhaul), improving my efficiency with both quirks and putting all the memories/experiences my clones send me to very good use. 

LabHaul in particular gets in far more practice with Overhaul and Mind Web every day, and I can mooch off his discoveries without a problem, optimizing my training even further.

It isn’t quite on the level of UA’s Training Camp, as I have many other tasks besides personal training to do, but students are there for only a week while I plan on doing my training regimen every single day for months on end, and that’s just one of many important tasks I’m currently juggling.

I don’t know if it’s possible for Overhaul or Mind Web to get a Quirk Awakening, but hey, there’s still plenty of room for improvement without that. 

As for Double and Confession, there isn’t really a whole lot I can do to improve quirks like those. 

And as for any quirks I obtain in the future… I’ll wait and see what I actually manage to obtain first and foremost.

 

Right now, taking down Stain is my top priority. I’ll bring him to my side and sharpen him into a weapon Izuku and his friends will never manage to take down when Hosu happens, not even with the power of friendship.

Such a simple, shounen thing to rely on, but you can’t deny its effectiveness. Such is a major reason why Izuku managed to defeat so much of his opposition, even All For One himself.

He will no doubt come after me, he and all the people he picks up along the way. The main plot, this very world will demand such.

So in that case, should I not prepare for it? 

Yeah… I’ll shatter that unity, and overhaul it into something that better suits me. Is that not how this quirk of mine functions? Tomura only got the mutilated, purely destructive version of MY quirk and his actions throughout the series show as much; I have the complete package and so much more.

I’ll overhaul Stain’s story into my own image, preventing him from ever losing. Same goes with the Shie Hassaikai and anyone else I get into the fold. Whatever benefits me with minimal risks in return.

The events of this world, the people within it, the very world itself. I’ll overhaul it all to suit my own selfish desires, to ensure my survival. I won’t destroy it all like Tomura or try to rule it all like All For One; I’ll just change what is needed for myself.

I’m not playing the same game as these people; the oh so important shounen story associated with this world is merely a prelude of what’s to come. Forget saving the day like a hero, forget destroying or ruling all like a villain; my ultimate goal is surviving the far greater threat that’s to come.

Will I take advantage of the canon story to do that? Obviously. That story leaves behind so many pieces, so many people, and nobody could care less about them. Well I care, because I’ll get such great use out of them once they’re overhauled into becoming my pawns.

But the canon story is far from my greatest concern. It means little in the big picture. I’ll overhaul whatever parts I deem necessary to aid me with this.

I’ll even overhaul Overhaul into my own. When I was first transmigrated here, I was gifted Mind Web and told to use my head. Well I used my head to get another quirk, the quirk that suits me more than any other in this world, but even that isn’t enough.

 

Putting my money where my mouth is requires more than just Overhaul the quirk. Just like the second user of One For All once said (or says in the future, I suppose), quirks or meta-abilities were never what people should’ve been wary of. 

“Rather, you should fear the reason why someone CHOOSES TO USE THEIR GIFTS!” I cry out, finally catching the Hero Killer off guard and slamming him into the ground, ready to activate Overhaul and finish the fight at a moment’s notice.

“TRUE POWER RESIDES WITHIN AN INDIVIDUAL’S INTENT!”

I’ll never truly be like the people of this world no matter how many of them I fuse with… but who says that has to be a bad thing?

It gives me an edge that nobody else can ever hope to replicate, but this edge only becomes useful if I utilize it properly. Just like with my quirks. Just like with my organization.

Just like everything I’ve obtained and will obtain in this world…

And that outside perspective only increases what I can do with all this power, how I can overhaul the world with it.

 

Stain’s eyes go wide as he briefly loses his breath, but he then smiles as his will seeps out.

It floods the entire room like a tsunami, causing the surrounding thugs to collapse, Kurono to pale, and even makes Rappa take several steps back in fear.

“...Indeed.” He mutters. “A true hero isn’t defined by their quirk…”

He slowly gets back up, me having been pushed back after colliding with a malefic aura that far surpasses my own.

“Rather, it’s how they act! How they think! How they choose to serve others out of their own selflessness! He may have one of the strongest powers in the world, but I know for a fact that even being quirkless wouldn’t stop All Might from doing what’s right!

THAT’S WHY HE’S WORTHY OF KILLING ME! THAT’S WHY ALL MIGHT IS A TRUE HERO!!!”

 

You’d think he has his own copy of the MHA script with how spot on he is.

Being quirkless didn’t stop All Might from trying to help people whether it was before he received One For All or after the last embers finally burned out.

The guy may be a bit of a dunce… and also unintentionally doomed Japan by making most people too reliant on him, but the fact of the matter is that Toshinori Yagi did his absolute damn best to be the greatest hero and symbol he could.

He went about saving Japan the wrong way, sure, but at least he tried and somewhat succeeded for a good chunk of time.

Izuku is a similar story. He has one of the strongest quirks out there and insane amounts of willpower as support, but it’s his naive idealisms that screw him over, often leaving his body more broken then his opponents despite usually winning his fights.

As Stain’s willpower and bloodlust finally died down, he sheaths his Katana and stares right into my soul.

“You wish to protect and preserve your clan’s history by stopping the heroes, putting forth your own honor and code to protect the innocent civilians under your care. You dirty your hands to do so, but I suppose I’m in a similar situation.

Very well, Kai Chisaki. I will aid you in your endeavors in exchange for you aiding in mine, but stray too far from the light, and you will fall to my blade.”

I raise my hand up to silence Kurono and Rappa before they do anything foolish.

“Go right ahead; I’m not afraid. Disappointing my daughter like that is far worse than any death you can give me.”

The Hero Killer huffs in response before I fix the warehouse up with Overhaul and we start discussing the specifics regarding our new partnership. 

Thank you, Stain, for giving me exactly what I needed. For helping me finalize my path going forward. 

I’ll be sure to not disappoint.

Chapter 9: Usage For All

Stain can’t afford to slack off, not when knowing how close the only true hero out there is to reaching his limit.

Turns out even going Plus Ultra can only get you so far.

That’s why he’ll work harder than ever before, teaching all those fakes a lesson so they can maybe turn this country around and hold up the weight once their sole pillar crumbles.

Chances may be slim, but it’s worth a shot.

And if it doesn’t work out with society truly collapsing, well, at least this latest yakuza seems to be good enough to replace them. Good enough to protect their small corner of the country from the chaos that’s to come.

These modifications he’s been given… this power.

Yes. This will make his job much easier.

 

Countdown to Canon: 8 Months 2 Weeks before Entrance Exam

“Such a thing could work, but you would need a very good scapegoat. The Hassaikai has enough attention on it already.” Shin offers his two cents on my latest plan as we walk through the replica of our Main Compound or ‘Hassaikai HQ’ as we’ve taken to calling it.

“Yeah, that’ll totally work! No, it won’t. You’re all stupid!”

Shin and Jin have been helping a lot with figuring out how this vestige realm or ‘vestigeworld’ works. VestigeHaul is still being a bit of a prick, but even he’s starting to calm down after realizing that there’s no returning him back to normal.

Oh, and the Shie Hassaikai is currently doing better under me then it ever was under him, but he refuses to admit that. And probably never will. Probably. Definitely.

He still hates quirks, but he at least understands the bigger picture now.

“As quirks currently are, acting as a pseudo-religious bloodline based doctrine that all of society bows itself under, they do nothing but hinder us.” The ghost I’ve dubbed as ‘VestigeHaul’ had debated with me the last time I was in this realm, which is practically a nightly occurrence at this point.

“They have turned the world from a meritocracy to a twisted mirror of itself, similar to the blood-based lineages of old. They stifle technological advancement, they stifle societal advancement, and they have even managed to turn the act of attempting to understand them into a taboo amongst science.”

“That may be true, but it was humans themselves that chose to go down such a path. You don’t see sentient quirks like Dark Shadow and Pino having humanity screw itself over, do you? 

Imagine technology advancing to the point where humans become cyborgs or completely artificial. A similar system to the one we see now would have been created due to humanity’s very nature.”

We’ve managed to reach a mutual understanding… sort of.

It’s at least gotten to the point where I can trust him to walk around this world and not try to destroy it out of spite.

Why the OFA and AFO vestiges never bothered properly learning how to control this place is beyond me, but hey, their stupidity makes my life easier so I’m all for it! If I ever get into a vestigeworld struggle with one of those quirks, then they’re gonna be in for quite the shock.

 

As for what’s been going on lately, several weeks have passed since my showdown with Stain, and our new partnership is going just as intended. I upgraded the killer’s entire arsenal through various modifications with Overhaul and have even given him a few slight body modifications through usage of the quirk.

Yes, body modifications. Improvements to the human body that have nothing to do with quirks.

And no, this has nothing to do with Garaki’s line of work. I’ll be taking my own path with this subject as not only would copying his work be more difficult for me, but I would also obtain more in the long run by doing my thing while he does his.

Combining his research with my own in the future will create far more powerful projects than merely attempting to copy his. 

Remember me mentioning just how much potential MHA fans theorized the Overhaul quirk to have? Well, years worth of theorizing from that particular fan base gives me plenty to work with, and Mind Web helps bring all those memories back to the surface. 

That little application took a while to get down, as it’s essentially using the third stage of my original quirk on myself, but this function was well worth the time put into it.

Now back to inspiration regarding my most useful quirk…

Reddit pages, fan-made mangas, fanfiction and so on. Fanon worldbuilding is not canon, but that doesn’t mean I can’t give certain ideas from the former a try, and that’s not even mentioning my own unique ideas on the subject.

(Author’s Note: A quirk shoutout to MHA fan authors Mirrond and Z75 for inspiration regarding Overhaul and MHA human biology in general. I highly recommend reading their own works.)

In short, LabHaul won’t be running out of R&D projects anytime soon.

 

Now Stain hasn’t been given any extra quirks yet. He still doesn’t know about that and he won’t know about it until later down the line when he earns more of my trust and I improve the discount-AFO process more, but there are plenty of other ways to improve people.

Extra knowledge is one option. Regular body modifications are another, and thanks to LabHaul experimenting full time, I’m well on my way to reaching what I consider to be the second stage of Overhaul usage.

Stage 1 is what Overhaul was capable of in canon, so basic disassembly (or reassembly) of matter. This allows the user to get both a standard combat usage and healing with good enough knowledge on the human body.

The peak of Stage 1 consists of capabilities like severing senses, body-fusing, and restoring entire limbs with other body parts; something I’ve done quite a few times when healing clients Giran brings over to one of our meeting spots.

Simply put, I do it by using meat (usually pig meat, Giran had tons in storage and I don’t think I want to know why) and using Overhaul to put the flesh back together. 

Bodies remember what their shape was; the rest is just a matter of putting things back in order according to the memory of the target’s body, all the way down to the DNA.

It requires a good bit of practice and takes a decent bit out of my stamina, but I’ve gotten a lot better at it over time and people are willing to pay a good chunk of cash to get their limbs back in working order, or just back in general.

Again, that’s just Stage 1 of Overhaul. The second stage is where this quirk really starts getting dangerous.

 

Stage 2 gets into the purely speculative but most likely possible category. This stage is using the quirk to not just simply restore an earlier state, but actually change it. If the quirk in question is matter manipulation, well, DNA is matter, isn’t it? Who’s to say I can’t do a little DNA editing with Overhaul?

The quirk carries almost endless potential when altering and improving humans is involved. Slightly more efficient lungs, denser muscles and bones, platelets working faster to patch up bleeding, livers clearing blood of poison better, and so on, with the most important goal being to increase the amount of quirks my body and mind can naturally handle.

My clones and I have thought of so many potential minor improvements to the human body, improvements that can all be considered less powerful quirks in their own right, and LabHaul has already begun to make those alterations a reality.

Genetic manipulation doesn’t just pertain to quirks, now did it? Canon clearly proved that much with the Nomus and Garaki’s other pet projects literally goddamn existing.

Speaking of, these modifications of mine aren’t anywhere close to the level Dr. Garaki can do for his Nomus… yet. He’s been working on this for decades, if not longer, with AFO himself offering plenty of support; that isn’t something I can match in a couple months even with my special quirks and cheesing methods when mad science is involved.

But the potential is definitely there, and it’s practically endless. 

Imagine being able to hold your breath for an hour because your blood’s ability to hold oxygen is pushed to a completely ridiculous level. Or being able to simply walk through a cloud of nerve agents that could kill every normal man in seconds and not suffer any problems whatsoever because your liver neutralizes the poison faster then it enters your body.

Imagine having reflexes so quick that normal human movements have to look to you as if they were moving in slow motion. Imagine having your body’s healing capabilities improved so much that you can regrow lost limbs in a matter of minutes. Imagine being able to run calculations in your head faster than in a modern day CPU.

And all of those examples are done without the use of a single quirk. It’s just the regular, base human body pushed to all new heights.

 

Dr. Garaki was able to make Tomura’s body close to prime All Might levels of power, and that’s while quirkless. All Might, the guy who can change the weather with a punch while being far from said prime!

Garaki, like AFO, was only focused on upping raw power. I could take that concept and do so, so much more with it.

And just imagine combining Garaki’s research with my own! I could potentially give myself a quirkless body that can replicate or even surpass a body with dozens of quirks, if not more! Physical strength greater than All Might and more versatile enhancer/support abilities then All For One, and all while quirkless!

But that comes later. Much, much later.

In order to do all those things, I actually need to know the details about what I'm doing.

Overhaul lets its user manipulate things down to the atom. It splits up molecules and rearranges them, but it’s really hard to keep track of everything at that scale. 

Generally, the larger scale I work with, the less detail I get, and the less detail I get, the easier it becomes to put things back together the way I want because I have less options or aspects to consider when rearranging.

That being said, destruction is always easy. I just need to will whatever object I’m touching apart and Overhaul will naturally do so no matter how tiny and complex or large and basic it is. But rebuilding and especially altering things is where using the quirk gets a lot tougher.

Besides obviously needing to know exactly what you’re doing (like having the appropriate medical knowledge to reassemble the human body without whatever injury or illness it has), there is also the previously mentioned issue of just keeping track of things.

Multitasking and parallel processing are skills crucial for both Overhaul and Mind Web, and my clones and I have been getting plenty of practice with that. 

We’ve also been looking into brain alterations or modifications to improve those skills better than physical practice ever could (I’ll still be doing both methods; no reason not to since both help me), and we’ve been making decent enough progress with that.

 

At the moment, I’ve only been able to make various body improvements slightly beyond the current human limit. Stain was already ridiculous thanks to all his training, so these modifications were less effective on him then it was for others, but he said the improvement was noticeable so I’ll take his word for it.

I also helped myself to some samples of his pre-modified DNA because that guy is a walking, talking, murdering Charles Atlas trope and he can give me some incredibly helpful data about how humans here can evolve past their natural limits without undergoing a Quirk Singularity transformation like AFO Tomura did.

There are others like him, humans who have evolved more than others as generations pass. It’s not just quirks that are growing stronger, the rest of the human body is too.

Endeavor can probably bench press cars despite only having a fire quirk, and Mirio could send Near High-End Nomus flying back with regular punches during the Paranormal Liberation War despite only having a permeation quirk. 

The latter will be very helpful research material as NightHaul trains him into a nightmare for my villainous competition, and I’ve got Stain to use as a testing dummy too.

So yeah, I technically bioengineered the Hero Killer into even more of a supersoldier last week after giving him a new and improved arsenal of quirk-modified weapons. Good luck with that, heroes. I won’t be rooting for you.

I’ve also been doing these modifications on myself once I’ve perfected the process. It hasn’t helped me improve too much, but it’s a very good starting point, especially when you think about some of the other possibilities a Stage 2 Overhaul can do.

I already have Giran scouring the Black Market for carbon nanopolymers which will be used to replace my entire bone system. That material is much lighter and more resistant (basically bulletproof) then the human skeletal system, so making that swap is going to make me both stronger and faster.

Of course, making sure that the end result was actually stable long-term is probably going to take a while. Applying it to myself and my top brass alone was also going to take a while, and that’s not even mentioning how costly it is. 

But money isn’t going to be a problem for much longer. Stain showed off his new arsenal to seven heroes in the last few weeks with five dying and two being crippled for life. They were moderately high-ranked too. No top 100 heroes yet, but they were somewhat close to that milestone.

 

Having a friend with access to Hero Net also helped a lot with his hunts. I could direct him to suitable targets and make sure there weren’t any high-ranking heroes in the area. 

The Hero Network is an online service that requires a Professional Hero License in order to be accessed. It contains the activity reports of Pro Heroes across the country, lets you see what their quirks are (although you can probably just look that up on Google or something), and allows users to request assistance from other heroes who’s quirks may come in handy for certain situations.

Sounds great on paper, right? Well there’s one major flaw with this system.

All it takes is one Pro Hero deciding to secretly swap sides and suddenly villains can see what every hero in the country is currently up to.

Say you want to rob a bank for whatever reason. Well, simply ask your Pro Hero friend for a quick look on Hero Net and you can figure out what banks either have no heroes nearby or have heroes that you can easily take on with your quirk rock-paper-scissors style.

The MLA probably took advantage of this over the years thanks to having Slidin’ Go and other heroes as moles for their organization. With NightHaul having access to such a thing, I can take advantage of it too, and I have so many wonderful ways to use it.

Thanks for letting me take so much risk and unknown factors out of villain operations, idiots!

 

But back to Stain and I, we’re still in the testing phase of this partnership, but it’s been working out great! There are plenty of people interested in buying custom gear from the guy who’s supplying the Hero Killer and the rest of my ever-expanding repertoire has been gaining more traction as a result.

Best of all is both the inherent biases and the legal loophole preventing heroes and police from giving my gear nearly as much attention as the villains do.

Giran says it himself, it’s a serious crime developing and/or selling support items and costumes if you don’t have a proper license.

These modified weapons I’m selling aren’t support items or costumes. They don’t aid people’s quirks (in the traditional sense, anyway; quirks like Gearshift are outliers) like the gear Deternat makes.

Heroes see Stain himself as the problem, not whatever weapons he wields. Villains are looking at the exact opposite, weapons that could potentially make any heroic annoyances far less annoying. 

Profiting off this society is so incredibly simple once you properly dissect it. A shame that I have so little time before this all collapses, not to mention the various threats among both heroes and villains forcing me to stay in the shadows of shadows.

The HPSC. All For One. The Meta Liberation Army. Even Humarise to an extent. Those are just a few bits of local opposition I’m more than a little wary over at this stage of my plans.

If possible, I’d like to avoid fighting these groups head on, and that is why people like Chizome and Mirio are so important in a good chunk of my plans.

While Stain is going to be my ultimate hero hunter, Lemillion is going to be my ultimate villain hunter. 

 

We ultimately decided to get the blond boy on board Nighteye’s Agency like in canon. He won’t be truly put into the fold; he would never agree with what my Shie Hassaikai is doing even if it’s far less awful then what Kai’s was doing. But that doesn’t mean we can’t use him as a quote unquote ‘legal’ asset.

Just don’t act like villains or leave around any damning evidence around the agency and we’re good to go!... okay, it isn’t quite that simple, but hiding our less than legal operations from Mirio should be a piece of cake if he doesn’t get anywhere near them to begin with.

Training him and monitoring his progress won’t seem strange at all, considering what he’s training to be. He just won’t be made aware of the complete picture (and never will if both my own preparations and his gullible nature in canon is anything to go by).

So if there are any villains we don’t like and we don’t want to waste assets going after them, just have ‘Nighteye’ investigate them and Lemillion take them down. My heroic assets get more clout and support while my villainous assets have less competition. It’s a win-win.

Besides, when it comes to major players like Mirio, it’s best to either ensure their story stays on course or take complete control of it. A mix of both, so what I’m doing now with Mirio and Stain, would be ideal.

Remember, I don’t want to throw away my biggest advantage in this world, actually knowing what’s going to happen. Messing with the main story too much will only make things harder for me in the long run, so I need to be very careful about what I change and when I change it.

Back to Stain, the heroes will probably, eventually discover that he has a new backer. They’ll also probably notice the influx of regular goons wielding similar weapons as the hero killer, and their biases towards everything quirk-related can only downplay the situation for so long as heroes are getting killed left and right.

Unfortunately for them, Giran has been very careful about controlling intel regarding his latest gold mine, so the best the heroes can do right now is confiscate the items after arresting the villains wielding them and throw them into some evidence box to rot.

…That is until the crooked cops under me secretly get them back along with some other thrown away contraband collecting dust in their storage rooms. Being a villain doesn’t mean I won’t recycle!

Another continuous stream of helpful resources? Don’t mind if I do!

 

Speaking of, the villains have tried finding out about the creator of these weapons too, but Giran is extremely serious about customer confidentiality as shown in canon when he defended the LOV from the MLA. 

Also, I’ve been offering him an extra bonus to not mention a word of what’s going on between us to a certain demon lord and any of his associates.

Last thing I need is him warping into my HQ and trying to steal my quirk to Overhaul himself back into his prime. The potato was retarded enough to not take it in canon despite Kai himself being LITERALLY THREE FEET AWAY FROM HIM AND COMPLETELY DEFENSELESS DURING THE TARTARUS ATTACK, but this world stopped being canon the moment I arrived.

Oh, but wait a second! All For One DID get a copy of Overhaul when Kai Chisaki was a kid/potential vessel in the orphanage set up by Dr. Garaki.

Want to know what he did with that copy? He mutilated it.

He had Garaki scrape away the ‘rebuild/overhaul’ aspect of it, only leaving the destruction aspect which became the Decay quirk he shoved into a tiny Tenko/Tomura.

That idiot probably thought Kai’s quirk was useless because it apparently, automatically rebuilt everything it destroyed. It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest; he’s too lazy and too stupid to master any kind of complex quirk.

Saying Best Jeanist’s quirk didn’t fit Tomura’s disposition at Kamino was probably just an excuse to not make himself look like even more of a stupid brute then All Might. At least his archenemy didn’t already know about the other quirks within him, only relying on the stockpile for super strength as a result. All For One has no such excuse.

And it’s not like he lost track of Kai either. He even knew that Kai became the Shie Hassaikai’s leader for fuck’s sake, so he probably had updated intel on that quirk too! Either all that time in Tartarus added on to his brain damage or I stumbled upon a plot hole large enough to swallow Japan.

I refuse to take any chances, however, and I’d rather not unleash Sad Man’s Parade to doom the world out of spite and get sent to Hell for the rest of eternity just yet, so AFO is staying in the dark about this as much as I can make it so.

Same with the MLA. You’d be surprised how easy it is to blow their cover with a quick confirmation question paired with Confession. 

As for how I stumbled upon secret operatives under Re-Destro, all this business the Hassaikai is now getting requires a lot of manpower to fill out these quotas, and while I could just make some more clones of myself, I already explained why I want to severely limit how many clones of me are running around.

Four of me running around is enough for me, thanks.

 

So then why not just make clones of others then? I can make Twice clones to be the middlemen and flood my ranks with clones of loyal members, right?

Well remember that I’m trying to keep this trump card of mine as hidden as possible. If I send some clones of thugs out to do my dirty work and one happens to take enough damage to dissolve, quite a few people on the outside are gonna start asking questions.

I’ve made some clones of the Eight Bullets and a few of the higher quality thugs to protect HQ, among other tasks there, but that’s about it. I can’t get too carried away and over rely on Double here. 

After all, houses built up on weak foundations tend to come crashing down. Look at what happened with the PLF in canon for proof!

This is why I had Giran look for any Abegawa Tenchu Kai remnants as well as any other former yakuza remnants out there such as old members of the Todou Gang. He’s already managed to track down a few dozen people who were interested so far and only four of them didn’t pass the Confession questioning. 

LabHaul is happy about the new batch of test subjects.

But this isn’t enough, and getting potential recruits through the screening process BossHaul recently sent Giran is gonna take a while. 

Don’t get me wrong, the broker has taken a real interest in me. Curiosity mixed with goodwill gets me a lot from my middleman into the greater underworld, but he can only accomplish so much in such a short time frame.

Luckily for me, there’s one more source of recruits that I’ve been working on getting before our meeting with Stain, and this involves one of our largest and longest plans to date.

Operation Deika.

 

Now the main Shie Hassaikai compound is located in the city of Osaka, Japan. This isn’t mentioned on the show and I have no idea if this is considered canon or not, but it makes enough sense when cross referencing various other locations in the series with a map of Japan from my previous world.

Speaking of, in my previous world, the city of Osaka was one of the three major cities in Japan (Osaka, Tokyo, and Nagoya) with a population of 2.7 million people in the year 2020. It is also considered to be Japan’s economic hub, and that was probably the case in this world too before the Dawn of Quirks, but things are a bit different now several centuries later.

The city of Osaka here and now is a whole lot smaller with only around 150,000 people calling it home, so the average size of a small city population. For comparison, I’m pretty sure that Deika city had somewhere between 90,000-110,000 people living in it.

But Deika city was in a pretty isolated rural area (albeit with a secret army amassing under Japan’s nose) while Osaka is surrounded on all sides by either other cities or water. Osaka is also still considered to be a popular market place as well as an important port for the country.

Now while this does open up quite a few new avenues for business endeavors (like smuggling Trigger and other illegal items by sea; something Humarise tried in canon), it also means that the area is home to a decent bit of law enforcement.

The military in Japan may be more extinct then even the yakuza and police officers may be nothing more than glorified jailers, but heroes are still a major pain in the ass to handle. 

There aren’t any top heroes nearby; the best this place gets is guys like Fat Gum and ‘Nighteye’ who show up on occasion. 

As for the heroes that are around, they couldn’t care less about some little yakuza, especially as we aren’t technically villains in the eyes of the law. Even if we were, most would probably see us as ancient relics that are beneath them and a waste of their time. 

Guns? Who cares, dealing with those totally isn’t impressive for their hero rep at all! Just leave it to the police; those glorified jailers can handle small fry like that.

But the local nobody heroes are still a threat that needs to be addressed. 

BossHaul already managed to blackmail and bribe some corrupt, unranked heroes into looking the other way, but then Stain paid the city a visit and killed a solid chunk of them before we could meet up, as well as a few we did meet up and make deals with.

That brought plenty of unwanted attention to Osaka for a bit, but once Stain left, the mass of heroes looking to hunt him down moved on.

 

As for the police, BossHaul has already begun turning them to our side through bribes, blackmail, and setting up a few ‘accidents’ which replaced some of them with our own guys. 

Confession once again proves to be a godsend as any liars and traitors got rooted out real quick. Not only that, but we’ve begun to slowly have the legal side of the Hassaikai become more public, offering to help out civilians with stuff like carrying groceries and running some charity events.

They aren’t using their quirks at all, so it isn’t illegal. It’s also helping to increase our local PR so people will get used to and even feel safe when they see guys in surgical or plague masks wandering around. 

Now such a thing isn’t going to work overnight. Hero-worshiping has been ingrained in this society for ages while the concept of yakuza has been dying out for just as long, so even for a smaller city with not too many heroes around like this one, it’s still going to take months, if not longer, for the civilians to mainly rely on my clan for aid and protection.

Once that happens, the Shie Hassaikai is going to see a swarm of new recruits and a pretty large area to act semi-openingly in. It’s like how people in Deika often use their quirks (or meta-abilities as they call them) since there’s barely anyone who isn’t on their side around to tell them not to.

Getting all the local police and heroes on my side will take a while too, but I’m already starting to see some progress and that lets us begin to expand our operations with our enemies being none the wiser.

Soon enough, Osaka will become a haven for the Shie Hassaikai and its allies. I already have nearly twice as many members in my organization than I did at the start. Then there’s my various clients and connections through Giran and the Hero Killer being both a subsidiary and a bloodthirsty advertisement for the clan’s Black Market products. 

This is only the beginning. I have so much more planned for pre-canon preparations and it’s going to be glorious watching them all come together.

 

 

“You wanted to see me, boss?” Kendo Rappa asks as he steps into BossHaul’s office.

“That’s right, Rappa. You see, there’s a certain part of your history I wish to speak with you about in more detail. You aren’t in trouble or anything; in fact, this may end up turning into a wonderful opportunity for you.”

The bullet of death gives a confused stare as BossHaul pauses a bit for dramatic effect.

“What can you tell me about the Underground Masquerade?”

Chapter 10: Biting Bullets

Toshinori Yagi is so proud of his pupil. Almost two months in and he’s making excellent progress so far!

By the time UA’s Entrance Exam begins, Izuku Midoriya should be ready for the power of One For All and get started with the quest to take his place as the Symbol of Peace!

But until then, he has to stay strong. He can’t let the injury that bastard caused five years ago slow him down any more than it already has. 

At the very least, the demon lord is finally dead.

He has to be here for both his pupil and this society he forged an Era of Peace in.

But that peace seems to be wavering more by the day.

Will he really be able to hold out until then?

“Pffffffft, no.”

“Zip it, you horned hot dog! I’m sick of forcing people to forget your stupid commentary!”

“Then you shouldn’t have picked a shounen franchise that was so commentable.”

 

Countdown to Canon: 8 Months 1 Week before Entrance Exam

“All of you, come at me together!” I command the nine people surrounding me in our new underground training arena.

“HELL YEAH! BRING IT ON, BOSS!!!” Rappa cries out and charges as Mimic and several others inject themselves with Trigger.

I use Overhaul on the ground with Rappa punching through one spike after another via Strongarm, him eventually reaching me where I go for the insta-kill.

But a barrier blocks the way.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

I activate Overhaul again, sending Rappa, Heikji, and the barrier they’re in flying, while also blocking Deidoro’s line of sight and forcing the others to take a step back.

The Eight Bullets are all scattered around the arena, but Mimic fixes that.

 

As for why I’m doing this, Stain made it very clear that I have a long way to go when it comes to combat. My quirks are strong and my stolen combat-related memories are plentiful, but that doesn’t mean a damn thing if I don’t know how to use them.

Getting the equivalent of a few biochemistry and surgery degrees does wonders for my mad science, but doesn’t help much in terms of combat. 

Also, as canon clearly showed, showing the floor with spikes over and over again doesn’t always work.

That’s why I’ve been stepping my personal training up a notch. I have plenty of time to do so thanks to the clones who can handle running the Hassaikai, progressing the mad science, and even going undercover on the heroic side of things.

And while I can simply create Twice clones and imbue them with the knowledge/memories needed to make a limitless gauntlet of opponents for me, my actual top brass need some training too. 

That doesn’t mean I don’t do the former; I use either or both methods depending on who’s available.

Both surgical/pharmacological training and combat training is necessary to unleash this quirk’s full potential. Overhaul is one of the most versatile quirks out there, so my training needs to be versatile as well if I wish to truly master it.

Amplification of output, improvement of control, instinctual understanding of the mechanisms both directly relate to the quirk itself and its practical usages, and so on. Obtaining Kai’s body and memories was a great start, but I intend to reach all new heights with his quirk, and that unfortunately requires at least a bit of copying UA's 'Plus Ultra' motto. I've got to work both smarter and harder to pull this off.

 

“Stay in formation, Rappa! Everyone works together, just like we practiced!” Kurono commands, showing the improvements my best henchmen have made over these last few months.

Mimic uses his quirk to wrestle control over the arena away from me, us acting as the main players in this high intensity game of chess. 

He brings guys like Deidoro and Rikiya closer towards me for seconds at a time, letting them use Sloshed and Energy Suck to slow me down.

Rappa and Yu are the main heavy hitters with Strongarm and Crystalize being capable of taking me down quickly if they get a few unblocked blows on my head, knocking me out before I can heal. Worst case scenario, they can shatter any counter I send towards the last two as Mimic helps them retreat.

Toya mainly stays in the air thanks to Mimic, his Larceny quirk stealing any weapon I attempt to make as long as he’s in my line of sight. It could be something from the ground around me or from bits of Yu’s shattered crystals.

Speaking of, they’re not worth anything in terms of money in canon due to them being ‘fake’, but the crystals he can constantly grow out of his are pretty damn durable and fairly light too. 

Naturally, being more creative than Kai Chisaki ever was, I had him grow heaps of them while on Trigger to further, permanently strengthen them before removing them and crafting armor and weapons out of them through Overhaul. Having customizable quirked-crystal body armor is going to help out my guys a lot and sell for a pretty penny if I ever bring this product to Giran.

I’ve even been personally field-testing the material (like back when I first fought Stain) and it’s pretty damn good if I do say so myself.

 

But back to the current fight, Kurono and Soramitsu are mainly fighting from mid-range. The former tries to attack me with Chronostasis, his hair being capable of slowing down objects too while on Trigger, so he can slow me down at best and slow the arena I affect with Overhaul at worst.

This could affect Mimic too, but he quickly pulls out of those areas and focuses on surrounding me with the other bullets again.

As for Soramitsu, his Food quirk lets him chomp down on any counterattacking spikes that slip through Rappa and Yu’s defenses. Those two can take it; the squishier bullets in the back are a different story.

But they are damn fast with Mimic using the arena itself to transport them all over the place, the ground itself forming into hands or domes to make sure they don’t fly off midway. 

With this level of quirks, coordination, and pure skill, it’s an extremely tough battle with me losing more often than not… but I’m improving and improving fast.

My elite troops are as well, especially with me giving them my most up to date body modifications (after perfecting them on more expendable test subjects, of course), but I’ve still got a few advantages over them.

Mind Web lets me see their thoughts, and while reacting or even processing the thoughts of nine people at once while fighting for my life isn’t easy by any means, I’m definitely getting better at it. 

Even directly controlling people is starting to take less focus, and while I can still only do it to one person at a time (albeit for much longer intervals if necessary), when timed right, it can severely throw off the enemy. 

Mimic is my main target for obvious reasons and he’s been getting better at avoiding it, but that’s just made me improve it in turn.

Yeah, I wasn’t going to keep the existence of Mind Web from them forever. They thought the copy-pasting memory thing was another trick I could do with Overhaul, which is pretty reasonable considering I can, in fact, do that with Overhaul. It’s just easier with Mind Web.

Luckily for me, they’ve already seen me fusing with Shin and Jin, acquiring their quirks in the process, so I simply told them that I stumbled upon a civilian with a powerful telepathy quirk and a terrible habit of not keeping his mouth shut and problem solved. 

The improvements with Overhaul are even more obvious with me becoming better and better using the combative side of that quirk by the day. 

From shapeshifting my body or any weapons I wield with the materials around me more smoothly and quickly to knowing exactly where to aim when the chance to insta-kill comes up, I’m quickly becoming an absolute menace with my quirk combat-wise.

Then there’s my quirkless combat skills which have also been improving. Same goes for my skills with weapons. 

 

I’ve had several more spars with Stain since our first meeting with me even managing to do my copy-pasting memory trick after temporarily fusing with him once, getting loads more experience with all kinds of melee combat.

It was also the only time someone ever managed to physically resist (so vestiges excluded) my control after an Overhaul fusion. Holy fuck, I thought my body was going to fucking tear itself apart during that half a minute of hell! 

Turns out people can be too angry to forcefully put into a coma. Or mind controlled. Or properly placed into an Overhaul-induced body fusion.

Having half your body forcefully flailing about while a second mouth on your back is screaming bloody murder isn’t as enjoyable as it sounds.

At the very least, it was a good reminder on the kind of bullshit people can accomplish with enough willpower here. It’s also another good reason to stay the hell away from any form of One For All and All For One for the time being.

I eventually did get most of the memories I wanted from him through a combination of Mind Web and Overhaul, but it was no doubt the most difficult task I’ve ever done since this second life of mine began.

Y'know, I’d say this process was excellent training, even if unintentionally, but that sounds a little too much like the masochistic nutjobs this franchise centers around for my liking.

 

What followed was me giving a quick explanation about the finer, more hidden details of my quirk while getting chased around the room by an absolutely livid mass hero murderer since he simply shrugged off anything I could throw at him with Mind Web.

Of course, obtaining a mental how-to guide on throwing a punch or swinging a sword is great and all, but I actually need to physically practice it to get my body used to what my mind knows.

After convincing Stain to not slash me apart (the prospect of getting more quirks luckily interested him enough; it’ll make his job a whole lot easier), he showed me how to use the knowledge I copied while making it very clear that I shouldn’t copy him and only use him as inspiration to make my own fighting style.

Yeah, I’m not making the same mistake Izuku does in canon (even at the end of the series, his fighting style is 99% All Might, 1% Kick). Rappa, Stain, and anyone else I get mental combat manuals from will simply be used as reference points for my own unique style. 

I have skills and multiple powers that are entirely unique to me. Attempting to perfectly replicate others would only hinder me.

Mind Web, Overhaul, and even Confession gets used during these battles with the latter being activated to occasionally throw people off with embarrassing, cringey questions like ‘What's the most embarrassing thing you've ever done in this building?’ or ‘Who in the Shie Hassaikai do you ship together the most and why?’.

It’s unorthodox, sure, but it’s also making my best henchmen nearly immune to taunts and other quote unquote ‘vocal distractions’.

Back to the fight, a solid shot from Rappa slightly cracks my skull and flings me into a concrete cage made by Mimic. From there, Yu joins the brawler in an all out assault for the few seconds it takes me to escape.

However, the tide of the fight turns once I’m freed rather than once I’m captured.

“I won’t lie to you guys, that hurt.” I deadpan at my fellow villains. “Allow me to demonstrate.”

 

Rappa gets impaled with a polearm scythe made out of Yu’s crystals as I form a makeshift roof over my head to block Toya’s Larceny quirk, and that’s all before having said ceiling launch hordes of spikes that turn him into a porcupine. 

Mimic goes down next after I finally get the slippery little shit under my control with Mind Web and crush him with his own part of the arena.

Rikiya nearly crushes me in turn with all the energy he’s gotten through his quirk; my own quirk just barely activates in time to insta-kill him. 

Deidoro goes down next with me using Mimic’s own strategy, bringing them all over the field by controlling said field, getting the unconscious bullet close enough to the others for Sloshed to work on them. 

Yeah, that drunk effect works as long as the guy’s intoxicated; doesn’t matter if he’s awake or not. It’s mainly Mimic carrying him around the battlefield with his own quirk, but that guy knows how to punch and shoot while completely hammered after so much experience.

He also had liver disease, but I fixed that up with Overhaul right after finding out about it. Same goes for any other negative health conditions my henchmen have or develop.

The medical checkup and any necessary treatment is totally free too. This is Japan, not America, and I’m not a crappy boss.

((“He says while murdering his employees in cold blood.”)) LabHaul snickers.

‘I can bring them back just fine, in case you’ve forgotten. Besides, you’re the last person who should try blocking my way with moral shounen nonsense. Now let me focus.’

 

That’s another neat little trick LabHaul managed to develop with Overhaul, something of a ‘return to factory settings’. Simply put, I can ‘reset’ a person to the state they were in up to 15 minutes ago.

This means that within 15 minutes of receiving whatever injury you get, I can reset said injury instantly with a touch rather than a long and complicated surgery. I can even heal death itself, but the resurrected target is going to be in a state of stupor for up to a day as their brain realizes that ‘Hey, I’m still alive!’ and recovers from the shock.

It’s practically my own take on Eri’s Rewind quirk, but it also has the same disadvantages as that quirk. Imagine getting into a life or death situation and awakening your quirk while on the verge of death. I could use this setting of Overhaul to instantly undo all of that damage from up to 15 minutes before, but it would also undo the Quirk Awakening.

If the awakening happened two minutes ago, then I could just Overhaul you to the state you were in, say, one and a half minutes ago, but besides needing to actually know how long ago to reset you towards, doing this would also leave any damage you got before the Quirk Awakening, meaning you would still probably be on the verge of death.

TLDR, this new application of Overhaul is practically a bootleg Rewind.

The fight ends less then 15 minutes after Toya got skewered and Rappa bleeds to death, so I’m able to resurrect all the fallen and heal all their injuries through Overhaul easily enough.

I then congratulate everyone on a job well done and walk out of the arena, only to bump into Eri.

 

“Train me!” The unicorn girl pouts.

I raise an eyebrow at her and the yakuza thug standing right behind her.

“Uhh, sorry boss. She insisted on watching your training session with the higher-ups and you said to do whatever she asked.” 

“That I did. I also said you needed adult supervision when around the training areas and labs, Eri, so good job getting that. But last I checked, I’m already training you on how to use your quirk.”

“Train me in fighting! Only Rappa was willing to do that, and he isn’t a very good teacher.” My daughter admits and… come again?

“Rappa?” I question, slowly turning around.

“Uhhhh, like that guy said, we’re supposed to do whatever she wants according to your orders.”

“I did say that, but I also mentioned a few exceptions to that rule. Like if it involved hurting her at all.”

“She wasn’t hurt!... much. Just a few bruises here and there.”

The next twenty-five minutes were spent chasing Rappa all around the labyrinth while shouting a variety of very creative threats and expletives I could make good on through Overhaul.

Then I nearly ran into Eri again, who once again asked me to train her in physical combat and refused to take no for an answer. 

I know that this is a shounen world where 15 year old hero trainees are sent into war zones thanks to the concept of actual military forces being nothing more than an ancient relic, but she’s five years old for crying out loud!

But damn it, she honed that puppy-eyed expression of hers into one of the most dangerous weapons in this compound!

 

“Alright, fine. But it isn’t going to be easy, Eri.”

“That doesn’t stop you, dad! It won’t stop me either!” The white-haired girl declares as I ruffle her hair.

“I’ve got a few more things going for me, snowflake. Now first thing’s first, you’re going to do some stamina training.”

“Stamina training?” She repeats while raising an eyebrow.

“Yup. The more stamina you have, the longer you’ll be able to fight for. This is extra useful for you since your quirk is an energy stockpiler, so it’ll double as quirk training.”

Eri still doesn’t quite understand, so I try a different approach.

“Remember that blue-haired girl who almost won the Sports Festival we went to? The one who could launch those energy spirals?”

“Yeah, she was really cool! Can I do that someday?” Eri asks, wanting to replicate Nejire Hado.

“It’s possible. I can only theorize about how most of your quirk applications can develop at the moment, but it may be possible…” I trail off, suddenly thinking of another, much faster alternative that I'll shelve away for later.

I haven’t quite gotten to Stage 3 of Overhaul applications yet.

 

“For now, it’s crucial to focus on developing the basics. You’re only a kid, so you have plenty of room to grow even without any body enhancements.”

Before you ask, Eri was the one who came to me about wanting the same ‘upgrades’ I gave to myself, Stain, and my clan’s top brass. 

Even though it would only take an instant, even though I could sever her nervous system to prevent her from feeling any pain beforehand, I still didn’t like the idea one bit. 

I didn’t want to become any more like Kai, using Overhaul on Eri.

But my daughter assured me that it was okay. 

“It’s like you told me, dad. Quirks aren’t good or bad, only the people using them are. Kai used Overhaul to hurt me, but you’re going to use it to help me. I won’t even feel any pain and it’ll be over in a second! Pleeeeeease, daddy?”

Excluding quirks, Eri is probably the most powerful five year old in the world right now. Including quirks… that probably wouldn’t change. Rewind is absolutely busted and comparable to AFO, OFA, and New Order if utilized right.

Overhaul will join that list too once I master its third stage or manage to awaken it. Or both.

But yeah, everyone’s motivated to train their hearts out right now and Rappa absolutely loves the vibes going around. He also got temporarily fused with a punching bag and beaten around for what he did with Eri with neither my knowledge nor my consent.

Yes, I’m aware of that punishment’s irony. Such was the point.

Overhaul lets me do so many wonderful things, like actually carry out some of my more creative threats! Even Rappa shouldn’t have the balls to act out of turn again.

And speaking of Rappa, he’s going to be playing a very big part in one of my massive underworld projects, the second coming of the Underground Masquerade. 

 

The Underground Masquerade was an illegal underground fighting event organized by All For One and also conveniently located in the middle of Osaka, hidden in an old parking structure. 

This event featured in MHA Vigilantes organizes guerrilla fighting tournaments that pit fighters against each other and run the books for the betting audience. There were plenty of people who came to watch and bet on the pit fights, but they can also be watched via streaming.

The fights are usually 1v1s and everything from deadly moves to weapons to quirks and even quirk-boosting drugs are allowed with one or both fighters usually needing serious medical attention afterwards.

The only known rule is a dress code that obliges all those attending this event, whether they are fighters or spectators, must wear a mask that hides their face.

Hmmm, a fighting event that once happened close to my current main compound where everyone is required to wear a mask. Sounds pretty easy for my particular villain organization to start back up again, right?

Well, not exactly. Remember who organized the original?

All For One put together this clandestine fighting tournament to carry out pretty much all his illegal business endeavors like Trigger-trafficking, illegal gambling, and most importantly, finding interesting quirks to add to his collection.

Due to the brutality of the fighting, it wasn’t strange for people to need medical attention after their matches with some of them ‘mysteriously disappearing’ after that. 

Most probably assumed they died from their injuries, and that’s technically true. It’s just that the quirk-stealing boogeyman was the one to give them their fatal injuries after taking their powers.

There’s a whole lot more I could do with this concept then AFO could ever dream of. Everything from finding new recruits to getting funds through bets and healing fees after fights to selling our wide range of products to acquiring plenty more knowledge on all kinds of combat through Mind Web.

And of course, finding new quirks to take.

 

But the original Quirk Thief is going to notice if I go through with this project. There’s no way he wouldn’t, and that’s pretty counterproductive when one of my main goals is to keep as much of the Shie Hassaikai’s rapidly-growing power and influence unknown to him as possible.

Giran pointed that out too after he picked his jaw off the ground. Keeping AFO from finding out about me is getting more difficult by the day, and it would be flat-out impossible without the lovely combination of Mind Web and Confession. 

Those quirks reveal the true allegiances of anyone I come across and let me remove any memories of my clan from their minds if said allegiances are a problem. Perfect for keeping things secret from any problematic people.

However, even that combination has its limits and this latest big plan is pushing it to Plus Ultra levels. But that’s alright, because I’ve got a few other tricks up my sleeve to make this work.

For starters, there’s my knowledge of it, both from canon and from Rappa who has plenty of first-hand experience with that event. I got those memories too after temporarily merging with him during a prior spar, but I don’t get any thoughts or insights he comes up with regarding those memories afterwards.

He was there when everything went to shit. He went up against the High-End Nomu, Hood (he wasn’t at that point yet, but still had multiple quirks and plenty of body modifications back then), with Mirko and O’Clock/Knuckleduster as AFO flooded the room with Trigger gas, causing chaos to break out as he snatched quirks through Kurogiri’s warp gate.

He went by The Rapper back then and built up quite the reputation in the ring. That guy would be the perfect face for this operation as it would be seen as a fan of the original bringing it back to get more good fights going.

This revamped version would also be smaller than the original… on the surface. AFO is going to find out about this and I want him to think that some nobody is trying to bring it back because of how great it was, stroking that attention-whore’s ego so he doesn’t look too much into it.

I won’t be using the old location for this event either. I have my thugs and a few bullets scour the place for any buried leftovers to use for nostalgia purposes, but I have Mimic bury the underground arena for good after that. 

Instead, I plan to design several other underground arenas with Mimic and myself or BossHaul setting up the stages in various rural areas that aren’t too far from Osaka, but not too close either and certainly not close enough for people to suspect the Hassaikai being behind all this.

Setting up massive arenas with multiple ‘backstage’ rooms for weapons/trigger dealing and medical aid completely underground is going to be a pain. Factoring in other necessities like hidden escape tunnels and air ventilation is going to be a bigger pain, but with Overhaul and Mimicry at my disposal, it’s definitely possible.

 

Any goons under AFO or the MLA will only be made aware of the main location, led by Rappa. I shouldn’t have to worry about Humarise interference, considering what the majority of their members are.

The other locations will be much more secretive with other bullets and some trusted thugs being the ones running them. These places will be where most of the Hassaikai’s products are sold along with other things villain groups pay Giran and I a fee to have put up for sale.

This both gets us even more money and ensures that the Hassaikai’s weapons aren’t seen as being directly connected to the people running this fighting event. This plan needs layers on top of layers of secrecy to work and that’s exactly what I plan on doing.

It appears to be a high-risk high-reward strategy on the surface, as do most of my plans in general, but I have plenty of devious, villainous ways to get around that risk while raking in more rewards. If the game is too difficult, then just cheat at it to win!

Remember, I’m not the good guy here. I’m not spending my second life as some hero-hopeful brat looking to save the world while attending high school Shounen Academy Arc style.

No. In this second life of mine, I’m a villain.

And cheating is a villain’s forte.

Chapter 11: The Beach Episode

“So… that just happened.” The self-proclaimed devil trails off as he and god observe Sekan’s latest breakthrough. 

“You have got to be kidding me. Why did Horikoshi have to leave in so many plot holes?” God groans, knowing just how much potential this latest trick of the transmigrator’s has.

“You gonna nerf that?”

“No, such a thing is within the rules set for that world.”

“Good. It would totally ruin the show if you did.”

Some of the MHA transmigrating guinea pigs, the particularly villainous ones, went for riskier approaches such as attempting to become All For One’s successor in place of Tomura or fist fighting Re-Destro for command over the MLA. Those stories tended to not last very long.

Others, the more heroic or cowardly guinea pigs, simply rode on the main protagonists’ coattails instead, and those trial runs were just boring to look at until their worlds self-imploded from the singularity. 

However, the rather unique approach of taking over Kai Chisaki and his organization… 

“Yes, I suppose it would.”

 

Countdown to Canon: 8 Months before Entrance Exam

It’s been slightly over two months since I first arrived in the world of Boku no Hero Academia.

In just two months, I’ve taken over and greatly expanded one of the show’s main villain organizations, acquired multiple quirks without involving AFO or OFA at all, fought Kai Chisaki and Stain head-on before gaining immense amounts of aid from both (albeit in very different ways), developed my own brand of mad science…

Yeah, I’ve done a real fucking lot in these last two months, and I say I earned myself a break. One that’s quite a bit longer than a day-trip to the Sports Festival.

The entire Shie Hassaikai earned itself a break too. After all, they’ve been working almost as hard as I have. That stupid trope where bad guys suddenly get nerfed to oblivion the second they join your side is NOT happening with me! Not on my watch!

I’ve turned the Shie Hassaikai into a well-oiled machine that doesn’t half ass anything in exchange for benefits and bonuses fitting the level of Plus Ultra effort. 

An excellent health care plan that quirks like Overhaul and Rewind make possible. Plenty of opportunities to collect hefty bonuses if you’re willing to show a little initiative and take up a few extra tasks like reconnaissance or tracking certain people down. Protection and housing for any friends and family (as long as they have no plans of betrayal; I have that checked with Confession).

And instances like this where I celebrate a major breakthrough in my main master plan by giving everyone in my organization the entire week off (clones will handle running any essential tasks for the time being) with me personally taking Joi Irinaka and the Eight Bullets on a week-long vacation to Nabu Island.

Yes, the Nabu Island where Nine and his crew decide to stop by and wreak havoc for a healing quirk in My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising. 

The events of that movie are around a year away and Nine hasn’t even started his pseudo-AFO procedure with Dr. Garaki yet, so there’s nothing to worry about on this trip. I even brought Eri along too since her safety is guaranteed.

But aren’t there other island vacation spots in Japan that weren’t shown in the anime and manga? Probably, but MHA made this place look nice and I wanted to check it out. 

…Also, I wanted Eri to maybe, hopefully make some friends her own age.

 

Don’t get me wrong, the Shie Hassaikai treats her perfectly fine right now and I make sure she gets all the love and care she needs.

I was worried she was just putting up a brave face for me at first, but if there’s anything that defines the kids of this world, it’s their ridiculous amounts of resilience. Kai Chisaki is nothing but the occasional bad dream to her now.

Unfortunately, finding actual friendships for her is a bit more complicated due to our, er… situation.

I take her to public parks, arcades, and other places where she can just be a kid rather than a yakuza princess. Hell, I even took her to USJ a few times!

…Universal Studios Japan. Not the UA building, in case that wasn’t obvious.

But she hasn’t really been able to make friends with other kids her age, and while one part of me is sad because Eri is missing out on having friendships, another part of me is relieved I don’t need to keep even more secrets from even more people.

Eri would have to keep secrets too, and keeping massive secrets from each other isn’t healthy in friendships or relationships in general.

And yeah, I could just use Double to make one or more clones of her, solving that social issue and multiplying the sheer adorableness in my second life, but that isn’t exactly healthy for me or for her.

As for why I’m not enrolling her into school for both social interactions and education, there are two big reasons. 

 

First of all, if Eri has a quirk accident and people suddenly get younger around her, then questions are gonna get asked and I do not want the HSPC vultures getting their talons on my daughter.

Second of all, trying to give her a truly quote unquote ‘normal’ childhood just isn’t gonna happen. Not after what she’s been through. Not with the things her dad is doing. Not when the goddamn apocalypse is less than two years away.

And the unofficial third reason is that Eri simply doesn’t want to go. She prefers me and the occasional Hassaikai member who has tutoring experience over the idea of sharing a classroom with dozens of other kids, and frankly, that’s for the best.

Eri is incredibly intelligent and can do amazing things once she builds up some confidence in herself. It’s what led to this latest breakthrough in my long-term plans, something that makes the capabilities of AFO and Dr. Garaki look amateurish in comparison.

Her personalized classes allow for faster learning as well as more practical lessons to be applied. Same goes with her current training plan… which is mostly just eating her veggies and running laps around the underground training arena to build up her stamina.

So yeah, Eri is far more free then she ever was in canon (that includes after she was rescued and made a UA ward too), but she’s still a little sheltered. Luckily for me, I can once again use my knowledge of the anime, manga, and movies this world is based on to my advantage.

Katsuma and Mahoro Shimano should be a good influence on her, and she should be a good influence on them. 

((“Our daughter is going to get her first minions! I’m so proud of her!”)) BossHaul coos through Mind Web.

‘Very funny.’

Now did I somewhat purposefully make a five year old girl with a traumatic backstory think supervillainy is the coolest thing ever when done right? Yes, but in my defense, supervillainy is pretty damn cool when done right.

((“Hey, if I don’t get to relax on a tropical island for the next week, then I should at least be able to joke around. And no, you sending me a copy of those memories doesn’t count!”))

‘You guys all get the week off too! Well, except NightHaul, but that’s Mirio and the HPSC’s fault. By the way, just double checking, nothing bad is going to happen here, right?’

((“Nope, you’re good to go.”)) My latest clone confirms. ((“Also, UA Internships have already ended, remember?”))

‘Are you not already preparing for Work Studies with him?’ I mentally smirk. ‘He’s taking the Provisional Hero Licensing Exam this week, right?’

 

With how much I like the character, I figured NightHaul would really enjoy having Mirio around. Combine that with how helpful he’s gonna be once he’s trained up enough, something that will be much faster then in canon, and you get a very happy hero spy.

My clone didn’t do much with Mirio during that week. There were no plot earthquakes like what happens next year in Hosu or anything like that; it was mainly just showing Mirio the ropes, going through some specialized training exercises, and giving some advice for his UA training before Work Studies.

Unlike Sir Nighteye, we have a template to work with. Bypassing all that trial and error in canon is going to save a lot of time; he’ll be heroically beating up Shie Hassaikai opposition before we know it!

Mirio is also just a nice guy to be around. His enthusiasm and happy attitude is infectious and he soaks up knowledge like a sponge. His jokes do tend to land flat in canon, but that’s just another slight issue NightHaul will be sure to fix over the next year or so.

And that’ll start with him supporting Mirio as he crushes the latest Provisional License Exam. Class 1-A takes that test in September (of next year), but this exam also happens in June. Twice a year at three different locations across the country. 

That should be fun to watch.

((“You sure nothing is gonna hit us out of left field? That’s what you said about Stain and look what happened.”)) LabHaul pipes up.

((“Did you want me to get in the way of your precious character development?... No? I thought so. Spoiling such would’ve done you no favors. Besides, if what I saw back then was shit, we would just have Eri or Kurono mess around with their quirks to change it, but there was no need for that then and there’s no need for that now.”)) NightHaul explains before doing the mental equivalent of hanging up.

 

Nighteye shot himself in the foot by being a stubborn ass in canon. Foresight is a temporal quirk, but not the only temporal quirk out there. Both Eri’s Rewind and Kurono’s Chronostasis also mess with time.

No, Izuku Midoriya did not fucking Detroit Smash spacetime and rewrite fate itself. Neither did Katsuki Bakugou. There isn’t any magical bullshit wish/prayer energy playing into this either. Even plot armor only goes so far in this world.

Eri’s Rewind quirk was the cause; I confirmed such myself as we trained with both her power and Foresight. Her healing Izuku during his fight with Overhaul and granting Mirio his quirk back right before the PLW changed the Foresight visions of Izuku and All Might dying respectively. Time-bending quirks enacted it and the butterfly effect took over from there.

Temporal quirks can be affected by other temporal quirks, and Foresight is no exception. Basically, the more Rewind and Chronostasis, among other temporal quirks, are used during a future point in time Foresight observes, the more said results are muddled and inaccurate.

Such is why we don’t simply spam usage of Foresight on myself every day. While it could give us a sure-fire warning if AFO or All Might suddenly decides to reenact the ‘FBI open up!’ meme on Osaka, doing so would prevent Eri and Kurono from using their quirks, and with all the other detection methods and contingencies we have, it just isn’t worth it.

How ironic that instead of fate being unchangeable, my main problem with this quirk is that fate is too easily changeable. Mirai Sasaki would have an aneurysm if he ever found out about this.

But Sir Nighteye is dead and NightHaul is a vastly superior replacement. 

Him, me, and the other clones are still connected with each other through Mind Web, but we can choose whether or not we want to have a one-way or two-way conversation with each other. All of us using Mind Web together basically lets us have our own mental private Discord chat room and we can choose to listen in on, send, or block notifications whenever we like.

We can even forcefully send each other messages regardless of whether or not the recipient is blocking them, but my clones and I agreed on doing so only for emergencies.

But back to our current vacation, everything’s on my dime so my subordinates are free to do what they wish as long as they aren’t causing trouble for people. We didn’t come here to be villains like Nine did; we came here to take a break from being villains!

We didn’t even bring our villain outfits with us... not that we really need them if we want to bust some heads open. I’ve got on a straw hat, sunglasses, a Hawaiian shirt, jean shorts, and sandals, with most of the other adults having similar summer outfits on and half of them already wearing their bathing suits.

Same with Eri, who has an adorable one-piece swimsuit on that comes with a little skirt attached to it. I forgot what the hell those kinds of bathing suits are called, but she loves it because of the unicorn pictures it has and that’s all that matters.

 

“Alright everyone. Before you go off and do whatever, I just want to quickly remind you of a few ground rules.” I began speaking after we arrived on the island and put most of our luggage at the vacation house I rented for us.

Eri already left to go explore, so it’s just us adults right now.

“No villain stuff at all… except for that one thing I have planned later on in the week, but even calling that villainous to begin with is a bit of a stretch. No causing a scene; we’re just tourists looking to chillax right now. No getting into fights, Rappa.”

He has the gall to look shocked at the mere implication.

“I mean it. There are only a few unranked heroes here that even our thugs have a decent shot against all by themselves, but we aren’t publicly recognized villains with most of us not even being registered as villains and I plan on keeping it that way for the foreseeable future. Other than that, have fun! You guys earned this vacation!”

Most of them cheer and holler before we all go off to start our week-long break.

Soramitsu stuffs his face over at the food stalls, quickly ranking up a calorie count that even Fat Gum would gawk at.

Deidoro drags Toya over to some beach bar to get hammered.

Rappa and Rikiya manage to find some ‘Muscle Beach’ area to work out at. I think they played a few volleyball matches too if the sudden charges I got for several of the inflatable balls is any indicator. Looks like Rappa used his quirk in the spirit of competitiveness. Greeeeeaaaat. 

Joi, Yu, and Hekiji decided to go wander around the island. Same with Eri, but she’s only allowed to wander around the village south of the island without any adult supervision. I don’t want her getting lost in the forests covering most of this place.

And Kurono and I spend most of the time just lying down on beach chairs and enjoying the view.

 

“Y’know, when you first mentioned making big changes to the Hassaikai after the Old Man’s death… I was worried.” Kurono admits, much to my surprise.

“You often let anger cloud your judgment back then… I still remember the days when we were little brats and the Old Man had to pry you off of other little brats who badmouthed the yakuza, and as we got older…”

“I got more radical, yeah.” I admit with many memories of Kai Chisaki popping back up in my head. “To the point where even the Old Man couldn’t stop me. I don’t want to say his death was a good thing, but… ironically enough, it’s what finally snapped me out of my stupor. It’s what finally helped me grow up.

He still probably wouldn’t approve of what we’re doing, but I’m sure he would be happy seeing how much his clan is growing.”

“We’re gonna pull this off, Kai.” My best friend tells me. “If your intel is true, then not even the quirk-stealing boogeyman himself can compare to what you can do now.”

“I can’t take full credit, Kurono. Most of it goes to Eri. Her quirk really is something special… I just wish I knew how best to utilize it sooner.”

“She grew to trust you so quickly despite, well, everything.” He points out, his tone being one of slight disbelief.

“I was honest with her. That’s all there is to it.” I chuckle, telling him the truth.

Any important context about said honesty being left out is merely a coincidence. 

“I was given a second chance… a second life, if you will, by the Old Man. How can I let that go to waste? I’ll overhaul whatever I need to, but I won’t forget what allowed me to do such.”

“Is that where your new villain name comes from? Sekandoraifu is the kanji for ‘second life’, is it not?” Kurono confirms.

 

Yes, I decided to change my quote unquote ‘villain name’ to Sekan Doraifu. With how much about Kai Chisaki I’ve already changed, barely anyone batted an eye at the brand new ‘villain name’ for myself. Instead of Overhaul, I’ll just go by my true name, and the logical symbolism will prevent any eyebrows from being raised.

And yes, I’m aware that both Izuku Midoriya and Mirio Togata are familiar with a Sekan Doraifu. 

The former knows Sekan Doraifu as a random Middle School student. The latter knows Sekan Doraifu as a random audience member at the Sports Festival.

So why do such a thing? Couldn’t this potentially lead to either one someone making a connection?

…Well, that’s what I’m looking to find out for myself.

You see, while I’m already quite knowledgeable on this world and its characters, one thing I’m not entirely sure of is the extent of its rules. Not rules as in governmental laws people need to follow or else they get branded as villains and arrested, but rules as in the very laws that control this world.

For simplicity’s sake, let's call these potential rules ‘Shounen Tropes’. These are things like the clothes covering people’s private parts being capable of withstanding anything so the ‘show’ in question can be marketed to younger audiences.

Plot armor is another aspect I want to take into consideration. This concept isn’t just some joke to complain about; it’s a genuine concern of mine if the very world demands that its heroes win no matter how impossible such an event occurring should be.

After all, I decided to become a villain. If villains here are predestined to lose, then I obviously need to do something about that if I want to win.

This is where my current experiment comes in. Call it my latest move in this 5-D Chess game I'm playing.

 

Logically, Izuku or Mirio somehow connecting the Sekan Doraifu they know to me should be practically impossible.

Let's look at the facts here. Like I said before, neither of those hero students will ever come close to the city of Osaka. In other words, neither of them will ever be around to overhear my Shie Hassaikai title being spoken by any subordinates of mine. 

And even if they somehow magically did, the Sekan Izuku knows is some random middle schooler and the Sekan Mirio knows is some random young adult audience member with a daughter (both being in rather good disguises, might I add). 

Oh, and remember the whole ‘body modification’ thing I’m doing right now? My physical appearance is gradually changing overtime as I grow stronger and gain more quirks, so it’s not like Mirio is gonna recognize me if we just so happen to run into each other again, much less Izuku in a similar scenario. 

Besides, there are probably plenty of other people out there named Sekan or Serkan or Sekani or something similar. Both my original identity and the disguise I used at the Sports Festival were just random faces in the crowd, background characters if you will.

Would you connect some random, unsuspicious civilian you only met once several months or even years ago to a yakuza boss who not only looks vastly different physically (The ultimate disguise creator, just another of Overhaul’s countless uses), but who’s villain name happens to be the same as that civilian’s name? My current ‘real name’ is technically Kai Chisaki, remember? 

In short, with practically no knowledge about any of my ‘identities’ and how different they are from each other, among other factors, it should be impossible for Izuku or Mirio to make a firm connection between them. 

Even if they did, it’s not like they or the public in general is even aware of me being a villain.

But if the ‘plot’ requires the heroes to defeat all of the villains, then even if it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, Izuku and Mirio are going to connect all of my identities and even my NightHaul clone (despite the latter looking, sounding, and acting like Sir Nighteye), figure out that I’m a villain, and try to stop me. 

This is what I wish to test. This is what I wish to observe in a controlled setting, because that’s far better than being completely blindsided by such a development.

With NightHaul taking Mirio in, we’ll be able to both observe and control his environment while he grows as a hero student. We should have no problem hiding our villainous endeavors from him because we control what he sees and does.

And if Mirio somehow discovers the truth, we’ll be able to know exactly how and draw our own conclusions from there.

To summarize all of that, this experiment will allow us to observe how this world in general works, getting a heads up on any ‘unfair/plot armor’ aspects that our enemies have. Once we determine such, we can then retreat and prepare counters to it.

 

That’s the worst case scenario. Best case scenario, Mirio (and Izuku when he starts his own hero journey in earnest) won’t have the ‘plot armor’ needed to discover and overcome me no matter what preparations I make and I can continue my initial plan with that extra piece of crucial data in mind.

Like I said before, I’m playing a completely different game than these people. I’m looking at the bigger picture, at the concept of the story itself and the unspoken epilogue that comes after, as those are far greater threats to me than any hero or villain in this shounen’s main plot.

My enemy is the world itself and its inevitable destruction. Heroes and villains alike are merely mediums to enact this world’s will, or perhaps the deity that created it for this little experiment of his.

Overcoming such may sound inconceivable, but by doing this, I can at least take a step in the right direction.

Oh, and as a nice little bonus, Eri can now call me Sekan and none of my subordinates will bat an eye. 

And speaking of the little devil…

“Hey, dad! Look! I made some new friends!” Eri calls over with Kurono and I turning our heads to see her walking over with two other kids. 

“Well, you go have fun with that. I gotta use the restroom.” Kurono mutters before bailing, but I don’t mind. 

It took three days, but she finally found them. The Shimano siblings. 

 

“H-Hi there, Mr. Eri’s dad. I’m Katsuma.” The younger of the two waves.

“And I’m Mahoro! Are you a hero?” The older sibling asks me.

“Professionally? No. To Eri? I like to think so.” I answer and Eri gives her an “I told you so!”

“What do you think about professional heroes then?” Mahoro continues grilling me, and thanks to the movie, I already know how to answer that to her liking while voicing my honest opinion.

“It’s a dangerous job despite the relatively peaceful times we’re living in. Many see the job as a walk in the park or a chance to become famous for fame’s sake thanks to our Symbol of Peace, but he won’t be around forever, and when he retires, the villains will be ready to strike.”

“See? I told you it was dangerous!” Mahoro tells her brother. “Dad’s a way better hero than any of them!”

“I still wanna save people though…” Katsuma trails off as I kneel down to the kids’ level.

“Wanting to save people is a selfless thing to do, Katsuma, but it’s also difficult. I’m guessing you care a lot about your family?”

“Y-Yeah! My big sis and dad always try to help me, even if my dad isn’t around much.”

“Alright, so do you want to help them too? Do you want to save them?”

“Yeah!” The five year old boy answers.

“Well that’s a great place to start. Trying to save everyone is practically impossible, even for the strongest heroes out there like All Might, so while it is a little selfish, I would suggest working towards being able to save your family first and foremost. Then whatever friends you have and any other people you care about.

That’s what I personally try my best to do, and while I’m pretty strong myself, I still have plenty of trouble with just doing that.”

“Really? Eri says you’re super strong; strong enough to fight All Might and some potato guy who’s as strong as him.” Mahoro points out.

“I’m not quite at that level yet, but I’m getting closer. Just please don’t tell anyone about that; I don’t want my enemies catching on and using that to hurt Eri and the rest of my family. Okay?” I ask.

As for the ‘potato guy’ thing, I probably should’ve told Eri to not talk about AFO to any new friends she makes, but in my defense, I doubt that anyone is going to believe a five year old kid when they talk about an evil potato who can give and take quirks or beat up the Symbol of Peace. 

…Except other five year old kids, apparently. Whoops. 

“Okay. Thanks, Mr. Eri’s dad. I’m gonna protect my family too when I grow up! I’ll be a hero for my dad like he is to me!” Katsuma smiles with Mahoro supporting this decision. 

The three of them go off on their own adventures soon after, with the brother and sister asking permission to show Eri around the rest of the island before leaving. I accepted since those kids are natives of the place, so they shouldn't get lost.

The trip carries on for several more days without any problems. I can just sit back and relax without a care in the world, the only exception being when I watch the Provisional License Exam through a Mind Link with NightHaul.

Mirio crushes the competition, just like I knew he would. 

Any lingering mental stress fades away and I’m even able to forget about the upcoming apocalypse for a little while, but eventually, I need to take care of a special assignment. 

 

During the middle of Night 5, I head out with Joi and most of the bullets (Deidoro was too drunk to function and Rikiya was staying behind to watch the sleeping Eri) with us all traveling over to Mount Shiroyama. 

“These natural caverns are rather spacious, but there’s a large risk of people stumbling across any facility we create here.” Heikji voices his thoughts with most of us agreeing. 

“Too bad we can’t use the castle. This place is so fucking badass!” Rappa laments.

“It’s also falling apart.” Joi comments.

“Nothing you and the boss can’t fix!” Rappa argues back.

“True, but this place is a tourist attraction and we’re supposed to be creating a hidden base here.” I end the bantering.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why bother going through the trouble of making one here?” Toya inquires. “I mean, I get that a lot of what we’re doing now is risky, but we’ve already got half a dozen other large bases throughout Japan with many more on the way. Why create a hideout in the middle of nowhere?”

“Call me overly cautious, but considering that both the Symbol of Peace and Symbol of Evil would have heart attacks if they ever found out what we’re doing, I want to have a few last resorts ready if we suddenly find the entire underworld or every hero in Japan at all our doorsteps on the mainland. 

The existence of this secret facility will only be known by us, Rikiya, Joi, and Eri. It will be storing everything we need to start over and build ourselves back up in case the worst were to happen, and I will be slightly altering all your memories to not know its exact location once we’re done. The telepathy quirk I managed to acquire isn’t the only one out there, after all.”

 

Remember that little experiment I mentioned earlier, and how if the heroes somehow magically discovered the web of identities and endeavors I’m forming, then I would retreat and plan again with their confirmed ‘plot armor’ in consideration? Well, this is one of the potential places I’d go to lay low until I’m ready to strike back.

A quick reminder, all these guys know about Mind Web already, but they believe I took the quirk from a telepath who passed me by and nearly exposed us to some heroes upon reading my thoughts. 

But back to our secret base building assignment (which isn’t really villainous besides the quirk usage involved with making it, but quirk laws are stupid), we next head on over to the bits of subtropical forest scattered around the north and west of the island.

We didn’t bring any Trigger with us, so Mimic can’t really help out much here, but Overhaul does a good enough job for now. The others just start unloading the basic supplies we brought along (mostly stuff you would find at a campsite; we’ll be smuggling in things like weapons and Trigger to store later) while I carve out a decent enough space underground. 

I’ve become somewhat of an expert with creating and modifying underground bases overtime as I end up making ones for every new property we get as well as places like our planned SUM (Second Underground Masquerade) locations and-

Why is Mind Web picking up several people approaching? 

Who the hell is out and about at two in the morning, and in the middle of the fucking forest at that while we’re… oh, god damnit.

“You had one job, Rikiya. One. Job.” I groan, catching the others’ attention.

“What’s wrong, boss?” Joi asks and I just give a long sigh back.

“I’ll take care of it. You guys just keep up the good work.” I then deadpan before using Overhaul to get me out of our half-finished labyrinth.

 

I soon arrive back on the surface, and with my best disappointed dad expression, I call out, “Pretty sure it’s past your bedtime, kids. Care to explain?”

A few seconds later, Eri, Katsuma, and Mahoro all step out of a bush one after the other, guilty expressions on all their faces.

“I’m sorry, dad. I was just curious what you were doing after I overheard you talking to Kurono about it and my friends were with me at the time and wanted to come along too.”

“And how did you get out of the house? I remember having a certain employee of mine guarding it.”

“I used pillows and an empty ice cream cone to make it look like I was still in bed with the blankets all the way up!” She tells me, quickly switching her expression and tone from guilty to prideful. 

“Sneaking by Rikiya wasn’t too hard; he was watching his favorite tv show when I got that far so I just had to be extra quiet. As for Katsuma and Mahoro, their dad isn’t home yet and nobody else was watching them, so they could leave their house without any problems.

I didn’t know what you were doing though so I asked those two if there were any super special places on the island and they told me about Mount Shiroyama, so we went there and saw you heading back and we just followed you from there.”

“And how exactly did you do so without alerting me to your presence?” 

“We were really quiet and- oh! You mean Mind Web! Well, I watched you train a couple times back at home with the Eight Bullets and figured that quirk had a range limit since it was a lot harder for you to fight against opponents who were far away, so I just had us stay a bit farther away from you then Deidoro and Rikiya usually did during your training sessions while we followed you.”

 

…I am so fucking proud of her.

She’s getting grounded when this trip is over, but I am so fucking proud of her.

Now how to get out of this mess…

Chapter 12: Bonus Chapter - Eri’s First Minions

Notes:

To shake things up a bit, here's a little bonus chapter from Eri's perspective. Expect more chapters starring the villainous little unicorn every once in a while.

As Eri Doraifu stepped off the giant boat, she couldn't help but take in the beautiful view of Nabu Island. 

So much to see! So much to do! So much to explore!

She felt no fear or shame wandering around the island in her bathing suit; every single scar and blemish that Kai left on her was overhauled away, and it didn’t hurt one bit!

Her dad altered her nervous system at the start, preventing her from feeling any pain. There were just several moments of numbness and a slight tickle before she looked like a beautiful princess on the outside.

She already was one on the inside, her dad made that very clear to her.

 

But back to her dad’s big vacation, such a shame it won’t last forever. The ice cream is really good here and she had a lot of fun watching the volleyball games Rappa and Rikiya had. 

It was especially fun blackmailing them with threats to tell her dad about their ‘hyper-competitiveness’ if they didn’t buy her that really cool boogie board with the giant unicorn picture on it. 

They didn’t realize he would see the charges for a replacement volleyball and net regardless until it was too late. She did.

She’s simply paying them back for what they did, or rather, didn’t do when Kai was in charge (not Overhaul; that’s the name of the quirk he used and her dad uses). 

It isn’t much. She isn’t that mean to the people who knew (besides Chronostasis; he still thinks Deidoro is the one who viciously pranks him on occasion). After all, they’re nice to her now and her father still has use for them. They were pawns for Kai before and are pawns for Sekan now.

He’s older than her. He has more experience and quirks, but she’s catching up. 

She’s a fast learner, her dad said so himself! She got the supersoldier treatment too and she’ll even get more quirks soon enough! Nobody will mess with her then!

But which to choose… maybe she’ll ask her dad for the energy spiral quirk that blue-haired girl had at the Sports Festival they went to. She could do a lot with energy control like that, way more than that naive hero!

That’s the main problem with the heroes in Eri’s opinion. They’re naive. They don’t know how bad things are and how awful things are going to get. Most become arrogant, greedy, fame-seeking, corrupt, or all the above as a result. 

The remaining ones, ones that actually have good intentions like Lemillion (if her dad is right about him), are simply doomed from the start because of that. They’ll collapse under the weight of their good intentions; just look at All Might for proof!

They all didn’t have a clue about what Kai was doing to her. It wasn’t a professional hero that saved her from him; it was her dad! A person that he hurt too! A person that Kai feared too!

And for good reason.

 

Her dad said once that history is written by the winners, and he’s right! He’s always right!

Professional Heroes are just a name. A pointless title. If Kai Chisaki managed to gain complete control over Japan, then he could make the Eight Bullets and all the yakuza people who helped hurt her into official Pro Heroes. 

No… the only true hero to her is her dad. People like Lemillion are nice and all, but only her dad knows the truth. Only her dad is capable of doing something when the end of Japan finally comes.

He’s so amazing… and she wants to be like that too!

She’s gonna train hard and master her quirk and get more quirks and become better than everybody, but her dad showed her just how important it is to have people helping her.

So she’s gonna take his advice and find some of her own minions! He told her to find friends, but she’s smart enough to understand what he’s really asking for, and besides, your minions can become your friends too.

Treating your employees well encourages them to work hard and not betray you. It’s Business 101! Using fear works too, but that evil potato man’s methods aren’t as good as her dad’s. She overheard him say so himself.

…Well, she’s pretty sure she did. 

Eavesdropping isn’t easy when your target has a built-in radar that picks up on any people within 50 or so feet from him, but he doesn’t know that she knows that, so she can use that to her advantage and stay 51 feet or so away, keeping him in her sights rather than the other way around.

Even with the slight super hearing she has (her dad recently figured out how to naturally improve human senses with Overhaul too) and the labyrinth walls echoing the sounds a bit, listening in from so far away isn’t easy, but she’ll get better at it.

Practice makes perfect, and she’s going Plus Ultra with her practice.

 

“Oh, h-hello there. Are you on vacation here? I don’t remember any other people our age moving in…” She hears a meek voice question and looks around before spotting two people her age.

Targets acquired.

Time for the little genius manipulator to do her thing, just like her dad taught her!

“Yeah, I’m staying here for the week with my dad and his friends. I’m Eri, by the way. What are your names?” She asks, giving her best smile.

She hasn’t learned much about charisma yet, but she knows how to weaponize her cuteness. 

Right now, in her yellow sundress, straw hat, and sandals, she looks innocent enough. Like a regular old tourist instead of a yakuza princess. 

“I’m Mahoro and that’s Katsuma.” The girl says. “Where’s your parents?”

Being too forceful will drive them away, but she needs to get them hooked.

“My dad is relaxing at the beach. He deserves it after doing so much to help me.”

After that, she’ll gradually reel them in.

“Is your dad a hero?”

They’ll question her less and less until eventually, they follow her to the ends of the Earth without hesitation.

“He’s not a hero. He’s my hero and way better than any Pro Hero out there!”

Her dad also said that he would help her with pretty much whatever she needed, so she’s gonna have him help her start her own secret organization, just like how Kai (unintentionally) helped him start his organization!

 

She ends up taking them to him, learning more about them and showing off some of her skills in the process. She can jog for super long now thanks to all the stamina training she’s been doing. She’s really strong for people her age too!

She also told them a bit about her dad, like how he’s strong enough to take on All Might and the evil potato man. Those guys are super weakened after almost killing each other and her dad can overwhelm them with an army of clones, so it’s 100% true!

She won’t show them her quirk yet though. Same goes with her dad’s quirks and his ‘job’. Keeping your best cards close to your chest is super important if you want your secret organization to last.

Her dad ends up making them think more like her, just like she knew he would, making them a lot easier to subtly recruit. With how useful their quirks are, they’re gonna be super helpful in the future!

Eri knows how strong her quirk can be, but she also understands the one major disadvantage she has to other healing quirks. She doesn’t technically heal damage, she simply undoes it.

Take Tomura Shigaraki after the attack on Deika city for example. If Eri used Rewind on him, it would heal him, sure, but it would also undo his Quirk Awakening. Katsuma, on the other hand, would fully heal his injuries and even improve his physical condition.

It’s almost like a Zenkai Boost from Dragon Ball, and unlike Super Regeneration or other similar healing quirks, Cell Activation can be used on others too (without relying on quirk transferring, anyway).

A quirk like that would really be helpful for the Shie Hassaikai. Maybe she should see if Katsuma is willing to take part in her family’s new father-daughter ultimate move…

On second thought, that can wait. Her dad and his minions are apparently up to something and she wants to find out what!

Her dad doesn’t keep much from her. He trusts her more than anyone; it’s just that she doesn’t have a reason to be told some things as they don’t really affect her. 

He probably just wants her to enjoy her vacation while they handle serious adult work stuff, but she’s super curious and this’ll serve as great spying practice for the future. She can even start teaching her new minions how to do spy stuff!

 

They became a lot more willing to follow her orders after a couple days. They showed her around the island, took her to most of the cool spots, and listened to her when she offered ways to improve their quirks or just use them more creatively.

Hologram is just that, a hologram that isn’t physical at all, but people won’t figure that out unless they try and touch said holograms. 

Most villains wouldn’t dare fight All Might, right? Create a hologram of him showing up and saying ‘I am here!’ and your enemies will run for the hills.

You could probably pull a similar trick with some other well-known, extremely dangerous heroes and villains. Just do a bit of research or watch a few live videos of them and you’ll be good to go.

It’s also easy to disguise your quirk as something else. Create holograms of a firestorm Endeavor would envy or maybe fake summoning some nightmarish creatures and order them to tear your opponents apart. 

Hologram can create all kinds of wonderful enemy deterrent, even if it’s just one massive bluff. 

And who knows? Maybe enough training with that quirk can allow some illusions to temporarily become real. 

Eri already learned about the concept of Quirk Awakenings from her dad. Maybe Mahoro can obtain something like that?

As for Cell Activation, using it takes a lot of stamina so she offered a tip her dad offered her and suggested focusing on healing some parts like the heart and brain over less crucial parts of the human body like fingers or toes if you have to penny-pinch your stamina.

 

Her minions are already showing improvement, and Eri makes sure to give them plenty of positive reinforcement in return. 

Now Katsuma clearly has some confidence issues. He leans on his older sister for support and protection, and that’s okay. Eri knows how important the people you see as family can be.

She just needs to redirect those feelings towards her, and she’ll accomplish that through Mahoro.

If you have unquestioning faith and trust towards your guardian, then won’t you have something for the one your guardian views in a similar light? Your guardian’s guardian, if you will.

It’s this kind of strategizing and manipulation Eri has begun learning from her dad, either through his direct teaching or simply observing him from the background.

She already learned plenty during her time as Kai Chisaki’s prisoner and test subject. She could watch how her captors acted, how the yakuza operated and behaved.

And now, she can really start solidifying and applying that knowledge thanks to finally having a proper teacher. A proper parent. 

What happened tonight was a perfect example of that application.

 

Once she planted a good enough Dummy-Eri (aka, some pillows and an empty ice cream cone) on her bed and snuck past Rikiya, she met up with her two minions and went off to spy on her dad. 

“We’re off on a secret mission… A totally secret scheeeeeme… We’ll find what the Hassaikai’s dishin’... and make my dad bluescreeeeen!” Eri happily sings to herself as she and her minions trek through the island.

Katsuma and Mahoro didn’t get the pre-quirk movie reference, but that’s to be expected.

Her dad’s been collecting a lot of stuff from before the Dawn of Quirks lately, from books and games to saved footage of tv shows and movies to all kinds of memorabilia. 

It’s a strange hobby of his, but Eri has really enjoyed watching The Wizard of Oz and some of those pre-quirk animes.

Anyway, they did a really good job with the top brass of the Shie Hassaikai, a group of dangerous and experienced villains, genuinely not having a clue about the three children trailing them.

Unfortunately for the tiny trio, Eri failed to consider her dad getting close enough to detect her with Mind Web while creating his latest secret underground base. 

She still has room to improve, but that’s to be expected for a five year old. She did a good enough job so now her dad should totally tell her his secret plan as a reward, right?

 

“We’re creating a secret safehouse. That’s really all we’re doing right now.” Sekan explains to the kids.

“What’s a safehouse?” Katsuma asks, and- oh, Eri knows the answer!

“It’s a house that’s meant to keep people safe from something or someone who makes living in their main house unsafe. It can be either super hidden or super well defended or both as long as it does a good enough job protecting people. Right, dad?”

“That pretty much sums it up, yeah.”

“Why do you need it then? Aren’t you super strong?” Mahoro asks the guy currently leading one of Japan’s largest villain organizations.

“Yeah, but not the strongest. Not in terms of power or numbers or anything, really. I only have one major advantage over my competition… well, besides them not knowing how much of a threat I really am, and this secret getting out would make them collectively shi- uh, crap bricks.”

“Is it that you have multiple quirks?” The older of the two siblings confirms. “Eri said you have a telepathy quirk we had to watch out for while following you, but you just made the ground itself lift you out of that big hole.”

“Yes, but that’s not it. There are other people with multiple quirks like All Might and his archnemesis, All For One or the ‘evil potato man’ as my daughter called him. 

The latter can even give and take quirks like candy whenever he wishes to; he himself even has hundreds of them stocked up after living for entire centuries!

He is the closest thing this world has to a genuine demon lord and he can wipe out this entire island with a single blast containing numerous combined quirks if he wanted to. 

All Might can as well with a single punch at his peak, and even back then, he didn’t manage to tap into his quirk’s true potential. He would get a lot more powerful if he started using the other quirks in his arsenal.”

Endgame Izuku and Tomura were absolute monsters. The latter can literally destroy all of Japan in a single week with just his Decay quirk and the former easily outclasses All Might in his prime with quirks like Fa Jin and Gearshift at his disposal.

But even they had clear limits when it comes to quirks. Rewind can theoretically kill them both if hit with enough of that time-reversing energy, and what Sekan and Eri managed to recently accomplish… the reason this celebration trip was taken in the first place…

It may very well dwarf even that with its potential.

And they said crime doesn’t pay. Shows how much they know.

 

Someday, Eri will become even more dangerous than her father. She’ll have the whole world in her hands and the power to mold it as she wishes.

But that time isn’t now. She’s still a child with a lot to learn, so she’ll start out small and build herself up like her dad is.

It doesn’t mean she won’t help him and he won’t help her during this. They promised to save each other, after all. 

They’ll survive the end of the world together, and rule what remains afterwards.

Or, if the singularity theory turns out to be false, they can just skip that first step.

They’ll do this all together… mostly. Eri still wants to get some of her own minions.

Chapter 13: Matter, Time, and Infinite Quirks

Deep within the secret, underground chambers of Jaku Hospital, one of the oldest beings in the world laughs maniacally as he succeeds in copying another quirk. Another superpower.

It may take weeks or even months for just one copy to be made, it may take a small fortune for just one copy to be made, but time and money isn’t an issue thanks to his lord’s support.

Besides, he succeeded in doing the impossible! Most may be weaker than the originals, but he can copy quirks! Even giving and taking them like his master can is possible thanks to his surgical expertise! It’s complicated and takes a very long time, but it’s possible!

The world shunned him for his theories on the incoming singularity, refusing to leave their little hero-obsessed bubble. Shows how much those fools know. They’ve been under the control of his lord for generations and don’t even know it!

But that damn All Might… well, it won’t matter soon enough. Doctor Kyudai Garaki knows it won’t matter soon enough.

Tomura Shigaraki should be ready soon enough. His Nomus will be ready soon enough. 

And with a new body capable of taking One For All as well as an army of multi-quirked superweapons at his command, nothing will ever be able to hinder his master ever again.

 

Countdown to Canon: 7 Months 25 Days before Entrance Exam

“Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?” I asked Katsuma one last time.

“Y-Yeah! Eri said it won’t hurt at all and I’ll be unconscious the entire time. It’ll also be really quick and I want to help you guys!” The five year old boy answers with determination, Mahoro not objecting.

“...Alright. Thank you for doing this, Katsuma. The Shie Hassaikai is in your debt, so if you ever need our help at all once we leave, just let Eri know and I’ll do whatever I can. 

Money, protection, even a new place to live near our territory; just say the word and I’ll do my best to deliver.” I sincerely tell the little kid who is understandably a bit overwhelmed.

But he’s determined to go through with this, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t secretly hope Eri would convince him to do this.

I know he’s just a kid, but in this world, kids are capable of pretty much anything if they put their backs and minds into it.

Now as for what I’m doing with him, it involves my earlier-mentioned major breakthrough. One of the reasons why Overhaul and Rewind is the most overpowered combination of quirks in the entire MHA series. 

So as you know, Rewind is capable of reversing time around biological organisms, bringing them back to a previous state depending on how big of an energy dose they’re hit with.

As long as it’s a living organism, this quirk can reverse pretty much anything with the two exceptions being memories and death. Of course, this is only what is shown in the series. 

Eri may very well be able to reverse those things too as she grows older and her quirk develops more, but this breakthrough doesn’t require either of those things.

No, this cheat is capable of being done with Overhaul and Rewind as they’re shown in canon. None of the improvements I made to Overhaul are necessary for this to work; they just make it a bit easier.

Now onto the cheat itself. 

 

All For One, Re-Destro, and Flect Turn had all the time in the world to cook up their schemes. I don’t have the luxury of ample time… in the traditional sense. So I had to get a bit creative and focus on controlling what little time I do have.

And by controlling time, I literally mean controlling time as doing such opens up so many wonderful possibilities. 

As shown in canon, Rewind is capable of undoing body fusions done through Overhaul. Rewind is also capable of bringing back quirks with such a thing also being shown in canon when she brought back Mirio’s quirk just in time for the Paranormal Liberation War. She rewinded his body back to before he got hit by the quirk-erasing bullet. 

So with her quirk capable of affecting even Overhaul body fusions and quirks themselves, I came up with a potential use for her quirk and mine that lets us completely break the system, and we recently managed to pull it off thanks to all the training Eri’s been doing.

 

Step 1: Use Overhaul to body-fuse with someone.

Step 2: Maintain that fusion for some time, how much time specifically depending on how accurate and skilled Eri currently is with outputting her Rewind quirk.

Step 3: Use Overhaul to undo the body-fusion.

Step 4: Have Eri use Rewind to rewind me back to how I was during Step 2.

Step 5: Repeat Steps 2-4 as many times as I want or until Eri runs out of stockpiled energy.

 

The result of all that… the ability to infinitely duplicate quirks.

INFINITELY! DUPLICATE! QUIRKS!!!

Not fake quirk copies like what Jin’s Double can do. Not inferior, synthetic copies of quirks like what Dr. Garaki can create through his own mad science.

The power to continuously create both quirks and the bodies that use them. As many times as you want. So long as you have somewhere or someone to store the accumulated quirks and the Rewind quirk user has enough energy.

The having and not having of quirks is a core part of MHA’s world, and all instances of that part being altered (so through All For One, One For All, etc) are treated with massive focus and reverence.

That’s from the story’s point of view. Most in this superhuman society would never even imagine the possibility of giving, taking, or having multiple quirks, much less all three at once, as most people see their own quirk as a fundamental part of their identity.

 

See why I think that everyone, All Might and AFO included, would collectively shit bricks upon discovering this? And don’t even get me started on the mustached lump that serves the latter.

It takes Dr. Garaki weeks or even months on end as well as a shitload of resources to create just a single weakened quirk copy, but Eri and I can create dozens of copies in a single session that lasts half an hour at most with every single one of them being as good as the original.

A person’s body or the part of their body with their Quirk Factor is currently needed, but soon, all I’ll need is a small blood sample to infinitely copy a quirk and all the work that was put into developing it.

The kind of quirk doesn’t matter either. Theoretically, this cheat would even be possible with quirks like One For All, All For One, and New Order!

This trick alone completely trivializes the pinnacle of what this entire world has achieved!

It can’t duplicate lives though. Rewind can’t bring back the dead, so that body and quirk copy which forms doesn’t have a single shred of life attached to it, even if I use Overhaul’s ‘return to factory settings’ function afterwards.

Speaking of, said function can’t do this trick on its own. The godlike time-manipulation power of Rewind is required for such a ridiculous cheat to work.

But this is more than enough. The concept of this is so unbelievably overpowered already that it completely breaks the world itself. I’m satisfied with that, as it speeds along my plans for this world immensely.

To defeat this very world… to defeat such an unfair opponent, I need to become an unfair opponent myself. 

 

Now just to be clear, this doesn’t mean I can suddenly give myself a hundred copies of some Strength Enhancer quirk or something. 

My body still has a very clear limit when it comes to the number of quirks it can hold, and while I can technically get around said limit through body fusion (to an extent), trying to equip that many quirks would make me resemble a Lovecraftian abomination or AFO during his Omni-Factor Unleash ultimate.

But I’m gradually improving that limit thanks to my trademark mad science and I have several other ideas on how to further improve it without relying on AFO or OFA. 

And that’s not even mentioning the fact that instead of giving myself a hundred copies of some Strength Enhancer quirk, I can give a hundred of my subordinates one copy each of some Strength Enhancer quirk. 

That’s what I’ll be doing with Katsuma’s incredible healing quirk. Overhaul lets me heal pretty much everything, and while I have several clones helping me out at the Hassaikai, said clones and I usually have important business to attend to and we can’t be everywhere. 

So giving a dozen or so of my trusted clan members a second quirk that lets them heal pretty much any injury they or other people get will help out a lot. And that’s just one possibility!

I already have quite the long list of heroes with interesting quirks that I have the Hassaikai thugs spying on for some bonus pay. I could fuse with them through Overhaul, undo the fusion, alter their memories with Mind Web, then go back to the compound and have Eri use Rewind on me to bring me back to my fused state.

I then give one of my subordinates that hero’s quirk factor and enough extra body mass of theirs to use it without strain, then have Eri use Rewind on me again, rinse, and repeat. 

I could even re-merge with a discarded quirk and its accompanying body mass before using this trick again and again if I ever need to make more duplicates, saving me any more trips to whatever person I originally got the quirk from!

 

Now I obviously can’t have my own take on Nomu walking around in the open too much. Either the heroes or AFO or both will catch on real quick and the entire world is going to turn against me at a moment’s notice after shitting themselves in sheer terror.

The most I can really do is give the Hassaikai members I have go out on basic missions enhancers with no visible mutations, so a quirk that boosts either strength, speed, intelligence, and so on. That can be disguised as the person in question just ramping their training up to 11.

As for the ones that can’t be so hidden when using their new quirks, so healing quirks like Katsuma’s or mutation quirks or something that obviously isn’t connected to the person’s original quirk, I’ll just use Overhaul to completely change their physical bodies and identities and have them use their new quirk as their primary quirk. 

Of course, such tactics become meaningless the moment someone bothers taking a blood sample and picks up on multiple quirk factors being present in one of my guys. Best case scenario, people believe All For One is behind it and he gets outed as still being around a lot earlier than usual.

Worst case scenario, they connect it back to me and my plans of survival become a whole lot harder to achieve.

That’s why I will be using these guys out in the open very sparingly until I’m ready to reveal myself with very few people outside the Hassaikai (who I still continuously comb for any traitors with Confession) will even know about their multi-quirked existence before that day comes. Not even Giran is being told about this despite how much money it could potentially make me. 

Being extremely paranoid has gotten me this far; I’ll be keeping this mindset going until the end!

My organization will be ready for anything this world throws at me and I’ll be able to do whatever I damn well please. Eri and I just need some more time to perfect this process and our quirks.

Overhaul and Rewind, a quirk synergy that not even All For One and One For All combined can compare to. And the best Kai Chisaki could do with them was make a few fancy bullets. 

All that talk about nobody but him seeing the big picture in canon… if anyone was failing to see the big picture, it was him.

But I’m the one in control now, and with my daughter by my side, there’s no telling how high we can reach.

All Might is running on fumes and everything is going to burn the day he ends. It’s a literal deadline for the Shie Hassaikai and I plan to meet it, if not finish up early, and still have time for some vacations like this.

 

The rest of our Nabu Island trip is fun for everyone. More relaxing, more sightseeing, a small war with some snack-stealing seagulls who could pass off for having intelligence quirks, and even some Suikawari. 

That’s the traditional Japanese beach activity or party game where people are blindfolded, given large sticks or swords, and smash watermelons. No, I don’t get it either, but it is lots of fun.

It’s basically Japan’s version of hitting a pinata, only there aren’t any goodies given for winning besides some sandy watermelon. 

We can’t do it a lot since watermelons are super fucking expensive in Japan (can easily be over 14,500 yen or 100 US dollars due to scarcity and popularity) and I have a criminal empire to finance, but having some fun on occasion works wonders for my subordinates’ morale.

I also got a nice picture of Eri perfectly slicing a watermelon with a samurai sword she somehow got as Katsuma and Mahoro watched on with stars in their eyes, so no complaints there.

((“Our little yakuza princess really knows how to wow her minions.”))

‘Friends.’

((“Minions. Just blame her role model slash idol slash adopted father and- oh, wait! That’s you!”))

‘Screw you, NightHaul.’

((“Expect her to request more watermelons to practice on through usage of Double when you get back. After all, nobody in Hassaikai HQ will give you crap over illegal quirk usage, which is just quirk usage in general for anyone who isn’t a Pro Hero.”))

Double, one of the most powerful and dangerous quirks this planet has ever seen… used to make a few watermelons. Because their high price is moderately inconvenient for me and my daughter likes Suikawari. 

With my current track record, I can definitely see myself doing that.

 

Anyway, breaks like this are nice, and we even end up staying an extra day to watch the 4th of July Firework Festival this island apparently hosts, but once that’s done and our vacation ends, it’s time to go Plus Ultra with our work.

So as we finally arrive back home with Eri gaining several new friends (and a week-long grounding) and me gaining a very powerful healing quirk to duplicate and distribute, the Shie Hassaikai enters a new period of explosive growth.

I’ve still got over half a year until canon properly starts and I plan on using every single damn second of it!

I’ll continue achieving what nobody else in this world would even dare to dream of and use it however I like. I don’t owe this doomed world a damn thing; I didn’t get this far by completely sticking to its script!

That being the case, I suppose I’ve basically become Hajime Nagumo from Arifureta. Funny, considering how similar Izuku is to Kouki. 

They’re both naive fools running around using what power they have to solve whatever immediate problems they can rather than make any actual changes to the deeper issues causing those immediate problems in the first place.

The only reason Izuku’s foolishness works out while Kouki’s doesn’t is that Izuku is the main character of his shounen while Kouki’s just a comedic sideshow in the shounen he’s from.

Izuku gets his happy ending in canon, but what about after?

The only one truly getting a happy ending here will be ME!

…And Eri, of course. 

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Main Family (+ Current Quirks):

• Sekan Doraifu - Mind Web, Overhaul, Confession, Double
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• Eri - Rewind

Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry 
• Hari Kurono (Leader of Eight Bullets/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis 
• Kendo Rappa (Eight Bullets) - Strongarm 
• Hekiji Tengai (Eight Bullets) - Barrier 
• Toya Setsuno (Eight Bullets) - Larceny
• Yu Hojo (Eight Bullets) - Crystalize 
• Soramitsu Tabe (Eight Bullets) - Food 
• Deidoro Sakaki (Eight Bullets) - Sloshed 
• Rikiya Katsukame (Eight Bullets) - Energy Suck

Other Forces:

• Thugs and Goons - 1200
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 225
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 7
• ?????
• ?????

Subsidiaries:

• Hero Killer
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 12

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Notes:

Two announcements to make before this chapter ends.

First, I'll be taking a week-long hiatus. Classes are starting back up and I've gotta get back into the swing of things irl.

Second, from here on out, in How to Survive a Shounen, I'll be displaying a tally of Sekan's current forces at the bottom of every chapter. Any question marks you see are forces he already has; they just haven't been revealed yet for story purposes.

Chapter 14: Delegating for Dummies

Notes:

Decided to return from hiatus a day early!

On that note, expect new chapters every 2-3 days from here on out. But for now, enjoy the latest chapter of How to Survive a Shounen!

As he finishes modifying the final member of this first batch, LabHaul lets out a chuckle. Then another chuckle.

Then several more chuckles accompanied by a snort.

No maniacal laughter though. As fun as embracing that stereotype would be, he doesn’t want people thinking he got any more insane. Like Mei Hatsume levels of insane, minus the explosions… some of the explosions.

Anyway, better let the others know through their group chat.

 

TheLongHaulers:

LabHaul: First batch of Praetorians are all done!

MainHaul: Finally! Garaki, meet your monsters’ match!

LabHaul: Seeing the look on that mustached potato’s face is gonna bring such a smile to mine. He made a big mistake throwing away Overhaul like that.

LabHaul: How did that saying go again? One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, right?

BossHaul: Oh, that’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you guys about. 

NightHaul: What we’re gonna do about the Nomus when they start showing up? 

BossHaul: No, the fact that we’re calling both All For One and Dr. Kyudai Garaki potatoes. I feel like that’s gonna get confusing soon. Also, it’s incredibly childish.

MainHaul: So is calling Izuku Midoriya a ‘masochistic plot-armored shounen protagonist who peaked in his first year of high school’ even though he totally is that. I know we have a reputation to keep up, but we can afford to be childish in private. Isn’t NightHaul supposed to be the stuck-up one?

NightHaul: First of all, I think we can all agree that we don’t like Izuku Midoriya as a person. And that we don’t want him anywhere near us.

NightHaul: Shounen anime plot armor aside, he has the look of someone giving a diagnosis on your deathbed. And the accuracy of someone who spends far too much time paying close attention to trivial things that, somehow, pay off.

LabHaul: Plot armor is somehow.

NightHaul: Let me finish. What’s even worse is that he’s happy that he was the one to discover the disease. He knows all about the disease and he knows what it’ll do to you. He knows how you’ll react and he talks about the likelihood of early on-set symptoms and the types of treatments you should start considering. He asks about your loved ones and you just sit there, dreading it. 

BossHaul: In other words, he’s too damn nosy for his own good. The kid does information-gathering into personal matters when he should be focused on proper strategizing, but when the plot dictates that simply punching an opponent harder or a Talk-no-Jutsu is all you need to do to win, why bother strategizing at all?

BossHaul: Look at his fight with Muscular. Look at his fight with Flect Turn. Hell, look at his fight with AFO Tomura! At the end of the day, no matter how ineffective pure physical strength should be against them, Izuku just had to punch them harder to win. 

BossHaul: It always destroyed his body and Izuku was always conveniently fine the next chapter with no long-term consequences whatsoever besides some small scars and a bad haircut for a bit at the end.

MainHaul: This deep dive just confirms what we already know. It’s unfair, plain and simple. We can somewhat replicate the main villain’s unfair advantage, but not the main hero’s unfair advantage. In a world like this one, the villains are never supposed to win even though that’s what logic points towards.

MainHaul: Maybe we’re overreacting. Maybe I could just walk to Izuku’s house right now and insta-kill him without a second thought. Or maybe All Might will just so happen to appear and punch through my head before I can reach his student.

MainHaul: The point is we don’t entirely know yet how this world works and if it is designed to protect people like Izuku Midoriya or not. However, what we can do is find out more about how the phenomenon works here and prepare as much as we can if that does happen to be the case. Our experiment with Mirio is just one example of this.

MainHaul: We can complain and joke and whine all we want, but we need to put our money where our mouths are. If the very world is on Izuku or All For One’s side, then we simply need to become more powerful than whatever support the world can give its main characters.

BossHaul: That was a nice speech and all, but we should probably get back on track if we really do want to defeat the very world we’re in.

MainHaul: Right. So NightHaul, you think the Kai Chisaki part of us was inadvertently responsible for going with a disease example?

NightHaul: Interesting theory. Potentially, considering how much his memories have impacted us when compared to others. We got more from him then anyone else and he was also the first set of ‘outside’ memories we obtained. There’s also the subconscious effect of his vestige on our psyche to consider.

BossHaul: That wasn’t what I was referring to.

LabHaul: Are you talking about the potato insults? But they are potatoes though! You know how those two look!

MainHaul: Oh, potato potaaahto.

NightHaul: Born and bred by the Dawn of Quirks’ Vegetable Garden of Death and Despair.

MainHaul: lmfao

LabHaul: HAH!

BossHaul: -_- Getting warmer. 

LabHaul: We should use Overhaul to give him the GLaDOS treatment in Portal 2 when we take him down. Merging potato-face into an actual potato would be hilarious, moreso if he understands the pre-quirk reference. 

BossHaul: Colder.

LabHaul: Ohhhhh, you mean the Praetorians. Sure, I’ll send them up for combat testing now. If you want more details on their specs, I’ll print out a copy of those documents for you. Just make sure not to lose ‘em.

NightHaul: I’ll take a copy of those. Also, let’s at least consider coming up with other insults for the main hero and villain of this world so we don’t end up stuck in the same creativeless rut they’re in.

BossHaul: Creativeless isn’t a real word, but I see your point. However, I will make no promises regarding the evil potatoes.

 

LabHaul can’t help but smile as the others start bickering again over text. It’s nice having people who can truly understand him, even if they’re other versions of himself. Even if he’s just a clone of himself.

He can be honest with Eri too… mostly. And when they’re alone.

If only he and the others could have more of that…

But for now, he has some body-altering mad science to get back to. 

Reinforcing the human skeleton using minute concentrations of iron drawn from the test subject’s bloodstream seems to be viable, but altering the body to continuously do so automatically without direct and constant interference through usage of Overhaul looks like nothing short of a pipe dream. 

Expecting it to eventually produce greater results than their new high-resistance polymer is even more unlikely.

Back to the drawing board!

 

Countdown to Canon: 7 Months 1 Week before Entrance Exam

Growing a villain organization isn’t easy, especially when you’re trying to keep so many things a secret (and the fact that you're a villainous organization at all) under society's nose. 

There’s people to recruit, funds and resources to collect, rivals to compete with, and so on. The amount of knowledge needed to properly execute all of that is no joke; even I had trouble obtaining it despite the advantages my quirks and previous life give me.

Fun fact about Japan, one of the most popular college degrees people obtain in that country is Business Administration. That was the case in my old world and that’s also the case here post Dawn of Quirks, mostly because ‘Pro Hero’ isn’t a college degree.

Remember the little trick I used to get heaps of medical and surgical knowledge early on? Well I’ve been doing the same trick at other top colleges throughout Japan overtime, the main topic this time being everything business related.

BossHaul has benefited immensely from such, but that doesn’t mean rapidly building up a villainous organization under society’s nose has become childsplay, even when the society in question is full of lazy, overconfident fools.

Gaining enough funding and members to take over an entire city in secret isn’t easy. There's a limit to how much money and how many people you can permanently hide, and if you make a mistake, everything comes tumbling down, but if the MLA did it, then so can I!

First up, there’s bribing/recruiting police officers, bankers, and perhaps even corporate CEOs and board members to either look the other way or help a bit more directly on occasion. 

Then there's recruitment and maintenance of loyalty; keeping everyone satisfied and ready to work for your goal with enough loyalty and drive to keep lying to everyone around them. Even with most people being on a need to know basis, subordinates spilling the beans about the few details they were made aware of to your enemies can really hurt.

 

The Hassaikai’s PR has been steadily climbing in Osaka ever since we started helping out publicly. And speaking of PR, there’s a certain 20 percent of the planet, most of which are currently adults, that I have every intention of roping in… the quirkless!

Considering his ideology, why canon Kai didn’t attempt to go the Humarise route and make the Hassaikai a haven for the quirkless is beyond me. 

Knuckleduster is an ass-kicking vigilante after losing his quirk, Melissa Shield is a genius riding her dad’s coattails over on I-Island, and All Might is All Might; those three and Izuku are the only quirkless shown besides international Humarise grunts.

Not every quirkless person is so lucky. In fact, from what I’ve seen in Kai’s memories (he had an obvious interest in them but never capitalized on it), most quirkless in Japan appear to be treated either almost or as badly as Izuku in Aldera. In short, they’re treated like shit.

And I can use that to my advantage.

Not only can I offer them sanctuary from the society treating them as subhuman, but I can also offer them powers and a purpose of their own. Needless to say, the ones I’ve recruited so far are fanatically loyal towards me.

The only issue is Humarise already having a monopoly on quirkless recruits. Japan is far from their main focus and they aren’t nearly as widespread here as say, the MLA, but I still need to be very careful about avoiding their radar.

It shouldn’t be too difficult as it’s nothing I haven’t done before.

We aren’t an official villainous organization, just some ancient relic from the time before quirks that can’t possibly match up to the modern paragons of society known as heroes… right?

That’s the image we’re trying to keep, anyway. The last thing I need is Humarise ousting me or AFO paying us a little visit or the HPSC sending Hawks to assassinate me and bury the yakuza for good. 

The villains are one thing, but we can’t be seen as a threat to the heroes at all, not just in power, but also with their jobs in general.

Luckily for me, NightHaul recently came up with the perfect solution to that problem. 

 

The Nighteye Agency has begun officially, occasionally working with the little local yakuza in Osaka. The Shie Hassaikai yakuza totally isn’t doing anything concerning; it’s merely offering to aid the heroes with any small, menial tasks not worth their precious time like helping old ladies cross the street or getting cats out of trees.

That’s what ‘Sir Nighteye’ has been reporting to the HPSC with plenty of proof to back it up, and they don’t seem to mind as long as they don’t make the heroes look incompetent. 

This new long-term plan has the extra benefit of making civilians like us more, because if the heroes are willing to officially work with the Shie Hassaikai, then these ancient yakuza guys with their strange honor and traditions must not be all that bad, right?

Officially, we only have around a hundred members with most having weak quirks not worth mentioning, if any quirks at all. In reality, we have numbers in the low four digit range with more new recruits coming in every day.

New potential recruits first get background checks done on them courtesy of either Giran (when looking for villains to send over) or the Hassaikai itself for citizens of Osaka or neighboring cities or quirkless people we secretly reach out to.

They then take what has recently been dubbed by Kurono as ‘The Confessional’ where me or one of my clones directly asks them through Confession if they are a spy and if they are with either AFO, the MLA, or Humarise. 

Their memories of that brief event then get altered whether they succeed or fail so they don’t learn about their leader having multiple quirks the moment they join.

 

Confessionals are those enclosed stalls in churches divided by a screen in which a priest sits to hear people confess their sins, so considering that and the quirk used for this, I suppose the nickname fits, even if Kurono meant it as a joke. 

The civilians then get innocent enough jobs (mostly our legal endeavors or simply helping the community for more PR) while villains and the fanatics get the more dirty tasks like smuggling, stealing, spying, etc. 

Then there’s our corrupt guys like the local police and heroes. Along with generally looking the other way and keeping us in the loop with whatever other stuff law enforcement in Japan has going on, they secretly slip us supplies like ballistic shields, full helmets, bulletproof vests, all kinds of guns, and so on.

With how much quirks have grown, claiming supplies like that were destroyed in the field by villains is far from outlandish. 

At least none of the police higher-ups or insurance companies seem to suspect anything, especially when we stage proof with some of the known villains secretly under me. Short, choppy videos of villains with powerful mutant or strength-enhancing quirks shattering their gear is enough. 

It’s ingrained that quirks are better than police gear no matter how weak the former are, so nobody will question it any further than that.

Now to be fair, blunt force being more privileged nowadays isn’t simply due to All Might being a thing.

While a gun still is useful against most humans, people who have animal-like skins and shells or can transform their body into steel or possess reflexes resembling a wild beast or possess metal or wind manipulation can defend against such a tool.

However, when guns and similar weapons are modified to specifically handle powers like that, they become far more dangerous. Incendiary rounds and piercing rounds are just the tip of the iceberg when you have a matter manipulation quirk at your disposal and know how to use it.

All that gear my organization gets is modified through Overhaul and either serves as equipment for my own guys or gets sent to Giran for him to sell. He is literally sending entire trucks over for us to load all our products into, enough weapons and armor to equip a small army included, and nobody is batting an eye. 

The products as well as the money we get in exchange and any supplies we buy ourselves are hidden by all the packages and boxes they’re shoved in, of course, but the point still stands.

 

Then there are the Hassaikai’s subsidiary groups. Stain is still working wonders when it comes to underworld PR and popularity with him quickly closing in on his canon number of murdered and crippled heroes. 

He also often stops by the Hassaiki HQ to lay low after too many heroes swarm towards whatever town he was last spotted in. He’ll then spend anywhere from a couple days to a week getting his gear fixed up and restocked as well as getting any injuries healed by myself or our designated medics (subordinates I gave copies of Katsuma’s quirk and some medical knowledge to) before heading back out to hunt.

Well that stuff is what we offer him during his brief breaks. He also has plenty to offer us while he’s here.

The best part of having the Hero Killer around was the combat training. The main compound now has multiple training rooms (we’re probably going to completely remodel the labyrinth soon; things are starting to get a bit messy) and Stain was ready to murder his boredom with some harsh training.

Sometimes, he’ll train with the Eight Bullets or myself. Other times, I’ll have him train my Praetorians (more on those guys later) in quirkless, close quarters combat.

Now while I can literally resurrect someone if they died within 15 minutes or so, that doesn’t mean I want Stain constantly murdering my troops.

Stain agreed to not injure them too terribly most of the time, but I still had to have thugs clean a lot of blood off the floor almost every day the villain was here.

Oh, and Stain gave me permission to use Double clones of him to help train everyone while he was off doing his thing. Now anyone who wants to go Plus Ultra with their combat training has just the instructor needed to do so.

As for other subsidiary forces we’ve acquired since then, none of them are very big, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t capable.

Take the dynamic duo of Gentle Criminal and La Brava for example.

 

Their villain channel was somehow even less popular now than it was during their canon debut, and they were determined but still down in the dumps about it. That’s why, after having my thugs track them down for some bonus pay, I offered to essentially sponsor them.

I would get newfound knowledge on thievery and hacking and they would get more fans plus a bank account that wasn’t weeping in pain anymore each time they looked at anything that wasn’t a basic item necessary for their survival.

Going into more detail the Hassaikai would offer them better gear, funding, and a place to lay low when needed in exchange for them doing the occasional thievery for us. 

They may not be very interested in money (besides ensuring they have enough for essentials, and even that’s difficult for them), but we are, and getting better equipped lets them do more which equals more fame. 

But the more valuable of the two is definitely La Brava. For starters, she’s the only person in canon capable of out-hacking Skeptic of the MLA. She doesn’t even have a quirk helping her out there (but to be fair, neither does Skeptic; they're both just that good)!

Nope. Her quirk, Love, allows the user to greatly empower others the stronger their feelings are for them. She can only do this once a day, but it’s still a powerful trump card to have as shown in canon.

The potential benefits they would get by working for us got their attention. The yakuza having honor and morals like them helped convince them to give us a chance.

The fact that we’re capable of doing things with quirks not believed to be possible had them sold since the Shie Hassaikai is going to be put in the history books no matter what once my quirk and body modification discoveries are brought out into the open.

I had both Gentle Criminal and La Brava’s quirks copied with their consent and even got all of La Brava’s hacking knowledge and memories during that particular body fusion as a bonus!

Side note, seeing so many memories of being a total simp for Gentle Criminal in a first person view was a little traumatizing, not gonna lie.

 

Another side note is, for the time being, I decided to give myself a copy of La Brava’s Love quirk. An odd choice, I know, but as always, I have good reasoning for such.

One of my greatest problems at the moment is increasing my body’s limited capacity for quirks. Overhaul can bypass this problem, but only on a quantitative standpoint rather than qualitative.

In simple terms, Overhaul lets me gain more bodies and mass to hold more quirks. Meanwhile, quirks like All For One and One For All rely on sheer quality to hold multiple quirks.

Now those two quirks are out of my reach, but there is one more that provides a similar effect. Unfortunately, the Endurance quirk is also out of my reach since it belongs to the moving mountain of mass destruction that is All For One’s main bodyguard.

All hope isn’t lost though, not if I can replicate that quirk’s effect through a different quirk. Endurance converts the user’s morale into extra strength and stamina while Love converts the user’s love for someone else into extra strength and stamina.

Endurance can improve the user’s body enough to hold multiple other quirks, so can Love do something similar? Well, even if it could, there are several downsides. 

This boost can only be activated once a day while Endurance runs 24/7 as long as its user has morale. This boost can also only be given to others, not the user themself, while Endurance solely boosts the user themself.

I don’t expect this quirk to replace Endurance. Instead, I plan on practicing usage of this quirk on myself and others (the former being done through my clones), to learn more about its body-enhancing effects. 

I obviously care a lot about myself, so the quirk works just fine and the boost is substantial, as is the amount of data LabHaul will obtain from the experiments we’ll carry out.

It will both aid me in my body modification research and prepare me for when I do get the Endurance quirk. In essence, it serves as a sort of trial run for later evolutions of mine.

 

Final side note, vestige La Brava will not shut up about getting a copy of Gentle’s quirk in here with us no matter how many times I tell her about my very strict quirk limit.

Yes, these quirk copies have vestiges too. All For One proved that during the final battle with a synthetic copy of his quirk and the same goes for my method of quirk duplication.

Surprisingly enough, none of the people I gave other quirks to mentioned anything about vestiges. Can I access my vestigeworld due to knowing so much about it from canon or are people with mental quirks capable of accessing it easier? Or maybe it’s both?

I don’t know, but as long as the vestiges don’t pull their own body snatching AFO-style, it shouldn’t matter.

So that duo is off stealing from higher-quality targets now and they obviously aren’t mentioning anything about their new employers, as per my request. I will enter the spotlight when I’m ready and I’m simply not quite ready yet.

But I’m getting there. The Shie Hassaikai is getting there.

I’ve got Innsmouth and his crew (the villains Selkie and Tsuyu go up against during the first UA internship in the anime) starting to handle some of our overseas smuggling for us, groups like Team Reservoir Dogs (the criminal gang that Kai decimated for his canon debut) handling robberies and other things I don’t want the Hassaiki’s involvement in, and a good chunk of solo independent villains just looking for support following my orders.

The knowledge of their boss is far less than Gentle and La Brava; they don’t even know the name of the organization they're working for since there’s a decent chance of them being caught and arrested before I’m ready, but they have their uses. Small uses, but uses nonetheless.

It’s all coming together now. Everything I worked for is coming together into something incredible.

And nothing proves this more than the recent completion of my Praetorian Guard. Well the first batch of them, anyway.

 

For some context, the Praetorian Guard was an elite unit of the Imperial Roman Army that served as personal bodyguards and intelligence agents for Roman emperors. They also served as escorts for said emperors, as the name implies.

Taking inspiration from this concept and knowing that the capability to duplicate quirks wasn’t too far away, I began preparing my own take on this concept before my trip to Nabu Island.

BossHaul personally handpicked the most loyal, hard working members of the Shie Hassaikai and offered them the chance to become something more. Most of these people are among the Hassaikai’s quirkless recruits, but those that have quirks already get their own scraped out of them, wiping the slate clean.

From there, training began. Training far more intense then what the regular members got and included regular sessions with Stain (original or clone), classes with NightHaul involving investigative and reconnaissance work, quirk analysis included, and getting used to various body modifications given by LabHaul.

They were also provided with years worth of memories and experiences related to combat from people like Stain and Rappa, allowing them to basically speedrun their growth phase. All they needed to do was practice physically what they already knew mentally and they were good to go.

Several months of hellish training later and the first batch of Praetorians was ready for what we nicknamed ‘Graduation Modifications’. 

With access to both the Hero Network courtesy of NightHaul and the Quirk Registry courtesy of the Hassaikai’s new Cyberwarfare Branch, I was able to compile a list of people with useful quirks to track down and let the Hassaikai handle the rest.

Said cyberwarfare branch is particularly tech-savvy members of the Shie Hassaikai given a copy of La Brava’s hacking knowledge and experience with all the Gentle Criminal propaganda taken out for their own sanity. 

Both Skeptic and La Brava herself were my inspiration for this. Look at all the technological wizardry those two accomplished in canon. Now imagine a small army of such people working together.

If Skeptic alone can make any incriminating crap the MLA has poof away from data to camera footage to even mentions on the internet or discord servers, then several dozen of him should be able to easily cover up the activities of a much smaller organization, right?

And that’s not even mentioning the potential of out-hacking my enemies. Look at how Skeptic screwed over UA during the Final War. I could have my guys do that too, or open up secret backdoors to HPSC and MLA online networks, or even take over the security system at Tartarus if I wanted to!

I am literally copy-pasting memories to create my own small army of expert hackers through a combination of Overhaul and Mind Web. It’s basically cheating, but I’m a fucking villain, remember? It would be weird if I didn’t cheat.

 

Anyway, when the data we had was sufficient, I would head on over to the target, use Overhaul and Mind Web to temporarily fuse with the targets, head back to base, and do my duplication trick with Rewind to stock up on quirk copies before working on the finer details with some more uses of Overhaul.

By ‘finer details’, I mean trimming down the amount of flesh and blood on the body copies that came along with the copied quirk factors. Think of it like a full-body haircut. 

You would think that this is less efficient then using AFO, but this is actually better since body fusion is what lets people handle multiple quirks to begin with. It just takes a little bit to make the recipients actually look like normal human beings.

The All For One quirk is just as the name implies, all quirks for one person. Overhaul is better for those who aren’t stupid, self-centered pieces of shit. With enough time, entire armies can be given multiple quirks to wield with no drawbacks whatsoever!

Now taking repeated trips like this is certainly risky due to the chance of being spotted; I usually have to travel far away from Osaka to collect quirks after all. But my cyberwarfare branch helps erase all traces of Shie Hassaikai actions from any security cameras and stuff like that, and I only do my quirk-collecting late at night when minimal people are around.

But the part that helps cover my tracks the most is that my way of getting quirks isn’t even taking them; it’s copying them. I only temporarily body fuse with these people and return them exactly the way they were soon after, quirk and all. I can then use Mind Web to mess with their memories if necessary.

This isn’t like All For One where his victims usually ‘go missing’ right after. I’m not kidnapping people or taking anything from them; there’s no evidence of any crime whatsoever! It’s absolutely perfect for someone as paranoid as I am when it comes to covering up their tracks… and pretty much everything else, really.

 

But back to my Praetorians, I went ahead and collected several quirks over the last few weeks that would be going into them. I then made copies with Eri and worked with LabHaul to complete the surgery and final modifications.

Said modifications include completely replacing their skeletons with some high-resistance polymer that was sufficiently ‘neutral’ for the body in terms of chemical components as to not cause any long-term health issues. Giran found us some potential nanocomposite contenders, and from there, a little playing around with Overhaul got us the intended results.

It makes them weigh a lot less, have much more protection (major bones like femurs are straight-up impervious to gunfire and most weaker quirks; the other bones aren't very far behind), and doesn’t hinder them in any way short term or long term.

This alone makes them much stronger, faster, and more resilient then before the addition. All the other body modifications stacked on top of that bring them to another level!

I have all this too. Same goes for Mimic, Stain, and the Eight Bullets. The polymer materials are expensive and tough for Giran to find, so I’m only giving it to the best of my subordinates at the moment.

Then there are the quirks given to my new elites. At the moment, they all have a basic Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense-Enhancer, and Katsuma’s Cell Activation.

Frankly, the latter quirk is better then Super Regeneration for the same reason that Overhaul is better then All For One. It can just do more.

Super Regeneration can only heal the user while Cell Activation can heal the user and anyone the user touches, if they so choose to. It also improves the recipient’s physical performance as an extra bonus, so yeah, I don’t even need Garaki’s Nomus for my own pet projects!

I was hoping to get them an intelligence-boosting quirk too, but those kinds of quirks are stupidly rare (Saiko Intelli will get her quirk copied eventually). Warping quirks are even rarer in this world and that really fucking sucks because having even a much weaker version of Kurogiri’s quirk would be such a fuckin’ godsend.

Transporting your thugs and resources around the country without getting caught isn’t easy, damnit! That’s not even mentioning how long it usually takes and all the shipping expenses involved! I’m honestly tempted to launch a sneak attack on AFO’s Kamino bar just to try my luck at getting a warp quirk for myself. 

But my latest pet project is satisfactory enough for now.

 

The Praetorian Guard; my own version of Dr. Garaki’s Nomus. These guys all still look like regular human beings rather than Frankenstein abominations or, well, Nomus, but all that extra flesh they have makes them rival All For One in height.

They are further equipped with an arsenal of weapons that rivals Stain’s (with some modified guns and bullets added in alongside some melee weapons) and a full set of body armor under suits or cloaks with those things being mostly made out of Yu Hojo’s Trigger-enhanced quirk crystals, and then further modified by me or my clones using Overhaul. 

Speaking of Trigger, then also each carry a few doses of LabHaul’s most up to date Trigger that makes the ones the anti-quirk quack known as Kai Chisaki was pumping out before look like the work of an actual quack.

Oh, and my guys no longer need to worry about the long-term effects of spamming Trigger. Once again, Overhaul for the win.

LabHaul already figured out how to remove any lingering negative effects from that quirk-enhancing drug which grows overtime via instant Overhaul surgery, so any subordinate of mine who’s used Trigger multiple times can head over to the compound’s medical station where LabHaul will then fix them up in seconds whenever he’s available.

I’m pretty sure he set up some designated drop-in times for stuff like that soon after since Mimic isn’t the only one spamming use of that drug to be useful in combat. Him and the other top brass are allowed to use as much as they want for training purposes, as can the Praetorians.

The grunts have no need for that stuff most of the time, but I still have some top tier Trigger stored at all our bases in case of emergencies.

The Trigger I give to Giran has always been out of date; the best stuff is being kept for my own organization's use. After all, if someone were to try attacking my guys with our own Trigger (like I did to Kai way back when; oh the irony), then my guys will be able to maintain an advantage with a better version of that same product.

The same goes for pretty much everything I let Giran bring into the Black Market. Melee and ranged weapons, armor, bullets, that sort of stuff. All those products aren’t up to date and never will be; the small reduction in money is worth keeping the advantage in power and support.

 

Now as for how these guys match up with my canon competition, while Garaki’s pet projects usually hold the edge in terms of raw power and pure destructive force, my pet projects more than make up for it with their intelligence and wide array of skills. 

The lower tier Nomus are basically mindless beasts that can only follow specific orders from the people they’re programmed to serve. My Praetorians are capable of acting independently just fine and have plenty of uses outside of simple destruction and murder.

Everything from investigative and undercover work to defense, protection, and transportation to quiet assassination or even commanding groups of regular thugs underneath them, these guys are well-rounded elites who are the pride of the Shie Hassaikai.

Now in terms of pure physical power and combat capability, while their enhancer quirks and body modifications certainly make them much more powerful than the average human, they still pale in comparison to heavy-hitters like Muscular or Re-Destro.

However, with Cell Activation, their skills in combat and teamwork, and their massive arsenals, I’m confident that half a dozen or so of my Praetorians can succeed in slaying those walking juggernauts at their best if they confront either one together.

If they don’t get the opportunity to transform or use their full power/support gear, then the number of Praetorians needed to win drops severely.

There are 25 Praetorians in my first batch, by the way. There will be more in the second batch and they should be ready for their Graduation Modifications in about a month.

Oh, and they’re all constantly training to improve their skills too when they aren’t out on special assignments. These guys are the only multi-quirked members of my organization I’m willing to let go outside of Osaka for now (besides myself and my clones like NightHaul) since they have the skills needed to do whatever I ask of them and not get caught.

Each and every one of them should be able to take on heroes ranked around the top 100. They should be able to take on Garaki’s Low-End and Mid-End Nomus too. Top heroes like Hawks and Endeavor as well as High-End Nomus like Hood are still far from their reach, but the sheer number of them I plan to pump out should more than make up for it.

And again, that group is just one of my pet projects. Heroes and villains alike won’t know what hit them when the time comes.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Main Family (+ Current Quirks):

• Sekan Doraifu - Mind Web, Overhaul, Confession, Double, Love
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• Eri - Rewind

Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry 
• Hari Kurono (Leader of Eight Bullets/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis 
• Kendo Rappa (Eight Bullets) - Strongarm 
• Hekiji Tengai (Eight Bullets) - Barrier 
• Toya Setsuno (Eight Bullets) - Larceny
• Yu Hojo (Eight Bullets) - Crystalize 
• Soramitsu Tabe (Eight Bullets) - Food 
• Deidoro Sakaki (Eight Bullets) - Sloshed 
• Rikiya Katsukame (Eight Bullets) - Energy Suck

Other Forces:

• Praetorian Guard - 25
• Cyber Warfare Branch - 20
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 250
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 8 
• Thugs and Goons - 1250

Subsidiaries:

• Hero Killer
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Innsmouth and his crew
• Team Reservoir Dogs
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 30

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 15: Dreams Don’t Come True

Something strange is going on.

The underworld is stirring, and he isn’t sure why.

Are others beginning to realize how weakened that blond oaf has become? Or is it something else?

He would know for sure if his empire was at its peak. If he hasn’t been so weakened.

Oh, he can’t wait to finally be out of this godforsaken chair. 

Until the day where he no longer needs to be connected to so many tubes and wires.

Until the day he finally reclaims his younger brother (no, they are not twins of equal age; he crawled out of their egg donor first, damnit!).

But for that to happen, he needs to ensure that Tenko Shimura is ready. 

Everything from setting up his birth to swapping his quirk with Decay to bringing him into his embrace has gone according to plan so far, and the time for his emergence as Tomura Shigaraki is right around the corner.

His new body is almost complete, and when it is, the world will once again either unite under him or perish, it’s as simple as that.

It’s All For One, after all.

All. For. HIM!!!

 

Countdown to Canon: 7 Months before Entrance Exam

“-so the first few SUM arenas are almost ready to go and interest has already begun to grow if Giran isn’t bullshitting us. Also, either someone new decided to take up the mantle of ‘Tiger Bunny’ or Mirko has been getting rather bored lately since rumors of her return to the ring are spreading like wildfire across the underground.” Kurono finishes his report as we walk through the upper levels of the compound.

It’s kind of weird, being up here. My secret underground labyrinth is multiple times larger and stores over 90% of the stuff in this building. At this point, you could compare it to an ant hill.

Anyway, Kurono and I soon split up with me being the one to visit the main office for a change. That spot is pretty much reserved for BossHaul while the lower levels of the labyrinth are LabHaul’s domain and Nighteye’s Hero Agency belongs to NightHaul.

As for ‘me’ me, I don’t really have a main area besides my bedroom. I know that this entire place belongs to me and my clones are technically me, but as more time has passed, said clones and I have really grown into our own.

BossHaul is the most serious of the bunch, the unbeatable supervillain known as paperwork slowly eating away at whatever the equivalent of a soul is for him. 

LabHaul is a bit on the nuttier side and extremely eccentric, but unlike a certain future UA support class student, he knows where to draw the line and how to keep his stuff from exploding every five minutes.

NightHaul’s unique differences mainly came from the guy he merged with, as like what I did with Kai, he took every single memory from Mirai during the fusion. He tends to be pretty serious too, but he knows how to crack a joke and is amazing with investigative work.

I’m heading over to meet with the former right now, as while handling the organizational part of our organization is mainly his role, the rest of us still help out a bit and make all the major plans together.

Plans that are resulting in us quickly becoming one of the most powerful villain organizations in Japan. Plans that led to me getting a small but extremely powerful arsenal of quirks. Plans that are going to let me survive this shounen.

“And you’ve done one heck of a job so far, Sekan Doraifu, but caution and a bit of luck only gets a person so far.”

 

All For One is at my desk. 

All For One is sitting at my GOD. DAMN. DESK!!!

‘How in the- how didn’t Mind Web detect him? Where’s BossHaul? Is he dead? I would’ve felt it didheblockithowthehelldidheblockthatquirksignaland-’

My mind’s racing at a million miles a second, and it just occurred to me that he doesn’t look the way he should.

He isn’t wearing his mask. His face isn’t scarred either.

No. All For One looks exactly how he did in his prime… with only one key difference.

There’s a small, brown, glowing horn on the right side of his forehead.

Ultimate Move: Infinite Doubles - Sad Man’s Parade

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

The compound… the labyrinth… and over a third of the entire city was wiped away in mere moments.

If it wasn’t for the horde of clones shielding me, a few of them using Overhaul to make more barriers at the last moment, many more of them using Love to power me up at the last moment, and all the modifications I had done to myself, I wouldn’t only be on the verge of death right now.

“Air Cannon, Springlike Limbs, Kinetic Booster times 4, Strength Enhancer times 3, Radio Waves, Heavy Payload, Multiplier, Spatial Distortion, Hardflame Fan, Dark Ball, Impure Beam… and Rewind to heal all the recoil.”

Even if I didn’t alter my nervous system before, I would be in far too much shock to feel the pain.

I’ve been reduced to a bloody stump filled with holes from a single attack, but my own physical condition isn’t on my mind right now.

Corpses. So many corpses… the city I’ve made my own, the employees working tirelessly to make my dreams a reality, the few people I called friends, and the one person I called family…

All my hard work, all my plans, all my exploits… all of it reduced to a burning graveyard.

When did it all go so wrong?

This just can’t be my reality, right?

No… I can still fix this. My arms are long gone, but I prepared for this problem!

I took inspiration from his goddamn canon final form just for this! 

 

I still have several extra hands around my body, and after resetting my condition and making more clones to distract him, if I can just revive the others and reset the damage before 15 minutes pass… maybe there’s even some Trigger still lying aro-

“Rivet Stab. Forced Quirk Activation.”

Black tendrils stab into me and Overhaul is activated against my will, self-destructing every remaining hand I have.

No… no no no nonononononononono.

I can’t use Double without them. I CAN’T USE OVERHAUL WITHOUT THEM!!!

“So… still think I’m ridiculous?” The bastard taunts as he uses Air Walk to slowly descend on down. 

What remains of the city burns all around us. All Might isn’t anywhere close by.

“Well, you’re right. By all means, I am ridiculous… but what you failed to realize is that ridiculous stops being ridiculous when you have the strength to back it up.”

I open my mouth and I want to curse and scream and threaten and just do something. Anything!

But I can’t talk. I can’t even breathe right now.

 

“It took me a while to catch on to your schemes. You took a different approach than any I’ve seen before in my long life and it threw me off, but this isn’t the story of you and your family. It’s the story about me and my family.”

So many dead… no, wait. I don’t see her anywhere. 

Please, at least let my daughter be okay.

‘Where is she? I KNOW YOU HAVE AT LEAST SOME KIND OF TELEPATHY QUIRK, YOU PSYCHOTIC ATTENTION-WHORE OF A BROCON!!! 

WHERE! IS! ERI?!?!?!’

“I must thank you for collecting all these wonderful quirks for me. They’ll make taking One For All back so much easier.”

Double. Confession. Overhaul. Mind Web.

I feel my quirks leaving me one by one.

“Give your adoptive daughter my thanks as well when you see her in hell.” 

Did he not care about the last one? Probably, love is something he would never understand.

Hate, on the other hand…

 

The monster raises an eyebrow as black smoke begins to rise from his body. His strength and quirks begin to weaken as my final quirk awakens.

“You really are the gift that keeps on giving, Sekan.”

But he simply takes that too. A last spark of hope, a goddamn Quirk Awakening… all that managed to do was make my final quirk more suitable for him.

How? How could I let this happen?

Should I have stayed in my house back then? Should I have gone to UA? Should I have relied on the canon shounen plot to protect me?

'I’m so sorry, Eri…'

“Goodbye, Sekan. Ultimate Quirk Combination - Omni Factor Unleash.”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

 

 

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!” I scream, falling out of bed.

Normally I’d get a good laugh over falling flat on my face, but right now, the only thing on my mind is getting to Eri. 

I don’t even bother opening the door, Overhaul doing that for me.

“Dad? What’s wro-”

I collapse on her bed, wrapping her up tight in my arms and making sure that nothing below tearing said arms off makes me let go of her.

He isn’t here. I check Mind Web over and over again, but the demon lord isn’t here.

He shouldn’t be here. I’ve done so much to hide what I’ve done from him.

It shouldn’t be possible, but since when does something being impossible stop people here from achieving it?

Unfair. Just plain old unfair. I can’t think of a better word to describe this world.

Perhaps it’s being given a hard reminder of that fact, or perhaps it’s the thought of losing the one person I’ve grown to truly give a damn about, but a single tear drops from my eye as I hug my daughter.

 

At the start, I probably wouldn’t have cared all that much. I would be more afraid of the potential pain than anything else and curse the god that brought me here for ramping up the difficulty too high.

I still don’t care about this world or the people in it, bar my daughter.

But to have all my hard work taken away just like that?

Losing everything just like that, and not being able to do a single fucking thing to stop it…

“It’s okay, dad.” My daughter assures me. “Never fear, for I am here!” 

She then adorably imitates All Might, and I can’t help but give a small smile back.

I won’t let anything happen to her. I won’t let that pathetic excuse of a LARPer or his ghastly brother have their way, and I don’t need their quirks to do it.

I have other methods.

 

 

“Seriously? You know this isn’t going to do much, right? With how much we’re having Eri use her quirk and the effects of using other time-related quirks like Chronostasis-”

“Just shut up and read my future already.” I growl at NightHaul. “I shared my memories of that dream with you and the other clones for a reason. If something goes terribly wrong, we NEED to know about it and fix it ASAP!”

“Alright, alright!” He relents before giving a long sigh. 

 

As a quick reminder, NightHaul is the fourth and most recent permanent clone of me I created with the sole purpose of taking over for Sir Nighteye by fusing with Sir Nighteye.

‘But wait!’ you may be thinking. ‘Wouldn’t doing an Overhaul body fusion go over the damage limit a Double clone can take? It involved basically blowing both bodies apart first, right?’

Well Overhaul is a slight exception to that rule. It would be one thing if the quirk was used to only blast the body apart, but in this case, the quirk reassembles everything a moment later, creating something new.

Now clones from Double can’t be resurrected if they are simply blown apart. They remain as a puddle of dark goo no matter how I try using Overhaul, but doing the classic disassemble and reassemble trick in the same moment makes sure they technically never ‘die’ to begin with.

This latest clone of mine was also made with the same trick I created the first two permanent clones with, only with a Twice clone as the middleman instead of another clone of myself, ensuring that we all still have both Double slots open. As for his sidekicks, we fused them with some of our subordinates instead of more clones.

Time was then spent modifying their appearances so they resemble the heroes they’ve taken over as much as physically possible, and the end result was really damn close, close enough for nobody to notice the differences once they got their personalities down.

This guy has Nighteye’s quirk, body, skills, and memories, things we’ve been putting to great use ever since. Nighteye being such a big part of All Might’s war against AFO was especially helpful for us since we now knew a whole lot more about the potato’s operations and strategies then before.

There are decades worth of schemes the guy did that were never shown in canon, schemes All Might, Nezu, and Nighteye managed to stop with their own top secret operations.

Cross referencing all of that with what we know from canon is what lets us stay several steps ahead of him for now, but after a nightmare like that, I refuse to take any more chances.

This isn’t like what he did with All Might after his first fight with the guy. We know we can change the future, and our method is a whole lot better than ‘smashing it’ as Izuku so predictably declares to Nighteye.

 

Now it’s hard to overstate just how powerful One For All, and All Might or Izuku by extension really are.

Out of several billion quirks, the unintentional creation of AFO and his little bro probably come the closest to a real life Superman.

A single punch from All Might can damn near destroy entire cities. A wave of his arm can blow out massive forest fires. His brute force alone can change the weather and tides.

While he doesn’t have access to his master’s awakened Float quirk, or any of the other quirks in OFA for that matter, he was so strong that he doesn’t have to. The guy can cover hundreds of kilometers in minutes with nothing but angled jumps and controlled falls.

Then you have the bonus quirks from previous users, all awakened courtesy of the stockpile.

Blackwhip and Danger Sense basically let you become Spiderman, Float lets you fly, and Fa Jin and Gearshift each practically multiply the already ridiculous base stockpile by several times over. 

The latter two quirks can boost Izuku from 45% to 120% with no extra drawbacks besides Gearshift taking away oxygen from the user’s body, so imagine those two applied when he’s at 100% OFA from the get-go. 

He could temporarily reach around 300% of that ever-increasing stockpile if he fully mastered One For All, and with him demolishing an AFO Tomura (whose body was rendered quirkless, but still rivaled that of prime All Might or OFA 100% before the stockpile further increased in Izuku) at just 120%, that jump in power would be absolutely monstrous. 

I don’t have that, but I don’t need that to deal with the potato. Not with the quirks I have at my disposal. I can deal with him better than OFA’s sheer brute strength ever could.

“Frankly, I expect to see you spamming Overhaul on him until he turns into bloody mist. Let’s see if he comes back from that.” NightHaul chuckles as his hand touches my own and his eyes glow a bright purple.

 

Silence follows. Seconds that feel like hours pass… and NightHaul starts to sweat. 

He starts to shake. He starts to tremble.

Finally, he lets go with a gasp and nearly falls flat on his ass.

“That bad?” I ask.

“I… don’t know.”

“The fuck do you mean ‘you don’t know’?”

“I mean I don’t know! I tried looking up to when the Final War arc happens in canon with All For One as the main focus, but it was all garbled and things just got more and more messy as time passed. 

It was probably due to Eri using Rewind on you so much to duplicate quirks; it kept throwing everything off!”

“But you were able to see my encounter with Stain just fine before, right?”

“Eri and Chrono weren’t using their quirks during that point in time... How ironic that us constantly changing fate so much managed to somehow become a disadvantage. 

Foresight has practically been rendered useless for long-term use and short-term use would have to be limited to times when our other time-related quirks are never used. If the outcome for the latter is something we don’t like, then time-related quirks can alter it without a problem, but this is still a major incompatibility issue.”

I really start to get impatient as NightHaul rambles on. We can discuss quirk theories and applications later; I want to know about any future run-ins with AFO, goddamnit!

 

“What did you see then?” I aggressively inquire, cutting my clone off from his self-analysis.

“Well from what I saw, you do fight All For One if that’s what you’re wondering. It was the person himself, not Tomura or anyone else under the control of his quirk vestige. He was wearing his knockoff Darth Vader mask too, but it was the one from the Final War rather than the one he uses at Kamino, so take that as you will.

Also, that’s the only moment I could at least somewhat clearly see. If you two happened to run into each other before that encounter, I wouldn’t know. And once again, we’re messing with time so much that the chances of what I saw happening exactly as they did are low.”

“Exact point in time?”

“No clue. And before you ask, I barely saw the fight. Foresight only showed me the beginning stages, and even that was mostly just you two shit-talking each other if his dramatic body gestures were anything to go by.”

“Location? And was anyone else there?”

“You guys were in a wrecked city that was burning to the ground all around you. BUT, I’m 99.9% sure the city in question wasn’t Osaka.” He adds on, noticing me visibly pale after that first part. “As for your other question, there was one other person present from what I could see.”

“Let me guess. Deku?”

“Try Star and Stripe.”

Star and- oh what the fuck, future me?!? 

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Main Family (+ Current Quirks):

• Sekan Doraifu - Mind Web, Overhaul, Confession, Double, Love
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• Eri - Rewind

Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry 
• Hari Kurono (Leader of Eight Bullets/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis 
• Kendo Rappa (Eight Bullets) - Strongarm 
• Hekiji Tengai (Eight Bullets) - Barrier 
• Toya Setsuno (Eight Bullets) - Larceny
• Yu Hojo (Eight Bullets) - Crystalize 
• Soramitsu Tabe (Eight Bullets) - Food 
• Deidoro Sakaki (Eight Bullets) - Sloshed 
• Rikiya Katsukame (Eight Bullets) - Energy Suck

Other Forces:

• Praetorian Guard - 25
• Cyber Warfare Branch - 20
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 270
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 9 
• Thugs and Goons - 1320

Subsidiaries:

• Hero Killer
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Innsmouth and his crew
• Team Reservoir Dogs
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 34

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 16: When There’s a Will, There are Plenty of Ways

The HPSC President sighs and rubs her temple as she reads the reports in front of her.

Yakuza? Seriously? What, are a tribe of cavemen going to settle in Tokyo now too?

Mirai Sasaki has always been an oddball, and yet he was the sidekick to All Might himself for years and years.

Has he lost even more of it mentally after parting with the Symbol of Peace? Is this him trying to recruit some more manpower under the table? Or is this one of his famed, so-called jokes?

“Send Hawks over to take a look. I want to know if we’re dealing with a villain gang in crappy disguises or some history nuts doing charity work.”

“Yes, Madam President.” Yokumiru Mera replies with a yawn before going off to carry out the order.

If Sir Nighteye’s band of yakuza is as harmless as he claims, then fine, he can have his extra help.

But if this is some plan to slyly change the status quo for the sake of his old partner, then he’s in for a rude awakening and a one-way ticket to Tartarus right alongside his new cohorts.

 

Countdown to Canon: 6 Months 2 Weeks before Entrance Exam

“I WANT MY HASSAIKAI BACK!!!”

“I WANT MY GENTLE!”

“I WANT OUT! No, this place is awesome!”

“I suppose I’ll help too.”

My head feels like it’s splitting apart as I fight for control, my will going against the wills of two fanatics, a multiple-personality nutjob, and the yakuza I framed when first getting control over the Hassaikai. 

In the vestige world, I’m fighting against all four of them. In the real world, their quirks are either firing off at random or malfunctioning alongside my own.

But the damage is contained. I make sure of it every time I do this training exercise. 

 

When it comes to giving, taking, and having multiple quirks in this shounen world, willpower is one of, if not the most important factor to have. 

All For One can’t take a person’s quirk if he can’t overcome the vestige of said quirk. It’s why he couldn’t steal One For All when he tried to against the fifth, sixth, and ninth users of the quirk; the collective vestiges inhabiting the quirk were able to push back against AFO’s hatred every time.

Only Tomura could do so at the very end thanks to his will and hatred.

After a certain nightmare that may or may not have slightly traumatized me, as well as practically confirming that I’ll be fighting AFO in the future, I decided to start coming up with more countermeasures against the demon lord as using Sad Man’s Parade is pretty much the quirk version of mutually assured destruction or MAD.

One such countermeasure is basically creating my own pseudo One For All. I have multiple quirks in me too, and while they aren’t all connected the same way the quirks in OFA are, they can collectively fight back against any unwanted invaders. 

Of course, their willpower still has to be pretty ridiculous to fend the demon lord off, hence this training. The vestiges do their best to take control over my body AFO-style and I do my best to resist them, helping us all increase our willpower and get used to those kinds of battles.

The vestiges were willing to do this. Even VestigeHaul has been a lot friendlier after seeing how much his yakuza was thriving (and under ‘his’ leadership nonetheless), but he still takes these chances to try and permanently take over.

Even his will can’t match my own, so he’ll suck it up and work with the others during these sessions to at least have a shot. Worst case scenario, the other vestiges and I all turn against Kai if he gets a bit too close to winning since nobody wants Kai calling the shots, but it has never come to that point.

My own willpower is nothing to scoff at; not after everything I’ve been through. The other vestiges would rather not be added to the potato’s collection either, so they’re all willing to work together with me and push back the demon lord in an epic battle of quirks!

Heh, using willpower to attack the opponent. It’s a pretty familiar concept from a few martial arts novels I read back on my original Earth. It feels somewhat similar.

Anyway, that’s my shounen-style contingency. My logical contingency added on top of that should seal the deal.

 

So quick reminder of AFO’s plan, the guy couldn’t take OFA due to the vestiges resisting him every time he tried, so he set up a ‘successor’ for himself, Tenko or Tomura Shigaraki as the guy would call him, secretly control every bit of his life from his birth to what quirk he had to the chain of events leading to him ‘accidentally’ killing his family and eventually raising the guy to have as much hatred and as strong of a will as possible while repressing his past as Tenko.

He then had Tomura start up the League of Villains, continued to help him grow, then got beat up and arrested and I guess just had to hope that Tomura wouldn’t die until Dr. Garaki implanted AFO in him.

Then his quirk vestige would take over Tomura and become a stronger him with the willpower needed to finally take One For All.

…Why? 

Just. Why?

This has to be his most retarded plan yet and he’s made a lot of questionable decisions over the years (like not taking a copy of Overhaul for himself and instead having Garaki nerf it into Decay for Tomura).

For starters, if his will can’t overwhelm OFA but Tomura’s can, then can’t Tomura’s will overwhelm AFO too once he gets the quirk? The answer is yes, because that’s literally exactly what happened in canon.

And sure, his traumatizing trump card managed to get control back over Shiggy later, but that was thanks to Izuku and OFA weakening the guy’s mind enough for the evil potato to sprout again. And even then, he still lost to Tomura and Izuku again right after that.

But that’s not even the dumbest part about this whole thing, oh no.

If I was All For One and wanted to get One For All, but couldn’t get the quirk because OFA’s vestiges have more willpower than me, you know what I would do?

Here’s a hint… QUIRKS THAT INCREASE YOUR GODDAMN FUCKING WILLPOWER!!!

 

If there are quirks that can literally rewrite the rules of reality like New Order, I refuse to believe that there aren’t any quirks that can boost your willpower a bit too, especially with how many mental-related quirks are shown throughout the series.

Oh, by the way, there’s at least one quirk shown in canon that does in fact boost your willpower. Remember Trumpet from the Meta Liberation Army? Yeah, his Incite quirk boosts people’s physical and mental states, increasing their prowess and determination.

Gee whiz, that almost sounds like people affected by this quirk get a boost in willpower! 

And to really hit the nail in this stupid coffin, I took a quick look through the quirk registry, and guess what I found? At least half a dozen potential quirks that can increase a person’s willpower among other things. No, I am not counting Trumpet’s quirk in that list.

The Hassaikai tracked down two of the people who had these kinds of mental quirks and I did the quirk duplication trick with Eri on both of them, and guess what? Suppressing the other vestiges in me became easier once I had a copy of them! 

How about that?

Oh, and I can prevent them from turning that against me too. Vestiges are only allowed to use their quirks or have authority here when I say so. They’re in my vestigeworld after all, and I already know far more about this concept than the OFA and AFO ghosts combined.

Thank you, logical perspective of mine. You are a godsend in shounen worlds like this one.

I don’t keep these quirks equipped all the time though because I can only get so tall without people thinking I somehow developed a second, gigantification-esc quirk and the strain is a bit too much for my body right now when considering my current size.

But if AFO ever decides to show up, then my other anti quirk-stealing contingencies should be able to hold them at bay while I temporarily equip as many copies of these quirks as I need.

 

So yeah, All For One basically shot himself in the foot when attempting to take One For All, setting up a stupidly-complicated, decades-long, heavily luck-based master plan to get his brother back when he could've just stolen a few more quirks and had Dr. Garaki create copies of them if the originals weren’t enough already.

As for why the potato man would do such a thing, or rather, not do such a thing, the answer is simple.

All For One is a clown-lord LARPer who decided to become a villain for kicks and never got told he was a retarded drama queen with ideas dumber than plans most toddlers can come up with because everyone is too scared of the guy to do so. He also uses his quirk to like 10% of what it could be.

That being said, just like what the fake him said while monologuing in my nightmare, ridiculous stops being ridiculous if you have the strength to back it up.

It doesn’t matter that he barely scratches the surface of his quirk’s potential (and all the other quirks he’s collected, as a matter of fact) because even that is enough to effortlessly defeat most people. 

Only All Might was able to defeat him before Izuku came along, because in Tomura terms, the guy is like a wizard trying to out-punch a paladin for reasons only known and logical to him.

I was able to get this far without AFO or OFA, and if I could now get my hands on the former or even the latter, assuming I can deal with their vestiges, I would basically become unstoppable. 

Same with New Order. Cathleen Bate is an awesome character, but holy fuck does she squander the potential of her quirk.

The power to rewrite reality itself and she uses one of her two rules to keep herself as physically close to All Might’s strength as her body can handle. That is seriously the best she can come up with? Seriously? 

Now this doesn’t mean she isn’t a threat. In fact, I’d say Star and Stripe will be my greatest challenge before the singularity arrives. The crippled Symbols of Peace and Evil don’t hold a candle to her power, even when she half-asses with her own quirk. 

Even at their peak, they both fall short to her! Just look at how she folded AFO Tomura like a lawn chair in canon, and that guy had both All Might’s raw power and All For One’s quirk arsenal! 

Plot and her lack of creativity were what allowed the main antagonist to barely win that battle.

If I somehow started out with New Order instead of Mind Web, I could slay the Symbols of Peace and Evil before conquering the entire world in less than a week if I wanted to. Countries were lining up to kiss AFO Tomura’s ass in canon and I could easily surpass him with that quirk.

But while taking a trip to the United States and body-fusing with its Number 1 Hero sounds tempting, I don’t have the confidence to take her on yet, even with how little of her quirk’s potential she uses.

Besides, if NightHaul’s Foresight is anything to go by, then I’ll be taking on both her and All For One eventually. I’ll continue biding my time for now; I’m making enough rapid progress with Overhaul and Rewind at my disposal at the moment.

In fact, while we’re on the subject of My Hero Academia’s most powerful canon quirks, let’s go over my personal top five, shall we?

 

Now a few quick notes before we begin. First, this list will factor in both the quirks’ inherent power and untapped potential that users can potentially exploit. 

Second, the users of these quirks, original or otherwise, will not be factored in as most people don’t even scratch the surface of their quirk or quirks’ potential. Quirk vestiges will also not be factored in as they are mirrors of the quirk’s original users more than the quirk itself.

And in case it isn’t already obvious, how dangerous a quirk is doesn’t just factor in how hard you can hit people with it. One For All itself doesn’t even crack the top five on my list (yes, the six bonus quirks it comes with are included; OFA still doesn’t make the cut), mainly because there is a hard limit to how much stockpiled power any person can take.

The OFA vestiges said it themselves. Only a quirkless person like Izuku or All Might can hope to use that power without it rapidly aging and degenerating their body, and look at how much it hurts Izuku all throughout the canon series. 

Even if Izuku found another quirkless person to pass OFA on to, I doubt this hypothetical tenth user would be able to use more than a fraction of its true power.

I said that untapped potential would be factored in, but only if it’s possible for people to actually utilize that potential. 

Finally, using body modifications to get around that limit isn’t natural, like how Izuku somewhat naturally adapts to OFA overtime, so that will not be factored in. Any quirk modifications (so like what happened to Oboro/Kurogiri to create Warp Gate or Overhaul to create Decay) are fair game, but this list will only consider their quirks, not their bodies. 

Anyway, onto my top five!

 

Number 5: Queen Bee.

For anyone who hasn’t read MHA Vigilantes, I want you to imagine a quirked animal like Nezu, only this quirked animal is a parasitic insect monarch. 

This insect monarch, when given a host to inhabit, can give birth to an infinite amount of modified bees (often releasing them in groups of hundreds or thousands rather quickly) that function as a hivemind. The Queen Bee is bio-physically connected to each bee of the swarm and gains insight to whatever experiences or information they glean.

The bees in question appear very similar to regular old bees and wasps, so unless you know what small differences to spot, you won’t be able to tell which species are which.

And this endless swarm of bees can, among many other things, possess people like the queen can to gain access to their memories and quirks, be used to carry drugs like Trigger in their modified abdomens and inject whoever they want with these substances through their modified stingers, do the opposite and steal samples of blood from people via their stingers before injecting said samples into any queen or swarm vessels to TEMPORARILY GIVE THESE BODIES COPIES OF THOSE QUIRKS, be turned into suicide bombs (Bomb Bees) that can each pack a serious punch in their own right, and be used to form a new queen if the original queen bee dies so this nightmarish cycle can keep on going for eternity.

Pretty damn scary, right? A smart enough user of this quirk can take over an entire country or even the world if they play their cards right!

You could have bees fly all over the place to serve as spies or recon, have them possess people to become more direct spies and turncoats, launch surprise bombing attacks on important people or infrastructure, sabotage heroes and villains by injecting them with various drugs, get samples of powerful quirks for your own growing army of vessels to temporarily equip whenever you want them to, and so on.

And the best part? Unless every last bee in your swarm is hunted down, you have limitless chances to try again! You can scatter your bees all over Japan and basically respawn through any of them if you die, over and over again!

See why this cracks the top 5 while OFA doesn’t? Someone who mastered One For All and the bonus quirks that come with it is extremely powerful, but at the end of the day, they’re just one person who can hit stuff really hard.

One person who can get exhausted by an endless swarm of multi-quirked vessels and suicide bombs before they too eventually get possessed, their quirk and memories added and endlessly copied into the ever-growing hive. The battle of attrition is one that centuries-old quirk simply can’t win.

And speaking of centuries-old quirks…

 

Number 4: All For One.

The quirk that can give and take quirks. Extremely powerful, right? Even if there are some serious limitations.

However, most of these limitations are due to the user. And unlike One For All, it is possible for at least some people to use the quirk to its fullest potential. That (among other things) gives it an edge over its eternal rival.

All For One the quirk can steal One For All, but the former’s user has to be capable of subduing the latter’s vestiges. The fact of the matter is that AFO the quirk can steal any other quirk and store hundreds of them, if not far more, for their own use.

Major limitations regarding the quirk itself are what keeps it from being any higher. For starters, while you can give and take quirks with it, you can’t outright delete quirks you don’t want. That can seriously cost you if New Order and One For All are anything to go by.

You also have to be touching the main body to steal a person’s quirk. During the Final War, All For One couldn’t get a copy of Double or Transform from Toga clones despite physically touching them. Even touching the original Toga would only let him steal her Transform quirk, not the Double quirk she was copying through Transform.

You know what quirk doesn’t have those pesky limits?

 

Number 3: Overhaul.

While All For One is superior in terms of initial power that anyone can use, Overhaul easily wins in terms of potential. 

Taking other’s quirks is just one of many, many potential uses the matter manipulation quirk has. Healing, altering the environment, killing whoever you touch, and all that can be done in an instant with enough knowledge. That is Overhaul’s canon potential; I’m not even including all the fun little tricks I discovered on my own.

And going back to the Final War example, if an Overhaul user were to bodyfuse with a Toga-Twice clone, then the user would have access to both Double and Transform while an All For One user wouldn’t. 

They would lose it if the clone in question takes enough damage or the timer on the original Toga’s Double copy runs out, but the fact that they get access to those quirks at all gives Overhaul a massive edge over All For One.

Overhaul can take more than a person’s quirk; they can take a person’s entire body. And while fusing with too many quirks and bodies would turn them into a Lovraftian abomination, that doesn’t negatively affect this quirk’s potential.

So just to reiterate, when the user is someone like All For One (a stupid LARPing toddler in a grown man’s body), then AFO is the superior quirk since it doesn’t require any extra knowledge to utilize. But when it comes to someone with the required knowledge, Overhaul can do far more than what All For One does with his quirk.

Moving on from godlike quirks to GODLIKE QUIRKS, we have our next two entries.

 

Number 2: New Order.

The user can manipulate and bestow new properties onto themselves and the world around them functionally at will, with a maximum of two ‘new orders’ at a time, and this is done by touching the target and saying their name. 

Said rules are kept even if her quirk is taken or erased (assuming the rule in question isn’t replaced in the former’s case), New Order rules can range from simple descriptions to conditional changes based on cause and effect, and it can affect physical entities, people, objects, and incorporeal things such as the air, light, or even other quirks.

Want to stop gravity from working around you? Want to make a skyscraper have the consistency of wet cardboard? Want to make anyone who touches you fall unconscious? Want to fly or reflect damage or have physical power like All Might’s? Just declare a rule allowing it and you’re golden.

Those are the kind of rules Star and Stripe would use, and she easily beat around AFO Tomura in canon. Quick reminder, AFO Tomura at that point had a quirkless body rivaling prime All Might and all of AFO’s quirks.

The new demon lord barely won via plot-armored cheap shot and lost a good chunk of his quirks in the process thanks to Star declaring that New Order would rage against other quirks, making her power tear apart AFO Tomura’s vestigeworld and destroy many of his stockpiled quirks as a result.

Endgame Izuku, even with 45% of OFA’s stockpile and all his bonus quirks ready to go, could only barely defeat this weakened version of AFO Tomura thanks to some vestige shenanigans and plot armor.

And remember, these rules are what Star and Stripe thought up. Here’s a fun few rules that I would declare with New Order, and considering how New Order is shown to be capable of affecting quirks in canon, there is a very good chance they would work.

New Order - Sekan can give and take quirks. 

New Order - Sekan’s quirk factor is limitless. 

New Order - (insert subordinate of mine) can awaken the quirk or quirks of any person they touch. Proceeds to let the subordinate in question touch me to awaken New Order and then touch every other subordinate of mine to awaken all of their quirks too.

New Order - Sekan has permanent Hysterical Strength (once again making the quirk even more powerful).

I can go on, but it should be fairly obvious by now why New Order ranks above Overhaul and All For One.

But there is still one quirk more dangerous than it. I’ve been pretty vocal about which quirk this is, but in case you forgot…

Well, let's go over some honorable mentions first.

 

Rewind. It can heal, insta-kill, or act as a de facto Fountain of Youth, but the slow stockpile aspect and its limited range dock some points. The nature of its healing aspect also docks some points as it takes away any gains (like a Quirk Awakening) alongside any injuries during whatever period of time from the user is rewound.

Foresight. Way too easy to counter its one and only job if you have the right quirk for it. Every quirk has a counter of some kind, but the limit of Foresight’s versatility makes this a serious problem. It’s also very reliant on the aid of other people to be effective/gain better outcomes which docks some more points.

One For All. You can fly, become a natural smoke grenade, become a bootleg Spiderman, or just hit people really fucking hard, if not all the above. Its main usage is punching people really damn hard, but it is very good at that, so I’ll give credit where it’s due. 

However, the main reason why this quirk ranks so low on my list is how badly its potential was ruined by its users overtime. I’m not talking about using the quirk in stupid ways; I’m talking about mutilating any future potential this quirk had to grow.

This quirk can copy and awaken any quirk its users have as the stockpile grows. Imagine All Might passing around OFA to other top heroes like Endeavor, Captain Celebrity, or even Star and Stripe. One For All could gain copies of those quirks, awaken these copies using the stockpile, and allow its most recent user to become a god in human form.

Unfortunately for the heroes, such a thing happening now is impossible because the stockpile has grown far too much. Trying to add more users and quirks would grow the already insane amounts of power into an energy storm that nobody, quirkless or otherwise, would be able to wield without exploding from the sheer amounts of power contained in it.

If the One For All I’m ranking is the quirk when it initially formed in Yoichi, then I would probably put it in third place or maybe even second place due to its sheer potential alone. It would take centuries and many extremely powerful heroes to create an ultimate awakened quirk combination that curb-stomps All For One and allows its user to actually handle such tremendous power, but the potential for doing so is still there.

However, the current, canon One For All was passed around to a bunch of nobodies over the course of two centuries, so most of its potential was flushed down the toilet. Great job, heroes! I’d expect nothing less from you goddamn dunces.

That covers honorable mentions. Let's get back to what you all probably saw coming.

 

Number 1: Double.

What’s worse than one Overhaul or All For One or Star and Stripe? An endless army of those people who can all use their quirks to the same level as the original.

Would these people be loyal to the Double user? Probably not, but this list is based on inherent power and potential, not the users of these quirks.

Can quirk-stealing quirks take this power too? Yes. However, in a theoretical deathmatch, All For One and other quirk-stealing quirk users would likely never be able to reach the Double user thanks to the endless tidal wave of infinite copies blocking their way.

It’s more dangerous than the previous four quirks combined because it can replicate what the previous four quirks can do infinite times over. If the user of this quirk wants the world to burn (and isn’t an overemotional idiot like Twice or Toga), then the world will fucking burn and nobody will be able to stop it.

 

These are, in my opinion, the five most dangerous quirks shown in canon. Key words, shown in canon.

Those are some of the most powerful quirks this world currently has, and as nice as having them all would be, I’m preparing for the point where quirks like that appear ten times as often. Or a hundred times. Or a thousand times. For all I know, there could be dozens of other people with quirks and power rivaling All Might or Star and Stripe or All For One right now.

People will be born with similar or stronger powers then the examples above and this god awful society will turn at least some of them into villains while others go hero. Then they’ll all clash and the collateral of those battles will become everyone’s problem.

In short, I don’t need to obsess over collecting all the strongest canon quirks like they’re Pokemon. 

I’ll take what I need, ensuring minimal risk to myself while doing so, and prepare to further grow in the future when quirks on that level become far less rare, making them far easier to take as a result.

 

The Shie Hassaikai is continuing to grow under the noses of heroes and villains alike. The SUM should be ready to begin soon and Operation Deika is getting closer to completion every day.

The number of new recruits is continuing to rapidly increase and the production of Praetorians is also starting to speed up as we continue making slight improvements to perfect the process.

The most important factor in all this is loyalty; it’s much more important than ability to a leader like me.

Loyalty means that one could rely on and entrust heavy responsibilities to others. Even if the person couldn’t do anything big because of how weak they were, it’s still better than giving an important task to someone more capable but less loyal ready to jump ship at any time.

Once such a person left or even defected to an enemy group, then everything they learned about their old group would be used to harm their old group. That’s not even mentioning factors like the cost of nurturing this capable person going to waste.

Almost a dozen of my employees have been arrested while on undercover missions over the last few months, but their loyalty to the cause made sure they wouldn’t tell the police and heroes a single word about who they truly work for. The Hassaikai would then either send them the bail needed or hire the lawyers needed to get them free.

Cases like this are usually minimal because when it comes to dealing with either annoying heroes or villains approaching our turf across the country and refuse to bow down, I usually just have Giran hire independent people (with me and the Hassaikai being kept anonymous) to get rid of them for me rather than risk my organization directly getting involved.

I don’t know if having people like Dabi or Muscular kill a few extra people for some extra cash is going to affect what they do in the show, but I’m pretty sure a difference that small won’t really matter in the long run. 

Loyalty alone plays a big part when it comes to my organization thriving. It’s thanks to loyalty that the true scope of my organization remains a secret to this day. Nobody’s blabbing about the multiple quirk wielders being mass-produced and the control we’re gradually getting over the city.

As AFO and the MLA have demonstrated, there are quite a hefty amount of people in Japan who are willing to become absolute die-hard finatics for causes and secret societies within this country. I intend to rope in some of those sheeple for my own organization.

If Humarise (and I suppose All For One too) is anything to go by, then the rest of this world isn’t very different in that regard.

 

We’re already close to running the main market and own all but one of the regional ports present in Osaka. Giran’s been paying us a pretty penny for occasional use of the latter since it makes smuggling stuff overseas so much easier, and we can conduct our legal businesses using both, gaining even more profit. 

That lets us continue buying up more businesses under shell companies, gradually taking more and more control of the city and even some other companies scattered throughout Japan.

The Hassaikai’s cyberwarfare branch is also hard at work, getting rid of any potential evidence from security cam footage to online transactions and so on that could expose the Shie Hassaikai. If Skeptic could do something similar for the MLA, then what’s basically a few dozen Skeptics can handle keping my much smaller organization a secret.

They’re also running online scams and hacking into bank accounts to further fill the Hassaikai’s pockets. We’re ranking in plenty of money now, more than enough to fund LabHaul and his ridiculous Black Market medical equipment expenses. 

The guy is even starting to build his own collection of pods and containers to store quirks like what Dr. Garaki has. I’m pretty sure he’s attempting to replicate the procedure Dr. Garaki did to Nine as well, only without the severely nerfed copy of AFO. 

The final main expense of ours (for the time being) is stocking up on weapons. Sure, we can get some basic stuff from the police stations working for us, some support gear through NightHaul, and higher quality items through Yu spamming his quirk under Trigger, but that only covers the basic weapons.

The kind of weapons I’m talking about here are the heavy weapons. Artillery, larger mortars, mixed machine guns or grenade launchers, etc. 

Vehicles too, so tanks, helicopters, combat ships, and other stuff like that. Most heroes out there probably have some method of taking a bullet or two, but the same can’t be said for a goddamn tank shell. 

Deika city was a genius move on Re-Destro’s part, but that guy relied way too heavily on quirks. If he used a bit of funds to stock up on missile launchers or a couple turrets, the League of Villains would’ve been turned into mincemeat within seconds!

But that is military stuff and the military is practically extinct in this world of heroes, villains, and quirks. Also, this is a shounen. 

Seriously, the closest thing to a military you see from Japan in canon is the quote unquote ‘rescue team’ that comes to Nabu Island at the end of Heroes Rising, but the only thing they have resembling the military is some camo outfits and helmets. They didn’t even have weapons on them, unlike the police guys that showed up alongside them!

 

Now to be fair, someone like Geten or Endeavor would completely demolish pretty much anything the military in my old world can throw at them outside of nuclear bombs, but Endeavor is the Number 2 Hero of Japan and Geten is by far the strongest MLA combatant outside of Re-Destro himself.

The former can melt entire districts and the latter can freeze entire districts. They aren’t too tanky themselves, but actually getting close to them without dying yourself is much easier said than done.

Point is, there aren’t a whole lot of people with that level of power around. Most of the heroes would be turned into swiss cheese or blown into bloody chunks easily enough under such an onslaught.

Guns can find themselves outperformed by quirks (excluding ones modified by quirks like my own weapons), but the same can’t be said about tank cannons or missile launchers.

That’s why I’ve begun to stock up on stuff like that. I find some old blueprints for heavy weapons like the examples above either online or maybe at a History Museum, get the base materials needed through Giran and some other supply channels, put it all together through Overhaul, and test them out a bit in a heavily-reinforced area of the labyrinth. 

After that, we began slowly stockpiling them around the city, either in abandoned buildings or in specialized underground containers through use of Overhaul. 

BossHaul and Mimic have already begun creating a series of underground tunnels all throughout the city to make travel faster and help smuggle things that we can’t really carry out in the open no matter how much the locals love us. This is another massive project we’ve been working on lately that isn’t quite complete yet, hence the use of the containers.

We also recently created a branch of the Shie Hassaikai that’s dedicated to operating these weapons of old that will slaughter most of the new.

I can’t wait to see the look on the heroes' faces when they witness dozens of tanks, attack helicopters, and other military vehicles rising out of the Earth itself to blast them into bits. Same goes for all the turrets and missile launchers we’re hiding on top of buildings we own all around town. 

If anyone asks about all the giant boxes and tarps, we’ll just say that they’re for construction projects or something. It shouldn’t be that difficult keeping our military buildup a secret because nobody is ever going to expect somebody to be building up a military in the first place. Same goes for quirk duplication.

This is another project that nobody outside the Hassaikai knows about; not even Giran or our subsidiaries (except Stain). The former thinks that I’m using all these parts and shitloads of metal to reinforce my headquarters and other bases, something that is technically true.

I’m just also using it for a whole lot of other stuff too. 

 

Rows of buildings equipped with turrets and missile launchers. Underground parking lots full of armored cars and tanks. Legions of soldiers and hundreds of multi-quirked users ready to match into battle. That’s part of what I plan on amassing before One For All is passed on and the world reaches its end. 

I just need to-

((“We got a problem. Code Hawk; ETA 10 minutes.”)) A message from BossHaul rings in my head.

Oh. I was wondering when the HPSC would send in their pet bird to scout us out.

After all, they need to make sure that this pesky little yakuza isn’t ruining society’s hero-worshiping status quo.

Come on in, Hawks. I’ll be right here waiting for you.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Main Family (+ Current Quirks):

• Sekan Doraifu - Mind Web, Overhaul, Confession, Double, Love
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• Eri - Rewind

Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry 
• Hari Kurono (Leader of Eight Bullets/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis 
• Kendo Rappa (Eight Bullets) - Strongarm 
• Hekiji Tengai (Eight Bullets) - Barrier 
• Toya Setsuno (Eight Bullets) - Larceny
• Yu Hojo (Eight Bullets) - Crystalize 
• Soramitsu Tabe (Eight Bullets) - Food 
• Deidoro Sakaki (Eight Bullets) - Sloshed 
• Rikiya Katsukame (Eight Bullets) - Energy Suck

Other Forces:

• Praetorian Guard - 25
• Cyber Warfare Branch - 22
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 305
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 9
• Thugs and Goons - 1425

Subsidiaries:

• Hero Killer
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Innsmouth and his crew
• Team Reservoir Dogs
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 42

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Notes:

This chapter was written before ‘My Hero Academia: You’re Next’ was released where I live.

In this story, Sekan doesn’t even know about this movie existing as he was transmigrated beforehand, but if anything, this little fun fact supports the point Sekan is making about overpowered quirks popping up more often.

Chapter 17: Hawks and the Toucan

The Wing Hero had been on secret, mandatory, ’special’ missions by the Hero Public Safety Commission before. Some were boring, others had him ruffling his feathers, and a few were just plain strange.

This one seems to be a bit of all three.

The HPSC… his handlers double as handlers for the peace and are in charge of this superhero society for what it truly was.

Not the romanticized commercial nonsense that filmmakers and propaganda teams put out, but rather, a fragile society where those who slip under the cracks always seem to rise back up and cause problems. But they won’t get very far. He’ll make sure of it.

They get dirty to keep their corner of the world clean.

If only it was as easy as he made it sound...

 

Countdown to Canon: 6 Months 2 Weeks before Entrance Exam

The Hassaikai moves with rapid efficiency the moment the emergency protocol comes into effect. 

Even with Hero Net clearly not displaying this sudden move by the current Number 3 Hero, we still got a decent enough buffer thanks to some undercover agents placed around the surrounding cities.

They’ve been ordered to, among many other things, immediately report when a Top 10 Hero is spotted in the area, and Hawks isn’t exactly low-key when he’s soaring through the skies. 

Construction is halted, weapons are hidden, people are put into position, and security cameras are ready to catch whenever this slippery little shit decides to leave a few feathers behind for extra reconnaissance. 

Even NightHaul immediately heads over with all our corrupt heroes in tow. Japan’s top bitch and the rest of the HPSC likely want to make sure that heroes are still the protectors of this place, and that’s exactly what we’ll show them.

 

‘Peek-a-boo, you fucking bird, you. I see you, motherfucker.’

Everyone’s ready to go when the winged hero flies into Osaka, many people quickly noticing and cheering for the sudden arrival of the third best hero in the entire country.

Some of these people are undercover Hassaikai members purposefully cranking up the hero worship to eleven, but what the bird doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

He then drops on down, signs some autographs, and repeats his usual shtick a couple more times before running into me.

“Hey there! You’re one of those yakuza guys, right?” The hero asks upon seeing me. 

I’m in Kai’s canon outfit right now, only tailor-made to fit someone over a foot taller. The other yakuza guys still have their masks on too and are off doing whatever community service they can find.

“Yes. I’m Kai Chisaki, current head of the Shie Hassaikai yakuza. It’s an honor to have you in our city, Wing Hero: Hawks.” I respond, giving a respectful bow towards the guy.

“Don’t worry about it.” He waves me off. “And no need to be so polite. I’m just swooping in for a bit.”

“Is there something you need from us?” I ask, keeping up the act. “As you may be aware, the yakuza are far from having the influence they once held. There isn’t much we can really offer in this age of heroics.”

“No worries. Honestly, I didn’t even know what a yakuza was until a few days ago. I’m surprised there’s still some of you guys around, considering the concept is mostly a pre-quirk thing.”

Yeah, I seriously doubt that. 

One moment, he’s a total dunce who has to be told what should be completely obvious. The next, that conniving little birdy drops the act and turns people into pincushions. 

“The times have changed, and I’m aware that what little of us yakuza remains likely won’t be around for much longer. I just hope that we can be remembered in a positive light, aiding our fellow citizens with their day-to-day activities while heroes like yourself handle the role of guardians.”

He studies me like a hawk (pun intended) under that cocky, laid back expression of his, but I’m a very good liar even without so many memories of Kai learning from the Old Man.

 

I then offer to show him around town a bit and he obliges, witnessing some other yakuza helping people with stuff like setting up shops at the main street market or chatting with some other civilians.

To Hawks, we probably look like a glorified charity service or volunteer group, which is exactly what we’re going for. He isn’t an amateur and covertly leaves behind a feather here and there to continue observing a few random areas, but going Plus Ultra like that won’t get him different results. 

Our cameras and undercover agents keep track of them all, coordinating with BossHaul to slowly get rid of them without raising any suspicion to the hero that shed them.

As we wander around and make small talk, we totally conveniently stumble across ‘Sir Nighteye’ doing his own hero patrol, and all three of us end up having a bit of back and forth. 

He further sells the idea of us yakuza being basically harmless and well behaved and all that jazz with Hawks slowly buying into it more as more time passes. 

We aren’t doing anything illegal like demanding protection fees or beating up troublemakers or shipping out truckloads of drugs or doing human experimentation, so what’s there to ruffle his feathers over? Nothing.

He ends up sticking around for almost the entire day and flies off while leaving a few more feathers behind. They all happen to conveniently, unsuspiciously get taken out in the next 24 hours, not having found anything noteworthy.

“Great job, everyone. Code Hawk is officially over.” BossHaul announces the following day with the entire Hassaikai celebrating the successful city-wide deception. 

I’m extremely happy too, not just for managing to keep my villain organization a secret, but also for getting enough data with NightHaul for something rather special I had planned.

…And stupidly risky, I suppose. But it wouldn’t be the first time we used our otherworldly knowledge and a bit of creativity to bypass that issue.

 

 

Deep down in the lowest levels of Shie Hassaikai's underground labyrinth, two bright red wings form from a pile of dark goo. 

Then his outfit. Then his face, the latter of which quickly forms into one of shock as an EMP device goes off right next to him.

“I don’t know if you had any secret cameras or other recording devices on you, but I’d rather not chance it.” I explain from the other side of the arena.

“This memory gap… that gunk I saw form the rest of me… I’m a clone from quirk, Double. But that quirk belongs to the S-rank villain, Twice!” The Hawks clone quickly concludes and I give a slow, exaggerated clap.

“Got it in one, bird brain. I’m not Twice though. Well technically I am, but also not really. I’m not quite Kai Chisaki either. You can call me Sekan Doraifu, leader of one of the three major villain organizations currently hidden in Japan and the only person besides the centuries-old boogeyman himself capable of directly giving and taking quirks!”

That gets the bird’s jaw to drop, but I’m not done yet.

“And you, my fine feathered friend, have the honor of being one of my training partners for the time being. You and every other clone of you I make once I’m done roasting and skewering you.

Don’t bother trying to escape; this arena is hundreds of feet below the Earth and I have more than enough oxygen to last until I use some of my quirks to bring myself out once you’ve been dealt with.

So go ahead and put all that HPSC training to use, Keigo Takami! Fight me with the intent to kill, because I sure as hell will with you!” 

 

The AFO-style monologue wasn’t just for the sake of monologuing. The bird holding a considerable position on my personal shit list makes humbling copies of him rather satisfying, but there’s much more to this latest move of mine.

I also want these clones to try their absolute fucking best against me so I get the best possible training. Japan’s Number 3 Hero should suit my needs for the time being.

Now you may be wondering why I don’t just use my knowledge of the anime and manga to create Doubles of other people. Well I tried that already, and I don’t know if that info doesn’t compute with my quirk or what because it just refused to work with that kind of intel.

The quirk also doesn’t let me create clones of people I get sent data about or watch on videos. Hearing verbal descriptions given to me doesn’t work either no matter how accurate and detailed they are.

An unchangeable requirement to create a Double clone of someone or something seems to be seeing them in person with the only workaround being using Overhaul or Mind Web to take/copy the memories of others for myself.

When I do that, their memories technically become my memories, so as long as I get enough intel from them, I can successfully create a clone with Double. It’s a tad bit annoying even with that loophole, but I suppose this quirk is overpowered enough already. 

‘Heheheh… this is gonna be fun.’  

Let the battle begin, birdy!

 

Hawks lunges at me with dozens of his feathers split up and ready to skewer me from all angles, but my sparring sessions with the Eight Bullets have long since gotten me used to omni-directional assaults. 

I use Overhaul on the ground, the area all around me turning into spikes that most of the hero’s feathers quickly dodge and weave through, but that extra time let me boost myself into the air, the ground right below me turning into a giant stone snake with myself as the head though constant use of my matter manipulation.

More feathers come my way, colliding with numerous spikes I continue forming as he soars all around the arena. Using the ground to boost me up like a tidal wave, I stay right on his tail as we clash quirks over and over again. 

Feather blades slam against my shapeshifting crystal weapons. They could be katanas one second, daggers the next, and a scythe that severs your head with one swing right after that.

Directly touching him is much tricker, as while Overhaul has a massive leg-up over your basic five finger point quirks like Tomura’s Decay and Ochako’s Zero Gravity, it still requires at least some part of your hand to have physical contact with a physical object to become useable on that object.

Learning how to move fast is crucial, and who better to learn the art of speed from than the Wing Hero, even if it’s while dueling clones of him to the death.

The guy is quicker than Stain, his combat skills aren’t too far behind that, and he has plenty of other tricks up his sleeves… a few feathers too. Literally. That particular discovery came with a nasty gash to my forehead, but I could fix the damage in a moment’s notice.

Slightly over a minute into the battle, crystal spikes (thanks again, Yu) emerging from my outfit mostly deflect several feathers packed closely together to appear as one until the very last second. 

All of them were ready to cut both my arms off, but they only caused minor cuts on my body that were quickly fixed through Overhaul. Looks like Keigo picked up on where my best quirk’s factor stems from, but even if he did succeed, I have several extra hands ready to repair that damage in an instant.

“Not bad, not bad at all.” I grin. “Say, how many people have you secretly assassinated with that little trick?”

Confession forces him to answer. The number is higher than I expected. 

 

The HPSC is dangerous. Not as dangerous as many MHA fan stories make it out to be, but still very dangerous.

According to the law that signed it into existence, it’s basically an enforcement agency responsible for managing interactions between heroes and the rest of society as well as investigating the most dangerous villains out there (bar AFO, I guess).

But this little law happens to be quite vague on a lot of things, so the suits running the Safety Commission have taken advantage of that to do certain things they could claim was implied in the job description. Things they were never specifically told they had the authority to do, but also never told they couldn’t do.

Training their own heroes like Hawks and Lady Nagant and paying them from their own pocket rather than through the usual government stipends based on ranking obviously wasn’t something they were ever supposed to be able to do.

And that’s not even mentioning the fact that they double as secret assassins to murder heroes, villains, and civilians alike to maintain the status quo!

It isn’t easy for a hero to be involved in any kind of corruption without the HPSC knowing. The question is whether they’ll stop said corruption or cover it up.

And they get away with it all because it’s all kept under wraps, and the people that do know let it slide because then they’d have to fight the HPSC. It would be career suicide for heroes and a quick way to get a merciless Hawks busting down your door for anyone else.

You can see a pretty clear pattern if you know where to look. They control who gets licensed as a hero, they control the rankings for heroes, they can take control of local police forces to supplement investigations, they can censor the press to suppress panic and ‘problematic content’ like Stain’s canon speech at Hosu. The list goes on and on.

But they are far from invincible. Look at how easily the top brass went down in canon thanks to a simple Re-Destro clone. 

 

Sure they control the heroes and police, but when it comes to their own personal brute force for the dirty side of things or direct protection, the best those suits have is Hawks, a guard bird rather than a guard dog.

In fact, that right there is their biggest weakness. Their own damn nature! They get away with so much shit because they keep a low profile, but the fact that they have to do so means they are forced to keep overhead to an absolute minimum. 

Canon confirms this when Mera complains about the HPSC being terribly understaffed and overworked.

Just like All For One, they have to hide in the shadows despite officially being so out in the open, and that makes them a lot easier to work around.

And I can use that all to my advantage. Their nature, their desires, and everything else. 

I’ve seen so many fan stories where the main characters side with the Nezu/UA faction and are pitted against the corrupt commission as well as the villains. That doesn’t really happen in canon, as Nezu dances to their tune without the slightest bit of actual resistance, but what if I can create that animosity between them? 

Taking away the heroes’ unity like that will just make life much easier for villains like me. 

The HPSC. The media vultures. The civilians themselves once they lose faith in the system. All of these things would become major problems if I went down the hero route.

But I didn’t, and thus these aspects of society can become major assets if I play my cards right.

 

“You fools really believe that maintaining our current status quo is the only thing keeping Japan from descending into complete chaos?” I taunt the bird. 

“Did all you HPSC goons fail your history classes when you were kids? No status quo ever lasts; there are countless real life examples of that throughout the eras, Keigo!”

My battle with Clone Hawks continues as the arena is gradually turned into an obstacle course of death, despair, and oh so many feathers. Many would break at the hopeless situation, but the commission trained their pet bird well.

He didn’t become the number three hero in his low 20s for nothing. The Eight Bullets and Stain are far more dangerous here than they ever were in canon (and they weren’t slouches there either), but I’ve grown past them. 

This is the kind of opponent I need if I want to challenge myself now.

Being able to learn lots more HPSC secrets and gaining over a decade of various hardcore training sessions by using Overhaul and Mind Web to see Hawks’ memories is the icing on the cake.

In terms of knowledge and combat training, you could call me a full-fledged HPSC hero agent like Hawks and Lady Nagant now! And all I had to do was break down a few clones enough for Mind Web to worm its way in and teach my body what my mind knows!

That’s not even mentioning the fact that he knows most top HPSC brass quite well. Well enough for me to make Double clones out of through his memories alone, giving me all the up to date intel on HPSC antics.

He’s able to resist Mind Web almost as good as Stain can, he shrugs off every question I force him to answer through Confession no matter how horrible or cringey it is, Love and Double can’t help me much with this training, and my combat usage of Overhaul continues to gradually improve as the battles with more and more clones go on. 

Truthfully, in this setting, I could end a 1v1 fight with him in seconds if I really wanted to. We’re completely underground right now, so I could simply use Overhaul to crush the hero from all sides, giving the aerial speedster no space to flee to. 

But that wouldn’t help me improve, now would it? That’s why I’m treating these battles like we’re above ground and even made this arena big enough to offer him considerable mobility; this bird is capable of much more in a large enough cage.

A bit over three minutes into the fight, Hawks finally gets impaled through the back by and dissolved after gradually losing over half of his feathers to my relentless assault. I then reset the arena and took a minute-long water break before summoning another Hawks clone and repeating the process. 

Well, that and additionally acquiring all his memories/knowledge/skills through Mind Web and Overhaul, Fierce Wings quirk excluded. 

Just like with Nighteye, a potential major hero threat turned out to be a blessing in disguise! Sir Nighteye is now my greatest undercover support by far and Hawks is the perfect training partner for me!

And I’ve got to give the HPSC credit where it's due. Some of the training exercises they gave Hawks and Lady Nagant are pretty damn good. I’ll have to incorporate those and add a good chunk of Hawks’ combat/training memories to the Praetorian package.

 

Decades upon decades worth of training and experience from Hawks, Stain, and Rappa to name a few high-level combatants in canon MHA. All those memories are copied and pasted into every Praetorian, turning them into absolute monsters when their bodies adjust to the series of combat guidebooks I give their minds.

That’s not even mentioning the modified bodies, modified weapon arsenals, and multiple quirks like enhancers and healing.

I can see the look on the heroes’ faces now. It’s both depressing and hilarious.

“So what do you think, Keigo? Think these guys are enough to topple Japan yet? Or should I give them copies of your own quirk too? NOW WOULDN’T THAT JUST BE THE PEAK OF FUCKING IRONY?!?” 

Clone Hawks’ face sure is depressing and hilarious, although my monologues and maniacal laughter probably contributed to that.

No point in beating around the bush; I’ve definitely lost a few screws since starting this second life. It’s just that unlike Tomura, I know how to hide it.

The looming apocalypse that’s always on my mind, the constant influx of others into myself both physically and mentally, the current threats of heroes and villains alike surrounding me at every angle, the risk of Not-Freeman or some other multiversal deity shaking up the board I was thrown on for their own damn amusement… to say I’m constantly, extremely stressed out would be a massive understatement.

Don’t get me wrong; I have ways to calm down and keep my inner madness under control. Spending quality time with Eri always helps. The occasional vacation like our trip to Nabu Island also helps.

But what I’m doing right now? Trapping myself in this cage with nothing but hero clones to kill? Being able to act as I wish with no negative consequences or long-term agenda whatsoever to worry about?

This setup allows me to truly let loose if I want to, both physically and verbally.

And I absolutely fucking love it.

 

Half an hour, four more Hawks clones, and one very close call later, I emerge from the appropriately named ‘Bird Cage’ and collapse on the nearest couch in exhaustion.

“Uhh, you okay, boss?” One of the nearby yakuza asks, slightly concerned. 

“Yeah, just- haaah. Just took down a couple natural predators, is all. No hawks are gonna be eating this toucan anytime soon.” I pant back.

The goons give each other a few awkward looks before congratulating me and getting back to work. 

I love having smarter than average minions.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Main Family (+ Current Quirks):

• Sekan Doraifu - Mind Web, Overhaul, Confession, Double, Love
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• Eri - Rewind

Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry 
• Hari Kurono (Leader of Eight Bullets/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis 
• Kendo Rappa (Eight Bullets) - Strongarm 
• Hekiji Tengai (Eight Bullets) - Barrier 
• Toya Setsuno (Eight Bullets) - Larceny
• Yu Hojo (Eight Bullets) - Crystalize 
• Soramitsu Tabe (Eight Bullets) - Food 
• Deidoro Sakaki (Eight Bullets) - Sloshed 
• Rikiya Katsukame (Eight Bullets) - Energy Suck

Other Forces:

• Praetorian Guard - 25
• Cyber Warfare Branch - 22
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 305
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 9
• Thugs and Goons - 1425

Subsidiaries:

• Hero Killer
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Innsmouth and his crew
• Team Reservoir Dogs
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 42

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 18: Fun and Non-Canon Games

They won’t get away with this.

Those pathetic excuses for cultists took what Curator claimed as his and they won’t get away with this.

They swarmed into his main lair (how the actual hell did they find it when even the heroes couldn’t?), preaching about his physical ‘abnormalities’ and how he and his kind need to be purged and all this other crap.

It’s like they were looking down on him and his organization from their imaginary pedestals. No, that’s exactly what that group was doing despite the situation they themselves were in. He recognizes their robes and knows their heyday has long since passed. 

Even if that wasn’t the case, he would have no intentions of letting this attack go unpunished.

They think they can break into his home, kill his men, and get away with it?

They’re the animals that need to be tamed here.

And if they want a war, then that’s what they’ll fucking get!

 

Countdown to Canon: 6 Months before Entrance Exam

“We got it right here, boss! The heroes around didn’t stand a chance!” Maguma Iwata reports, much to my satisfaction.

Maguma Iwata, otherwise known as Volcano, leader of the Volcano Thieves.

Yup. Apparently some guys from the non-canon games are present too as a quote unquote ‘bonus’ according to a certain god’s letter from the start of this transmigration shitshow. Thanks a lot, Not-Freeman.

At the very least, some of these guys being here doesn’t really change the main story. None of them were very big deals in the grand scheme of things, but I can change that while turning this situation around.

After all, I’ve been forced to become quite good at it over the four or so months I’ve been living this second life. I’d be six feet under otherwise, and not because my main villainous lair is underground.

 

So I found out about these guys back when I asked Giran about potential villain groups the Hassaikai could recruit as subsidiaries. 

Don’t get me wrong, I already have plenty of talents under me. Stain is still doing a great job, as are Gentle and La Brava.

Innsmouth and his crew are making waves too. For my enemies and competition, that is.

My organization’s Trigger is really starting to spread around the country thanks to them and Giran. Being businessmen at heart, both Giran and I naturally value quantity and use an ever-increasing number of boats to help haul far more cargo.

However, this method is rather easy to spot. While aquatic heroes such as Selkie are few, they are still out there, and they don’t use HeroNet nearly as often as most heroes on the mainland do, making avoiding them in advance much more difficult than it should be.

So I decided to have Innsmouth’s crew test-run a different tactic, smuggling goods by having people with aquatic mutant quirks swim over on sea floors while carrying or pulling along my products.

Now this method of travel takes longer than when going by boat, even when factoring in necessary detours to avoid aquatic hero patrols. The amount of goods that can be carried is much less too.

But when you want to ensure that any high-quality goods aren’t intercepted by heroes or other villainous factions when traveling by sea, this safer method is the way to go. If you’re looking for quantity over quality, then just keep using boats to make a profit and accept the occasional shipment loss via heroes.

Due to me often taking this safer approach (primarily when smuggling expensive products), keeping up with the demand is actually starting to get difficult, even when we purposely pull back stock just to keep prices higher. And there's still the earlier threat of heroes to worry about as well.

I suppose, as the pre-quirk meme goes, we’re gonna need a bigger boat.

 

So fun fact about Japan’s Trigger market: most of it comes from other countries. 

Another fun fact about Japan’s Trigger market: most of it is complete crap.

Quality and quantity can vary from different regions around the globe. For example, Asia is probably the largest producer of Trigger, but their variant is awful and barely lasts for a few minutes.

Trigger from America has a stronger boosting effect and can last for an hour or two, but canon Kai’s Trigger variant is better, let alone my own.

Now this is very good for me, as not only does this make monopolizing that market easier, but it also forces other suppliers to lower the prices of their own Trigger in an attempt to keep their customer base.

How does the latter benefit me? Well along with selling my own Trigger, I also buy whatever other variants of Trigger pop up on the market in order to help with my experiments on the drug.

In other words, other brands of Trigger are helpful research material that make my own Trigger better. Getting all this research material for cheaper prices is a nice little bonus in this drug-trafficking package. 

Humarise should be my only real competition when buying is involved (Giran won’t confirm because of customer confidentiality, but I also have canon as a reference point). Good thing there’s more than enough product from other Trigger producers for both our organizations, as I’d rather not get into a betting war with that smurf.

I’ll have to try and get some of his Trigger too when his goons and prisoners complete it. The boosting effect is far beyond, but the side effects are lethal to put it lightly.

Even so, more research material is more research material.

But I’m getting off track. My work relationship with Giran mainly focuses on marketing, as while bringing over more talents comes with a recruiter’s fee, it isn’t nearly as profitable for him as the former.

That slight preference didn’t stop me, and after a bit of pestering, he offered up these guys.

He said they were ‘a little rough and burny around the edges, but can get the job done’, and yeah, that describes them pretty well.

 

Maguma Iwata is built like Endeavor, and while his Eruption quirk doesn’t match up to the Number 2 Hero, his temper certainly does.

Konako Haizono or ‘Dusty Ash’ is basically Midnight with white hair and a quirk centered around dust instead of sleeping gas.

Tsumuji Kazetant or ‘Gust Boy’ is like the Robin to Maguma’s Batman if Robin was part duck and could make small tornadoes with his hands.

They were skeptical about following my orders at first, to say the least. Then I upgraded their gear, showed them my unique style of medical aid, and taught them a few small quirk combo tricks like fire whirls and dust explosions.

…Yeah, why these guys decided to become thieves is beyond me, but hey, they make a pretty good team for busting into hideouts of small gangs who refused to follow me and burning everything in sight except for whatever loot they’ve amassed.

The thieves steal everything that isn’t nailed to the ground, burn everything that is out of spite, get a cut of the spoils, fixed gear, and a medical check-up by yours truly, and we part ways until I have another job for them. 

I also used Confession on them to ensure that they were loyal for now and showed them a few recordings of LabHaul’s more… uncomfortable uses of Overhaul on our prisoners to make it very clear what would happen if they tried to double-cross me. 

Needless to say, that team of villains is firmly in my corner. I even let them move into one of my smaller compounds after a while so they could double as security guards for the place, getting some bonus pay in the process.

I’m pretty sure that Rappa developed a small rivalry with Maguma too if the recent string of burn wounds and broken bones I’ve had to heal those two from is anything to go by.

But back to today's main subject, non-canon additions to this world. 

 

The Wild Villains are here too… unfortunately.

Yeah, while Curator isn’t quite as big of an asshole as Kai Chisaki or All For One, he isn’t that far off either.

The big bad with a whale transformation quirk basically wishes to spur on a mutant renaissance and dominate humanity AFO-style, and to that end, he was just a giant blue piece of shit who kidnapped and brainwashed people, most notably this girl who goes by Zookeeper.  

She was a kind and cheerful person who loved animals until Curator mind-controlled her (not a part of his quirk; it was done through other methods). She also has quite the interesting quirk herself.

‘Cleaning’ allows the user to secrete a dish soap-esc substance from their body that allows them to weaken or negate the quirks from others by ‘brushing’ or ‘cleaning’ them. She can also use it to clean up stuff like blood and fingerprints from crime scenes, but that first part is waaaay more important to me.

A quirk that allows the user to produce a substance that weakens or negates the quirks of others? VestigeHaul is probably both jumping for joy and cursing himself right now for not bothering to look for any other people who could help make his quirk-erasing bullets a reality.

Having someone like that on my side would make my plans a whole lot easier, but actually getting her wasn’t going to be easy.

The Wild Villains are one of the largest known villain groups in Japan with Curator having a whole lot more then just Bearhead and Zookeeper at his disposal. The guy has hundreds of subordinates with most of them either being a pretty tough mutant or animal-related transformation quirk wielder. 

He’s also got a good handful of hideouts scattered around Japan and is quite the challenging opponent himself. Gang Orca apparently sees him as something of an archenemy, something Curator reciprocates, and there have been quite a few clashes between the two that are known to the public.

Mirko isn’t the biggest fan of that group either so she’ll join in on raids against them whenever she can. Being able to keep your villain organization afloat when two top heroes hate your guts like that isn’t easy, even if the organization pales in comparison to my own, let alone AFO’s or the MLA.

Curator pretty much keeps Zookeeper at his side at all times too if the games are anything to go by, so we weren’t going to find her in some small outpost of his. No, I would probably have to track down their own headquarters and launch a large enough attack to free her without exposing the Shie Hassaikai. 

Much easier said than done.

I couldn’t rely on Giran for help with this either because despite how much the guy likes me, he doesn’t sell out his customers against their wills no matter what. That’s something I don’t really mind because the positives of that (keeping my own villain organization a secret) far outweigh the negatives, but it still came back to bite me here.

It took the combined efforts of my cyberwarfare branch and Praetorian Guard to locate the Wild Villain’s HQ, and that took close to a month to pull off! At the very least, it gave those guys plenty of useful experience with that sort of thing, so they’re going to get a lot better at it in the future.

So we found their headquarters; that was one tricky part down. The other tricky part was getting Zookeeper back while staying anonymous, and the plan I came up with to do so was… ridiculous. But also genius. Ridiculously genius.

I feel like that’s starting to become a common theme with me lately. 

Oh well, whatever works.

Anyway, using my knowledge of canon, I decided to launch a raid on the place with myself and my entire Praetorian Guard making up the assault force. 

As for how we kept our identities a secret and took suspicions from the Shie Hassaikai off of us… no, we didn’t disguise ourselves as heroes. That would be too ridiculous, even for me.

Instead, we went into this raid cosplaying as members of the Creature Rejection Clan or CRC for short, another minor villainous organization that comes with a side of social commentary.

 

The CRC is basically MHA’s version of the Ku-Klux Klan, a cult shown in canon that abolishes the idea of people with physical ‘abnormalities’, especially people with mutant-type quirks. They were a pretty big deal back in the day, but they lost more and more support as they started getting radical.

In modern day, the CRC is split up into multiple branches with various ideologies such as the ‘Animal Rejection Clan’ who hate those with animal-like bodies, the ‘Face Border Clan’ who reject those with ‘abnormal’ heads, and so on, but all of these groups are pretty small.

The League of Villains managed to slaughter one of these branches in canon, and it was while they were at their lowest point too. They have the potential to become a serious threat when united, but now, they’re like a colony of ants that are split up.

And ants aren’t exactly threatening on their own. 

I intend to remedy that problem by pitting them against a common enemy, the Wild Villains.

Now despite having a much larger villainous organization and evil lair at my disposal, I’d be lying if I said raiding this other villain lair wasn’t a blast. Maybe people like Rappa and Stain are gradually influencing me when it comes to liking combat or action in general, but I can’t say I dislike it.

The base was on the edge of this large island away from the Japanese mainland, so we had to get over there by using half a dozen or so small boats my organization had bought and stolen overtime. 

We went around to the other side of the island with them before trekking through a forest in the middle of the night like we were Dutch and his squad from the first Predator movie, fictional people I may or may not have taken inspiration from during this attack.

From there, we gradually took down some of the scouts stationed outside (not easy when most of them have a variety of sense-enhancing mutation quirks) before storming in and screeching CRC nonsense left and right.

Oh, and beating up or killing any other Wild Villains in sight, of course.

Curator got a good long look at who was responsible for this attack while he was going on a rampage. 

The bastard was tough; he proved that when he literally tore the head off of a Praetorian with that sperm-whale mouth of his and caved in the skull of another one with his ‘Whale Strike’ headbutt after his click sound paralyzed the guy.

Unfortunately for him, that’s when I chose to personally get involved, and I was done playing nice. 

 

This wasn’t a recruitment like with Stain or restrictive training like with the Eight Bullets and Hawks clones.

No, I charged in while he was distracted and used Overhaul to turn his entire oversized whale head into chunks with a single touch. 

Anticlimactic? Should be.

In battles my forces take part in, stuff gets done instead of people having heartfelt conversations or ten minute-long flashbacks in the middle of a fight.

With Curator down, I then, after ensuring no other enemies were around, resurrected him through Overhaul while making sure he stayed unconscious. 

After burying him in a bit of rubble through another usage of Overhaul (to make it seem like the CRC used dirty tricks to win and left him for dead), I resurrected the two Praetorians and ordered a full retreat once Zookeeper was unconscious and in my Praetorians’ custody.

The only complication after that was Bearhead, Curator’s best buddy and someone who is basically a furry Muscular. 

He managed to kill a Praetorian too and would’ve killed several more if they didn’t covertly use Cell Activation (the black robes did a great job hiding the green light that quirk emits), but I managed to stun him for a bit with Mind Web while the remaining Praetorians retreated with the corpse of their comrade.

We then quickly escaped their facility and I used Overhaul to resurrect three more Praetorians when we were finally out of sight. Turns out there were some other tough mutant cookies at that hideout.

Good. That will just make the CRC that much more willing to buy my products to compensate.

 

That’s right, this raid wasn’t just to rescue Zookeeper. I also wanted to get the ball rolling by creating a villain war of sorts, one between groups that have minimal to no impact on the main story so my knowledge of those events remain mostly viable for later use.

Groups like AFO’s empire, the MLA, and Humarise were out due to this extra requirement, but there were still a few options left, and none fit the bill better then these two due to their history and hatred towards each other.

War is a very good time to profit, and this’ll wipe some potential competition right off the map while testing the waters of my other major opponents, heroes and villains alike.

I had my Praetorians leave most of those guys alive for a reason. Once that fighting force starts burning down CRC hideouts across Japan, the rest will be spurred on to unite and fight back against the villain organization full of people that they utterly despise. 

Giran will use this opportunity to offer both sides a long list of my products, even without knowing of my initial involvement. Selling so much of that stuff will make him a major profit, and the same goes for me.

A full blown race war. What a business opportunity, am I right?

Funding a secret army of villains is expensive. Bribing tons of other people is expensive. Marketing your products is expensive. 

LabHaul’s experiments often require more than the previous three costs combined and damn near gave BossHaul an aneurysm as he furiously calculated how much yen we need to avoid any bad surprises.

This latest scheme should help fill back up our trademark Bank of Evil.

((“And aid our quest to conquer Japan into a corporatocracy.”))

‘Very funny, BossHaul.’

((“You mean we aren’t?”)) 

((“Could’ve fooled me.”))

‘All of you, please shut up. You’re giving me a headache.’

((“Isn’t that good for quirk training with Mind Web? Plu-”))

‘Say ‘Plus Ultra’ and you’re getting merged with Rappa’s punching bag, LabHaul. Same goes for the rest of you. Considering how it’s your one major weakness, you clones could always use some more durability training.’

…Yeah, that’s what I thought.

 

Now where was I? Ah, right.

Besides getting me incredible amounts of funding and resources, it will also wipe some of my potential competition right off the map. The Shie Hassaikai will be ready to pick up the pieces of whatever’s left. 

By that, I mean their possessions, not people. There’s no way I’m recruiting anyone from those factions (outside of Zookeeper, the brainwashed one) for the Shie Hassaikai.

Even canon Kai would probably avoid the Wild Villains if he knew about them. Either that or try to murder them. 

As for the CRC, I can actually see him attempting to recruit them if he bothered doing some research on things besides how best to harvest Eri’s blood, but with how self-centered he is, it would be more of a master-servant relationship then an actual partnership and the CRC probably wouldn’t be too thrilled about being turned into disposable pawns for the guy.

But back to the main point, we may not have had the leniency to raid their treasury too while we were at it, but that’s fine because they'll be gradually handing it over to us as their war progresses.

That all happened a few weeks ago and their war has already begun. News of it has already spread all around the underworld and even the heroes are beginning to clue in, but the HPSC will probably just pop the corks of their champagne bottles as two major thorns in their side kill each other for them. 

 

As for Zookeeper, LabHaul was able to remove all her brainwashing after a few days with a combination of Mind Web and some instant surgeries through Overhaul. I then filled her in on what happened and offered her a place in my organization, which she accepted. 

She was already a C-Rank villain according to the HPSC, so she couldn’t exactly live a normal life anymore even if she didn’t have to worry about Curator’s crew hunting her down. 

I never thought I would thank those suits for anything besides being incompetent most of the time, but hey, whatever works.

Zookeeper (she still insists on going by that name; it’s a personal thing) became something of a personal maid for me and a caretaker for Eri while my clones and I are busy doing our thing. 

She’s been completely smitten by the other white-haired girl (most likely due to the similar trauma/brainwashing experiences they had) and would probably fist fight All For One if it meant protecting her.

And hey, that might actually work out if she covers him with enough doses of her quirk! If the quirks helping him stay alive as a potato with arms and legs give out, then he might just kick the bucket!

But I won’t chance that. I did get a copy of her quirk through Eri and I’s duplication trick (with her permission, of course) and got a few more copies for LabHaul to start doing his trademark mad science on, but I’m not going to recklessly challenge the evil potato now or ever.

LabHaul was practically salivating to get samples of her quirk substance and DNA, but we made sure to keep it to reasonable levels (and mostly relied on our quirk/body duplication trick). We aren’t going to turn into canon Kai with Zookeeper replacing Eri. Not happening.

Taking down the boogeyman with a single bullet slightly faster isn’t worth that. Like with Eri, far more positives come with her being a willing aid to me then being a convenient blood bank.

 

Speaking of he who shall not be named and potential ways to take him down, I’ve been thinking about that nightmare I had some more with the main thing on my mind this time around being its ending.

Right before he killed me, I managed to get a Quirk Awakening on Love, allowing it to not just power up those I have enough positive feelings for, but also power down anyone I have enough negative feelings for. 

I asked both vestige La Brava and actual La Brava about it, but the latter didn’t even know what a Quirk Awakening was and the former only knew what it was thanks to my memories.

Neither could help me much since such a thing was way out of their level of understanding, and it could’ve simply been a figment of my imagination for all I know, but Quirk Awakenings are definitely worth looking into.

Look at the before and after of Toga’s awakening. Of Katsuki’s awakening. Of Tomura’s awakening. 

Overhaul, Double, Mind Web, Confession, Love, and Cleaning are useful enough as is, but if I could somehow force even one of them to awaken…

The idea is too good to pass up, especially with war on the horizon.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Main Family (+ Current Quirks):

• Sekan Doraifu - Mind Web, Overhaul, Confession, Double, Love, Cleaning
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• Eri - Rewind

Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry 
• Zookeeper (Personal Maid/Eri’s Main Caretaker) - Cleaning
• Hari Kurono (Leader of Eight Bullets/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis 
• Kendo Rappa (Eight Bullets) - Strongarm 
• Hekiji Tengai (Eight Bullets) - Barrier 
• Toya Setsuno (Eight Bullets) - Larceny
• Yu Hojo (Eight Bullets) - Crystalize 
• Soramitsu Tabe (Eight Bullets) - Food 
• Deidoro Sakaki (Eight Bullets) - Sloshed 
• Rikiya Katsukame (Eight Bullets) - Energy Suck

Other Forces:

• Praetorian Guard - 25 (5 died but they were all resurrected)
• Cyber Warfare Branch - 22
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 320
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 11
• Thugs and Goons - 1600

Subsidiaries:

• Hero Killer
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth and his crew
• Team Reservoir Dogs
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 55

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 19: Quirk Cheats 101 - Quirk Awakenings

It felt too good to be true… she was actually free!

Zookeeper doesn’t know how he found out about her being brainwashed and Curator’s plans and how the hell he can just give and take and copy quirks like they’re freaking candy, but she doesn’t care.

Sekan saved her, offered her a place to stay and food to eat and anything else she needed, so she’ll do her best to pay him back.

And after learning more about him from his (absolutely precious) adoptive daughter, she only wants to help him more. 

It’s absolutely insane. Preparing for the end of society, manipulating time itself to endlessly duplicate quirks, leading symbols of peace and evil alike by the nose. If this was all a dream and she was still Curator’s slave, she wouldn’t be surprised.

But that possibility is becoming less and less likely by the day, so instead of getting too caught up over her past, she’ll focus on the future.

She needs to make sure that Eri’s dad doesn’t do anything too reckless, or at the very least, be there for him when he does. She’ll be a pillar of support that he can truly count on!

That’s why she’s coming with him on this latest mission, no ifs, ands, or buts about it! 

 

Countdown to Canon: 5 Months 3 Weeks before Entrance Exam

The Quirk Awakening. A kind of deus ex machina that allows someone’s quirk to significantly increase in power.

Cases of this happening are extremely rare. Not even All For One could comprehend the concept as shown when he witnesses the battle between Crawler and Number 6 in MHA Vigilantes. 

Yet by the end of the canon series, teenagers with barely any experience using their quirks when compared to top pro heroes who trained intensely for decades on end are going through Quirk Awakenings left and right, getting past impossible odds and saving the day because this world is a fucking shounen. 

 

One example of this phenomenon is Himiko Toga, who became able to use the quirks of others she transforms into with the catch that the person has to be someone extremely close to her heart and she must have sufficient amounts of knowledge on the quirk in question.

Then there’s Ochako Uraraka who’s Zero Gravity quirk became able to spread to others on a massive scale. Same goes for Tomura, but he could also now use Decay without all five fingers on one hand or the other being on the target. 

The range and speed also heavily increased along with the ability to spread onto objects connecting with the initial target, but whether those perks are part of the awakening is a bit iffy since his decay could chain to other objects and destroy an entire house in seconds as a kid. Trauma then heavily restricted his quirk’s power after that until he started training against Gigantomachia.

Then again, that earlier feat from his childhood was a house and Deika was an entire city. That single activation also mutilated his arm while kid Tomura/Tenko could use Decay with no recoil (the itching he got was a constant, passive effect rather than an effect only caused through actual usage), implying a massive increase in power on top of what he already rediscovered.

I guess you could call it a gradual re-awakening during his training montage and then an actual Quirk Awakening on top of that during his battle with the MLA? 

Then the AFO surgery improved it even more and that quirk singularity evolution he underwent during the Final War boosted it once again to become usable all throughout his body rather than just his hands, but those two improvements seem to be different from a regular old awakening.

That’s not even mentioning how Decay is actually an altered or mutilated copy of Overhaul instead of its own quirk, and altering quirks to that extent was never shown to even be a possibility before that big reveal at the end of the Final War. It was also never brought up again in canon.

Ugh, why must Horikoshi make so many plot points so needlessly complicated?

Anyway, those three people and most of the other people who got Quirk Awakenings all had to both be experiencing intense amounts of stress and be on the verge of death for their quirks to successfully evolve.

I say most because Geten proved that awakening with only the former is possible. His Ice Ply evolved and became capable of controlling the temperature of ice after Re-Destro burned himself and the icy, fanatical drama queen had a meltdown over it.

However, Geten trained his quirk extremely hard all throughout his childhood, far more than anyone else who got a Quirk Awakening in canon, so perhaps factors like extreme amounts of training by a certain age contribute. 

I can’t confirm that at the moment due to Geten being an outlier, but I can confirm that the former two methods are most likely minimum requirements for those who wish to awaken their own powers.

Now the examples I gave were Emitter and Transformation quirks, but what about Mutation quirks? Well, Class 1-A student Koji Koda answers that during the Final War arc.

During the battle he took part in, his head began to crack apart and grow horns, increasing the effective range of his Anivoice quirk further. Not only that, but he could also now communicate his thoughts and feelings to animals without using his voice thanks to his new horns acting as a telepathic conduit.

So to summarize, any quirk should be capable of undergoing an awakening in the right circumstances. It’s just that achieving said circumstances is very, very difficult through conventional means. 

 

In contrast to Quirk Awakenings, there are instances in the anime and manga where people can summon a ridiculous amount of extra power in a crisis, but this only happens when they are truly at death’s door. Think of that as My Hero Academia’s version of ‘Hysterical Strength’, which is actually what they call the concept in canon.

Some canon examples of this are Izuku when he nearly died against Muscular and was able to operate at OFA 100% for a while to put the villain down and Dabi/Touya who managed to manifest the ice from his mother’s Frost quirk after burning himself to a crisp, allowing his power to further increase while being minutes away from death. 

The main goal here is making the former phenomenon happen rather than the latter, but that’s easier said than done even with me sciencing the shit out of this concept better than Dr. Garaki ever could.

For starters, all of those earlier examples I gave for Quirk Awakenings were people who only had a single quirk (at the time, anyway; Tomura getting a lot more quirks later doesn’t affect this). 

I have multiple quirks right now, and if that way too realistic-looking nightmare was any indicator, then awakening while having multiple quirks is a lot more difficult then awakening while having a single quirk.

I only had the Love quirk left when it awakened despite being extremely mentally stressed out and on the verge of death while possessing all of my quirks for a decent amount of time.

Now I could try to remedy this by taking out all but one quirk and having some of my tougher subordinates dogpile me, but I don’t think that would work because I know that they won’t actually kill me.

I know that I’ll just be healed right after, even if some of them accidently go too far. It won’t be a true life or death situation.

My next thought was having one of my clones make a Double of Hawks or some other clone and repeat the rest of my last idea, and while that could potentially work, it’s also way too risky for me.

No, putting my life on the line like that for a slight chance at more power wasn’t worth it, especially with me having so many other methods of increasing my strength. I’m not like Izuku Midoriya; I don’t rely on brute strength and mutilating myself to solve all my problems.

 

Zookeeper also gave me an earful after she caught wind of that idea. She’s supposed to be looking after Eri, but it feels like she’s babysitting me almost as much. I’m a young adult just like her, damnit! Both physically and mentally!

…I can’t say her affection isn’t nice though. Having someone genuinely show care and concern for me like that rather than feel obligated to since I’m the big bad boss and all. 

The respect to fear ratio is far greater with me then it was for Kai thanks to how much nicer I’m treating them and how much more I’m giving them, but I do need to make it clear what will happen to anybody who dares to backstab us and fuck up my plans.

Zookeeper still watches over Eri and takes care of the lizards and bugs used to train her Rewind quirk, but she always seems to be ready to check up on me and make sure I don’t do anything too reckless or risky.

It’s probably Eri asking her to look after me. The little unicorn helped her get over her own trauma so much faster than I thought (hearing about how the Wild Villains are destroying themselves while fighting the CRC thanks to us probably helped too), but just seeing that soft, kind smile on her face with my own eyes… I’m getting off track, aren’t I?

Back to my latest batch of plans, the conventional canon means of getting a Quirk Awakening are out. That left me brainstorming other potential solutions.

One solution I know for sure would work is getting One For All. That superquirk basically gives every quirk it shares a body with with a free Quirk Awakening thanks to all the energy it’s stockpiled over several centuries.

If I could figure out how to directly harness that quirk’s energy and force bits of it into other quirks, I could potentially force any quirk I want into awakening!

A truly overpowered and terrifying concept, but there’s two massive problems with that method. 

The first is actually getting OFA and the repercussions of that because while I could probably take down All Might with a good enough sneak attack and get his quirk the same way Kudo got it from Yoichi, that would completely fuck canon over and I there’s no way I wouldn’t be able to keep myself hidden at that point.

The second one is an issue I talked about at the very beginning and the main reason why I didn’t just go for taking Izuku’s spot as All Might’s successor. The OFA vestiges.

If there was a chance that they would support me at the start, then it’s certainly gone now. 

I could potentially subdue them the same way I plan on subduing All For One’s quirk vestige (a shitload of willpower-boosting quirks), but with this world being a shounen, the possibility of them somehow miraculously breaking through and completely fucking up my plans is way too high for me to take the risk.

With that option being crossed off too, it was back to the drawing board for me.

 

Some other potential methods that could let me study and ‘perfect’ the Quirk Awakening process are Trigger (very unlikely of leading anywhere, but it does temporarily boost your quirk a good bit), the Quirk Amplification Device that David Shield and Samuel Abraham made (I plan on altering the Two Heroes movie events a good bit, but that’s almost a year away), and studying the biology of someone who experienced a Quirk Awakening themselves.

The latter option is why I am currently walking around Deika City of all places, hoping that I can coincidentally run into the Meta Liberation Army’s second strongest warrior (and a solid contender for the number one spot if you think about it) in the organization’s own goddamn city.

And to make matters even more awkward, both Zookeeper and Eri insisted on coming along because the former wanted to make sure that someone was watching my back in case anything went wrong and the latter wanted to come along to learn more about one of the world’s most powerful and secret villain organizations.

Oh, and they both wanted experience with undercover operations too.

So here we are, walking around this secret society while disguising ourselves as your average, everyday family who is secretly part of the MLA. At the very least, I don’t have to worry about people giving us weird looks as I tell the two girls the history of Destro and the Meta Liberation Army (based on what I know from canon).

We even had people giving us the goddamn MLA salute while we were walking around, with Zookeeper and I making an ‘L’ with our index fingers and thumbs on our foreheads right back at them. Eri played along too and signed back which was just so, so adorable.

The irony of Kai Chisaki giving an MLA salute will make me laugh for years to come, even if it’s technically someone else wearing Kai Chisaki’s face. 

Well it’s not like the MLA even knows what the Shie Hassaikai is, and even if they did discover the name despite all I’m doing to prevent such, they would simply see a regular old yakuza rather than a group of villains run by some quirk-ending quack. 

So that means no risks for us as long as I don’t suddenly duke it out with Geten in the middle of the city, right? 

Totally!... Probably. 

 

This little educational field trip goes on for most of the day with no Geten in sight. Frankly, I should’ve expected as much.

He’s basically a bodyguard for the organization’s top brass and an enforcer for this entire secret society, so I wouldn’t expect him to be just wandering around town like some random civilian all the time, but I doubt he stays by Re-Destro’s side 24/7, especially when you consider the Grand Commander’s own civilian identity.

That issue is what Plan B is for. Well, calling it Plan B isn’t really accurate since I was going to do this regardless of whether or not Plan A worked, but I suppose it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.

While my fam- uh, my adopted daughter and subordinate were walking around the place with me, I’ve been secretly planting some very special devices from time to time at places like signal towers and even Deika’s Central Tower, using small bursts of Overhaul to fully cover them up afterwards.

At the same time, quite a few Praetorians are doing something similar in various locations across the country where Feel Good Inc buildings are located. Some are even directly breaking into their server rooms and uploading a little thing or two into their online systems.

The second batch of them recently finished their Graduation Modifications, so I have a lot of manpower to work with. The company’s main headquarters alone had a dozen Praetorians visiting it alongside BossHaul, although that was mainly due to Skeptic being present there.

Being skilled at hacking and being skilled at fighting are two very different things, and with the MLA agent only having the former under his belt, he was screwed from the start. Taken down in an instant.

 

((“Overly long functions and variables with excessively wide scopes. His coding habits haven’t changed a bit.”))

‘Instead of paraphrasing La Brava’s canon roast of the guy, how about you focus on the actual mission, BossHaul.’

((“It’s called multitasking, original. You should know what that is; my very existence is proof of it.”))

Anyway, once the online passages are unlocked, my cyberwarfare branch begins their work, creating a secret backdoor into MLA servers completely under the army’s noses.

They may be built like military communication systems and have incredible cybersecurity along with a master hacker of their own, but that master hacker was just subdued by a multi-quirked monstrosity and there’s only so much the former can do against my unfair lineup. 

Skeptic is undoubtedly skilled at hacking and programming. He could break into (and take complete control of) UA’s online systems with nothing but a few laptops and his own man cave during the Final War… but he was the instigator of that attack, and UA was caught completely off guard by his intrusion.

My team doesn’t need to beat Skeptic head-on, as Skeptic is currently out of commission. My team also consists of the one person that managed to out-hack him along with several dozen others at a similar skill level, thanks to having a copy of her skills and memories.

La Brava has experience out-hacking Skeptic, and those memories were included in the mental package I gave them, so even if Skeptic wasn’t dealt with in advance, he would find it very difficult countering an entire team of equally-skilled hackers specifically created to counter him.

His fully-secured satellite network would allow him to gain ground on hackers even better than himself, and taking him head-on would be a challenge for my team even now, but again, they don’t need to take him head-on.

Instead, Skeptic is inadvertently helping our cause. The memories from him BossHaul is copying over will make secretly infiltrating MLA servers far easier (and make my cyberwarfare branch even more skilled in the art of hacking). And he won’t have a clue about it once he wakes back up thanks to some more memory alteration.

No, we aren’t killing him. Besides the fact that Re-Destro and his army would suspect foul play if we did, I’d rather not weaken or destroy the MLA myself when it can do so much damage against the heroes later on.

It’s just like what I’m currently doing with the Wild Villains and Creature Rejection Clan. Why go through all the trouble of destroying such powerful factions when you can have them destroy each other?

 

Once the MLA’s network is at our disposal, forget finding out where Geten is holed up at, I’ll be able to observe the inner workings and plans of the MLA whenever I wish, getting a much needed warning in advance if the butterfly effect ever makes them deviate from their canon scheme. 

I’ll also be able to find the poor, overworked saps covering up the chaos that is Detnerat’s bookkeeping and see if I can get them on my payroll. Re-Destro may basically be pulling a Palpatine with his company, but secretly stealing enough money from it to run a private army is something else.

I still had my subordinates track down Geten and went back to Deika a few days later to do a body-fusion with him while he was asleep in the middle of the night. This’ll probably be the last time I come up there without a warp quirk because Deika is really damn far away from Osaka, farther away then All For One is from reality.

But in all seriousness, Osaka is towards the bottom half of the Japanese mainland while Deika is far up north where the massive island of Hokkaido is located. Taking anything other than an airplane or some other aerial vehicle wastes far too much time, and even then, going there and back on a plane wastes pretty much an entire day.

Being as strapped for time as I am, this is far from ideal.

Now as for Geten, his quirk is absolutely terrifying in the right environment, but he was just napping away in his ice and water-lacking bedroom when I did the deed.

Not when I arrived though; he was busy training his quirk despite it being like one in the morning by then. The security system around his house was all ready to be disabled under Skeptic’s nose, but I didn’t want to fight him considering how much noise our battle would make.

So I continued waiting so as to avoid the entire MLA dogpiling me… and waited… and waited some more.

Someone’s certainly dedicated, but I personally prefer working smarter over working harder.

Finally, he goes to bed close to four in the morning, and after using Mind Web to make sure he stays unconscious, I fuse with him for a bit before leaving and have Eri do our duplication trick to create a few body copies for LabHaul to poke around with.

Now all that’s left is to wait for the results. Hooray. 

As for why I don’t try the same thing on Re-Destro, he is far more protected than his main enforcer.

Not to mention how powerful he is. 

 

Stress allows the user to convert stress, anger, and frustration into raw power. A LOT of raw power. Said power also gradually turns them into a dark, hulking juggernaut depending on how much of it is used.

The higher the degree of stress is, the larger and tougher the user can make parts of their body. Any limb or the entire body can be enhanced at will.

Now having the burden and weight of the entire Meta Liberation Army on his hands, not to mention the army (and his family’s) history as well as the responsibility to build a ‘liberated’ future converts into tons of stress. The guy got male pattern baldness from it and he tends to get over-emotional at times.

That amount of stress isn’t healthy for people, but it works wonders for his quirk. It helps turn him into a rampaging Ashura that can shrug off anti-tank ammunition with ease. Hell, he could probably fight on par with the current, weakened All Might in his Claustro support gear!

Now this stress can also manifest as raw, black, dark energy that can cover his body and demolish his opponents. Such is another reason why I plan to avoid challenging him for the time being; Overhaul doesn’t work on energy.

If he covers his body with the stuff, I can’t just insta-kill him with a touch. My copy of Cleaning may be able to work as a counter, but I just got the quirk and Zookeeper has barely trained it for combat purposes and the game she’s in doesn’t show much more, so relying on a power I know next to nothing about and have even less training with would be less than ideal.

I could still probably win, but combine his power and counter to Overhaul with the fact that he isn’t some dumb brute like Muscular and you get a battle that would go on for a long time, more than long enough for his army to show up as support.

Not a good plan when secrecy is key.

Geten’s quirk is enough for me for now. It will help a ton with my research on Quirk Awakenings and just be a boon for my own army.

Oh, I gave a few of my new Praetorians copies of Geten’s Ice Ply quirk before stationing them down at Osaka’s ports to handle security there. Fighting people with that particular quirk at large bodies of water is a death wish just like how fighting someone with Overhaul or Earth Flow or some other Earth manipulation quirk underground is a death wish.

It helps that they have more than enough water to train and master their new quirks right next to them. As long as they don’t make too much of a ruckus and ensure that no outsiders are around to witness it, they should be fine. 

Innsmouth and his rapidly expanding crew are certainly happy about the extra security. With the support I’ve been giving him, he’s been improving quickly in both skills and sheer competency to the point where his canon self looks like a complete buffoon in comparison (which frankly, isn’t that far off from what he was like in canon).

The octopus mutant has been rising through the ranks overtime and is now handling most of my smuggling across Japan’s coastline. Even Giran sends me requests for his services from time to time, and I certainly don’t mind getting the extra cash.

Hmmmm, maybe I should create a few other specialized Praetorians in the future to better carry out certain tasks. Granting them an extra quirk copy isn’t too hard or makes them look too different, and depending on the situation and quirk in question, they can become massively more powerful.

Hell, Endeavor could show up at Osaka’s ports and get demolished by my three Pseudo-Getens! Even if he could melt the mountains of ice they make all he wants; Ice Ply can just recondense the water vapor back into ice at a moment’s notice. Just food for thought.  

 

((“All these new projects are nice and all, but you’re really putting a lot on my plate here.”)) LabHaul lets me know through a mental message.

((“Body modifications, perfecting quirk transplants, our own quirk-erasing bullets, research on Quirk Awakenings, and those are just a few examples!”))

‘You know how I feel about making any more clones, LabHaul.’

((“I know that and I’m not suggesting that. I need some assistants if I want to handle all these new projects you’re throwing at me! We’ve got plenty of new recruits swarming in, right? Let me pick a few out, give them a copy of appropriate knowledge and memories from our mind, and let them ease my workload a bit.”))

‘That… is dangerous. It would be one thing if people found out about our globally groundbreaking research and discoveries, but if they were to learnt the precise details of it, they could replicate-’

((“They won’t be allowed to leave the main compound unless explicitly ordered to do so by one of us and they’ll also work for me full time. I know what I’m doing; I am a clone of you, after all.”))

LabHaul continues to beg and plead with me eventually giving in and letting him go work out the details of that with BossHaul. That should speed our mad science up a bit.

Jeez, our operations are growing at such a ridiculous rate. While eventually rivaling the MLA or Humarise in sheer number is simply out of the question, especially as both loyalty and quality are my main criteria rather than sheer quantity, getting a fraction of their numbers without relying on Double clones may be possible at this rate. 

Rivaling them in societal influence is also impossible. Sticking with the MLA as an example, Re-Destro has Japan’s largest support gear provider and the billions of yen it consistently makes in his back pocket, Trumpet is a major player in Japan’s government, Curious is the news industry version of Trumpet, Skeptic is the online industry version of Trumpet with a network of satellites at his disposal as a bonus, and those are just the MLA executives.

That’s not even mentioning All For One’s empire or Humarise.

 

It doesn’t matter how many loopholes and quirk cheats I take advantage of, I simply can’t match up to centuries-long country or even global-spanning conspiracies, especially when I only have a few years to do so.

But who says I have to go that route? Why should I play to their strengths when I can play to my own instead? Beat quantity with quality. Work smarter, not harder. Do things my way instead of their own, and we’ll see who has the last laugh.

However, now isn’t the time to get cocky. I can beat up Hawks pretty consistently and Endeavor would be crushed into a bloody paste in the right environment, but guys like All Might, All For One, Star and Stripe, and Gigantomachia would still squash me and my pet projects like bugs on the battlefield. 

Maybe I should consider getting some other talents to my side. The Second Underground Masquerade will be starting up soon and I’m expecting plenty of familiar faces to come over and take a look.

Of course, the more I fuck with canon, the more things are going to get completely derailed in the future. Meeting in the middle would probably be best, but who to pick for potential recruitment if they show up…

So many choices, so little time. Even Eri can only help me so much in that regard.

Well, even if I am a little indecisive, you can’t say I haven’t made any progress.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Main Family (+ Current Quirks):

• Sekan Doraifu - Mind Web, Overhaul, Confession, Double, Love, Cleaning
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• Eri - Rewind

Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry 
• Zookeeper (Personal Maid/Eri’s Main Caretaker) - Cleaning
• Hari Kurono (Leader of Eight Bullets/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis 
• Kendo Rappa (Eight Bullets) - Strongarm 
• Hekiji Tengai (Eight Bullets) - Barrier 
• Toya Setsuno (Eight Bullets) - Larceny
• Yu Hojo (Eight Bullets) - Crystalize 
• Soramitsu Tabe (Eight Bullets) - Food 
• Deidoro Sakaki (Eight Bullets) - Sloshed 
• Rikiya Katsukame (Eight Bullets) - Energy Suck

Other Forces:

• Praetorian Guard - 57
• Pseudo Getens - 3
• Cyber Warfare Branch - 25
• Mad Science Branch - 10
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 330
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 12
• Thugs and Goons - 1750

Subsidiaries:

• Hero Killer
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth and his crew
• Team Reservoir Dogs
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 60

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 20: There’s No Place Like Home

The war between the Creature Rejection Clan and Wild Villains organizations was in full swing now.

Many flocked to their causes now that they were operating so out in the open. All that pent-up anger was just given the perfect outlet.

The effects of this villain civil war on society may not be anywhere close to as large as canon events like the Hosu Attack, Kamino Disaster, and everything involving the Paranormal Liberation War (yet), but it’s still practically unheard of in the ‘Golden Age Era of Peace’ or whatever people choose to call it.

The occasional villain gang forms, sure. Villains sometimes make temporary alliances for bigger jobs, sure.

But this?

Both organizations are becoming far larger than most heroes could ever imagine and Japan itself is struggling to contain them despite the groups involved being more interested in tearing each other apart.

The heroes are a goddamn afterthought in this war and they’re still losing right now. They all got complacent, and that’s costing them big time.

This starts the gradual decline in trust and faith towards heroes that’s meant to happen half a year from now.

 

Society has relied entirely on the Pro Heroes for far too long. They were only people, even the strong and virtuous ones. Even All Might is just a person. 

Society and the government expecting them to solve all the problems that were born out of the mistakes and indolence of said society and government was the height on injustice.

They needed support. They needed governmental policies that would work to mitigate or even solve the problems that gave birth to villains like those in the CRC and WV in the first place. And they needed society to do its part in helping the heroes.

But no, that’s not how things roll here. The good, lawful side of shounens usually has a fighting force of an exceptional few rather than a united many. Even a single military division of Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force (or JGSDF for short) would smash both villain organizations to bits, but the GSDF, and the military in general, hasn’t existed for over a century.

Then there’s the glorified jailers known as Japan’s Police Force. Pretty much everyone outside of Tsukauchi is completely useless because god forbid they outshine the heroes. As Bakugou would say, they’re nothing but extras.

So all that’s left are the heroes, and with most being de facto celebrities rather than hardened fighters (what, with their ridiculous aesthetics and publicity stunts), getting overrun by swarms of villains duking it out in one city after another was a forgone conclusion.

Entire prefectures have become battlegrounds. Hundreds of civilians have already died with that number rising by the day.

And while many members of both sides have been arrested so far, these villain organizations only seem to be getting larger as time passes.

Powerful people have begun to notice… and changes have begun to be made.

 

Countdown to Canon: 5 Months 2 Weeks before Entrance Exam

At 2:15 in the morning, the attack begins.

The building’s security system has long been hacked and the power is completely cut.

The (currently awake) security guards are knocked out and hidden in quick, efficient fashion.

Dozens of people invade the property, spread out but moving as one, ready to take down whoever stands in their way.

Now if this was my home, there’s no way invaders would even touch our secret labyrinth before being slaughtered. A good chunk of the city it’s in has practically become my eyes and ears nowadays, and I have a small multi-quirked army that even Garaki would salivate over.

But this isn’t my house.

Nope. The target of me and most of my Praetorians tonight is the Yaoyorozu mansion. 

 

The quirk called Creation is one of those superpowers that just feels too good to be true. It’s also one of the quirks that are criminally underutilized by their owners.

It’s one of the quirks in a certain special list of mine that I want to obtain no matter what and actually can potentially obtain it without any problems, unlike One For All, All For One, and New Order.

Other quirks on this little list include Erasure (the Underground Hero wielding it is annoyingly difficult to track down on patrol, I can’t figure out where the hell he lives, and there’s no way I’m attacking UA to get it), Warp Gate (trying to obtain it means confronting the potato and I’m still not ready for that), and IQ (I plan on paying Saiko Intelli a similar visit with my Praetorians after this) to name a few. 

But back to the quirk I’m here for, Creation can literally create whatever the user wants no matter how complex or advanced its structure is as long as the user has enough lipids to do so and knows the atomic configuration of said objects.

The only exception to this all-encompassing creation ability are living beings like humans and animals. Those can’t be replicated with this quirk. So organic matter is a-okay (Momo wouldn’t be able to make clothing otherwise), but no pumping out living animals or plants or people.

Future canon UA student, Momo Yaoyorozu, first imagines the necessary parts followed by the materials, the assembling process, and the coating with the finished product emerging from her body. 

She doesn’t even have to completely dispense a creation from her body either! She can materialize half or more of her creations’ functional structures while the rest remains lodged in her with no negative effects!

So what kinds of amazing, creative, custom-made, game-changing creations does she make with this godlike quirk of hers? 

Staffs. Shields. Wheelbarrows. Goddamn ancient cannons. And don’t even get me started on the complete and utter stupidity that is ‘Yaoyorozu’s Lucky Bag’. 

 

She could have prepared a pile of TIAMAT NUKES from the United States by asking Commander Agpar for the blueprints and eating a few burgers! 

Then just have Neito Monoma warp them over to some uninhabited island with a copy of Warp Gate and have the heroes shove AFO Tomura through another warp gate onto that island during the Final War to instantly kill the bastard! Or better yet, shove both his and regular AFO’s cages into the nuke trap!

Oh, and to add insult to injury in this hypothetical example, the heroes could have had Tomura’s trojan cage at the start be made of lead through Creation because lead doesn’t decay and Decay is like the only quirk he even bothers using during the Final War outside of AFO itself.

But noooooo. Why simply nuke the demon lord LARPers when you can have most of your guys create and run a fucking high school turned flying coffin to take them down?  

Goddamn shounens, I swear. Putting even a bit of brain power into questioning certain decisions made in those franchises can just ruin them for you.

Also, the less said about the atrocity that is her hero costume, the better. 

And she’s ranked as S-class in intelligence! I thought the villain rankings took first place in MHA’s stupid rating systems (Re-Destro as a goddamn A-Rank; what the hell, Japan?!), but this may actually top it! 

Then again, this is a shounen where logical decisions aren’t exactly common practice.

 

I know that canon MHA characters being stupid and shounen-like makes my job a whole lot easier, but fuck, does this kind of thing make me want to bash my head against a wall over and over. 

Anyway, the raid goes off without a hitch. It’s not like they had a chance of repelling it unless All Might himself happened to be dropping by for a visit or All For One decided to use one of his quirks to grow a new brain for himself.

I body-fuse with Momo, unfuse with her a bit later, have some cloak-covered Praetorians steal a few family secrets and documents so the question of what exactly a group of highly-trained invaders stole doesn’t pop up (because it would look a whole lot more suspicious if they didn’t steal anything at first glance), and let the heroes fruitlessly search for the people responsible. 

As for why this was necessary, it was simply impossible to break into the place and not alert a whole bunch of people. Mind Web only lets me alter memories so much and there’s no way almost two dozen security guards are going to be convinced that they all suddenly decided to take a nap, even with memories supposedly supporting that.

Even so, this shouldn’t really lead to anything. Besides getting tons of profit, the nice thing about selling so much Trigger and modified weapons to villains throughout Japan is that home invasions like this will simply be swept up in the crime wave all this bootlegging created.

So even in situations like this where people are going to know villains broke in, heroes have their hands full with more important issues already. Thank you, long-term society-ending master plans for making little stuff like this so much easier.

This’ll also probably motivate Momo more to be a hero, which is just fine. My future plans have nothing to do with UA and stronger 1-A students means the potato and handyman will have a tougher time doing their thing.

 

Anyway, once I get back home, I give some of my larger members copies of Creation, and just to cheat the quirk even further, I also had LabHaul stock up on all the disregarded flesh and body copies we’ve gathered overtime in order to temporarily fuse them onto my latest organizational branch nicknamed the Creation Crew.

Creation uses up fat cells to create stuff, right? Well by continuously fusing more of said cells into people with this quirk, they can create more stuff without having to stuff their faces with food. Of course, I’ll be having them do that too, but the former method is far more efficient.

With these guys at my disposal, I’ll no longer have to rely on Giran and numerous robberies to get hordes of materials. My organization is still rapidly growing and the villain broker can only get so much stuff for me. 

Also, he was starting to get more and more curious about all this random stuff I was buying from him and I don’t want him being clued into too many secrets of mine in case someone does what the MLA did to the guy in canon.

It shouldn’t happen, but I need to be prepared for the worst and avoid unnecessary risks whenever I can. 

As for getting materials through legal methods, while Osaka is a market hub, I can only have so much imported before people start getting suspicious. Doing this through shell companies helps a little, but doing such is a logistical nightmare for BossHaul and his management team and I’d rather not have my own clone start a strike.

That’s how you get a Twice-like backstory, and I do not want to have a Twice-like backstory.

I can also only have my Creation Crew make so much, so my prior methods will be used to get less expensive and/or rare materials while my newest method will handle the difficult parts.

Anyway, with my Creation Crew ready to go, I first have them create the final materials needed for another big project of mine. Not as big as taking over a city or beating the main antagonists at their own shtick, but still pretty big.

Frankly, I really should’ve done this sooner with all the new stuff we’ve had to add in over the last few months. The labyrinth was really starting to get messy and even I got confused on where the hell certain rooms were a couple times, let alone some of the new guys. 

That’s why, several days after the invasion of Momo Yaoyorozu’s house (we’re waiting a bit longer before going to Saiko’s place; I don’t want anyone connecting the dots) we had everyone clear out of the underground labyrinth and take most of the stuff being stored down there with them, leaving only BossHaul, LabHaul, myself, and a dozen or so Mimic clones.

Thank you, my fanatic followers and Double clones, for making this all so much easier.

 

Of course, we couldn’t take everything out, but only having to be extra careful with a few rooms like the main lab instead of most of the building was going to make these renovations a lot easier.

We also had our guys bring in a whole bunch of materials like various metals, defenses and security stuff, reinforced concrete, and so on that will be added to the new layout through usage of Overhaul and Mimic.

Bring in or flat out create, I suppose. And I’m not just talking about the Creation Crew for the latter.

Remember the crystals Yu Hojo can make with his quirk? The crystals that get even more powerful when Yu has Trigger in his system, powerful enough for me to make armor out of them?

Well, I’ve made sure to stockpile those too. I won’t be selling those armor pieces or crystals in general to Giran since they’re quirk-related, and that will make hero interference in my business endeavors far more likely.

Besides, mass producing those quirked crystals is far more tedious than producing and modifying the gear I’m already having Giran sell. Double clones won’t work since the crystals would just turn into goop after a hit or two and I’d much rather invest into the Creation Crew than a branch with copies of Yu’s quirk.

However, not being able to sell them doesn’t mean I can use them. Those Trigger-boosted quirk creations will help out a lot with my headquarters’ fortifications.

And speaking of the Black Market, I’ve also been buying as much as I could from Giran for months now to make projects like this possible, and there’s only so much I can buy the legal way without looking suspicious, so the Creation quirk was pretty much required if I wanted to remodel this place the way I wanted to, among other projects.

I already had several meetings with most of the top brass and a few representatives of the regular thugs to decide on the new design plan for our secret hideout, and managed to come up with blueprints that mostly satisfied everyone after way too much debating. 

I also took a quick skim through old memories regarding a little list I read in my last life. A list of things you should never do if you decide to become an Evil Overlord.

Godspeed, TV Tropes! And thanks for the unending amounts of inspiration.

 

My ventilation ducts will be made too small to crawl through. They will also be lined with barbed wire and other defenses in case anybody with Ant Man style shrinking powers comes knocking. 

All important systems will have redundant control panels and power supplies. In fact, every important thing in general will have at least one backup copy ready to replace it at a moment’s notice.

My main computers will have their own operating system, meaning intruders can’t just plug their phones and laptops into any machine in here and gain full control over all technology in my evil lair.

I made sure to have my subordinates sweep the entire city for any secret passages and abandoned tunnels we previously missed, ensuring no easy, unknown entry into our secret lair for the heroes.

My fortress hallways will be designed with no alcoves or protruding structural supports which intruders could use for cover in a firefight. 

Bulk trash will be disposed of in incinerators or through use of appropriate quirks, not compactors. They will also be kept hot, with none of that nonsense about flames going through accessible tunnels at predictable intervals.

My security keypad will actually be a fingerprint scanner. Pushing any sequence of buttons will trigger the alarm system. Also, blasting or destroying the control panel on the outside will seal the door and blasting the control panel on the inside will open the door, not vice versa.

My main control room will not be designed so that every workstation is facing away from the door. On that note, there will also be security cameras absolutely everywhere with human and artificial oversight 24/7.

Finally, in accordance with Rule #12, one of my advisors for this project is my five year old daughter, and any flaws she is able to spot will be corrected before implementation. 

It’s a little silly, I know, but look at the world I’m living my second life in.

I’m in the world of My Hero Academia, a fucking comic book world where superheroes and supervillains are the norm and anything perplexingly stupid can happen. 

Sometimes, it’s best just to fight fire, or in this case, sheer ridiculousness with even greater ridiculousness. Other times, it’s best to think logically, aka, use your fucking brain.

In this scenario, doing a bit of both is best.

So yeah, making sure to avoid those classic tropes is pretty damn helpful when looking at my current situation.

Also, Eri gaining some more leading/advising/villaining experience is always a plus. She already fits in with the Yakuza Princess and Daddy’s Little Villain tropes, and she’ll become the Queenpin in no time. 

So now it’s time to spam Trigger and get some really good practice with our quirks in, because we’re remodeling our entire labyrinth from the bottom up today! 

Thank god for Overhaul, Mimicry, Double, and Creation, because this would take months, if not much longer, without these four quirks.

 

The first few hours mostly consist of slowly expanding the area around us since this new labyrinth is going to be a whole lot bigger than the old one. 

Next up was trying to match up the blueprints of this massive ant hill with real life, something made very difficult when you factor in additions like ventilation, electronic installation, running water and plumbing, etc.

The Joi clones can handle most of the easier stuff like rearranging walls and rooms, but the more precise overhauls require me and my other clones to use the quirk Overhaul.

We have all the materials needed thanks to Giran and the Creation quirk copies, among other sources. They’ve all been designed just the way we need them to as well, and even if they weren’t, Overhaul could reshape them to our liking. But it was still a massive pain in the ass. 

We were practically creating an entire fortress underground and there is a lot of logistical work that goes into planning such a thing. Oh, and let's not forget about a few places like the main laboratories that had to be transported very carefully so as to not make any messes.

It takes almost twenty hours straight and way too much Trigger, but we finally complete our part of the project. Putting the finishing touches on a few installations and moving all our shit in will be left to the rank and file. 

That’s gonna take a while despite having over a thousand people on the job, but at least we can finally relax now. 

As for the layout of the new labyrinth, it can all be divided into five main levels.

 

Level 1 is where most of the barracks are located. It is a heavily fortified defensive line against all attacks from outside with numerous defenses and traps turning this floor into a death trap for anyone brave or stupid enough to try invading.

It won’t just be me or my clones spamming Overhaul to make shish kebabs of incoming invaders. Don’t forget about all the military gear I’ve been creating and stocking up on. 

My guys have enough turrets, revolver grenade launchers, and man-portable anti-tank systems at their disposal to make any battlefield resemble the Fields of Flanders in the First World War! All that’s missing are a few boulder traps and you get Sen’s Fortress from Dark Souls in terms of difficulty.

Now these defenses aren’t perfect. Lemillion can no-sell pretty much anything my guys throw at him with his permeation and All Might would bulldoze through easily enough, but not all heroes are like them. Far from it. 

Most heroes will not be expecting such a bloody battle. They’re more celebrities than crime fighters and were taught to capture rather than kill. If my city and my headquarters are ever invaded, my subordinates will have no such mercy.

But this is meant to buy time more than anything. This place has numerous tunnels that stretch all across the city and you better believe that my yakuza will be hauling ass with all the stuff they can carry if the worst were to happen. 

The only real problem would be a warper like Kurogiri just inviting himself into the lowest levels of my labyrinth with AFO stepping out right after like the drama queen he is, but Kurogiri requires coordinates for his warping to work and there’s no way he getting those if I have anything to say about it.

Moving on, Level 2 is where most of our training areas and rec rooms are. This is the place where most of the Hassaiki will be if an attack happens during the day and the previous floor if it happens at night. 

They’ll all be ready to go into war mode far before the attackers manage to even arrive at the building. Most will be too preoccupied fighting against defenses covering an entire city to even try approaching the main compound!

This floor is also where the housing for most of the top brass is, so myself, my clones, Eri, Zookeeper, Joi, the Eight Bullets, and so on. These rooms are more spacious and just nicer in general then the barracks up top, but that’s to be expected. 

 

Level 3 is our main production floor. It’s where we create and prepare to ship out various weapons, ammunition, Trigger, and so on. 

The Creation Crew will make production of the most expensive things a whole lot easier, and with this practically being a central hub for products being sold into the criminal underworld, there are a lot of tunnels ready to help transport this stuff wherever we need it to go.

And as for the possibility of the attackers using these tunnels against us, bypassing the main defenses on the first floor in the process, well, every tunnel has remote-operated explosives buried at multiple points that can be detonated and collapse the tunnel before heroes can make it through.

If that doesn’t work for some reason, then I’ll have Mimic or my clones use their quirks to collapse the tunnel themselves or even do it myself if necessary. I know how the heroes raid Gunga Mountain Villa during the Paranormal Liberation War and I will not make the same mistakes the Paranormal Liberation Front did.

Level 4 is where most of our storages are, so money, weapons, drugs, and so on. It’s also where our main prison, our server and security rooms (where the cyberwarfare branch does their thing), and a few smaller labs are located. 

Oh, and there’s also the small atomic reactor that’s the main power source for this entire underground citadel. Getting the blueprints for one honestly wasn’t that hard thanks to a little thing called the Internet. 

Frankly, those are far from the most concerning searches on my browser history… I should probably have that deleted before I end up on some kind of list.

In my defense, Creation lets me do so many more ridiculous things in this world, and I could do plenty of borderline impossible feats already. Take some fucking notes, Momo!

So this all sounds pretty important, right? Well, that’s completely intentional on my end.

 

Now the main purpose of this floor is to be one giant feint for the attackers, because there is one more floor below this one, but the existence of said floor is known only by myself, my clones, and my most trusted subordinates. 

This final floor was not brought up at all in the regular debriefings regarding this renovation. This final floor is burning far beneath the fourth floor and only accessible by myself, my clones, or Mimic using our quirks to forcefully part the ground and descend on down.

Don’t get me wrong, there are quite a few heavily-restricted areas on all the previous floors, but this is something completely different.

If heroes or villains were to ever raid this place, then they shouldn’t realize that this final floor even exists. 

It’s a secret lair within a secret lair and another byproduct of my sheer paranoia. The Final Floor.

This is the place where LabHaul keeps and does his main experiments, his storage of quirks, and the data (either online or written) about said experiments. 

This is where I have my secret training sessions with Hawks clones (the Bird Cage is what we’re calling that arena; Rappa came up with it and I thought the name was funny).

This is where I plan to bunker down with Eri and a few others if the world ends much earlier than expected due to a completely unexpected case of butterfly effect. If my current long-term plans work out, then I won’t need to use this place for that at all, but better safe than sorry.

This floor is further hidden with the best radar-cloaking technology in Japan and reinforced by several meters of a specialized Carbon Steel alloy that makes Tungsten and Titanium look like Copper in comparison. Thank you, Creation quirk copies, for making this actually affordable. 

 

So yeah, I really went Plus Ultra with the remodeling here. The main Shie Hassaikai compound now resembles an underground fortress of some evil supervillain overlord from some ancient story. 

There’s easily enough space in here to garrison an entire military division (10,000-25,000 people) and all the equipment they could ever need. And that’s not even considering the tunnels that lead all over the city.

If the heroes decided to send practically everyone they have to Osaka like they did against the PLF in canon, then the Shie Hassaikai should be able to hold out long enough to properly evacuate most of the important stuff. 

All in all, this should serve as the perfect headquarters for now. 

I plan to have my final home base be somewhere else when the world truly goes to shit. Somewhere that should be able to house my entire army and all my needs while being practically impenetrable to whatever the Quirk Singularity Doomsday throws my way.

Somewhere that, after a few personal upgrades, will make Tartarus look like it’s made out of cardboard, but I’m still a long way away from carrying out that particular plan.

This is still great progress though. This underground citadel should be more than enough while the world is still peaceful. 

Such a shame Japan’s lifespan only has barely a year and a half left, and that’s if the canon story stays pretty much the same. It has the potential to be a whole lot less under the right chain of events.

I’d prefer for that not to happen, but the butterfly effect can be a real bitch sometimes.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Main Family (+ Current Quirks):

• Sekan Doraifu - Mind Web, Overhaul, Confession, Double, Love, Cleaning
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• Eri - Rewind

Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry 
• Zookeeper (Personal Maid/Eri’s Main Caretaker) - Cleaning
• Hari Kurono (Leader of Eight Bullets/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis 
• Kendo Rappa (Eight Bullets) - Strongarm 
• Hekiji Tengai (Eight Bullets) - Barrier 
• Toya Setsuno (Eight Bullets) - Larceny
• Yu Hojo (Eight Bullets) - Crystalize 
• Soramitsu Tabe (Eight Bullets) - Food 
• Deidoro Sakaki (Eight Bullets) - Sloshed 
• Rikiya Katsukame (Eight Bullets) - Energy Suck

Other Forces:

• Praetorian Guard - 57
• Pseudo Getens - 3
• Cyber Warfare Branch - 25
• Mad Science Branch - 10
• Creation Crew - 20
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 345
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 14
• Thugs and Goons - 1890

Subsidiaries:

• Hero Killer
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth and his crew
• Team Reservoir Dogs
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 72

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 21: The Y-Team

Sekan Doraifu has a plan, an absolutely crazy, world-altering plan, and the Villain War going on is just one of the steps involved with this plan.

BossHaul knows what this plan is; he’s a clone of the original, memories and all. He knows that this plan ensures their survival when the canon apocalypse starts up, but preparations are still such a massive pain in the ass.

The cyberwarfare branch and his team of managers do help lower the pressure a good bit. They’re people who can deal with all the phone calls and associated background chatter over things like new recruits seeking protection, assets at risk of getting caught in the crossfire, bundles of projects either side wants to buy, and so on.

It allows him to focus on the greater picture. 

And he supposes he can’t complain. The others are hard at work too.

LabHaul is working wonders with their brand of mad science, slowly but surely preparing to make the original unbeatable to anyone bar the gods that sent them here before their grand plan’s endgame.

NightHaul is busy playing double agent, keeping track of how heroes are responding to the war and figuring out how best to take advantage of that when supplying these villains. These villains also serve as great training practice for his intern.

And the original is working on a side project that’s long overdue. 

The Villain War might not be going completely according to plan, but at the very least, it serves as a wonderful distraction for the heroes. It makes acquiring the quirk copies he needs so much easier.

Even so, it’s a pity that they can’t acquire a quirk like Energy Saver just yet.

They’ve built up a lot, but it’s far from being enough. Not when they have several nigh-unbeatable symbols and titans as opponents.

My Hero Academia has some scary bastards hanging around in both the limelight and shadows, and the paths available can be painfully limited depending on your quirk or quirks, but this latest side project should at least help out a little.

This latest side project should be a boon for Sekan’s ultimate goal.

 

Countdown to Canon: 5 Months before Entrance Exam

“Thank you for coming, everyone.” I tell the assembled top brass of the Shie Hassaikai with a smile on my face.

The people currently in our main meeting hall are me, BossHaul, Labhaul, Zookeeper, Joi, the Eight Bullets, and Eri who insisted on attending too despite the part she’s gonna play today once this initial meeting is over. She’s got her own tailor-made business suit on and is even wearing a smaller version of my (Kai’s) trademark gas mask, only bright pink in color.

“So what’s the gathering for, boss? Are we the ones going on a big operation this time around?” Rappa asks, cracking his knuckles. 

He’s still sour over not being able to take part in the Wild Villains raid, but he wouldn’t have played the part of a CRC member very well. 

Not only that, but he and the rest of the Eight Bullets, my own A-Team (or yakuza A-Team… Y-Team?) have been falling behind lately. It’s not that they’re weak in power or skill, those guys are still pretty strong and are continuously working hard to improve.

It’s just that my more recent pet projects like the Praetorian Guard are too ridiculous. 

But I plan on fixing that today.

 

“No, this isn’t about another operation of ours. Besides, you’re going to be the figurehead of the Second Underground Masquerade really soon so it’s not like you don’t have anything to look forward to… well, besides this.”

That gets my best brawler to raise an eyebrow.

“This organization has changed a lot over the last five months, that much should be obvious. But through it all, even as my ambitions and accomplishments reached greater and greater heights, you all have stuck with me and did your absolute best to keep up. 

I called you here to first say thank you for that, as both your boss and your friend. Thank you for helping to make my dreams a reality. The second reason I called you all here is to do something that’s long overdue… granting you all a worthy reward for your service and dedication.”

“...You’re going to give us more quirks?” Kurono guesses, showing why he’s one of the most intelligent people working for me.

“Not just any. Quirks I have spent the last few weeks collecting all throughout Japan just for you. Quirks from heroes, villains, and civilians alike that will have amazing synergy with your original powers and push your strength to all new heights!”

“You’re welcome!” Eri calls over from the end of the table. “Keep up the good work, you guys!”

The last few weeks were a very long few weeks. 

If there was a lesson to be taken from the very existence of All For One, it was that you could achieve almost anything with the right combination of quirks. I have access to some very useful ones, and when adding my expertise of quirks on top of that, many doors lie open before me.

Just look at what I did with Overhaul and Rewind for proof.

 

While I didn’t have anything in mind as outlandish as infinitely duplicating quirks (for this project, anyway), what I wanted to accomplish when boosting the Eight Bullets was far from easy. 

Most of them started as trash, they themselves admitted such in canon. Kai picked them up and gave them worth again, but they were still weak when looking at the big leagues. I wanted to go a step beyond what Kai did; I want to empower them like how I empowered myself.

On top of copying a whole bunch of quirks from people all around the country (meaning repeated trips back to the Main Compound), I also had to visit all our other facilities and make sure everything was in working order while doing the Confession test for so, so many potential recruits and small subsidiaries. 

One of these new subsidiaries is the Cider House, a minor villain team that debuted during the start of the MLA Arc. 

This minor villain team is actually pretty competent when compared to most others with them being smart enough to study patterns and routes of hero and civilian activity in a specific street for a whole month with the intent on maximizing profits from their looted items while facing minimal resistance.

They were taken down by Katsuki Bakugou and Shoto Todoroki who just so happened to be in their area after getting their Provisional Hero Licenses literally half an hour ago (talk about shit luck) and the support gear they got from the black market was from Detnerat, so it was doomed to fail from the start (talk about even shittier luck). 

These guys have potential, so after confirming they were legit about joining up with my organization, I put them to work. With their quirks mostly being water-based, I had them partner up with Innsmouth and his crew as they set sail around the country.

While Innsmouth and his guys deliver and collect their shipments, Cider House uses data provided by my cyberwarfare team and NightHaul to rob people and stores in the area with the least hero activity before making their getaway with Innsmouth on his ships.

That little partnership is still in its testing phase, but I’ve only heard good things so far.

 

Back to my own work, I have BossHaul and NightHaul helping out too and this kind of thing is what I’ve been doing for months now, but things were really cranked up to 11 these last few weeks. I even felt tempted to make a few more clones of myself just to speed things up! 

But if the behavior and actions of the first clone I ever made through Double is any indicator, these copies of me aren’t the greatest fans of being used for a couple small tasks before getting forced to kill themselves right after. Probably my survival instinct and selfishness at play.

And while I could give others copies of Confession and even Mind Web to solve this, granting others quirks like that could easily backfire considering how many secrets I’m keeping to myself. Blame paranoia for this, but that is what got me this far to begin with.

Oh, how I wish the Confession quirk worked through video calls, or even better, I had a warping quirk at my disposal, but alas, here I am looking through dozens of independent villains and small groups throughout the country, making sure they aren’t spies for AFO, the MLA, or even Humarise.

At least I finally finished… and made the Hassaikai a whole lot better in both quality and quantity. The latter is self explanatory. The former, well, you’ll see soon enough.

We then all head down to LabHaul’s main laboratory where the quirks in question are being stored, and LabHaul starts up the procedures that will grant them not just more quirks, but also get their body modifications up to date.

Now the Eight Bullets are pretty strong, but not that strong. Even with all the training and body modifications I’ve given them, most would still lose to even a single member of my Praetorian Guard. 

I decided to fix that, giving them a much needed boost by scouring my knowledge of canon and using a combination of Giran, the Hero Net, and my cyberwarfare branch to help track down and acquire the quirk copies I wanted.

 

First up is Hari Kurono. I originally wanted to get him a copy of the quirk Slice from Kiruka Hasaki since the Chronostasis quirk effect being stacked on top of all the crazy things Kiruka is shown doing with her hair in the Heroes Rising movie would be absolutely terrifying.

Unfortunately, Giran has no idea where Nine’s crew is currently hiding out at so I had to go with Plan B, getting a copy of Hair-Raiser from the hero Mr. Brave.

This quirk makes the user capable of extending and hardening hair strands that they can tear off from their own head. The user can also freely shape-shift their hair strands into versatile, functional weapons or tools.

Basically, Kurono will be able to further extend and harness his hair arrows and even create weapons out of their strands that have the same slowness effect if their hair hits opponents. Not as powerful as a combo as it would be with Slice, but still a massive upgrade.

He’ll probably be sparring with Stain a lot more often after this.

Oh, and Mr. Brave was coincidentally one of the heroes who attended Sir Nighteye’s meeting regarding the Shie Hassaikai raid in canon and also took part in it. I was already planning on getting rid of him just for that, but I was able to kill two birds with one stone here!

Now with my level of paranoia, I was obviously going to pay special attention to the heroes who fucked up the yakuza’s plans in canon. 

I ended up acquiring quite a few of the same locations Kai did in canon for the Shie Hassaikai to operate at (he did a pretty good job choosing where to set up secret bases, not gonna lie), and making sure the heroes there weren’t going to get in the way was a top priority.

I’ve been slowly having the heroes in that meeting room and other ones in my areas of operation either corrupted through bribes and blackmail, body-fused with my guys through Overhaul, or taken out by independent villains hired through Giran like Muscular and Dabi if the former two options don’t work out and then try the former two options again with whoever replaces them.

Same goes with police in those areas, but those guys are a lot easier to corrupt through bribes and blackmail. Most of them are already mistreated and mocked by the heroes for being glorified jailers, so being able to spite them for extra benefits appeals to more of them than you would think.

While I won’t be taking any more cities like I am with Osaka, at the very least, I don’t want any law enforcement catching on to my operations.

 

But getting back on track, the next top brass to be upgraded is Joi Irinaka and the new quirk he gets is a copy of Softening from future Class 1-B student, Juzo Honenuki. 

This quirk will let him manipulate the area around him even without Trigger, albeit with much more limits then a Trigger-boosted Mimicry, and when he does have Trigger in his system, he’s going to become a lot more dangerous now that he can switch between liquid and solid ground with a thought.

I considered getting him a copy of the Monster Cat quirk from MHA Vigilantes too, but I decided not to risk getting on the Naruhata Vigilantes’ radar. 

I know that the quote unquote ‘organization’ technically disbanded after the end of MHA Vigilantes, but I also know that Knuckleduster is still around doing his thing. 

And after all the fame Crawler got during his own adventures in Japan, I wouldn’t be surprised if he inspired others to be vigilantes in that city too. For all I know, Kazuho could’ve closed her cafe and gone back to being Pop Step. 

I won’t be going anywhere near that place without more intel, and it’s not like the quirk is that good anyway. It’s basically a weaker version of Mimicry with both needing Trigger to become threatening.

So yeah, Softening will do for now.

Next up is Hekiji Tengai, and his second quirk is another one from Nine’s crew… sort of.

I found the hero that Nine stole the Air Wall quirk from and got a copy of it myself. This quirk will let Hekiji have a lot more freedom with where he can place barriers and even create strengthened barriers when combining the two quirks.

Both quirks even form barriers with the same color, so from an enemy’s perspective, it’s going to look like one really powerful quirk instead of two separate quirks.

That was actually one of my main requirements when finding quirks for these guys. I didn’t want them to be too different from their own quirks since I obviously don’t want people suspecting they have multiple quirks while fighting them. 

I basically theorized with my clones what a Quirk Awakening would look like for these guys and went from there. 

 

Toya is next and finding a quirk to pair with his Larceny was pretty tough. I eventually settled for finding a certain LOV member and getting a copy of their quirk and it would’ve been impossible if it wasn’t for Giran keeping in touch with them.

Officially, I had him set up a meeting for me with Atshiro Sako, otherwise known as Mr. Compress, so I can hire him to steal some damning evidence from a hero I was planning to blackmail, and that part was genuine. 

What Giran doesn’t know is that I did a quick body fusion with Mr. Compress right afterwards and altered his memories to forget about it once I was done.

Compress will let Toya have a way to quickly and efficiently store all the weapons and other stuff he steals through Larceny as well as re-equip them whenever he wishes. That should be a good enough upgrade for him.

Next up is Yu Hojo who I decided to simply give a copy of Creation to. I know I said that these extra quirks were special and unique for the users, but I really couldn’t figure out a good quirk to pair up with Crystalize.

I mean, Crystalize is basically the same as Creation; both allow users to create stuff that can exit throughout their body and can even keep the created items attached if they want.

Yu was alright with this after I explained my reasoning. Creation is a super overpowered quirk after all, and while he probably won’t be making anything too complicated anytime soon, he’s already looking into the atomic compositions of various metals so as to disguise his second quirk as a new application of the first.

I’ve been having the Hassaikai utilize that quirk as purely support until now; might as well take advantage of its offensive potential too.

 

Next we have Soramitsu Tabe, and the new quirk I got from him is from another hero who was in the canon Shie Hassaikai raid. 

The lucky winner this time is Taishiro Toyomitsu, also known as the Pro Hero, Fat Gum.

Fat Absorption allows the user the ability to adhere any objects to their body and make them sink into their body fat upon contact with it. It provides a high degree of protection and even lets the user absorb the raw force behind enemy attacks before releasing it back in a single devastating counterattack.

However, this technique requires the user to burn down their fat as they stockpile said force, weakening their defenses and leaving them practically powerless if the counterattack doesn’t bring down the target.

As a prerequisite for this quirk to work properly, the user requires a high level of body mass, meaning they need to eat a lot to properly use the quirk. This pairs up extremely well with Soramitsu’s Food quirk that gives him an insatiable appetite and lets him eat and quickly digest just about anything.

Basically, Food will now act as a support for Fat Absorption with Soramitsu eating anything in sight to quickly charge up his new quirk and become a powerful tank; a tank that will continuously restock on energy and power up by devouring everything in sight, even the very kinetic force his enemies attack him with.

Fat Gum was capable of blocking rapid assaults from Rappa of all people, and his counterattack one-shot both him and Hekiji despite the latter having a barrier up, so this new quirk just turned one of the weakest of the Eight Bullets into one of the strongest.

 

Speaking of Kendo Rappa, I… may have gone a little overboard when finding a suitable quirk upgrade for him. 

This guy is going to be the head of my largest business endeavor soon and I didn’t want him getting caught and arrested and there are so many quirks that pair well with his and, well…

I didn’t get him one new quirk. I got him three new quirks, all having a terrifying synergy with his original quirk and each other.

New Quirk #1 is none other than Muscle Augmentation from Goto Imasuji, also known as Muscular.

This quirk lets its user amplify, manipulate, and augment their muscle layers both inside and outside of their body, granting them immense amounts of strength, speed, and durability. It even let Muscular contend with Izuku using One For All at 100% during the Training Camp attack!

Even All For One had enough brain cells to realize how valuable this quirk was and had Dr. Garaki make several copies of it to give to Wolfram, the High-End Nomu Hood, and the four-eyed white Nomu from the Hosu City attack in canon. 

It’s stated that Goto had an earlier encounter with Dr. Garaki, explaining how Wolfram and those Nomu got copies of the quirk, but none of those three were capable of using it as well as the quirk’s original holder could. I intend for that streak to end today.

Goto can cover his body in more than 12,000 layers of muscle, and when fighting seriously, he can obliterate a large portion of a cliffside with a single strike. 

When that kind of power is paired up with Rappa’s Strongarm quirk, a quirk that lets its user rotate and move their shoulders at extreme speed and power, you get something that even All Might would have trouble matching in his current weakened state.

But that quirk combination paired up with Kendo Rappa’s incredible amounts of skill and technique wasn’t enough for me, oh no. I decided to take things a step further because I’m a paranoid bastard. 

 

New Quirk #2 is Charging Muscles, a quirk from one of the goons at the USJ attack who called himself ‘Muscle Man’. Real creative name, dude. At least Goto makes the villain name Muscular sound intimidating.

Anyway, this quirk allows the user to charge up strength in their muscles, enhancing the strength of an attack to form a powerful blow. It’s basically a temporary, weaker version of Gigantomachia’s Fierce Gains quirk.

Use this quirk with the 12,000+ layers of muscle from Muscle Augmentation and continuously apply it to rapid-fire punches through Strongarm and you get something really fucking dangerous.

But that still wasn’t enough for me.

New Quirk #3 is Fast Fist from the Pro Hero, Blackbelt.

The user of this quirk is able to move their hands extremely quickly, allowing them to hit at least 100 times in less than a second. Using this quirk, Blackbelt can repeatedly hit near a pressure point on someone, eventually hitting it and instantly knocking them unconscious. 

Due to the speed of Fast Fist, the attack appears to be a single chop. It moves fast enough that to the naked eye, it seems like a single motion.

So just to summarize this insanity, Strongarm lets Rappa rotate and move his shoulders at extreme speeds and power, Fast Fist lets him do the same thing with his hands, Muscle Augmentation lets him amplify, manipulate, and augmentate his muscle layers, making him far stronger, and Charging Muscles lets him further increase the power in his muscles, making his rapid-fire attacks even deadlier. 

I basically just turned Kendo Rappa into a fighting force that rivals the current All Might. You know, that guy who can literally change the weather with a single goddamn punch. 

The wind pressure from a single attack can destroy several city blocks, as shown during the Final Exams at UA when Izuku and Katsuki went up against the Symbol of Peace. 

See why I think I went a little overboard now? The only place Rappa could possibly go all out while training is the Bird Cage on the compound’s final floor, and even that’s debatable despite how much I reinforced that arena to keep any unwilling training partners from escaping.

 

Moving on to a more reasonable upgrade, Deidoro Sakaki is up next and his brand new quirk comes from a fighter featured in the original Underground Masquerade. 

The quirk’s name is Dragon Breath and its wielder is a guy called Drunk Lee. 

No, I do not know what his full name is. Yes, I think the name he goes by is funny.

Dragon Breath allows the user to expel fire from their mouth and, similar to Sloshed, requires alcohol to be consumed beforehand. 

Naturally, a quirk like this pairs well with Sloshed since both have the same requirements to be used and it lets Deidoro burn alive anyone close enough to him, something made a lot easier when people lose their sense of balance around him.

Oh, Deidoro also figured out how to limit the effects of Sloshed to whoever he chooses to, so his allies don’t have to worry about losing their balance around him anymore. That makes working close with him a whole lot easier.

 

Next up is Rikiya who gets a copy of Wave Motion from Nejire Hado. 

Wave Motion grants the user the ability to convert their vitality into energy that they can discharge as blast waves, and with a little creativity, they can be used to do so many wonderful things.

Besides being able to control how much of her energy is let out at any time, Nejire can fly by releasing some energy from her palms and feet, create energy pikes, restrain people by wrapping them up in her energy, and even use her quirk for close range combat, boosting her punches and kicks. 

It’s a very powerful all-rounder quirk that only requires a lot of vitality or stamina to wield well. When paired with Energy Suck, a quirk that can steal the vitality of others by making physical contact and inhaling (or just inhaling when using Trigger), you get a powerful quirk that can be recharged at will.

It’s a similar idea to what I planned out for Soramitsu Tabe with his original quirk now being delegated to a support role for a more powerful quirk, their synergy making for a terrifying opponent that can keep on dishing out heavy damage for as long as they need to.

The threat level of my Eight Bullets just went up by several orders of magnitude and most should be capable of contending with even Top 10 heroes now!

What can I say, the ability to give someone multiple quirks becomes horribly dangerous when you have a working plan (unlike a certain self-proclaimed ‘demon lord’).

But I’m not done with the upgrades yet. I still have other gifts to give.

 

“Last but not least, Zookeeper.” 

The white-haired girl looks surprised at me calling her out. Did she not think she was included?

“Really? Me? But I don’t really fight like they do, Kai. I mean I could if you want me to thanks to my… time with Curator, but-”

“I would never ask you to fight if you don’t want to, Zi.” I assure her while slowly grasping her hand with my own. “Since the day you joined, you’ve done your best to look out for me, my daughter, and my clan, and that’s more than enough.”

“Yeah!” Rappa cheers, nearly blowing a hole through the ceiling as he pumps his fist up high, creating a powerful burst of wind pressure and stuttering a quick apology afterwards as both Zookeeper and I glare at him. 

“I’ll uh… I’ll go work on controlling my new strength right after this.”

“Consider watching a few tutorials on fluid dynamics, Rappa. But like I was saying, if I’m the head in this ancient, secret, groundbreaking villain organization of ours, then you’re quickly becoming its heart.”

“Huh. Who knew the boss was such a charmer?”

“ZIP IT, RAPPA!”

“Yes, sir!”

 

“Ugh, just… just ignore him. The point is, you’re putting so much work into looking after us, so the least I could do is help out a little. That’s why the new quirk you’re getting is a copy of my own… a copy of Overhaul.”

Everyone else in the room is stunned, especially Zookeeper.

“I… really? A-Are you sure?” The white-haired girl stutters. 

“Yeah, I’m sure. If the worst were to happen, then with how often you’re by my side, I can count on being resurrected. If any one of us is injured or anything of ours is destroyed, I can count on you to put it back together. Of course, the choice is yours at the end of the day, but this is what I want.”

“But… how can you give me Overhaul? Would I fuse with a clone, or…”

“Not quite. If you’re willing, then I’m going to body-fuse with you for a bit, and once we’re defused, Eri will simply use Rewind on you instead of me. 

I’ll then remove all the extra quirks and the flesh that comes with them one at a time until only Overhaul and your original quirk remains before making you resemble your original self as much as possible through some more Overhaul refinement.”

I haven’t gotten to what I call Stage 3 of Overhaul yet, Stage 3 being the ability to directly give and take quirk factors like All For One, only in an instant and with a simple touch from anywhere on my hands to any part of the person’s body, instead of getting quirks and the bodies that come with them through body fusion.

So instead, I found a little workaround for this gift, that being the method I just described to her.

 

After some egging on from the Eight Bullets and approval from Eri, I go for it and do what I described, and soon enough, Zookeeper looks exactly like her old self, only a few inches taller and possessing a brand new, super overpowered quirk.

Everyone else I gave quirks today also looks almost identical to their previous selves with the only differences being their new selves are slightly taller and bulkier. I made sure that all the quirks given were either emitters or transformation quirks that could be disguised as a new application of their original quirk too for the purpose of keeping that mind-blowing secret hidden.

The procedures were a complete success and my top brass got enough strength to warrant being my strongest fighting force, but there’s still one person I have a gift for.

“Yay! Thanks, dad!” Eri cheers when I offer her another copy of Nejire’s Wave Motion quirk. 

After discovering my five year old daughter practicing a villainous monologue in her bathroom about how she was going to take Nejire’s quirk because of how really super cool it is and there was nothing that Mirio or Tamaki could do to stop her, I decided to just get her a copy of it now before she attempts to scam AFO out of his quirk or something just so she could get Wave Motion.

It was only after I got it that I realized how well it would pair with Rikiya’s quirk too, saving me a trip.

Wave Motion was supposed to be a Christmas or birthday gift for her, but most of my long-term plans are progressing faster than I expected and Eri kept asking about it and I also didn’t want her feeling left out or neglected as I started giving people more quirks left and right.

So a couple minutes later, Eri is a few inches taller with a tint of light blue now naturally appearing in her white hair (a request of hers before the quirk-transferring procedure; she wanted to remember her first and also look prettier then the UA student and I just couldn’t say no to her) and a brand new quirk that she’s dying to start playing around with.

All in all, it was a very good day for the Shie Hassaikai. Let’s hope that there are many more to come.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Main Family (+ Current Quirks):

• Sekan Doraifu - Mind Web, Overhaul, Confession, Double, Love, Cleaning
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• Eri - Rewind, Wave Motion

Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening
• Zookeeper (Personal Maid/Eri’s Main Caretaker) - Cleaning, Overhaul
• Hari Kurono (Leader of Eight Bullets/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser
• Kendo Rappa (Eight Bullets) - Strongarm, Muscle Augmentation, Charging Muscles, Fast Fist
• Hekiji Tengai (Eight Bullets) - Barrier, Air Wall
• Toya Setsuno (Eight Bullets) - Larceny, Compress
• Yu Hojo (Eight Bullets) - Crystalize, Creation
• Soramitsu Tabe (Eight Bullets) - Food, Fat Absorption
• Deidoro Sakaki (Eight Bullets) - Sloshed, Dragon Breath 
• Rikiya Katsukame (Eight Bullets) - Energy Suck, Wave Motion

Other Forces:

• Praetorian Guard - 87
• Pseudo Getens - 3
• Cyber Warfare Branch - 30
• Mad Science Branch - 20
• Creation Crew - 25
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 550
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 23
• Thugs and Goons - 2210

Subsidiaries:

• Hero Killer
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth and his crew
• Team Reservoir Dogs
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 115

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 22: Bonus Chapter - Eri’s Internships

“Why did I think this was a good idea? As if Eri hasn’t learned enough bad words already. Oh, and apparently intelligence-boosting quirk users can pick up on Mind Web’s effects on them even if I use the most passive option, because of course they can.” 

Her dad groans as the cornered rat with a monocle dares to berate him for ‘bringing a toddler to a home invasion’, using a few creative swears in the process now that she finally lost her cool.

She’s not a toddler! She’s almost six!

Hmph! Shows how smart she is even after chugging whatever tea she has stored in her room. Her quirk boosts her IQ a ton depending on what kind of tea she drinks, but a strength quirk wouldn’t do a whole lot for a cripple, now would it?

Your mansion’s guards were crap and you lost despite your totally genius strategy of making a few basic barricades and pincer points. Too bad, so sad. 

“Because you like to teach?” Miss Zookeeper offers an explanation, and yeah, her dad loves teaching her!

“I do…” This seems to be an epiphany for her dad. “And if you’re anything to go by, I’d say I’m pretty good at it.” He comments while tickling his daughter’s side, getting a laugh out of her. “You’re picking up on all our lessons really quickly. What do we do from here?”

“Take her quirk! I want it so I can learn stuff faster! Then… um…” She sticks her tongue out of her mouth, scratching her head in thought as the rat with a monocle gives her a horrified expression.

Good. None of her future enemies, heroes and villains alike, will dare to come after the people she cares about once they see what she (after her training concludes) can do.

 

“Oh!” She sticks her hands into her sweatshirt and pulls out the thing she asked the Creation Crew to make. “We shoot her! She saw and heard too much and Mind Web has its limits on memory alteration!” She cheers happily, waving a tiny pistol around in her hands.

“Wha- no!” Her dad quickly takes the loaded firearm out of her hands. “Where did you even get that? Was it Yu again? I told him to stop making those!”

“But daaaaad, you said that the best villains keep their trump cards close to their chest!” Her dad sends her a glare that promises no cartoons and anime for a week, but Eri grins cheekily at him with Miss Zookeeper chuckling at the father-daughter display.

“Hey, Eri? Remember that funny thing we talked about you doing a few days ago?” The older white-haired girl suddenly asks the younger one. “Do it now!”

The little girl scrunches up her face for a bit, but then a bright smile appears with it getting bigger and bigger as more time passes. 

“Oh, okay!”

Eri leans forward with her head down and yells, “Unicoooooorn, chaaaaaarge!!!” before suddenly leaping forward and jabbing Saiko Intelli in the side with her horn, earning a cry of pain from the teenager.

“...Holy shit. She actually invented her own move?” Her dad asks, forgetting to censor himself out of shock.

“That was the restrained version. She can do a lot more damage once she adds on her quirks.” Miss Zookeeper explains, barely keeping back her laughter.

 

Both father and daughter then do their duplication trick and the teenager’s memories are altered once her dad is done complaining to Zookeeper about ‘acting responsibly’ and ‘double standards’.

Eri then gets a copy of the fancy rat’s quirk along with a few other small bonuses from the fusion with a bit of her body itself. Her original quirk can duplicate that too!

She got a boost in natural intelligence through something involving some part of that body copy’s frontal lobe and some other brain parts, according to her dad. In other words, she’s like a supergenius now, so her master plans can be better than ever before!

She also got another new tint to her hair with the color being somewhere between lavender and pale gray. That’s along with the light blue she got from Nejire. 

With how much of an expert her dad has become on the human body and his special brand of mad science, doing such a thing was childsplay for him with Overhaul.

Her hair is still mostly white in color, but these extra tints make her look a bit prettier and they serve as reminders of what her dad has done for her (and who she plans to be better then). 

She kind of looks like Alas Ramus from ‘The Devil is a Part-Timer’ now, only with a horn on her head and an extra strand of light blue hair instead of light purple, and she loves that pre-quirk anime!

Now then, it’s time to master this newest quirk in her arsenal.

 

Her dad is already having different kinds of tea shipped here from all over the country (after asking Gentle Criminal for some recommendations) for her to try out and see which ones she both likes the most and think help her the most.

IQ can only activate when drinking tea and different teas have different effects, but she’ll figure it all out soon just like how she’s figuring out Wave Motion. The fancy rat’s memories regarding that are a good starting point, but she’ll go far beyond what she accomplished.

She already knows how to stack Rewind’s effects onto the energy emitted from Wave Motion and choose how much of one or both to apply when releasing said energy. She doesn’t need her horn to store up and release energy anymore; her entire body works as a storage and conduit for her powers! 

Now that her horn isn’t a weakness anymore (slicing or pulling it off won’t even hurt, much less cripple her quirk thanks to her body modifications) she just needs to learn how to do all those cool tricks Nejire did at the Sports Festival.

Flying is up first, but keeping her balance isn’t easy, especially when you’re trying to fight someone. 

Then there’s going beyond what Nejire figured out with this quirk. Her dad gave her some great ideas to try out and they’re working great! 

She’s already getting good at direct contact blasts; temporarily paralyzing opponents' nervous systems and taking down entire structures by targeting their weak points and other stuff like that isn’t a problem with Wave Motion!

Oh, and she has a whole lot of other skills to work on too. She can’t just rely on her quirks; two of the three rely on stamina and the last one relies on tea with her only being able to have so much of both at one time.

Maybe if she asks her dad for a copy of Rikiya’s original quirk…

No! She needs to master these quirks first! She doesn’t want to be like the evil potato with lots of quirks and no clue how to properly use most of them! How can she be better than her dad one day if she can’t even be better than that guy?

She’ll do that and master the other skills she needs to, and for that, she’s going to need some help. 

 

Her dad is busy. She knows that running a criminal empire takes a lot, even with several clones helping him out. Most of the other higher-ups are busy too with that SUM project of theirs about to start up.

Even Miss Zookeeper is away from the main compound right now! She requested to oversee and handle profiting from the CRC-Wild Villain villain war still going on. She can’t really blame her for wanting to witness her own version of Kai Chisaki suffer without even knowing who to blame. 

She’ll probably do a grand reveal at the end before finishing the job and Eri will do whatever she can to support her with that, but for now, she’s kind of happy that her new main caretaker is gone for a bit because that’s going to make this secret plan of hers a lot easier.

So she’ll just learn from her dad’s subsidiary groups and allies instead! They all do important stuff for her dad’s villain empire and learning all those skills will make her a way better villain down the line!

Besides, they already know who the daughter of their boss is, and if she tells them that her dad sent her over to learn some stuff, then they won’t question it one bit!

“You know you can be whatever you want when you grow up, right? You’re the author of your own life.” Her dad had reminded her. “Well, if the world is still around by then, anyway. But I am a little biased, so if you did decide to be a villain-”

“I wanna be a villain! I do! I do!” Eri had cheered, jumping up and down. “Just like you so I can protect you too! And I promise to keep working really hard at it like you are!”

“...I know you will.” Her dad had smiled at her and patted her on the head and she won’t let him down!

So her villainous internships then began. 

 

 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

“YEAH!!! WAY TO GO, LITTLE FIRECRACKER!” Maguma Iwata bellows as he and the rest of the Volcano Thieves jump out of the opening Eri made with Wave Motion. 

Several police cars are waiting for them on the street they just jumped to, but two of them get melted in seconds by balls of magma Volcano hurls at them and their burning pieces are slammed into the third one by a mini tornado formed by Gust Boy.

Eri is mostly riding on Maguma’s back to avoid being spotted (the guy is freaking huge and tends to run towards police and heroes rather than away like most other thieves do) and she’s having the time of her life right now.

But in the worst case scenario, she won’t be tied back to the Shie Hassaikai thanks to her new disguise. 

She now has her own custom villain costume and everything! It’s purple and red and has this really cool golden belt that holds her crystal knives from Yu and a thermos filled with tea for her IQ quirk and reinforced blood red gloves to fire lots of her energy from without hurting herself and a blood red scarf like Stain’s and-

“WE GOT HEROES INCOMING!”

“Got it, Ash! VOLCANO THIEVES, WE’RE BLASTING OFF!”

 

It didn’t take long to crack through Volcano’s tough exterior, especially when she showed him a bit of what she could do. Also, being so small makes climbing through vents really easy.

The other two members of his crew became smitten with her much faster and agreed to let her come along on their more action-packed brand of heists (she’ll learn more subtle methods and how to pinpoint security cameras plus their blindspots from Gentle Criminal later) once she told them that her dad requested it.

And thieving is just the start. There are plenty of other skills she can learn from them too, like how to get away with arson without a fire-type quirk.

“Well to start with, ditch that accelerant. You want it to look like an accident which means no outside chemicals. If the house has a gas burning stove, you could always just turn that on, light a candle, and leave.

Oh, and don’t forget to make sure all the windows are closed. It’s not as satisfying, but it’ll get the job done.”

This is gonna be fun.

“So no speeding things up with chemicals? That stinks.” She pouts at Gust Boy. “Too bad we can’t just manipulate oxygen to further spread fire as oxygen is totally natural and untraceable. Oh, if only we had a quirk that manipulates the air. Like a wind quirk. Or a mutant quirk that can manipulate the air as a side effect by creating gusts or something.”

“Good news! I’ve successfully taught Eri how to sass!” Konako smiles at her teammate once he connects the dots. The look on his face is priceless.

“I know! I can’t believe she can teach either!” Eri smiles too, and the look on Konako’s face is even more priceless.

Turns out you don’t need fire or acid quirks to brutally burn someone; words work just fine too. 

This is gonna be really fun.

 

 

“V-Villains! You won’t get away with-”

“WE’LL GET TO YOU IN A MOMENT, YOU FAKE!!!” Stain roars, annoyed at one of the bloodied and beaten heroes who clearly hasn’t learned his lesson. “Apologies, young lady.”

The Hero Killer kneels back down next to Eri, the pair turning their attention back towards the other unranked hero who may or may not secretly double as a CRC member. Either that or this guy and his friend are just assholes who beat up mutant quirk-holders in back alleys for kicks. 

“Okay, you have a firm grip on your knife like we talked about?” 

His little temp gives a nod back. It’s nice to see people with such conviction, but getting involved with this line of work at such a young age is a little much, even for him.

Oh well. This kid is probably going to become the empress of the underworld by the time she’s her dad’s age so he might as well accept his supplier/boss’s request and show her which kinds of heroes should be culled while he has the chance. 

“Good. Now see those pale blue lines running down his arms? Those are veins, the tubes forming part of the blood circulation system of the body. They’re mostly responsible for carrying oxygen-depleted blood towards the heart. In simple terms, cutting along where the veins are will make people bleed more.”

Eri concentrates, running the blade across the hero's arm as his screams are muffled by the gag Stain forced on him. 

“Like that?” She then asks, rubbing her forehead which gets a bit of blood on her hair.

“Almost, but you have to press down more.” Stain clarifies, cutting down the hero’s leg to give a proper demonstration and making even more blood spill out of his body.

Kai Chisaki did much worse to her for months on end; such a scene is nothing to her at this point.

“Try not to enter the body at an angle. Use the sharpness of the blade to your advantage and follow along the bone if you get lost.”

The Shie Hassaikai’s successor nodded enthusiastically. “Okay, I can do that!... uh, do you mind if I rewind him a bit? I messed up again, so-”

“Don’t worry about it, kid. Conserve your energy for now. We still have his friend over there and a city full of other fakes to practice with, so you can take as many tries as you need.”

 

 

“Come on, I’m sooooo booooooooored. When can we fight more pirates and krakens?” Eri complains to Innsmouth as they sit around the captain’s quarters of his main vessel.

“Sorry, little lass. The job isn’t usually so exciting. Coming across rival gangs while sailing through the seas is rare and this would be the first time we’ve ever come across a quirked animal during one of our voyages.” The octopus mutant admits before shivering upon remembering the last few hours.

Needless to say, coming across an angry squid with a gigantification quirk was quite a shock to the overseas smuggling crew. That was before the 50 foot tall sea animal used its tentacles to tear one of their boats in half.

“Frankly, if it wasn’t for the extra quirks your father recently gave me, we may have all been sunk.”

“Don’t forget me! My Time Pike attack helped sever not one, but two of its legs!”

“Tentacles, little lass, and aye, thank you for that. I probably would’ve lost another few boats in me small armada if it wasn’t for you.”

She gives a big smile at that, but then frowns as the captain gets back to his paperwork.

“What’s even the point of that, anyway?”

“It’s annoying, but helps us keep track of stuff.” The water quirk-wielding leader of Cider House answers as he walks in. “My word of advice, get people to do that stuff for you when you’re older.”

“It be your own fault if they mess up.” Innsmouth comments while keeping his eyes on his work.

“Then make sure they’re good at it.” The other villain team leader argues back.

Hmmmm…

 

 

“-so you guys have to learn how to do paperwork ‘cause I’m gonna be the boss of our organization when we’re older and I’m gonna be way too busy to do that!” Eri finishes explaining to her two minions on Nabu Island over the phone. 

Explaining and asking politely, not threatening. Only stupid villains need to threaten their own subordinates to get the message across. She made sure her own subordinates know better.

Oh, she also messed around with the tracker before leaving so her dad doesn’t catch on. It’s entirely online so she can just transfer it over to the phone of some goon under her dad and take it back once she arrives back at the compound like always. 

She should probably thank those guys in the Hassaikai’s hacking crew for teaching her a few tricks with a phone once she gets back. They altered any camera footage of her sneaking out too. It took some convincing and even more bribing, but she can’t complain about the result.

“...That sounds really boring.” Mahoro comments after a bit of silence.

“If you don’t want to do it, then find some subori- sub- subordi… find some minions to do that for you. We won’t just be a team; we’re gonna be an entire organization and you two are gonna be some of my top brass so you need to recruit some more people for us. But make sure they’re trustworthy.”

If the world doesn’t fall apart before she grows up, then she’s going to become Japan’s most terrifying mob boss and probably kill most of the heroes too since they’re so awful and usually get in the way of her family’s master plans. 

The world probably will fall apart (her dad says it’ll most likely happen in two years at most), but she’s long since learned from him how important having a few contingency plans are.

Kai Chisaki was a disgrace to the Shie Hassaikai. He put her grandfather (the old boss who was doing a way better job than him) in a coma, threw away any sense of honor and decency the yakuza still had, and would probably get beat up by the heroes the second they decided to actually do something about him.

His oyabun privileges deserved to get revoked. Her dad is a hundred times the mob boss that he was and she will be too when she grows up!

But for now, she still has a lot to learn.

 

 

“Alright, kiddo. What cards are left in the deck?” Giran asks the unicorn girl in a business suit.

“Four and Five of Spades, Eight of Clubs, Jack of Hearts, and… Two of- no, Three of Diamonds.” 

“Wow! That’s some memory you got there, squirt! I take it dear old dad taught you a few tricks beforehand?”

He also gave her a few quirks, one of which being an intelligence-boosting quirk, but this shady broker doesn’t need to know that. 

She’ll get what she can out of him just like all the others. Her and her dad will.

“Something like that. Do I need to pay you for this, or-”

“Nah, this was a nice break. Tell your dad I said hi when you get back. Oh, and I’d love to do some business with you once you take the Hassaikai’s reins, assuming I haven’t retired by then, because there's no way your dad's organization is going down when he has this level of paranoia.”

“Sounds good to me and I will. Thanks, Giran!” The one-horned girl waves goodbye and starts to leave the broker’s office, but then stops as she remembers a question she planned on asking the villain.

“Oh, by any chance do you have a contact or two that can give me some stealth training? None of my dad’s subsidiaries and top brass are very good at that besides Stain and he’s super busy all the time. I should have enough money on me to pay for it!”

…What? It’s not like she can ask Edgeshot for ninja training, now can she?

 

She built up a secret stash after her adventures with the Volcano Thieves and Gentle Criminal, so she might as well use it while she has the chance (and before she gets caught with it).

“Uhhhh, I might have someone that would be willing, but she’s- actually, she’ll probably like you. She has a thing for whatever she considers to be cute. She does have a thing for blood too though, so she might get a little… stabby. Should I ask your dad if-”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. Worst case scenario, I’ll just sing.”

“...Sing?” Giran questions the five year old after a long pause.

“S.I.N.G. It’s an acronym that doubles as a self-defense technique. Solar Plexus, Instep, Nose, and Groin; these are areas on an attacker that can be targeted for defense. Just another thing my dad taught me. Now call my new teacher up, please.” 

She gives him a blinding smile of cuteness and he eventually relents after making her promise to stop her dad from skinning him alive if things get hairy.

She’ll be fine. She can just use Rewind on herself if she gets a bit injured and she has multiple really powerful quirks! How bad can it be?

 

 

Turns out it really wasn’t that bad… after her latest teacher stopped squealing, anyway. 

She doesn’t know if it was surprise or delight or what, but at least she was able to train with her. She didn’t even have to pay anything thanks to being an ‘expert on adorableness’ like her dad once said.

“No, put a little less body weight on the front of your foot when stepping. You want to be as quick and silent as you can.” The blonde-haired girl instructs as Eri runs back and forth down a back alley, dodging bits and pieces of garbage while doing so.

She also did a little parkour, got some more knife training, and stabbed some random low-level villain in the back a dozen times after managing to sneak up on him. It’s been an interesting few hours, but she’s catching on quickly.

“Yeah, that’s it! You’re doing great, Eri!” 

The girl might be a little young, but Eri would be a pretty big hypocrite if she judged her for that.

“Oh, you’re so cute! Do you mind if I just get a little blood afterwards?”

“Okay! But can you make sure nobody else gets it? I kinda-”

“Don’t worry, cutie. I’ll just take a little sip before you leave… you can have some too if you want.”

 

It didn’t taste very good (and she spit a bit of it back out into her currently empty thermos when Toga wasn’t looking; giving her dad a blood sample of this very interesting quirk should shorten her eventual grounding time a bit according to IQ calculations), but if that’s what makes her potential future recruit happy, then so be it. 

“That’s another thing that makes a good villain.” Her dad had told her before. “No matter how powerful you are, even if your dad is the new demon of the underworld, it’s still good to keep the people around you happy. Less chance of them betraying you.”

Eri is smart enough to figure out that her latest teacher’s quirk likely makes her need to drink blood like how most other people need to drink water to live. She knows how much quirk use is repressed in society and how stupid that is thanks to her dad explaining the MLA and Destro’s goals.

She even read some of the ‘Meta Liberation War’ book that her dad got, and most of Destro’s arguments and reasoning makes a lot of sense. While the Quirk Singularity is probably going to ruin the world, trying to limit quirk use so much is just going to make people angrier overtime.

She knows how awful it is to feel trapped in a cage.

Letting people use their quirks to help out with jobs besides heroics (like construction or farming or other stuff like that) could help out society a lot and make fewer people become villains in the process. If only the current MLA wasn’t basically run by quirk supremacists with a ‘might makes right’ outlook…

“Thanks, Miss Toga! I’ll be sure to offer you a top spot in my villain organization once I’m older!” She waves while leaving.

“Thanks, sweetie! Don’t let anyone stop you from showing your own love and affection, okay? Also, you can just call me Himiko.”

“Okay, Himiko! Bye bye!”

 

 

These internships were nice. 

Her dad is still the best though. He saved her from Kai and immediately adopted her as a part of his family and he loves and cherishes her and trains her to help her become the best villain she can be, but he isn’t perfect.

He doesn’t know everything. He can’t do everything.

But he’s growing quickly. He went from being another punching bag of Kai to a supersoldier with a custom metal skeleton and multiple super powerful quirks that can beat most top heroes and villains!

He transformed the Shie Hassaikai from an absolute joke that ‘can get buried in an hour by that All Might simp in glasses and a few extra hero goons’ according to what she overheard from her dad to a villain organization that will soon be able to fight all of Japan at once and win.

“Okay, guys. I get that being a little extra flashy when compared to other thieves is kind of your shtick, but you are dangerously close to becoming an A-Rank and top heroes will start taking much more of an interest in you if you do.” Oh, speak of the underworld’s devil.

“I told you that bringing in those ruffians wouldn’t be a good idea.” Gentle Criminal huffs, pissing off his main rival in the Hassaikai.

“My group steals ten times more than you do, buttercup! Besides, we know where the top heroes are most of the time, and while they are fast, they can’t get across a portion of Japan faster than I can get the job done.”

That gets La Brava to start screeching and Eri’s dad to sigh at the two groups of thieves.

“And what job would that be, I wonder? I steal valuables as well as expose the corrupt owners of those valuables for the world to see! You seem to be taking more after the Hero Killer than a thief.”

Stain (the real one, not a clone) huffs an “As if.” as the flaming mountain of a man growls.

“...At least Eri liked it.” Dusty Ash mumbles and- uh oh.

 

Eri was hoping she could get away with another week or two of this before her dad caught on or Zookeeper got back. 

Unfortunately, if the tidal wave of killing intent that just covered the room they’re all in is any indicator, that won’t be the case. It doesn’t land on her, but she can tell by the expressions on the others’ faces that they may not be leaving this room alive.

“Could. You. Elaborate. Please?” Her dad demands with pure murder in his eyes as Eri slowly starts sneaking out of the room, putting her new stealth skills to the test.

“W-What do you mean?” Konako stutters, almost falling back on her butt in fear.

Most other people in the room are the same. Even Stain is a bit wary of the malice coming off of her dad right now.

She’s happy that he cares so much about her, and he spoils her a ton, but he isn’t afraid to ground her for sneaking off and having a little extra fun on her own from time to time. 

She just wants to get a head start on her new villain organization, okay? Her dad took the occasional risk and went on the occasional crazy adventure and look where he is now!

 

“Uhhh, is this a bad time?” The leader of Cider House mumbles as he and Innsmouth walk in, coincidentally blocking Eri’s path out.

“Aye, that be true. We can tell them the tale about the quirked kraken later. Or did you tell them already, Eri?”

Her dad’s death glare then lands on the two smuggling subsidiary leaders, Eri herself being spared the gaze full of concentrated malice.

“...Okay, how were we supposed to know something like that would happen the one time you send your daughter over for an internship? We did our best, boss!” The Cider House leader argues, either not noticing or simply ignoring Eri’s futile hand gestures behind her back.

“I what now? Internship? What are you talking abo… Eri?”

“Oh crud.”

The jig is up after that. 

She gets grounded for a month. 

Chapter 23: Symbols

“A-Are you sure, All Might? With your time limit and all-”

“NOT TO WORRY, YOUNG MIDORIYA! I’M NOT THE SYMBOL OF PEACE FOR NOTHING!” All Might bellows in laughter while buffing up.

Being the hero otaku that he is, there’s no way Izuku Midoriya wasn’t learning about the villain war going on, and while the area of effect wasn’t anywhere close to his home (yet), he can’t help but worry for his mentor.

“Just keep up the good work, kid; I’ll be back to training you personally in only a few days! I’ll have quite the story to tell you then as well!”

“O-Okay. Good luck, All Might!”

As the Symbol of Peace goes off to save the day once again, Izuku can only question how he’s ever supposed to take the place of someone like that.

He won’t. Not in this world.

 

Countdown to Canon: 4 Months 2 Weeks before Entrance Exam

“Unfuckingbelievable.” I sigh as Zi leans into me, but this comfort, the sunset we’re watching, and everything else currently going on doesn’t take my mind off my kid. 

“I know that one of the ‘competent villain lessons’ I taught her was figuring out how any situation can benefit you, but this child may actually be the death of me.”

When she asked for a copy of Saiko’s intelligence quirk, I assumed she just wanted to learn stuff faster like I can through my body-fusion and mental quirk expertise, not this!

 

I won’t lie, IQ is awesome. My clones and I actually swapped out our copies of Love with the intelligence enhancer as we’ve gotten sufficient data and experience with La Brava’s quirk already, and if we ever need more, LabHaul has plenty of willing and unwilling volunteers to handle copies of that quirk for us.

Activating IQ’s effects, especially for the first time, was… odd. It wasn’t like I suddenly had a fundamental shift in the way I viewed the world; things were just… sleeker. Quicker. More efficient. 

In Tomura terms, it’s like realizing your favorite game has been rather laggy after upgrading to a better computer that can run it without any frame drop and very little loading time.

IQ doesn’t come with things like Photographic Memory either, but Mind Web and Overhaul can basically give me that themselves, so that lack of a function wasn’t a big deal. Mind Web in particular synergizes incredibly well with the intelligence enhancer, pushing my telepathy to all new heights.

I knew its effects, and yet I was completely blindsided by what Eri accomplished with its help.

Somefuckinghow, in the last few weeks, she managed to sneak out of the compound over a dozen times with her messing with the tracker I installed on her phone after getting a few lessons from my cyberwarfare team, knowing I would only check in occasionally and Zookeeper was going to be out for the foreseeable future.

During those escapades, she (in no particular order) went on heists with the Volcano Thieves and Gentle Criminal (the former involving some head-on battles with police and heroes), did some hero-killing with Stain, sailed around a portion of the country with Innsmouth’s crew and Cider House while doing drug runs and more stealing, made her own villain costume (probably through the Creation Crew), learned card counting and a few other tricks from Giran, got some stealth training from HIMIKO GODDAMN TOGA, fought an angry, quirked, fifty foot kraken that can tear my smugglers’ boats in half, did some more recruiting for her own future villain organization, and more. A lot more.

She even made sure to get both parts of that quirked squid and a bit of Himiko Toga’s blood, knowing that we can duplicate such things through our Overhaul-Rewind combo and that their quirks would be useful for me, lessening her grounding as a result!

And that’s not even getting into the fact that she bribed and/or manipulated my own goddamn subordinates to help cover her tracks. 

 

“I thought you knew she was manipulating you a bit?” Zookeeper questions. “Pretending to be an, uh… I think the right term is ‘daddy’s adorable little innocent angel’?”

“I did know that! I played along with it since she wasn’t doing that for malevolent reasons and also thought that it was making me happier. She saw it as a way of supporting me. But I didn’t think that my five year old daughter could do so much behind my back!” I argue back.

“Your five year old daughter who was recently given one of Japan’s most powerful intelligence quirks and learned quite a few lessons on villainy already from her father. She was too young and inexperienced to help her beloved daddy with his work, and she wanted to fix that.

What’s really funny is how she went about doing that. My time as a newbie in your organization let me learn plenty about the rank and file from their position, and they all see your daughter as a demon princess rather than an innocent angel. Your subsidiaries and top brass have similar opinions; you gave your daughter authority and she knows how to use it.

They know not to defy her, but they especially know not to defy you, so when she told people that their leader demanded they teach her stuff, they were obviously going to do that. If they had suspicions about her lying, what were they going to do? Tell her dad that his adorable, innocent little angel was going behind his back?

They figured you would most likely take her side, and even if you didn’t punish them, your daughter certainly would for defying her. When the options are either that or just giving the girl what she wanted, the better choice is pretty obvious, right?”

It takes a while to process what I just heard, and my face visibly pales a good bit in the meantime.

Eri did all that? My adorable daughter did all that? It couldn’t be true, right?

She’s five years old for crying out loud! Around half a year of training on the subject, a boost in natural intelligence, and a powerful intelligence quirk stacked on top of that be damned! Even shounen worlds that have high schoolers or younger kids saving it aren’t this ridiculous!

Did Not-Freeman turn this world into a crackfic or something? I know I’m breaking My Hero Academia and Eri was likely to take after her dear old dad, but this is just ridiculous!

…I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t proud of her though.

 

“She’s going to be a terrifying villain when she grows up.” Zi snickers. “Way better than any of these chucklefucks in front of us. She’s already the youngest chaos queen to ever exist and has some of Japan’s greatest villains wrapped around her thumb. 

Any allies of hers will become practically immortal. Any enemies of hers will be wiped from existence. Her quirk is almost godlike and she has some of the greatest teachers a prospective villain can have training her from such a young age. The war in front of us is nothing compared to the terror she’ll inflict upon the world once she grows up.”

Oh, right. We’re also watching the latest battle between the CRC and Wild Villains live in a Japanese town probably not near you.

The two villain factions have been duking it out for a few months now, buying plenty of the Hassaikai’s products in the process. Giran made sure to keep our own group anonymous, but those guys don’t really care as long as it’s good enough.

Zookeeper has been overseeing most of it with her taking a more active role in ensuring her tormentor’s downfall over the last few weeks. Not like I can blame her for that. 

Now despite the CRC and WV fatality rate being at an all time high, both villain groups have seen a spike in new members and support since this war began.

All For One, the MLA, and maybe Humarise (still not 100% sure about the latter; I’ll have to use Confession on a couple people when this battle wraps up) probably saw a chance to sow some more chaos in the country and are providing one or both sides with more manpower and firepower.

Also, both the Wild Villains and Creature Rejection Clan were either much bigger than initially estimated or there were just a whole lot of people that were just waiting to jump on a united ‘normal’ human-hating or mutant-hating bandwagon.

Probably the latter considering how many mutant quirk-wielders from the Final War’s central hospital raid I’ve seen from the footage so far; even that spider guy rallying everyone under Spinner was there working as a spy for the MLA! 

Curator doesn’t have all of the 15,000+ people AFO had marching to Central Hospital during the Final War in canon, but his number of subordinates are definitely in the low thousands by now. 

The CRC is a similar story with people like the mutant haters in Mezo Shoji’s village equipping the clan’s robes and skulls and marching against the mutant villains. 

Plenty of people across the country who think mutant quirk holders are ‘impure’ or whatever are banding together now that they have both a way to channel their views (CRC) and a direct outlet for that anger (Wild Villains).

Their whole religious holy righteousness shtick is probably helping too when it comes to gathering recruits. It also follows the common trope of religious organizations in anime (ones involving alternate fantasy worlds in particular) being more evil and corrupt then whatever demons or monsters they’re hunting down. 

So yeah, there’s tons of support growing for both sides as this war progresses. 

 

I’m able to mostly keep track of everything going on. There’s NightHaul investigating and siccing Mirio on any villain he deems a problem (the kid practically rivals his canon, third-year self now thanks to the improved training regimen), there’s Giran keeping me up to date on rumors surrounding the factions buying out my products, there’s the cyberwarfare branch cross referencing anything they can find online, there’s all the feelers and spies I sent out, and so on.

However, this… wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when planning this out. I never intended for the conflict to get this large and involve this many people; I assumed that while the powderkeg that is hero society was close to blowing, that only AFO or the MLA making their moves could be that final nail in the coffin.

It seems that I have more power and influence over society than I thought… 

Such definitely benefits me here, since I can ensure that Osaka doesn’t end up hosting either side or a battle between both. Most of my stuff is in that city, so I don’t want any opposition anywhere close to it.

This unexpected development the war underwent has other ups and downs. For starters, I’m getting a lot more business. Quite a few people are financing both sides and a lot of that money is going to my own organization in exchange for products.

Products that can now be easily mass produced thanks to my Creation Crew.

Going from a positive to a negative, the heroes are really starting to take notice of all the Trigger being sold. According to NightHaul, the number of times that drug came up in conversations was alarming.

Variants, recent breakthroughs, crack-downs on operations, and even global implications are just a few examples. Giran assured me that the heroes won’t be busting down Hassaikai HQ as he hasn’t told a single soul about where his payday is coming from, only that the sellers have plenty stocked up for everyone.

And while my modified weapons are getting less attention due to them not being quirk-related, casualties on the heroes’ side mean they can’t just dismiss it anymore. They’re only getting more popular in the underworld, but this comes with an added risk, and I’m trying to mimize potential risks whenever I can.

 

Because of this caution, I’m probably missing out on quite a few potential independent villains and small groups hiding around the underworld. I even had a few groups currently under me request to join one side or the other as spies and send intel about what they’re doing back to me.

They were genuine about that, but I could tell they enjoyed fighting for the sides they were on a little too much to be considered pretending. In short, you could say that this war is getting rid of many undesirables in my own organization via death from whatever side they’re opposing. 

Now you’re probably wondering what happens if these de facto abandoned members decide to go completely AWOL and blab about Shie Hassaikai business to the Wild Villains, CRC, or even the heroes. Well, the chances of such occurring are extremely low due to both the Confessional and already being shown what happens to traitors.

But just in case that wasn’t enough, I made sure to use Mind Web to make any memories related to the Shie Hassaikai extremely fuzzy in their heads. They don’t even remember the specific name ‘Shie Hassaikai’, only that they’re spies for someone else; that’s how thorough and paranoid I was. 

The current Shie Hassaikai isn’t a racist cult, I’ll put it that way. Kai was obsessed with destroying quirks entirely, but my main goal is to ensure the yakuza’s survival alongside my own. It’s a villain organization that looks out for each other and forms a safety net for each other during these tough times, and so far, it’s been working out great.

I would take several hundred loyal recruits that share my vision then several thousand not-so loyal recruits who are mostly either spies for other organizations or likely to betray my organization when things get hairy or they’re offered a better deal.

Granted, this organization would’ve long since been exposed or even destroyed if I didn’t have the Confession quirk and plenty of contingencies ready planned, but there’s no point worrying about what-ifs. 

Confirming the intentions of so many new recruits is a pain, but at the very least, Confession can work on as many people as I want it to as long as I direct it at them and they can hear me.

All I need to do is group up a few dozen or hundred new recruits at some throwaway location like a warehouse or something, ask a couple questions with Confession through a megaphone (while hiding my appearance), and deal with any potential spies that get exposed accordingly.

I can’t have their bosses getting suspicious about the deaths of all their spies, now can I? Some altered memories usually do the trick, but for those who know too much… let's just say that LabHaul enjoys getting a steady stream of test subjects for his experiments. Ignorance is bliss, as they say.

 

And speaking of new recruits, there are quite a few people in the underworld who don’t want to be a part of either side. They want to be safe from both villain groups and the Shie Hassaikai can provide that safety in exchange for loyalty and a bit of hard work.

Of course, whether or not groups loyal to me would stay loyal to me once there was no Wild Villains or CRC or heroes to scare them straight was anyone’s guess, but they have been warned about the Confessional test (as in the loyalty-testing part, not anything about multi-quirked users or the questions themselves) and what happens to traitors.

Besides, it’s not like I’ll really even need them once hero society has fallen.

That’s one of the reasons why I had to do the Confessional on so many people and got so many new members over the few weeks where I was collecting new quirks for the Eight Bullets. New recruits are continuing to pour in, and most of them are genuine, so this war is turning out to be a great boon for the Shie Hassaikai.

There are a couple other positives and negatives for my organization, but it generally seems to be benefiting the Shie Hassaikai. As for everyone else, well, I haven’t risked sending spies into AFO or the MLA’s empire just yet. 

I already have an electronic backdoor into the latter and I already know what the former is planning, so I see no reason to risk my own organization’s exposure for that.

But there’s still one other key group in this opening war game to talk about. The heroes.

The HPSC’s constant power grabs are a threat to Japan as much as Re-Destro’s are and this war has given both organizations some great propaganda for their ideals. Their own positions will be strengthened, but such a cost is worth it, especially with them keeping each other in check for me (albeit the HPSC is unknowingly doing so).

The MLA secretly advocates that people should be allowed to use their quirks to defend themselves and fight back against groups like the CRC and Wild Villains while the HPSC is preaching about how this is what happens when civilians use their quirks and something something mutant quirks equals villains and something something the heroes can totally solve this problem, so keep worshiping them, you sheeple!

…Okay, so that last part may have been exaggerated a little. However, the main ideas of their propaganda are meant to keep the heroes up and everyone else down since these guys are in charge of the heroes, so they get all that public support and worship by proxy.

This society has no military, no American-style alphabet soup agencies, nothing like that. Their only protectors are heroes and those glorified jailers wearing police uniforms. Heroes are all they have, and putting all their eggs into one basket like that is gonna cost them big time.

 

Now most of the battles these two opposing factions wage take place away from the public, so the heroes shouldn’t be aware of this war’s true scope quite yet, but some battles over the last few weeks have spilled over into populated areas and that’s when top heroes start to swarm.

Endeavor is a common obstacle for both sides on the battlefield. I’m pretty sure he’s burned at least a dozen people on each side to death already with many more getting severely wounded.

‘Nighteye’ and Mirio never go towards the center of the storm, but the number of small outposts and storehouses they’ve taken down makes them major players as well. Remember, Mirio got his hero license back in June so he’s been able to do Work Studies at Nighteye’s Agency since then.

It’s the start of October right now so Mirio would’ve been able to participate in this war even if he waited until September to take that exam, but he already had the skills to pass so why not go Plus Ultra and take the test as early as possible to get a head start on Work Studies?

All the confiscated funding and resources ending up in my hands thanks to NightHaul and my spies in the police force is just an added bonus. My own weapons and Trigger also ending up back in my hands to be once again sold to them for more money is another added bonus.

The extra clout my clone/main hero spy is getting from this should also come in handy down the line.

Mirko and Gang Orca have shown up a couple times too with the latter having another clash with Curator. Kugo Sakamata was gaining ground throughout the first part of the fight, but then Curator used some of my Trigger and things got ugly real quick for the Killer Whale Hero. 

He managed to barely escape in the end, but he probably won’t be doing active hero work for a while.

Beating up a top hero so badly served as a rallying point for the Wild Villains, but this won’t be going on for too long, especially if a certain symbol does what I think he will.

 

“I mean, she is so incredibly adorable and precious! I ran into her practicing evil monologues to the mirror in her bathroom; can you believe that? I wanted to hug her so much!” Zookeeper gushes over the little girl that won her heart.

“Yeah, she’ll do that from time to time. She also probably taught you a thing or two about spite considering how much you’ve been milking both sides for profit lately.”

“You and her both.” She smiles at me. “You’ve given me so much, Sekan. I can never thank you enough for that.”

Yeah, I told her the same backstory I told Eri. She was probably going to find out about what Kai did eventually and I didn’t want her freaking out about it. Also, I trust her. I trust her and Eri more than anyone else in this godforsaken world.

Those two are the only ones here I’ve grown to truly care for; the people I am willing to risk everything for, and I know they’ll do the same for me. I do have a softer side for Kurono and most other members of my top brass thanks to Kai’s memories, but I won’t hesitate to kill them if they try screwing me over.

I know that Zi and Eri would never do that. I know I can count on them no matter what.

“Just keep doing what you’re doing; that’s more than enough thanks for me, Zi.” I smile back… and we slowly get closer to each other.

The entire town is in chaos, but nobody can see us up on the building we’re sitting at.

None of that is on my mind right now, not as I slowly lean in and-

“IT’S FINE NOW, EVERYONE! WHY? BECAUSE I AM HERE!!!”

…The symbol of cockblocking, everyone. 

 

All Might arrives on the scene to the angry cursing of hundreds and the cheers of thousands more.

He swoops through Wild Villain and CRC members alike, taking dozens down in a blur faster then what he was shown doing at USJ.

That’s right. It’s a bit tough, but I can actually track him, even without using IQ.

My sparring sessions with the new and greatly improved Rappa have gotten me results… and were also, quite literally, back-breaking hell. 

Now typically, training someone by beating the shit out of them until they learn to fight back is a Human Resources violation, but I am the last person on this planet who should be complaining about people making those violations… except maybe Dr. Garaki.

I can predict Rappa’s movements just fine, but his movement speed makes Hawks of all people look slow in comparison. That battle maniac mastered this terrifying boost in strength faster than I could’ve imagined and even further improved upon it!

Yes, most of his quirks are mainly offensive, helping with speed and strength rather than defense, but Muscle Augmentation alone lets him tank even a few OFA 100% shots if Izuku’s first fight with Muscular is anything to go by. The villain was just fine after that first full-power strike and Izuku had to go beyond 100% to finish him off back then.

Using Overhaul to quickly deal with Rappa is still possible, but actually landing a hit against him is much easier said than done. While he is weaker than the current All Might in terms of durability, he’s probably superior to the crippled symbol in terms of speed and strength.

I had to raise my concentration to the max and put everything I had into dodging rapid-fire blows that could each create a hurricane from the wind pressure alone. My nerve system has been modified to greatly heighten overall speed, reaction time, and reflexes, not to mention everything else I’ve done to my body through Overhaul overtime, but Rappa is just at a completely different level in terms of physical power.

My body quickly wore out during most spars despite never taking even a single hit. Every time I avoided one of his godforsaken attacks, sweat gushed out of my body and my muscles screamed. I felt like my life was shortening every time I fought the monster I created.

And in the spars where I did take even a single hit, the damage done by it tends to be lethal if not for Overhaul instantly healing me. I can undo pretty much any injury as long as Rappa doesn’t hit me through the head with his own take on ‘United States of Smash’. 

And even if I do get the All For One treatment, Zi is always on standby during those spars so she can resurrect me with her copy of Overhaul if needed.

 

I haven’t had to deal with the latter just yet, but there have been some very close calls over the last few weeks. I can definitely see why even the current, heavily weakened All Might can single-handedly carry the entire country on his shoulders. 

Doesn’t matter that he barely patrols anymore, his indomitable amounts of strength would make any villain think twice about causing problems in this country.

It’s one thing to watch absolutely ridiculous feats of strength and speed in an anime. It’s another to be put up against people with said feats, and holy crap is it terrifying when All Might’s level of strength is given to a combat-loving battle freak like Rappa.

All Might only really uses his fists. Rappa uses his whole body. Even his regular punches are the kind of hits that start from your toes, and by the time your fist moves, it has the power of every muscle in your body. Your full weight. 

Even slight super strength would turn that into a lethal weapon, let alone the amount of power Rappa now wields, and Rappa expels that from every part of his form with surgical precision. 

I don’t slack off on physical training myself, practicing with my quirks is crucial and teaching my body to utilize the constant influx of combat memories my mind gets is just as important. But Rappa, the training freak that he is, made sure he could utilize every last bit of power I gave him to utter perfection.

Overhaul, Rewind, and Cell Activation. Three of the world’s most powerful healing quirks are at my organization’s disposal and Rappa put them all to good use.

Those quirks all have other functions besides simple healing. Rewind can erase people from existence or make them immortal depending on the user’s whim. Overhaul is the most versatile of the three with the quirk literally being manipulation of all matter.

But when it comes to regular training, Cell Activation is no doubt the best healing quirk out there. 

 

It heals people slower than Rewind and Overhaul (so long as the latter’s user has the proper knowledge to use it), but it is still incredibly quick. It also allows a person to recover their stamina, something Rewind can do and Overhaul’s ‘return to factory settings’ can do.

But Rewind and that method of Overhaul undoes a person’s progress completely as a cost. Cell Activation, on the other hand, only makes people stronger.

It improves their physical condition alongside replenishing their health and stamina. This cell-energizing Cell Activation causes can affect healthy cells passively if done enough.

In the case of muscles, this means spontaneously generating ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and eliminating lactic acids. To put it simply, this allows people to push much harder against their natural limits, and the limits of people here are far looser than people in my old world.

This is why the quirk lets people constantly get the human version of saiyan Zenkai boosts. Using it once or twice on life-threatening injuries won’t do much, but spamming it in situations like that hundreds of times on end quickly gets you results. 

Bones were made denser, muscles were made stronger, the lungs were cleaner, the blood flowed better. Even the brain could think quicker as the body was just gradually made… better. The potential for physical conditioning this quirk has is just ridiculous.

This really helps out when it comes to our research on body modifications and the Quirk Singularity. LabHaul can horrendously injure some of his prisoners over and over again and then have one of our subordinates use Cell Activation to continuously heal them.

Not only can we force human bodies to grow far more powerful then what should be possible naturally, but we can also optimize the process and figure out which parts of the body Cell Activation can improve more than others or even see if there’s a limit to the natural improvements people can get through this quirk.

 

These experiments have been pretty successful with these superhuman bodies being duplicated through Overhaul and Rewind. LabHaul can then work on combining them with his discoveries on direct body modifications and ensuring all these improvements can integrate into the human body without causing any deformities. 

The perfected, or rather, constantly updated end result is then given to people like myself, my top brass, and my Praetorians. Combined with our various other body improvements, my base body is skyrocketing in power and efficiency. 

Stack some powerful quirks on top of that and managing to fight a battle maniac with strength rivaling the current, weakened All Might suddenly becomes a lot more viable.

But getting back to the big lug, with how many people I gave copies of Cell Activation to, finding and dragging a few healers around Hassaikai HQ to monitor him isn’t difficult. 

This allows him to damn near train and improve 24/7 nowadays, and the results show. No need to worry about damage from over-training with three of the world’s most powerful healing quirks at your disposal. It won’t be long now before he surpasses the current All Might in durability too.

However, there are still openings I can take advantage of. Rappa is tough as a wrecking ball, but he’s sharp as one too. Not only that, but I can also still use Overhaul to insta-kill him with a touch, so take that as you will. 

Anyway, there are hundreds of villains, if not more, on both sides with many of them being stupid enough to charge at the Symbol of Peace due to their advantage in numbers. Guess how that works out?

Those who have seen the canon USJ attack probably know the answer.

At least Curator is a bit smarter than the others, taking a dosage of my Trigger immediately, powering up to his transformed state, and preparing for a nasty fight once his goons and the CRC hopefully weaken the symbol a bit over their constant onslaught. 

All Might ends up knocking him out in 17 seconds. 

 

“Well, shit. I know you wanted to be the one to land the finishing blow on Curator, but-” I apologize to Zookeeper, but she stops me midway through.

“It’s okay. Watching the whale get pummeled so effortlessly while he was beyond his best is good enough for me. Heh, dominate all of humanity my ass.” She laughs and we both soon escape underground through spamming Overhaul together.

All Might dealt a critical blow to both sides that day, taking out a good chunk of their members and most of their leaders. 

Moving so many captives to high-security prisons where they could await their trials was gonna be a pain in the ass for them, but the Symbol of Peace being around at least stopped the remaining members in both organizations from attacking any villain-filled transports.

The Number One Hero was celebrated like he always is and the HPSC does it’s best to make everyone move on and forget about the goddamn villain war that got hundreds of civilians killed or worse over the last few months.

Most of the underworld was still pumped up after this though, and luckily for them, the Shie Hassaikai had a perfect outlet for them.

 

 

“For the hundreds in attendance and the thousands watching around the world on VillainNet. Ladies and gentlemen, from Okayama Japan… LLLLLLLLETS GET RRRRRRRRREADY TO RUMBLLLLLLLLEEEEEEE!!!!!!”

Hundreds cheer from all around the underground arena and Zookeeper gives me a weird look as I laugh my ass off while watching the livestream. I can’t believe I got Rappa to say that!

Pre-quirk reference for the win!

 

The Second Underground Masquerade is finally ready to go. We’ve got half a dozen complete and fully-staffed locations scattered around the southern part of Japan and a lot of people itching to make a profit from beating the hell out of each other. 

Or gambling on the fights. Or selling their products. Or maybe some people just want fame and glory.

Point is, this latest cash cow of ours is in full swing with me personally spending a lot of time at the main arena, making sure that any AFO or MLA goons don’t catch on to the greater scheme going on with my arsenal of quirks. 

Mind Web, Overhaul, Confession, and IQ for the win!

I’ve also got a bunch of my Praetorians working security and the medical stations (thanks again for the quirk, Katsuma) at all our locations. Giran and some of his guys are running the Black Market stalls (with most of the products being from the Shie Hassaikai), and funding is just pouring in right now.

With how many CRC and WV supporters wish to beat the hell out of each other without entering a literal warzone (especially after All Might’s rampage), we won’t have a lack of fights anytime soon.

Giran even got a whole bunch of people to invest in the SUM, getting me even more of a long-term profit! Taking over and equipping an entire city isn’t cheap and there’s only so much I can do with copies of Creation, so all this funding is greatly appreciated (not that these guys know what it’s going towards).

Also, with how many rare, expensive gems I’ve been having the Creation Crew make purely for profit, Giran seems to be convinced that all those raw materials I was buying from him before were going towards the creation of a secret mine. 

The idea sounds completely ridiculous, but then again, a lot of what I’ve been doing since my arrival here has been completely ridiculous.

Might as well go along with it. Giran won’t catch on to some of my true plans and his reactions are funny.  

 

We even have this event streaming through a new secret platform my cyberwarfare branch (now all equipped with copies of a technopathic quirk I recently got my hands on) made that we’re calling VillainNet. 

It’s also where you can do gambling on the scheduled matches with cryptocurrency and see what products are currently being sold. You can even apply for matches or request to sell your products through it with Giran and I getting a cut of the cash from selling them in exchange.

MLA goons, AFO goons, and most other customers only get access to the stuff going on in the main arena (and only know about the main arena). All the other arenas and products and full access to VillainNet are only available to whoever we decide to make VIPs.

They have to be high-paying customers or some of our best fighters, get a Confessional done by yours truly to make sure they won’t blab about it to others at the moment, and are told very clearly what will happen if they blab to others about this down the line. 

Just like always, I greatly reward loyalty while showing no mercy to spies and traitors.

So far, the whole process seems to be going great with VillainNet making organizing these events a whole lot easier. It was actually Eri’s idea to mock the heroes that way and I found it absolutely hilarious, so I went with it.

She’s still grounded though. Even the spoiling I give her has its limits. 

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Main Family (+ Current Quirks):

• Sekan Doraifu - Mind Web, Overhaul, Confession, Double, IQ, Cleaning
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• Eri - Rewind, Wave Motion, IQ

Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening
• Zookeeper (Personal Maid/Eri’s Main Caretaker) - Cleaning, Overhaul
• Hari Kurono (Leader of Eight Bullets/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser
• Kendo Rappa (Eight Bullets) - Strongarm, Muscle Augmentation, Charging Muscles, Fast Fist
• Hekiji Tengai (Eight Bullets) - Barrier, Air Wall
• Toya Setsuno (Eight Bullets) - Larceny, Compress
• Yu Hojo (Eight Bullets) - Crystalize, Creation
• Soramitsu Tabe (Eight Bullets) - Food, Fat Absorption
• Deidoro Sakaki (Eight Bullets) - Sloshed, Dragon Breath 
• Rikiya Katsukame (Eight Bullets) - Energy Suck, Wave Motion

Other Forces:

• Praetorian Guard - 120
• Pseudo Getens - 3
• Cyber Warfare Branch - 32
• Mad Science Branch - 20
• Creation Crew - 30
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 720
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 29
• Thugs and Goons - 2790

Subsidiaries:

• Hero Killer
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth and his crew
• Team Reservoir Dogs
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 240

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 24: Six Month Surprise

Notes:

Quick note before this chapter begins:

The bottom half of this chapter as well as the chapter after it introduces a minor subplot with worldbuilding related to Sekan's transmigration and the greater multiverse in general along with the gods running this experiment he was thrown into.

If you aren't interested in such a topic and simply wish to continue seeing Sekan screw with canon MHA, that's totally fine as this is pretty much a bonus side story that can be skipped without any issue if you wish to. This minor subplot will only take up a few chapters throughout the story, and these occasional chapters can be skipped if you wish.

The main story will pick back up at the chapter after next chapter. Until then, feel free to check out Sekan getting a taste of his own medicine.

“Just for the record, this is bullshit.” 

“Last I checked, you agreed with me on how much this version of him was breaking the world.” The god smirks towards his rival.

“...It’s still bullshit, though. He made much more progress much faster than that lame-o hero and this is his reward?”

“I thought you enjoyed watching people suffer?”

“I have my preferences, like beating you for example.”

“Yeah, well, you best go collect him now. Just remember the rules we set up for this new game.”

“Whatever, cheater.”

 

Countdown to Canon: 4 Months 1 Week before Entrance Exam

“You know, there’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while. I understand how convenient our greatest threats destroying each other for us is, but would it not be better to handle them now, rather than risk them finding out about us?” VestigeHaul inquires.

He’s become much more docile lately, but I suppose having about six months of time to either look through my memories or listen to the increasing number of other vestiges in here tell him what an idiot he’s been would affect almost anyone. 

The vestiges of Shin Nemoto, Jin Bubaigawara, Manami Aiba, Zookeeper, and Saiko Intelli have been appearing one after the other with many more occasionally stopping by as I do my quirk duplication trick with Eri. The remaining small dregs of Kai Chisaki have had the chance to learn a lot and actually grow up a bit.

“You’ve seen how shounens are thanks to my memories, right? I wouldn’t count out the main protagonists and antagonists having some ridiculous plot armor that makes us incapable of beating them no matter how prepared we are. 

At the very least, I want to become more powerful than One For All and All For One at their peak before I dare to challenge their weakened versions. Besides, those quirks won’t be given the time to reach their strongest if everything goes well.”

 

“Fine. But at the very least, can’t you have that hacker team of yours take a trip down to Jaku Hospital? Getting Garaki’s research on top of our own would be-”

“Not worth the risk.” I cut the vestige off. “I don’t know the full list of quirks AFO has in his arsenal; he could easily have some mental alarm quirk or powerful technopathic quirks of his own that would catch us in the act. Radio Waves and the bombers from MHA Vigilantes proves he has at least some quirks that affect technology in his arsenal.

And even if he didn’t find out who attacked him, he would know that someone possibly knows about the location of Garaki’s lair and make him move it somewhere else as a result, something that’s definitely possible through Kurogiri.

I plan to avoid changing the canon story as much as I can until the battle of Kamino. With All Might and AFO out of the picture and Izuku barely having a handle over OFA, there won’t be anyone who can stand up to us besides the MLA and Humarise and I already have plans for those groups.

Dr. Garaki’s lab will be invaded the moment AFO is out of the picture and we will have everything we need to begin our final Endgame preparations. Just trust me on this, okay?”

“And what if Kamino doesn’t go like in canon? What if all these small changes you make unintentionally result in the demon lord triumphing over the hero?” VestigeHaul questions.

“Then he’ll be weakened even further at the very least, weakened enough for the Shie Hassaikai to finish the job. Either by a certain special bullet or brute force if the bullet isn’t completed yet.”

This gets the vestige to smirk under his mask… but he then gets smacked in the back of the head.

“Will you QUIT IT WITH THAT, ZOOKEEPER?!”

“I will if you quit acting like that mustached potato who simps for the demon lord.” Vestige Zi deadpans.

“If anyone is ‘simping’ for a demon lord, it’s you.” The ghastly toucan deadpans back. “It’s also creepy, even by my standards.” 

“You’re creepy by my standards.” The vestige of Saiko Intelli butts in, still less than pleased about her current living arrangements.

VestigeHaul starts bickering with some of the other spirits and I question just how my experiments with the vestigeworld led to this fucking mess.

“Simping is gross! Fuck no, ghost simps for liiiiiife!!!”

“Shut up, Jin.”

“No you! Yes, me!”

 

I choose this moment to take my leave and wish my own vestige good luck with whatever this has turned into. 

Yeah, I even managed to establish communication with my own quirk vestige after a while of visiting this place! Yet another thing I managed to do that canon characters couldn’t; take that, OFA and AFO!

And yes, my quirk vestige is a vestige of me. It isn’t the ‘Sekan Doraifu’ whose body Not-Freeman threw me into at the start.

I’ve been interacting with copies of myself since soon after I began this journey so it wasn’t anything mind blowing, but I did notice that my vestige seems to be a bit more reckless since he doesn’t have to worry about kicking the bucket like my clones do if they take too much damage. 

As four of the six vestiges in my head get into a fight over the concept of simping and the final two (vestige me and Shin) wonder just how their sort of lives have turned into this, I take my leave and wake back up in bed.

I’m not able to communicate with the vestiges while being completely conscious like Izuku could towards the end of MHA, but that required AFO attempting to steal the quirk again (and nearly succeeding) during the Paranormal Liberation War arc. That’s something I haven’t figured out how to replicate without the AFO quirk quite yet, but I’m sure I’ll get there in time. 

Now then, time to spend another day as the leader of Japan’s third largest secret villain organization… and fourth largest villain organization in general. Damn Humarise…

Or is it the fifth largest due to the HPSC? Whatever.

 

Now the current date is October 19, so it’s the six month anniversary of me being in the world of My Hero Academia. It’s also less then two weeks away from Halloween so the Shie Hassaikai has already started decorating the place for the holidays.

I’m pretty sure that BossHaul is planning some massive Halloween party too, hence me being the one that Kurono is currently reporting new updates to.

“-haven’t managed to replicate the quirk factor from that Toga girl’s DNA sample yet, but they are getting close. The Reservoir Dogs were arrested by Pro Hero Gunhead and some police last night, but we should have them out by next week; their crimes are bad, but not that bad so no Tartarus for them. 

Speaking of that particular prison, Curator and Bearhead were successfully sent to Tartarus along with the captured CRC leaders during All Might’s rampage. And finally, Rappa claims that he recently fought a, uh… ‘angry washing machine’. His words, not mine.

It apparently got on his case for littering or something while he was on an early morning jog around Okayama and he doesn’t know if it was some kid with a puppeteer quirk playing a prank or someone’s out of control object transformation quirk, but nobody else was around so he just crumpled it up and tossed it in some landfill. And no, nobody else was around to witness his ‘spite-fueled recycling’. Once again, his words, not mine.”

…Oh, god. Please tell me Rappa didn’t just accidentally murder the Number 8 Pro Hero of Japan. 

“Kurono, if you see any news reports about a top ten hero suddenly going missing, let me know. Also, if you do, schedule a meeting with the top brass for tomorrow at nine. We’ll be going over the current top heroes of Japan for safety purposes.”

“You sure? I don’t think there’s anyone in this country who doesn’t know what they look like at this point.”

“You’d be surprised.” I grumble and try to suppress the incoming headache to no avail. 

Goddamnit, Rappa. 

 

The next part of my day was mostly tutoring and combat training for Eri. She still has a few weeks of grounding left, but no training isn’t a part of that. The hyperactive kid needs an outlet for all her energy and keeping up with training is crucial considering what’s to come.

While I would prefer for that internship adventure of hers to never have happened, there’s no point in neglecting the new skills she acquired from it, so I have her continue to practice with said skills while either helping her myself or creating clones that can.

I can easily make doubles of all my top brass and subsidiary heads if I want to, using mind-controlled Twice clones as a medium. Same goes for the Praetorians. It would be stupid to not have such a thing in my arsenal when I have just the quirk for it.

Never thought I would see Eri having a sword fight against Stain (with her blade or blades wrapped up in her own Rewind + Wave Motion energy to offer more damage and durability), but here we are. 

Eri is a marvel of a child with a whip-smart inclination. She takes to her lessons with an unwavering focus and dedication that rivals my own. She wishes to take apart every bit of this society and learn what makes it tick out of sheer curiosity. 

And soon, she’ll be capable of doing just that.

Now I don’t exactly have heaps of mentoring experience myself, but I’m learning fast and have plenty of people to help. I also have NightHaul to bounce ideas off of, as we’re both training students at the moment. 

Work Studies will be over for Mirio soon, but he’s learned a ton. The Villain War happened to be a perfect opportunity to get loads of experience with everything from rescue to combat to intelligence gathering and reconnaissance and so on.

Then there’s all the fun little Permeation tricks my clones and I theorized that Mirio had time to try out, such as getting solid while his hand or finger was in a lock to jolt it into unlocking.

Permeating through doors and safes is nice and all, but that doesn’t help with getting others through them or the contents in them back out; NightHaul brainstormed that method to at least partially fix those issues and it worked like a charm.

Combine that with his specialized training regime, one meant to perfect and improve upon his skills shown in canon, ultimate moves and all, and you get an absolute monster that can easily break into top ten territory despite still being in his second year.

Frankly, I’d be shocked if Mirio doesn’t dominate in his third-year Sports Festival. 

Then there’s my own intensive training.

 

“So, what did you learn?”

“...Don’t try to fight two Hawks clones at once?”

“Don’t try to fight TWO FUCKING HAWKS CLONES AT ONCE!!!” BossHaul berates me. “If it wasn’t for the automatic Tartarus turrets we set up in there, you would be dead right now.”

“In my defense, I wasn’t expecting the clones to coordinate so well with each other on the fly after being hit with such a devastating villain monologue. Also, their feathers can’t pierce me very much thanks to all the body modifications and the carbon nanopolymers replacing my skeletal system.”

“But those feathers can still skewer you through your eye, as you saw first hand. They can also go down your throat and tear your insides apart if you don’t keep your mouth shut. You remember the saying about cornered animals, right? Well cornered and wounded animals are even worse.”

“Noted.” I sigh, thanking my lucky stars that my new skeletal system prevented his feathers from reaching my brain. I can’t use Overhaul to fix myself if I’m dead, and if I die, then my clones will die soon after.

If they get to me in time, then they could pull the resurrection ‘return to factory settings’ trick on me… probably, but that’s not something I want to test out for obvious reasons, even if I have Zi around with a copy of Overhaul as a final contingency.

“Seriously, how is it that we’re so overly paranoid one second and so incredibly reckless the next?” My clone groans.

“Confidence over repeatedly pulling off what’s considered impossible in this world and constant reminders of All Might, the potato, and Star and Stripe literally goddamn existing soon after?” I offer up.

What? I may not have IQ up and running right now, but you don’t need an intelligence quirk to be smart.

 

“We gave ourselves more mad science Overhaul brain surgery to get some of Saiko Intellis' natural intelligence on top of her quirk, you cheater. And yes, I know what you’re thinking even without Mind Web because I literally am you.” My clone deadpans. 

“Alright, jeez. No need to beat a dead horse, even if we can resurrect it without those injuries afterwards.” I grin cheekily at BossHaul who sighs in return.

“Whatever. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a city-wide Halloween party to plan.”

He does just that while I spend most of my afternoon visiting several of the Hassaikai’s lesser compounds around Japan to do the Confessional for more potential members and subsidiary groups. 

The fear from the recent villain war is still around and a larger organization operating throughout a good bit of the country instead of just one city generally means more recruits for said organization. 

Maybe I should create another clone that's dedicated to recruitment? This is really starting to eat away at my free time and we’re only getting more and more recruits as time passes. 

Most are from Osaka, but there are still interested parties from all across the country who either aren’t interested in or don’t know about AFO, the MLA, Humarise, the CRC, or the WV. 

Also, the latter two organizations are basically gone from Japan thanks to the heroic manhunt taking place for them after All Might’s rampage. The cowards avoided most of the war and waited until the Number 1 Hero beat them up enough to come out and fight for glory. 

Stain’s going to have a fucking field day with those fakes. 

 

And it isn’t just villains society has to deal with during the aftermath. Plenty of protests are still happening; counter-protests too.

((“Most recent ones aren’t very organized as they don’t have CRC or WV backup/oversight anymore, but there’s also less violence going on, so take that as you will. In fact, only one clash has happened today. 

Some guy told an anti-mutant protestor that his sign spelled ‘mutant’ wrong and they went to blows with others joining in right after. Then police got involved and half a dozen people were arrested.”))

‘Wait, how did he spell mutant wrong?’

((“Mutint.”))

‘Sounds like someone should reevaluate who the dumb animals here are.’

Once that’s done, I have dinner with Eri and Zookeeper (the latter makes our food but also sits down and eats with us at my insistence) with my daughter once again telling us about how she beat up a kraken at sea.

Oh, and Innsmouth and his crew and Cider House helped a bit too, she supposes. 

 

As for the food itself, it’s obviously Japanese most of the time. Eating Japanese cuisine was a pretty rare occurrence in my last life, not to mention the rest of the culture shift (both with the country and the world I’m now living in), but half a year was enough time to get used to it.

Maybe it’s because of all the memories I stockpiled from people here or maybe there is some dimensional law affecting me, but I genuinely see this place as my home now and these people as real human beings rather than anime characters. 

Don’t get me wrong, I still don’t care about this world. Saving myself and the few people I’ve grown to care about is my ultimate goal rather than somehow saving everybody like a certain plot-armored protagonist. It’s just that I don’t see everything as a fucking video game or tv show like Tomura Shigaraki does at the start.

Getting a few decades worth of memories from Kai snapped me out of that mindset immediately, but I haven’t lost my unique perspective on this world entirely. How I choose to solve most problems and plan most things out should be enough proof of that.

But I don’t let my otherworldly knowledge dictate everything. I don’t intend to get caught up in logical tunnel vision; I don’t intend to play myself. 

That’s how you get your quirks stolen by AFO or a smash named after some random US state to the face by All Might or Izuku. 

 

YEAH, THAT’S THE WAY! OH, HAPPY SIX MONTH ANNIVERSARY, SEKAN!!!

 

Dark red flames suddenly surround me and my entire bedroom. No alarm is going off and nobody is doing anything and is this supposed to be Hellfire?!?

 

YUP! BUT NOT THAT CHEAP KNOCKOFF FROM ENDEAVOR!!! THAT SHIT DOESN’T EVEN TICKLE YOUR SOUL, MUCH LESS BURN IT!

 

The flames fully engulf me right after, but they don’t hurt me at all.

Instead, they seem to transport me… somewhere after a couple seconds. A dark, fiery realm filled with fire, lava, and a bit of stone to stand on. How stereotypical.

The only other person around is a giant red-skinned man with hooves for feet and two horns on his head. He’s sitting on a giant throne in front of me and is giving off an aura of intimidation worse than anything All For One could ever hope to pull off.

“...Lucifer?” I ask and the actual demon lord gives a grin back. “Or Satan? Or, uh…”

“Sure, you can call me either or those. Pronouncing my real name would require you having a few dozen mouths and vocal cords made from metal, and you don’t quite have the quirk combo needed to pull that off yet.”

Well, shit. Not-Freeman didn’t say anything about my second life having an inherent expiration date.

“Because there isn’t one.” The demon guy clarifies, apparently reading my mind too. “Your time there ends after your permanent death, so you die but don’t get resurrected in time through usage of Overhaul, you cheeky little shit.”

“Should I take that as a compliment?” I raise an eyebrow, quickly calming down.

“Do whatever you want, I don’t care. It’ll probably be entertaining to watch either way. Now as for why you’re here, the answer is simple. God is an idiot who didn’t think this latest trend of his through.”

“How so?” I ask, trying not to shittalk the big man upstairs in case he’s listening in.

“Don’t worry about that. I’ve got heaps of power too; there’s a reason why he has to give into my demands once in a while. Anyway, the whole point of this was to offer more people a chance to get into what you call Heaven so they stop overcrowding Hell, right?”

I nod at him, interested in where this is going.

“Well something he forgot to consider was how for every person he gave this chance to, another world or dimension was created for that person. A dimension full of new people that are going to end up at his place or mine when they die. See the problem with that?”

Oh… yeah, that’s a bit of a dunce move on his part. 

 

Not something you would expect from a supposedly all-powerful god. Same goes for his attitude, and the devil’s for that matter. Frankly, both act way more human than god.

Are there other gods? How did these two become gods? How does the hierarchy of the multiverse work?

“Let me put it this way, Sekan. You know Veldanava from the anime and manga Tensura? God is basically like that. Me too, to a lesser extent, but I’ll save the details on that for later.

So to give a quick summary, the former was alone and omnipotent for eons before getting extremely bored and throwing that lonely life away.

He gave up his omnipotence and omniscience, becoming a part of creation rather than something beyond it, and used a good chunk of his remaining power to create countless worlds full of mortals he could observe, so he basically made the multiverse.

I came from one of these many worlds and gained what can be considered transcendent power myself. Then I got bored and decided to make my own realm by sacrificing a lot of my own power. 

That was step one; step two was forcefully bringing people from all across God's multiverse into it and seeing what they would do, or rather, the chaos they would cause.

That got God’s attention, and after getting my ass kicked by him, he offered me a chance to become what some of your old world’s religions refer to as Satan or Lucifer, managing any evil people that perished through my realm while he handled the good ones in a different realm he made based off of mine, which by your definition is Hell and Heaven respectively.

We became something akin to rivals or frenemies after that, making new worlds and playing new games as we steadily grow weaker. Our power is still way beyond what you could ever hope to comprehend, but we’re far from our prime. That brings us to now.”

“...Well that was a convenient lore dump.” I mumble after some processing all that through IQ.

It was honestly the best comment I could hope to give.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did you want to gradually unlock the answer to your basic question through overcoming a series of perilous quests and challenging foes that lasts the span of several novels?” The devil mocks me and most other fictional stories out there. “Ungrateful ass… perfect quality for a villain. Keep up the good work!”

“Uh huh. Thanks.” I deadpan back. “So what happens now? Is this experiment of his canceled now and I’m stuck staying down in this stereotypical Hell as originally planned?”

“First of all, what you’re currently seeing is your own perception of Hell. Not everybody is afraid of the same things, so I worked a little magic to customize this place into showing what its guests believe Hell or the Underworld to be. 

The same goes for my appearance as most would go brain-dead upon seeing what you would call ‘lovecraftian nightmare fuel’, so you probably see me as some sunburned guy with a few horns rather than my truest self.”

 

Huh. That’s actually pretty clever. 

Kinda reminds me of the happy sunshine hell Frieza was tortured at in Dragon Ball Super. 

“Yeah, it’s kinda like that.” He confirms, once again having no sense of privacy as he reads my mind. “Now as for your original question, no, God and I are going to finish up this trial run because of how much fun watching all you guinea pigs has been. 

We’re currently working on another solution to the original overcrowding problem since forcefully expanding my realm even further takes up way too much of my power, but that’s none of your concern. 

All the rules God set up still apply so you’re good to go on that end, but to solve this new, additional overcrowding problem, we decided to add in a little something extra to this game. It’s sure to spice things up a bit and provide some more fun… for us, anyway.”

Well, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t see this coming. With how snarky and childish these deities seem to be, I figured they might throw in a curveball at some point or another.

They remind me of those 5th dimensional imps from DC Comics, and if there’s one thing those little shits are known for, it’s causing chaos whenever they damn well please.

Or perhaps they’re more like ‘God’ in the One Punch Man franchise, controlling pretty much everything behind the scenes and granting bits of their power to create pawns for themselves before throwing those pawns away when their use runs out.

In other words, I’m probably screwed.

“You aren’t. Well, not entirely… maybe. And we’re not that childish.” The devil mumbles before continuing. “You used to be a Marvel Comics fan, right? Well, by any chance do you remember a little concept called Incursions?”

…Oh fuck. 

Please tell me he’s joking right now.

“Nope! They won’t be as bad as those ones though, but they are just as dangerous.”

Greeeeaaaaaaat. 

Isn’t the Quirk Singularity Doomsday bad enough? Aren’t my current exploits entertaining enough for them?

Apparently not. They just have to push my problems to Plus Ultra levels, don’t they?

I fucking hate this world.

 

“So here’s the deal. Every six months or so, you’re going to be pitted against another version of you that’s going through the same thing you are, only their choices regarding how they went about their second life were a good bit different then your own.”

“Another version of me?” I questioned.

“Oh? Did you think God only took one version of you for his latest experiment back then? Did you think there was only one version of your old world around? The multiverse is a thing, remember?” The sunburned asshole snarks at me.

“He got quite a few yous from different realities and sent them all to their own copy of My Hero Academia where they then went down plenty of different paths. Such a thing helped him gather more data for this experiment that was screwed from the start.”

“So continuing with the Marvel comparisons, it’s kind of like Marvel What-If?” I clarified.

“Bingo, only every deviation revolves around the ‘you’ sent to each world. And before you ask, this will be limited to MHA only; putting you up against a variant that went to Dragon Ball or a similar super overpowered reality would just be unfair and not fun at all to watch.” Satan gives me a thumbs up back.

“Alright, so how is the Incursion going to work then? Is it just going to be a 1v1 with this other me?”

“Nope, that would be waaaaaaay too boring. You and every other version of you will be allowed to have your factions and any other close allies of theirs with them. 

In your case, you will have everyone in the Shie Hassaikai as well as all of your subsidiaries and corrupted law enforcement that’s currently working for you, but you won’t have every civilian in Osaka despite you technically ruling them in secret or people like Giran who are more of a friendly business partner instead of a true ally.

Oh, and these guys will all be exact copies instead of the real deal who will also have the basic situation filled in for them, so no need to worry about their deaths or mental scarring. 

Well, only worry about death if you lose, and yes, you can lose despite what Nighteye’s quirk showed you before. Our powers are far beyond a little peek at some potential foresight, and we can override it whenever we wish. Even you can do that with some other temporal quirks if you want!”

“So everyone in my camp who is close enough to me gets to help in this deathmatch then. Alright, that helps a lot. What about my opponent?” I then inquire.

“God is giving him a similar info dump right now, but we agreed not to give you two any information about each other to keep it fair… actually, you know what, since God insists on being so butthurt about my bet’s rapid progress, I’ll give you a timestamp of your opponent so you aren’t caught off guard.

This is the first round for him too and he showed up at the same time you did. All versions of you did as a common variable for God's experiment, but this guy has been living his second life for around four times as long as you’ve been living yours.”

Huh?

 

“HUH??? HOW THE FUCK IS THAT FAIR?!?”

“Beats me; I’m the one who’s supposed to play dirty during our games. Oh, that’s my main piece of advice to you, by the way. Play. Dirty. You are a villain and this game has no impact on the score God’s giving you for this trial run of his, if you even still care about that anymore.”

“No need to tell me twice.” I smirk back. “I’m no hero and I won’t pretend to be such.”

“That’s the spirit! Now here’s a few more quick notes about this game. For starters, the loser has their dimension completely wiped out with the winner’s dimension being completely fine. No Heaven or Hell for them; they’ll just be straight up gone.”

“THAT’S what you start with?!”

“I see no reason to beat around the bush. Anyway, both sides have 24 hours to do as much damage to each other as possible, so capturing and arresting, knocking out, killing, or destroying each other’s turf. That kind of stuff all factors in here and whoever does a better job wins. Simple enough, right?”

“Yeah, but this is still bullshit.” I point out.

“Don’t worry. Despite the unfair time difference, you and your opponent’s forces should actually be pretty close in terms of overall capability, although that’s mainly thanks to you having Double at your disposal. 

Also, the space you will be fighting at is completely neutral too, so you won’t have to worry about any dimensional laws messing with- eh, you call it ‘Plot Armor’, right? You won’t have to worry about any plot armor protecting your opponents. Just remember my advice and don’t be an idiot. Good luck!”

Looks like my theory about shounen qualities impacting the world I’m now living in has some merit. The kind of thing that lets supergenuses like Nezu be complete dumbasses on certain occasions for story purposes, suicidal idiots like Izuku get as far as they did, and Tomura’s pants survive a nuclear blast won’t be in play here.

But more than that, did those assholes really have to throw in such a massive wild card? Preparing for the Quirk Singularity Doomsday is difficult enough without some stupid multiversal tournament or whatever to worry about.

I’d say play stupid games and win stupid prizes, but this whole transmigration thing was a stupid game I was forced into from the get-go.

Not only am I at the mercy of the upcoming doomsday, but I’m also at the mercy of these damn developers. How fucking fabulous.

But if I can find ways around the former, then perhaps finding ways around the latter is possible too. I’ll play their stupid games for now, but I’ve never been one to stay complacent.

They’ll regret sending someone like me here.

 

Hellfire soon surrounds me once again and I mentally prepare myself for what’s to come as best as I can.

“Oh, one more thing. God wants to clarify some stuff to both of you real quick so you’re gonna meet up with your opponent for a bit before the incursion battle begins. Take advantage of that, and seriously, remember my advice!”

‘Yeah, yeah. Play dirty. It’s not like that’s anything new for-’

“OVERHAUL?!?”

Huh. So that’s what I’m up against…

How ironic.

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Main Family (+ Current Quirks):

• Sekan Doraifu - Mind Web, Overhaul, Confession, Double, IQ, Cleaning
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• Eri - Rewind, Wave Motion, IQ

Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening
• Zookeeper (Personal Maid/Eri’s Main Caretaker) - Cleaning, Overhaul
• Hari Kurono (Leader of Eight Bullets/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser
• Kendo Rappa (Eight Bullets) - Strongarm, Muscle Augmentation, Charging Muscles, Fast Fist
• Hekiji Tengai (Eight Bullets) - Barrier, Air Wall
• Toya Setsuno (Eight Bullets) - Larceny, Compress
• Yu Hojo (Eight Bullets) - Crystalize, Creation
• Soramitsu Tabe (Eight Bullets) - Food, Fat Absorption
• Deidoro Sakaki (Eight Bullets) - Sloshed, Dragon Breath 
• Rikiya Katsukame (Eight Bullets) - Energy Suck, Wave Motion

Other Forces:

• Praetorian Guard - 120
• Pseudo Getens - 5
• Cyber Warfare Branch - 32
• Mad Science Branch - 20
• Creation Crew - 30
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 750
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 31
• Thugs and Goons - 2950

Subsidiaries:

• Hero Killer
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth and his crew
• Team Reservoir Dogs
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 270

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 25: Side Story Incursions - Round 1

Countdown to Canon:  4̸̢̛̪̗̗̖̞̔́̿̾̈̉̈̌̔̚͘̚͝͝?̷̧͕̱̼͉̩̹̭̲̾͜?̵̧̡̝̹̞̭͕̝̍͑̄̋̏͐́̌̂̉̆͊̅͜?̴̨̽̏͋͂͛̈̄̽?̵̠͎̖͑̐̇̈?̶̟̦̩͈̒̄̈́͊̊́̆̊̎̊̇̍̽̓͝?̵̫̝̯̺͙̩̝̤͉̘̟̊̃̄͆̽́̎̕?̵͚̼̜͙̟̭͔̮͉͉̩̙͇̱͕͐̊͒̂̋̿͌͠͠ͅ?̶̧̩͍͓̗̰͚͕͓̺̎͜͝%̸̡̘̟͈͔̤̞̰̹̮̟̼̹̑͊͌̏̏̈́̚̚͜͜$̶̢̛̬̩̝̹̟̣̥͚̣̫̹̙̈́͐̀̒̽͒́͘#̸̨̧̜̮̺̳̠͚͔̜̤̿͒̇̃̊̍̌̋͛̎̿̊̓͋͠&̵̡̥̺̪̯̯̞̯̼̰̦̞̞͔̬́͆͛̓̆͌͗͒͆̓͗͊̾̓͘̚^̶̨̧̧̤̣̹͚̫̫̯̯̲̗̬̲̠̐͆(̷̗͖̖̫̻̎$̸̡͓͇̞̥͚͂̂͜ͅ#̴̧̛͎̰̮͔͕͉̟̺̣̗͉̻̮̭͚̲̉̈̍̃̈́͒̈͒͂%̵͚̰̬̘̻̞̳̮̤̃͛͑̅̇͂̆̄̂̆̊͋̔̕^̸̢̡̥͈̜͖̘̫̥̰͉̩̔̑͜͝&̸̺͇̲̩͓̮͕͇̟̟̞̤͎̭͑̌̆͛͠ͅͅ

Sekan Doraifu, transmigrator and current first year student at UA High immediately becomes horrified at the opponent before him.

“OVERHAUL?!?”

Said opponent, remembering the advice his quote unquote ‘patron’ recently provided, gives a wide grin under his plague mask.

Don’t get him wrong, he’s absolutely livid right now. Those so-called gods are ruining the story, the one that they forced him into to begin with, for more of their own stupid games! To fix their own stupid screw-ups!

He isn’t interested in this multiversal bullshit they brought to the table on top of throwing him into a shounen anime as some stupid form of recompense or whatever. They’re doing to him what he does to everyone since his second life began, forcing him to dance to their tune, and he doesn’t like that one bit.

But he can’t get those two and whatever other gods are out there to fuck off and let him prepare for the Quirk Singularity Doomsday in peace just yet. 

 

“You could say that, ‘Sekan’, but I like to think I’m a little more than that after acquiring what I have.” The villain calmly responds, making his heroic counterpart’s mind run wild with theories, each one worse than the last.

The god, meanwhile, raises an eyebrow at the display before having a quick mental conversation with his rival, one that was mostly taunting with some creative swears mixed in.

“If I may, what have you chosen to do with this gift you’ve been given? What actions have you taken in this doomed, disease-filled world? Have you prepared at all for the Quirk Singularity? Or have you instead focused on taking down us villains, a mere byproduct of this worldwide problem?”

‘Did this me intern with Nighteye alongside Izuku? The hell was he thinking, getting so close to goddamn Overhaul like that? The heroes had him handled likeevery other antagonist, unless he got carried away royally fucked up the main plot.

Now is this a perfect fusion like what the vestige of All For One did with Tomura for a while? Or is Kai Chisaki controlling his alternate self completely? Damnit, of course their stupid game wouldn’t be this simple. God forbid I can just sit back and let the shounen heroes do their jobs.’

God forbid indeed.

“I just did what I needed to.” The hero student replies. “We both know how this world works, and who will win when all is said and done.”

“So shortsighted…” The villain sighs back, learning all he needed to about his counterpart’s character traits.

And he is incredibly disappointed.

 

“Alright. That’s enough, you two.” God puts the trash talk to an end with both of his guests now giving him their full attention.

“Before we begin, here is a quick summary of the rules. The two of you and those you have brought to your side throughout your journeys will spend the next 24 hours fighting for the survival of your worlds. 

You do not need to completely defeat the other side to win, just do better than your opponent. This means you can knockout and capture opponents or simply kill them. Damage to the other world’s side of the battlefield will also contribute, but not as much as the former. 

As for the two of you in particular, your side can still win if you yourself die and you will even be revived right after the battle, free to go back to your world, but such a thing will count a lot towards the enemy team’s score. 

You and your forces will be sent to your respective home bases and you are free to begin engaging with each other the moment that happens. Good luck, and remember, the fate of your world is quite literally in your hands. No pressure.”

“Yes, pressure!”

“Quiet, you!”

 

The two are then teleported to their own sides. All their forces are waiting on standby and ready to go.

“Hell yeah! This is gonna be awesome!” Rappa cheers, but quickly gets shut down by his boss.

‘Considering how most of these guys aren’t dogpiling me right now, the info package they were given didn’t include my status as a transmigrator. Good; that’ll make this so much easier.’ The villain Sekan quickly realizes.

((“Glad we’re all on the same page. Foresight doesn’t seem to work here, but your plan should work even without that extra buffer.”)) NightHaul mentally assures his real self.

LabHaul and BossHaul are present too. Same with all the other top brass in his Shie Hassaikai. Good.

“We need to be smart about this, Rappa, unless you want this brawl to be your last.” He then speaks to his physically strongest subordinate.

“...It would be a pretty cool way to go out.” 

That gets him a smack upside the head from Zookeeper, most of the other top brass then chuckling before awaiting their orders.

It’s going to be tough, especially with a Final War Deku on the opponent’s side. Not impossible, if the so-called devil’s intel is to be believed, but still very difficult when considering the hero’s sheer power.

His physically strongest fighter, Rappa, is about on par with, if not slightly above, the weakened All Might from canon. Endgame Deku, on the other hand, is a league above All Might in his prime thanks to the One For All stockpile growing even further and the extra quirks that popped up as a bonus.

Gearshift. Fa Jin. Danger Sense. Blackwhip. Float. 

A terrifying combination, as the Final War arc has shown.

Such power is nearly unbeatable when fighting head to head. Enough Double clones could potentially overwhelm him, but with how closed off the arena is and how little time I have, abusing Double right off the bat may not work.

Yeah, that quirk really is a pain in close quarters combat. But the person wielding it, on the other hand…

Oh, his counterpart is gonna regret relying on Izuku Midoriya.

 

“Hey, Eri? Remember the THT protocols we talked about?”

His daughter nods back at him, intending to once again prove herself as a perfect successor, even with her dad already believing such. “I think we’re gonna need the third one.”

“THT protocols?” Hekiji inquires. 

“True Hero Threat. A few contingency plans we came up with as a last resort in case any people we consider to be ‘true heroes’ need to be put down for good. Don’t give me that look, Stain. You know what’s at stake here, and like I just said, these plans are only meant to be a last resort. I’d much rather have those kinds of heroes fight our villainous competition than us personally.

Now then, as you already know, the general mindset and personality of quote unquote ‘true’ heroes has quite a few weaknesses just itching to be exploited. Also, with how powerful the true hero I have in mind here is, this is the only way we’re gonna have a chance at winning.”

That gets a few gasps from the crowd.

“Are we facing All Might right now?” Zookeeper asks, genuinely concerned as she already knows what every THT protocol is, and the third one in particular… she doesn’t like it. Not one bit, even if it’s all a ruse.

“Nope. A teenager that’s more powerful than All Might at his peak by an order of magnitude. Yes, I’m serious. Even if I spammed Sad Man’s Parade right this second and directed that full force against him, this kid would just blast thousands of clones away with his punches’ wind pressure alone. 

Don’t get me wrong; my clones will all start spamming Double now as a backup plan. Even if my initial plan doesn’t work out, it can at least buy BossHaul, LabHaul, and the rest some time to build up an army of doubles. We probably can’t win this the conventional way, but when have I ever done things the conventional way?”

That gets a round of malicious laughter from everyone in the room.

“Now then, here’s how we’re handling this...”

 

The Shie Hassaikai’s main compound and a small part of Osaka city lies on one side of the battlefield with the entirety of UA High lying on the other side. 

Both fortresses in disguise are only a mile or so apart, ready to host one of many world-ending battles. 

It doesn’t start immediately. Both sides need time to plan, and an unspoken agreement is created as a result.

‘God said I could get brownie points by either doing good or suffering! I helped the heroes here and there. I helped make some of their victories a bit easier! So why is he forcing me to do this shit?!’ The hero student panics as his chimeric principal babbles on and on.

They don’t seem to know his true origins (which saves him a very awkward conversation), but does he really have a choice? Is there any otherworldly input that can help out? He doesn’t know if this ‘other him’ is like him or entirely like Overhaul or what!

‘It’s fine. Don’t panic. This is a shounen where the heroes always win no matter what the odds are, and my biggest threat is just Overhaul, not All For One. With an Endgame Deku on my side, that guy would need the AFO Tomura treatment just to match him!’

He knows he’s selfish. He knows he could’ve done more; he just had no reason to.

The heroes were always gonna win unless he handed himself over to AFO. Replacing Mineta in 1-A gave that class an extra edge; he can do way more than the grapist, even with a weak mental quirk.

Izuku managed to learn Full Cowl before the Sports Festival thanks to him. Thanks to him, Shoto Todoroki nearly took down his older brother during the Paranormal Liberation War with his Phosphor technique, something he was meant to discover months later on his own. 

Most of the other first years had similar instances. Offhanded comments buffed the main cast and made saving the world that much easier. Even the Final War shouldn’t be a problem and then he’d be home free with nothing but Heaven awaiting him, but he has to survive this first.

“Can you give us any insights regarding this Overhaul’s behavior, Sekan? Any noticeable character traits or weaknesses he might have as a result of this fusion?” Nezu asks him, a dozen pairs of eyes belonging to teachers and students alike staring him down.

“W-We could try breaking him out! If it’s like All For One’s effect on Tomura but in reverse, then maybe-” Izuku starts up a mutter storm before he can answer.

Good. That gives him more time to think. 

 

He needs to help them. Most of these child soldiers may annoy him, but they’re his ticket to a happy ending. They’ll beat up the bad guys and any negative repercussions will disappear in days at most.

That’s how this story works. It’s a shounen; that’s how these tend to operate.

“THEY’RE COMING!” A scream from Mei Hatsume snaps everyone to attention as she shows them footage from her drones.

Hundreds of villains. Maybe more. That’s what they saw before all the drones were shot down.

“Well, I guess it’s time to go Plus Ultra then.” Sekan morbidly chuckles before a hand is placed on his shoulder.

Deku, their world’s strongest hero, gives him a smile back.

“Yeah. Plus Ultra.”

“Come on, guys! We’ve spent months preparing for All For One; what’s a slightly stronger Overhaul?” Ochako Uraraka cheers, and gradually, the school’s spirits start to lift.

Soon after their pep talk, the battle begins.

 

 

The UA Wall is able to keep most of the basic grunts out for a bit, especially after the upgrades given in wake of Japan falling into chaos from the Paranormal Liberation Front, but hundreds of quirked yakuza hammering away at it meant it was only going to last for so long. 

But when they finally breach it, they find a mixture of second year UA students and Villain Bots from the Entrance Exams and Sports Festival waiting for them. 

The counterattack is immediate and swift, especially with the addition of multiple Executors or ‘Zero-Pointers’ as they’re nicknamed. The Shie Hassaikai’s guns and quirks manage to take down a good chunk of the initial robots and injure quite a few students, but the titan-sized reinforcements are too much.

The first wave of yakuza is eventually subdued and the heroes celebrate, but then a second wave that’s larger than the first comes with Hekiji Tengai and Rikiya Katsukame leading the vanguard. Many of the thugs injecting themselves with Trigger beforehand only makes matters worse for the heroes, but more than that…

Something’s wrong.

Both the heroic Sekan and Deku feel it, the latter due to Danger Sense giving a slow hum in his head.

Something’s wrong here.

 

UA’s Big Three and most of the two first year heroics classes soon join the fray, helping their classmates pull back with the captured villains and engage with this latest assault force.

Lemillion in particular blitzes through everyone in his way, leading an assault team towards the Shie Hassaikai compound. If Overhaul wants to try and wear them out, then they’ll just bring the fight to him!

The blonde third-year is joined by Izuku, Sekan, Neito (with him having copied Erasure and Half-Cold Half-Hot beforehand), Nejire, Tamaki, and Katsuki with Nezu coordinating them all in his command center through communication equipment made by Momo’s Creation quirk.

They meet an unprepared third wave halfway to the compound and quickly go in for the attack while the opponent is off guard. It’s smaller than the first wave, but three more of the Eight Bullets are present. 

Suneater faces Deidoro, Nejire fights Yu, and Lemillion takes on Toya as Deku, Katsuki, and Phantom Thief work together to quickly knock out all the thugs around the other three battles.

Even Trigger-boosted quirks become shut down by Neito’s Erasure copy with Deku using 30% of One For All to quickly finish the ones who weren’t blown up into unconsciousness by Katsuki’s awakened Explosion quirk.

But Danger Sense is still ringing, and it isn’t from anyone here.

“Well now, someone’s certainly in a hurry.” The fighting stops with all eyes looking towards the latest arrivals on the battleground.

 

To his left, Kendo Rappa. To his right, Hari Kurono. 

In his right arm, being raised high into the air as she gasps for it… Eri.

She has the same rags on as in canon. She has bandages all over her arms and legs like in canon. 

“Even if none of this is real, you just can’t bear to watch innocents die now can you, heroes?” The Shie Hassaikai’s leader taunts, lifting Eri higher into the air.

“Monoma! I need you to-”

“Cutting off access to the diseases within me won’t help you, heroes. I can snap her neck just fine while quirkless.” The yakuza boss grins menacingly as the little girl being held up by his arm gives them a pleading look, still gasping for air.

Neito Monoma already had Erasure on at that point.

And just like he did almost two years ago, just like what happened when his main bully and abuser was in danger, Izuku Midoriya moved without thinking. 

But this time… he knows what he’s doing. 

His training at UA wasn’t for nothing. All of this love and support he was given by his friends, classmates, and the people he managed to save wasn’t for nothing!

One For All 45%. Fa Jin! Gearshift! Blackwhip! Float!

Faster than the yakuza boss can even perceive, the little girl being held captive is yanked out of his arm by multiple black energy tendrils. Just like in his own world, Blackwhip was used to bring Eri into his arms.

But something’s wrong.

Danger Sense… it’s still ringing. No, it’s BLARING!

 

Overhaul is dozens of feet away and should still have his quirk or quirks canceled by Erasure, but Izuku doesn’t take any chances.

“It’s okay, Eri.” Izuku whispers while soaring into the air, far away from Overhaul.

So why is Danger Sense still blaring?

“Wait a second…” The heroic Sekan mutters before suddenly paling. “SHIT! DEKU, STOP!!!”

“It’s okay.” One For All 100%. “I’ve got you. You’re safe now- AAAAAAAUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!”

“No. I’ve got you, Deku.” The five year old villain grins.

 

Rewind plus Wave Motion… enhanced by Trigger.

The two are wrapped in a cocoon of golden energy, and One For All is erased from existence a moment later. Izuku only got it around a year ago, after all, and Eri can erase that meager amount of time in an instant.

There’s no resisting it after that.

It only takes a few more seconds for the hero student to be completely erased. If All For One could be rewound out of existence, then One For All can too. Even so, Eri volunteered to take a dose of her dad’s top of the line Trigger just in case.

“Sorry heroes, but as the future leader of the Shie Hassaikai and Empress of the Underworld, of course I’m going to play dirty. I am a villain, after all. Just like my dad.” Eri monologues, a vicious grin spreading across her face and more usage of Wave Motion letting her softly land on her dad’s shoulder.

Kurono then takes the girl’s villain costume (with the addition of her own red and black plague mask) out from the inside of his long, white raincoat, and her dad helps her immediately equip it through a quick activation of Overhaul.

“Now then, with your prodigy having been bested by my own… let the true battle begin!” The Sekan Doraifu wearing Kai Chisaki’s face announces.

 

Then, for the heroes, everything goes to shit.

Deidoro spews out a wave of fire, Yu forms multiple laser turrets from Tartarus on his shoulders and back, and Toya throws out dozens of marbles, each one of them containing a member of the Praetorian Guard.

Back at UA, Rikiya begins skewering students left and right with his own take on Nejire Pikes and Hekiji displays a better mastery of Air Wall then Nine ever did. 

They saw Eri’s signal, so there’s no need to hide their extra quirks anymore.

Rappa buffs up with thousands of muscle layers appearing outside of his arms. He then punches right through Neito’s head before the blond can activate Erasure again. 

Kurono impales Nejire with Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser and Trigger ensuring she can’t move a muscle as she is vertically split in half.

Takami is turned into swiss cheese by Yu’s laser cannons before being burned to a crisp by Deidoro. 

Katsuki Bakugou completely loses it and fires everything he has at the Praetorians coming his way, but their durability, armor, and enhancers combined with Cell Activation lets them tank and heal from any explosions that reach them.

He doesn’t even notice the Time Pike sent his way until it’s far too late. Wave Motion slices through his right arm and Rewind reverts him back to far before he got his Quirk Awakening.

Over a year of intense training and several near-death experiences was undone in an instant, all his struggles and strife rendered useless in the face of time itself. Another Time Pike by Eri finishes the job, this one going straight through his neck.

All that happened within the span of just a few seconds, and as Lemillion is blown to bits through the use of Overhaul, a body fusion with what’s left of Neito Monoma letting the big bad temporarily use Erasure to ensure the hero can’t permeate away, Sekan Doraifu realizes just how badly he was outplayed.

 

“You… you’re not Overhaul, are you?” He asks, the army of villains passing the two Sekans by as the true villain kneels down towards the fake hero.

“Nope. And if Sekan Doraifu is this pathetic, then I suppose I’m not quite him either.” The yakuza boss shrugs before glaring daggers at his counterpart.

“Make no mistake. Kai Chisaki died just three days after my arrival; I used his own Trigger to boost my quirk, ensuring he could be controlled into making me the sole survivor of our fusion. Isn’t that hilarious?” He then whispers after removing his plague mask, a small grin being revealed on his face.

The hero student tries stopping him with Mind Web. He got some decent training with it in UA, but he never really went Plus Ultra. He never felt pressured to, as he already knew how things would go. He already knew he was destined to win, or so he thought.

His villain variant had far more time to train it, far more willingness to train it, and far less restraint while training it. Having some of his special Trigger already running through his veins is just overkill. 

“There’s a difference between being cautious and being a lazy coward.” The villain explains, now having free reign over his variant’s mind. That mental battle was lost before it even started.

“You took the safe route. You decided to go along with this shounen world and its story, giving little tips to the protagonists here and there to hopefully make the so-called happy ending a tiny bit better. You became as complacent and useless as the civilians heroes here protect.

The good guys were already destined to win, right? You had no reason to really go Plus Ultra, right? That right there was your greatest mistake. This world stopped being canon the moment people like us showed up.

Victory isn’t guaranteed, not one bit. You think that timeskip textbook happy ending means anything? Well guess what? Our story doesn’t end there, you fucking disgrace! I’m preparing for an early dark Epilogue; the true ending for this world. The ending where powers become too much for its users to bear, and I won’t get dragged down along with them. 

The world will enter a new era no matter what, only it will be me deciding how it goes… and I’ll be DAMNED if some pathetic, sniveling coward stops me from getting it! 

ULTIMATE MOVE - SAD MAN’S PARADE!!!”

 

A tidal wave of dark goo explodes out of the villain’s back, forming a dozen clones who spawn in hundreds more clones with even more appearing every second. Not only that, but a second, larger tidal wave of clones emerges from Hassaikai HQ, Sekan’s clones already having completed their part of the plan.

UA High is already burning to the ground, Innsmouth making great use out of the gigantification quirk his boss provided him from the quirked squid. His crew and the members of Cider House are carried along for the ride.

The Volcano Thieves are the ones doing most of the burning, Maguma Iwata letting loose everything he has with his right and left hand villains adding their quirks to his own to form fire tornadoes and dust explosions everywhere they go.

Shoto Todoroki attempts to stop them, firing a Great Glacier Aegir right at the villain team, but all that did was supply the five Pseudo-Getens who just arrived with more than enough ammunition for their copies of Ice Ply.

The attack was redirected right back towards the UA student with the massive ice dragons that formed crushing him upon contact, killing him in an instant. 

Having an extreme resistance to cold temperatures doesn’t mean you can survive being slammed by multiple tons of ice going faster than most cars can.

Thousands more members of the Shie Hassaikai pour into UA’s campus from thugs to corrupt police and heroes to the various villains and gangs making up their other subsidiaries.

The wave of clones crashed onto the main campus soon after. 

Even a few squadrons of goddamn modified tanks fire shot after shot at the school campus from a distance. 

Simply put, the heroes stand no chance.

They certainly try, with All Might even busting out the suit of armor he used against All For One during their final clash, but it just isn’t enough.

If Deku was still around, they could’ve probably won. Even with the Praetorians, the boosted Eight Bullets, and the Hassaikai’s leader having Double at his disposal, if Deku went all out with the true power of One For All, he would have decimated them all had he gone straight for the kill.

They were all boxed in. They had little time to multiply. A few full-power punches could have blasted them to bits or buried them under the remains of their citadel.

Unfortunately for Izuku, at the end of the day, he was a shounen protagonist… and plot armor or the power of friendship wasn’t going to save him this time. 

The hero Sekan played by their rules while the villain Sekan made them play by his rules. 

It’s as simple as that.

 

“Double. You have fucking Double too… Heh. So, this is what it looks like when I stop playing nice.” The hero counterpart chuckles, accepting his defeat. “So much for heroes always winning, but with you on their side, I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“Stop playing nice? No, you lazy piece of crap!” The villain counterpart growls, pulling his doppelganger up by his hero costume.

“The moment I took Double, I became capable of destroying the entire planet. I could just destroy everybody and ruin the gods’ stupid game out of anger or spite, consequences be damned! 

That would be me no longer playing nice. That would be me no longer giving a damn. That would be me unleashing the madness I’ve suppressed deep inside. That would be me giving up on my very existence. But I didn’t do that and I won’t do so, because unlike you, I can actually see the big picture. 

I know the world will end one way or another. I could become god-king of an anarchistic Japan or even the whole planet once that happens, or I could simply hide out and wait until the next people of Earth emerge. It wouldn’t be hard with the arsenal of quirks my organization now has.

What the future holds is obvious, the exact details less so, but that doesn’t mean I’ll just give up like you. I want to enjoy my second life. I want to live without any fear. Whether it’s having a simple picnic with my daughter or bringing the Symbols of Peace and Evil to their knees, I’ll ensure that I can fulfill my selfish ambitions no matter what I choose to do.

The knowledge we have from our past lives can accomplish this, but only if we actually have the guts and will to use them. That trump card is useless if you never fucking use it! Everything I have now is due to my own plans, my own back-breaking effort, and my own guts to see my desires through!”

He begins to break down mentally, but right now, the villainous transmigrator can’t bring himself to care.

 

“Your very existence sickens me… Heheheh… because of the likes of you, I am assured! I can’t solely rely on the heroes and villains to solve a problem far bigger than they’ll ever be!

I myself will guide whoever I choose through the singularity. I’ll allow them to get their ‘happy endings’ in exchange for helping me, but the one who truly comes out on top will always be ME!!!”

“Jeez, maybe it’s for the best that this bullshit ends here.” The ‘heroic’ variant mumbles as he begins to fade away. 

Looks like the oh so great gods above decided the victor a bit earlier than planned. 

“Going all Plus Ultra like that… torturing yourself like that… just one of those things even worse than death if you’re anything to go by.”

“Not if you actually reach out and grab what you can. Not if you make all that hard work worth it.” The remaining Sekan deadpans, getting his emotions and inner madness back under control.

“If you say so…”

The hero then finally, completely fades away, the entire battlefield doing the same right after.

 

 

 

Sekan Doraifu then opens his eyes, and looks around his bedroom for any signs of… anything off, really.

But there’s nothing.

‘Another dream? A figment of my imagination? Some stupid side story? Or perhaps a message? A warning of what I could’ve become, had I never pushed myself like I did.’

 

He then hears a knock at his door, and opens it to see Eri standing there in her unicorn pajamas.

“Dad, I had a bad dream. Can I have a quirk to let me do stuff in those? I want to beat up dream enemies.” The white-haired girl asks her dad.

‘Could she have- no. That isn’t possible.’ Sekan shakes away the thought before reaching down to stroke his daughter’s hair.

“Sorry, sweetheart. I haven’t collected any quirks like that yet.” 

“Oh… can I sleep with you then?”

“Of course, snowflake. We agreed to save each other, remember?”

“Right.” She yawns while hopping into bed with him, nuzzling next to him. “We’ll keep saving each other, forever and ever.”

There isn’t a safer place in the world for her. Even if Sekan wasn’t there to defend her, she can easily defend herself. 

Sekan made sure that she could, but that doesn’t mean he’ll leave her to do so. 

He’s cautious, not a coward. 

“Night night, dad.”

“Goodnight, Eri.”

Chapter 26: Familiar Faces and Annoying Organizations

“Rumi! So glad you could make it; how’s it hanging?”

“Same old shit, Rapper. At least until a little bird told me that he was reopening an absolute clusterfuck of a fighting arena.”

“Relax, that sentient potato isn’t getting his claws anywhere near this place!”

“Potato?” The top female hero of Japan questions.

“Errrr, never mind. Point is, this place is legit when it comes to fighting. No holds barred, one vs one, action-packed cage matches!”

“Uh huh. So what’s up with the weapons and Trigger?”

“Hey, I gotta fund this all somehow! Also, while I don’t personally use that stuff, it does help the matches between weaklings become a little more interesting.”

“...You do realize that you’re telling this to the Number 5 Hero of Japan, right?” The slightly psychotic bunny girl deadpans.

“Yeah, like you give a flying fuck about whatever the HPSC orders you to do.” Kendo Rappa snarks back, before suddenly getting an idea.

“Tell you what. Whaddya say we settle this moral debate like the battle-crazed badasses we are?”

“...I’m listening.”

 

Countdown to Canon: 3 Months 3 Weeks before Entrance Exam

“Rappa, I swear to whatever gods are up there, if you somehow managed to accidentally murder another top ten hero, I will-”

“She’s fine, boss!... mostly.” My strongest and slightly beat up bullet insists as we stare at the unconscious, very beat-up body of the Rabbit Hero: Mirko. 

My top brass and most other Shie Hassaikai members have health monitors attached to them, so my clones and I would get a warning the second any of them died, got knocked unconscious, or had an abnormal increase in heart rate.

Rappa, being Rappa, caused a lot of false alarms. 

Oh, how I wish this was one of those instances.

 

“...Tell me again how this happened exactly.” I ordered the cause of far too many headaches for my liking.

“Well, you already know about what happened at the original Underground Masquerade, right? Oh, and the rumors about Tiger Bunny coming back for this one?” 

I nod at the brawler, him taking it as a sign to continue.

“Well, it turns out that Rumi- er, Mirko really was coming back as Tiger Bunny, only with a much better disguise this time around, and whether or not she ratted this place out to the heroes depended on what exactly was going on here.

She signed up for a few matches and I did a bit of catching up with her afterwards- uh, keeping the details about you and Hassaikai a secret, of course! And she was a bit iffy considering all the stuff you’re selling here for matches since they’re also allowed to be taken to go when bought, so I made her a counteroffer. 

We duke it out in a 1v1. No weapons, Trigger, or anything like that allowed, just skills and quirks. If I won, she wouldn’t rat us out and continue doing matches here; if she won, then I would cancel all outside businesses and just make this place about fighting. 

But I knew I could win, even without clearly showing off my new quirks! I could disguise Charging Muscles, Fast Fist, and a bit of Muscle Augmentation as results of all the training I’ve done easily enough.”

Well, at least he learned how to be a bit sneakier than in canon.

“Sooooo, we good then?” The current SUM figurehead asks, and I give a long sigh back.

“Alright, fine. Tell her she can arrest these guys all she wants outside of the arena, but this place is a neutral zone. And NO GIVING HER VIP or else I’ll permanently loosen the muscles that control your bladder. Am I clear?”

“But she’ll get bored easily! And we won’t make a lot from bets on matches if people know who’s gonna win already!”

“Then bring one of the stronger VIPs over for a match in the main arena. Maybe Muscular; that guy murders most of his opponents in the ring and I can’t resurrect them afterwards and let them go on their merry way without causing a scene. 

LabHaul likes the steady stream of new test subjects, but I’m thinking about this long term and business will slow down long term if most people keep getting murdered during matches! They’ll be too scared to sign up!”

“You got it, boss! I’ll make it a main event in a few days if Muscular is up for it, because I sure as hell know Rumi will!”

“You go do that.”

 

Ever since I finally caved in and created a new clone of myself, now nicknamed GuildHaul, to handle recruitment for me and the other clones of me, I’ve had a bunch more free time on my hands. That translates to a lot more time for dealing with my organization’s, uh… antics.

As always, being able to effectively be in multiple places at the same time is a massive asset (along with an intelligence-boosting quirk like IQ), but with how lofty my plans and goals are, even these crucial advantages of mine struggle to be enough. 

At the very least, most of the bullets are still recovering from the Halloween party (that shall never be mentioned again in my presence if they know what’s good for them) a few days ago, easing up a bit of the pressure once the cleanup for that shitshow was over. 

God, what a mess that was. That Michael Jackson costume from his Smooth Criminal video looked awesome on me, but Kai Chisaki has a terrible singing voice. I learned that the hard way.

Getting a copy of future UA Class 1-B student Kinoko Komori’s quirk just to try and create some ‘fun shrooms’ like she could in a certain MHA abridged series was also a terrible idea. It actually did work, the intended effects made possible through both consumption and inhalation; it was just a terrible idea.

Everything from around midnight to dawn is foggy at best, even with Mind Web combing through my memories afterwards. I only briefly recall marching over to Endeavor’s Agency with determination, seven boxes of toilet paper, some All Might merch, and Mr. Smiley. 

It’s probably for the best that the agency in question is halfway across the country from my own headquarters, thereby making it impossible for me to get there on foot in the span of one night. 

And despite not taking that fun fact into consideration, I did have the foresight to heavily alter my physical appearance via Overhaul before that little adventure to ensure it didn’t come back to bite me.

A pity I never got the contact info of my temporary partner in crime; his quirk is comically overpowered, pun intended. I’ve got my cyberwarfare branch trying to track him down in their spare time, but the graffiti artist is rather elusive.

Anyway, Eri had plenty of fun too thanks to her two friends/minions visiting Osaka with their dad for the party. Mr. Shimano was quite surprised upon discovering that his kids weren’t just playing pretend in regards to befriending a yakuza boss, but the Shie Hassaikai paying for all his travel expenses got him to warm up to the idea.

The three kids had a sleepover that night and luckily, actually went to sleep before a chunk of Osaka was overrun with fun shrooms and the party really got started.

At least I have a new profitable avenue when it comes to trading drugs. Villains all over Japan will no longer need flight and wing quirks to be as high as a kite.

 

Getting back to more serious business, most of my plans have continued moving along smoothly.

Almost 80% of Osaka from local markets and businesses to law enforcement and government is completely under my control, and thanks to our means of control over the public rapidly expanding, most people have at least a somewhat positive impression of the yakuza with many starting to embrace their secret fanatical sides before officially joining us. 

I, through GuildHaul, also managed to finally subsume the Robbery Gang that Izuku, Katsuki, and Hawks took down in MHA Team-Up Missions, a spinoff to the main MHA manga like MHA Vigilantes is. That arachnid villain boss was a prideful bastard, but if Hawks can outspeed his own mutant speed quirk, then I can certainly put him in his place as well.

That group is rather good and even has some notoriety for their incredibly fast crimes, but Giran warned me about their attitude and how unlikely they are to bend the knee, even if I demolished their leader’s pride.

So instead, after meeting with their leader and beating him down, we decided to make him a proper test subject for yet another branch of our own Overhaul modifications. To be more specific, some detailed brain surgery through Overhaul that essentially serves as brainwashing.

LabHaul had plenty of time and even more test subjects to experiment with this, but it’s still a bit finicky and we haven’t had any of those test subjects out on the field due to risk of failure. 

Luckily for us, with how one-dimensional this guy’s character is, masking the alterations we made. The loyalty the group has to their boss also makes things easier, as they won’t question his decisions unless he really starts acting out of character.

So if this guy ends up breaking down and going brain dead, it won’t lead any outside heroes or villains back to the Shie Hassaikai. This does mean they’ll be operating on a need to know basis and can’t do anything crucial for us, which somewhat wastes their talent, but better to get something out of them then nothing.

With such being the case, they’ll all be given about as much intel on me as the unwanted subordinates and subsidiaries I basically threw at the Wild Villains and Creature Rejection Clan during their war, so nothing that can tip the heroes or other villains off about myself and the Shie Hassaikai.

In other words, that group falls in the category of people who I would rather have arrested or killed after they help me a bit instead of the category of people who I properly acclimate into my organization like the Volcano Thieves or Innsmouth’s crew.

And while I’m on the subject of manga spinoff-exclusive content, I also managed to get all the extremist groups among the Octo-Lover’s Brigade working under Innsmouth because with how much work I’m throwing his way, he could really use the extra hands… or tentacles, I guess.

Great for me, but I can only pray that stuff from the spinoff manga MHA Smash isn't present in this world like MHA Vigilantes and MHA Team-Up Missions are. 

If MHA Vigilantes serves as a prequel to the main story and MHA Team-Up Missions serves as a slice of life comedy in the form of various standalone adventures taking place towards the end of the main story, then MHA Smash is a gag spinoff manga taking place throughout the main story where everyone acts wildly OOC. In other words, it’s basically a crackfic in disguise.

Having the Vigilantes and Team-Up Missions spinoffs alongside stuff from the games such as the Wild Villains and Volcano Thieves as well as manga exclusive content and the OVAs (Original Video Animations or anime exclusive content) all be present here is enough, thanks!

And that’s way too damn much already! Incorporating all those extra additions into my plans for this world is incredibly challenging to put it lightly, especially with how much is already going on in the main story. 

Like I said before, having multiple clones to bounce ideas off of and an intelligence-boosting quirk like IQ is barely making this much manageable for me. I don’t have centuries worth of time and country or global-spanning organizations to work with like AFO and the MLA do goddamnit!

 

Anyway, the OL Brigade is an animal rights group made up of mutant quirk wielders that give them attributes of sea creatures like fish, mollusks, cephalopods, and so on. 

Their whole shtick is wanting to prevent octopus from being cooked and eaten, and with Innsmouth being an octopus mutant himself, getting the people who are just fine with causing riots and beating up heroes for their ideals really wasn’t hard.

Oh, and this group is also in Osaka which just makes recruiting them even more convenient for me. 

So not only can these guys help pack and sail whatever I need smuggled around the country, but the protests and riots they cause serve as an excellent smokescreen for Cider House to go on a stealing spree while Innsmouth trades the products smuggled with any buyers Giran sends our way.

All these little groups and plans come together to form an excellent payday, and I’m loving every second of it. My smuggling and stealing branch may not rival the SUM in sheer usefulness, but they’re getting rather close with how much manpower I’m putting into it.

In fact, with all my other money-making schemes going on right now, the ridiculous amount of cash and supplies I need to make my various projects progress (even with the Creation Crew simply creating most of the expensive stuff for me) is successfully being collected with me even getting a decent profit despite the constant investments.

Most of that profit is going right back into investment for some of my later projects, projects that will start once the next school year at UA starts and main series canon events begin in earnest.

I already have an endgame plan all mapped out, one that should be complete by the time the Final War happens in canon, but that event won’t be happening here. I intend to cut quite a few stories and plot points short while letting others get the spotlight they deserve, but that won’t be for a while.

For now, I have more immediate plans to attend to. While my forces have been growing, my development and research regarding quirks has unfortunately stagnated. 

Overhaul is an invaluable tool, one that matches up to and even surpasses All For One in some areas regarding the creation of multiple-quirked beings, but I don’t have the decades of expertise Dr. Garaki has. 

I could acquire memories of medical knowledge from people, sure, but that’s all conventional knowledge. It was up to me and my clones to develop that knowledge into something more by doing what’s only possible through a quirk like Overhaul.

 

I went in a different direction then Garaki did, and if I got my hands on his data too, then I could even surpass him in the monster-making field, but I can’t risk it with All For One still around. 

I don’t want creatures like the Nomus; I don’t want brain-dead monsters that mindlessly follow orders. The High-Ends are a bit better in the thinking field, but I still prefer creations like my Praetorians. 

They embody my beliefs that enough brains and creativity can beat even the strongest brawn, and while the Nomu are certainly useful in some situations, for an organization like mine that actually stays in the shadows (unlike a certain potato’s crew), having creatures that are simply meant to go around and cause mindless destruction doesn’t help much.

But there has to be some way around it, right? I was able to get into this kind of mad science to begin with thanks to acquiring Overhaul, so I could do something similar here, right?

Well, yes. There is a way for me to break through this wall, and just like at the beginning of my journey, all that’s required for it is a single quirk. 

I’ve been secretly collecting and copying quirks for months at this point, so no big deal, right?

Well… the issue here is the person wielding the quirk.

No, the quirk isn’t All For One. It isn’t One For All or New Order either.

But the person wielding the quirk in question is right behind the wielders of the previous three quirks in power, and that’s at their peaks, not their current, weakened versions (Star and Stripe excluded; she isn’t crippled like the other two).

Finding him is the easy part, and canon didn’t really give me much to work with in that regard. The Niigata Prefecture is quite large, and traversing its numerous forests and mountains is tough. Getting what I want from this guy, and keeping it all a secret at that, is going to be a lot harder.

It’s gonna be a massive pain in the ass, but at least I don’t have to worry about it now.

 

Besides, this roadblock in some avenues of our mad science lets us focus on others with LabHaul starting to make some serious progress with our own quirk-erasing bullets. 

We still don’t have a temporary prototype ready to go, but we’re getting there. Best of all, our bullets don’t even need any blood as ingredients! 

The final components should be 99% a combination of Zookeeper’s quirk secretion and a heavily-modified version of Trigger made specifically to permanently boost the already altered substance and 1% a combination of other drugs and chemicals that I won’t bother listing because I can’t even pronounce half of them. 

Then there’s the Specialized Praetorian project my clones and I have been looking more into. 

The Pseudo-Getens, while not quite as skilled as the original (they have his memories; they just need more practice to fully acclimate said memories), are still incredibly powerful and have several other quirks and modifications making their bodies themselves much less of a weakness overall.

They also have me around to give them the occasional tip or experiment to try when it comes to quirk application. 

Geten is a powerhouse that could fight Endeavor like an equal, yes. His control rivals that of his power, directing the movements of ice dragons the size of a city block or thousands of icy shards to form frozen tornadoes while holding himself up on an icy platform for support.

The guy even managed to get a Quirk Awakening! The number of people who pulled such a thing off prior to the Paranormal Liberation War can be counted on one hand!

It had taken him years of exhausting, endless training to achieve such power and proficiency. It had, quite literally, taken his entire life. Friends, school, social outings, life milestones, and pretty much every other normal life activity that most people take for granted was given up to achieve what he had. And the results show for themselves.

If utilized well enough, Ice Ply is the most powerful elemental quirk in Japan… if utilized well enough being the key words in that claim.

Geten is strong. However, like so many others in this world, his creativity with quirk applications is sorely lacking.

For someone so dedicated to training their quirk (or meta-ability as he calls it), that’s pretty disappointing. He was taught a whole lot by Re-Destro though, so some of the blame and incompetence can be shifted to MHA’s resident Doofenshmirtz.

But calling people out for making stupid decisions is one thing and offering a better solution is another, and I can back up my bark with a good bit of bite.

If anyone suddenly develops an ice-related superpower like Geten’s, here are a few suggestions to become absolutely fucking terrifying.

 

Ice Quirk Tip #1: Clouds. 

If you can freeze water by manipulating their molecules (something Geten says he can do while giving a villain monologue to Dabi in the MLA arc), it’s not too much of a stretch to assume that you can freeze water vapor of sufficient density, right?

Turns out that using Ice Ply on a water-dense rain cloud can grant my Pseudo-Getens millions of tonnes of ice to manipulate, and that’s without there being any rivers or lakes or other water sources around!

Side Note: If freezing water vapor directly into ice is too tough for you, then consider Cloud Seeding. It both causes and increases rain or snow from clouds, making it much easier to get nearly endless amounts of ice.

 

Ice Quirk Tip #2: Independent Ice. 

Remember Pixie-bob from the Wild Wild Pussycats? Her powerful Earth manipulation quirk can create what she has dubbed ‘Mythical Beasts’ which are big, chimera-esc animals made of whatever natural ground is nearby that can act according to her orders. They really aren’t that different from the low level Nomu if you think about it.

Now a weaker ice quirk (or elemental quirk in general) may not be able to do this, but Ice Ply is absolutely ridiculous in terms of strength thanks to Geten training it so much, so my Pseudo-Getens can now keep their enemies occupied with independent constructs of soldiers or wolves or even dragons made of ice while they prepare their large scale attacks in peace and safety.

 

Ice Quirk Tip #3: Density

So you can turn water into ice, good for you. But ice isn’t that tough to break in this superpowered society, even if you gather a few dozen freezers worth of the stuff together to slam into opponents.

So why not just make your ice harder? By either compacting water together before freezing it into ice or simply compacting your ice together through your own manipulation, you can create highly compacted, hyper-pressurized ice that’s far harder to break.

I had a regular Praetorian of mine help test this trick out. He first threw a full-power punch with his body modifications and strength-boosting quirk shattering a large piece of ‘normal’ ice. He then threw a similar punch to another piece of ice that has ten times more water for the same volume, and the damage done is minimal. 

Now considering how much ammunition this takes up, this little trick isn’t something you can spam, but using canon Geten’s dragons as an example, you could simply apply this compressed ice to the teeth and fangs of those dragons, or maybe the tips of your ice soldiers’ spears.

Or even for personal body armor. 

 

Those are just a few ideas I came up with after a bit of brainstorming, and now my Pseudo-Getens could probably take on half a dozen canon Getens at once! 

Calling them ‘Pseudo-Getens’ probably doesn’t fit anymore since they have gone far beyond just imitating the MLA member, but I’ll stick with the name for now as calling them ‘Ice Praetorians’ or ‘Praetorian Getens’ is way too tacky for my tastes. 

So considering how well the Pseudo-Getens are turning out, wanting to look more into the idea of Specialized Praetorians with copies of overpowered canon quirks and the memories/tutelage needed to use them feels like the right call. I already have a few ideas for some other potential natural disaster units!

This fighting force could rival or even surpass Garaki’s collection of High-End Nomus as well as Japan’s top heroes. The High-Ends have pretty decent quirks with a good enough synergy and some body modifications to become strong. The top Pro Heroes have spent decades training their powerful, singular quirks to become strong.

Combine those two concepts together and you get something very dangerous. 

 

Frankly, any one of my special projects from Praetorians to Quirk-Erasers to my work on quirks in general would be enough for the HPSC to shit bricks before passing this case up to the WHA, and I’d rather not get the canon Humarise treatment, thanks.

Going into more detail about the world’s most powerful hero organization, the WHA or World Heroes Association is basically a global, less corrupt version of the HPSC, and it’s responsible for organizing international aid and hero relief missions whenever the need arises.

Now this organization is technically the successor to modern organizations from my previous world (or pew-quirk organizations here) like NATO and the World Health Organization. 

It doesn’t perform every function those now extinct organizations did. NATO was a military defensive pact and the military no longer exists in most countries; there are still plenty of agents that basically serve as international SWAT teams within it, but no soldiers in the traditional sense.

They aren’t an organization of doctors either despite standing at the top of international disaster relief. Getting help from the world’s best doctors is something they can do, just like how they can call upon heroes across the world to help with missions, but the organization at its core is something else entirely.

Heroes in general aren’t soldiers or doctors. Exceptions like Recovery Girl exist, but the vast majority are people who don’t fit into either category. 

With that being the case, the WHA mainly takes action when international organized crime rings or villain organizations need to be taken down. Humarise is a perfect example of this; the organization spanned across many different countries all over the world and the WHA mobilized heroes from all over the world alongside their own agents to take them all down.

Any villains that escape the law by crossing borders and scattering their assets (something I plan on doing if the worst were to happen) would also be handled by this organization. They would identify villainous threats and respond to them on an international scale.

For that, you need politicians and diplomats. You need military-grade gear and cooperative superheroes. You need hospitals and medical staff. You need disaster relief supplies and fleets of land, air, and sea vehicles. You need competent, professional personnel. 

And most importantly, you needed an absolute shitload of money.

In short, you need the World Heroes Association, an international pain in my ass to rival Humarise. It’s politically neutral, extremely rich, capable of going anywhere, and can solve pretty much any problems it finds wherever they decide to go.

Now quarreling between countries still exists. The U.N. or United Nations still exists too, and they aren’t puppets to the WHA like how Japan’s government is mainly a puppet of the HPSC.

Rivalries and hatreds still thrived and selfish assholes still made stupid decisions in the WHA and UN, but at worst, this was a cold war of propaganda and politics. 

Something like the Russia-Ukraine war would never happen here (in modern day, anyway) because there’s no way heroes wouldn’t get involved in such a thing, and even the dumbest and most aggressive politicians and political parties were extremely hesitant to cross that line. Nobody wanted to see people like All Might and Endeavor on the battlefield single-handedly decimating entire armies.

It would take the Meta Liberation Army or Paranormal Liberation Front conquering Japan and setting their sights on other countries for an international war to occur. AFO won’t have his way if I have anything to say about it, but I won’t count out Re-Destro just yet. He could be a very useful asset or distraction in the right circumstances.

 

Getting back on track, the WHA possesses many traits of international defense alliances from the pre-quirk world despite it not technically being one, and while my own organization isn’t international, it certainly poses an international threat.

And unlike what happened with Humarise in canon, I can probably expect to see Star and Stripe arriving on my doorstep if that ever happened rather than a couple teenagers screaming Plus Ultra. In other words, I’d be screwed.

So these projects are necessary and the secrecy is even more necessary. If I’m forced to take on the world’s heroes, then I’m gonna need some serious firepower.

When it comes to heavy-hitters, I don’t intend to rely solely on my Praetorians. I upgraded the Eight Bullets for a reason; putting all my eggs into one basket is just asking for failure.

Besides, with enough good quirks and synergy between those quirks, some of the Eight Bullets could even surpass my specialized Praetorians. Rappa is proof of that. 

But even then, I don’t intend to leave it at that. If an unexpected opportunity comes up to get more power with a low enough risk, I’ll gladly take it.

Such is the reason why I’m currently standing face to face with one of My Hero Academia’s most powerful antagonists… well, he isn’t quite there yet, but he and his crew are still extremely powerful.

And best of all, they are currently independent from other villain groups at the moment.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Nine. Please, take a seat.” 

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Main Family (+ Current Quirks):

• Sekan Doraifu - Mind Web, Overhaul, Confession, Double, IQ, Cleaning
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Eri - Rewind, Wave Motion, IQ

Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening
• Zookeeper (Personal Maid/Eri’s Main Caretaker) - Cleaning, Overhaul
• Hari Kurono (Leader of Eight Bullets/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser
• Kendo Rappa (Eight Bullets) - Strongarm, Muscle Augmentation, Charging Muscles, Fast Fist
• Hekiji Tengai (Eight Bullets) - Barrier, Air Wall
• Toya Setsuno (Eight Bullets) - Larceny, Compress
• Yu Hojo (Eight Bullets) - Crystalize, Creation
• Soramitsu Tabe (Eight Bullets) - Food, Fat Absorption
• Deidoro Sakaki (Eight Bullets) - Sloshed, Dragon Breath 
• Rikiya Katsukame (Eight Bullets) - Energy Suck, Wave Motion

Other Forces:

• Praetorian Guard - 152
• Pseudo Getens - 5
• Pseudo ????? - 5
• Cyber Warfare Branch - 32
• Mad Science Branch - 25
• Creation Crew - 40
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 800
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 35
• Thugs and Goons - 3310

Subsidiaries:

• Hero Killer
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth and his crew
• Team Reservoir Dogs
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 305

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 27: Villain’s Gauntlet - Part 1

So, someone started up the Masquerade again? 

He’s flattered.

“I-It doesn’t appear to be anything much, my lord. The events are somewhat organized and the Black Market is somewhat involved too, but the guy running this event, Kendo Rappa, just seems to be a big fan of the original and wanted to bring it back, e-even if it’s on a much smaller scale then the original.”

All For One takes some time to ponder one of his many spies’ latest report. 

Should he try to take control over this one too? It probably won’t last very long and taking away so much attention from Tomura right now may not be worth it, not when his main plan is about to begin.

Even if Tomura fails to kill All Might during his debut, society will be shaken and the weakened symbol will be finished off soon enough.

Just a few more months, and they’ll be ready. The Nomu will be produced in earnest, Tomura will start his journey to become the next him, and his brother will finally be brought back into his embrace.

With plans as massive and critical as this coming up, a mere fighting tournament has no reason to fully draw his attention. He has far more important things to do.

“Continue to monitor the situation. Attend the event every now and then and report any concerning changes that you see.”

“Y-Yes, my lord!”

 

Countdown to Canon: 3 Months 3 Weeks before Entrance Exam

“So just to summarize, not only can you cure me of my quirk’s illness, modifying and improving me enough to wield it without any drawbacks, but you can also grant us all multiple extra quirks?” Nine confirms, him being the first of the four villains to process my offer.

“That is correct, yes.” I confirm to all my guests.

Seeing Nine and his crew sign up for a few fights in the Second Underground Masquerade so soon was a bit surprising at first, but considering how the guys are quirk supremacists with a lot to prove, I really shouldn’t have been.

 

I’ve been trying to track down Nine’s crew for a while now. How could I not when they’re one of, if not the most powerful independent villain team in Japan?

Giran wasn’t any help, something about ‘my feelers getting obliterated along with whatever city they’re in during his rare public appearances’, so that left it up to me. Good thing I know so much about him already.

Now in the original story, Dr. Garaki chose Nine to undergo an experiment to grant him both severe body modifications and a heavily weakened version of All For One with the quirk in question only being able to hold up to eight other quirks. 

Unfortunately, this upgrade worsened the symptoms of his illness despite all the body modifications done to him, so he set out to acquire a regeneration quirk or something similar that can heal the cellular damage done to his body upon using his initial quirk.

Weather Manipulation is one of the strongest individual quirks in the series, no doubt about that. It’s also a perfect example of the Quirk Singularity with quirks becoming too powerful for their users to control, causing untold amounts of devastation as a result.

Nine was meant to be a temporary trial run for Garaki and All For One, nothing more. Those two could have just given him one of the many Super Regeneration copies if they wanted to, preventing his body from degrading, but they didn’t. Connect the dots. 

He has plenty of potential, as does his crew, but the main antagonists threw him away like the self-centered idiots they are. Now that this opportunity came up, I don’t intend to make that same mistake.

The one-shot spinoff manga, League of Villains: Undercover (a prequel to the Heroes Rising movie) takes place around the same time Izuku got accepted into UA High, so March of next year. It’s early November right now, so Nine’s meeting and interview with the good doctor is still months away.

Sorry Garaki, but I will be winning this biological arms race between us. The game will be over before you even realize you’re playing it.

My mad science can’t create anything close to the body AFO Tomura had during the end of the series, but I should be able to make Nine superior to his canon self even without the weakened All For One quirk.

 

The only issue now is ensuring loyalty. These guys are quirk supremacists through and through who basically share Geten’s views of what society should be to a tee. 

Blah blah blah, people’s worth in society are based on how powerful their quirks are, blah blah blah. Seriously, I’m surprised that the MLA didn’t reach out to them beforehand because this kind of thing is right up their alley.

However, Nine is much less of an ass then Geten tends to be. He treats his crew like a family instead of disposable pawns (remember when Geten froze a part of Deika, killing dozens or more of his fellow MLA members just to show off to Dabi?) which is a positive in my book. 

The guy is also pretty humble most of the time and can greatly respect those who show impressive capabilities whether they are his allies or enemies.

However, at the same time, he is willing to murder those who posed a greater risk of standing in his way like Izuku in the Heroes Rising movie, but that shouldn’t be an issue here. He also doesn’t mind destroying entire cities and islands just to test his mettle. 

Even if they don’t gain any character development after being in my organization for a while, I can still use them well and give them what they want in exchange for helping me.

The world is going to shit in a few years, remember? It’s gonna be complete anarchy by then, so Nine and his crew will be free to fight for supremacy if they choose to once the world gets to that point; I can get plenty of use out of him and his crew beforehand.

And that’s just the worst case scenario. Best case scenario, I become genuine friends with him and his crew like I kinda did with the Eight Bullets and heads of my subsidiaries like Volcano, Stain, and Innsmouth.

At the very least, I’ll sure as hell be a lot closer with those guys then I am at the start.

As for Nine’s crew, I just need to recruit them first, and knowing what those guys are like, I have the perfect way to do so.

 

The memories I got from Hawks really help out here, or rather, his training under the HPSC. The way he carries himself, the brazen confidence, the casual conversations where any pressure just seems to evaporate into thin air, and so on.

IQ helps a lot too, narrowing down the best course of action and just letting me process whatever I need to in record time.

So many wonderful tools in my toolbelt already, and it’s still far from being full.

“I know that you guys value and respect strength above all else, so I intend to prove that I have such to you. Enough for you to follow me, put your trust in me to help you accomplish your own goals regarding this superpowered society.”

This gets the crew to raise their eyebrows.

“You have already displayed usage of multiple quirks, either that or a very powerful illusion quirk, and forgive me if I sound pessimistic, but your offer sounds almost too good to be true.” Their leader voices his thoughts.

“Trust me, you’d be surprised at what you can discover about quirks if you actually bother to look into how they work instead of blindly worshiping them. All of society will learn this soon enough, but you guys will get an early preview of that.

What I’m suggesting is simple: a trial by combat. I fight all four of you in a gauntlet, one after another, proving my strength and capabilities to each and every one of you as that is what you value most in people. You can choose the order you go in, watch all the fights for yourselves, and strategize all you like with each other as well.

If I succeed in defeating you all, then you will join my organization. I will make you all far stronger than you can ever imagine, and in return, you will do any tasks that I require with unwavering loyalty, and in three years time at most, you will be free to fight against Japan and its heroes for supremacy over society if you wish… or continue working with me. Your choice.

And if I fail to defeat even one of you despite beating the other three, then I will fix your leader’s condition, allowing him to use his quirk all he wants without any damage or drawback, and for free at that. 

Pretty good deal, don’t you think? Worst case scenario, I’m talking out my ass and all you lose is a bit of your time while murdering me. So, do you accept?”

 

The four villains take a few minutes to discuss, but eventually agree to these terms with me confirming such through a few questions with Confession.

After that, I give the crew 24 hours to prepare. Once a day passes, we’ll meet up on the docks of Osaka so Innsmouth and his crew can sail us to the battlefield. 

Of course, my opponents aren’t the only ones preparing.

Honestly, I’m pretty excited about this upcoming battle. Maybe this is Rappa’s influence talking, but testing my mettle like this sounds pretty fun, especially as the risks are non-existent.

We’ll be fighting far from the Japanese mainland, so no need to worry about heroes or other villains catching on.

I’ll also have Zi, my top brass, and my Praetorians on standby. Overhaul and Cell Activation makes even death a trivial matter, and should Nine’s crew turn against me, I’m confident my elites can take them without too much trouble.

However, that doesn’t mean I’m gonna risk losing. 

 

That’s why I call over NightHaul to use Foresight once again. It’s not like Nine and I banned using future-seeing quirks before our fight, such was never even brought up.

Not my fault Nine didn’t consider that.

The clone in question is busy doing Work Studies with Mirio at the moment. They don’t go anywhere near Osaka to avoid any run-ins with my organization, but despite that major potential risk causing lots of stress, NightHaul is actually having a great time with the kid. 

His positive attitude helps brighten up the office and he’s taking to all his training incredibly well. I know all about his quirk thanks to canon, and while we could screw over his pre-canon training, I just don’t see a reason to.

Mirio won’t be anywhere close to a threat by then, so we might as well have some fun training Mr. Mini Might while we can. Only NightHaul can see him for obvious reasons, but me and the other clones can tune in through our Mind Link and make comments or offer up tips that our spy forwards to him.

That being said, after Mirio checks out for the night, he heads over to Hassaikai HQ per my request.

If Foresight shows me winning my upcoming gauntlet, then great. If it doesn’t-

“I’ll be blunt. You die to Nine.”

Goddamnit. 

“I’m assuming that Zi resurrects you afterwards with her copy of Overhaul, but I couldn’t see past your death. Besides, you still lost either way.”

Well, that’s still a prophesied fate I want to break. No big deal; I’ve long since had all the tools needed to do so.

“Okay, call them in.” I sigh.

 

Several minutes later, Eri and Kurono join NightHaul and I in my office.

“What’s the matter, dad?” My daughter asks me.

“Don’t worry, snowflake. It’s just a code B.T.T.F.” I assure her.

“Just?” Kurono raises an eyebrow.

Code B.T.T.F. or ‘Back to the Future’ is what my clones and I came up with to solve any less than ideal endings Foresight shows us. It also doubles as a pre-quirk reference, meaning few who aren’t in the know will be able to understand.

“It’s nothing a little ingenuity can’t solve. Now then, Kurono, if you would?” I request.

After a long sigh, Kurono obliges and uses his quirk on me.

“Nine brings along a vial of our own Trigger.” NightHaul then informs me.

Motherfucking butterfly effect… VestigeHaul is probably laughing his ghastly ass off right now.

I assumed that using quirk-enhancing drugs like that would be considered cheating in this battle, and besides, he only had Trigger in the movie thanks to Garaki supplying him with some mixed with a weak healing solution.

Well fuck me for not thinking about the literal Trigger epidemic I created in Japan and how easily Nine could just buy it the normal way if he wanted to. Besides, like with using future-seeing quirks, I never directly said it was banned. That sure came back to bite me quick.

Not to mention my version of Trigger is a whole lot better than anything Garaki could cook up in canon. He may not have any extra support quirks like in Heroes Rising, but his original godlike power boosted to all new heights more than makes up for it.

Alright, time to fix this.

 

As I explained before, predictions made through Foresight can only be changed by the activation of other temporal quirks.

Even if NightHaul explained to me how I lost, I would still end up losing as the prediction showed. However, this is where the Chronostasis quirk comes in.

By being under the effect of some other time-manipulation quirk while NightHaul explains what happened, I am essentially working outside of the created prediction. We are rewriting the first part of it, and the butterfly effect causes everything after to change.

So now, when NightHaul uses Foresight on me again, the results should be different.

But wait, can’t Foresight only be used once a day? Well, this is where Rewind comes in.

Eri rewinds NightHaul’s body to before he used Foresight the first time, allowing him to use it as many times as he likes without any issues.

And when he activates Foresight once again…

“Isn’t Rappa supposed to be the battle maniac?” My clone deadpans. “I get what you’re going for here, but still… Look, original. You get what you want, but don’t expect it to be easy. As this society’s trademark saying goes, Go Beyond, Plus Ultra.”

He then walks back out, so I guess I end up winning now?

I didn’t want NightHaul to spoil what happens if I won due to that taking most of the challenge away. I can’t keep coddling myself forever; I need to be prepared if things go seriously off script, and a challenge like this will help me get used to it.

There shouldn’t be any true risk, but even so, it looks like this will be more difficult than expected.

Good.

 

Their quirks are incredibly powerful and incredibly destructive, and using the Bird Cage would limit both Nine and Mummy too much, so instead, I’m having Innsmouth take us to Iwo Jima, one of Japan’s many uninhabited islands.

It is a little less than 12 square miles in size and emits both volcanic and sulfurous gasses, but it is far away from any meddling heroes. As for the gas problem, I simply made a few alterations to the island using Overhaul beforehand.

This is one of the places where I would have all out sparring sessions with either the Eight Bullets or the heads of my subsidiaries. The Bird Cage, while hidden and durable, limits what quite a few of the people on that list can do so this was our solution to the problem.

We don’t use this and the other islands we made into training spots too much though, as without a warping quirk, they take quite a while to head towards by boat.

We only use these places for special occasions, and this occasion seems special enough to me. 

Along with Nine and his crew, the Eight Bullets, Zookeeper, Eri, Volcano Thieves, a dozen Praetorians, half a dozen members of the Creation Crew (members who can create durable enough drones to record the fights), Innsmouth’s crew and Cider House are all here to watch the spectacle on three decently large boats. 

I offered Stain a spot too, but he’s busy doing his hero-killing thing.

“So just to reiterate, this battle will work like a gauntlet. You’ll face me one at a time with me getting no breaks in between. There will be no tag-teaming, but you can strategize together and yell out whatever advice you want in the middle of each battle, but I’m probably gonna hear it too.

Feel free to go all out as well. We are far away from any heroes and my Praetorians will fully heal you all after every fight. You can go for the kill, but so will I, and do keep in mind that anybody who dies will be immediately resurrected afterwards.”

“You have a quirk that can bring people back from the dead?” Chimera inquires.

“It has to be before 15 minutes have passed since the death, but yes, and one of the people with me has a copy of that quirk in case I die during our battles. Consider it as extra insurance.” I responded.

 

It’s gonna be tough, no doubt about that. Nine has a slightly different (and weaker, probably) version of his bodysuit from the movie, but other than that, these guys all look the same.

Their quirks are the same too… well, except Nine. But while he only has Weather Manipulation, he can also probably fight for a lot longer thanks to the weakened All For One quirk not worsening his condition, and his original quirk is leagues above all the other ones he was destined to obtain.

“Now then, if there are no other questions or concerns, which one of you will be going first?”

I honestly expected them to send out Hoyo Makihara or ‘Mummy’ first, as there is plenty of forest for his Mummification quirk to take control of and hurl at me. 

Such would force me to show some of my quirks while defending against an adaptable, endless army of all shapes and sizes; that’s what their thought process would be.

But instead, they send out their main tank first. Chojuro Kon or ‘Chimera’. 

If I was Nine, I would send him out second or even third because they would have at least somewhat of an idea what my quirks are by then and the mutant quirk wielder would do a much better job countering me, or at least wearing me down.

And yet…

“Using a brute force approach to make me show my hand, huh? I suppose that makes sense considering your ideology. Very well then, Chojuro Kon. Come at me with everything you’ve got!”

The brawler obliges, transforming into his final state from the start.

 

His quirk, Chimera (what is with people naming themselves after their quirks), grants the user the characteristics of various animals, enhancing these traits and even letting the user enlarge them to monstrous proportions. The result is a tremendous boost in strength and durability, and that’s only in his base form!

His final form lets him gain the characteristics of birds, lizards, and even a dragon who can launch a large beam of energy from its mouth on top of the blue werewolf he resembles in his base state.

If he goes all out, he could be more than a match for even some of the top 10. The guy is basically Muscular with versatility and he knows how to take advantage of that.

The beast lets out a bone-rattling roar before launching one of his mouth beams right at me.

Overhaul.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Energy and Earth slam into each other, creating a massive explosion as the forest around us both starts to burn.

In this state, Chimera is a lot more wild and can honestly be called similar to a Nomu with how much mindless destruction they cause, but I can use that.

Plenty of potential counters were brainstormed over the last day or so, and I made sure to have plenty of high quality tea in my system before starting this gauntlet. Choosing a contingency and ironing out any details takes but a mere moment.

As I tunnel underground with Overhaul, my opponent fires off several more mouth beams all over the place, hoping to get a hit in. Unfortunately for him, even if he did somehow spot me, I would know due to being close enough to use Mind Web on him. 

The destruction his attacks are causing make the Earth below him tremble, perfectly masking my own charged atta-

“CHIMERA, HE’S UNDERGROUND!” I hear Slice cry out with her ally hearing her and jumping into the air to avoid whatever comes next.

But he was half a second too late.

 

Numerous spikes of compacted stone launch up skewering him through his legs, one of his arms, and part of his lower stomach. IQ helped me get in a good shot, but the beast doesn’t go down that easily.

He roars in pain and fires another mouth blast down at me as I emerge, coming very close to landing a hit at that moment. I’m able to reposition some of the spikes with another quick burst of Overhaul, but even the heavily compressed stone quickly melts from Chimera’s sheer power. 

The stone spikes quickly collapse with their target falling too, but he spots me starting to gain some distance out of the corner of his eye and fires a volley of smaller laser blasts to stop me.

‘That’s it.’ I grin, suddenly changing course and charging right at him with several blasts hitting me directly.

But at the very last second, a foamy substance covers my arms, significantly decreasing the power of each and every blast.

‘Thanks, Zi. Now let’s wrap this up.’

Another activation of Overhaul lets me use the ground to boost towards him, the guy still being in midair and firing blasts whenever he can. IQ isn’t much help as it lets me calculate things, not predict them, and Chimera’s animalistic assault is devoid of any patterns or strategy, but my stolen treasure troves of combat experience serve as a fine replacement.

The moment I escape his line of sight, I use Overhaul on the ground below to close any remaining distance between us and finish the job with one more activation of my matter manipulation quirk.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

About half a minute of silence passes, but the spectators eventually see me dragging a knocked out chimera out of the flames and dust clouds that formed. The guy still has holes in his arm, legs, and stomach, but they get healed easily enough thanks to the Praetorians using Cell Activation.

“So, who’s next?” I then ask my remaining challengers, not even out of breath. “Or do you want to wait until your partner wakes up?”

Nine looks over to Slice who nods back. “I’ll take my turn now.”

“So be it.” I nod before looking at the miles of flaming wreckage behind me. “Should we move to a different part of the island, or…”

“Yeah, sure. Let’s head to the North side; there's a lot less trees to cover you over there.”

“Not even bothering to hide it, huh?” I smirk at her.

“Might as well take what I can get. You’re strong, I’ll admit that, but I’m not buying the fact that you aren’t even a little winded after manipulating the ground around you so much.”

A fair observation on her end. Unfortunately, she doesn’t realize just how overpowered Overhaul is and how much I’ve trained with that quirk since I obtained it. 

Oh, and let's not forget about my numerous body modifications. And farmed combat experience I gained from the memories of dozens of seasoned veterans over time. Thanks, Second Underground Masquerade.

Overhaul, Mind Web, and IQ. Such a terrifying combination.

With most of the southwest of the island wrecked, Innsmouth sails us over to the northwest side. Chimera wakes up during the trip and I hear him whispering with his crew about his thoughts on the fight, the biggest one being how it ended.

I used Overhaul to do to him what Kai did to Magne in canon, so turning the top half of his body into nothing but blood and gore… but I repaired him right after that, keeping his previous injuries in their current state as well and ensuring he was unconscious to hide the killing blow.

To put it simply, Nine’s crew thinks that Overhaul is merely an Earth manipulation quirk and I have some secret quirk that was able to quickly knock him out when I get close enough to him. 

This isn’t just a physical battle; there’s plenty of psychological warfare going on too, and it’s a pretty nice challenge for me. 

But back to the task at hand, I stare down my second opponent with over a square mile of open ground around us and a small mountain slightly further away. 

“You ready?” I ask the only girl of the group.

“Ready when you are.” She grins back and begins waving her hair around as I unleash Overhaul.

 

Kiruka Hasaki or ‘Slice’. 

Her quirk, Slice, is the quirk I originally wanted to get for Kurono because of how terrifying it would be when stacked on top of his own quirk, but her power is plenty strong already. 

The transformation type quirk lets its user move, harden, elongate, and/or sharpen their own hair as well as use large locks at stilts for extra mobility. 

They can use their hair as blades as well and fire off individual strands of it like needles. It doesn’t sound that powerful, but a barrage of Kiruka’s hair needles was strong enough to effortlessly destroy an entire fleet of fairly large fishing boats in mere seconds.

To summarize, she can either dominate in melee combat by turning her hair into 8-12 sharp blades that can slice through just about anything (pun intended) or dominate in ranged combat by firing hundreds of small hair strands at you which can also slice through just about anything (pun intended again).

The fight begins with her sending a wave of needles at me while I use Overhaul to defend. The dirt and stone constructs I created are cut or blasted to pieces in seconds, but I’m already underground by then.

“THAT TRICK WON’T WORK ON US TWICE!!!” Kiruka yells, tracking my movements by observing what parts of the ground are shaking and using her hair as blades to stab down into the Earth blow while simultaneously doing her stilt trick to keep up.

‘Oh, fu- WOAH!’ 

I’m forced to try and dodge her rapid strikes underground, sending waves of spikes back up as a counterattack, but her hair cuts them all to pieces.

‘Damn, seems I got too used to having hard materials around. That’s a pain.’

I can do a similar compression trick with Overhaul that the Pseudo-Getens can do with their ice, but it takes a bit to prepare and in a fast-paced fight like this one, even a split second can decide the outcome.

But I’m not done quite yet.

 

Right after she gets a few deep cuts in (and I pinpointed her exact location), I use Overhaul on the patches of Yu’s Trigger-boosted crystals to launch a much tougher counterattack. A thin but very tough crystal spike emerges from my back and goes clean through Slice’s stomach, her hair being unable to cut through the material.

She coughs out blood and I use this opening to send a wave of dirt and stone at her through Overhaul, quickly boosting the distance between us and arriving at my destination.

“Oh, you sneaky son of a-” She growls, but being buried alive makes her words come out like mumbles.

The slightly comedic scene doesn’t last for long though as she bursts out of the small hill I formed on top of her and launches thousands of needles right at me while clutching her wound.

She realizes her mistake in letting me gain distance several seconds later. She also realizes just where I’ve been leading her this entire time.

Remember that small mountain I mentioned earlier? Well, I just turned that into my weapon.

Her needle blasts are strong, but the sheer volume of landmass I send at her manages to overwhelm her barrage. Not only that, but she only has so much hair while I can manipulate as much of the ground around me as I want.

She’s still incredibly quick and nimble without her quirk as shown during her final fight in the Heroes Rising movie, but with dozens upon dozens of columns being sent her way, there’s only so much she can dodge and counterattack before getting crushed. 

However, I don’t go the brute force route for very long. I still need to save up enough stamina for these next two fights.

That’s why…

 

“HEY, KIRUKA! WHICH GUY IN YOUR CREW DO YOU THINK IS THE HOTTEST AND WHY?”

“Nine. This preference may just be because of my quirk, but the way his hair flows in the wind as he destroys everything around him is just so dreamy- EEP! W-WHAT JUST-”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Confession for the win.

…What? I’m a villain, remember? Of course I’m gonna play dirty!

Anyway, that’s two of his crew down and two to go. I’m already pretty winded, but my plan for Nine himself should still work out as long as Mummy doesn’t come with any surprises.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Main Family (+ Current Quirks):

• Sekan Doraifu - Mind Web, Overhaul, Confession, Double, IQ, Cleaning
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Eri - Rewind, Wave Motion, IQ

Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening
• Zookeeper (Personal Maid/Eri’s Main Caretaker) - Cleaning, Overhaul
• Hari Kurono (Leader of Eight Bullets/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser
• Kendo Rappa (Eight Bullets) - Strongarm, Muscle Augmentation, Charging Muscles, Fast Fist
• Hekiji Tengai (Eight Bullets) - Barrier, Air Wall
• Toya Setsuno (Eight Bullets) - Larceny, Compress
• Yu Hojo (Eight Bullets) - Crystalize, Creation
• Soramitsu Tabe (Eight Bullets) - Food, Fat Absorption
• Deidoro Sakaki (Eight Bullets) - Sloshed, Dragon Breath 
• Rikiya Katsukame (Eight Bullets) - Energy Suck, Wave Motion

Other Forces:

• Praetorian Guard - 152
• Pseudo Getens - 5
• Pseudo ????? - 5
• Cyber Warfare Branch - 32
• Mad Science Branch - 25
• Creation Crew - 40
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 805
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 35
• Thugs and Goons - 3340

Subsidiaries:

• Hero Killer
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth and his crew
• Team Reservoir Dogs
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 308

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 28: Villain’s Gauntlet - Part 2

He’s good. Very good.

Nine was able to see most of the previous battles through the drones Kai Chisaki’s men were nice enough to set up, and he can clearly see the power and potential on display.

First Chimera, then Slice. Most heroes can’t even defeat one of them, much less both back to back and with plenty of fuel left in the tank to take on Mummy and himself.

He throws himself at even the strongest opponents with a practiced ease. He battles them with a calm ferocity that very few heroes and villains can ever hope to possess.

Mummy not only has a powerful quirk, but he also has the luxury of having someone who can easily dissect quirks, combat styles, and tactics as an ally. 

Even so, Nine’s advice can only help him so much. Especially when Sekan seems to be better at analysis than he himself.

He likely won’t last very long, but Nine won’t be going down that easily when he steps up to fight.

If he does end up losing, then he will honor the deal they made. He would be nothing but a pathetic hypocrite if he didn’t.

Only the strongest will rule in his utopia, and if that isn’t them, then so be it. He’ll simply continue to train and one day reclaim that spot.

But he’ll be damned if he just lies down and gives up after everything.

If Sekan really is as powerful as he claims he is, then he will be able to win even with his own tool turned against him. If not… then at least he’ll finally be free to use his power as much as he wants.

 

Countdown to Canon: 3 Months 20 Days before Entrance Exam

My third fight takes place on the northeast side of the island, a place covered with forests that give this guy plenty for his quirk to work with.

Hoyo Makihara or ‘Mummy’. 

His quirk, Mummification, lets the user manipulate the red bandages they are wrapped in to ensnare any inanimate objects that get caught in them, turning them into humanoid mummies that they can control at will to fight or defend for them. 

As shown in the Heroes Rising movie, Hoyo can control dozens of these mummies at a time with some being trucks and others being vending machines. He can even control living beings like Dictator (albeit indirectly) by manipulating whatever clothing and objects said people have with his bandages.

His bandages can be broken with a strong enough force and Hoyo himself is rather weak physically, but you need to get through a small army of powerful puppets that he can constantly resupply in order to get that far. Oh, and quirk stops working if he’s knocked unconscious.

He’s probably the weakest member of Nine’s crew, but he can be a real pain in the ass if you don’t know how to handle him. 

 

“Let us begin…” Hoyo announces as he spreads his bandages all over the forest, uprooting trees left and right. 

I waste no time and send a wave of Earth at him with Overhaul, but he has some puppets tank the blow while having others skewer the ground all around him.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you guys were tired of that little trick.”

“Wha-” The puppeteer looks up, quickly realizing that my initial usage of Overhaul wasn’t a diversion to go underground this time.

Instead, I used the cover it provided me to propel myself into the sky.

“Fool! You’re easy pickings now!” My latest opponent cries out, sending several of his massive puppets my way, but I’ve long since learned how to parkour through any makeshift obstacle courses thanks to how much I rely on Overhaul for attacking. 

Stain being a goddamn super-ninja helped a lot with that, or rather, the killer’s memories did. I only needed to teach my body what my mind already knew, and IQ speeds up that process dramatically.

Using Mind Web to figure out what Mummy’s planning is just icing on the cake once I get close enough to do so.

‘Come on… take the bait.’

I could use Overhaul to tear his puppets apart, but I need to conserve myself here. Nine is gonna be a bitch to take down, even with the special little strategy I came up with just for him, so I need to minimize the spamming for now.

“GOT YOU!”

 

I charge towards the first opening I see, only for red bandages suddenly wrap all around me.

“My quirk doesn’t just puppeteer inanimate objects, you know.” He chuckles as the material cocoons me. “Well, technically it does, but living beings have inanimate objects all over them. Clothes, weapons, armor, and so on. I can control it all, meaning you… can’t… huh?”

He’s probably confused why his quirk isn’t working like it should. That would be thanks to the soapy substance covering a good chunk of my body right now.

Zookeeper’s quirk really is something else. It’s like a melee version of Erasure; preventing pretty much any kind of damage originating from a quirk to harm me. Endeavor can fire a Prominence Burn at my face and I’d be able to shrug it off if I cover myself in enough of this stuff. 

The best that stupid whale and his Wild Villains could do with Zookeeper was use her to clean up crime scenes, covering up any evidence towards himself. 

While I’m not spiteful enough to try breaking into Tartarus just to mock him, he definitely made the idea tempting.

Anyway, this quirk is a big part of how I plan to take on Nine, even with him using my own Trigger against me, but I can’t have him learning about it just yet, so instead, I reveal a bit more of what Overhaul can do.

“Sorry, but I have more than one kind of manipulation quirk.” I grin as the bandages holding me are torn into shreds, and with there being no more puppets between us (that was done to lure me into his trap, but I saw it coming), I’m able to quickly knock him out with a double axe handle to his head. 

His inanimate puppets are all immediately freed after that and I hear my family and friends cheering for me as I bring the unconscious Mummy back to the boats.

“So, heh- shall we get this final round going, Nine?” I confirm while taking a few deep breaths.

“You aren’t as tired as you look, and you don’t have multiple manipulation quirks either. Just one that affects everything, even living beings. Complete matter manipulation, am I right?”

…Well, it looks like someone’s a better quirk analyst than I thought.

 

“Huh?” Chimera barks, he and Slice clearly not figuring it out like their leader did. “A quirk that can manipulate matter, and at such a long range? That kind of quirk-”

“Is powerful. Very powerful, like mine. I suspect he used it to instantly knock you out, or even kill and revive you with your previous injuries intact to fool us, as he claimed to have a resurrection quirk earlier too. But something so powerful has to have downsides.”

I start to give Nine a slow clap in return.

“Very good analysis skills, my fellow villain commander. You’re spot on with your guesses; my Overhaul quirk lets me manipulate any solid matter I wish and at a good range too with the targets being disassembled before being reassembled or ‘overhauled’ into something new the very next moment. 

However, along with having to make physical contact with the target using my hands, this ability doesn’t work on liquids or gasses and also requires a lot of outside knowledge to use properly.”

“Like the human body, I presume? That’s how you plan to modify me, right? Such expertise-”

“Borders on the impossible, yes, but I have my methods.”

“Like reading minds? You either have that, an intelligence boosting, or a danger sensing quirk with how well you react to most attacks when they reach you.”

Damn, he really is good. But it seems like my cover-up worked as intended.

He hasn’t discovered Cleaning or Double yet; that’s all I need to win.

“Right again! But that’s all I’m saying on the matter for now. I still have one more match to go, after all.”

 

Last but not least, there’s the leader himself. Nine.

His quirk? Weather Manipulation. The name may be broad, but it’s also very accurate.

This emitter quirk can let the user freely manipulate all types of weather. He can summon large enough storm clouds to envelop entire islands in seconds. These storm clouds can then rain down enough lighting to destroy the island in question or an entire fucking city like the villain did during his debut.

Just look at the canon movie he’s in for proof.

He can summon giant tornados and manipulate wind to a ridiculous degree like Inasa Yoarashi.

He can combine his lightning and wind to create fucking electrical fire tornadoes. 

And with some Trigger running through his veins, he can summon and manipulate enough of nature’s raw power to destroy practically anyone and anything in his way, even Izuku at OFA 100% and Bakugou with his Howitzer Impact ultimate AT THE SAME TIME!

 

See why I called it one of the strongest individual quirks in the MHA series before? It’s absolutely ridiculous with the only weakness being how constantly using it gradually destroys the cells in his body. 

But I can fix that. I can give him the other quirks he obtained in the movie as well as a copy of Cell Activation to heal any injuries he gets. I can give him all that and so much more.

I can make him far stronger than he ever was in canon; I just need to make him submit first.

I ordered Innsmouth and his crew to pull the boats a few miles away from the island. It’ll be a lot harder for the spectators to watch (and give advice), but Nine agreed to it since he knows how dangerous our quirks are and doesn’t want his crew getting hurt.

The two of us stand face to face on the center of the island. About half of it has either been burned down or demolished, but that’s not going to matter with how intense this final round may be.

I still have Cleaning and Double as trump cards, so even his lightning and tornadoes should have their impact lessened. Exposing both Overhaul and Mind Web won’t mean a thing if he becomes unable to avoid them, and that’s exactly what spamming Cleaning will let me do. Not even Trigger will change that.

It’ll get me close enough for a quick KO, or at worst, let me hold on until his body breaks down.

 

“I'll admit it, I’m impressed. You have an arsenal of powerful quirks with a near flawless mastery over them, but more than that, the villain group you’re leading must be quite large. You are the one behind the Second Underground Masquerade and I bet you’re responsible for most of the goods and services being offered there too.

Frankly, you could tell me that you’re the quirk-stealing boogeyman himself and I wouldn’t completely doubt you.” Nine admits, giving me a slight smile.

“I’m not him, Nine. I’m the guy that’s going to defeat and surpass him. He isn’t nearly as scary as you think he is; the guy has been clinging to life for years after All Might punched his face off, but the Symbol of Peace got his own set of horrible injuries in the process.”

What I’m implying gets the villain's eyes to widen.

“The monolithic pillars of good and evil are about to fall, and once they finish crumbling, it’s going to be absolute chaos. I have been working in the shadows, preparing for the end of days to come. My ultimate goal is the survival of myself and those I care for, but if I have enough strength for it, I wouldn’t be opposed to doing a little more.

This is just the beginning of my evolution, Nine. I plan to become unbeatable by the time the world fully falls, and that time is a few years away at most… but I don’t want to be alone. 

You should understand the value of companionship by now, right? How nice it is to have some friends by your side as you work towards your dreams? Well, that’s why I challenged you and your crew.

I want to do this together, Nine. If we stand united, then taking down this hero-obsessed society and getting whatever else we wish for in this world will be a whole lot easier… and a whole lot more fun.”

“I couldn’t agree more, Sekan. But in the ideal world for my team, the people I call family, only the strongest will rule and get whatever they desire, so show me then…” He trails off, reaching into his pocket and pulling out one of my own products.

Here we go.

 

“Show me then… WHY MY FAMILY SHOULD FOLLOW YOU!!!” Nine roars, injecting himself with my own damn Trigger and blasting me back with an outburst of wind.

No, I didn’t bring my own. If the worst were to happen, then I have a different solution in mind.

“COME, SEKAN DORAIFU!!!” 

As purple cracks spread all over his body, dozens of lightning bolts hurl out of the supercell cloud system he formed, smashing through the barriers I made with Overhaul and nearly hitting me too as I bury underground.

Several do manage to strike me during the tunneling process, and while my alterations prevent me from feeling pain, by body still seized up long enough to be caught up in the fucking tornado he spawned in on top of me.

“WE CAN HEAL OR EVEN REVIVE ONCE THIS BATTLE ENDS!”

I desperately fuse with whatever debris smashes into me as I’m spun around and around.

“MY ILLNESS WILL FINALLY BE CURED!”

The effects of the wind lighten thanks to whatever bit of Cleaning’s substance it doesn’t blow off of me. It’s not much, but it lets me gain my footing.

“SO WHAT’S THE POINT HOLDING ANYTHING BACK ANYMORE?!?”

“Agreed…” I mumble as a giant spiked fist slams into my opponent, sending him careening out of the tornado that breaks apart right after.

I land back on the ground and push Overhaul and Cleaning to their limit, forming a similar kaiju construct that Kai did when he merged with Rikiya in canon and coating as much of the construct as I can in Cleaning’s substance.

“LET'S SEE WHO GETS TO RULE WHAT REMAINS!!!”

Let the final battle begin.

 

 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Waves of lightning hurl at Sekan’s titanic form, but Cleaning helps dampen the impact.

Entire mountains worth of the Earth itself are sent towards Nine, but his tornadoes block most of the blow and hurl thousands of chunks of the wave back at his opponent. 

The island itself trembles as both powerhouses tear it apart to fuel their quirks.

“INNSMOUTH, GET US OUT OF HERE NOW!!!” Kurono screams as waves reaching dozens of feet in size threaten to topple the boats they’re watching from.

“NO, TURN GIANT AND RAISE US UP! THESE WAVES ARE GONNA FLOOD PART OF JAPAN IF THIS KEEPS UP; THERE’S NO ESCAPING NOW! Besides… we need to be ready to heal or revive them if the worst were to happen.” Zookeeper counters his orders with Innsmouth following the latter.

The others are either panicking as much as they are or staring in awe at the power being thrown around by their leaders. 

Nine, with the purple energy bursting out of him forming what looks like wings as his hair raises up uncontrollably, gives off the impression of a long dormant volcano finally erupting. His final form from the Heroes Rising movie is boosted even further by how high quality his opponent’s Trigger is.

Sekan, turning nearly the entire island into his body as he shows both figuratively and literally what this world can do. He’s become a monster far larger and stronger then Kai Chisaki ever was. 

Two godlike beings that even the Symbols of Peace and Evil would struggle against are throwing everything they’ve got at each other right now.

“Dad…” Eri mumbles, silently praying for his victory.

She knows what he and NightHaul did, but with how often they change fate, who’s to say they won’t unintentionally change it again?

Dozens of small, compacted tornadoes filled with purple energy and red flames slam into the limbs of Sekan’s construct like snakes, carrying all kinds of debris with them that further adds to the damage. 

Even the hydra quirk his canon variant stole pales in comparison to something like this.

The transmigrator tries to defend, struggling with all his might, but he really has become exhausted after all this non-stop fighting and Overhaul can only do so much in terms of stamina recovery.

It’s capable of almost anything, even a power that only the boogeyman himself could do before, but a jack of all trades is a master of none. The destructive power the more versatile quirk brings simply doesn’t match up to one purely focused on such.

“GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Sekan is bathed in a wave of lightning, flames, and fierce winds, his Cleaning quirk being overwhelmed as his massive body is torn apart from Nine’s kiting.

Unlike Nine, he has other quirks… but how helpful are those quirks right now?

He’s too far away to use Mind Web, and Nine has enough willpower to resist such a thing.

Confession doesn’t help either; Nine wouldn’t even hear whatever question Sekan throws at him with how focused he is on finally letting loose and the fight itself.

IQ gives him more time to strategize, time to think about which quirks or tools to use next, but what use is that if he can’t strategize a way to win at all? This quirk is letting his failures further seep in more than anything.

And Cleaning helps dampen the impact a good bit, but that doesn’t mean anything if the substance is simply blown off of his body thanks to the hurricane it’s being hit with.

…But there’s still one quirk left. One more representation of all he’s managed to accomplish.

A little something he came up with while under the effects of Chronostasis yesterday, completely invalidating Foresight’s original prediction.

Double activates as more tornadoes and lightning close in, but rather than get blown away… the dark goo merges with him.

 

Overhaul plus Double. 

Then Strongarm, Muscle Augmentation, Charging Muscles, and Fast Fist.

“Rappafied… SMAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSHHHHHH!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Nine is the one blown miles away this time as his tornadoes dissipate from an even greater amount of wind pressure… but the lightning still lands, and the clone takes more than enough damage to dissolve.

Having half of your body suddenly dissolve into goo would normally be a death sentence, but Sekan immediately uses Overhaul afterwards to reset the damage.

He then spawns in two more Double clones as a maelstrom forms right next to the island. 

Overhaul! Cleaning! Barrier x2! Air Wall x2!

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

A tremendous lightning-coated water tornado slams into multiple golden barriers, creating another titanic explosion as dozens more lightning bolts escort Nine back to what’s left of the sinking island.

Most of his armor has been blasted apart and a good chunk of his body has already withered from all the cell degradation, but he still has plenty left in him. He looked worse after his defeat in canon, but even then, he could still crawl and speak before Tomura finished the job.

Creation! Crystalize! Food! Fat Absorption!

‘No… IT’S NOT ENOUGH!!!’

 

The blowback from his own boosted power is rapidly tearing Nine’s body apart, much like what happened with Dabi during his final fight with his family.

And just like what happened to canon Dabi as he was on death’s door, having overused his quirk for an extended period of time with no signs of stopping… Hysterical Strength stacks with the Trigger in his system, allowing Nine’s body to summon even more power for one final push.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

The clones and quirks keep getting torn apart alongside whatever armor and barriers Sekan makes, but he can replace and renew them if just uses Double and Overhaul fast enough!

Energy Suck! Wave Motion!

Lightning isn’t pure vitality, but it’s still energy! 

If he times it right… if he can use Overhaul at just the right moments…

Within the vestigeworld, Kai Chisaki stops watching alongside the others as his very spirit begins to change. As his very existence starts to evolve.

Sekan’s body is falling apart. Overhaul.

He can’t affect the energy flowing through him, but he can modify the body to redirect it for him. Overhaul!

His clones are taking too much damage! He can’t let that debris hit him! Both of his arms have been blown clean off and he feels like he’s about to drop dead… but he can’t stop now.

Overhaul. Overhaul! OVERHAUL!!!

 

Nine is the first one to notice it despite being on the verge of death himself; Sekan being too out of it to properly understand.

He began using Overhaul without his hands making contact with anything.

‘What? Did he lie about the limits of his power back then? Or did he take Trigger as well without me noticing?’

The horde of debris sent Sekan’s way lands on its target… but doesn’t move once it does. It fuses into his body without any of his secret smaller hands touching it.

They are helping him accomplish this, they’re what let him use that particular quirk factor after all, but rather than touching the objects themselves, Overhaul is first channeled through the entire body from his backup hands and then into the objects in question.

Multi-staged contact. 

The accumulated energy from Nine’s lightning storm hasn’t gone away either. The Rikiya clone with Energy Suck and Wave Motion is still merged with him too; Food and Fat Absorption from Soramitsu’s clone lets him convert everything else Nine throws at him into more power.

What looks like Katsuki Bakugou’s Howitzer Impact ultimate forms, supersized and overflowing with both part of the island itself and several different natural disasters. 

The power packed within it surpasses even the punch that obliterated most of All For One’s head.

There’s no ultimate move name or anything like that before the final blow; just a primal roar and a massive spear of flesh, blood, debris, and energy that collides into Nine, blasting what’s left of his broken body into pieces.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

 

 

w… what happened?

Why’s everything so blurry?

Is that Zi and Eri in front of me? Am I back on one of the boats?

…Fuck, did I still lose? 

 

“Uuugh… guys? What hap- OMPH!” Eri slams into me, and… starts crying?

“DON’T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN, DAD! DON’T DO THAT AGAIN!!!...” She screams and sniffles. “D-Don’t leave me ever again…”

My daughter sobs into my chest, and I wrap my arms around her in a comforting hug… wait, didn’t I lose those? 

Questions for later. Comforting my daughter now.

“It’s okay, Eri. I’m not going anywhere. I promise.” I swear to her while wiping her tears away.

My eyesight gradually clears up more, and I see over a dozen of my top brass silently staring down at me with plenty of awe and a little fear in their eyes.

“...Can someone please tell me what happened?” I whisper, trying my best to to bother the five year old clinging on to me right now.

“You tell us.” Maguma mutters. “You two literally sunk the entire island, and that was more collateral than anything. We managed to find you and Nine in the aftermath, but you two weren’t in great shape.”

“That’s the fucking understatement of the year!” One of the Cider House guys cries out. “You were missing like half of your body, boss! And the other half wasn’t looking much better! I don’t know how the heck you were still alive despite looking like the top half of a fleshy skeleton, but-”

*SMACK*

“Quiet now. You’re scaring Eri.” Zookeeper commands.

“Y-Yes, ma’am!”

“And Nine?” I ask the people around me.

“We found his head… part of it, anyway.” Rappa mutters. “Zookeeper was able to reset the damages, but we really cut it close there. If it wasn’t for a combination of Overhaul and Cell Activation, neither of you would’ve made it.”

“Heh, I knew I could count on you to put us back together.” I smirk at Zi who rolls her eyes back at me… but then leans down and gives me a hug of her own, being careful not to squash Eri in the process.

“Still doesn’t excuse you from being a reckless dummy.” The older white-haired girl mutters into my shoulder, and I wrap one arm around her while keeping the other one around Eri.

 

I then hear a gasp not too far away, and look over to see Nine waking up on the boat next to me. His crew is all there looking after him… good thing Zi got to his body in time. There’s been enough fighting already.

“Are you feeling alright? Any weird aches or anything? I had the Praetorians help me out and even got the Creation Crew to give you and Nine some new clothes…” Zi mumbles, and I assure her that I’m alright.

Well… I think I’m alright. Something does feel off, but I couldn’t say what for the life of me.

Nine soon fully stands up, and I do the same with Eri still clinging onto one of my arms like a Koala.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, Nine.” I smile. “How are you feeling?”

“I feel… good.” He mumbles, Cell Activation and Overhaul clearly fixing not just the injuries he got from this fight, but the degradation of his cells over the course of who knows how many years. “Thank you.”

Of course he would be happy… but something still seems to be on his mind.

“Did you lie about your matter manipulation quirk?” He suddenly asks me, getting everyone’s attention.

“Huh? I don’t think so. I said I can disassemble and reassemble pretty much any solid stuff I touch with my hands, right?”

“Yeah, but at the end of our battle, you weren’t doing that. Not with your hands, anyway. Not even those smaller ones on the bottom of your stomach and back. That quirk was affecting anything touching your body… it’s how you built up enough power to defeat me.”

…What?

 

I signal Eri to let go of me for the time being, and seeing the serious look on my face, she does so. I then pull up the sleeve on my shirt and press my shoulder against the side of the boat and… what the hell?

Fully immersing myself in the power of Overhaul… it felt as if I was opening my eyes for the very first time. Every inch of my body had become hyper-sensitive to what exactly was touching it.

IQ gave a similar sensation, but that was limited to my mind. I can feel with excruciating detail every single impurity. Every single piece of dust on my skin, every smear of blood from where I had been bled on, the clothes I have on, the boat I’m leaning on.

Overhaul is coursing through my entire body. If it weren’t for all the intense training I’ve done with it and IQ, this constant rush of senses and information may have overwhelmed me. Do I not need my hands anymore? Like what happened with Tomura’s Decay quirk evolution in canon?

Another possibility then pops up into my head and I quickly remove one of the shoes I have on, much to the confusion of everyone around me.

I place the shoe on the boat’s deck and then touch the shoe with my elbow. I can alter my body and the shoe, but not the boat.

I then touch the shoe with my hand, and both the shoe and boat can be altered, as the boat is in physical contact with the shoe and the shoe is in physical contact with my hand.

“Holy shit…” I mutter in amazement.

 

The new applications of Overhaul that I managed to unlock and master (such as advanced body modifications/improvements) are one thing, but this… this is different. This is something else entirely.

“What is it, dad?” Eri questions.

“I think I just got a Quirk Awakening. Overhaul can now affect things through chained contact, or in other words, my quirk can now work through two-stage indirect contact rather than just a single stage with direct contact.

I can channel Overhaul from my hands to my body to objects in contact with my body, or channel Overhaul from my hands directly to an object in contact with it, and then to another object in contact with that first object.” I explain while leaning over the side of the boat to dip my hands in water.

Overhaul still can’t alter it. A shame, that would’ve been even more overpowered.

“It still doesn’t affect liquids or gasses, but this is incredible!” I cheer, reeling the quirk from my entire body back to my hands. I can avoid total sensory overload right now, but I’ll focus on training to get used to this later.

“A Quirk Awakening?” Nine questions, not knowing what the concept is.

I can’t really blame him for that. Not even All For One seemed to know about it if MHA Vigilantes is anything to go by; only Re-Destro and maybe Geten were shown knowing about such a phenomenon in canon before the Paranormal Liberation War arc with people like Endeavor learning about it afterwards.

Hysterical Strength too… honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Nine achieved that state at the climax of our battle. Combining that and my own high-quality Trigger with a godlike quirk like Weather Manipulation… talk about terrifying.

Forget the awakening, I never even tried to directly fuse with clones I make with Double before! Nine was the most powerful opponent I’ve ever fought; that endgame Deku was technically stronger, sure, but I exploited one of his many moral weaknesses and won before he could even throw a punch so he doesn’t count.

It was a battle that truly pushed me to my limits, and just like what happened with Tomura when he fought the MLA, I got a Quirk Awakening at the last moment and won.

The awakening was similar in nature to Decay too; understandable, considering Decay is quite literally a modified, lesser version of Overhaul. Decay’s awakening gave it far more than a two-stage contact and far greater range than this awakened Overhaul quirk, but all it can do is destroy. 

Overhaul can destroy, create, or alter to my will. The more limited stage contact and range is easily worth the tradeoff. I’m not looking to simply destroy, I’m looking to change, and Overhaul is the perfect quirk for the job.

And now… now, Nine does what Re-Destro did once I properly explained what an awakening was.

 

After crossing over to my boat, he kneels down to me. Slice, Mummy, and Chimera join him a few seconds later.

“You said you would prove your strength and defeat us all… and that’s exactly what you did. A deal’s a deal; we will follow you and give you our full support so long as you help us create the world we desire.”

But this is where the similarities with Tomura Shigaraki end.

‘So this is what Nighthaul meant when he said I get what I want…’ I finally realized. ‘I was expecting a victory, but this… this is perfect.’

I stick my hand out to Nine, and help him back up.

“That doesn’t mean you and your crew haven’t earned my respect as well. Welcome to the Shie Hassaikai, Nine. We’re happy to have you here. The worldwide stage will be set soon enough and this unfair, unbalanced, hero-obsessed society will fall; what’s important now is properly preparing for it.”

This new team of heavy hitters should be enough for my latest plan to work once they’re upgraded… and I have just the title in mind for their special position as my new elite death squad.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Main Family (+ Current Quirks):

• Sekan Doraifu - Mind Web, Overhaul (Awakened), Confession, Double, IQ, Cleaning
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Eri - Rewind, Wave Motion, IQ

Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening
• Zookeeper (Personal Maid/Eri’s Main Caretaker) - Cleaning, Overhaul
• Hari Kurono (Leader of Eight Bullets/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser
• Kendo Rappa (Eight Bullets) - Strongarm, Muscle Augmentation, Charging Muscles, Fast Fist
• Hekiji Tengai (Eight Bullets) - Barrier, Air Wall
• Toya Setsuno (Eight Bullets) - Larceny, Compress
• Yu Hojo (Eight Bullets) - Crystalize, Creation
• Soramitsu Tabe (Eight Bullets) - Food, Fat Absorption
• Deidoro Sakaki (Eight Bullets) - Sloshed, Dragon Breath 
• Rikiya Katsukame (Eight Bullets) - Energy Suck, Wave Motion

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Weather Manipulation
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera

Other Forces:

• Praetorian Guard - 152
• Pseudo Getens - 5
• Pseudo ????? - 5
• Cyber Warfare Branch - 32
• Mad Science Branch - 25
• Creation Crew - 40
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 805
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 35
• Thugs and Goons - 3340

Subsidiaries:

• Hero Killer
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth and his crew
• Team Reservoir Dogs
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 308

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 29: The Four Horsemen

Tsunagu Hakamada, also known as Best Jeanist, current Number 4 Pro Hero of Japan, goes flying into a burning skyscraper. 

Thousands of civilians flee in terror as lightning bolts and tornadoes crash down all across the city. Most of the other nearby heroes have either become puppets of Mummy or were skewered by Slice.

The damage done so far is even worse than the flooding that recently occurred on the southeastern coast of Japan. That was the result of Sekan and Nine’s prior battle, but it’s not like the heroes know what caused that not-so-natural disaster.

“Too bad you don’t have any carbon fibers on ya, huh?” Chimera questions the beaten hero as he grabs the back of Jeanist’s head and slams him through the floor. 

“Now now, Chimera. Don’t be too rough with him.” Nine warns his ally while forming a small tornado below his feet to fly into the room. 

Pro Hero Airjet attempts to intercept, but Mummy intercepts him first, turning the hero’s heavy arsenal against another barricade of police cruisers. 

The final ‘Horsemen of the Apocalypse’ laughs maniacally as she follows her teammates’ example, launching hordes of hair spikes towards the other remaining police barricade, only she aims for the buildings surrounding those cruisers rather than the cruisers themselves.

Foundations are destroyed and more skyscrapers topple, flattening several dozen more officers and any civilians stupid enough to stick close by.

They all know the name ‘Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse’ sounds a bit cringe to anyone who gets the pre-quirk reference (not that anyone outside of the top Shie Hassaikai brass knows about that title at the moment), but they also believe that the best way to deal with such a problem is to be as intimidating as possible, turning cringe into something genuinely scary.

“But the boss can resurrect him, can’t he? Doesn’t matter if pants man is reduced to nothing but blood smears; he can be brought back with a touch! Might as well test out our new quirks now that nobody else is around, right?” Chimera barks back.

‘They’re following someone’s orders?’ The injured hero contemplates. ‘But Nine is an S-Rank villain and his allies are all top A-Ranks! If there was someone who those four would obey without question, then just what sort of monster are they? And new quirks? What does he-’

“Chojuro, what did I say about blabbing and villain monologues?” A new voice cuts in, interrupting Best Jeanist’s train of thought.

The sheer presence radiating off of him is almost overwhelming, but Best Jeanist isn’t one of Japan’s top heroes for nothing. He remains focused and analyzes the new threat as best as he can.

He’s tall, has some kind of plague mask on… and fibers. The other two are only wearing armor, but he can manipulate the clothes of this new vil-

*BOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Japan’s number four hero explodes into a wave of gore before reforming mostly uninjured and completely unconscious a mere moment later.

“Huh? Doesn’t Overhaul only have a two-stage contact?” Chimera inquires. “Your hands to pants man is three or four, right?”

“If I didn’t touch the ground, then yes.” Sekan clarifies while removing his hand off the floor.

“Overhaul would travel from my hands to my body to the floor to Best Jeanist for a three-stage contact, or a four-stage contact if my outfit didn’t include small holes in my boots as a way to get around that gap, but my hands to the floor to Best Jeanist is only a two-stage contact.”

His explanation only serves as extra confirmation to Nine and Chimera, a confirmation on just who they serve now.

This is the shadow that lurked beneath Japan. This is the threat that professional heroes trained their entire lives to face. This was what the government and HPSC were willing to pay billions upon billions of yen to heroes to keep safe from. This was what took All Might himself becoming the Symbol of Peace to push back.

This was far more than just a villain. This was a monster.

 

“So what now? Did we do a good enough job?” The blue werewolf lookalike cautiously questions.

“Yes, you all did fine. I’ll obtain a copy of Fiber Master to give to Hoyo as a reward. Integrating that into his current arsenal shouldn’t take him long.” Sekan responds while using Overhaul to body fuse with the top ten hero.

“His strength comes from practice and practical experience, not raw power.” Nine throws his two cents in.

“Which is why I’m gifting him with a copy of those associated memories as well.” His boss assures him while activating Mind Web. “Combined with his talents and hard work, he’ll only need a few days of training rather than a few years to fully master these new additions. I can’t wait to see how he combines this with Mummification.”

Some memories are altered while others are deleted and many more are copied. Sekan refuses to make the same mistake All For One did in canon; the top hero’s skills and quirk won’t go to waste, and his own work will be covered up perfectly.

The fusion is then undone and the injured, unconscious hero is buried under some rubble to mask Sekan’s true intentions. He could just kill the guy now, but that would just further change the main plot and make AFO’s life easier, so why bother?

“Mission accomplished; we’re heading out. NightHaul says Endeavor’s ETA is 6 minutes, and while we can no doubt demolish him together, we’ve made enough of a mess for one day.”

“Understood.” Nine nods as Chimera huffs in disappointment.

The three multi-quirked monoliths then take their leave, collecting their allies and tunneling underground to avoid any heroic reinforcements. 

Society saw the attack as more villains causing chaos for the sake of chaos. It was far worse than that, but nobody outside of those responsible will ever know the truth.

 

Countdown to Canon: 3 Months 2 Weeks before Entrance Exam

Ever since Nine and his crew joined, I’ve been focusing on powering them up in preparation for the mission I’ve had in mind. Unlike with the Eight Bullets, I already had quite a few of the quirks collected and stored, so it didn’t take nearly as long this time around.

Oh, and I gave them all my up to date list of body modifications too, just to make the heroes' lives even more miserable. That includes replacing their skeletal systems with my own carbon nanopolymers, now even more optimized thanks to the Creation Crew directly making them instead of relying on Giran and his contacts for a steady supply.

I now have enough to equip all my Praetorians with them too. Same goes for some of my subsidiaries like the Volcano Thieves and Innsmouth’s crew. They’ve earned it for all their good service so far.

 

Going back to my latest additions, starting with Nine, I decided to give him his canon arsenal of quirks… excluding the weakened AFO, obviously. But that was replaced by the healing quirk he was gunning for in that movie, so it’s all good.

First up is Air Wall, a quirk copy I had previously given to Hekiji Tengai. It creates shields and barriers made of compressed air from their hands which are strong enough to tank hits from OFA at a pretty decent percentage.

They’re also far more versatile than Hekiji’s Barrier quirk as Nine can make them in various sizes and domes, stack half a dozen or more on top of each other, and even move them around without any problems. 

He only needs to have his hands in the direction he wants to create them in and be in good enough health for them to be strong. Oh, and the barriers improve in both strength and customization when the user is boosted by Trigger.

Next up is Scanning, one of the quirks I had to collect in the last week and the quirk LabHaul requested a copy of for himself as well as Nine to help out with research.

It allows the user to search and identify people’s quirks to some extent, as well as measure their level of power using a heat signature-esc vision. 

Nine could detect Izuku’s deliberate increase in power when he cranked up OFA’s percent in the movie, but he couldn’t sense the full potential of OFA until Uzuku purposefully showed it, so it has clear limits, but it’s still pretty helpful.

Next on the list is Bullet Laser which lets the user fire powerful purple lasers from their fingertips either as direct beams or curved blasts. Said lasers can easily pierce through flesh and destroy buildings with ease; they can also explode upon contact if the user wills it.

Then there’s Hydra which lets the user summon gigantic sea snakes from their back that they can control at will. These creatures are large enough to catch people in their jaws alone and it can even split up into two slightly smaller hydras if the user wills it with many more being possible when boosted by Trigger.

Last but not least is a copy of Katsuma’s Cell Activation; the very quirk Nine was going after during most of the Heroes Rising movie is just one of hundreds of copies that I gave him on a whim.

As a quick reminder, it allows people to activate the cells in themselves or others, greatly increasing regeneration, recovery time, and even physical condition. It’s a quirk that I consider superior to Garaki’s Super Regeneration quirk that he gives to most Nomus due to my chosen healing quirk being able to heal others as well.

Figured the doctor working for that self-centered asshole would go for the more selfish healing quirk.

All these new quirks combined with doses of my top tier Trigger makes Nine into an absolute monster that could probably take me on even after my Quirk Awakening! I would have to unleash Sad Man’s Parade for a chance of winning at this point!

But I’ll be getting much stronger very, very soon.

 

Moving on to the quirks I provided the rest of his crew, first up is Chimera.

I provided him with two extra quirks, the first one being another copy of Muscle Augmentation as that can boost his already massive amounts of strength, speed, and defense to another level.

The second one, on the other hand, should be a much more unique and surprising choice for most. Dupli-Arms from Mezo Shoji. 

This mutant quirk grants the user a set of arm-like tentacles adjacent to their arms that can transform into duplicates of their other body parts.

Mezo is able to reproduce any of his body parts, including eyes, ears, mouths, hands, and so on with said parts taking form through pods located at the tip of his tentacles. These duplicated parts are actually enhanced versions of the original ones too, which improves his strength and senses.

He can even regrow any replicated body part that was grown off, but it is painful and takes time to heal.

So why this quirk in particular? Well, what do you think happens when the greatly enhanced traits of various animals are further boosted, become capable of healing, and made much more numerous by Dupli-Arms?

Simple. Chimera becomes a whole lot more terrifying, and that’s before factoring in Muscle Augmentation which he can further channel through Dupli-Arms. Having half a dozen muscle-clad dragon mouths sprouting out from all over him and all firing his trademark laser beam is as horrifying as you can imagine it being.

He can create body parts of his unique animal imitations too! Right now, he’s learning how to fucking fly after discovering that he can sprout multiple sets of wings at a moment’s notice. 

I literally just gave wings to a tiger!... or a blue werewolf, I guess. Point is, Chimera just got a lot scarier.

The only issue is the initial mutation that comes with Dupli-Arms, but the heroes know that Chimera can transform, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that this new state of his is just another possible transformation of the mutant Chimera quirk. 

 

The next crew member to talk about is Slice who got both a copy of Chronostasis and Hair-Raiser. I already talked about those quirks when describing the good synergy effect they had and also mentioned that I really wanted to combine the former with Slice instead.

Well, now I have all three quirks and they just made both Kurono and Kiruka much more terrifying, because yes, I gave a copy of Slice to Kurono too. 

Both of them can now move, sharpen, launch, and elongate their hair, tear off pieces of it to wield as various weapons in their hands, and apply various slowness effects to their hair through Chronostasis. 

If even one of the thousands of tiny hair needles in their barrages hits you, then you’ll be slowed down from anywhere from a minute to an hour.

So yeah, they aren’t the kinds of opponents you want to fight. Same goes for the rest of Nine’s crew, the Eight Bullets, my Praetorians, myself (obviously), and the list goes on and on.

Even without knowing about me giving and taking quirks, this lineup would make the HPSC shit themselves in terror if they found out about it!

But I still have one more person to go over, and it was actually Nine who requested I give him Fiber Master. 

I agreed on the condition that they subdue the hero themselves to test their mettle without letting word of their multiple quirks spread to the public, and they succeeded, so I bestowed a copy of Fiber Master to Mummy.

 

Fiber Master, as the name implies, allows the user to freely control fiber. They have telekinetic dominance over all types of cloth, or rather, the threads that compose them, a great tool to modify clothes for my capitalist agenda.

But in all seriousness, they even work on other types of fiber not related to fabric such as carbon fibers, something Best Jeanist used to great effect during both the Paranormal Liberation War arc and the Final War arc.

That guy may be goofy and ridiculous with his gimmick, but he has my respect for doing as well as he did against both AFO Tomura and his pet kaiju! I could’ve just let Nine’s crew kill him, but I’ll let him live if it means inconveniencing the potato a bit more.

Taking on the Number 4 Hero like this was a bit risky, I’ll admit it, but considering how powerful Nine’s crew is with their original quirks alone (and how powerful I’ve become), I deemed the risks to be at acceptable levels. This blitz wouldn’t have the time to get out of hand.

Now as for how this quirk helps with Mummification, just think about it. Both let the user take control over inanimate objects with Fiber Master being less versatile, but easier to take advantage of. 

All it would take is Mummy yanking people by their clothes into his awaiting bandages and he gets an army of human puppets in no time flat! That’s not even mentioning all the little tricks he can do by imitating Best Jeanist’s fighting style.

As AFO told the guy directly to his face, such a quirk takes skill and experience to wield, and while the demonic potato is too lazy and too stupid to bother learning how to use it, my new subordinate isn’t.

So yeah, just like the Eight Bullets, Nine’s crew just got a tremendous boost in power.

 

The four of them together are a unit capable of matching up to most, if not all the top ten pros at once bar All Might. Even then, with how weakened the symbol has become over the last few years, Nine’s crew honestly has a solid chance of taking him down. 

These guys will be my main group for handling matters that the Shie Hassaikai doesn’t want to be blamed for. Them being a part of my organization is only known by my top brass, the Praetorians, and some of my subsidiaries.

Despite it being less then a week since they joined, that family has been fitting in pretty well with my own so far. We’re a collective now. A unit. So of course we’re gonna act like it.

Slice gets along great with Zookeeper and both help train Eri from time to time.

Chimera and Rappa regularly spar in the Bird Cage and even have a match planned in the SUM next week.

Mummy has, oddly enough, been doubling as an advisor for more large-scale attacks from my other subsidiaries, ones that have minimal information of the Shie Hassaikai.

Imagine groups of villains like the ones that Tomura got to attack the USJ with him, so basically expendable cannon fodder… actually, I’m pretty sure that I’ve got a couple of those mooks from the USJ attack working for me already.

Anyway, while he doesn’t go in person (to keep our connection a secret from the lower brass), he does know a thing or two about leading small armies thanks to all his puppet practice, and his advice has been pretty helpful so far.

 

As for Nine himself, he’s been mainly focused on mastering his new quirk arsenal, which, when looking at how quickly he does so in the movie (and that’s when his health condition is crap), is extremely quick.

I’ve already been down in the Bird Cage with him a couple times and spawned all kinds of clones for him to face off against.

Hawks, my Eight Bullets, Praetorians (normal and specialized), his own crew, and even the guy himself can be replicated through Double easily enough, and with their severely lowered durability when compared to the originals, it doesn’t take long for Nine to make mincemeat out of most of them.

It’s a lot of fun to watch and I even join in from time to time. Nine and I double-teaming two Hawks clones multiple times over was definitely a highlight of the week.

Also, he still prefers going by Nine which is just fine since Zookeeper doesn’t like going by her birth name either. She’s alright with me calling her Zi though (but only me and Eri, anyone else who calls her that is getting no mercy from her).

To everyone else, they are simply an extremely powerful group of villains that occasionally wrecks a town or city for the hell of it. To me and all others in the know, they are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse or ‘Four Horsemen’ for short.

I feel like that particular pre-quirk reference fits them pretty well.

That group should be about equal with the current Eight Bullets, if not slightly stronger, and considering that the latter has twice as many people in it with one of them even rivaling the current All Might in power, that’s saying something.

Both forces are threats that All Might himself would have to be around to stop if the heroes want any chance at being victorious, but there are still forces out there that can crush them single-handedly. 

They aren’t alone though. They have my entire organization to rely on for support, even if Nine’s crew only gets it secretly most of the time.

Then there’s me and my recent Quirk Awakening. LabHaul is doing plenty of scans with both his equipment and new quirk and already learning a lot after cross-referencing this with all his compiled data from Geten and his own awakened quirk.

 

Overhaul being capable of up to two-stage contact is already a game changer. Picture Lemillion permeating his fist through my hand as I attempt to block the blow and punching me in the face. Well, he would then instantly explode because I can channel Overhaul from my hands to my body and then to Mirio.

Literally touching me anywhere is instant death for opponents as long as I time the activation of Overhaul right, and I most certainly can after all the training I’ve done and modifications I’ve had and IQ boosting my calculating speed.

Being anywhere near me is also practically a guaranteed KO. I could already litter the ground with spikes the moment my hand touches the floor. Well after this awakening, I could channel Overhaul through the floor and into my opponents, altering their bodies as I wish (if not outright killing them). 

If an opponent isn’t on the ground, well, if even a single spike of mine (or any other construct for that matter) makes contact with them, I can channel Overhaul into them through that contact with the ground for an instant KO. 

Again, the timing is extremely important since I lose access to their bodies through Overhaul the moment they stop making contact with the ground, however warped it is in that moment. And that’s not even considering them being out of my Overhaul-spreading range, but said range is pretty large already.

But I’ve gotten very good at observational and reactionary skills after sparring with Hawks and Rappa clones for so long and obtaining so many memories regarding combat.

My Eight Bullets, Nine’s Crew, and the Praetorians continuous training regimens and growing combat experience is all copied into myself. 

Hawks and Best Jeanist, among other high-ranking heroes, have also gotten their memories copied thanks to Double making such accurate clones I can take from.

Dozens of expert combatants that have trickled into the main or VIP Second Underground Masquerade arenas have also had their memories copied whenever they end up in my medical stations. 

Not all of it is helpful, but I still have a lot to work with when developing my own unique fighting style and plenty of opponents to test it on whenever I want. That’s without considering the limitless potential that is Double.

 

And to make things even better, it may very well be possible to optimize my body with the awakened Overhaul being the main focus. Being able to do three or even four-stage contact without Trigger or any other form of quirk booster may very well be possible, but why stop at just body modifications?

Even after my unexpected awakening, there is still a wall that a certain titan’s original quirk can help me break, and even now, getting that quirk is going to be a massive pain in the ass.

All the practice and experience with La Brava’s Love quirk was meant to prepare me for it, and I may just be able to acquire it now. 

“Boss, I think we found him! Multiple of our undercover scouting parties have picked up a lead deep in the Niigata Mountains, and, uh… one party didn’t make it. I’m pretty sure they were squashed into a bloody paste.”

“Did they equip the scent blockers I gave them?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know, sir. Their body cams were destroyed too.”

Well, shit. Really hope those thugs were just idiots who ditched the support gear because I can’t think of many other ways to fool the enhanced smell part of his Dog quirk. That’s not even getting into figuring out ways around the enhanced hearing part of it.

And that’s one of the least problematic quirks in his arsenal. 

What a pain in the ass…

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Main Family (+ Current Quirks):

• Sekan Doraifu - Mind Web, Overhaul (Awakened), Confession, Double, IQ, Cleaning
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Scanning
• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Eri - Rewind, Wave Motion, IQ

Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening
• Zookeeper (Personal Maid/Eri’s Main Caretaker) - Cleaning, Overhaul
• Hari Kurono (Leader of Eight Bullets/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice
• Kendo Rappa (Eight Bullets) - Strongarm, Muscle Augmentation, Charging Muscles, Fast Fist
• Hekiji Tengai (Eight Bullets) - Barrier, Air Wall
• Toya Setsuno (Eight Bullets) - Larceny, Compress
• Yu Hojo (Eight Bullets) - Crystalize, Creation
• Soramitsu Tabe (Eight Bullets) - Food, Fat Absorption
• Deidoro Sakaki (Eight Bullets) - Sloshed, Dragon Breath 
• Rikiya Katsukame (Eight Bullets) - Energy Suck, Wave Motion

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Scanning, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation

Other Forces:

• Praetorian Guard - 152
• Pseudo Getens - 5
• Pseudo ????? - 5
• Pseudo ????? - 5
• Cyber Warfare Branch - 35
• Mad Science Branch - 30
• Creation Crew - 45
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 830
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 39
• Thugs and Goons - 3590

Subsidiaries:

• Hero Killer
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth and his crew
• Team Reservoir Dogs
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 324

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 30: Gigantomachia. Need I say more?

The Hero Killer causing more terror than ever, various home invasions all across the country, a Trigger epidemic making way too many villains more powerful than they should be, a goddamn villain war that resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths and the near death of a top 10 hero.

Two top 10 heroes if Wash’s sudden disappearance happens to be related, but unlike Gang Orca, Japan’s Number 8 Pro Hero is still MIA so there’s no way to confirm that.

Oh, and now a third member of the top ten has been beaten to hell and back by a psychotic group of quirk supremacists. And they destroyed most of the city they fought in too for kicks.

Yokumiru Mera does not get paid enough for this bullshit.

The HPSC is painfully understaffed and he’s already overworked enough as is. Society itself slowly sinking into an anarchy-filled abyss definitely isn’t helping matters.

There is supposed to be an oversaturation of heroes, god damnit!... oh, who is he kidding. Most of these new guys completely suck if the last Provisional Hero License Exam is anything to go by.

Sure, Hawks is making that decade or so of investment into his secret training worth it (god forbid they have a repeat of that disaster with Lady Nagant), but he’s only one person and not an unbeatable Symbol of Peace like All Might. 

And said unbeatable symbol can only be at one place at a time. And he can only travel so fast across the country whenever shit hits the fan.

The adult who rivals Eraserhead in drowsiness can only sigh and wonder what the next big blow to Japan’s hero society is gonna be… he really needs to ask for that raise soon. 

 

Countdown to Canon: 3 Months 1 Week before Entrance Exam

“This…” I begin, bringing up the first slide of my PowerPoint presentation. “...Is Gigantomachia. Ultimate weapon of and bodyguard to the quirk-stealing boogeyman himself.”

Currently in the Shie Hassaikai’s main underground meeting hall is myself, BossHaul, LabHaul, NightHaul, Zookeeper, Eri, Joi, the Eight Bullets, the Four Horsemen, Stain, the Volcano Thieves, Innsmouth and the leader of Cider House, and several dozen Praetorians (although most are just there as bodyguards).

When going up against a monster like this guy, I refuse to pull any punches.

 

“Wait, Gigantomachia actually exists?” Rappa asks, clearly excited upon seeing some of the custom concept art of him I had made for this meeting. “There were rumors about All For One having some super powerful bodyguard, but nobody ever saw him. Then again, most people were way too scared to talk about anything relating to that guy out in the open.”

“Why would someone like that even need a bodyguard?” Maguma takes his turn to speak up. 

“Answering those in order, yes and the boogeyman is nothing but a drama queen who loves LARPing as a demon lord for attention and the aesthetic. Unfortunately, this centuries-old baby was born with the ultimate quirk for god knows why and now we need to face off against his strongest weapon.”

“You said that All For One lost against All Might several years ago. Was he present there?” Nine inquiries.

“Nope, AFO didn’t treat his so-called archnemesis as a serious threat. The guy even gloated over his broken body after removing a part of his chest during that battle, but he then got United States of Smashed in the face out of nowhere, having no time to summon his trump card after All Might got a second wind, and is now even more injured than the Symbol of Peace.”

“So what exactly is our goal here then? Killing him? Capturing him?” Nine continues.

“Actually, it’s pretty similar to what I recently did with you and your crew; I’m going to make him submit to me.” 

 

Noticing the confused looks all over the room, I continue, “All For One is, among many other negative things, the most selfish prick in the world and wouldn’t know the concept of love and compassion if it hit him in the face. I can confirm that because All Might has most certainly hit him in the face.”

That gets a few snickers from my audience, but it’s right back to business a few seconds later.

“All For One basically abandoned the guy in some forest for years on end with nothing but a radio to listen in on the latest news from. He treats the guy like crap, so I’m going to use his own selfishness against him.”

Based on Mina Ashido’s backstory, AFO gave his bodyguard the occasional mission to find people with quirks that could potentially heal him, but those were very few and far between with the potato likely just speaking a sentence or two to his bodyguard through the radio they left him.

Then AFO abandoned Machia again after the Paranormal Liberation War arc and that led to Gigantomachia betraying his master for a while before the boogeyman nearly split the guy in two with a single blast filled to the brim with quirks.

Granted, this feat was done when AFO had been healed to his physical prime, had his numerous quirks further boosted to all new heights thanks to Tomura’s rage and hatred infecting him, and had his synthesized Rewind equipped to immediately, automatically heal the nearly lethal amounts of recoil damage upon launching such a powerful attack.

If regular prime AFO was put up against a pissed off Gigantomachia, then the battle wouldn’t be nearly as easy for the old demon lord.

But hypothetical death battles aside, AFO called his most loyal follower (besides maybe Dr. Garaki) a dog that needed to be put down, showing no remorse or regret for treating the guy like crap despite all he’s done for the demon lord. Rather in character for the douchebag, all things considered.

My plan is simple: make Gigantomachia betray All For One a good bit earlier than he did in canon, and submit to me as his new master. 

 

This plan definitely has its risks, such as AFO catching on while I’m trying to steal his bodyguard, but if the worst were to happen, then I’m confident that my team (and some clones of them via Double) can take both multi-quirked powerhouses down.

Of course, that will only be in the worst case scenario. AFO and Garaki have minimal contact with Machia over these last few years and probably don’t talk to him again until after Kamino when Garaki tells the giant about Tomura. As long as I get that radio out of the way, I don’t have to worry about those two listening in.

They’ll probably notice the destroyed radio (and forest) eventually, but by then, AFO will be focused entirely on Tomura and UA High. Those canon events are only a few months away, after all.

And who knows, they might not even notice it at all until the midget Dr. Eggman tries contacting Machia after the events of Kamino… not that such a thing will happen if all goes according to plan.

As for other people noticing the massive battle that’s about to occur, I say it’s pretty unlikely. Gigantomachia fought against the League of Villains for months with the battles shown in the anime being incredibly loud, and yet nobody noticed a thing.

Even then, the MLA only found their location thanks to a combination of hacking Giran’s laptop and using goddamn satellites, and they weren’t even looking for Machia to begin with! Hell, they didn’t even know about Machia if the battle at Deika is anything to go by!

Gigantomachia is very deep in the forests and mountains of Niigata, far away from any heroes and civilians besides the occasional long-distance hiker, so I should be fine with bringing as much firepower as I need to this battle, and that is a fucking lot of firepower.

So yeah, with the addition of a vastly improved Nine’s crew to my arsenal and some new types of Special Praetorians, I’m feeling pretty confident about my chances with this. 

It’s still gonna be a pain in the ass, but it’s now a manageable pain in the ass.

“Now then, let’s begin going over the kaiju himself. To put it simply, he’s a walking disaster that hundreds of Pro Heroes combined stand absolutely no chance against; he can stroll through entire cities left and right while barely acknowledging their defenders’ presence.

This is a nigh-unstoppable force of nature that can contend with All Might in his prime, and the Symbol of Peace would not emerge from that fight unscathed.”

“I can rival All Might too! You said so yourself!” Rappa interrupts me.

“I said you can rival the current All Might, Rappa. Same goes for Nine, myself, and potentially one or two other people in this room. Thanks to his injuries against AFO, among other factors that I won’t bother going into right now, the Symbol of Peace is a far cry from his peak about half a decade ago.”

“And exactly how much weaker do you believe the current All Might to be when compared to his prime?” Nine questions, realizing the issue immediately. 

“Around 60 times weaker, if not more.”

The entire room erupts into chaos.

 

As for how I got that statistic, let's flash forward a bit to the canon USJ attack.

What was it All Might said after sending that Nomu blasting off again?

“I really have gotten weaker. Back in my heyday, five hits would’ve been enough to knock that guy out. But today, it took more than 300 mighty blows.”

Great idea monologuing that when Tomura and Kurogiri were like ten feet away, idiot. 

At least it gave me a statistic to work with. 

Now the argument could be made that All Might got further weakened after passing OFA onto Izuku. You can also argue that since the true start of canon (and that fight by extension) is a few months away, All Might has slightly more of OFA’s embers to work with right now.

However, even if those two points are true, the current All Might is still much, much weaker then he was in his prime. 

If prime All Might suddenly teleported into the room and fought everyone here together, All Might would probably win nine times out of ten with only me or Zookeeper getting in a lucky shot with Overhaul potentially giving us a victory.

Luckily for us, prime All Might isn’t our opponent. However, the beast we are going up against definitely comes close when raw power is involved.

“Now then, let’s start going over his quirks, because yes, he has multiple, and without any body modifications to boot.”

 

Among the many skills I’ve been honing over the course of my second life, quirk analysis is easily one of the most important ones.

Knowing their strengths and weaknesses, knowing how to make the most of the former while abusing the latter, such can easily be the deciding factor of a fight. 

If Izuku Midoriya had gone for the head while fighting Muscular, if he targeted the only part of his body that doesn’t have muscles instead of doing the exact opposite, he could have easily won.

Not to mention doing the classic shounen trope of standing around like a dumbass as he powered up, something he just had to do. Izuku could have knocked out the brute in seconds with only a fraction of OFA’s full power, the recoil of such being his only injury.

If Izuku Midoriya had just used Blackwhip to restrain and toss away Flect Turn instead of mindlessly punching him over and over, getting all that damage reflected right back onto himself, he could have disabled the Trigger Bombs and saved the world without a single scratch worth of injuries and plenty of time to spare.

Hell, Izuku could just run right past him and punch through any other defenses in his way like he was doing before. The Reflect quirk doesn’t make Flect faster than a regular human unless you let him be by throwing superpowered attacks his way! But no, Izuku had to fight opponents in the dumbest ways possible while mutilating himself because Plus Ultra or whatever.

His boundless curiosity and aggressive, analytical intelligence was abandoned in favor of solving problems by punching them harder, but enough about this world's resident shounen protagonist. 

Time to plan Gigantomachia’s defeat through some actual quirk analysis.

 

“Wait, how can this guy handle the strain of multiple quirks then?” Zookeeper inquires.

“His original quirk.” I answer, clicking onto the next slide titled ‘Endurance’. 

“His original quirk lets him convert his morale into physical strength and stamina, increasing their physical endurance. Basically, the more excited and driven the user is, the stronger and more reinvigorated they are.

This alone can give an ordinary person the power of my Praetorians and practically limitless stamina to boot if they have enough morale, but the real gem of this quirk is that it can allow the user's body to house multiple other quirks without any kind of strain. 

Endurance can also recharge and even empower any other quirks in the user’s arsenal depending on how motivated they are! I believe you can all understand how useful this quirk is.”

This is the quirk that will let me shatter my limits and go beyond even Plus Ultra as very few in this world can rival or surpass the amount of will and motivation I have. 

All For One was an idiot for not getting a copy of this quirk himself, but then again, making stupid decisions isn’t anything new for the guy.

“This quirk allowed Machia to nom on SIX other quirks without feeling the slightest bit of strain, and his limit may very well be above that! 

Granted, Gigantomachia is slightly childlike and mentally disabled either as a result of either that or spending so many years following AFO like a lost puppy. He also rivals someone like Stain in morale and willpower- yes, Stain. I did my research; stop pouting.

Now as great as this quirk is, it does have weaknesses. A repeated onslaught of powerful enough attacks without any reinforcement to the user’s morale can take them down, and without AFO in the area to boss him around, Machia can only keep going for so long.

Unfortunately, the other quirks in his arsenal make taking advantage of those weaknesses much, much harder.”

I then start clicking through more slides and explaining more quirks with each one ruining the overall mood of the room more and more and more.

“Next up is Pain Blocker. Machia is unable to feel pain regardless of how severe his injuries are, so kind of like what I can do with someone’s nervous system through an instant Overhaul surgery.

These two quirks have a great synergy with each other as Machia has the mind of an enthusiastic child, meaning it is nearly impossible to lower his morale if he can’t feel pain.”

“I can confirm that!” Eri pipes up, and I nod at her before continuing.

 

“Quirk number three is Gigantification, so kind of like what Innsmouth and Mt. Lady have. Only with his version of the quirk, he grows larger the more agitated or excited he is. 

Based on my research, his maximum height is at least 2500 centimeters or 82 feet, but Endurance may be able to boost it even further and another quirk that I will get to soon also provides a boost in size, so his absolute maximum size with all quirks activated may very well be over a hundred feet. He can also keep Gigantification activated indefinitely if he wishes thanks to the other quirks he has.”

“That be a pain.” Innsmouth mutters, knowing first hand how effective such a quirk can be (with his own maximum height only being slightly over 70 feet and Mt. Lady’s height limit being 67 feet, 8 inches). 

“Now normally, gigantification quirks aren’t that tough to deal with since they just provide their users a proportional strength growth, but when you mix in other quirks to make you stronger then that, well, look at Rappa’s quirk combination.”

That gets a few more groans as I click onto the next slide.

“Machia’s main synergy quirk with Gigantification is Fierce Gains. It’s a muscle-hardening quirk that, according to my research, can let this guy no-sell artillery rounds. That’s before adding on the extra boost from Endurance, by the way. When it comes to physical damage, even Rappa going all out wouldn’t be able to do a whole lot.”

“What about going for areas like the eyes? Would that work?” Stain inquires.

“Yes, but assume that they are a lot tougher than eyes normally should be. Even so, it should be possible for you to stab through them with one of the swords I gave you, but that’s not the role you will be playing in this fight.

Moving on, quirk number five will let Machia stop most people who try out ideas like Stain’s. Dog is a mutant quirk that gives Machia super enhanced hearing and smell, among other senses, letting him pick up on your presence from miles away and making it almost impossible to surprise him.

And yes, he can detect and track down those whose scent he picks up on like trained dogs can. Just being in his presence is considered a signed death warrant because even if you somehow manage to escape an encounter with him, he will simply follow your scent across Japan and squash you into bloody paste the moment he catches up, and trust me, he will catch up.

This means we only have one chance at beating him, because if we’re forced to retreat, then he will follow us back to Osaka and destroy half the city while we have our rematch.”

“Fucking hell…” Chimera mutters, getting a pat on the back from Slice who looks a few shades paler herself.

 

“Quirk number six is Energy Saver. When boosted by Endurance, it lets Machia operate on minimal amounts of food, water, and sleep. By minimal, I mean two to three hours of sleep a month, and a similar amount of food and water.

You can eat and drink and sleep more if you want to, you just don’t need to, and from my understanding, this makes quirks that involve using or spending energy a whole lot more cost efficient as well.”

“Hey, boss? If we somehow manage to pull this bullshit off, can I get a copy of that quirk? Please?” Joi practically begs me, as do half the other people in this room.

“Rest assured that each and every one of you will get a copy of both Endurance and Energy Saver if we manage to pull this off. It’s like RPG loot, just… different. And unlike the evil potato, I’m not a selfish prick that is proud enough of that character trait to literally make it his villain name, quirk name, and real name.”

That massively increases everyone's morale and gets a few more snickers from the crowd. Good, they’re gonna need it in a few seconds.

“Now the good news is we only have one quirk to go. The bad news is, well… as a certain pre-quirk meme goes, what we’ve seen until now isn’t even his final form.”

I then click onto the next slide where more concept art of Gigantomachia is on display. One in his quote unquote ‘mole-mode’.

That gets several gasps and even more groans from my audience.

 

“Quirk number seven: Mole. He can grow mole-like claws from his fingers, spines on his back, and a visor to shield his face to help him rapidly dig through the Earth. He can easily hide underground and burrow under us for a sneak attack and I’m 90% sure this quirk further increases his size.”

Machia grew a good bit bigger when going mole-mode against Japan’s heroes in the anime, so either that quirk was making him bigger, Endurance was making him bigger, Gigantification was making him bigger, or all three were making him bigger.

Point is, he’s really fucking big and can get a whole lot bigger once he gets serious.

“Is that monster who you got inspiration from during our own fight?” Slice groans, thinking back to her and Chimera’s recent battles against me.

“A bit, yeah. That and Overhaul works wonders underground, but that tunneling tactic isn’t really gonna work here; same with most other plans I can come up with, but after a whole lot of brainstorming, I have a way we can do this.”

“Uhhh, quick question. Why do we need to make him submit to us? Don’t get me wrong, having him on our side sounds awesome, but wouldn’t killing him be easier? You can duplicate his quirks either way, right?” Tsumuji inquires, and yeah, that does sound pretty reasonable. 

Unfortunately, there’s one major problem with that plan.

 

“Killing him would be easier than making him submit, yes. But don’t forget what comes after. Remember my crash course about quirk vestiges?”

“...The amount of willpower he has. You’re worried about the copies of his quirk vestige wreaking havoc within our vestigeworlds, tearing us apart from the inside out.” Nine concludes. “And with his original quirk being essential for us housing more quirks…”

“Exactly. I might be able to keep his vestige in check, but I’ve spent months going in and out of my vestigeworld, mastering its various functions and secrets while training to resist vestige attacks. It’s one thing for me to tell you about it and another for you to actually experience it. 

Even giving you a copy of those memories of mine wouldn’t be nearly as helpful as you experiencing the real deal, and even if you did, your willpower and mental control may just not be enough to withstand a rampaging ghost Machia in your mind 24/7.

Your only hope from there would be using all those extra slots to house the copies of willpower-boosting quirks LabHaul stocked up on overtime, taking up valuable space for other quirks to better deal with threats on the outside.”

“So making him submit to us would ensure his quirk vestige doesn’t cause any problems within us.” Hekiji summarizes and I nod at the bullet.

 

“Any chance you can just Overhaul him and call it a day?” Zookeeper asks me.

“Most likely not. Even without considering how massive he is, I suspect that Endurance provides its user an increased resistance to quirk attacks as a whole, both physical and mental. 

This quirk allows the user’s body to become tough enough to handle multiple other quirks, so the user’s body becoming resistant to harmful quirk effects as a whole is very likely.”

Such would certainly explain how Machia could tank flames from Endeavor and Dabi in canon despite the guy not having any fire resistance whatsoever. Even AFO Tomura was damaged by Endeavor’s fire (fire weaker than Dabi’s own), and his quirkless body neared prime All Might in power at the time.

“So kind of like my quirk?” Zi confirms.

“Sort of. That effect strengthens the user instead of weakening the enemy like your quirk’s effect. It’s also permanently in the body rather than in the form of a substance that leaks out of the body. 

If I were to try using Overhaul on him with a Trigger boost, then I might be able to obliterate an arm or a leg, but his body would likely just ‘repel’ the hostile foreign invasion before it envelops his entire body. 

Trying such a thing would also tire me out significantly, even with that quirk being awakened, and I need to make myself appear as mighty and generally unbeatable as possible to the guy. First impressions mean a lot, after all, so this is where you all come in. 

 

Everyone here has been given what the world believes to not be possible. You are all powerful as is, but body modifications, multiple quirks, and so on have boosted you all to another level entirely. This kind of power can overturn the world, but the safety and survival of our friends, family, and beliefs is what is most important to us.

Making the boogeyman’s bodyguard submit to us will be another massive step forward in our plans, helping us prepare for the day this society finally falls, a day that is rapidly approaching. But I can’t guarantee your safety during this turning point for us.

We may very well have the boogeyman himself show up as an uninvited guest to this event, and I’ll get into what I know about him in a bit. If that were to happen, we would have to fight two of the most ancient and powerful multi-quirked combatants the world has ever seen on two separate fronts. 

From what I calculated through IQ, we’ll have to use most, if not everything we have for this plan. And even then, I can’t guarantee our safety or survival. Zookeeper and I can only resurrect people up to 15 minutes after they die, and that’s not even mentioning the risk of permanent injuries or losing your quirks.

Such a gamble is far from being possible on my own, so I can only ask you to trust-”

“Are you kidding, boss? I’m in all the way!” Rappa cheers. “Seriously, our debt to you is way too big to pay off with just our lives.”

“What he said!” Maguma smiles. “We only got this far thanks to you; our trust has long since passed that point. Give the order like always and we’ll give it our best shot like always.”

Everyone else voices their support one after another. It was… eye-opening.

Seeing so many people trusting me like this, following me without question like this…

Turns out I’m pretty good at this whole ‘leader’ thing. Good to know.

“Right. Thank you, everyone.” I warmly express my gratitude, feeling more confident than ever before. “Now then, let’s go prove that the bigger they are, the harder they fall!”

 

 

Several hours later, up in the now storm-covered Niigata Mountains, a multi-quirked behemoth roams across the land, irritated at all the gnats that have been swarming around lately. 

He can’t even remember the last time he heard his master’s voice or received his orders. He’s just been here, left to live off the land for survival like a wild animal.

Surely this will end soon, right? Surely the master or his successor will show up soon, right?

Or was he truly abandoned despite all he has done for his master?

“Gigantomachia.”

Huh?

He turns around and looks into the eyes of another puny… wait…

No. This one’s different.

The way he’s carrying himself. The aura he’s giving off.

It’s just like him.

“Master’s successor?” The giant exclaims, his mere words making the forest tremble.

“Yes, but not the one named by him. The one who will surpass and destroy him.”

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Main Family (+ Current Quirks):

• Sekan Doraifu - Mind Web, Overhaul (Awakened), Confession, Double, IQ, Cleaning
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Scanning
• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Eri - Rewind, Wave Motion, IQ

Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening
• Zookeeper (Personal Maid/Eri’s Main Caretaker) - Cleaning, Overhaul
• Hari Kurono (Leader of Eight Bullets/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice
• Kendo Rappa (Eight Bullets) - Strongarm, Muscle Augmentation, Charging Muscles, Fast Fist
• Hekiji Tengai (Eight Bullets) - Barrier, Air Wall
• Toya Setsuno (Eight Bullets) - Larceny, Compress
• Yu Hojo (Eight Bullets) - Crystalize, Creation
• Soramitsu Tabe (Eight Bullets) - Food, Fat Absorption
• Deidoro Sakaki (Eight Bullets) - Sloshed, Dragon Breath 
• Rikiya Katsukame (Eight Bullets) - Energy Suck, Wave Motion

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Scanning, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation

Other Forces:

• Praetorian Guard - 185
• Pseudo Getens - 10
• Pseudo ????? - 5
• Pseudo ????? - 5
• Cyber Warfare Branch - 35
• Mad Science Branch - 30
• Creation Crew - 50
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 860
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 42
• Thugs and Goons - 3820

Subsidiaries:

• Hero Killer
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth and his crew
• Team Reservoir Dogs
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 330

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 31: Successor

“It’s strange… maybe Endurance can bridge the gap, but-”

“What are you doing, Kai?” The vestige of Zookeeper asks her fellow quirk ghost.

“Don’t give me that look. There’s no point in trying to take over Sekan anymore; if the Hassaikai knew the truth, they would still choose him over me… and for good reason.”

“Oh? The great yakuza leader, Kai Chisaki, is admitting he’s wrong for a change?” The white-haired ghost smirks.

“Don’t take me for a child. I’m prideful, not stupid. I won’t forgive him for what he did to the Old Man, but if anyone can help my yakuza survive the Quirk Singularity, it’s him. Now shut up and let me concentrate.”

“Concentrate with…”

“Ugh, shouldn’t you be off watching your original’s not so secret crush subjugating that disease-ridden giant?”

“I can watch those memories later. Those rules don’t apply to stuff that happens in here; also, you do realize that your very existence is the quote unquote ‘disease’ you hate, right?”

“And that I’m nothing more than a psychotic quack in some children’s anime cartoon in the world Sekan is from. Yes, I know. I’ve been told that several times a day for over half a year now by my ‘charming’ roommates.

If you must know, I’m attempting to bridge the gap between the vestigeworld and ‘real’ world, so to speak. So basically what All For One unintentionally did while trying to steal One For All during the Paranormal Liberation War.”

 

“You’re trying to make it so we can communicate with Sekan while he’s conscious? You think that’s possible now?” The spirit of a former Wild Villains member confirms.

“Potentially, yes. My very existence has evolved thanks to Overhaul awakening, and you already know how this quirk can work. It may be possible to manipulate even the vestigeworld to a certain extent, much more so than Sekan can do, or allow others to do, through Mind Web.”

“You’re gonna need Sekan’s help with that. The Endurance quirk and a Trigger boost too, most likely.”

“I’m simply seeing if the idea is feasible for now. I want him to succeed as much as you do since him succeeding means the Shie Hassaikai succeeding. So either leave me to my work or call Sekan’s vestige over. He’s the only one of you ghastly lot that can actually be useful to be right now.”

“What’s the magic word?”

“...Please.”

“There, see? Was that so hard?” Her fellow ghost starting to growl makes her finally leave “I’ll go get him now, Kai… and thank you for trying to help. Really, it means a lot.”

The echoes of a former main antagonist sigh as the girl finally leaves.

“At the very least, if Sekan fails, I’ll do more damage to the boogeyman’s own vestigeworld than even Star and Stripe ever could through her last resort. Consider this my thanks, transmigrator.”

Whether Sekan succeeds at taming the giant or fails and gets his powers stolen, All For One is going to lose his shit, both figuratively and literally.

Good. The bastard deserves it for ruining his childhood with that damn orphanage scheme, copying and mutilating his quirk to hand to that manchild apprentice, and all the other crap he and his pawns were once destined to pull in canon, ruining his plans for this world.

But not here. Not this time around. Not with Sekan Doraifu now being his partner.

That damn demon lord won’t know what hit him.

 

Countdown to Canon: 3 Months 1 Week before Entrance Exam

The pre-fight preparations have all been made. A little Weather Manipulation from Nine created a thunderstorm above the titan’s domain several hours ago let us handle everything we needed to.

Nine could send lightning to strike down the bodyguard’s radio without it seeming suspicious, provide some of my other forces with endless ammo for later usage, and set up a perfect background for our battle as a bonus. 

With that all done, I fearlessly marched towards the titan and riled him up with my declaration.

“Come.”

 

Gigantomachia roars while lunging at me, but Overhaul lets me manipulate the forest to my will, sandwiching him before he can reach me.

From my hands to my body to the ground below. It’s a two stage contact thanks to the holes in my boots letting me skip the layer of clothing around me. The Trigger I applied in advance helps me gather up even more of the ground for this opening salvo.

“Your master is a selfish fool, incapable of seeing how useful you truly are, Machia.”

“YOU DARE INSULT THE LORD?!?” The giant screams, growing rapidly in size, but still not activating Mole yet.

Good.

“Nine? Rappa? If you would?” I nonchalantly request as my two strongest subordinates charge by me and slam into the mountain of a man. 

The three then engage in a dance of destruction as I slowly walk forward, looking both as relaxed and intimidating as I can.

“A king must be strong, right? A king must inspire dread, right? Even my subordinates can meet your requirements, let alone myself.”

Machia raises his arm up, shattering the blue hydras wrapped around it, and brings it down to crush the gnat that created them… but he stumbles. He’s losing his balance.

The scent and sound blockers are doing their job, and the ongoing battle distracts his other senses long enough for the underground team to get into position.

Deidoro focuses Sloshed on Machia while Rikiya activates Energy Suck on the giant, both having already taken Trigger to increase the effects.

Zookeeper is with them, using Overhaul to make small tunnels to the surface (or collapse them and create new ones when needed) so the other two can get clear shots with their quirks in. It's like whack-a-mole, only the moles in question refuse to stick their heads out.

Hekiji is with them too, ready to activate a Barrier x Air Wall combo if Machia catches on and Zi can't move them all around fast enough.

This opening lets Rappa land a nasty uppercut on the giant with Nine sending volleys of lightning down his way.

 

“You… are strong… however… THE LORD IS FAR STRONGER!”

“NOT ANYMORE!” I roar right back, using a full blast of Overhaul to crack the ground all around me and even the part of his feet, causing some blood to spurt out. Thanks, multi-stage contact.

But the cracks gradually close, his injuries slowly but surely healing themselves. The titan doesn’t have any regeneration quirk, but Endurance seems to boost natural healing a bit too, depending on how much motivation he has.

He must be extremely motivated to defend his master, and that’s alright. I got what I needed and I know what I need to do next.

NightHaul confirmed it himself, and I made sure that Eri wouldn’t be around to use Rewind so his precognition would be accurate. Same goes with Kurono and Kiruka.

Even if Eri’s quirk didn’t affect Foresight, I still wouldn’t bring her here. Not even to spectate from afar.

My battle with Nine showed me just how large of an area battles like these can affect, and I refuse to take any chances when my daughter’s well-being is involved.

But back to the task at hand, Machia sees my subordinates using multiple quirks each and believes me to be far stronger than I actually am right now after that little 'uncontrolled burst' of Overhaul. Not only that, but Machia spilled a bit of blood, and that’s going to help a certain hero killer quite a bit when Mimic finishes moving that blood-soaked ground to him.

Everything’s going according to plan so far. 

Machia is starting to have doubts and his master doesn’t have a clue about it, but this is only the beginning.

The giant starts to grow even larger with rows of spikes forming on his back, his fingers turning into claws almost as large as him, and part of his chin transforming into a visor.

“RRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

No more games. Time for phase two.

 

Both Rappa and Nine are blown back across the forest and the transformed titan makes a beeline towards me.

But I don’t show even an ounce of fear. Instead, I give a sad sigh and nonchalantly snap my fingers. 

A hurricane slams into Gigantomachia right after, one powerful enough to even lift him off his feet. 

‘Oh, thank fuck. Looks like the five of them boosted with Trigger really was enough.’ I mentally sigh in relief as the giant continues to roar and flail.

Pseudo-Inasas, the first of my new specialized Praetorian groups. 

The quirk of Inasa Yoarashi, soon to be student of Shiketsu High School if butterfly effect doesn’t blindside me again, is called Whirlwind. It lets the user manipulate gusts of wind with little to no movement from his body at all, creating gales and tornadoes that surpass even what Nine can do.

However, Weather Manipulation is still the superior quirk since it lets Nine do a lot more than just summon tornadoes… although with that quirk being too powerful for its user and degrading their cells after every usage, the opposite can also be argued since Inasa’s quirk has no such drawback.

Such a quirk requires incredible amounts of precision and control to use properly, and also has the weakness of its airflow being compromised through enough heat, but my Praetorians can at least solve the former issue with enough practice, and when coordinating with Nine himself, entire cities can be swept away as hundreds of tornadoes or tremendous hurricanes plow through them.

Getting a copy of the teenager’s quirk and memories wasn’t too hard; unlike what happened with Momo Yaoyorozu and Saiko Intelli, quietly breaking in and out of his house myself was enough.

And yes, just like with my Pseudo-Getens, the only differences between them and my regular Praetorians is that extra quirk, some specialized body modifications to better use it, and some extra training to use it.

 

Now as for why I don’t instead give my specialized Praetorians quirks that synergize with their unique addition, the answer is simple. I don’t want to create a small army of glass cannons.

Geten, Inasa, Endeavor, Shoto, Nine, and so on. All these guys have incredibly powerful and destructive emitter quirks, but being able to control ice dragons and summon tornadoes doesn’t mean a whole lot when their bodies are so squishy. 

Sure, they are stronger than ‘regular’ humans, just look at how jacked most of them are!

But when put up against a guy like Muscular or even someone with a strength quirk that gives a fraction of his power, they’re most likely gonna get bent like twigs if their projectiles fail to stop the enemy or if the distance between them is closed before they can even begin attacking.

That’s not even considering the possibility of them getting torn apart by their own attacks if they fuck up while controlling them!

I don’t want their bodies being their biggest weaknesses, and besides, these bonus quirks alone are incredibly powerful, especially when several people use copies of them simultaneously. 

That’s why, along with the basic body modifications, they get a strength quirk, speed quirk, durability quirk, sense-enhancing quirk, intelligence-boosting quirk (thanks, Intelli), and healing quirk (Cell Activation) for whenever they are damaged.

This basic arsenal along with one super destructive emitter quirk is the safest way to go in my opinion. The power of these quirks can be expressed in small groups and attack formations, but I need to make sure that they can keep those formations up if a powerful enemy actually manages to land a hit or two in rather than fall apart from brute strength or lack of control.

As Machia is swept hundreds of feet into the air, an absolutely livid Nine soars towards him with all his quirks firing at full blast.

Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Scanning, Bullet Laser, Hydra, and Cell Activation to constantly heal any backlash from his other quirks. This is the power he dreamed of acquiring in canon, power he thought would let him rule the world.

However…

 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

His body gets a few more cracks, but Machia eventually strikes my most powerful subordinate down with one of his massive claws. Nine is unbelievably powerful as he is now; this guy is just even more powerful, especially in close range.

Slice is there to catch him though, and she then fires a barrage of her needles at the giant to slow him down. Chronostasis ends up helping a little too, the barrages of hair bits not having the Chronostasis quirk applied.

We can’t risk NightHaul’s foresight becoming inaccurate, not during such an important battle.

Chimera joins in on the assault too, making almost a dozen extra mouths through Dupli-Arms to blast his dragon-like laser beams out of as Mummy makes sure Nine is okay. Fiber Master is able to further slow Machia down thanks to all the carbon fibers I had the Creation Crew pump out and my Pseudo-Inanas bring into the battlefield.

Machia is also wearing pants. Only pants, but giant pants nonetheless.

Nine helps Slice and Mummy restrain him further with a few more hydras, and the four blast everything they have at the titan… but the giant powers through.

Even with Sloshed messing up his balance and Energy Suck gradually draining him, Machia is still powering through.

But I still have more tricks up my sleeve.

As Chimera uses multiple sets of arms and wings to carry his crew away, Gigantomachia is forced to bear the brunt of my forces’ next major assault. 

Ultimate Move - Phosphor times five. 

Coldflame’s Pale Blade times five.

“rrrrrrrrrrrrAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Pseudo-Shotos… Endeavor would have an aneurysm if he learned about these guys, especially since they are all capable of using Phosphor to an absurd degree thanks to their body modifications. 

LabHaul paid special attention to both their circulatory systems and natural temperature resistances when improving them as much as he could.

Breaking into the house of Japan’s Number 2 Hero’s is far easier than it sounds. Kid Touya could do it without any problems, and that was while Endeavor himself was home. I waited until the patriarch was away doing hero work before moving in with my Praetorians just to be on the safe side.

It’s not that I can’t defeat Endeavor at this point; I simply don’t want to risk him making a mess before I subdue him. Half a house burning down is very difficult to repair and cover up, even with an awakened Overhaul. The quirk’s ‘return to factory setting’ doesn’t work if the person or object in question is reduced to nothing but dust scattered in the wind.

Once he was away, I had nothing to worry about.

No kid of his besides Shoto could even try to defend themselves and his security system was almost as bad of a joke as his entire family dynamic. My cyberwarfare branch having some new technopathic quirks in their arsenal was just overkill.

Subduing Shoto Todoroki himself was done in a heartbeat with Mind Web preventing him from doing anything while Overhaul altered his body into the state of a permanent coma (much like Kai did with his pops in canon; thank you, stolen medical knowledge) so I could merge with him without issues. 

Turns out that even a masterpiece can be awful if the artist is complete shit.

 

Anyway, Half-Cold Half-Hot is Endeavor’s best attempt at playing god with eugenics. Problems with the (at the moment) clueless edgelord who can’t even spite right wielding it aside, this quirk is actually pretty powerful.

It allows the user to generate ice, frost, and cold from their right side and fire, flames, and heat from their left side. However, this doesn’t come with pyrokinesis or cyrokinesis. The user can only create them from their body, not manipulate external sources of fire and ice.

So the user initially has two powerful arsenals, one on each side of their body, but that’s only the first stage of this quirk.

With enough practice (or body modifications in my Praetorians’ cases), both sides can be used at the same time and even merged into something more. 

Now Shoto could use both sides simultaneously at the Sports Festival during his match against Izuku, and yet it was stated during the Forest Training Camp arc that he can’t currently do this, despite it being several months later.

Did sheer adrenaline let him do it back then? Even if it was, Shoto showcased some pretty impressive power for someone who just started using his quirk’s fire side after years of inactivity.

Plot holes aside, he was eventually able to master using both sides of his quirk at once and even went a step beyond that during the Final War Arc. He created his ultimate move, Phosphor.

Phosphor lets the user create what is basically a cold fire that simultaneously burns and freezes opponents while granting the user incredible amounts of fire and frost resistance throughout their body. 

Not even Dabi could damage Shoto in that state when he went all out (not counting his own Phosphor mode), and his fire’s temperature surpasses Endeavors!

This powered-up state has the user simultaneously circulate both heat and cold blood throughout their body with their heart acting as a generator of sorts. It requires a lot of concentration and focus to build up, so if the user loses control of the move, then they have to build it back up again.

I explained this all to that small group of Praetorians, and they’ve been training day in and out alongside the Pseudo-Inasas to perfect their new powers. They’ve even been working together to ensure that their wind and fire will join together rather than cancel each other out or mess each other up.

And to further add on to this superpowered synergy, these Pseudo-Shotos can provide my Pseudo-Getens with more than enough ice to play around with if there are no bodies of water or clouds in the area.

These three batches of special Praetorians can annihilate pretty much anything that stands in their path from top heroes to entire prefectures. And I have more Special Praetorians in the works too!

My Pseudo-Nines should be ready for deployment in a couple weeks. I plan to create a small squadron of Pseudo-Machias too once this battle is over.

With the power to give, take, and duplicate quirks at my disposal, not even the sky is my limit now!

 

“Tell me, Machia. Could All For One ever do this?” I ask as the Pseudo-Shotos continue their assault with several Pseudo-Getens reinforcing them.

“Were any of his subordinates besides you even close to this level? Even with you, he could’ve given so much more, but his selfishness and short sightedness prevented him from doing so.”

Even under such a brutal assault, the titan refuses to stay down, but two tremendous fire tornadoes made by the Pseudo-Inasas and Nine collide into his claws, tearing them apart and making sure he can’t escape by digging underground.

The waves of fire and ice coming his way from every other direction ensure he’s pinned no matter how much Endurance boosts him.

Not only that, but the leftovers from Nine’s constant storm-summoning provides the Pseudo-Geten’s with even more ammunition, more than enough to fuel the Pseudo-Shotos constant steam explosions.

A united assault of elements and natural disasters that rivals a nuclear bomb in power. That or an continuous onslaught of thermobaric bombs. That’s what I’m hitting Gigantomachia with.

His body being so large and my Special Praetorians having such long ranged attacks ensures that my forces don’t get caught up in their own power. Even if they were, their modified bodies could at least give them enough time to get further away.

My forces can all attack simultaneously without getting in the way of one another, and with the kind of power they’re throwing around, that fact is crucial for my plans to work.

Machia could fight for days on end as shown in canon while the LOV was being forced to train through him. Even with my entire army, there’s no way I’m winning a battle of endurance, and the sleeping drug trick used in canon wouldn’t be properly defeating him by his standards, so instead, I’m going for a riskier strategy.

I’m throwing almost everything I have at him, right from the very beginning, crippling him before my small army exhausts themselves. 

This both makes my forces look a lot stronger than they actually are (Machia won’t know they don’t have any more fuel in the tank after this) and ensures that his ridiculous amounts of stamina and endurance isn’t a problem (as he’ll be too crippled to make use of them after this).

I still need to save some of my fighting force for AFO in case he decides to drop in once I’m done, but at the very least, Machia should be subdued enough when this assault concludes.

 

After several minutes of Phosphors, lightning storms, tornadoes, repeated paralysis (thanks, Stain), and energy siphoning (thanks, Rikiya), all that’s left of the forest is a massive crater and what little is left of Gigantomachia.

He wasn’t put to sleep via extra large sleeping pills, and after hundreds of heroes and several cities couldn’t do jack shit to stop him or even scratch him at that, like in canon. After my own assault, he’s burnt, bruised, bloodied, and beaten.

Even the damage his current master did to him during the final war pales in comparison to the horrific beatdown I had my troops do to the giant. Granted, it only took one ridiculous quirk combo for the demon lord to put him down, but I’m not All For One, so I had to work with what I had.

Speaking of, if AFO himself decided to suddenly show up and act as Machia’s personal cheerleader, then maybe the Endurance boost would let him make a comeback, but as he is now…

“Your master never cared for you, Machia.” I tell him while sliding down into the tremendous crater. “Where is he now? Will he save you, or simply deem you as useless and move on?”

“L…Liar.” He grunts before what’s left of his body trembles and slumps down.

Stain must’ve paralyzed him again as planned then. Good, he’s far too damaged to resist it now.

“I’m not; I know this for a fact. Remember Sir Nighteye? All Might’s sidekick with the Foresight quirk? Well I stole that too, and I saw what the future has in store for you if nothing changes.”

I then use Mind Web to share some of my memories with Machia. Memories of Tomura and AFO taking over his body. Memories of Machia doing his best to help his master, but being defeated, caged up, and abandoned again. Memories of turning against his master and how easily his master put him down once he got serious.

…And Gigantomachia starts to cry.

 

“Evil can only exist if the good do nothing. Their inaction, it becomes their consent. But I’m not like that. I don’t fear change; I don’t fear him. I see All For One for what he really is, a spoiled, bratty child who was lucky enough to be gifted ultimate power and stupid enough to never use it properly.

By taking action, we can gain the justice we deserve and show this world the evil its inaction created. And let me tell you this… a true king is not the one with the most servants, but the one who serves the most! Therefore, the greatest among us, they are servants.”

“...If they don’t fear you, why will they follow you?” The fallen kaiju whimpers.

“Fear is not the only way to rule, nor is it the best way. All For One could only rely on fear, and while fear can keep people in line, it will also build up anger and resentment in them, leading to betrayal. 

If All For One really was all-powerful, he could naturally stop such a thing and never be defeated, yet look at the state he was forced into because of his own foolishness. Look at how readily his empire abandoned him once he was no longer around to scare them into submission.

He had an empire of slaves, not willing supporters. Fear is a limited tool, and few would show initiative supporting a leader that only uses such. They would only do the bare minimum to survive rather than go Plus Ultra.

It’s not that I don’t use fear to rule myself. The fear of what I just did will no doubt stick with you no matter what you choose, but my subordinates respect me far more than they fear me, just as I respect them, and that is why they are so loyal to me. I have truly helped them, so they will truly help me.

I will soon become better than he ever was, Machia, and unlike him, I will treat you with the kindness and respect that someone as loyal and hardworking as you deserves. So please… join me. Serve me, and I promise to be the kind of master that All For One could never be.”

Honestly, at that moment, I was prepared for the potato himself to walk in through a warpgate, call Machia useless and my efforts even more useless in some stupid monologue of his, and try to kill us both right after.

Even though NightHaul said AFO wasn’t going to interfere at all after checking with Foresight, I didn’t want to get caught off guard by the boogeyman. 

…But just as my clone foresaw, All For One never came. 

 

I had a team led by several clones of Rappa ready to go and immediately counter him; I only had that bullet participate at the beginning of this onslaught against Machia for a reason.

Rikiya was also supercharged by all the energy he took from Machia. Nine’s crew has also recovered a decent bit thanks to Zookeeper healing them with Overhaul (Nine lost enough stamina already; best not to have him spam Cell Activation on his crew), and several other of the Eight Bullets were ready to go with a few of my subsidiaries.

I had others like Innsmouth ready to hop in if the onslaught from my specialized Praetorians wasn’t enough or further restrain Machia to prevent him from aiding AFO, however damaged he currently was.

I had dozens of regular Praetorians on standby to act as distractions for the giant so my troops could recover if they needed to. I even had most of the others in Jaku, ready to raid Garaki’s lair and prevent him from sending in any Nomu reinforcements!

I even had my cyberwarfare branch figure out All Might’s personal number and have him on goddamn speed dial in case my own remaining troops weren’t enough to take the guy down!

I prepared for so much, I was ready to bring an end to the demon lord or die trying in one final climactic showdown that would rock the entire country, but it looks like that wasn’t necessary after all.

It looks like I still have time to further prepare absolute overkill for the demon lord after all.

Should I really have expected anything different? All For One is a duplicitous cold bitch that betrays or abandons whoever he feels like betraying or abandoning on a whim, Gigantomachia being just one of many examples. 

That didn’t work out well for him in canon, and it didn’t work out for him here.

I know I shouldn’t complain, but it feels a little anticlimactic.

It… doesn’t feel like a shounen. Not anymore.

“I will serve you… new lord.”

I guess I’m doing a good job then.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Main Family (+ Current Quirks):

• Sekan Doraifu - Mind Web, Overhaul (Awakened), Confession, Double, IQ, Cleaning
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Scanning
• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Eri - Rewind, Wave Motion, IQ

Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening
• Zookeeper (Personal Maid/Eri’s Main Caretaker) - Cleaning, Overhaul
• Gigantomachia (Head Bodyguard) - Endurance, Pain Blocker, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole
• Hari Kurono (Leader of Eight Bullets/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice
• Kendo Rappa (Eight Bullets) - Strongarm, Muscle Augmentation, Charging Muscles, Fast Fist
• Hekiji Tengai (Eight Bullets) - Barrier, Air Wall
• Toya Setsuno (Eight Bullets) - Larceny, Compress
• Yu Hojo (Eight Bullets) - Crystalize, Creation
• Soramitsu Tabe (Eight Bullets) - Food, Fat Absorption
• Deidoro Sakaki (Eight Bullets) - Sloshed, Dragon Breath 
• Rikiya Katsukame (Eight Bullets) - Energy Suck, Wave Motion

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Scanning, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation

Other Forces:

• Praetorian Guard - 185
• Pseudo Getens - 10
• Pseudo Inasas - 5
• Pseudo Shotos - 5
• Cyber Warfare Branch - 35
• Mad Science Branch - 30
• Creation Crew - 50
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 860
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 42
• Thugs and Goons - 3820

Subsidiaries:

• Hero Killer
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth and his crew
• Team Reservoir Dogs
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 330

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 32: Bonus Chapter - Eri’s Family

“You miss. And your target is alerted which means the mission is blown. Can you tell me why?”

Eri Doraifu ponders the problem for a few seconds, but then slaps her forehead as she realizes, “The wind! I forgot about that! I can still be such a dummy sometimes; can I have some more tea, dad?”

Yeah, Eri is doing another round of ‘internships’ right now. But her dad doesn’t make the same mistakes twice, so she had to beg him for permission this time rather than try to sneak out again. There’s no way she’s pulling off another stunt like that after her dad updated his security and had a little chat with his cyberwarfare division.

She’s been super well behaved even since the last time though… mostly. Aggressively pranking and emotionally manipulating Shie Hassaikai members she still holds a grudge against like Kurono won’t be stopping anytime soon.

…Okay, so she does the latter tactic on plenty of other people too in order to get what she wants, but all this is basically extra situational awareness training for them! 

And yeah, she also gets some personal pleasure from it as a bonus, but isn’t that the kind of thing villains are supposed to do?

Those arguments didn’t help as much as she hoped when her dad confronted her about it, but he did agree to look the other way if she dialed it back a little and accepted the occasional personal request from him.

Eri just hopes that intentional slip up on her end was a good enough deception. She can’t have her dad discovering her biggest, most important plan before it’s complete.

 

Anyway, her dad agreed to let internships continue (once her grounding ended, anyway) with the condition that he was to accompany her (in person too, not even a Double clone) during her latest ‘adventures’ at all times.

“No, Eri. You won’t have limitless amounts of tea with you everywhere you go. We already talked about not relying on quirks all the time; that’s the whole point of you developing these other skills. Also, I never took you for a sniper, Kiruka.” Her dad admits.

One of Eri’s new aunties, the A-Rank Villain: Slice, comments back, “It’s a hobby that helps me practice accuracy with my original quirk’s long-range attacks. I’m not just swinging my hair around randomly when shooting a thousand needles of death from it, you know… also, I was kind of a Lady Nagant fan while growing up.”

“I can see that happening, especially with the similarities your quirks share.”

“Yeah. Anyway, don’t worry about it, Eri. Better to learn here when your life isn’t in danger than later when it is. Look down your scope again.” The older female villain instructs the younger one while helping her lift the sniper rifle into her hands again.

“Okay, do you see that hefty guy in the suitjamas? The one on the eighth floor balcony over there?”

Eri gives a nod back.

“Good. Now, with our current conditions, which hash mark in the scope would you have to line his head up with?”

“Uhhh, is it… the third one?”

“Yup! Great job! Now let’s load a bullet for real this time.”

“KIRUKA?!”

“What? I thought you wanted her to get some practic-”

*BANG*

“-practical experience… Eri?”

“Target down. Boom, baby.”

 

Eri genuinely loves and adores her father and wants to be his precious little angel and a pillar of emotional support for him at all times. She likes her uncles and aunties too and also wants to make them all happy too.

But she needs the skills necessary to do that. She doesn’t just want to be the world’s most adorable cheerleader; she wants to actually help them out on missions and stuff!

And that’s not even considering her future goals of either taking over the Shie Hassaikai when her dad retires, starting up her own villainous organization, or doing both of those things!

She knows that she’s only a kid, but better to get a head start earlier than later, right? Besides, just sitting around the compound watching anime or going to school all day would be sooooooo boooooring.

Besides, with so many family members with such helpful skills for villainy, how could she not take advantage ask them for help?

Oh, and the Eight Bullets and other original yakuza members are useful too, she supposes. 

Any Shie Hassaikai member that was around before her dad took over and started recruiting will never be considered family to her, only pawns that will serve their purpose and unknowingly recompense for their crimes against her and her dad.

Then they will be disposed of, simple as that.

Luckily for them, they still have plenty of use for her family. And secondary family, she supposes, secondary family referring to all the ‘uncles’ and ‘aunties’ she claimed for herself overtime.

Uncle Nine and his whole team, the Volcano thieves, Uncle Innsmouth and his siblings, Uncle Gentle and Auntie Brava, Uncle Stain, and Zookeeper or Zi who she has very special plans for since her dad is being such a dummy.

 

“You needed something, Eri- oh! Uhhh…”

“Hey, dad! Zi and I are doing yoga! Wanna join?”

While some body-modification via Overhaul can be used to keep anyone in tip top shape and even keep up muscle memory, doing some regular physical exercise every once in a while is still important.

This is especially true if it doubles as quirk training, because there’s a lot less Overhaul can do to directly, rapidly improve a person’s quirk factor. 

Anyway, Eri herself had a pink t-shirt and purple shorts on, looking adorable as always.

Zookeeper, on the other hand, was wearing a black sports bra and gym shorts and looked really pretty, especially with Overhaul modifications making her look like a fitness trainer in physicality now. And her dad was blushing a bit, but ultimately didn’t do anything more than that despite caving in to her demands!

She tried before, multiple times at that, but both always seem to just dance around the subject. She even got both of them to sleep on her bed with her after faking having a nightmare, but they didn’t do anything!

“That’s another lesson in being a good villain.” Her dad had told her while booping her on the nose. “Figure out how any situation can benefit you.”

She tried, but it isn’t working!

All Might is going down for cockblocking her dad and Zi!... she doesn’t know what that word means, but she overheard Rappa and Soramitsu laughing about it while they were drunk a while back.

She’ll show them! 

…But she may need some help.

Good thing she has some minions already.

 

“Katsuma, Mahoro, find out how your dad got together with your mom.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“Y-Yes, Mistress Eri!”

Their parents apparently met and fell in love while their dad was doing his job. That already happened with her dad and Zi; dad even saved her as part of his own unique job!

He wasn’t required to either since he isn’t a Pro Hero, but he did it anyway!

So that didn’t help at all.

However, that doesn’t mean she won’t reward the two for their efforts. Like what her dad does with his minions, Eri’s own minions will be properly compensated for any business.

 

“Auntie Kiruka?”

“Sorry, kiddo. Couldn’t tell you; none of my own attempts have worked either.”

“You want my dad and Zookeeper to get together too?”

“Your dad? I was talking about Ni-iiiiiiii… never mind. Forget you heard anything.”

Hmmm, she’ll have to help Kiruka and Nine get together too once she’s done with her dad’s love problems.

But that doesn’t help her at all now either. If anything, that only gave her more work to do! Ugh.

 

“Yeah, our crew usually just melts the locks and you could probably just reverse time on locks to before they were locked to begin with, but it’s better to not be a one-trick pony.” Auntie Ash (Konako Haizono or Dusty Ash) explains as Eri finally starts to get the hang of lockpicking. 

Figuring out how much pressure to add to the plug with your tension wrench isn’t as easy as it looks, okay! Five year olds, even ones that are technically genius super soldiers, don’t usually do this kind of thing!

But getting back on track…

“Well, I’ve had a couple flings here and there, but it sounds like you want something more permanent for those two. My advice is simple, dress to impress. 

Zookeeper is a lot more modest than me, but if you’re anywhere close to as creative as your dad is, and I know you are, I’m sure you’ll figure something out.

Just don’t do that yourself until you’re 18… or ever. Your dad would turn me inside out and play my ribs like a xylophone if he saw that. Come to think of it, please don’t tell him about this conversation. Please?”

That advice was what led her to doing the yoga idea, but that didn’t work either!

It was tough enough waiting for a moment where her dad wasn’t watching her like a hawk during these internships, but having it all go to waste is worse and none of this is working!

…At least she’s still learning a lot.

 

“Aaaaaaaaaaand blackjack!”

“OH, FOR FU- uh… Just remind me to strangle Giran next time I see him.” Rappa grumbles while slamming his cards down in disgust.

Most other people at one of the Hassaikai Compound’s gambling tables do the same, her dad not being one of them or even on the same floor as her right now.

…What? She has to get funding somehow.

Her allowance from dad only lets her buy so much.

“Goddamnit, NO! Deal me in again! There is no possible way the five year old can win every time!” Rikiya orders while pointing a finger at her. “Unless she’s cheating!”

“Accusing a little girl of cheating? That’s low.” Auntie Kiruka shakes her head while she collects another round of everyone’s money.

“Are you sure she didn’t get a copy of her dad’s mental quirk? She already has like, what? Four? Five quirks?” Hekiji questions.

“Three! And none of them are mind-reading quirks!” She defends herself.

That’s the truth! She doesn’t have a mind-reading quirk; just a quirk that significantly boosts her intelligence and calculative skills after chugging some tea.

“Is one of them a copy of your dad’s ability to make loopholes appear? At this point, I’m convinced that’s his original quirk and he made Overhaul later on through his trademark mad science.” Rappa mutters.

“Wow. The guys who are expected to topple society can’t even keep their cool at cards. Are you sure that the boss didn’t have a few strength quirks before, because I don’t know how else he could have carried you for so long.” Uncle Nine casually roasts almost everyone at the table, causing Eri to giggle a little.

“The heroes must be quaking already.” Uncle Chojuro adds salt to the wound and smoke to the air with a puff of his cigar. 

“Shut it, Chimera, before you get folded worse than my cards!”

“Maybe we should just switch to another game.” Yu offers. “Perhaps Eri’s luck will run out with a few games of Baccarat. Or Texas Hold’em.”

“Yes, because Giran surely didn’t teach her how to count cards for those poker games too.”

“...Those games use the same card deck as-”

“I KNOW THEY DO! THAT’S THE POINT! IT’S CALLED ‘SARCASM’, YOU STUPID-”

As more players start to argue and one member of the Creation Crew uses the godly quirk he was gifted to make some replacement poker cards, Eri decides to call it a night. 

 

She wanders back to her room, stores her most recent hard-earned poker winnings in the secret hole in her wall she made with an energy pike, and covers it back up using one of her posters.

Eri changes into her pajamas after that and goes to… actually, she might as well say goodnight to her dummy dad first. 

Maybe she should just be blunt with him? Just get it out in the open the next time they’re both around her? Stop them from beating around the bush?

The idea sounds more and more appealing as she approaches the door to her dad’s bedroom. It has a “Do Not Disturb' sign hung up in the middle, but her dad said that she’s free to come in whatever she needs to.

…Actually, maybe she should just come back later. She can hear some creaking noises on the other side, her dad grunting, and… someone else?

Is her dad training with someone in his bedroom or something? Are all the training arenas in Hassaikai HQ being hogged by Rappa and his clones again?

Well, picking the lock to his room shouldn’t be too hard. Her dad probably won’t mind if-

((“Wha- WAIT! NO! DON’T OPEN THE DOOR! DON’T OPEN THE DOOR, ERI- OMPH! D-DON’T OPEN THE DOOR!”)) 

She hears a few thumping noises and some rustling as her dad sends a frantic mental message towards her.

The door opens about half a minute later with the clothes her dad is in looking really messy. He’s also sweating for some reason. What kind of training was he doing in there?

 

“H-Hey, snowflake. You need something?” Her dad asks.

“I wanted to say goodnight. Are you okay? And is someone else in there?”

“Uh-”

“It’s just me, Eri. Don’t worry, nothing’s wrong.” She hears Zi answer and peers in a bit more to see her in her dad’s bed, covering herself up with a blanket.

‘Wait a second…’

“Oh, okay. Also, should I start calling you ‘mommy’ now, or just stick with Zi?”

That gets both adults to blush and stutter and Eri just laughs, not even being angry about being kept in the dark about this. Her main goal was accomplished and her dad wasn’t as big of a dummy about this as she thought! Even better!

“Just for the record, we finally got together a few weeks ago, but decided to keep it hidden. Officially, it’s to test the observational skills of my top brass; unofficially, this is payback for all the teasing.” Her dad explains.

And Eri just has to ask, “Did anyone figure it out before me?”

“Only Nine did so far. He also knows about Kiruka liking him, before you ask. The guy is just a bit emotionally stunted and is trying to work on that a bit before confronting her about it. Your attempts to get us together were pretty good, by the way.”

“Thanks!... wait, you knew?”

Her dad is the one giving a giant grin this time around.

 

“You caught me off guard during your last ‘internship adventure’, but I wasn’t going to underestimate you a second time, Eri. I learn from my mistakes.

I’ve been training Mind Web more often and made sure not to tell anyone besides Zi about the recent range improvement until now, not even revealing it during my training sessions with my other top brass since I know how much you like watching those.

From there, I simply played along with your occasional tricks and distractions throughout this latest round of internships to get me just far enough away to do your thing without me catching on through Mind Web and just long enough for those thoughts to leave the minds of whoever you were talking to, so I still don’t catch on through Mind Web. Only I did, in fact, hear everything through Mind Web.”

“B-But it wasn’t just on my internships. I asked a bunch of people in the compound for-”

“There are literally security cameras everywhere in our HQ, Eri.”

“And I bribed the cyberwarfare guys to alter bits of footage-”

“With the money you won on Hassaikai Casino Nights, yeah, but I simply counter-offered a bigger bonus to their annual pay in exchange for double-crossing you. 

I could’ve just ordered them to ignore your requests since they now knew your little bribes weren’t arranged by me for ‘real world practice’, but this game we’ve been playing has been a really fun pastime for me and great training for you and those guys have been doing excellent work, so they earned every bit of extra yen we’re giving them.

And yes, I’m aware that you intentionally got yourself caught pranking my subordinates to lower my guard, letting you secretly work on getting Zi and I together in peace. That was a pretty good deception tactic on your end, but using so many similar strategies and resources for your true plans made them much easier to figure out.”

Her dad then reaches down her stunned self, his prior nervousness, sweating, and blushing gone like it was never there to begin with, and patted her on the head. 

“Eri… you are very, very smart, even without factoring in your copy of IQ, but you still have a ways to go, young whippersnapper.”

Her nose wrinkles at the incredibly outdated parlance, even for pre-quirk standards, and her dad just grins back.

“And even once you finally surpass me, daughter dear, you must always remember that there’s someone better out there.”

“Are you really stealing Master Roshi’s lesson from Dragon Ball right now?” Eri raises an eyebrow at her dad.

“I’m a villain, remember? Stealing is part of the job, but in all seriousness, it’s one of the most important lessons you can possibly learn. You’re doing great, snowflake, but don’t get cocky. That’s how you end up like the evil potato, and you don’t want to end up like the evil potato.”

 

“...Okay.” Eri relents, hanging her head in defeat. “But I’ll catch you off guard next time!”

“I look forward to the attempt, sweetheart.” He smiles at her with Eri smiling deviously right back.

“In that case, when are you getting married to mommy?”

“...eh?”

“And when can I expect to be getting a younger brother or sister?”

“…e-eh?!”

That makes it 2-1 for Eri, and she’s already looking forward to the next round.

Chapter 33: Vigilantes

“Ah, hell. This is so much bigger than the last one.” Knuckleduster grumbles to himself as he signs up for a match.

It’s only been a few weeks since he started investigating and he’s really starting to wish he just stayed put in Naruhata.

A double digit number of locations spread all over the center of Japan. 

A Black Market buyers galore with everything villains could ever need to one-up the heroes from weapons to Trigger to all kinds of support gear, and most of this stuff is a much higher quality then the ones sold at the last masquerade a few years ago. 

They’ve even got an arsenal of modified monsters, only these ones look a lot more human. They’re far more skilled in combat too, and have better weapons and Trigger then anything being sold at the arenas. 

 

How did he find that particular detail out? Well, said modified monsters ambushed him like five minutes after he finished his match in the main arena as The Ripper… perhaps using his old disguise wasn’t the greatest idea ever.

Such was hidden rather well as they fought (with the ambush in question happening away from any spectators; looks like a certain demon lord learned from his mistakes), but the quirkless vigilante has plenty of experience dealing with those kinds of bastards. 

Way too strong, way too fast, way too durable, and powerful healing quirks to boot along with what seems to be several general enhancers each.

Most wouldn’t even consider the possibility of multiple quirks, but he has the displeasure of knowing a certain demon lord who throws established quirk logic out the window.

Figures that potato-headed fuck would come back eventually. 

“Ripper! How’s it going, man? Oh, do you prefer going by your vigilante name or is Ripper cool with you?” 

And they even got his old ‘buddy’ from the first Underground Masquerade to be the figurehead for this new and improved version.

“Either works. Also, I thought you had a bit more honor than someone who takes part in this dirty crap.”

Rappa gives him a sad smile after that snide comment. Is he being blackmailed, or-

“Times are changing, Knuckeduster. I’m just trying to protect my own corner of this country like you are, but the threat my boss and I are preparing for is far worse than All For One could ever be.”

…Huh?

 

Countdown to Canon: 3 Months before Entrance Exam

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Iwao Oguro. Or would you prefer me to call you Knuckleduster?” I ask the vigilante with Stain on my left and Rappa on my right.

Both of them have had quite the meaningful interactions with this guy during MHA Vigilantes, so I decided to have this confrontation double as a reunion to ease the tension. 

Now when planning out the idea for this reboot of the Underground Masquerade, I knew that Knuckleduster interfering was practically a guarantee no matter how far away from Naruhata I had the arenas built.

With how much he hates All For One and how many of his post-injury, pre-UA plans the guy was stuck trying to stop, he would probably look into this even if I hosted it halfway across the planet.

Unfortunately for him, I’m not All For One. I know how much of a threat the guy is despite basically being a quirkless hobo at the moment. Quirkless does not mean worthless and I’d be a complete idiot to underestimate the little guy, especially after recently being (and still kind of am) the little guy.

That’s why I made sure the Praetorians working security in the SUM arenas knew the guy inside and out, so he would be spotted the moment he walked in. 

My pet projects are more powerful and far more intelligent then the Bombers, Anonymous, Instant Villains, Next-Level Villains, and the potato’s other early projects ever were. 

They also knew a thing or ten about stealth and sneak attacks, and they knew better than to underestimate this opponent, so a dozen of them ambushed him and took him down the moment they had the chance.

Needless to say, with this level of power and preparation, the old vigilante was taken down in no time flat. He thrashed around like a bat out of hell and got a few solid shots in, but this was only going to end one way.

That leads us to our current situation, several minutes after the ambush in question.

“Like I said to Rappa, call me whatever the hell you want. I don’t care. I’m a lot more interested in who you’re supposed to be.” He growls back.

 

Using Mind Web, I signal the two Praetorians keeping him restrained to let him go. My answer keeps him from starting up round two.

“I am Kai Chisaki, leader of the third and most recent secret country-wide villain organization in Japan, the first one being what little is left of All For One’s empire and the second one being the brand new Meta Liberation Army. Oh, and I suppose Humarise technically counts too, but they’re more of a worldwide villain organization than a country-wide one.”

“Meta Libration… you’ve gotta be kidding me!”

“Nope. Rikiya Yotsubashi, descendent of Destro, CEO of Deternat Company, and Grand Commander of the new MLA has about 116,000 trained warriors ready to wreak havoc on Japan. And don’t even get me started on what All For One has planned for the near future.”

That little truth bomb gets even the hardened vigilante to pale.

“Alright, let's say you aren’t full of crap.”

“Which I’m not. My spy and counterintelligence network is really something else.”

“Why tell me this then? Are you hoping that I leave you alone to pursue bigger threats?”

“I was hoping for more of an alliance, actually.”

That really stuns the vigilante… for a few seconds. Then he starts laughing.

But I don’t. Neither does Stain, Rappa, or the Praetorian Guard.

 

“You do know what a vigilante is, right?” He finally asks me after a fit of laughter.

“Yup, and I respect all that you’ve done and continue to do, Iwao. I’ll be blunt, the world is gonna go to hell in a few years. The heroes are going to fall and society as we know it will descend into complete anarchy. I am not causing this; I am simply preparing for it.”

“You sound like those nutjobs from Humarise.” He spits at me.

“They are right about the Quirk Singularity, Iwao. It's their solution to the problem that’s completely idiotic. Starting the global doomsday early doesn’t save what few quirkless people are left.

Flect Turn, All For One, Re-Destro, and countless others are going to rise up from the shadows very soon with the resulting war tearing this entire world apart. All I wish to do is protect my home, as do you, and we can do a better job with that if we cooperate.”

“NOT HAPPENING, YA BUNCH OF BASTARDS!” The vigilante roars at me while charging forward.

But Rappa blocks his blow.

“Y’know, I’ve never really seen myself as a political villain or anything like that, but the group I’m working with has become one hell of a family for me, and they aren’t talking out of their asses here. 

I really wish you could come around, Ripper. The Hooded Man and Number 6 can’t do jack shit to me now thanks to my new boss, but there is far worse out there. I’ve seen far worse and I’ve fought far worse. Even the potato isn’t that special when you look at the big picture.” The brawler tells his old friend.

Knuckleduster uses Rappa’s arm as a launchpad to flip over him, attempting to land a kick on me with that extra momentum.

But he’s the one getting kicked away thanks to Stain.

“Thank you again for that ‘lack of resolve’ speech; that really helped enlighten me, Knuckleduster. I’m not afraid of challenging those vastly superior to me anymore, but I will still prepare for them as best as I can and fight them with everything I have.” The hero killer declares.

 

“You guys…” The vigilante mutters while slowly rising back up. “Really believe in this, huh?”

“Kind of hard not to when they’ve seen just what’s going on behind the scenes. What all the top dogs, heroic and villainous alike, are preparing and the kind of power they have. Of course, there’s also the power I have.”

Rappa activates his other quirks, bulking up with thousands of muscle layers wrapping around his body. Stain does the same, his Physical Enhancement quirk activating as an actual aura forms alongside the one made by his sheer intent.

The latter quirk is from one of the unnamed heroes that took part in the Jaku Hospital Raid. A green flame-like aura enveloped their body upon using this quirk, but for Stain, the flames are blood red in color.

Knuckleduster stares in horror at the two as I give a massive grin underneath my plague mask.

“Giving and taking quirks is no longer exclusive to All For One.” I inform the vigilante, giving my best smug villain mastermind impression. “My own method can even be considered superior to the old demon lord.”

Well it is in a couple categories and needs Rewind in order to truly shine, but I’m aiming more for intimidation rather than clarification right now.

Needless to say, the vigilante stands no chance against the two.

“Well, you can’t say I didn’t try.” I sigh to my two bodyguards before walking up to the unconscious Knuckleduster and bodyfusing with him.

A pity he doesn’t still have Overclock; that quirk is really damn overpowered. 

But his memories are more than enough of a prize. 

 

It’s been several years since the events of MHA Vigilantes, and I need this hobo’s help to fill in a few gaps.

“Heh. First Nighteye and now Knuckleduster. Ironic how I’m subduing some of AFO’s greatest enemies to help take him down myself.” I chuckle while finishing up. 

Technically, All For One already did subdue the latter and even took his quirk away, but that clearly didn’t stop the former hero.

…Come to think of it, I could just bring the quirkless vigilante back to base and have Eri rewind him to before he lost the quirk.

Rewind and Overhaul. Such powerful tools to have.

“Um, boss? If it doesn’t hurt your plans too much, could you please spare Iwao?” Rappa suddenly, meekly requests.

Interesting. I’ve never seen the brawler quite so reserved before. 

Stain too. I didn’t realize they both cared this much for the vigilante, considering their minimal interactions with him.

“You know what the Shie Hassaikai’s goals are, Rappa.” I calmly replied. “Even if I wipe his memories of this interaction, he will return, and he will no doubt reject my offer of an alliance once again. I gave him an honest chance, and he spat in my face. However, I am always open to suggestions if you believe this can be changed. 

Keep in mind that the number of vigilantes in Naruhata now are quite substantial, and they hold great respect for the original team members. Any brainwashing I do through Mind Web or Overhaul will no doubt be noticed; they would have to willingly be convinced to join us.”

“Well, uh… maybe we could use the known villains under us? The ones who are mainly throwaway fodder? Have them cause some trouble for the vigilantes and then come in to save the day as the Shie Hassaikai.” Rappa offers back.

Very interesting… let’s see where this idea leads.

 

“You’re planning to practically invade Naruhata already, right? All For One’s doctor left some of his old experiments there, right? And they’re all guarded by the vigilantes. This could work as a distraction.” The brawler continues.

“Yes. Yes, it could.” I admit. “What are your thoughts, Stain?”

“The Four Horsemen would be needed at minimum, and the battle would no doubt be destructive.” The hero killer points out.

“They wouldn’t be targeting civilians. Even if they wanted to, they’ll have their hands full with the vigilantes.” Rappa argues back. “While that’s going on, the Praetorians can capture any targets.”

“Yes, the ‘targets’. Former civilians who were drugged and genetically altered into monstrosities, if your data is correct.” Stain adds on, his criticism now going towards me.

“Many were let free, but what was done to them remains. They are a piece on the board that All For One can easily recollect. That is something I do not want to risk any longer than necessary.” I remind the killer.

“Yes, and you personally benefit by turning them into your own lab rats, am I right?”

“What can I say? I have a moral code, but I am a villain at the end of the day. I won’t need them for long, and they’ll be put out of their misery once I’ve reverse-engineered Garaki’s modifications. Compared to that demon lord using them to rule the world, such is a rather small price to pay, am I right?”

“...Just don’t get too carried away.” Stain warns me. “I can’t hope to slay you as you are now, but your daughter won’t be staying in the dark about this.”

“Is that a threat?” I raise an eyebrow.

“We both know what she’s capable of. She can figure it out on her own, no hints from me or anyone else required.”

“Very well.” I sigh. “We’ll workshop Rappa’s idea and incorporate it into my original plans for Naruhata. Iwao will be let go with altered memories, but I wouldn’t put it past him to figure out such tampering has occurred.

If the vigilantes remain hostile due to that, then they will be wiped out as we claim Garaki’s old research. If our deception works, then they will be brought in as a subsidiary and slowly acclimated to our own ideals. Is this a fair compromise?”

 

Both my subordinates agree to these terms, and I begin planning my invasion of Naruhata in earnest after messing with Knuckleduster’s memories a bit. The vigilante was let go, already grumbling his way back to Naruhata over not making any progress. 

I genuinely did my best to make him forget everything without these gaps looking too suspicious for someone as sharp as him. Such can be blamed on him getting roughed up a bit during his own match in the arena.

If Knuckleduster does pick up on this tampering and prepares Naruhata for an enemy invasion, then Rappa and Stain (among others) will feel more inclined to follow my harsher, more brutal tactics in scenarios like these.

If Rappa’s idea does work out, then I get a small army of vigilantes as a new key subsidiary and confirmation that this kind of strategy does work.

Either way, I stand to benefit immensely. 

Worst case scenario, this battle becomes a lot more bloody than intended either due to Crawler being invited back or perhaps All For One or another third party catching wind and deciding to join in.

But with the forces I have now, I should be able to deal with any unexpected interference with minimal losses.

Even without usage of Foresight, I still have plenty of tools to spot any developments that pop up during my plans.

Being able to peer into the hero and police networks has been nothing short of a blessing ever since Nighteye got secretly replaced by NightHaul. Then there’s my cyberwarfare branch, and they’re doing excellent work as always.

It feels like cheating, but again, I’m a villain! I’m supposed to cheat!

 

They’ve all still got their hands full though. I can’t even imagine how much bullshit Skeptic has to go through using Feel Good Inc to allow the MLA total secrecy despite its present size. That and fanatical loyalty of its members are probably the two biggest reasons behind it.

The Shie Hassaikai has plenty of that too now, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t love to get my hands on some kind of loyalty contract quirk. 

My cyberwarfare team has been looking into any potential leads for a while, but Japan has a lot of fucking people living in it and those guys can only go through so many files even with their technopathic quirks on full blast.

I could have them use Trigger to boost themselves, but producing that stuff isn’t cheap and I already have to stock my top brass and Praetorians! Oh, and that’s before considering how much I have to sell to Giran to turn a profit.

As for using my Creation Crew, they can only pump out so much and I mostly have them creating things that I can’t buy or make myself, so their attention is occupied elsewhere.

And sure, I could just accept the loss and rely on my other business endeavors to fund me, but with how many big plans I have for the future, I’m gonna need all the funding I can get right now.

The SUM is helping a lot, not just with obtaining funds, but also with recruiting new members, gaining new quirks, copying various sets of combat experience, and so on.

Knuckleduster’s little investigation also revealed a few holes in my security that have already been patched up. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like this’ll be lasting much longer.

I’ve only had this going for like 6 weeks, damnit! I went into this knowing it wouldn’t last long, but only six weeks until someone got somewhat close?! Come on!

Ugh, I suppose I shouldn’t have expected things to go completely my way forever. What matters now is turning the situation to my advantage, just like always.

And whether the vigilantes become allies or enemies, the research data alone makes such an attack worth it.

 

Now the antagonists in MHA Vigilantes were pretty much all experiments involving quirks and body modifications done by AFO and Dr. Garaki that led to the creation of the Nomus. 

As I said before, my version of mad science is far different than Garaki’s. However, if combining our research is possible, then just imagine how powerful I could make the human body!

I already have LabHaul and his crew working on the next major upgrade for me, my Praetorians, and my top brass by learning everything they can about how the Endurance quirk works and how that can be synergized with our body modifications, among many other things. Same goes with the Love quirk, only to a lesser extent due to the latter’s heavy limitations.

That’s why Machia isn’t with me right now, he’s being both experimented on and modified since AFO never bothered to do the latter. Just because he didn’t need to be modified to hold more quirks doesn’t mean he shouldn’t have, idiots! That would push his strength to a whole new level and even potentially make room in his body for more quirks!

Unfortunately, giving myself multiple copies of Endurance doesn’t equal multiplying the quirk’s effects. The boost Endurance provides depends on a person’s morale, not the quirk itself, so giving myself a dozen copies of that quirk would give me the same boost as a single copy would give me.

There are some types of quirks that can stack on a person if multiple copies are made, AFO’s strength enhancer and kinetic booster quirks being two such examples; Endurance simply isn’t one of them. 

But I digress. Even my fellow mad scientist’s pre-nomu research can be incredibly helpful if utilized right. Take the Next-Level Villains for example.

Garaki and I basically took opposite approaches to utilizing Trigger. In the simplest terms, while I modified Trigger to better fit the human body, Garaki modified the human body to better fit Trigger. 

 

Now imagine combining that research, getting the best of both worlds as a result. I wouldn’t be replicating Garaki’s bioengineered monstrosities, but rather, apply the basic concept and make improvements when it comes to handling Trigger without changing the body’s physical appearance.

But to pull that off, I need Garaki’s research, and I already mentioned how risky trying to get that is with All For One still around. Even messing with Machia’s old radio a bit was a major risk! If the giant wasn’t so neglected, there was a chance the demon lord could’ve caught on.

Now that doesn’t mean getting this old research is impossible, especially since Garaki is fully invested in his Nomu project now. In fact, considering how the Nomu are never shown using Trigger, Garaki likely deemed the Next-Level Villain project as a failure for his ultimate goal and moved on.

Hell, even the Villain Factory didn’t care if their creations were killed or imprisoned! The only thing that interested AFO was getting combat data from them and the occasional sample if one did well enough!

This is where Knucklduster comes in. Most of these pre-nomu experiments happened in Naruhata and this guy was there to witness them. MHA Vigilantes only gave so many details, so he was very helpful in filling those knowledge gaps.

Then there's Onomura Pharma Corp, a pharmaceutical company in Naruhata that doubled as the Villain Factory’s base of operations where AFO’s goons created the Next-Level Villains with people they kidnapped and experimented with Trigger, among other things.

This place was raided towards the end of MHA Vigilantes, but considering how cautious my fellow mad scientist could be, I wouldn’t be surprised if the heroes missed a thing or two during that raid.

A data-filled harddrive, perhaps? Or maybe a smaller secret lair hidden in the main secret lair. Even if it’s just a small chance, I still say it’s worth looking into. 

But a small chance is still a small chance, so having a Plan B would be nice. A pity that Dr. Garaki’s research can’t just grow legs and walk away from his secret labs, right?

…Oh, wait. It totally can.

A nice perk about the ancient, psychotic, sociopathic mad scientist I’m targeting at the moment. 

 

So all those Next-Level Villains I’ve been talking about were eventually stopped, but what happened afterwards? Well, most of them were civilians who were kidnapped and modified against their will, so they were let free from the law soon after due to being innocent.

However, unlike the Instant Villains, some of the changes made to the Next-Level Villains were permanent. Not only that, but most of them are still working at Hopper’s Cafe.

Same goes with some of the Instant Villains and drug dealers involved with the Villain Factory’s operations. The Naruhata Vigilantes literally gathered up a buffet of extremely useful information and research material and put them to work in a Cat Cafe!

It is a literal goldmine disguised as a fucking Cat Cafe and Knuckleduster just confirmed that it’s still in business. 

All the things I can get here will help tremendously with the creation of what LabHaul is calling our ‘Semi-Perfect Form’, taking inspiration from a certain Dragon Ball villain who also powers up by using the bodies and power of others.

Logistics will be a massive pain in the ass, even more so when factoring in Rappa’s renovations, but it’ll all be worth it once that data is mine.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Main Family (+ Current Quirks):

• Sekan Doraifu - Mind Web, Overhaul (Awakened), Confession, Double, IQ, Cleaning, Endurance, Energy Saver
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Scanning
• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Eri - Rewind, Wave Motion, IQ

Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Zookeeper (Personal Maid/Eri’s Main Caretaker) - Cleaning, Overhaul, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Gigantomachia (Head Bodyguard) - Endurance, Pain Blocker, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole
• Hari Kurono (Leader of Eight Bullets/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Kendo Rappa (Eight Bullets) - Strongarm, Muscle Augmentation, Charging Muscles, Fast Fist
• Hekiji Tengai (Eight Bullets) - Barrier, Air Wall
• Toya Setsuno (Eight Bullets) - Larceny, Compress
• Yu Hojo (Eight Bullets) - Crystalize, Creation
• Soramitsu Tabe (Eight Bullets) - Food, Fat Absorption
• Deidoro Sakaki (Eight Bullets) - Sloshed, Dragon Breath 
• Rikiya Katsukame (Eight Bullets) - Energy Suck, Wave Motion

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Scanning, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation

Other Forces:

• Praetorian Guard - 185
• Pseudo Getens - 10
• Pseudo Inasas - 5
• Pseudo Shotos - 5
• Cyber Warfare Branch - 35
• Mad Science Branch - 30
• Creation Crew - 50
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 870
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 44
• Thugs and Goons - 4070

Subsidiaries:

• Hero Killer
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth and his crew
• Team Reservoir Dogs
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 335

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 34: Never a Dull Moment

“It’s alright if you turn this down, kid. Japan still isn’t the greatest fan of you, bunch of unappreciating, stiff hardasses that they are, but there aren’t many people I can turn to for help with this.” The vigilante admits after telling his old student what he knows.

Or rather, what little he still remembers and could piece together.

“I’d have to get the a-okay from Captain Celebrity first, but it should be alright. Sure would be nice to visit my old hometown again, especially if the captain and some of my other new friends tag along. We could even throw a giant reunion party!”

“Just try not to make too much of a mess, alright? I don’t want you ruining your hero career in the states over this.”

“It’ll be fiiiiiiiiiine. When have I ever made a mess on the job?”

 

Several seconds of silence pass before both ex-members of the disbanded Naruhata Vigilantes start laughing.

“I’ll fly over as soon as I can. Try not to get your brains any more scrambled in the meantime, alright?”

“I should be the one telling you that, but alright. Thanks, kid.”

The call then ends and Koichi Haimawari gives a big sigh as his other arm droops down.

More secret fighting arenas. More weapons and Trigger dealing. 

And if that’s the information that wasn’t supposedly altered in his old master’s head, who knows what secret stuff was taken out of it.

More modified humans like the Next-Level Villains, or even Number 6?

That’s gonna be a pain, but he’s improved quite a bit after years as a sidekick to one of America’s top heroes. He even got to spar with Star and Stripe a couple times and fly beside her fighter jet squadron during some joint hero missions!

So, so cool!

Well, he supposes that a visit to home is long overdue. Knuckleduster assured him that conflicts were always a part of human society and that the locals always had a tendency to deal with their own problems, but that’s for the minor stuff. 

Major, country-threatening conflicts are something else, and if his old master needs help defending their hometown again, then he’ll do what any good hero should!

 

Countdown to Canon: 2 Months 3 Weeks before Entrance Exam

“An invasion. You want to literally invade the entire city of Naruhata… is this you trying to stick it to All For One again?” Kurono asks as the latest meeting with all my top brass and subsidiary heads begins.

“What? No!... Well, sorta? I’m technically doing this because of the potato’s failed plans, but this isn’t to simply spite him.”

“When can we fight my old master?” Gigantomachia pipes up next to me.

“It won’t be long now, big guy. We still need to prepare a bit more, okay? I’m gonna make you and the rest of the Hassaikai a whole lot stronger and this place is critical to doing so.”

“UNDERSTOOD! I WILL CRUSH-”

Yeah, no. I can’t unleash Machia on Naruhata because that’ll get his old boss on my ass lickety split, and All For One isn’t my main target at the moment. Not to mention how badly that would fuck the canon script over.

My main bodyguard will have his time to shine, but that time isn’t now. LabHaul still needs him for experiments on top of new upgrades and the guy also serves as an excellent training dummy for my top brass. 

Endurance and Energy Saver need to be copied and I took out Pain Blocker since I can create a similar effect through Overhaul surgery, freeing up more space for other quirks down the line, because yes, he will be receiving other quirks eventually.

Of course, I can’t have these powerhouses fight anywhere in mainland Japan thanks to how devastating those training sessions are to their surroundings. Not even the Bird Cage can keep them contained anymore. 

However, there are still plenty of uninhabited islands I can have Innsmouth sail us to for some all out brawls. 

 

“Now a data-gathering, body-fusing, and general kidnapping mission on this scale is simply impossible to do unnoticed, especially with how many new vigilantes are crawling around that town thanks to Crawler’s influence, pun intended.” NightHaul takes over.

“And besides collecting All For One’s treasure trove of abandoned projects and personnel, there is also the bonus goal of getting the vigilantes on our side, and such can’t be done if they see us going around kidnapping their former-villain buddies at some Cat Cafe. This is where the Four Horsemen come in.

Ideally, they will be serving as both a distraction and a scapegoat. Naruhata will serve as the latest city they tear apart to show off their supremacy, and while the Praetorians secure the targets alongside myself and my fellow clones, other ‘official’ members of the Shie Hassaikai will come to the rescue.

Before you ask, these people will be heavily-altered physically through Overhaul and instructed to keep their true allegiance a secret until they and the vigilantes are in Osaka, the heart of our own territory. These precautions should prevent anyone else from catching on to our organization’s existence.”

“And if the vigilantes themselves happen to catch on to this massive deception before or after this attack?” Nine questions.

“Then we kill whoever we need to while securing our targets, simple as that. I gave Knucleduster a chance to join us and even spared him afterwards, albeit with the memory of our encounter wiped, at both Rappa and Stain’s request. In fact, Rappa was the one who came up with this plan’s basic outline.

I’m open to all suggestions and concerns. Many heads are better than one, and this plan serves to benefit us more than my original plan if it works out. However, a greater risk accompanies this greater reward, and-”

“You’re willing to try it our way, and if this doesn’t work out as intended, then we’ll be more willing to do things your way, even if we don’t necessarily agree with the specifics because we at least know your plans are more likely to be successful.” Rappa cuts me off, surprising everyone. 

“I get it, I’m not the smartest guy out there. I know how important this is and what we’re all fighting for. Kind of hard not to when we’re being reminded every five minutes… I just want to throw an old friend a bone.

We’ve built up a shitload of power overtime, kicking ass in mission after mission. Considering how much we’ve got under our belts, we should have at least some leeway when risk is involved now, right?”

Never expected Rappa of all people to give an impromptu, meaningful speech. Never even knew he could.

You learn something new everyday.

 

“The number of people or factions that can truly threaten us is quickly dwindling, you’re right about that. However, this doesn’t mean we should simply announce ourselves to the public. 

The HPSC and All For One are still major problems that need to be handled carefully, and the advantage of surprise is one that I would rather not give up.” I remind the brawler.

Going into Naruhata like this wouldn’t be the first time I entered the wolf’s den. Ambushing Geten at Deika City was really damn risky and that supremacist community is leagues more dangerous than anything the vigilantes could throw at me.

But that mission only involved ambushing one person. This mission involves so, so much more.

“While we’re on the subject, what exactly is the HPSC doing about this?” Nine then questions. “With how they treat vigilantes and former villains, it’s hard to believe that they let the place continue operating like this.”

Yeah, that was surprising to me too. Turns out that their (Horikoshi’s) solution to the problem was to kinda just ignore it and pretend Naruhata doesn’t exist anymore. Pretty big plot hole if you ask me, but there isn’t much I can do about that.

As a result of this (and according to what I got from Knuckleduster’s memories), a good handful of vigilantes across Japan flocked to the one place where they are appreciated by the public.

I suppose the HPSC thought it was better to just have one city with a major vigilante problem then have these guys spread all over Japan. A pretty lazy solution if you ask me, but I suppose they have other, more important things to worry about like making sure heroes are still revered as gods everywhere else in the country.

With such being the case, this law-breaking city became a simple part of the background for Japan’s government. Everyone knows it exists and everyone knows where it is, but after MHA Vigilantes, it just stayed in the background so much and for so long that everyone just sort of looks past whatever goes on there. 

In fact, the HPSC probably won’t be in a hurry to interfere if a certain group of high-ranking villains known for demolishing everything in their path decide to make that place both their next target and a testing ground for a few hundred potential recruits to their crew. 

Hell, they may even use a massive villain attack as an excuse to finally arrest the remaining vigilantes there for using quirks without a hero license!

This could further inflame the hatred between vigilantes/vigilante supporters and the HPSC as a result… with the Shie Hassaikai then secretly offering the former refuge in Osaka, allowing them to do their thing while slowly converting them into our supporters. 

Rappa never considered this consequence, but it benefits his suggestion regardless.

 

Honestly, the more I thought about it, the more I started liking the idea. 

Yakuza aren’t that different from vigilantes if you think about it. Well most of them, anyway.

Vigilantes come in all kinds of flavors. You have people like Crawler who just want to help others out, even if illegally and without a support network backing them up.

You have people like Knuckleduster who want the same but are much more violent about it.

You have people who mainly just want to use their quirks without a license, so while they do help people on occasion, their hearts aren’t really geared towards that part of the job.

And then you have people like Stain, people who start out as vigilantes but eventually snap and go full on psycho. 

When it comes to yakuza, the variety of categories are pretty similar; they’re just more quote-unquote ‘professional’ about it. So to summarize, both groups have their own morals and honor and mostly wish to protect others without an official hero license, even if their main motivation is something else.

Will I have to keep them all at an arm’s length for a while? Definitely.

But Mind Web and Confession will give me a very good idea on which vigilantes are more willing to truly side with me and my goals.

If they refuse to follow us, then Nine butchers them all and gets the blame for such. I can deflect any negative attention towards him and his crew without any problems since nobody knows they’re now working for someone else.

 

Maybe this recent string of risky moves is just my overconfidence taking the reins, but Rappa had a very good point. I already have a fighting force powerful enough to take on most of Japan’s heroes and villains without breaking a sweat, so I can afford to play this game a little less safely.

In the nightmare scenario where the heroes or AFO somehow discover Osaka and the villainous organization that’s hiding there due to this attack, Gigantomachia and my citadel’s defenses can buy enough time for us all to escape towards our safehouses outside the mainland.

Not only that, but I could always take a visit to Deika City and form the Paranormal Liberation Front a bit earlier than in canon if the worst were to happen. 

How nice of Horikoshi to provide a convenient army of a hundred-thousand pre-trained villains that I can take over through replicating some completely bullshit set of coincidences and can later call my plan all along. If AFO and Tomura did it, then I can too. 

And there’s always the nuclear option of Sad Man’s Parade to fall back on if all else fails.

But let’s stop focusing on the worst case scenarios and talk about the better outcomes.

“If we pull this off, then we can get invaluable data regarding both Trigger and brand new body modifications, a small army of vigilantes and all their supporters, and strike another blow to hero society in the process.

I won’t lie, this is going to be difficult. Further spinning our web of lies is going to be even more difficult. But I have faith that we can do this. You’ve all come so far since the Hassaikai started to rise once again; we can contend with the best of the best and have outplayed them in every turn.

We’ve secretly taken over a city, started a villain war that shook the country, beat the demon lord himself at his own shtick, and much more before even a single year has passed. We can sure as hell do this too!”

 

With everyone all motivated, I begin explaining my main plan. Then my backup plans. Then several branching plans and more backup plans for my backup plans. I may be taking more risks now, but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna stop planning for the worst to happen. 

The IQ quirk helped me refine all the data I got from Knuckleduster into the latest addition to a very long line of ridiculous plans. Trigger and Endurance boost that intelligence quirk even further.

The latter is everything I thought it would be, and Energy Saver is also nothing short of a miracle worker. I’ve been having LabHaul and Eri copy those two quirks like crazy, handing copies to my top brass and Praetorians as quickly as possible.

My brain and body are far more energized and efficient than ever before. Such works wonders for my morale, which only turns into more power from Endurance, creating what is essentially a positive feedback loop. It is far from endless, but the boost to my body and other quirks is quite substantial.

It takes some more time to iron out the details, present detailed quirk analysis on all our potential opponents, and make necessary preparations. It takes even more time to get everyone I need over there… god, I wish I had a fucking warper. 

I also need to make sure that no top heroes are around to interfere, because while the HPSC can just not give the order to go, they can’t just tell heroes to not stop a massive villain attack.

In MHA Vigilantes, All Might and Endeavor, among many other heroes, charged into the city and stopped Number 6 during the Narhuata Lockdown or his Operation Anonymous plan not that long after it started. 

I don’t intend to let them interfere again because they will either take Nine’s crew down or force them to use their new quirks. Them doing either option would be completely disastrous for me to put it lightly.

So to ensure that doesn’t happen, I slowly had my legion of expendable independent villains and small gangs draw heroes further away from the area. 

 

From minor main story groups like Team Reservoir Dogs and Street Thieves (yes, there’s really a group called that) to villains I had Giran hire separately to cause chaos like Dabi and Muscular to even villain gangs from the spin offs I acquired like the K3 Gang, Robbery Gang, and Avant-Garders, I got all the pawns I could taking up the heroes’ attention away from Naruhata.

I also have Innsmouth and Cider House launch some more raids on the northern coast to get the attention of higher ranking heroes, because with how successful they consistently are, the HPSC is really starting to get impatient.

Hell, I even used Stain as a goddamn distraction since Endeavor is already fired up to take him down, and All Might will feel inclined to help out the part of Japan where hordes of villains seem to be gathering at.

The Hero Killer has already murdered and severely injured more heroes than in canon, with several heroes in the top 100 also joining the kill count, another separation from canon.

While Stain isn’t officially an S-Rank, he still has quite a few top heroes gunning after him after rumors of him killing Wash began to spread.

Yeah, the guy’s body still hasn’t been found after his unfortunate run-in with Rappa. Turns out a wrecked washing machine fits in really well with your average everyday junkyard landfill. 

It wasn’t even my guys spreading the rumors either! It’s not that Stain liked Wash or anything; he just didn’t want to be given credit for something he didn’t do, even if it would make the heroes fear him more.

Well rumors spread anyway and news outlets reported on it and there isn’t much Stain can do about it, so he’s just going with the flow. 

Ah, news media. There’s nothing better for spreading fear, doubt, and mistrust throughout society. They’re doing half the work for me!

Anyway, then there’s all the reconnaissance I’ve done in that city over the last week with undercover Praetorians as well as all the hacking my cybersecurity branch is doing. Both groups have confirmed the location of all our targets and noticed that quite a few vigilantes around the city were pretty antsy.

There also seems to be quite a bit more vigilantes around then Knuckleduster realized. They’re on pretty good terms with the local police too and even have a few heroes supporting them.

 

So yeah, if it wasn’t obvious already, I’m investing a lot of my assets and putting a lot of preparations into this latest plan. 

A good chunk of the independent villains and small gangs under me will probably be arrested. Same with the Hassaikai’s regular goons, both during the actual attack and during the next week or so leading up to the attack since I’m going to need a whole lot of distractions before the big day.

Those who are arrested will either be too loyal to talk or barely know anything at all. As for our public presence, we have designated members to handle our little charity service around Osaka.

Nobody will be connecting those known to be in the little yakuza to the army of villains storming Naruhata. Only the vigilantes will see this little yakuza as their saviors if all goes according to plan.

The only real issue is if any of my multi-quirk wielders are arrested or killed as autopsies or simple blood work could expose that massive secret. Myself, the Eight Bullets, the Four Horsemen, and my Praetorian Guard are the multi-quirk wielders taking part, and while I have faith in their power and skills, it never hurts to be prepared for the worst.

Corrupt agents in neighboring law enforcement will sabotage those if necessary. Hopefully it won’t, but it never hurts to be extra prepared.

I’m even having Giran and Innsmouth direct the sales of my products entirely towards the high north and low south of Japan for a while, just to crank up the incidents there and drag more heroes away from Tokyo!

The Naruhata Gambit, this city-wide invasion/deception is gonna be the Shie Hassaikai’s largest operation to date and involve thousands of people including most of my top brass, clones, subsidiaries, and Praetorians. 

It’s go big or go home at this point and I’m going all in. I tested what my most powerful experiments could do during Gigantomachia’s subjugation and now I’m gonna test what the rest of my organization can do during this little war.

 

And the best part is that our audience won’t have a clue about who the actors in this play really work for! 

I’m gonna make this all look like a very unfortunate set of coincidences and get one of my greatest threats to push another of my greatest threats onto my side, and all under their noses at that!

If All For One could somehow keep his involvement in all his Naruhata operations a secret, then surely I can too. 

The old demon lord is a fool, but not me. He’s a childish LARPer, but not me.

I’m more like the final boss the hero of the story doesn’t even realize is the true villain until they defeat the strongest monster in the setting and think they can live happily ever after, only for me to swoop in, steal that monster’s power, add it to my own and become unstoppable, kill the hero and all his friends, and do whatever the hell I want afterward.

Things are gonna go to shit, but that’s okay because this entire plan revolves around things going to shit! Even if I lose, I’m still going to win in many more ways than one! 

I’ve been causing chaos throughout Japan ever since I arrived, but tonight’s gonna be truly taking that to Plus Ultra levels.

This is gonna be fun!

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Main Family (+ Current Quirks):

• Sekan Doraifu - Mind Web, Overhaul (Awakened), Confession, Double, IQ, Cleaning, Endurance, Energy Saver
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Scanning
• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Eri - Rewind, Wave Motion, IQ

Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Zookeeper (Personal Maid/Eri’s Main Caretaker) - Cleaning, Overhaul, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Gigantomachia (Head Bodyguard) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole
• Hari Kurono (Leader of Eight Bullets/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Kendo Rappa (Eight Bullets) - Strongarm, Muscle Augmentation, Charging Muscles, Fast Fist, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hekiji Tengai (Eight Bullets) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Toya Setsuno (Eight Bullets) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Yu Hojo (Eight Bullets) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Soramitsu Tabe (Eight Bullets) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Deidoro Sakaki (Eight Bullets) - Sloshed, Dragon Breath, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Rikiya Katsukame (Eight Bullets) - Energy Suck, Wave Motion, Endurance, Energy Saver

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Scanning, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Endurance, Energy Saver

Other Forces:

• Praetorian Guard - 185
• Pseudo Getens - 10
• Pseudo Inasas - 5
• Pseudo Shotos - 5
• Cyber Warfare Branch - 40
• Mad Science Branch - 35
• Creation Crew - 50
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 890
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 48
• Thugs and Goons - 4120

Subsidiaries:

• Hero Killer
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth and his crew
• Team Reservoir Dogs
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 350

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 35: The Naruhata War - Part 1

Eri is so excited! She finally gets to help her dad out on a major mission!

A city-wide invasion! A master plan that involves manipulating and shocking the entire country! 

It’s gonna be awesome!... too bad she only gets to be around for the first part of it.

Late at night, her, her dad, and one of his clones (NightHaul) tunnel through the ground and pop right back up in the basement level of her personal target’s apartment complex. 

Almost a thousand other people are on standby all around the edges of the city, waiting to receive orders on what battle plan they’re gonna go with after NightHaul uses Foresight.

As for why he hasn’t done so yet, there’s something Eri herself needs to do first for them with her Rewind quirk.

Rewind messes with Foresight’s predictions, so her dad wanted to get this part of the plan done first in order for Foresight’s prediction to be as accurate as possible. The fact that it most likely means immediately getting her off the battlefield too is just a bonus according to her dad.

She wishes she can stay and help fight, but her dad is refusing to take any chances here.

Whatever, she’ll just have to do even more crazy villain operations when she’s older to make up for it.

 

The three of them sneak through the apartment complex, her dad and his clone using Mind Web to alter the memories of anyone who spots them before arriving at their destination.

A small apartment room where Kazuho Haneyama, formerly known as the Vigilante Pop Step, is currently in.

Eri knows about her, the other Naruhata Vigilantes, and all the cool stuff they did thanks to a couple bedtime stories her dad told her, so she was kind of confused why her dad wanted her to come here.

Her quirk, Leap, isn’t anything special. Even if it was, her dad can just bodyfuse with the vigilante, undo the fusion, and have Eri use Rewind on him back at the compound, safe and sound.

That quirk isn’t what her dad is interested in. No, he had something else in mind. Something only possible to obtain through Rewind.

Her original quirk is capable of working on Overhaul body-fusions, right? Well, who’s to say that it wouldn’t work on other body-fusions too?

Body fusions like the kind Queen Bee could do. 

Mind Web forcefully controls the former vigilante before she can say a word, and once her dad gives the okay, she hits her with Rewind.

One year… two years… a little more… aaaaaaaaaaaand STOP!

Rewind can’t bring people back to life, but the quirked-animal’s corpse is all her dad needs. 

Once he and NightHaul extract and contain it, the former uses his ‘return to factory setting’ function of Overhaul to undo the damage done. 

It can’t reverse Rewind’s effects on her, not even after awakening and applying Trigger. Her own quirk’s effect is simply too powerful. 

But being a young adult herself, Pop Step hasn’t changed much physically over the last few years, so as long as all the damage Queen Bee did to her during the possession is fixed, then maybe she won’t notice?

Her dad doesn’t dwell too much on it, because soon after that, he has NightHaul use Foresight on him.

 

“...Fuck.” The clone then mutters, not even bothering to censor himself despite Eri being in the room.

He then shares his recent memories with her real (to her, anyway) dad.

“Fuck… FUCK! When the hell did they have time to- get Eri out of here, NOW!” Her dad shouts with anger and a bit of fear in his voice. “And tell the others we’re going with Contingency Plan ACC-3! 

Nine and I will keep our American guests back until you know who shows up. Have the Eight Bullets and Four Horsemen cover the Praetorians; we can live without the vigilantes, but Garaki’s leftovers are crucial for our future plans!”

“B-Be careful, da- HEY, WAIT!” Eri tries to encourage her father, but gets scooped up by NightHaul who makes a mad dash for the tunnel they exited from.

By the time they reach the tunnel, she can hear fighting going on.

“Dad’s gonna be fine, right?” She can’t help but ask her father’s clone.

“If Foresight is anything to go by, then yeah, he’ll be relatively okay by the end of the night. I can’t say the same for most other people in this city though. God damnit, damage control is gonna suck!”

She was wondering when all hell was gonna break loose… her dad better be okay like his clone promised, or she’ll find a way to make this world burn herself!

 

Countdown to Canon: 2 Months 2 Weeks before Entrance Exam

It’s been less than five minutes since I entered Naruhata and I’m already getting drop-kicked out of a tenth-story window by goddamn Crawler. Or Skycrawler. Whatever he’s calling himself now.

Point is, it seems that today is the day my lucky streak of perfectly succeeding in risky plans comes to an end. While tonight doesn't quite go catastrophically wrong if Foresight is any indicator, it’s not far off from that label either.

Ugh, I really should’ve just murdered Knuckleduster while I had the chance, Stain and Rappa’s request be damned. It probably would’ve made manipulating the rest of Naruhata onto my side by the end of the night a good bit easier.

Oh well, no use crying over spilled milk. Getting the vigilantes on my side was nothing but a bonus to begin with.

 

At the very least, my clones and I had enough common sense to greatly change my appearance through Overhaul, and we changed our villain costumes just as much (they were inspired from Chimera’s outfit, if anyone’s curious). 

At the very least, there’s no way in hell I’m letting anyone here tie this disaster back to the Shie Hassaikai.

‘So much for the Hassaikai appearing as tonight’s saviors.’ I mentally grumble. ‘Fine then, Knuckleduster. You had your chance. This city will burn like all the others my Four Horsemen have attacked, and you’ll be wiped away alongside the other old protagonists of MHA! Hopefully you and the others will at least be useful delaying our common enemy- WOAH!’

Someone’s certainly feeling antsy tonight.

“Crawler, pleasure to meet you! Any chance I can get an autograph before we continue?” I casually ask (with my voice and appearance being heavily altered through Overhaul), landing on the ground without any damage done.

“Tell you what, I’ll swing by whatever prison you end up in and hand you one then. That cool with you?” He asks back, keeping up a smile.

But I can tell he’s pissed. Last time a villain got their hands on his old vigilante partner, she got brainwashed by a genetically-modified quirked animal who doubled as a parasite and became a psychotic villain pop star that almost destroyed his entire hometown.

However, he doesn’t know about me doing anything with said partner now, no NightHaul or Eri or Queen Bee duplication or anything like that. He just saw her unconscious with me standing over her the moment he swooped in. 

Small mercies.

 

“So, by any chance are you connected to that new Underground Masquerade thing?” He then asks me as we start to duke it out on the street.

I can use Overhaul to manipulate the ground all around me; I don’t even need to use my hands anymore thanks to my recent awakening. But while this guy’s attack names are goofy, they pack one hell of a punch, and he’s clearly gotten a good bit better at using them since MHA Vigilantes.

And when he goes all out… just look at his fight with Number 6.

He’s had multiple years to improve since then, years spent doing hero work and training with some of America’s best.

Frankly, as he is now, that guy could give Endeavor a run for his money in the right setting.

“Eh, you could say that. Whole lotta people out there who don’t want to risk losing out on such a good chance to brawl, and with your old mentor snooping around, well, y’know. 

It’s nothing personal, dude. I got a family to feed and all that, and there was a good chunk of change being offered up.” I shrug, playing the part of a goon for hire.

This fight is far from being serious. I’m using Overhaul to make blocks, not spikes or any other constructs, and not even that many blocks to disguise the true power of that particular quirk. Instead of all-around matter manipulation, I’m making him think my quirk can merely turn parts of the ground into cubes.

 

Koichi, like Izuku, is someone I would call a true hero, and I can use that to my advantage.

Using Overhaul to insta-kill him is definitely possible, but his combat instincts and overpowered quirk would make it very difficult to pull off, even for the current me. 

Besides, I’m gonna need this guy alive and kicking to hopefully handle another major problem that’s showing up tonight, or at least distract this problem for a while.

Intentionally or not, I will be getting some use out of the Naruhata Vigilantes and their American aid tonight.

I just need to buy a bit more time…

“Sorry. I get it, dude. I really do. But you know that I can’t let you kidnap her, right?” Skycrawler tells me, both of us temporarily stopping the fight as several more vigilantes surround me. 

Looks like he bought my act. Good.

And now, if the footage from Foresight is anything to go by…

“Yeah, I know.” I sigh while raising my hands up in surrender. “Well, it was nice meeting the living legend any-”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

If the footage from Foresight is anything to go by, Then Nine’s rampage has just begun.

 

“Uhhh, is t-that one of your guys?” I stutter at the vigilantes who all look towards the sudden lightning storm.

“No…” Crawler mutters as hundreds of horrified screams fill the streets. “Alright, villain bounty hunter guy. This city is currently burning to the ground and I really need to go deal with that, so I’m gonna let you off the hook for now, but if-”

“Yup! Leaving! I’ll leave you and your friends alone and won’t do any villaining stuff again!” I cried out while comedically bolting away, and Crawler’s group then rushed towards the chaos a few moments later.

I don’t care about pride in situations like this. I don’t care about my image when the disguises are on. An over-inflated ego has caused me enough problems tonight.

‘Okay, first crisis averted. Time for phase two.’

I’ve got places to go and people to kill, and I can’t be having that former main protagonist get in the way of that. 

‘I’ll leave him and his merry men to you, Nine. Fend them off until the final surprise guest shows up for Phase 3. Remind all of Japan that you are here.’

 

 

 

Several minutes after Sekan begins his battle with Crawler, Nine’s crew and several hundred of their ‘interns’ arrive to Naruhata. 

The cyberwarfare branch coordinates with Nine himself to make the city-wide blackout seem like the doing of his lightning storm while making sure no evidence of the Hassaikai’s involvement is present throughout the attack.

The tunnel that Mimic made leads Chimera and several dozen other villains right inside the city’s main police station to launch an assault on Eizo Tanuma and every officer in the building.

Slice and Mummy take their own teams of several dozen villains through the east and west side of the city, causing chaos wherever they go. Dozens more break off to wreck even more havoc.

BossHaul, NightHaul (once he drops off Eri and the Queen Bee copy), GuildHaul, and several dozen Praetorians begin to secretly gather up all those involved in the former Villain Factory, whether they were unwilling experiments, Trigger traders, or others involved in the old organization.

This was all part of the original plan. The vigilantes would ideally be caught completely off guard by Nine’s invasion, and some members of the Shie Hassaikai would then swoop in and aid them while others secretly captured Garaki’s old test subjects.

Not only would Sekan obtain crucial data for his projects, but he would also bait the Narihata Vigilantes into becoming yet another of his main subsidiaries.

But with the Naruhata Vigilantes not only being more hostile, but also calling in outside help of their own, Sekan wouldn’t be able to bring them into the fold, and he knew that when planning this invasion.

If such ended up being the case, then Sekan would simply wipe them out while securing Garaki’s old projects. He would obtain key data for his plans and eliminate a potential threat. The Shie Hassaikai reinforcements would aid Nine’s forces instead, if the situation called for it.

Once the attack plan for tonight is confirmed, the Eight Bullets, several dozen other Praetorians, and several hundred other Shie Hassaikai members emerge from hiding spots all around the border of Naruhata, getting into position to reinforce Nine’s vanguard should the need arise.

It isn’t long before they’re all ready to move in on Sekan’s orders.

And Sekan himself, after changing his physical appearance and outfit once again (he created and memorized over 30 different physical Overhaul disguises just for moments like this), makes a beeline towards Onomura Pharma Corp while slaughtering any vigilante in his way. 

Overhaul allowing for insta-kills and Foresight letting him know what happens with these fights in advance makes things go a whole lot faster, something extremely helpful considering how little time he has.

The final surprise guest for tonight will be coming soon, and Sekan does not want his organization near the guy any longer than necessary. 

Ideally, his arrival will make things easier for Sekan as he and Naruhata’s forces will fight each other. Unfortunately, there is a very good chance Sekan’s own forces will be caught in the crossfire before they finish up their main assignment.

 

Now from a tactical point of view, Sekan sending in an army of villains led by Nine’s crew to either distract or frighten some stray vigilantes (depending on what plan is used) is the equivalent of using a nuke to finish a bar brawl. 

Having a second villain army led by the Eight Bullets prepared as reserve in case the vigilantes can’t be swayed is even more overkill. While Sekan’s ego has been growing overtime, his paranoia hasn’t gone anywhere.

Crawler deciding to visit from the states would be bad. Him bringing along the top American hero who employed him along with who knows how many other heroes as more backup would be much worse. 

While the chances of such were unlikely, and the chances of him not noticing such beforehand were even more unlikely, Sekan refused to take that risk.

So he came up with several plans and many contingency plans for tonight, the original plans treating those at Naruhata as mainly soon to be allies while the contingency plans treat them as a threat that needs to be nipped in the bud.

Better to prepare for the worst case scenario and never have to apply your preparations than to prepare only for the best case scenario and be caught off guard by a different course of events, right?

“GO FORTH, CONTENDERS! SHOW MY CREW AND I WHY YOU ARE FIT TO TRULY JOIN US AND RULE AS KINGS IN OUR NEW SOCIETY!” Nine roars, playing his role as an unhinged quirk supremacist perfectly.

It’s not like he’s changed that much since recently joining Sekan, but he’s become a lot better at deception and thinking ahead lately. Being humbled also helped a lot. 

There are still very few people who know of Nine and Sekan’s connection and the latter can use that to his advantage. If he ever needs to make a big move without exposing his organization, he has one of Japan’s most powerful villain teams at his disposal to do all the dirty work.

The small army made up of subsidiary villain gangs and independents is a similar tool. If they were arrested and interrogated rather then killed, they wouldn’t be able to give the heroes any helpful intel.

But that’s if they end up losing, and when brought together like this, most heroes and vigilantes are powerless against their might. 

Most of them.

 

Nine floats across the city, summoning tornadoes and lightning storms all across the city as its inhabitants flee in terror, but despite no longer having to worry about his original quirk hurting him anymore, he just doesn’t get as much joy out of it as before.

He thought that without his own power restraining him, he would be unstoppable. That making his ideal society would be a cakewalk and nobody could stop him and his family from finally claiming what they deserve after all the oppression they’ve been through.

But seeing Sekan… seeing Gigantomachia… learning what All Might and All For One were once capable of… it really humbled the guy.

He knows better now, despite being far stronger than ever before.

That and a frantic warning from NightHaul is why he makes sure not to let his guard down, and when an abandoned apartment building is suddenly hurled at him, he’s ready to make a tornado around himself to block it all and return the chunks it breaks into towards the hero that sent it.

But he is suddenly yanked towards the edge of his own tornado, and is forced to dispel it as he's flung around, crashing into several chunks of that demolished building in the process.

He just barely avoids the follow-up punch from Captain Celebrity after that.

“...Shouldn’t you be in the United States right now?” Nine asks one of America’s top heroes.

“I owe this city and its vigilantes quite a lot, villain, so when one of my sidekicks requested to help out his old hometown one last time, I decided to show my own appreciation for what this place has done for me.

Strings were pulled and aid was called, all so you bastards get the beatdown you deserve.” The tactile telekinesis demigod responds before resuming his attack.

 

Dozens of other heroes from America then come out of hiding, with even Elecplant and Cow Lady from the Two Heroes movie being present at the scene. 

Several dozen heroes native to Japan come out of hiding as well, choosing to fight and support either Captain Celebrity, Crawler, the Naruhata Vigilantes, or all of the above.

And these heroes are far from being the celebrity cops with special licenses most heroes are, especially the ones hailing from the hero capital of the world. 

Even with Star and Stripe around, America has a far higher crime rate than Japan, so combine that with the standards and reputation they try living up to and the heroes present have far less room to slack off. 

Being friendly to various degrees with Captain Celebrity and Skycrawler, these international guests aren’t at the bottom percentile of their country either. Quite a few of America’s top 100 heroes are present, and many more aren’t too far off from that milestone.

Sekan had Knuckleduster’s memories and knew all his favorite hiding spots in the city, having his Praetorians investigate in the spots his cybersecurity team couldn’t, but the quirkless vigilante largely left the planning of this surprise attack to his old student and the hero he was now a sidekick to, practically invalidating the transmigrator’s recon attempts. 

Nine knows that plenty of reinforcements are coming; like always, they hoped for the best and prepared for the worst. However, his opponent has no lack of potential reinforcements either, and Crawler would be an especially troublesome foe to face alongside his hero boss.

On the one hand, he can’t brazenly show off his extra quirks unless he's sure any enemies who notice can be killed before they can spread the word. Going all out against a heroic powerhouse high in the sky like this is just asking his multi-quirk secret to be spread across Naruhata, and Sekan made it clear to ensure that doesn’t happen at all costs.

Cell Activation and Scanning can be activated at least somewhat discreetly, as can Endurance and Energy Saver, but Bullet Laser, Air Wall, and Hydra are a different story.

A shame, as the latter three quirks would be quite helpful against this particular hero.

On the other hand, defeating or killing the top hero in front of him isn’t the only way to achieve victory. In fact, it isn’t even the preferred way considering who else is coming to Naruhata tonight.

He just needs to buy time for Phase 3 of the invasion to begin, but until then, despite having some solid support gear, high-quality Trigger, and reinforcements on the way, well…

Nine knows that he’s got a nasty fight ahead of him.

 

Less than ten seconds after Chimera tears Detective Eizo Tanuma in half, he gets the wind knocked out of him by the American Hero, Cow Lady.

“OMPH!... Heheh, you’re a little late to the party, miss.” The chimera taunts as blood from his latest victim streams down his face, earning a growl from his new opponent. Her entourage or heroes and vigilantes alike aren’t much happier, but Chimera doesn’t mind. He relishes the challenge and the chance to show off some more.

The mooks he has downstairs won’t last long, but they’re nothing but disposable pawns for the big boss anyway. 

Unlike Nine and Slice, it isn’t hard for Chimera to disguise his new quirks as undiscovered parts of his original one, so he transforms and unleashes them all with glee, ready to burn this police precinct to the ground and slaughter his way out of the city now that his job is done.

Speaking of his fellow Four Horsemen, Slice finds herself on the backfoot thanks to an American hero with an annoyingly powerful barrier quirk blocking every hair barrage she sends her enemies’ way. 

Mummy isn’t doing too well either, with the other Two Heroes guest star, Elecplant, going undetected until nearly knocking the villain out with a well-timed electric blast.

He would’ve gone down if it wasn’t for his body modifications and spars with Nine getting him used to electrical attacks. He’s still standing, and that hero is covered head to toe in objects his bandages can take control of, but doing so with all the help that guy has is easier said than done.

Luckily for him, Yu Hojo and Rikiya Katsukame arrive at that moment with over a hundred yakuza thugs as reinforcements. 

 

They are all wearing disguises with many even receiving either body alterations or body fusions to completely change their appearances, pretending to be more thugs interested in joining Nine’s crew. 

The heroes don’t have a clue about the Eight Bullets or how large the Shie Hassaikai really is, but Sekan refuses to let anyone connect the dots.

Groups consisting of two of the Eight Bullets, a dozen Praetorians, and at least a hundred lesser villains each take one side of the city, the north, south, east, and west battlefields all now gaining much more reinforcements on the Hassaikai’s side. 

They will also double as a sturdy rearguard and triple as a way to free whatever captured allies they can when most of Sekan’s forces fall back upon the guest of dishonor’s arrival.

This especially helps out Nine as he’s been forced to fend off both Captain Celebrity and Skycrawler, the three powerhouses darting across the sky with it soon increasing to four as Kendo Rappa arrives to spar with his old friend’s student.

Skycrawler in particular can both disrupt and counter Nine’s primary quirk through his own, air blasts from Slide and Glide interfering with any wind manipulation Nine attempts to enact.

Sekan warned him of such a possibility, but it’s still incredibly annoying to prevent, especially with Captain Celebrity constantly strengthening the former vigilante with his own telekinesis. Nine can’t prevent Skycrawler from attacking if that damn barrier prevents any damage from being done to him in the first place.

Injecting himself with the Trigger Sekan provided makes the fight easier, but not as much as he had hoped.

 

Meanwhile, some of the other Praetorians (both normal and special) have already begun capturing the former Villain Factory workers and assassinating particularly troublesome heroes and vigilantes. 

Sekan himself is also almost done collecting the bits of data Garaki left behind and the heroes missed during their raid, all while keeping an eye out for any other surprises the vigilantes had prepared for this battle.

‘It looks like someone prepared quite well… but in terms of paranoia and planning, you fall painfully short, Knuckleduster!’ The transmigrator grins as his goals for tonight grow closer to completion.

The number of villains currently present in Naruhata rivals the peak of the Villain War between the CRC and Wild Villains, and the city itself is burning to the ground. The heroes and vigilantes present were practically a guerilla force boxed in by numerically overwhelming hostile forces.

Even with the city-wide blackout and all communications except Sekan’s being down, people were going to notice eventually.

But Sekan prepared for this, and the top heroes of Japan are all too far away to get here in time. This particular contingency plan of his is going perfectly so far, but Foresight only showed him so much, and from only his own soundless, first person perspective at that.

Even so, All Might has run out of OFA time for the day anyways. Even if he was close by, he couldn’t do anything to stop this.

That’s one symbol accounted for.

 

The other one emerges from a dark portal around half an hour into the battle, determined to not let this city full of thorns in his side ruin his plans any longer.

He hasn’t come to troll or LARP or mess around like in canon; the closest thing this society has to a god means business this time, and all his enemies are in for a very rude awakening.

 

 

 

Status of the forces at Naruhata:

Law Enforcement:

• American Heroes - 13/41 Defeated or KIA
• Japanese Heroes - 22/65 Defeated or KIA
• Police - 540/765 Defeated or KIA

Naruhata Inhabitants:

• Vigilantes - 105/270 Defeated or KIA
• Former Instant Villains - 22/40 Captured or KIA
• Former Next-Level Villains - 12/25 Captured or KIA
• Former Dealers/Brokers/Staff of Villain Factory - 5/9 Captured or KIA
• Civilians - hundreds severely wounded or KIA

Shie Hassaikai:

• Sekan and his Clones - 0/4 Defeated or KIA
• Eight Bullets - 0/8 Defeated or KIA
• Nine’s Crew - 0/4 Defeated  or KIA
• Praetorians - 10/120 Defeated or KIA
• Thugs and Goons - 132/650 Defeated, Arrested, or KIA
• Independent Villains and other Subsidiaries - 115/245 Defeated, Arrested, or KIA

Others:

• All For One - ready to go

 

Chapter 36: The Naruhata War - Part 2

Notes:

I'll be on hiatus for the next week, but for now, enjoy the absolute bloodbath- I mean conclusion to the Naruhata War.

When All For One first discovered what was going on in Naruhata, he was once again slightly surprised by recent developments.

The Creature Rejection Clan. The Wild Villains. Nine and his crew, and more. A good bit more.

It seems that retreating into the shadows like this caused some pretenders to rise up, and this was fine… for a while.

They helped to further weaken that blond oaf and start chipping away at the peace he built.

However, with the doctor’s creations being close to completion and Tomura being ready to make his mark on society for his grand plan, the use of these distractions has come to an end.

The underworld needs to unite under Tomura, so when he himself obtains his perfect body, he will be ready to retrieve his brother and rule the world as he wishes. There can’t be any rival groups to take potential pawns away from him. 

So as he steps through the portal Kurogiri made for him, he prepares to get a little exercise while wiping the slate clean. After all, this little battleground managed to snag a few bonuses too, and he intends to take advantage of that.

 

Countdown to Canon: 2 Months 2 Weeks before Entrance Exam

The fighting all comes to a stop as All For One steps through, his sheer presence causing heroes, villains, and vigilantes alike to freeze and pale as visions of their own deaths play out in their psyches. 

Even Sekan feels it while tunneling underground, the murderous aura Stain blasted him with during their own first encounter being dwarfed by the demon lord.

But he can’t run away from this monster, not when he has a soon-to-be corpse to resurrect.

Unlike the last time he was here, he doesn’t have any pawns like Number 6 to do his bidding. Even if he did, some of these nuisances are quite strong… which means he’ll just have to clean up this trash himself.

With how far most of the top heroes are from the area, he has nothing to worry about. Nobody that sees him will live to tell the tale.

Now then… who to start with?

 

*FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Hmm, interesting. He didn’t expect the two greatest threats, Captain Celebrity and Nine, to immediately end their own battle and team up against him. 

So much for Nine’s pride of being the quote unquote ‘strongest’. 

Dr. Garaki apparently considered him as a potential pick for the Pseudo-AFO program, but it’s not like there aren’t others for the good doctor to modify to his heart’s content.

He lets the combined assault go on for a few more seconds, his strength enhancers letting him withstand what Reflect, Impact Recoil, and his telekinesis quirks can not. The building he stands on is demolished, but Air Walk keeps him standing.

Both are undoubtedly powerful, even when battered and bruised from their own prior clash. So much so that he’s forced to counterattack rather quickly.

Kurogiri had already warped away, so there’s no need to hold back… well, at least when it comes to his current maximum.

All Might… he’ll have his revenge soon enough.

 

Rivet Stab + Spearlike Bones. Hardening. Strength Enhancer x3. Kinetic Booster x4.

Several hardened, spiked black tendrils pierce right through Nine’s armor and body before he can even react. Three go through his chest, and a fourth goes straight through his skull. 

His quirk is a powerful one, but it requires quite a lot of skill to wield properly and it damages the user’s cells whenever it’s activated. Such a quirk is useless to him in his current state and wouldn’t fit Tomura’s disposition very well. 

He can’t have that destructive puppet ruining his perfect body before he succeeds in the possession, now can he?

Nine dies instantly and plummets to the ground below, the American hero he was working alongside giving him a wonderful look of pure fear before throwing another damaged building at the demon lord.

If it was Star and Stripe arriving as backup, then he would keep his distance from the battlefield as he can’t hope to win in his current weakened state, but this other top American hero is much more… manageable.

Not to mention the anger and chaos that his death will cause over in the states. The United States’ relationship with Japan will be strained, and that will aid his plans. Christopher Skyline may have survived his creations’ assault on the Tokyo Sky Egg back then, but such can be rectified now.

The battle goes on for a minute or so with the American hero keeping his distance and sticking to hit and run tactics for now. A distraction, most likely. 

Is he waiting for his new sidekick to show up? Or is he buying time for a retreat?

Oh well, it’s not like such things will matter in a bit.

Christopher Skyline is strong, almost as strong as All Might should be in his injured state, but he has his weaknesses. 

Air Cannon + Springlike Limbs. Kinetic Booster x4. Strength Enhancer x3. Heavy Payload.

And Spatial Distortion to temporarily mess with that telekinetic barrier of his.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Nearly a third of the city is caught up in the resulting blast, killing thousands of people, if not more. Heroes, villains, and vigilantes alike book it out of the city like the hounds of hell were on their heels.

Such devastation can be disguised as collateral from all the fighting here, with powerful quirks like Nine’s and Christopher Skyline’s making such a thing much more believable in the demon lord’s opinion.

All For One knows that latest quirk combo was pushing his limits. The recoil stung his body a good bit and destroyed a portion of his suit; he really can’t afford to draw this out. 

Not with the crippling injury All Might left him during their battle years ago. Not with his body being so weakened, shuttering at the heightened strain of unleashing his last few combo attacks.

What All For One doesn’t know is that one of the old Naruhata Vigilantes was caught up in the blast along with her entire apartment, killing her instantly.

What All For One also doesn’t know is that his blast reached one of the underground escape tunnels some very important members of the Shie Hassaikai were running down, also killing them instantly.

Sekan knows though. Double lets him know when one of his clones dies, and he knows just who that clone was currently escorting out of the city.

It’s at that moment he realizes the massive mistake he just let his accumulating overconfidence make and calls an immediate full retreat despite his forces not being done with their main task yet.

Even if he did know, it wouldn’t matter to him. Why should it matter to him?

He’s a crumbling monolith, but still a monolith.

He’s an arrogant, overconfident douchebag who thinks he’s better than everyone else, especially OFA users despite somewhat recently losing the top half of his head to one.

But he has the power to back those arrogant claims up, and right now, the only thing that’s slightly annoyed him so far is the fact that he overestimated Captain Celebrity’s durability without his quirk.

It’s a pity he lost out on such a useful quirk, but-

“Heyo, potato. It’s been a while.”

…Never mind. Now there are two things that have slightly annoyed him so far, the second one having made his way up to a nearby building.

“Indeed it has, Iwao Oguro…” The demon lord proclaims, slowly flying towards the quirkless vigilante and focusing his murderous intent solely on him.

But the gnat doesn’t back down.

 

This isn’t a figment of his imagination like the last time All For One visited Naruhata. The former hero really is here, and despite no longer having a quirk, he doesn’t back down.

“It appears you’ve learned nothing from our last meeting, former hero.” The quirk thief taunts.

“Well it’s not like I have a quirk for you to steal this time.” Knuckleduster snarks back.

“You say that like it makes your chances any less slim compared to last time. Did you perhaps rig this building full of explosives again? That didn’t work on Number 6 and it will not work on me.”

“Nope. Don’t need ‘em to beat down your ugly mug… or what’s left of it.”

“Is that so…”

The quirkless bug then actually throws a punch at him!

He has some taser knuckle dusters on, but still! Did he really expect that to do anything? What kind of demon lord would be taken down by a taser?!

Several more punches and kicks are then thrown with the demon lord not even showing the slightest reaction towards them.

“Is that all, vigilante? If so, then I’ll be splitting a lot more than just your face open this time around.”

A mere moment is all it takes for Rivets and Spearlike Bones to skewer him a dozen times over. 

His sense-enhancing quirks let him pick up a cry of anguish from a mile or so away, but he’ll properly enjoy that later. For now, he needs to finish off this annoyance once and for-

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

A Knuckle Style Slide and Glide from Koichi Haimawari slightly knocks him back and causes him to lose his hold on the old vigilante. 

Skycrawler couldn’t go that fast on his own… he had help. 

Did Captain Celebrity survive, or- Oh? What is this joke of a jock doing here?

 

“I heard… that you’re one tough bastard, demon lord. So I wanna fight you.”

“Very well, Kendo Rappa. As a reward for the flattery you gave my underground masquerade, I shall grant you the death in combat you desire.”

How convenient. He was planning on having a few pawns disband that carbon copy of his old fighting ring soon after this, but if its current leader wants to offer himself up on the chopping block here and now, then he’ll gladly take the opportunity to end him too.

“Get outta here, kid. And take your master with you. I doubt this bastard will give me time to chuck ya again.” Rappa lets Skycrawler know before charging at the demon lord.

Sekan was completely against it as he overhauled Rappa physically back to normal. He was against Rappa buying time for his allies, old and new, to escape and prevent any more deaths, but Rappa is done letting this potato-headed fuck murder his friends.

His muscles bulk up a ton, but not to the point where they start overlapping outside his body. All For One knows Gran Torino can do a similar trick despite his quirk being completely unrelated, and he knows that such a thing won’t make any difference no matter who uses it against him.

This was his idea. He made this bed and he’ll lie in it! And he’ll make sure the potato doesn’t catch on to what his boss is truly up to. It’s the least he can do for the guy he’s grown to respect so much overtime. For the little yakuza family he’s become a part of overtime.

His Strongarm punch collides with another Springlike Limbs + Air Cannon combo, completely destroying what remains of the street they’re both on.

The Rapper was flung away… and he can see a dying Knuckleduster giving Skycrawler some pitiful goodbye speech. 

Unfortunately for them, All For One isn’t interested in such a performance. He already witnessed the Crawler in action against Number 6 and got all the data he needed from those two.

Now, he is simply a threat that needs to be eliminated.

Air Cannon + Springlike Limbs. Kinetic Booster times-

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

…The buzzing of those flies is starting to get annoying. 

 

Neither were supposed to be extraordinary in any way, and yet they capitalized their quirks and had abnormal battle prowess. Circumstance, experience, and sheer force of will turned these men into supermen.

Even so, they can’t do a whole lot to someone like him, but they were definitely doing their best to urk him as much as possible. If this is what he can expect when civilians start taking heroic action after All Might and society’s other guardians fall…

It will no doubt be a path to chaos, but it also introduces uncertainty into his own machinations.

He was right to pour his efforts into his current plan once his previous visit to Naruhata concluded. Should society reach the point where heroes can appear from anywhere, then he’ll command an entity that can face any hero head-on through its own individual might.

Nomu, the culmination of everything he and the good doctor had experimented with, from observing how his followers handled multiple quirks during the start of his reign to the Next-Level Villains and Number 6.

And even this new, nigh-unstoppable army will pale in comparison to his new body once it’s complete. But that comes later; he needs to end these particular nuisances now.

Both Rapper and Skycrawler take turns trying to stall him, buying time for whoever remains to get away, but he grows bored of this and still has some parts of the city to purge before any outside heroes show up.

“Impact Recoil plus Reflect. Kinetic Booster times four and Heavy Payload.”

The brawler’s blow is redirected back onto him, several times the initial amount of force he threw being used to cave his own chest in.

“Warping and Telekinesis. Then Dark Ball, Razor Blade, Ooze, Black Lightning, and Shapeshifting plus Body Appendages for increased output.”

The crawler is forcefully brought to him and held in place as various ranged quirks hit him head on, some purely sharp, others filled with energy, and even his Ooze acid quirk was thrown into the combination for good measure.

Natural defenses were overwhelmed and much damage was taken, and yet they both still stand against him. Such a persistent pair, one that needs to be permanently put down. 

He’s running low on time he can spend away from his life support system. The recoil from these quirk combinations is piling up, and more than a few solid blows from this gauntlet of heroes, villains, and vigilantes alike is… hurting him!

Has he truly grown so weak that even these bugs can wear him down? Does using so few quirks at once truly cause such recoil within the current him?

This needs to end. Right now.

 

The Skycrawler is up first. His quirk and dodging skills are quite remarkable, but he has no room to dodge an attack that can wipe out a chunk of the city behind him.

He lasts about 45 seconds in combat with the demon lord before getting blown to bits alongside another fifth of Naruhata.

Then there’s Kendo Rappa. Impact Recoil and Reflect turns his barrages of attacks against him, but their strength is quite considerable. It may even rival Captain Celebrity’s power.

Perhaps he should try taking the quirk?

No. The Rapper must have undergone rigorous specialized body training for years on end to make his quirk as effective as it is, and besides, Dr. Garaki already recently acquired some of Goto Imasuji’s DNA to create copies of Muscle Augmentation with.

He has no need for a weaker strength-boosting quirk that requires too much time, skill, and effort to truly make shine, and he can’t afford to waste any more time, so he’ll just end the brawler here.

Less than two minutes later, a gaping hole is finally blown through Kendo Rappa’s upper chest.

The heroes should be here soon, so he’ll have to make this last bit of taunting quick.

 

“So, is this the kind of death you wanted, Kendo Rappa? A humiliating end at the hands of an opponent you could never hope to even scratch?”

“Oh- *cough* *cough* yeah. Totally. But don’t flatter yourself, demon lord. I still got a few good licks in, and if I could do that, then *cough* you’re not gonna stand a chance against him when he’s finally ready.”

He knows about that fight with All Might? Is he talking about whoever the blond buffoon decided to pass Yoichi onto?

“The so-called Symbol of Peace got a lucky shot in. He may have won the battle, but the war and this world will be mine.”

That just gets the fallen brawler to laugh even more.

“Oh, man. I don’t know what you’re droning on about, but it sucks that I *cough* won’t get to see the look on what’s left of your stupid face when-”

Air Cannon + Springlike Limbs. Kinetic Booster x4. Strength Enhancer x3. 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Good riddance, worm. 

He didn’t pick up any lies in that final statement, so Rappa must have been talking about someone else. Or maybe he wasn’t and simply didn’t know the true story of One For All?

Whatever. It’s not like that matters now.

Whether it’s in his old body or eventual new one, he’ll crush anyone else who dares to stand in his way, One For All users or not. Simple as that.

 

Now then, that should be everyone who potentially could’ve seen him. The city-wide blackout ensured that he wasn’t recorded, and even if that wasn’t the case, his Radio Waves quirk would’ve interfered with any recordings and electronics he needed to. 

He had hoped to kill the rest of Nine’s crew, but it shouldn’t matter too much. They’re nothing without their leader.

They may even join the League of Villains down the line. Yes, they would serve Tomura (and himself, when he finishes the takeover) well. 

Same goes for whatever other scraps are left. They will stop with this pathetic infighting and unite under him (technically his student, he supposes) to destroy the heroes for good and finally reclaim One For All. 

For now, he needs to spend some time recovering… and a new suit. This shouldn’t hinder his plans too much, as it’s now Tomura’s turn to wreak havoc in this superpowered society.

And once the transfer is complete, All For One will make sure to finish what he started all those years ago.

“Kurogiri, warp me back. My business here is complete.”

“As you wish, my lord.”

 

 

 

Final Results of the Naruhata War:

Law Enforcement:

• American Heroes - 36/41 Defeated or KIA
• Japanese Heroes - 59/65 Defeated or KIA
• Police - 677/765 Defeated or KIA

Naruhata Inhabitants:

• Vigilantes - 215/270 Defeated or KIA
• Former Instant Villains - 38/40 Captured or KIA
• Former Next-Level Villains - 25/25 Captured or KIA
• Former Dealers/Brokers/Staff of Villain Factory - 9/9 Captured or KIA
• Civilians - thousands severely injured or KIA

Shie Hassaikai:

• Sekan and his Clones - 1/4 Defeated or KIA
• Eight Bullets - 5/8 Defeated or KIA
• Nine’s Crew - 2/4 Defeated or KIA
• Praetorians - 75/120 Defeated or KIA
• Thugs and Goons - 515/650 Defeated, Arrested, or KIA
• Total of Independent Villains and Small Gangs - 228/245 Defeated, Arrested, or KIA

Others:

• All For One - moderately injured

 

Chapter 37: The Naruhata War - Epilogue

“SON OF A BITCH!!!” Sekan roars in absolute fury as another uncontrolled outburst of Overhaul turns his bedroom into a spike-filled death trap.

“Sekan, you braindead IDIOT! All that talk about being cautious around the plot and main characters alike and here you are invading entire goddamn cities and not even running away when All For Fucking One shows up!

Hell, you could’ve just had Machia or your Special Praetorians dogpile him if you wanted to kill him! It was the perfect chance to knock him off the board, but no! Of course you fucking didn’t!

You were an indecisive bastard and decided to have only some of your subordinates try to stall the goddamn demon lord while you and the others completed your tasks, dismissing the main antagonist of MHA, the most powerful villain in the world like he was just a pesky thorn in your fucking side! An afterthought!

You could just kill him later when it was more convenient for you and your own plans, right? From what Foresight showed you in your soundless, first person perspective away from most of the action, things weren’t that bad, right? Just… GOD FUCKING DAMNIT!!!”

Foresight had shown him saving and resurrecting Nine while Captain Celebrity held off All For One. Even if Nine wasn’t hiding his new quirks, he’s still a glass cannon despite the body modifications he was given. Such a powerful hero and villain defeating him wasn’t surprising to Sekan.

But he didn’t know how little time one of the top American heroes would buy. He didn’t know about BossHaul being caught in one of the demon lord’s blasts because Double lets him feel when a clone dies, not see it, so Foresight couldn’t properly give him that memo.

 

Sekan is absolutely livid at All For One. He wants to overhaul the demon lord LARPer’s bones around his body like a goddamn Rubik’s Cube.

He’s also extremely pissed off at both Rappa and Stain. They convinced him to go Plus Ultra with this plan; they convinced him to spare Knuckleduster back then, bringing about their own downfall… but right now, the person Sekan is most angry at is himself.

He was overconfident. Rappa suggested altering the plan to try and acquire more, but it was Sekan that agreed to it. It was Sekan that got greedy.

Sekan could have waited a bit longer before attacking, making and supplying his subordinates with more copied quirks. Rappa getting Fierce Gains on top of Endurance and Energy Saver probably would’ve let him win against AFO if Crawler, Nine, and Captain Celebrity were helping him out back then. 

But he didn’t. He thought what he had back then was enough.

After expanding so much, one-upping the heroes for so long, and even taming fucking Gigantomachia under his old master’s nose, he felt like he could take on the world. 

He saw the demon lord that once ruled it from the shadows as a potato-headed troll who struggled against goddamn KYOKA JIRO during the Final War.

But he wasn’t being held back by rebelling vestiges or out of control emotions or a desire to LARP and troll this time. All For One meant business this time. He didn’t fuck around at Naruhata this time.

This is what the Symbol of Evil was supposed to be before the final few arcs marginalized and nerfed him into a cartoonish supervillain who never read the Evil Overlord list. The Symbol of Evil was supposed to be a no-nonsense, unstoppable, and terrifying force of nature despite having injuries that went beyond crippling. 

Sekan was the overconfident one here. The constant victories and influence from others gradually made him lose his way, divert from his path. Pride comes before the fall, after all.

 

He’s been avoiding the world and main plot for so long, and for what? Wasn’t it to prepare for the apocalypse and become the strongest in the process? 

After becoming unstoppable, couldn’t he do whatever he wanted?

He had already become so strong, but he still couldn’t compete with the weakened demon lord who had been doing this kind of thing for centuries longer.

Was Sekan doing a much better job? Yes, but he’s also been doing this for less than a year. 

Less than a year and he already fell into the same pitfall as All For One. He let his hubris get the better of him and now has to pray that the demon lord didn’t manage to discover the Shie Hassaikai’s involvement or the fact that people who weren’t under him had multiple quirks… or both.

He failed and just paid a massive price for it. 

Almost a thousand of his regular thugs and troops are either dead or arrested. Nearly every minor subsidiary he has is gone. Several dozen of his Praetorians are dead!

Deidoro Sakaki, Rikiya Katsukame, and Kendo Rappa are dead!

He can make clones of them all through Double, sure, but the impact of this loss won’t be so easily recovered from. Some may even judge him for ‘tarnishing their memories’ through constant cloning so soon after their deaths.

That’s not even mentioning all the close calls with other key members. Sekan barely managed to resurrect Nine in time and Mummy would be permanently dead too if it wasn’t for GuildHaul bringing him back.

Toya was also almost on the list of top brass casualties and Kurono would need a new set of legs if it wasn’t for Rewind. Another dozen or two Praetorians would also be permanently out of commission if it wasn’t for Sekan’s arsenal of overpowered healing quirks.

 

So many dead… so many injured… so much lost… A lack of motivation and loyalty is something he cannot allow to happen. Such a major defeat will no doubt be a mood changer across the Hassaikai, and he can’t let this negative impact get any worse.

The main plan wasn’t his idea. He had made the involvement of both Rappa and Stain very clear during preparations, and his subordinates will be more willing to follow his original plans from now on.

That benefit was always intended, and it was supposed to overshadow whatever small loss he was forced to take if things went bad. But this loss was far worse than Sekan could’ve imagined.

Vigilantes, American Heroes, and Japanese Heroes. The participants from those three groups were well beyond average, and while most did eventually go down, they still put up one hell of a fight before succumbing.

When the demon lord came in, many other villains who hadn’t yet died were captured or too injured to continue, but even if they were at their best, it wouldn’t have made much of a difference against his level of power.

And you know what the worst part about all of this is? Most of those deaths were completely fucking accidental on All For One’s end! 

All that time Sekan spent building these minor antagonists and background characters up into something more than they ever were in canon was for nothing, because in the face of the main antagonist, they were all still nothing but ants crawling in the background that he completely tore apart with just a few blasts.

If it wasn’t for Overhaul and Cell Activation, he would’ve lost so much more.

If it wasn’t for Foresight, he would’ve lost so much more.

But even with all of that… even with those overpowered quirks and his pet projects and backup plans for his backup plans… he still lost so much.

And if AFO stops being an idiot for even a little bit longer, if he actually bothered to try and use his original quirk on Rappa, he’s going to lose so much more.

*knock* *knock* *knock* 

 

“...Dad?” He hears his daughter whisper.

But how can he face her right now?

*knock* *knock* *knock* 

“Daaaaaaaaad?”

He’s supposed to be a good role model for her. A good parent for her!

He’s supposed to be giving her a better life then she could ever have at UA, but now-

“Dad, open the door or I’m having Gigantomachia bust it down!”

“...Not now, Er-”

“Machiaaaaaa!”

“UNDERSTOOD, MY LADY!!! MACHIA, SMASH!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

The reinforced door flies off its hinges and the little girl behind it weaves through the spikes littered everywhere before slamming into her dad’s chest.

He's always been there for her, and now it's time for her to be there for him.

 

Countdown to Canon: 2 Months 2 Weeks before Entrance Exam

“Stop being dumb, daddy! Everyone makes mistakes!” My daughter chastises me after ordering my own bodyguard to blast my door down.

“I know that, but a mistake like this… it should’ve been so easy to avoid. All I had to do was stick to the plan and keep building up in secret, but no, I got greedy. I thought even the Symbols of Peace and Evil weren’t anything to me anymore, and a simple distraction would get them off my back.

Had I gone all out and swarmed him with the Special Praetorians, then maybe I could’ve done it, but I felt like killing him later would be better! Look at me, cocky enough to supposedly decide when the world’s most powerful villain should bite the dust.”

“...You were warming up to them, right? Deidoro, Rikiya, and Rappa?” She asks me after a bit. “Along with the other bullets. The rest of Kai Chisaki’s top brass.”

I don’t want to admit it, not after what they let Kai do to her, but…

“It’s okay. Most of them were forced to follow out of fear, and you’re the one who taught me how important employee relations are. As long as they’re truly loyal to you, I don’t mind.

Even the vestige of Kai is helping you now after suffering for months. He got the payback he deserved, and while I still won’t ever forgive him, I won’t deny his genuine help either. Better to take advantage of that then simply throw it away out of personal bias, right?”

 

Funny how I compared myself to Hajime Nagumo at the start, and now I’m going through similar character development. I’m starting to care a bit more about the people who chose to follow me.

That are loyal enough to die for me without a second thought.

Forget dying in the field, many even commit suicide when captured just to not risk any mental quirks forcing them to cough up information. I can usually get them out quickly, but some would rather not chance being forced to leak intel beforehand.

Good thing most police and heroes are grossly incompetent, but in their defense, only All For One is probably old enough to have watched pre-quirk spy movies where bad guys have fake teeth with cyanide capsules in them.

I can appreciate that much. I’m not completely heartless like All For One is, and my forces are better off because of it. They can be far more useful than mere chess pieces, pawns for me to use and throw away at the slightest convenience or mistake on my journey to survive the upcoming apocalypse… so long as I allow them to be.

“...Heh. Sounds like you’ve already become a better villainous mastermind than me. I’m so proud of you, Eri.” I chuckle while hugging my daughter. 

“No, I’m not! I still make way more mistakes than you! Even if you were super cocky when planning this out, you still made plenty of backup plans! You still wanted to be ready for whatever you could! Does that sound like something a bad mastermind would do?”

…She does have a point. I did still try to prepare for whatever I could.

 

The plan I went with, Contingency Plan ACC-3, was my third contingency plan for if AFO, Captain Celebrity, and Crawler happened to be in Naruhata during the attack. None of them were present according to both my Praetorians and cyberwarfare branch, but I prepared several backup plans for if one or more of them showed up anyway.

I’m already quite the strategist and tactician, and with IQ at my disposal, I can expand and refine my already large, detailed plans a whole lot more.

But even then, things still went to shit much worse than I ever could’ve guessed.

The vigilantes being the ones to ambush my forces instead of the other way around, dozens of extra heroes from America joining the fray, and All For One being far stronger than his canon counterpart.

No… he wasn’t stronger. He simply took things far more seriously than he ever did against the heroes. He changed how he fought; he minimized the taunts and went straight for the kill. 

Did the prior changes I caused scare him? Did the villains rising up like this encourage him to start going Plus Ultra himself?

I planned for shit to hit the fan, but not by this much! Any major deaths were supposed to be undone by my clones and I! 

All my weaker forces were supposed to either successfully retreat or get arrested at worst with, but the Hassaikai would pay their bail or break them out within the next few weeks. The elites were supposed to have no such trouble.

So much went wrong. I’ve been playing the entire world for fools, but the world just bit back, and my forces just went through the wringer.

So what now then? 

 

“I’ve seen this kind of thing before in the anime I’ve been watching. The main character is at their lowest point and super sad after messing up while their enemies usually go around and make everything worse.

But then the main character’s friends and allies cheer the guy up and they all start their epic comeback against their main enemies. We need to get this low point part of the story over with now before the evil potato can make things any worse for us, dad!”

What now then? Am I gonna get back up after being beaten down, or let all this time and effort I put in be for nothing?

Am I gonna spiral and start taking more rash, egotistical actions, or am I going to remain calm and make the most out of this disaster?

I may have superpowers now, but I’m still a human. Humans make mistakes; what’s important is learning from them.

Her response gets me to chuckle a bit through the tears, and I hug my daughter even tighter.

“You’re right, snowflake. I need to stop following those stupid tropes and stick to my own path.”

I won’t let an anime’s plot and people completely drive my actions again. There’s so much more to this place and its inhabitants than what's shown on a screen or printed in a book.

I will choose my own path and I’ll stick with it until the end! I’ll stick with my original plan and better prepare myself, and next time, my victory will be total.

But that comes later. For now, once I finish giving a few pandering, preachy speeches to my remaining subordinates (Kurono prepared a few of those; they were rather cringey in my opinion, but people from MHA just eat that shit up), damage control needs to be done and autopsies need to be sabotaged.

 

The Second Underground Masquerade is done for. If All For One doesn't have his goons disable it, then the vigilantes or heroes will.

I can’t have Nine’s crew go out either. Nine is supposed to be dead and AFO will launch a much more thorough investigation if he sees the guy going around again. 

The other three are supposed to be severely injured as well, and while the underworld has some decent healers according to Giran, none hold a candle to what Overhaul or Cell Activation can do.

Despite losing much more than intended, we technically succeeded in the original mission. I have more to show from my ransacking of Naruhata than just a bruised ego and some major casualties; we got more than enough data and test subjects for this latest and greatest round of modifications. 

A true strategist finds success even in failure. At the very least, you gain knowledge each time you lose. Knowledge on how to be better next time. It’s up to me to use that knowledge and do better next time.

We have all that we need right now, so all that’s left is to further develop in the shadows and actually stick to that arrangement. This war showed me just how fragile my organization, endeavors, and exploits still are against the current pinnacles of the world; I need to become a lot more powerful before acting so recklessly or out in the open… or both.

And now, I should have enough time to do so. As long as thousands of heroes or All For One and his overseas buddies don’t charge into Osaka, we should be fine. The nuclear option of infinite doubles isn’t necessary.

I did my best to hide the Hassaikai’s involvement, and at the very least, that should’ve worked out. Rappa was tied to the Second Underground Masquerade, not the Shie Hassaikai, and all the troops I had there were believed to be connected to Nine and his crew.

The fallout is going to be a complete mess, especially since Captain Celebrity, Skycrawler, and a whole bunch of their friends from America died in Japan last night on an impromptu international mission, not to mention all the Japanese heroes that perished, but none of that concerns me. Not right now. 

I’ve been working too hard to falter now. I could have hidden out on Nabu Island or some other tropical paradise, coconut drink in hand, and had an easy life until the apocalypse killed me, but I instead chose to work my ass off to prepare for it instead.

And heroes, villains, vigilantes, and civilians alike keep getting in the fucking way!

 

There’s no taking them on now, not in the open. Having them all destroy each other for me is still my best bet.

Because of that, the Shie Hassaikai will be going completely underground for a while, canceling most ongoing operations and recruitment throughout Japan to maximize safety. Only the small, legal operations and public presence will continue to maintain that disguise.

The main goal now will be recovering and consolidating our remaining forces with all that we’ve gained from our numerous endeavors and gambles up until now. 

That and quietly observing the fallout. I’ve already got people keeping track of both Japanese and international media to see how this disaster for everyone except All For One is portrayed.

While following Japanese media for information on Japanese news sounds logical on paper, you have to keep in mind what game the HPSC is playing. From inside a country, it can be harder to express ‘unacceptable’ opinions, especially when the hero system is involved. 

In cases like that, if international news is covering the incident in question, then it’s better to follow them. Of course, observing Japanese news helps too, as it reveals what the HPSC prioritizes covering up or what they even could cover up.

Just another helpful method to learn more about your opponents. I’ve been doing plenty of that already, but it’s about time I crank that up to Plus Ultra levels.

There’s no way in hell I’m making the same mistake twice. 

I will recover from this! 

I will do what I set out to do from the moment I was sent to this godforsaken world!

 

TheLongHaulers:

MainHaul: So is everyone in agreement then?

NightHaul: Yes, going about this at our current strength isn’t going to work anymore.

LabHaul: But I barely go out anyway!

GuildHaul: True, but it’s only a matter of time before you pull a Mei Hatsume with your experiments, and you aren’t magically immune to any and all explosions like she is.

LabHaul: Screw you.

NightHaul: Now’s not the time to be bickering. The simple truth is that the body modifications and extra quirks we can get are limited due to us being clones with very limited durability. Even Overhaul can only circumvent this so much.

NightHaul: We are reaching our limit, and while I dislike the idea of dying for obvious reasons, it would be safer for our family and organization if the original reset all his clones once this newest round of upgrades are complete.

NightHaul: The Shie Hassaikai as an organization will be going through a complete overhaul (pun intended) now, and that has to include us.

MainHaul: I’m sorry to request this of you guys. I know that technically being clones doesn’t make you feel any less than regular people do, especially after being around for so long.

NightHaul: No need for apologies. BossHaul’s demise was an eye-opener for all of us. If All For One discovered that he was a mere clone from Double, we would have the demon lord knocking on our door right now or even potentially recreating the nightmare that shall not be named.

NightHaul: We all need to be better. We all need to be stronger. This is simply the most logical way to do so, and this is something I'm willing to do for Zookeeper and Eri's sake.

MainHaul: LabHaul? GuildHaul? The choice is up to you. I wouldn’t want something like this forced on me if I was in your shoes, so I won’t do that with any of you.

GuildHaul: I’ll do it. Sucks that I couldn’t be around longer, but I get the reasoning behind this. I am you after all.

LabHaul: Same. Ugh. Just try and let my replacement develop his own way, okay? I know I can be a bit of a pain to you guys, but it really helps me feel like my own person and that helps a lot with motivation.

MainHaul: I will, I promise. Same goes for the rest of you. Thank you all for doing this; I won’t let you guys or the Hassaikai down again.

GuildHaul: Hey, our gamble at Naruhata was orchestrated by ALL of us, remember? We ALL gave Rappa and Stain permission to go Plus Ultra with this. And no, us all being your clones doesn’t mean you should pin the responsibility solely on yourself. Got it?

MainHaul: …

GuildHaul: I SAID! GOT? IT?

MainHaul: Okay. Got it.

 

Heh, who would’ve thought my clones would warm up to the idea of sacrifice for others? Maybe pulling off a Sad Man’s Parade without rebellion someday really is possible. 

Talk about some major character development. 

My quirk vestiges are a similar story. More will be getting replaced soon as I undergo my biggest upgrade yet, and based on the research I’ve done, most vestiges can’t properly manifest or will themselves into being in a dead body, let alone pilot it like a puppet. 

If that was the case, then what would stop the vestiges of people from piloting the corpses of their ‘real’ selves upon their deaths?

Only vestiges with tremendous amounts of both willpower and control like All For One’s can pull off such a thing, and as for putting the vestiges I part with into other living beings, they know far too much about me and my secrets for me to allow that. 

And yet, instead of getting angry over my extreme levels of paranoia, clones and vestiges alike are instead willing to embrace the end with open arms while wishing me and the others luck.

Is this lack of fear regarding death due to them not technically being alive to begin with? Is it just more character development on their end?

 

I know I shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth like this; I shouldn’t resist this selfless sacrifice of theirs because of how utterly convenient it is for me, and yet, a part of me wants to forbid it despite how much more difficult that makes things.

Maybe it’s because of how much I lost already at Naruhata, despite these new losses benefitting me overall? So a subconscious desire out of paranoia and pride not to lose any more no matter how much that helps me?

Or maybe I really am starting to genuinely care more about the people under me, seeing them more as just extensions of my various endeavors and exploits.

Not that I haven’t been treating them well before. The number of gifts and perks I give my subordinates is immense, but that was mainly because they would work even harder with undying loyalty towards me in return. 

The fanaticism of people here is just one of many things I can take advantage of, and I still will, but at the same time, I want the people under me to end up as more than throwaway fanatics.

Making them more capable… it’ll benefit both them and myself.

I fucked up royally, but they’re still giving me so much support. It was a nice reminder about what exactly I’m fighting for.

Yeah, my goal at the end of the day is simple: make sure my organization, my family, and I myself can survive whatever comes our way whether it's heroes, villains, vigilantes, or even the goddamn apocalypse.

No… we won’t just survive. We are gonna fucking thrive and come back better then ever before!

I’ll make sure of it.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Main Family (+ Current Quirks):

• Sekan Doraifu - Mind Web, Overhaul (Awakened), Confession, Double, IQ, Cleaning, Endurance, Energy Saver
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Scanning
• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Eri - Rewind, Wave Motion, IQ

Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Zookeeper (Personal Maid/Eri’s Main Caretaker) - Cleaning, Overhaul, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Gigantomachia (Head Bodyguard) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole
• Hari Kurono (Leader of Eight Bullets/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hekiji Tengai (Eight Bullets) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Toya Setsuno (Eight Bullets) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Yu Hojo (Eight Bullets) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Soramitsu Tabe (Eight Bullets) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Scanning, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Endurance, Energy Saver

Other Forces:

• Praetorian Guard - 110
• Pseudo Getens - 10
• Pseudo Inasas - 5
• Pseudo Shotos - 5
• Cyber Warfare Branch - 40
• Mad Science Branch - 35
• Creation Crew - 50
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 40
• Thugs and Goons - 3405

Subsidiaries:

• Hero Killer
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth and his crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 87

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 38: Plus Ultra Persuasion

“Trust me, I understand your feelings all too well. This whole concept of heroes and villains just doesn’t work, and the society that revolves around it is going to fall apart for good very, very soon.” The white-haired girl tells him.

He doesn’t know who she is or where she came from, but hearing someone else actually agree with him over how stupid heroes and villains are is… nice. Really nice.

She’s being so kind to him. She actually listens to him!

It’s like she’s an angel that floated down from the sky! Wait, she actually did float down from the sky with some swirly energy things coming off of her shoes. 

It feels… too good to be true.

“D-Do you really mean that? Are you even real? Who even are you?” He rapid-fires questions at the girl who looks to be his age.

“I do, Kota.” She smiles before giving him a warm hug. “We can’t rely on those kinds of people to protect us; rely on people you actually trust and understand to protect you instead, and let them rely on you to protect them. 

Let me be here for you, and you can be here for me. We can protect each other together, no heroes needed.”

Protecting each other… It really sounds nice, but…

“With these corny powers we have? But they’re so-”

“Who we are isn’t defined by our powers. My own power was called a curse for so long by a terrible villain. He used his power to hurt me so much and the heroes did nothing to stop him, but then my dad came along and used that power to help me.”

What? He used another person’s quirk? That’s possible?

 

“A person’s power isn’t what matters, Kota. It’s how they use that power. Doesn’t using your power to protect those you care about and only those you care about sound nice? It’s better than throwing your life away for random strangers, right?”

“...I guess so.”

“That’s what I do with my powers. I use them the way that I want to, and I want to protect those I care about like how they protect me with their own powers. It’s really nice, Kota. You would love being a part of it… if you’re willing to give it a try. 

Let me save you, Kota, and you can worry about returning the favor later. Okay?”

It’s so tempting. He just wants to take her hand and let her lead him wherever she wants.

But his Aunt Shino… oh, who is he kidding? Her and her team of heroes can go screw themselves! Training more idiots to throw their lives away and leave their own loved ones to suffer like he is; that’s all they do at the end of the day!

He only does as they say since he has nowhere else to go, but now he does!

“Okay. Please save me, um… uhhh…”

“Eri. Eri Doraifu.” The pretty, white-haired girl smiles at him again. “Thank you for trusting me, Kota. Together, we’ll make sure that we never lose any family ever again, and the society of heroes and villains that caused us so much pain burns to the ground.”

 

Countdown to Canon: 2 Months 1 Week before Entrance Exam

The last week has been extremely hectic and the Naruhata Gambit went horribly off script, but I’m still more motivated than ever before!

As for what’s been going on lately, for starters, the Second Underground Masquerade has been completely shut down. 

Some of the remaining vigilantes who played a part in Knuckleduster’s investigation tattled to their Pro-Hero friends and most of the arenas were raided, but my forces have already cleared out everything that could possibly point back to us. 

VillainNet was deleted, our products were recovered, and our staff all moved out days before the heroes came crashing down. Most of the country has learned about Naruhata being wiped off the map and the HPSC is probably pissing its pants off at the development.

Oh, and it wasn’t just heroes coming after the SUM either. I’m 99% sure that Skeptic tried hacking into VillainNet a few days before Naruhata happened and he’s probably still fuming about failing to break our firewalls if his canon losses to La Brava are anything to go by.

 

Ironically enough, it seems that All For One mostly cleared things up for the heroes.

The evil overgrown tumor’s network of spies and supporters spun the story of Nine being behind everything, any damage he himself did being put on my subordinate during his fight with Captain Celebrity (plus the other villains, vigilantes and American heroes who intervened).

Anyone close enough to see otherwise is either with me or dead, and I had no issues with that narrative. Even if unintentionally, All For One and I collaborated with the cleanup effort, making sure whatever small scraps of heroes and vigilantes were left didn’t let the truth slip. 

Thanks to both canon and my Confessionals, I already know a good chunk of AFO’s spies throughout Japan, and I recognized many of the people spreading rumors about what happened as said spies. 

Of course, it was also revealed that the HPSC didn’t have a single fucking clue about this until Naruhata was nothing but burning rubble, making them look incredibly incompetent and also royally pissing off the United States with many of their stronger heroes and one of their top heroes being dead because of this.

The HPSC was pissed off too due to the unwanted, unapproved international aid and being caught flat footed by major current events once again, the CRC-WV Villain War already having taken a nasty shot at their reputation. 

Once those guys got their bearings, they basically spun the story of ‘villains attacked and vigilantes plus American heroes made things worse for the Japanese heroes who were totally equipped to contain Nine’s crew initially’. It didn’t conflict too much with the narrative AFO was pushing, but many still took it with a grain of salt.

So now representatives from both countries are bitching to the UN and WHA and politics will ensure their complaints never lead anywhere. It will only waste the heroes’ time, and that’s good enough for villainous factions like AFO’s and my own.

The heroes also assumed that Nine and Captain Celebrity killed each other during that titanic battle with the rest of his main crew being MIA or potentially dead as well, and with my main goal being to keep those forces of mine hidden, I have no problem going along with that excuse for now as it means nobody will be looking for them.

And there are still plenty of ways I can use Nine’s crew, especially with Overhaul being capable of altering bodies and swapping quirks to my liking.

So yeah, Japan is in disarray right now and raiding my underground fighting club is probably the HPSC’s attempt at getting back some personal PR, but all they really found were some abandoned arenas and a couple villains who decided to break in and go a few rounds for funzies.

 

Now the biggest issue with the SUM was the fact that Rappa was leading it, and while very few outside the Shie Hassaikai and it’s more trusted subsidiaries know about him formerly being one of its top brass (with Giran being the only person outside the Hassaikai involved with the SUM stuff), we still would’ve had to hide him a lot more for a while, or in the worst case scenario, pretend that he was framed.

But Rappa is dead now. I’m not saying that it’s a good thing he died, only that it happens to help out with this problem.

Considering that the heroes and/or AFO haven’t launched an invasion on Osaka yet, it seems that I was at least able to continue hiding my organization. 

Rappa must’ve purposely held back against the demon lord, ruining his final fight but ensuring that his opponent didn’t discover his multiple quirks or bother trying to use AFO on him in general. Even then, he still chose to try and buy as much time as he could.

Granted, he probably wouldn’t have won even if he did go all out. Doing so would definitely make him more powerful than canon All Might was at Kamino, but this was an All For One who wasn’t fucking around.

Look at the quirks AFO used during Kamino and look at the quirks he used during the Final War before he rewinded back to his prime. 

That alone is a difference of several times, and combined with him actually taking things seriously rather than mock, LARP, and reveal one overly-complex plan after another to defeat his opponents, you get a completely different beast entirely.

The brawler went up against that, and held both the demon lord and himself back to protect the rest of us rather than give into his selfish desire to slug it out with everything he has. Talk about character development.

Rest in peace, Rappa. You earned it, you crazy bastard.

 

You too, Deidoro and Rikiya. You may have been nothing characters in the canon story, but I won’t forget all the fun times we had and all the aid you’ve both given me since my arrival here. 

You all were important in my story, and that matters to me far more than your assigned roles in a shounen. They still are important, as Double lets me create as many copies of them as I need.

But now isn’t the time to mope around. I need to make all those sacrifices worth it, so I’m putting our internal development into overdrive rather than try to expand again or do new business endeavors until canon starts up. 

Like I said, pretty much all Shie Hassaikai business endeavors from trading and smuggling to recruiting and expanding are getting put on hold for a while. Most of my remaining subsidiaries are halting or at least slowing down their operations too.

Stain is still going on a hero-killing rampage, so nothing new there.

Innsmouth still makes the occasional delivery between facilities of ours, but I’m not having him sell any products right now. Probably for the best considering that Gang Orca has been annoyingly persistent in trying to stop his crew (plus Cider House whenever they accompany him) lately.

The guy’s probably still peeved about getting his aquatic ass handed to him by Curator during the CRC-WV Villain War. He was cleared to start hero work again somewhat recently and is less than thrilled about my subsidiaries’ dominion over the seas.

My various groups of thieves (Volcano Thieves, Gentle/La Brava, Cider House, etc) will still go on the occasional stealing spree to not look suspicious. They are supposed to be independent groups as far as everyone else knows, after all. 

But other than that, the remaining ones are all laying low at either their own hideouts or some Shie Hassaikai facilities.

 

Even Giran is laying low for the time being. His prestige in the underground has skyrocketed due to all the business plans I’ve involved him in, so if he wasn’t already the biggest villain broker in Japan before, he sure as hell is now.

He has his own little empire now, controlling a significant part of the Japanese Black Market with his own network of information brokers, suppliers, distributors, and hired muscle just to name a few categories. The money passing through his hands has multiplied a hundredfold.

Not even the Creature Rejection Clan and Wild Villains at their peak can match up to the power his own organization has now, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little worried about it.

Giran gets very little screen time in canon. He’s portrayed as a big-time broker, but we never really see the details of his criminal empire. The best we get is a scene where Giran talks about Stain to one of his buddies who can make good support gear.

It’s safe to assume that all the exploits I’ve done have made Giran much more of a threat then in canon, and that’s a problem because All For One will be using Giran’s services until Kamino.

I’m not worried about Giran blabbing about me to AFO (he knows better than to pull that shit), but a larger criminal empire at his disposal means more resources for All For One to take advantage of with his comical amounts of cash.

Will the USJ attack involve more villains? Will the Vanguard Action Squad have more members? Will those villains have better gear or maybe some Trigger to further boost them?

Not only that, but the villainous rabble across Japan is getting smarter as a whole, following the example I’ve been setting from the shadows. 

From dealing with heroes to avoiding capture to better arming and training themselves to greater levels of cooperation, these relatively small changes are coming together to make massive impacts.

And that level of improvement could lead to quite a few dead teenagers during the first major climax of canon MHA.

I already took Twice out of the picture and Stain is firmly on my side, but Giran’s growth may just make up for it when it comes to the League of Villains, and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing for my plans.

Remember, I want the main canon story to go at least mostly like normal until Kamino when All Might and AFO take each other down. One symbol taking down the other and still having more than enough power to keep doing their job would make my future endeavors rather difficult as they’re far more open and daring then most of what I’ve done already. 

That’s something I’ll have to keep an eye on, but I still have some time before canon starts in earnest. That’s also something I’ll probably have to do myself, as while most of my subordinates have plenty of free time now, my remaining clones are a different story.

 

GuildHaul is mainly taking over for BossHaul now since he no longer has to worry about recruiting. He’s mainly arranging the mass funeral for those that died during the Naruhata War at the moment.

NightHaul is continuing to monitor the heroes and keep up with the society that’s soon going to crash and burn.

LabHaul is especially busy with him going all in with his research about all this new data we’ve gathered. We’ve got more than enough MHA Vigilante background characters and minor antagonists trying not to drop the soap for him to finish his latest project.

He’s also looking more into the exact effects of Endurance, among other things, to tailor this latest round of body modifications to perfection. 

Garaki managed to optimize the human body for Trigger, and now LabHaul wants to try and optimize the human body for certain quirks. This is something that we’ve somewhat done with the specialized Praetorians, but it’s gonna be on a whole other level for myself.

Endurance is the key to that and Energy Saver lets him and his dozens of assistants (and many more clones) work around the clock to perfect this as fast as possible. 

He’s been making hundreds of quirk copies of those two quirks lately with him even making a clone or two of Eri to spam Rewind in conjunction with Overhaul for duplication full-time.

I… did not like that one bit, since these clones will have to dissipate eventually, but LabHaul and the LabEris are all committed to this, so I’ll just leave it up to them. 

 

As for what I’ve been doing, well, getting my emotions back under control was a good place to start. 

Losing so much sucked beyond belief, especially with how unexpected it was and how few losses I’ve had in general up to that point, but I refuse to let that stupid overemotional shounen trope bring me down like it has with so many other villains.

So that led to me using IQ to quickly learn and master various exercises in meditation, mindfulness, yoga, tai-chi, and just about every bit of New Age holistic crap I could gather that dealt with clearing and fortifying the mind.

Yeah, this also helps immensely when it comes to strengthening my vestigeworld or mindspace in general, making it easier to fight back against mental attacks or unruly quirk vestiges. Might as well kill two birds with one stone.

I’ve also been copying quirks around Japan again, mostly for LabHaul’s current projects like what’s going to be my greatest upgrade to date, the completion of my ‘Semi-Perfect Form’ as he calls it.

Eri and Zi have been coming along on those missions, making sure that I’m okay and giving me whatever support I need while subduing out targets. Even Machia comes along sometimes whenever LabHaul doesn’t need him.

That clone of mine has made plenty of Machia body-copies, quirks included, through our Overhaul + Rewind combo already, but LabHaul still needs to do some experiments with the original wielder from time to time.

Anyway, one of the destinations we ended up at during this most recent quirk-duplicating montage is a rather well known canon location, the Quirk Training Camp belonging to the Wild Wild Pussycats.

We went there at night and body-fused with the team of heroes one by one, altering the memories right after to prevent them from catching on. It wasn’t hard considering they were all taking their ‘cat naps’ at the time.

The only member of the team I didn’t temporarily body-fuse with is Tiger since I have no need for a copy of his quirk. As for the others… 

 

I already went over Mandalay’s Telepathy, but to summarize, it’s a quirk both similar and different to mine. That’s gonna be very important later on for one of our new avenues of research.

Pixie-Bob’s Earth Flow quirk is basically a slightly weaker version of Geten’s Ice Ply quirk with the Earth being what’s manipulated instead of ice. I may or may not devote a group of specialized Praetorians to mastering that quirk; I haven’t decided yet.

Frankly, it’s insulting how weak she’s treated as in canon. She alone should have curb-stomped most of the Vanguard Action Squad with her army of mythical beasts and tidal waves made from the ground below, and yet she’s knocked out in like two seconds and stays down for the rest of that battle.

Ragdoll’s Search is probably the best quirk of the bunch with even All For One being smart enough to realize how overpowered it is, taking it after the Vanguard Action Squad kidnapped its user during the Training Camp Attack.

This quirk allows the user to monitor and observe up to a hundred people at once, that includes knowing their locations and weak points. This ability has a ridiculous range and even permanently stores the information gathered after its usage!

As for people with multiple quirks, Search specially targets the Quirk Factor and DNA of a person, so if it’s used on someone who has multiple in their system, they will be able to recognize each as an individual option.

So yeah, incredibly overpowered. My organization will be making very good use of them.

 

Only one thing didn’t go to plan during this mission with that being Eri running into Kota Izumi while keeping watch for Zi and I. 

He was up at his secret hideout from canon and my daughter convinced him to drop everything and run away with her to join her own villainous organization in like 20 minutes thanks to a combination of her using IQ and kids their age, emotional ones especially, being rather easy to sway.

I confirmed the other little kid was dead serious with Confession and I know how much he hates this hero society thanks to canon. Also, Eri was giving me puppy eyes and I just couldn’t say no to her.

So now Kota Izumi is living in my main compound, training hard to become my daughter’s personal bodyguard. That… isn’t what I was expecting.

He and Eri even got LabHaul to give him a copy of Ice Ply so he can create and manipulate water and ice all he wants! 

And as if that wasn’t enough, Eri is ‘secretly’ bribing my cyberwarfare branch to search Japan’s Quirk Registry for quirks that can let the user boil water too, essentially letting Kota manipulate the temperature of his water as well as create and manipulate water itself at will!

It’s a devastating quirk combo that’s gonna make Kota into an absolute monster when he grows up. I’m proud of Eri for taking such good care of her subordinates and showing such initiative for her own future villain organization (despite me already naming her the Shie Hassaikai’s next leader), but this is getting a bit ridiculous, even for me.

She really has been influenced a lot by me, hasn’t she?

 

But getting back on track, along with these quirks simply being useful in general, there’s actually a special purpose for Telepathy in particular.

The latest quirk phenomenon we’ve really been focusing on (due to it being horribly explained in canon) is Artificial Quirks like Kurogiri’s Warp Gate.

According to canon, Warp Gate has Oboro Shirakumo’s original quirk, Cloud, used as the base factor. Several other quirks were then gifted to this particular Nomu and they all merged together to create Warp Gate.

It is unknown what other quirks were used as well as how many other quirks were used in the creation of this Artificial Quirk, but the idea of quirks resonating with each other and fusing into a stronger one is extremely interesting and has incredible amounts of potential.

Just look at how stupidly overpowered Warp Gate is! If AFO wasn’t a total idiot that reduced this incredible weapon to a glorified taxi, the villains could have won no problem!

Anyone with half a brain and access to both a quirk like that and a quirk that causes large-scale destruction (like Tomura’s Decay for example) can take down the country with ease! 

All they need to do is keep destroying things. Open a small warpgate by a police precinct or hero agency and use Decay on it. Or use Decay on a skyscraper’s foundations to topple it. 

Or just warp into the HPSC President’s office or Nezu’s office at UA and turn them into dust in seconds because there is literally zero defenses against warp quirks in canon.

I COULD LITERALLY WARP INTO TARTARUS AND YOINK OUT WHATEVER PRISONERS I WANT TO WITH THAT QUIRK AND THE RIGHT COORDINATES! KUROGIRI COULD’VE FREED ALL FOR ONE IN SECONDS FROM HIS CELL IF HE WANTED TO!

Ugh, stupid power gap preventing me from taking these idiots down already.

At least that problem will be fixed soon enough.

 

Anyway, if I were to apply a similar concept in regards to Artificial Quirks, just imagine the kinds of overpowered abilities I could create! It’s kind of like a Quirk Awakening, or maybe even superior depending what the end result of a quirk merger is.

Of course, such a thing is only possible if you have someone that can give and take quirks. I’ve been in that exclusive club for months now and have already begun looking more into this concept as an alternative to Quirk Awakenings.

Imagine Mind Web gaining both the ridiculous range and nearly endless capacity of people that can be affected through Telepathy. That’s what I’m going for here.

I already have a copy of my own quirk (and can make more if I want to) thanks to fusing with Zi a little while back to grant her a copy of Overhaul. 

LabHaul already has a few quirkless people in the Hassaikai willing to be test subjects to gain some quirks, so he’s going to give a copy of both Mind Web and Telepathy to one of these guys and try to have the quirks merge together.

Trigger will probably be used to help out with this. Copies of Endurance or maybe even Love too as they help boost the body. Hell, I may even add in a few other telepathy or telekinesis quirks just to try and make the merger even stronger!

Like Dr. Garaki, we can get Quirk Factors from blood samples now, and we just so happened to have a bit of blood from Captain Celebrity thanks to the Naruhata War. An unexpected bonus, but a very welcome one.

All For One nearly obliterated the guy during their fight, but some of my Praetorians happened to be close to the crash sight of what little was left after that finishing blow and took a slight detour to collect some DNA samples of his remains before leaving the battlefield.

Those guys got a hefty bonus for that extra contribution.

 

Now while we can make copies of the quirk, the decades worth of combat experience mastering this quirk are a different story… or are they?

We can’t get those memories from a DNA sample, but luckily for me, Nine filled in the missing piece of that puzzle. He engaged with both the Captain and Skycrawler for a hefty amount of time… more than enough time to get info for Double clones.

Nine is naturally observant, and his Scanning quirk was especially helpful with this sudden side mission. So now, while we can’t get blood samples from those clones (due to them turning into goop when too much damage is taken), we can get memories from them regarding usage of their quirks.

A shame we couldn’t get any DNA from Skycrawler too, but being able to make clones of him for my subordinates to train against is more than enough.

Getting back on track, if we do manage to create an Artificial Quirk, I’ll simply merge with it through Overhaul like I would with regular quirks.

Unfortunately, I still haven’t reached the third stage of Overhaul yet where I can directly give and take Quirk Factors without any other parts of the body attached, but such a powerful quirk would be well worth the spot taken up, and who knows, perhaps this new quirk will fuse with my original Mind Web quirk, becoming an even stronger Artificial Quirk!

…Can multiple copies of the same quirk even fuse together to begin with? AFO has three of the exact same Strength Enhancer quirk, but perhaps the All For One quirk purposefully keeps all other quirks within it separate from each other?

 

That’s most likely the case. OFA, on the other hand, seems to almost combine the quirks it gets into one slurry while powering them up through the energy stockpile. It almost feels like a combination of the Artificial Quirk and Quirk Awakening concepts.

Such a thing would be really interesting to properly explore; a shame I’ll never be able to look more into it.

So to summarize, this massive upgrade into my Semi-Perfect Form is going to potentially involve Quirk Awakenings, Artificial Quirks, body modifications to house more of (and use more efficiently) Trigger, body modifications to optimize the usage of certain quirks, body modifications to house more quirks, and so on.

You know what the funniest part about all this is? The Endurance quirk, a quirk that strengthens the user in pretty much every available category based on how excited and motivated they are, is going to be a key part in making all of this possible.

I am literally using the shounen trope of pure morale and determination being capable of solving otherwise impossible problems!

Well, this is a shounen world, and while completely rewriting the rules of this world has worked in my favor so far, maybe… maybe directly using those aspects to my advantage more often wouldn’t hurt either.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• Sekan Doraifu - ?????
• LabHaul - ?????
• NightHaul - ?????
• GuildHaul - ?????
• Eri - ?????

Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Zookeeper (Personal Maid/Eri’s Main Caretaker) - Cleaning, Overhaul, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Gigantomachia (Head Bodyguard) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole
• Hari Kurono (Leader of Eight Bullets/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hekiji Tengai (Eight Bullets) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Toya Setsuno (Eight Bullets) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Yu Hojo (Eight Bullets) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Soramitsu Tabe (Eight Bullets) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Scanning, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Endurance, Energy Saver

Other Forces:

• Praetorian Guard - 110
• Pseudo Getens - 10
• Pseudo Inasas - 5
• Pseudo Shotos - 5
• Cyber Warfare Branch - 40
• Mad Science Branch - 35
• Creation Crew - 50
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 40
• Thugs and Goons - 3405

Subsidiaries:

• Hero Killer
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth and his crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 87

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 39: Bonus Chapter - Eri’s Villain Organization

“Thank you for coming, everyone. Now let us begin the latest meeting of the H.S.” Eri begins from the head of the conference table she may or may not be borrowing from her dad.

The H.S. or ‘Head-Starters’ is the name she decided on for her own villain organization, at least for the time being. It can be considered a subsidiary to the Shie Hassaikai (her dad agreed to it) and, as the name implies, is an organization of children looking to get a head start on villany.

She is the Shie Hassaikai’s prodigy. Their golden egg. The person next in line to lead them all.

But the first two titles don’t have to be exclusive to her.

 

Her dad didn’t mind this pet project of hers at all. According to him, being a villain boss isn’t much different than being a kindergarten teacher or nanny due to how… unstable most villains tend to be. 

Her subordinates won’t be like that. She’ll make sure they’re the best of the best when they all grow up!

Directly to her left and right are her two main bodyguards and enforcers, Kota and Tamashiro.

Kota can be considered a victim of this society filled with heroes and villains, just like her, with Muscular being his Kai Chisaki. If there is any silver lining to that tragedy, it helped him see things more Eri’s way.

Tamashiro is one of the main problem children from Masegaki Primary School (and one of the kids present for the Remedial Course Arc, but Eri doesn’t know about that).

He was a bit harder to convince, as he wished to become a hero like most in this society. He had quite a strong quirk too and could even be compared to the likes of Katsuki Bakugou with his rather fierce personality, but he was nothing to Eri once she set her sights on him.

Any Binging Ball he threw her way was effortlessly pierced or pinned down with her restraining him with Wave Motion within seconds before telling him the truth about hero society and how doomed it was. 

He was a lot more willing to join her after that, gaining respect for the little villain boss and wishing to prove himself to her.

This, naturally, caused him to butt heads with her other main bodyguard/enforcer.

 

“Oh, please. The most you can do is make people a little wet and cold, weenie! My binging balls can gobble up anything you throw at me!”

“Even a giant ice dragon? Let’s see how you like being swallowed up by a quirk, stupid!”

“That’s enough, you two. Save your threats for our enemies.” She commands them with the two responding “Yes, ma’am!” a mere moment later, not daring to continue butting heads.

She’s trained them well. With them being given such high positions in her organization, they naturally need to be strong and subservient.

“What do you need us to do, Mistress Eri?” Katsuma inquires, his older sister nodding along.

Everyone present is in tailor-made business attire made through the Creation Crew. She can’t have all her efforts being dismissed as a mere game, now can she?

According to her dad, it’s one thing to take advantage of being underestimated, but she still needs a certain amount of respect from those not directly under her as a bare minimum. 

Kota, Tamashiro, the Shimano siblings, some more problem children from Masegaki Primary School, and a few kids close to or slightly above her age whose parents are working for her dad all face her, awaiting orders.

She’s recruited a little over a dozen people so far… It's not much, but it’s a start. 

Eri won’t shield them from her family’s ‘business’ until they’re older. If anything, she’s gonna do the opposite! She knows it’s the right move to make; IQ helped confirm it!

She’ll show them the truth while they’re still young enough to be mentally flexible. They’ll all see that villains can also carry out their own form of justice. 

But she won’t force it. She’ll let them change slowly. By the time they’re old enough to truly understand, their morals and sense of normal will have diverged too far from the path of heroism for them to ever go back.

 

“Expansion is what’s most important to us right now. We need funding to make investments into projects, and I don’t intend to foot the bill myself.” She begins, all her subordinates not uttering a word as she pulls out a folder.

“My father requires certain quirks for his own ongoing operations and is willing to offer generous amounts of funding in exchange for successfully locating them. He has access to the quirk registry, but most people our age have only recently developed their quirks, their information not being present in said registry.

My orders are simple: go undercover as civilians and investigate others our age at schools, playgrounds, or wherever else they decide to meet up. We can pursue this avenue without looking suspicious and potentially come across quirks or people useful for my father’s plans. 

Yes, people themselves too, not just their powers. If you find anyone who seems like they would be a good recruit, then let me know and try to bring them in. I’ll provide you with whatever aid I can give for that little bonus project.”

She then opens the folder and slides it towards the center of the table.

“In that folder are enough copies of the quirk list my father made for each and every one of you. This will let you know what kinds of quirks to be on the lookout for. Of course, if you see a potentially useful quirk that isn’t on this list, you are to gather as much intel on it as you can and report it back to me.

Whoever manages to find a kind of quirk on this list or a useful quirk in general will personally get rewarded by myself with the reward varying on how much information you get on said quirk as well as the person wielding it. Same goes for any potential new recruits you find. Am I understood?”

“Yes, Mistress Eri!” Over a dozen voices cry out at once. 

 

Quirks practically turned power into a lottery. That’s what her Uncle Nine believes.

A new All For One, Overhaul, New Order, or Rewind quirk user could be born at any moment. Maybe one or several people with quirks like those already have been born, and the only thing keeping them in check is the belief that heroes are invincible.

There are far more villains than heroes in this world. Heroes can keep the horde of rank and file villains in check thanks to superior teamwork, but the true threats like All For One, the MLA, Humarise, and her dad’s organization are simply biding their time, waiting for the best moment to strike. 

And once they do, society will fall. The world will become a land of do as you please. 

Her dad knows how badly the heroes are outmatched. Her dad knows how to break the natural power lottery that is the concept of quirks, and far better then the self-proclaimed demon lord at that.

Even if the heroes somehow defeat her dad’s competitors, they will be far too weakened to stop what her dad is becoming.

Or herself, if this game he’s playing goes on for long enough.

“Excellent. Today will be something of a practice day; consider it a bonus objective of our arcade training. The rest of the day will be spent debriefing and planning. Prepare yourselves; I expect the best, and I intend to ensure each of you becomes just that.

Oh, and get me presents if you haven’t already. Tomorrow is my birthday after all, and you will all get that day off to celebrate with me, so I expect some presents in return. I won't ask for the rarest or most expensive things you can get your hands on; just put some genuine thought and effort into your gifts and I'll be satisfied.”

“Yes, Mistress Eri!” Over a dozen voices cry out again.

“Good. Meeting dismissed.”

 

Tomorrow, December 21st… the first birthday she’ll have that she’s actually gonna enjoy.

Honestly, she considered moving her ‘birthday’ to the day her dad saved her, but he reminded her how important people’s origins are. She shouldn’t ignore the past like that as it’s what forged her into the way she is in the present. 

He also muttered something about ‘not creating Tomura 2.0’ under his breath, but when she asked him about it, he just said to ignore it.

She can’t really deny that after seeing just how many characters in the anime and manga she likes are pushed forward by their origins no matter how awful they are. 

Eri went back to her room after that. She has an hour or so until training starts for the day and it’s Saturday so no homeschooling for her.

As much as Eri likes going Plus Ultra with her training and internships, she knows that there is only so much she can do at her age. Then there are all the other kids who were inspired by her to join her and grow stronger.

Sekan really had his work cut out for him, especially as the small army of proactive children following him around like a group of uncoordinated ducklings wouldn’t stop bugging him, much to his subordinates’ amusement.

 

Despite the (usual) seriousness of her training, her dad always made sure to carve out time for Eri to simply be a kid. Same with all the other kids in her organization, and the ones that aren’t a part of that don’t train at all.

Her dad encouraged them to explore their interests whether it was through drawing, reading, playing with toys or video games, or simply enjoying moments of rest and relaxation. They even go on the occasional field trip, their most recent excursion being Okuto Island’s aquarium.

Gang Orca is the director and he looked to be in a really good mood when Eri watched some of his live shows. It’s probably due to Curator’s somewhat recent arrest; he probably stops by Tartarus every once in a while just to mock the whale and keep his own spirits high.

Then there’s the training itself. Besides the usual (albeit rushed) general studies and classes on various skills helpful for villainy, everyone in the HS is given specialized quirk training and some basic exercises to do most days, but it isn’t anything crazy. They’re just kids, after all. 

As for internships, they’re treated as rewards for doing a good job. Everyone gets the chance to ‘intern’ under at least a few notable villains to help sharpen their respective quirks and skill sets.

And then there’s her dad’s ‘G-Rated Training’, of which Eri has dubbed Arcade Training since that’s literally what it is.

Want a leg-up in terms of agility? Want to be firm but light on your feet? Want to build up some eye-hand or eye-foot coordination? Give dancing a try, or play some Dance Dance Revolution in your local arcade. 

Want to work on stealth, reflexes, and agility in a wider space? Want to practice parkour without the risk of being chased by heroes or falling off a building? Play a few rounds of Laser Tag.

The arcade she and her organization goes to has one with options for solo and team runs. Solo has the player shoot as many targets as possible with the targets being mounted on robots which randomly roam around the maze. They also shoot back when a player is in their presence.

Shoot all the targets you can in the time limit without being taken out by the robots themselves. It’s really good practice, especially if you have a quirk centered around range.

Team runs also allow for games against robots, but it can be a regular team vs team match if enough people are playing. 

Those are just a few examples her dad gave, and she was sold on the idea to mix training and fun together. 

Sekan mentally breathed a sigh of relief that this idea satisfied the kids; the only other idea he had was shamelessly copying the old martial arts master trope of learning karate by doing household chores and that would bore the kids to no end.

 

Anyway, her room is pretty spacious when compared to the barracks most Hassaikai members have. It’s also much more lively. 

On one end, there’s a desk with some analysis books and writing utensils scattered around a computer. Her bed is right next to that.

On the other end are several bookshelves filled with some rather diverse content, including various villain figurines displayed all over the top shelves. Making and possessing actual villain merch is illegal, but that didn’t stop her dad when she asked him for some. He made blueprints and let the Creation Crew handle the rest.

There’s the Three Great Villains of the Dawn of Quirks era. All For One (without any injuries; his life support helmet came as a separate, attachable piece), Destro, and the Peerless Thief, Oji Harima.

There’s Re-Destro in his bulked up ‘100% Liberation’ state. There’s Flect Turn in his robes and tech. There’s even Kai Chisaki in his Overhaul outfit. 

She also has figurines of her dad and many of his subordinates. Nine and his crew, the Eight Bullets, Stain, Gigantomachia, and so on.

Below that is plenty of different books about or relating to the history of heroes and villains. An original, unedited copy of Destro’s ‘Meta Liberation War’ book is one such example. The most recent modified version of that book is another; there’s a lot that can be learned from differences between the two. 

At the bottom are books related to skills that can aid in villainy. There’s one on how to write in code, another on engineering and construction (even if she isn’t building any bases at the moment, it helps to know a structure’s weak points for bonus damage), a few books about psychology, and so on.

Reading, training, leading, planning, internships, and just being her dad’s adorable little angel. Eri has no shortage of things to do.

But Eri wouldn’t falter. She would reclaim her top score on Dance Dance Revolution from that pink-skinned teenager with horns that totally aren’t better than her own!

 

Back to her birthday, it was so much fun the next day!

Forget the Hassaikai, the entire town celebrated and she got so many presents and she really was treated like a princess just like her dad said she would.

The list of things her dad has done for her is piling up more and more… how is she gonna ever make up for it? She promised to save him too, didn’t she?

No! She needs to be patient and think like the villainous mastermind she’s supposed to become.

Chugging some more tea helps get her thoughts straight through her IQ quirk. She’s already helped her dad out a lot, and once her own organization really starts to take off, she’ll help him out a lot more.

He took over the Shie Hassaikai and made her a princess in it. Well, she’ll just take over the world and make him the king of it!... if there’s still a world left by then.

 

She decided to ask Uncle Nine and his crew more about it since they want to take over the world too. They aren’t competition for her or anything; she knows that they’re gonna stick around after the three year ‘contract’ is up.

“My take on the situation is simple, power rules all. If you want to rule then you need to be the strongest, but while your physical power and quirk’s power is still important, I’ve realized that there’s a bit more to it after creating my crew and joining your father.

Along with personal strength, you will need the aid of others. You will need people who will fight alongside you, supporting you no matter what, and you need to know how best to synergize with them. Even someone quirkless can get far if they have enough powerful people under them and a solid enough strategy to back them up.

However, the strongest rulers have both personal strength and the strength of followers. Look at All For One and his empire. Look at Re-Destro and the Meta Liberation Army. Look at your father and the Shie Hassaikai. That’s the kind of thing I’m talking about.” Nine explains.

“Good. That means I can just keep on doing what I’m doing.” She smiles at him.

“Exactly. Take advantage of all these gifts you’ve been given, Eri. There are very few, if any, who have been given both the head start and amount of support you have.”

Only Re-Destro and All For One can compare if her dad’s stories are true. Maybe Geten too, but he mainly focused on training his quirk rather than learning how to lead or do much else like Re-Destro did.

Actually, the potato is probably like that too with how dumb his plans are. Everyone is just too afraid of the guy to say no!

Well she won’t be like that. She values her subordinates and will listen to whatever advice they have. 

A dozen heads are better than one, and while none of them are as skilled as her, she knows that approaching a problem from several different perspectives can often be really helpful. 

She’ll become the best leader and the strongest warrior (or second best under her dad at the very least). She’ll work as hard as she can to pull it off!

…But she isn’t against getting help from her dad from time to time. Why should she ignore the resources and advantages she has? She’s a villain; why should she play fair?

 

“Pleeeeeease?”

“Sorry, but no. You aren’t getting a copy of Mind Web.” Her dad had told her. 

It’s not that she isn’t happy with all the presents he gave her already. She’s even getting a copy of the Endurance and Energy Saver quirks! 

But her dad’s original quirk would make so many things easier! Just look at what Anya Forger can do in Spy x Family! And she’s way more powerful and skilled then her favorite anime character!

Hearing the thoughts of anyone close enough could let her find traitors, spot assassins, and more! Then there’s all the crimes she could cover up by altering memories and controlling people can-

“It would be too much for you to handle, Eri. Besides using it to communicate with clones and during combat, I don’t really use that quirk too much since I really don’t want to hear the thoughts of people around me. People deserve to have privacy, and they really won’t like it if you constantly break it.”

That and he does not want his daughter to find out about most of the boys and even a few girls under her having massive crushes on her. There’s a limit on what he’s willing to expose his daughter to at such a young age, even if she wants to become a villainous mastermind like him.

“But daaaaaaaaad!”

“No buts. You’re already getting two more super powerful quirks, Eri. Maybe when you’re older, I’ll consider it, but what you have is enough for now. Focus on mastering the quirks you do have.”

That gets her to sulk for a while, but she can’t keep it up forever. She just can’t stay mad at her dad and she has to set a proper example on how to act for her subordinates.

She will keep on learning and training for now, and when she’s finally grown up, she’ll take what’s left of the world by storm, just like her dad!

She’s proud of who and what she is, just like her dad! She will see the end of his story at his side!

Everyone will learn to fear Sekan’s successor. The Daughter of Evil: Empress Eri. 

 

Coming up with a villain name for herself took a while and inspiration from various sources, but she’s happy with the final result.

For starters, most hero names in Japan always have two parts, the type of hero they are and the actual hero name.

The Flame Hero: Endeavor. The Wing Hero: Hawks. The Fiber Hero: Best Jeanist. And those are just a few examples.

So Eri decided to mirror and mock this method with her own villain name. 

The first part of her name, Daughter of Evil, is first and foremost a reference and connection to her dad, the greatest villain this world will ever see (before herself, she hopes).

However, ‘Daughter of Evil’ is also meant to reference a popular piece of pre-quirk media, the very concept of which being something her dad loves. Eri developed an interest in it too thanks to Sekan, so this is another way of honoring him.

Daughter of Evil is a multimedia series of songs, books, plays, and manga, which tell the story of a young princess who takes what she wishes and destroys everyone in her way. 

Eri doesn’t intend to become exactly like her; this character is like a more impulsive All For One, but taking a little inspiration from some selective character traits wouldn’t hurt.

And the second part of her name, Empress Eri, is simple and straight to the point. It’s what she aspires to be, the empress of villainy. The ruler of all villains. The successor to her dad. 

She’ll make him proud. She’ll make sure the Hassaikai is in good hands when he finally passes on the mantle.

She’ll protect him like how he protected her.

Chapter 40: Symbiosis

It truly is fascinating how much potential this world has. It’s also disappointing how many avenues relating to the very thing this world revolves around haven’t been properly explored already.

At least LabHaul’s unofficial rival, Dr. Garaki, managed to crack some of the code. He can give and take quirks through a stupidly complicated, time-consuming surgery and even duplicate quirks through another stupidly complicated, time-consuming surgery, but that’s way better than nothing.

“Look alive, my fellow scientists! We’re making history over and over again, and it won’t be long before the entire world sees it!” He rallies, motivating the dozens of assistants and clones of assistants he has helping around the clock thanks to them all having Endurance and Energy Saver.

These two incredibly useful quirks are being duplicated hundreds of times over and spread throughout the Shie Hassaikai. The top brass, the Praetorians, some subsidiaries, and other groups like his R&D branch are all getting a copy of the two powers.

They have the ability to do so, so why shouldn’t they? 

 

But that’s not their main focus. What’s taking up most of their attention right now is their first Magnum Opus for the original. A perfect body with all of their discoveries and all that they have obtained from Garaki’s old experiments and subjects.

It won’t physically hold a candle to the body AFO Tomura got in Jaku, but it will still essentially turn the original into a humanoid High-End Nomu in terms of base (quirkless) power, speed, durability, and so on. 

Then there’s all the other optimizations they’ve made to the human body through Overhaul, something that will combine seamlessly with Garaki’s own research.

And that’s not even getting into the vast improvements and current optimizations for both his quirks and Trigger. Endurance really is a lifesaver.

Same with Creation. His various kinds of Trigger drugs aren’t living beings, so the Creation Crew has no problem making more of them after memorizing their atomic configuration, and he has so many wonderful ideas on how Creation can be implemented in this Semi-Perfect body.

Garaki could only optimize Tomura’s body for the AFO quirk; he plans to go quite a few steps beyond that over the next year or so.

Then there’s completing the upgrades to Mind Web, transforming the quirk into an artificial one that’s vastly more powerful than the original. Figuring out how to optimize the Artificial Quirk process would also be incredibly helpful for the future.

But there is still more that can be done to optimize this Semi-Perfect form. Creating his Perfect Form will have to wait until they claim everything belonging to Garaki, but there are still a few other things that can be done.

The original is handling that right now. Moving on from the amount of losses they all incurred at the clusterfuck that was the Naruhata War took a while, but they have plenty of support to help speed up the process.

Zi, Eri, Machia, all the friends they made throughout the year, they’ve helped more than they could ever imagine.

The Christmas party GuildHaul is setting up should finally put what little guilt remains in the original to rest, but that’s still a few days away and there’s still much more work to be done.

 

Countdown to Canon: 2 Months before Entrance Exam

“Hmmm… alright, I think I can see it through Scanner. But we’ll have to be quick. I don’t know if Mind Web will be effective on living quirks, but Rewind should be able to do the trick. I’ll also need you to help contain the beast when it starts growing since Overhaul will likely be ineffective on it. Think you can handle that?”

“Not a problem, dad!” Eri gives me a thumbs up shortly before we break into the house of Fumikage Tokoyami.

His parents are easy enough to knock out through use of Mind Web. Tokoyami too… but Dark Shadow notices that if the sudden manifesting and screeching is anything to go by.

 

Sure enough, I can’t affect the creature through using Mind Web on Tokoyami. I may be able to figure out how after some testing, but I have no time for that right now.

The birds get Overhauled a moment later as I bust into the room. Upon its host reforming, Dark Shadow lunges at me with Overhaul not affecting the mass of ‘dark energy’ as it’s called. 

Rewind is a different story with Eri’s blasts preventing the monster from getting too big while I try to make direct physical contact with Tokoyami. It only takes a few seconds, but those few seconds are long, messy, and leave most of his bedroom destroyed.

I’m able to body-fuse with the bird-headed teenager after that (something I still need direct contact for), with Phase 2 of my most annoying quirk-copying mission beginning.

“YOOOOOU! RAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!” The shadow screams at me before trying to tear me apart. Goddamnit. 

Looks like I’m stuck winging this next part; good thing IQ makes planning on the fly so much easier… puns not intended.

‘ANY DAY NOW, VESTIGES!!!’ I mentally scream out, hoping the ghosts inside my head got the message.

Eri blasts more energy attacks at the sentient shadow while I try to cage it through spamming Overhaul either on myself or the ground around me, but even then, it refuses to go down.

‘DAMNIT, DROP THAT BIRD LIKE A HORIKOSHI PLOT HOOK!’

((“Sick burn.”))

‘NOT HELPING, NIGHTHAUL!’

((“You said it, not me.”))

It takes about half a minute, but the cries gradually begin to die down and the quirk’s effects dissipate soon after. I can’t even feel the connection anymore; looks like my other vestiges succeeded in caging it for now.

 

Sentient Quirks, another unexplored avenue that has quite a bit of potential, especially for someone looking to crack the code that is quirks however he can.

There are only two quirks like that shown in the series, Tokoyami’s Dark Shadow and Rody’s Soul, but the latter is in the middle of Europe right now so I’m stuck going after the giant bird monster first. 

According to the series and the wiki made for it, Dark Shadow functions as a living appendage that can materialize and dematerialize at will. It’s sentient, capable of speech, and loyally protects its ‘host’ regardless of its state.

But that doesn’t mean it will always obey its host. When exposed to enough darkness, negative emotions from its host, or both, Tokoyami will lose control of his quirk with it becoming much more vicious as a result.

The bird-headed UA student eventually fixes this issue by the end of the series with Dark Shadow capable of making All For One pale upon fully unleashing. He could even hold the guy back in his prime!... for a bit, anyway. 

This guy is basically the quirk equivalent of a symbiote and I want to learn more about him. Unfortunately, even now, getting and experimenting with a copy of it isn’t as easy as it sounds.

 

For starters, taking town Tokoyami or Dark Shadow doesn’t affect the other, so I couldn’t score a quick KO with Mind Web. I can’t seem to use Mind Web on Dark Shadow either, at least for the time being.

Then there’s what happens when Dark Shadow is transferred into another person. When using Overhaul, the quirk comes along with the body using it, so I figured it would stay the same.

But what about being taken through All For One or perhaps copied through Neito Monoma’s copy quirk? Would Dark Shadow still stay the same or would the sentient quirk’s personality alter based on the person using it? 

I’m not sure if I’ll be able to figure that out considering the limitations of my own quirk give-take-copy method, but at the very least, I should be able to learn more about sentient quirks and quirks in general through this. 

But back to actually securing the copy, I can do the same temporary body-fusing method I always do, but the main issue here is the aftermath. I can’t use Mind Web to alter Dark Shadow’s memories, so wouldn’t that mean the sentient quirk can expose me?

Well, Mind Web isn’t the only trick I have at my disposal. Eri recently figured out a new application to her own original quirk, rewinding a person’s memories along with their body.

Considering that her quirk allows her to rewind time itself for living beings, being able to add in their memories to the effect wasn’t too groundbreaking of a discovery. However, it helps me out a lot here since Eri’s quirk can affect Dark Shadow as well as Tokoyami.

So upon unfusing with the guy (and fixing his room through another use of Overhaul), Eri blasts him with a bit of Rewind as we exit the room, making sure the door is shut and the quirk can’t hear us as we silently exit the house.

Mission complete… mostly.

I don’t know if the sentient quirk will be able to manifest itself if its host is dead (like the body-copies we’re gonna make), but even if it couldn’t, LabHaul will still need to see the quirk in action to get some valuable data.

And that quirk is not going to like being a prisoner. 

We can keep him weakened by blasting it with enough light 24/7, but it’s still going to put up a fight. That testing will have to be done in a separate room too so he doesn’t make a mess in LabHaul’s other laboratories or the rest of the Hassaikai HQ. 

In short, experimenting with this quirk is going to be more of a pain then obtaining it was, but LabHaul should be able to pull it off with enough preparations.

 

Now as for the other sentient quirk shown in canon (I tried finding others on the Quirk Registry, but they are probably the rarest kinds of quirks out there alongside warping ones), I plan on taking a trip to Otheon after Christmas to acquire that among other things related to Humarise. But for now, our mission is done so it’s time to party!

Christmas is right around the corner and there’s no way we aren’t celebrating it. The Shie Hassaikai is gonna be hosting a massive Christmas festival in Osaka and I made sure to get Eri the same adorable Santa outfit she got in canon.

I also may or may not have gotten her the same giant sword she got as a present in canon, only modified with some of Yu’s Trigger-powered crystals and Overhaul.

I know it was meant to be a gag, but it’ll help out a lot with her close range combat and just swinging it around a bunch will be great training for her body. Just look at Gohan’s Z-Sword training in Dragon Ball.

The party ended up being as great as I thought it would be with everyone in the Hassaikai attending at one point or another. 

Some people like Nine and his crew were obviously in disguises and even got a few facial modifications done through Overhaul; that’s mainly how they’re able to walk around the compound and in public without anyone clueing in to their true identities.

Yes, this even works for Chimera. Changing mutant quirk wielders into baseline humans and vice-verse is completely doable now that I know how to re-splice the genome of living organisms at will.  

Learning how to do body modifications and other fun things via Overhaul on mutants like him was an absolute pain in the ass because of how different their bodies are to ‘base’ humans and each other.

Time and a lot of medical research are required for each individual target as I need to understand whoever I’m altering in that level of detail. Such is the largest limit of Overhaul.

Do scanning quirks help gather the intel I need? Yes. 

Can mutants be categorized into certain groups based on their biology, making necessary alterations easier to memorize? Also yes.

But there’s still a shitload of variety between most mutant quirk wielders, and learning how to properly modify/alter them can take up a lot of time depending on what exactly I’m trying to alter. 

Thank god for Double cloning. Not only does it make my long list of tasks actually feasible in my strict time frame, but it also gives us endless clones of other to use as test dummies.

Case in point, Dabi. His clones made learning how burn scars work so much easier, and all the spite in the world can’t save him from getting put in a coma the instant he manifests so Labhaul can practice healing deep burns. That and researching how to make skin naturally heat-resistant.

 

Well, I was originally putting these clones into comas at first, or to be more specific, altering the neuron structures in their brains to inflict a permanent state of unconsciousness without damaging anything else.

But then I realized I could kill two birds with one stone by getting some more practice with Overhaul brainwashing on these clones.

Remember how I used Overhaul to brainwash that speedy arachnid guy from MHA Team-Up Mission? Well my clones and I have improved a lot in that craft since then.

Some hyper-detailed brain surgery via Overhaul can be used to alter memories and personality… Oh, if only it was as easy as that sentence sounds.

This little trick requires a detailed electroencephalogram (or EEG for short) and several other forms of brain activity research to be done on the target while interrogating them in order to understand what parts of the brain light up and are thus involved in whatever memories or personality traits I wish to alter.

That’s basically what I did to the arachnid villain boss, and if it wasn’t for him having a rather one-dimensional personality, it would basically be a butchery rather than a subtle change.

Mentally altering more complex targets required a lot more research to be done and time to be wasted. You could even call it a waste when I can simply find, obtain, and copy a powerful brainwashing quirk, so what gives?

Simply put, I refuse to leave even the slightest bit of Overhaul’s potential untapped. It’s basically become my main quirk at this point and with its versatility being second to none, exploring whatever avenues I can may very well lead me to other unknown avenues. 

From healing to destroying to brainwashing to quirk-transferring and gene-splicing, Overhaul is pretty much an omni-material version of Cementoss’ quirk and practically allows reality to be bent around me.

I refuse to make the same mistake All For One did with his legion of quirks. I will master my arsenal of powers to the absolute best of my ability and overwhelm his quantity with my quality.

 

Anyway, most of the subsidiaries were present at the party too. Even the corrupted police and heroes we trust enough are having some fun in town. 

Giran is here too, the villain broker having plenty of his own reasons to celebrate. It’ll probably be the last time we talk in person for a while (he’ll have his hands full with the work AFO hires him to handle soon), so might as well have a bit of extra fun together while we still can.

When looking at all the wealth he’s accumulated, even people like the Yaoyorozu family aren’t too far out of reach, and you can’t say he hasn’t earned it.

Most of my endeavors so far wouldn’t have been as successful as they were without his help. No matter how crazy my plans were, I could always count on him to lend a helping hand as it meant gains for both of us.

Sure, I could’ve done a decent bit more with him up until now. Going the typical Villain Deku route and tearing the heroes apart with mass-produced quirk analysis sold on the Black Market would have gotten me some more funding, but I can’t be completely annihilating the heroes just yet.

Taking hero society down too early would mean the other major villain players can take over unopposed, and taking them down after that would take much more time, effort, and sacrifice on my end. 

My overall goal remains the same, to have all my enemies destroy each other for me. Giving one side too much of an advantage over the other would tip the scale, leaving my own forces to deal with the strengthened opposition that remains. I don’t want that.

 

Getting back on track, Eri’s friends/subordinates were also at the party, following her every word whether it’s getting her food and drinks or carrying around the presents she received.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Zi had asked me upon seeing the spectacle.

“It should be fine. I honestly believed it to be a joke or make-believe at first… probably should’ve known better, but hey, Eri’s little group has actually been helping me out with a few things like recon and intel gathering. 

I never considered investigating kids with quirks who haven’t been added to the registry yet, and with how powerful quirks in general are becoming nowadays…”

My daughter's own ‘organization’ is basically a villainous kindergarten or a rip-off of the League of Villains, that much I can admit.

Toga and Mustard are kids, Tomura is a man-child, Dabi isn’t much better off then Tomura and also lost a good chunk of his childhood to a coma, Muscular and Moonfish are rampaging toddlers with the brainpower to match… the only real LOV adults both physically and mentally post USJ are Spinner (before AFO turns him brain-dead with extra quirks), Mr. Compress, Magne, and Kurogiri (before he semi-reverts back to Oboro).

No, All For One doesn’t count. He’s the biggest baby of them all!

He’s stupidly powerful, sure, but my six year old daughter is doing a better job at recruiting subordinates then he ever could. Take that, potato!

So now I have an organization of tiny, multi-quirked terrors running around under my daughter’s command. 

Yes, they asked to undergo body modifications and get extra quirks. Yes, my Overhaul surgeries are still instant, painless, and done while my targets are put into temporary comas rather than when they’re awake. Hell, I altered their nervous systems to let them never feel pain as an extra precaution!

I’m not a monster who mutilates children, drains them of their blood, and continuously resurrects them to do it all over again while telling them that they’re nothing but curses like canon Kai.

I won’t be taking any inspiration from Endeavor or All For One either, not when it comes to raising kids. 

I actually care about their well being. Kota, Katsuma, Mahoro, Tamashiro, and the rest. How could I not when they’re so important to my daughter’s future?

My daughter’s minions get stronger and I get to learn more about human genetics while obtaining more powerful quirks. It’s a win-win.

 

And speaking of learning new biological things, something LabHaul and I have picked up over time is that the Quirk Factor of children is more malleable, for lack of a better term. They are more likely to naturally survive sudden changes such as quirk implantation or awakenings.

Ever wonder why teenagers in canon seem to get Quirk Awakenings like candy while adult heroes and villains, who have spent decades longer honing their quirks, don’t get squat?

Their bodies are still growing, so they’re more likely to adapt to any changes made. They’re more likely to form Artificial Quirks when given multiple quirks or simply survive having multiple quirks when compared to adults. The same goes for awakening whatever quirk or quirks they have.

Ethical issues aside, it’s pretty interesting.

Modifying and doing quirk-duplication on kids is probably about as low as I’m willing to go morally right now and may or may not be the Kai Chisaki part of me slightly influencing said morality. 

The former is only done with permission from the recipient and the amount of times I’ve done the latter so far can be counted on one hand. It’s also quick, painless, and they aren’t even awake to witness it as already established.

It’s not like I’ll be turning them into full-on Nomu either. The extra power they would get isn’t worth snuffing out their bright minds for, even if I were to make them into High-Ends.

I also considered taking inspiration from Demongem’s My Villain Gang AU once I get my hands on Garaki’s up to date research, granting the kids Nomu forms they could turn on and off at any time rather than the typical, irreversible Nomu surgery, but as much as I like that fanmade MHA manga, I still believe my Praetorian alterations would be best suited for them.

Of course, no amount of excuses and compromises is going to avoid the elephant in the room. I’m a villain preparing for a worldwide apocalypse; I’m also a selfish prick who doesn’t really give much of a damn about anyone besides those in my organization (and even then, I only truly care about Zi and Eri).

I’ve accepted that, but there are still lines I won’t cross. The number of lines aren’t numerous since the alternative is risking Eri and Zi’s safety and happiness when armageddon strikes, something I refuse to do, but they are there.

 

Zi and Eri. My girlfriend and my daughter. 

Never thought I would have either of those in this world, but I’m not complaining. 

Now’s not the time to be sulking. I’m gonna keep going for all those who lost their lives under me. I’ll create a haven for those they left behind in the land of the living, and I’ll make sure those guys are as happy as they can be before that day comes as a reward for their services.

Events like this Christmas party should help a lot with that.

We even ended up having a second party for New Years a few days later. Having most of the decorations up already saved us a lot of prep time. 

There was a part of me still worried that the quirk-stealing grinch would show up and ruin everything. Or perhaps All Might would lead an army of heroes to finish the Hassaikai off.

But nope. Nothing. 

All my hard work wasn’t for nothing.

I’m surrounded by family and friends in a city I have practically taken over using a villain organization I completely took over.

I took plenty of risks and lost quite a lot, but what I still have is more than enough for me, and we’re only continuing to grow. 

Taking this risky path isn’t something I regret one bit. Seeing what I could’ve been as a UA student… what could’ve happened if I played it safe… it helped me realize just how much of an impact I’ve truly had.

Instead of cowering at UA, praying that my knowledge of the show doesn’t make me look like a traitor when faced with Tsukauchi’s Lie Detection quirk and not knowing what the hell to change as the world falls apart, I took some chances and made a monumental difference while still keeping at least some of my future knowledge on the main plot valid.

AFO should still be doing his canon plan, and I know exactly how to counter it. 

The apocalypse is coming soon, and I know exactly how to survive it.

My friends, my organization, even everyone in this city; I know how to save what's mine from this world going to absolute shit, and I’m gonna do my absolute damn best to make it happen alongside my daughter.

Call it a New Year’s Resolution if you will.

((“Hasn’t this been your resolution from the very start?”))

‘Shut up, NightHaul.’

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• Sekan Doraifu - ?????
• LabHaul - ?????
• NightHaul - ?????
• GuildHaul - ?????
• Eri - ?????

Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Zookeeper (Personal Maid/Eri’s Main Caretaker) - Cleaning, Overhaul, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Gigantomachia (Head Bodyguard) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole
• Hari Kurono (Leader of Eight Bullets/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hekiji Tengai (Eight Bullets) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Toya Setsuno (Eight Bullets) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Yu Hojo (Eight Bullets) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Soramitsu Tabe (Eight Bullets) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Scanning, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Endurance, Energy Saver

Other Forces:

• Praetorian Guard - 110
• Pseudo Getens - 10
• Pseudo Inasas - 5
• Pseudo Shotos - 5
• Cyber Warfare Branch - 40
• Mad Science Branch - 35
• Creation Crew - 50
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 40
• Thugs and Goons - 3405

Subsidiaries:

• Hero Killer
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth and his crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 87

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 41: World Villains’ Mission

“Come oooooon, they have one female servicing a large group of males! That implies a species that lays eggs!”

“Oh my god, you're crazy! THEY ARE SO OBVIOUSLY MAMMALS!”

“Please, she’d be getting knocked up 24/7 if she didn’t lay eggs!”

“SMURFS DON’T LAY EGGS! I won’t tell you this again! Papa Smurf has a fucking beard for crying out loud! They’re MAMMALS!”

“Or they could be part of the subclass prototheria like echidnas and platypus; that would make you both right.”

“That pre-quirk kids show is still around?”

“Wasn’t Smurfette artificially created by Gargamel? That would mean Smurfs are fungi!”

“Baby Smurf was delivered by a STORK, remember?!”

“What if Smurfs are like seahorses and the males are the ones who give birth?”

“The hell are you talking about? The female still lays the eggs; the male just incubates them!”

“Not the quirked one in that aquarium run by Gang Orca.”

“THAT DOESN’T COUNT!”

The Shie Hassaikai has truly taken to the seven seas… and it’s probably for the best that their enemies aren’t anywhere in sight right now.

Both for their enemies (because they would get sunk in seconds) and themselves (due to the sheer embarrassment they would go through before sinking said enemies).

“SMURFS! ARE! MAMMALS!”

 

Countdown to Canon: 1 Month 3 Weeks before Entrance Exam

‘…Well, you can’t say I overhaul their personalities alongside their bodies.’ I mentally sigh, shutting off Mind Web before any of my clones can give a witty remark back.

Here they are, arguing about fucking Smurfs (both figuratively and literally) while traveling across multiple oceans. And that’s before they snoop around the largest secret villain organization/doomsday cult in the world.

As for me, I cut off the livestream security feed on their battleship (yes, a literal battleship) I was watching to pass the time while looking out the airplane window as a certain post Dawn of Quirks European town comes into view through the clouds.

“Here we are, the home of Humarise.” I whisper to Zi and Eri as we exit the plane.

 

When I said that I was stopping all Shie Hassaikai recruitment and ongoing operations in Japan for the time being, I wasn’t lying… mostly.

Besides a few more instances of me gathering some more quirk copies and letting my stock traders cheat the market through selective usage of Foresight for some extra funds, all we’ve been doing is consolidating our forces.

Excluding the recent party, I’ve barely even spoken with Giran since the Naruhata War happened. He doesn’t know about the Hassaikai’s involvement there (he also doesn’t know about Nine’s crew working for me), but he probably suspects I had something to do with it.

He was disappointed, but understood the importance of knowing when to retreat, especially with the heroes coming close to catching on after disbanding the Second Underground Masquerade.

Besides, he’s probably gonna start working more with AFO to help Tomura get his League of Villains off the ground, so it’s not like he won’t have ways to profit in the future. 

The main show is about to start, and if the demon lord was willing to show up in person to get rid of any potential rivals to Tomura and the LOV, then trying to start another big business endeavor like the SUM right now is a fucking deathwish.

It’s going to be a lot harder poaching off the recruitment pool of AFO and the MLA from now on, but I expected this to happen, and Operation Deika happens to solve that issue too. 

I have practically an entire city under my control, a city that has grown to both like and rely on the Shie Hassaikai overtime as well as become an informational black hole for the heroes and other villainous power players. And none of them even know it.

Any heroes who aren’t under my payroll (Fatgum being one such example) have long since moved out of the area due to a lack of crime. Yes, the irony isn’t lost on me, but I understand their desire to actually take down some villains as it’s in their job description.

Events like the Villain War and Naruhata Disaster (society’s names for it, not mine) have already begun to make people doubt hero society. When canon starts up and the main villains do their thing, new recruits from Osaka are going to start pouring in. 

Many will probably be or become fanatics too if the track records of AFO’s empire, the MLA, and Humarise membership are anything to go by.

I don’t know what it is with so many civilians in this world developing political ambitions and becoming wannabe revolutionists so quickly (most likely a shounen thing), but I’ll gladly take more loyal soldiers, thank you.

 

And speaking of soldiers, while I’m not recruiting anyone at the moment, I, through the Praetorians, am giving the more dedicated and loyal thugs and goons of the Shie Hassaikai more military combat training, turning them into much better combatants.

Most may have weak quirks, but look at how deadly Stain is with a ‘meh’ quirk. His ridiculous amounts of training and dedication got him that far, and while these soldiers don’t even have a fraction of that, they still become a whole lot better than the regular thugs after a 10 week long boot camp. 

According to my Praetorians, one soldier is equal to about five thugs in overall threat level, so take that as you will. 

Like I said before, the military presence in this post-quirk world is a fucking joke, if not completely non-existent in most countries. America and a few other countries still have militaries, but they’re only a fraction, if even, of their pre-quirk selves.

In this shounen world’s defense, conventional weapons are becoming less and less effective as decades pass and the power of quirks increase. It’s an arms race against nature that the world is losing.

That can be easily solved if world leaders put even a bit of brain power towards brainstorming, but they’ve become hero-worshippers like everyone else, so that just isn’t happening.

It’s especially insulting in Japan’s case when you consider places like Tartarus. That prison can keep plenty of powerful quirk wielders contained, so why not try using that technology elsewhere? Like, y’know, building a military with it?

Hell, they could even repurpose some of their combat robots to assist the heroes, but nope. Why do that when you could have teenagers beat up weakened versions of them to enter the country’s best hero high school?

Society needs faith in heroics, so the government and HPSCs across the globe obviously can’t have things like the military and robots making them look like the fools they are, now can they? Shortsighted idiots.

 

The best Japan has in terms of military is weaponless idiots in camo-gear as shown in the Heroes Rising movie. They don’t even do anything besides show up after the big battle is over and help carry some teenage hero students to the nearest medical station.

The police are slightly better off with helicopters, swat teams, and a few small battleships that don’t do crap in canon (the latter is only featured in season 7 for a second-long scene after Star’s death), but they’re more decoration then anything.

Hell, Innsmouth and his crew managed to secretly steal one of those battleships and kill all its personnel with the HPSC and heroes just figuring it got ‘lost at sea’ and moved on after searching the area it was last in for a couple days. 

Yes, that's the battleship I currently have my Praetorians and some other subordinates traveling in. 

Other than that, the only other example that comes to mind is from the Team-Up Mission spinoff series. Japan has several small airfields, but these airfields are for aviation-based heroes who have small planes as de facto support gear.

No military air force, just some spaces for aviation heroes to store their small planes because heroes rule and military drool or whatever. And remember, that last example is from one of MHA’s spinoff series which doesn’t impact the main story’s plot at all.

Oh, and just to add even more insult to injury, in that same spinoff chapter, Rody Soul (the guy from MHA World Heroes Mission) says that the planes from his home country, Otheon, blow the planes Japan has out of the water.

So even when completely repurposed for their precious heroes, this country still can’t get what are supposed to be military vehicles right.

That’s just sad, Japan.

Now as for my brand new battleship, modifications were made to improve the overall design and quality of its weapons (most were replaced by weapons from Tartarus security systems; thank you Cyberwarfare Branch and Creation Crew, for obtaining and utilizing those blueprints respectively), but it’s still largely the same ship.

Its previous owners don’t care about losing it. No heroes were hurt and it’s just some pre-quirk relic, so who cares, right?

Well I lack that fatal flaw. I thought about this problem through a technological, scientific, and economic point of view, and the answer is simple. Use nature’s own weapons against it.

 

Overhaul and Creation are just two examples of quirks that can heavily modify pre-quirk weaponry. I refuse to believe that there aren’t more quirks like those out there, even if much weaker than the prior examples.

You already have support gear designed to help heroes boost their quirks. Just do the exact opposite and have quirks supporting gear!

And that’s not even mentioning the potential of multi-quirked military armies. Imagine a few hundred soldiers with copies of Muscular’s muscle augmentation quirk or Hejiki’s barrier quirk or Katsuma’s healing quirk. Every soldier could be given the durability of a tank and the firepower to match.

That kind of army would be invincible and peace could be ensured through sheer overwhelming deterrence! But such a thing isn’t easy to create, even for me.

LabHaul and his LabEris can only duplicate so many quirks in a day. That’s not even mentioning all the other projects he’s working on right now. Creating thousands of quirk copies is going to take quite a while at our current pace, and that’s not even mentioning the training needed for soldiers to master the quirks we give them, even with my memory-copying shortcut method.

But it’s still another incredible long-term plan to enact, and we have plenty of time to enact it. 

Other soldiers, in exchange for bonus pay and benefits, can also learn how to operate my heavy weapons and vehicles if necessary. For that, either me or my clones just copy-paste the appropriate memories into their head with it taking about a week for their bodies to properly repeat what their minds know.

Having hordes of thugs is great and all, especially with most heroes and villains being so weak, but I’ve always been looking for quality over quantity, and this is just another expression of it. Double alone can cover quantity if the worst were to happen.

There will still be new recruits from the areas around other secret facilities of mine, but the vast majority are going to be from the city I spent almost a year secretly gaining control of. 

Sure, the Second Underground Masquerade could have gone better (it barely went on for a few months before being shut down), but my other giant, long-term plans have been going spectacularly well so far, and with total secrecy to boot. 

A mere Yakuza gang becoming a world-wide threat in like a year? And the leader of said Yakuza being a mad scientist who achieved multiple breakthroughs in the global scientific understanding of quirks in general, including discovering how to give, take, and duplicate quirks with ease via instant surgery in his basement? Suuuuuuure, like that could ever happen.

Hopefully that trend of idiocy and complacency from most of my enemies continues into the main story.

 

And speaking of, back at the party, I once again made it very clear to Giran about not uttering a single word about his dealings with me or the Hassaikai’s existence to that potato. 

I also made sure he knew that I could do a lot more harm to him then the demon lord ever could if the situation calls for it, so I shouldn’t have to worry about that.

Yes, AFO is confirmed to have a lie detection quirk that can also detect ill will (thanks to several other quirks of his supporting it), but as canon as shown, there are quite a few ways to get around it. 

Giran wouldn’t be as good of a broker as he is without knowing how to tell some half-truths or leave out a few details to get around or minimize damage that could be done with those kinds of quirks.

It helps that he’s still mostly neutral (with a slight bias towards me), so he’s not going to have any ill will towards All For One. Some clever wordplay should be enough to fool him, and even if AFO did catch on, Giran knows far from everything about me and my organization which would leave the potato to underestimate us.

If he does decide to show up in Osaka, I won’t make the same mistake I made in Naruhata. The Shie Hassaikai will be going all out with Gigantomachia leading the charge and my specialized Praetorians offering support alongside myself, Nine’s Crew, and the remaining bullets.

As for the risk of him simply taking our quirks, while LabHaul still hasn’t perfected our own quirk-erasing bullets yet, covering our bodies in a thin layer of Cleaning’s substance should make it a lot harder for his own original quirk to work.

Not that I plan on even giving him the chance. I have my Praetorians and top brass trained to enact almost ten different anti-AFO strategic procedures already and they’re still doing drills to perfect more.

Even if he somehow managed to find out about and get to Eri so he can use a Forced Quirk Activation on her to get back to his prime, if I throw absolutely everything I have at the guy, based on his performance at Naruhata (so no LARPing or screwing around in general), my current chances should be 50/50 or so. 

He won’t get that far. I’ll make sure of it.

And in the nightmare scenario that Osaka is overrun with heroes or villains, I’ll use whatever I have left to either take over the MLA (and Japan soon after) by force or flee the country depending on the details of said nightmare scenario. 

 

But getting back to the other global threats, while I’m halting pretty much all operations in Japan, there are still a few things I want to do outside of it to help me out.

No, trying to bodyfuse with Star and Stripe isn’t one of them. I still don’t like my chances with that even if I pretend to be a civilian at an autograph/handshake event or something. 

That’s not even mentioning her quirk vestige. She doesn’t need a New Order rule telling it to go apeshit and destroy other quirks for it to go apeshit and destroy other quirks if the final battle between OFA and AFO vestiges are anything to go by. That’s also why I don’t bother fusing with a Double clone of her, that won’t help against her copy’s vestige.

Instead, my current intercontinental plans mainly revolve around getting a general feel for the greater world out there.

Having a few international safehouses in other countries certainly wouldn’t hurt in case shit really hits the fan, but I need to make sure that Humarise and whatever other villain organizations are out there don’t ruin them.

My knowledge of international conflicts and pretty much everything major outside of Japan is… painfully scarce. Canon barely gives me anything to work with, so if I wanted to learn more, then I had to take initiative myself.

That’s why I’ve got groups of feelers traveling over to the United States, Mexico, Korea, Sweden, Portugal, and plenty of other WHA-aligned countries across the globe looking for potential spots to develop some hideouts at, some international connections to form, and general important information to take note of.

If I’m forced to show my hand or bail from this country entirely, then I’ll be damned if I don’t at least figure out what I’m walking into across the world! 

And even if that doesn’t happen, well, who’s to say whatever other international villainous superpowers out there won’t just enter Japan themselves? I need to be ready for the next time Butterfly Effect tries screwing me over.

 

Some decent progress has been made on my organization’s end so far, although the more I discover, the more I want to curse Horikoshi for skimping so much on his story’s worldbuilding. 

Seriously, it’s only been a couple weeks since they started this scouting mission and I’ve already learned about several new villainous organizations that might just rival, if not surpass the goddamn MLA in influence and overall firepower!

One such example is the Gollini Family, an infamous mafia centered in Europe that was established before All Might became a thing. 

They’ve been quickly accumulating territory and power across the entire continent for decades on end with the European heroes not being able to do jack shit about it, the mafia only resting on occasion to recoup their losses between skirmishes and campaigns.

Plenty of heroes outside of Europe know about these guys too and remain cautious whenever this mafia does business in their own home countries. Hawks knew a bit about them based on his memories, but he and the HPSC never worried too much about this group or the others like it because they have All Might in their corner.

Frankly, the World Heroes Association should have long since thrown an army of heroes led by All Might or Star and Stripe at the problem and called it a day, but it’s not like general laziness and incompetence from the natives here is anything new. 

What a goddamn pain. A pity my meta-knowledge doesn’t cover them, but better to learn about these threats now then when they’re knocking at Japan’s borders or declaring war on me for stepping on their turf.

((“This does seem a little strange, original. You’d think that there would be at least some mentioning of a major group like this in our old world, even if it’s just in one of the spinoffs or games like what happened with the Wild Villains.”)) NightHaul chimes in.

‘I agree, and according to the note that so-called god left us at the start, this world is supposed to be canon. There are aspects from the MHA games and spinoffs here too, but nothing from genuine fanfiction. There shouldn’t be any other transmigrators here either and- wait… you don’t think…’

((“That these guys are actually canon, just from content announced and released after we were transmigrated here? Yeah, that sounds like the most plausible theory.”))

God. Fucking. Damnit. 

 

The middle of 2024 is when I was transmigrated here, and by the time that happened, I had read the entire manga, watched the anime which was still in the middle of season seven, played all the games, read the spinoffs like Vigilantes and Team-Up Mission, watched all three movies… shit, wasn’t there another movie title announced earlier that year? ‘You’re Next’ or something like that?

Well that title doesn’t tell me much. When the hell would this movie even take place? World Heroes Mission happens right before the Paranormal Liberation War kicked off, so this would have to be happening around the Dark Hero Arc or after the main story ended. 

Or maybe it’s a series prequel of some kind? Something related to Nana Shimura and All Might? These guys were around before All Might made his debut, after all.

Based on the prior three entries, MHA movies tend to be pretty disconnected from the main plot, but the same can be said for the games and spinoffs and look at what's happened here so far.

Such a fucking pain, but no use getting too worked up about it. If the European heroes can’t keep these guys in check, then Humarise will, and if they do make a move, then I should be ready for it by then.

For now, I’ll just keep trying to learn everything I possibly can about this world. Like always, if my meta-knowledge doesn’t already cover what I need to know about certain subjects, then I’ll fix such through my own efforts here.

However, in this scenario, the people I sent out to gather intel will only be able to learn so much about the heroes and villains present in other countries with the time frame they have. Humarise should be my biggest threat overseas, and I definitely need to know more about them at the very least.

That, among various other reasons, is why around a hundred or so members of the Hassaikai including Praetorians, my Cyberwarfare Branch, my Creation Crew, and so on have been trickling into Otheon for the last few weeks either by plane or by Innsmouth secretly setting sail across the Pacific Ocean in his new battleship.

Yes, I know I can’t just park a goddamn battleship onto the nearest beach of whatever country I want my subordinates to enter. The Creation Crew can get around that problem by making small, touristy boats close to shore and travel the remaining distance in those, working as a good enough cover-up.

There are quite a few things I plan on taking back with me, things I probably won’t be able to carry with me on a plane. Good thing I have a large subsidiary group dedicated to handling smuggling for me (and being extremely good at it by now).

Delegating. Can you think of a more important skill for bosses to have, because I sure as hell can’t.

Now as for what I’ll personally be up to during this latest endeavor, there’s quite a lot.

There are some quirks I want to copy, drugs I want samples of, and online servers into a global doomsday cult I want to hack to name a few tasks. This is gonna take a few weeks and should be the last thing I need before starting the procedure for my Semi-Perfect Form.

It should be all done by the time Izuku enters UA High. That’s good enough for me.

 

Now Humarise originated in Otheon (a new, post Dawn of Quirks country in Europe), but it has spread to dozens of other places all around the world, and while I don’t have an exact date for their world-ending plan (thanks for giving me a THREE MONTH LONG TIME FRAME, CANON), it should take place about a year from now.

As for whether or not I’m going to stop it… why should I when I know the heroes can do that? I see no reason to stop my enemies from weakening each other.

It also presents a golden opportunity for me as pretty much every hero on the planet is going to be distracted for a good while. This is essential to my endgame plan so I don’t intend to ruin it by trying to stop the smurf early.

What I do plan on doing is getting some samples of their Ideo Trigger because that will help me a lot with the development of my own version of the drug. 

But wait, isn’t the whole point of that drug to make whoever breathes it in lose control of their massively powered-up quirks and probably die in the process?

Yes. However, remember Garaki’s earlier experiments in MHA Vigilantes? The Next-Level Villains who had their bodies specifically modified to handle more Trigger?

My Trigger is powerful and the drawback to the body, both short and long term, are minimal thanks to all the experimentation done on the drug by LabHaul. 

However, if I can combine my own Trigger with Ideo Trigger, a much stronger version of the drug that gives up control as a cost, while making sure my body can control it through modifications, I’ll be able to power myself up massively upon usage.

I could even potentially hinder enemies by deploying that version of Trigger around me through the Creation quirk, making them lose control of their own quirks as a result.

Now I don’t know if Humarise has completed the drug yet, but its stated that the cult has been working on this for years before the World Heroes’ Mission movie takes place with said work also likely including making the bombs that deploy it, a system to automatically activate those bombs, and placing said bombs all around the world.

The point is that they should be mostly done, if not completely done with their own version of Trigger by now considering how many preparations would have to be made after the fact as well as the loose timetable I’m given from canon.

My cyberwarfare branch will be figuring that out once they get into the cult’s online systems. They’ll have Praetorians helping them break into wherever they need to without getting caught and do their thing.

The Humarise online networks are extremely well-defended like the MLA’s are, but those kinds of things have one main weakness: Technopathic Quirks. 

There’s no real defense against those as nobody can code their way around people who can simply make computers do things that aren’t in their code to begin with. To make matters worse for the global cult, Humarise has no master hacker like the MLA does.

 

Thankfully for society, the powerful ones are extremely rare. AFO has one, Radio Waves, and he can do so many interesting things with it in canon, especially when combined with Air Cannon or Heavy Payload to spread it over long distances. 

He also may or may not have several weaker versions of that kind of quirk because he gave Number 6 and his EMP Bombers (bat-winged Next-Level Villains) a copy each in MHA Vigilantes and there were quite a few of the latter made back then.

So either AFO had Garaki made a few dozen weaker copies of that quirk beforehand or he targeted some other people with weaker technopathic quirks to give to those Bombers. 

Well, it’s not like that matters. I managed to get my hands on a pretty powerful one too early on and proceeded to give every single member of my cyberwarfare branch a copy of it along with Endurance, Energy Saver, and IQ.

That’s on top of them being gifted the most high-tech, untraceable computers and other appropriate hardware Japan has to offer, the kind of stuff Skeptic personally uses.

The heroes couldn’t defend against one technopathic quirk in action (AFO’s version), and Tartarus had its systems shut down from two of those, so these networks defending against several dozen of them at once just isn’t happening. They were even given some of my Trigger on top of Endurance to boost themselves even further if necessary!

Of course, they’re trying to do this as stealthily as possible so as to avoid detection, but their skills combined with their quirks and the sheer number of them working on this should make it more than just possible.

Now ideally, they will be able to learn the chemical composition of this Trigger through looking at some secret documents or something, and the Creation Crew could then make their own after learning the necessary atomic structure.

That would be great, but I’m prepared to break into a temple or two of theirs to get some samples of the drug myself if necessary. 

 

Most of their members are quirkless and they are no Knuckleduster when it comes to combat. If a 15 year old girl can beat around several adult members with nothing but minimal combat experience and a stick despite them all having assault rifles, then I doubt they’ll stand much of a chance against my own forces. They’re more useless then Momo is uncreative!

The top brass of that cult aren’t that tough either. Even if I somehow ended up facing Flect Turn himself, well, his counter quirk has numerous counters and I’m definitely one of them.

Eraserhead could stare him down, Star and Stripe could use a New Order rule to make her immune, All For One can be All For One, and Zookeeper can nullify his quirk with a bit of cleaning. 

Oh, and he still needs to breathe, so someone with wind manipulation like Inasa Yorashi or anyone who can create a cage around Flect, whether through object summoning or manipulation or some barrier or binding quirk (like Blackwhip, IZUKU) could get the job done.

Hell, a quirkless guy with a flamethrower would be enough to deal with Reflect!

As for me, Cleaning should let me get through Flect’s Reflect quirk long enough to insta-kill the guy via Overhaul. Or I could just overhaul the ground around him into a sealed-off cage and let him suffocate. Problem solved.

Of course, this would be the worst case scenario and it is extremely unlikely to happen since I have no plans on attacking their headquarters like Izuku, Katsuki, Shoto, and Rody did in the movie. I’ll be secretly slipping into some of their lesser hideouts with a few Praetorians at most.

But ideally, I won’t even have to personally get involved with that part of this operation. Instead, I’ll mainly be focused on quirk-collecting for obvious reasons.

Now then, time to rob this country and its cultish leadership blind!

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• Sekan Doraifu - ?????
• LabHaul - ?????
• NightHaul - ?????
• GuildHaul - ?????
• Eri - ?????

Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Zookeeper (Personal Maid/Eri’s Main Caretaker) - Cleaning, Overhaul, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Gigantomachia (Head Bodyguard) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole
• Hari Kurono (Leader of Eight Bullets/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hekiji Tengai (Eight Bullets) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Toya Setsuno (Eight Bullets) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Yu Hojo (Eight Bullets) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Soramitsu Tabe (Eight Bullets) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Scanning, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Endurance, Energy Saver

Other Forces:

• Praetorian Guard - 110
• Pseudo Getens - 10
• Pseudo Inasas - 5
• Pseudo Shotos - 5
• Cyber Warfare Branch - 40
• Mad Science Branch - 35
• Creation Crew - 50
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 40
• Thugs and Goons - 3405

Subsidiaries:

• Hero Killer
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth and his crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 87

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 42: Sneaking Around the Smurf

“The Trigger Bombs should all be complete and in place by next year.”

ANOTHER fucking secret society?!? How many of these things are there?

“The heroes will take this bait, allowing our blessed gathering to wipe out the remaining impure.”

The Shie Hassaikai, the Meta Liberation Army, whatever’s left of All For One’s empire, and now this? 

What’s next? A society of quirked animals? A race of aliens? Angels? Demons? Lovecraftian horrors? 

“The pure will find paradise in our sanctuaries, the world will be saved, and the cursed phenomenon known as quirks will never threaten anyone ever again.”

God, the heroes suck at their jobs. He has lost so much respect for the world’s intelligence agencies ever since he got a technopathic quirk and memories of a master hacker implanted into him, letting him witness first hand just how hilariously outclassed his enemies are.

Good thing the Cyberwarfare Branch member isn’t on their side. The Shie Hassaikai may not have the quantity Humarise or the heroes or the MLA has, but quality is a completely different story. He and his cohorts succeeding in this mission is proof of such. 

“For humanity's salvation.”

More like genocide. If several billion natural disasters happen simultaneously all across the globe, it’ll be a miracle if there’s even a planet left, much less some survivors that can inhabit it afterwards!

 

Countdown to Canon: 1 Month 3 Weeks before Entrance Exam

“Let the Shie Hassaikai’s first, and definitely not last, international quirk stealing spree begin.” I smirk while getting to work.

Besides slowly creating an ultimate quirk combination to match All For One’s, there are quite a few minor quirks around that are helpful in my experiments and other projects, quirks that I’ll be getting copies of for myself.

Example one of the latter and the first person on my list is Rody Soul… which was incredibly easy to check off.

His own sentient quirk pales in comparison to Dark Shadow and the best thing Rody himself can do is parkour a little. That doesn’t exactly help you when I can manipulate several hundred feet of ground as well as whoever happens to be standing on said ground instantaneously with a mere touch.

And that’s just one of my quirks. I have plenty of other options in case his plot armor isn’t limited to the World Heroes Mission movie.

That turned out to be unnecessary as I just knocked him and his siblings out through Mind Web, had Eri rewind the memories of him and his quirk after fusing and defusing with him, and went on my merry way. 

Well, I had to have Eri help me make a copy of the quirk and body through Rewind before separating that part of me through Overhaul and letting my Praetorians get those copied body parts to Innsmouth to be smuggled back into Japan, but other then that, I was good to go.

And no, his siblings didn’t have sentient quirks either. Yes, I checked with copies of Scanning and Search just to be sure.

 

Next on my list of canon quirks to target is Voyance.

That quirk is wielded by Clair Voyance, a hero from Otheon that helps out during the World Heroes’ Mission movie. It allows the user to see through any object within view except for living organisms. 

She uses the quirk to help track down Humarise’s Trigger Bombs in the movie and it sounds like an excellent quirk for a few groups of thieves I know. The Volcano Thieves and the Gentle/La Brava duo have done enough jobs and built enough trust to warrant giving them the extra quirks (as well as telling them all about that in the first place).

Getting the jump on the hero isn’t hard since she doesn’t have it active at all times. She’s somewhat skilled in combat, sure, but it’s not like she has superhuman strength or speed or anything like that. 

Once the Hassaikai’s hackers located her house, knocking her out with Mind Web and doing the same old body fuse trick with Overhaul was childsplay.

This cycle went on over the course of a few days with no problems to speak of. It was just in and out, hello and goodbye, get a copy and make the target forget it ever happened.

Now I wasn’t only doing business during this little trip. We planned on sticking around for a few weeks so there was plenty of time to check out some touristy spots. 

I figured we could use the break as canon is right around the corner and those events will be taking up plenty of my attention. You know what they say about all work and no play.

Walking around the main city, visiting the public square, hiking through the forests and around a few mountains, going up the Otheon Towers, traveling across the suspension bridge while looking at the massive river below, and other stuff like that is what I spend a good chunk of time doing with Zi and Eri. 

As for the slums of the city, the quick trip we took to get a copy of Rody’s quirk was enough sightseeing in that area. I’d much rather get some fishing done, or rather, attempt to catch a quirked aquatic animal myself.

Sadly, there were no five-headed sharks or kaiju-sized krakens or genuine leviathans reeled in during my stay. We were able to make some kickass sashimi with our non-quirked catches though.

Such a shame that quirked animals are one of countless aspects of this society that are never properly explored in canon, one of countless plot points never written to its full potential. 

Even learning a bit more about how Nezu came to be would’ve been really interesting for many readers, but nope. 

 

Frankly, I feel like the general lack of presence this version of humanity has in its oceans and other large bodies of water is due to the fear of whatever unknown quirked animals reside within.

They would rather play their hero-villain game then bother exploring (or rather, reclaiming what aquatic dominion they had before the Dawn of Quirks) and potentially pissing off the equivalent of a Godzilla or Leviathan. 

I’m not expecting a full-on One Piece parody in the seven seas of My Hero Academia, just a little more about the aquatic environment covering seventy percent of the planet, but humanity here barely scratches the surface of its mysteries and potential ever since quirks became a thing.

Come to think of it, perhaps that could also be why I-Island has such an absurd amount of security both in and around it. While the ocean itself can become rather dangerous during storms, maybe the aquatic creatures that developed quirks are even scarier. 

Only defenses rivaling Tartarus could hope to fend off a Gigantomachia with fins, a threat to entire countries if creatures like that were to ever surface.

If that really is the case, then it must be one of those unspoken rules or taboos society has like the idea of actually researching what quirks are, because I haven’t found anything confirming such an opinion.

Maybe that’s also why society hasn’t bothered properly exploring the Moon yet; they’re scared of what quirky bullshit they could potentially find and would rather keep living in their little bubble, their status quo.

The World Heroes Association could manage such a feat. Getting together a dream team of top heroes across the globe like All Might, Star and Stripe, Endeavor, Captain Celebrity, Big Red Dot, and Salaam for such expeditions would only end in victory for them.

All For One at his peak would find himself completely outmatched by the combined might of a literal reality warper, a tactical telekinesis demigod, one of the strongest elemental quirk users on the planet, and the unbound might of One For All, just to name a few major players.

So even if there were miles-long sea monsters lurking in the ocean’s depths or similar quirked monstrosities up in space, beings who could threaten entire countries like the quirk-stealing boogeyman can through sheer power alone, they would be screwed against that heroic lineup and the UN and WHA would be free to take all those spoils of war alongside the new territory.

But let's not forget how the world’s governments treated David Shield’s Quirk Amplification Device in the Two Heroes movie. 

Such a device had so much potential to boost the world’s heroes, but the suits were too scared of how it would alter the current status quo to go through with it, so they ordered David to lock his magnum opus up for good.

 

Getting back on track, this was honestly a really nice trip thanks to Humarise not breathing down our necks, or just being annoying in general. 

We didn’t even have to sneak into any bases of theirs since my cyberwarfare branch managed to find documents regarding their Ideo Trigger and what it’s made of as well as various other notes about their drugs and plans in general after slightly over a week.

They even managed to create a secret backdoor into their systems like what they did with the MLA a while back! And Humarise doesn't have a clue about it! 

Monopolizing the quirkless recruitment pool in Japan should be much easier now, and any sudden changes to their canon plans will be discovered practically the moment they’re made. While this major threat may mostly be outside of the areas I operate, that doesn’t mean I won’t keep tabs on the nitty gritty details of their operations. I’d be a total fool not to.

After the clusterfuck that was Naruhata and the SUM getting shut down way earlier than I intended, it’s really nice to have things going all according to plan again. Managing to outplay several country or even world-threatening villain and hero organizations isn’t easy, you know?

And yes, I could use this information to blackmail Humarise if I really wanted to. It wouldn’t be anything new. My cyberwarfare group has been collecting leverage on heroes, villains, vigilantes, and civilians alike like they’re addicted to a blackmail gacha machine, and I’ve had plenty of outside ‘favors’ done for me because of that.

But I’d rather not bite off more than I could chew. Some low level hero or higher-up of a company is one thing, but blackmailing groups like Humarise and the MLA is just asking for trouble because they had more than enough power and resources to bite back.

We’d be just fine technologically. Skeptic could bash his head on my firewalls for weeks, only for me and the cyberwarfare branch to have a solid laugh at his expense. Even the MLA’s satellites helping him out wouldn’t make a difference!

But physically? That’s a very different story.

Plus there’s me wanting to expose myself and my organization as little as possible, especially to my toughest opponents.

 

“Hey, Sekan? Out of curiosity, exactly how much of a threat is Humarise?” Zookeeper had asked me on one of the final days of our trip.

We were up on our hotel balcony, staring off into the lit-up city and the sea of stars above it. Eri was there too, sitting on my shoulder at the time and curious to hear about this new massive villain organization.

I trust those two more than anyone, but even they don’t know about my previous life. I can disguise most of my ridiculous knowledge as discoveries from the Hassaikai’s reconnaissance, spying, and hacking networks as well as memories I get from those I body-fused with.

Hell, I’ve learned plenty of new things about this world that the anime or manga never mentioned, but some things…

How to put this…

“Big, Zi. Really freaking big.” I answer, slightly censoring myself for Eri before going into a bit more detail.

“For comparison’s sake, let me first give a summary of the Meta Liberation Army, the largest villain organization in Japan at the moment now that AFO’s empire has been crippled so much.

There are 54,210 adults living in Deika City right now, over 90% of which are sworn MLA members and trained combatants with at least 20,000 of them being able to at least fight on par with the average Pro Hero, even without any Deternat Support Gear designed specifically to enhance their powers.

This is about half of their total membership, which is currently sitting at around 116,000 people with more joining every day, especially with the blows we have given hero society over the last year or so. 

Being able to freely use quirks to defend yourself when heroes can no longer do the job themselves sounds like a pretty good solution, and the MLA is fighting for that. Of course, the top dogs of that organization are basically quirk supremacists, but the rank and file members aren’t going to know that.

They have parliamentarians, media moguls, CEOs, undercover agents posing as heroes and other law enforcement, and so on scattered all throughout Japan, ready to rise up and unleash hell at their Grand Commander’s orders. 

In other words, they have access to, among other things, almost unlimited funding, heavy surveillance of both civilians and law enforcement, what would be considered a field army in the pre-quirk era, and control over the government which would be absolute if the HPSC didn’t beat them to it. Sounds like a pretty big threat, right?”

The two girls nod, clearly shocked at just how much the MLA has managed to amass overtime. I guess I didn’t paint a clear enough picture back when we traveled throughout Deika to ambush Geten.

Don’t get me wrong, when it comes to pure quality, my own Shie Hassaikai can absolutely crush this competitor. Re-Destro and Geten can beat up most top heroes with relative ease, but even the current, heavily-weakened All Might should be able to solo them both.

They have thousands upon thousands of members who can tussle with the average pro hero, sure, but don’t forget how lazy, complacent, and weak most of the current pro heroes are. 

Guys like Nine and his crew, the Eight Bullets (or what’s left of them), Gigantomachia, and my Specialized Praetorians can demolish entire cities, if not entire prefectures single-handedly. Machia alone was able to bulldoze through a chunk of Deika and the MLA, Geten included, with barely any effort in canon. 

However, when it comes to quantity and support, the MLA is the one demolishing its competition. I have quite a few spies among law enforcement and own quite a few companies, sure, but that’s nothing compared to what the MLA has amassed.

I’ve been at this for less than a year, but that doesn’t change the current situation.

 

“Well the current MLA has over 99% of its people and assets in Japan, unlike the first MLA that was spread throughout countries across the world. The first one was an international organization while this one is just a national organization. A big one, definitely, but a national organization nonetheless.

Humarise, on the other hand, has expanded far beyond Otheon. There are dozens of branches all over the world with thousands of members, if not tens of thousands, at each of them, and those are just the main defenders. Many of them may be quirkless, but their sheer number is a massive threat when paired up with their connections and support.

They have a whole lot of influence worldwide, much more than you would expect from a cult of lunatics. The main reason behind this is simple; what they believe in. 

Just like me, they believe the end of the world is quickly approaching due to the Quirk Singularity, and while their methods of solving the problem are wrong and downright idiotic, their diagnosis of the issue is completely right.

They’ve practically taken over the entire country of Otheon and have plenty of secret support from all across the globe. It’s an order of magnitude greater than the MLA and would require the World Heroes Association mobilizing pretty much every hero in the world to take them down without much resistance.”

That’s what happened in canon. MHA is a shounen so a couple of 15 year olds were the ones to take on the big bads and save the world, but that doesn’t change the fact that heroes from across the globe had to work together to take on this threat.

“Then there’s the intel our cyberwarfare guys managed to gather. A new kind of Trigger gas that practically jumpstarts the Quirk Singularity. If they plan on launching terrorist attacks around the world with something like that…”

“A global apocalypse…” Zookeeper finishes the thought. 

“Yeah, the thing I’ve been having the Hassaikai go Plus Ultra to prepare for.” I grumble.

“I know you said their solution was idiotic, but I just have to ask. How exactly does causing the singularity that will kill everyone on Earth to happen early stop it from killing all the quirkless on Earth?” Zi follows up.

“Beats me; I chugged the best tea I could to power-up IQ and was still at a loss after that brainstorming session. If they want to save the quirkless, then having the quirked go nuclear meltdown mode all around them seems a little counterproductive.

Oh, and that doesn’t change the fact that quirkless people are going the way of the dodo. Even if every quirked being in the world was magically erased, leaving only quirkless biological life behind, chances are that more quirked people will be born like what happened during the Dawn of Quirks and the natural power progression cycle will pick up right where it left off.”

These guys may be complete lunatics, but they also happen to be what Scientology in my old world can only dream of being. 

They have followers in high places, they amassed plenty of corporate assets, in big part focusing on the groups that can help further spread their beliefs, and they even got quite a few governmental officials on their side like the guys at Otheon.

In short, opposing ideologies aside, it’s basically the MLA on a global scale.

“It seems like it’ll be happening sooner than I thought because I’m sure as hell not challenging Humarise to a war in our current state. They have both numbers and a support system to rival All For One’s empire at its peak; I’d be dooming us all by getting directly involved because both them and the heroes would come after us if I did.

Even in most of my less than ideal Endgame scenarios, the melee-a-trois between us, the MLA, the heroes, and Humarise will be actually winnable, but that depends on many different factors, the biggest two being how long we can remain hidden and how much our opponents weaken each other for us.”

 

I finish my explanation on why I have no intentions on challenging such a force right now, and while Zookeeper understands, Eri, on the other hand…

“But can’t our heavy hitters just crush… wait… their Trigger! If a cloud of that gas hits even one of them…” Eri quickly puts the pieces together.

“Yeah. Our massive advantages in strong quirk-holders and multiple-quirk holders would be turned against us, and while something like a gas mask could help solve the problem, damaging it even a little bit would make my elites literally explode in power, most likely taking out whatever prefecture they happen to be in with them.

In my opinion, fence-sitting while trying to get a one-up on everyone is still the best way to go. We still have the element of surprise and can further prepare while the heroes and villains tear each other apart. 

When our enemies are at their weakest, we will jump in and take them all down. Such will likely doom the world, but us getting involved early isn’t really going to change that.”

“So the world is screwed no matter what.” Zi mumbles.

“Pretty much, yeah. I don’t want to sound pessimistic or like the global organization we are currently in the heart of, but the end of the world is fast approaching and all we can really do is prepare for it as best as we can.”

“Well for starters, we can continue poaching their intelligent potential recruits in Japan.” Zi jokes, lightening up the mood a good bit.

Yeah, that’ll be a nice start. Serves the smurf right. I’ll show him how to actually save your loyal followers from a global apocalypse. Hint: it doesn’t involve literally causing said apocalypse to happen early.

((“This update should lighten up the mood even more.”)) LabHaul suddenly, mentally messages me. ((“My assistants and I just made a breakthrough. Like a MAJOR breakthrough.”))

‘Regarding?’

((“Overhaul. Specifically, the mechanisms behind how this quirk actually works.”))

Oh. That’s… major. Really major.

 

What quirks truly are has always been one of the main subjects of my research in this reality. Canon’s abysmal explanation of ‘DNA plus something else’ doesn’t exactly help, and trying to figure out just that is practically taboo in this world, so I was stuck figuring out the answer myself.

The first step of this process is replicating their effects without use of the quirk itself. In other words, use Overhaul to modify a person’s body to the point where it’s indistinguishable from someone using a certain quirk.

A decent portion of quirks are easy to naturally replicate, mutant quirks in particular making up the majority of this category. Giving someone several extra arms or a tail isn’t very difficult with the right extra parts and modifications, but emitter quirks are far more difficult to replicate.

Emitter quirks such as Overhaul itself.

And that’s not even mentioning the ‘something else’ that goes into the quirk equation ‘DNA plus something else’, or in other words, the common denominator of all quirks that allow them to do what they do.

Figuring out just how Overhaul functions is an extension to this mystery, and while my clones and I haven't cracked the overall code just yet, we have been making some substantial progress lately, especially after Overhaul awakened.

And it sounds like LabHaul just got us another step closer to cracking said code.

 

‘So what’d you do? Come on, don’t keep me waiting!’ I grilled the quirk summon.

((“Alright, so as you know, one question we’ve always had in regards to Overhaul was how exactly this quirk factor is expressed within the user’s hands. It obviously isn’t unique to the ‘region’ of hands, but rather, the makeup of what constitutes a hand, as you wouldn’t be able to channel it through your other, self-created hands alongside your normal hands if that was the case.

Using its crippled variant as an example, when AFO Tomura underwent the Quirk Singularity during the Final War, he created wave after wave of countless hands, each and every one of them being capable of using the Decay quirk. 

Such is the case because the specific gene expressions of those new limbs was the makeup required to express his quirk factor or primary quirk power through, and with it technically being the same quirk, Overhaul should work the same way, right? You following so far?”))

‘Yeah. So what about later on in the Final War then? When Decay evolved even further.’

((“I was getting to that. So once his Quirk Singularity evolution ended, AFO Tomura then became capable of using Decay all throughout his body. The ground he walked on would decay into dust simply because his bare feet touched it, but why exactly is that the case?”))

‘...Like I said, Decay evolved even further.’ I deadpan back. 

((“Yes, but I’m talking about the details of that evolution. What exactly did the evolved quirk change in his body to allow his body to do that, and more importantly, is it possible to replicate this particular body modification with Overhaul surgery rather than rely on the quirk itself.”))

‘So in other words, cutting out the middleman.’ 

((“Bingo. So quick review, there are two main parts to a quirk, the primary quirk power and the specific body parts or gene expressions that allow said primary power to function. The primary quirk power is what truly matters, and having multiple of these primary quirk powers is what causes most people to go brain dead.

The specific body parts that allow said primary power to function, on the other hand, don’t cause any genuine strain. Look at all the quirks people have that affect others through changing their size and shape or altering their physical power and so on, or in other words, practically giving them a second quirk.

The people affected are just fine despite having their own quirk and a de facto quirk from someone else in them. When Gentle Criminal gains a massive strength boost from La Brava’s quirk, he basically has two quirks, and yet he doesn’t go brain dead unlike the Nomus. 

This is why we can alter the human body so much with Overhaul and not have our targets go brain dead despite replicating plenty of different mutant quirks in terms of specific body parts. These alterations don’t come with the primary quirk power that mutant quirk wielders have, so our targets are perfectly fine even if we don’t increase how many quirk factors their bodies can hold.

Now then, that being said, what exactly do you do when creating more copies of your hands?”)) My clone questions.

 

‘Well, I don’t know what exactly constitutes either part of the quirk factor of Overhaul, Double, and so on. I also can’t duplicate the primary quirk power of quirk factors with just Overhaul, even through separating whatever part of the body possesses the quirk factor and using Overhaul’s return to factory setting to recover those parts. 

Only the specific body parts that allow the primary quirk power to function properly come back, not the primary quirk power itself. The time-manipulation ability of Rewind is needed to get the complete quirk factor package. However, this limitation actually works to my advantage.

So I first use Overhaul on one of my main hands to detach the other main hand. I then use Overhaul’s return to factory setting to automatically recreate a brand new main hand, unique parts that allow quirks to be used and all.

After that, I use Overhaul to fuse this extra main hand onto another spot in my body. The hand in question is usually compressed with another usage of Overhaul before it’s merged so as to make hiding it easier and just making the extra appendage less of a hassle in general.

Once the extra hand is fused into my body, the primary quirk power of Overhaul, Double, and so on automatically starts flowing through it since the required gene expression is already present, allowing me to use these emitter quirk powers without a problem. 

Even if my main hands were destroyed, the primary quirk power would still flow through these backup hands, letting me continue using these powers with those hands.

After that, I just rinse and repeat as many times as I want. I can utilize Overhaul, Double, and so on through various places in my body without having to duplicate the primary quirk power itself. 

Instead of giving myself dozens of Overhaul and Double copies, thereby completely overwhelming how many quirk factors my body can currently hold, I simply expand the output of Overhaul and Double’s primary quirk power to dozens of extra spots, like what AFO Tomura could do with Decay during his quirk singularity evolution.’

((“Okay, so you see the issue there, right? Well, the logical issue rather than the numerous moral issues with that freaky shit. That gap in knowledge you have regarding your quirk factors forced you to employ that workaround.”))

‘Yeah. So what’s your… you figured out what constitutes the specific body parts that allow Overhaul to function, didn’t you?’ 

((“Yup! It was hidden really damn well, way less obvious then the hole-like organ the All For One quirk creates in any user’s hands, but I finally figured out the specific gene expressions in your hands that Overhaul and Double create! The structures in question are glands, one for Overhaul and one for Double, that allow the function of these quirks to be used. 

And while I have yet to completely understand these glands, I do understand enough to replicate them throughout the dermis and allow them to work seamlessly in these new positions. This doesn’t add to the primary quirk power either, so Overhaul and Double would stay as one quirk each rather then several dozen copies of one quirk each.”))

‘That would mean… holy shit.’

 

In simple terms, LabHaul just figured out how to have Overhaul originate throughout my entire dermis, or the thick layer of living tissue below the epidermis which forms the true skin, rather than just my hands.

Such an upgrade would allow me to completely skip the first stage of indirect contact. Instead of, say, channeling Overhaul from my hands to throughout my body to an object touching my bare chest for a two stage contact, I can now do such with just a single stage contact. 

Considering that Overhaul’s current limit is a two stage contact, this is absolutely massive.

((“Oh, it gets even better. Now that I know what organ is channeling Overhaul and Double, modifying the organs in question to harness more of the primary quirks’ power should be possible, allowing for greater range, faster speed, or even a larger chain of indirect contact, so three or four stage contact, if not more, instead of two!

I have copies of both the regular Overhaul quirk and the awakened Overhaul quirk, so I already have some major insight into how exactly this gland can be improved. Combine that with our expertise in body modification-”))

And we can do so much more.

That. Is. AWESOME!!!

My next body upgrade was already going to be massive thanks to all the research we stole from Garaki, but this discovery just made things so much better!

Just in time too. Canon is about to start, and with all these new discoveries and upgrades, there’s no way I won’t be ready for what’s to come.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• Sekan Doraifu - ?????
• LabHaul - ?????
• NightHaul - ?????
• GuildHaul - ?????
• Eri - ?????

Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Zookeeper (Personal Maid/Eri’s Main Caretaker) - Cleaning, Overhaul, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Gigantomachia (Head Bodyguard) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole
• Hari Kurono (Leader of Eight Bullets/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hekiji Tengai (Eight Bullets) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Toya Setsuno (Eight Bullets) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Yu Hojo (Eight Bullets) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Soramitsu Tabe (Eight Bullets) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Scanning, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Endurance, Energy Saver

Other Forces:

• Praetorian Guard - 110
• Pseudo Getens - 10
• Pseudo Inasas - 5
• Pseudo Shotos - 5
• Cyber Warfare Branch - 40
• Mad Science Branch - 35
• Creation Crew - 50
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 40
• Thugs and Goons - 3405

Subsidiaries:

• Hero Killer
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth and his crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 87

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 43: Semi-Perfect

“So what are we looking at for a timetable here? It took Garaki four months to turn Tomura into his magnum opus… well, it was interrupted after three months, but you get the point.” Sekan asks his clone while staring at the giant pod in front of him.

“It won’t be nearly as long. Half a month at most; maybe even a week.”

That gets Sekan to cock an eyebrow.

“Hey, this metamorphosis may involve a lot, but compared to Garaki’s process, we’ve still got several things going for us when it comes to time. 

For starters, you’ve had plenty of body modifications done to you already, so while the complete process from regular human to Semi-Perfect form would probably take a couple months in total, you’ve already got a good chunk of it done already.

Second, I’m not giving you a body that can match up to All Might in his prime while quirkless. I can’t do that without Garaki’s up to date research, so while I have a lot more unique things to add, we still have a long way to go before you reach true completion. 

I’m calling this our ‘Semi-Perfect Form’ for a reason, you know. Although you can also refer to yourself as something of an Ultimate Praetorian if you want, even if that title will probably become rather outdated within a few months or so. Perhaps saying you’ll be a half-step into the singularity would be more accurate.

Now while the general focus of this upgrade is versatility rather than sheer power, you’ll still be stupidly strong without any quirks activated, strong enough to beat around Mirko or a transformed Ryukyu while quirkless, but even the current, heavily weakened All Might is a cut above the rest.

I’m sure your sparring sessions with Rappa have hammered in that much. And remember, this is while QUIRKLESS! The lineup of quirks you’ll have at the end of this procedure is… daunting for most to put it lightly.

Third, there’s the complete cheat that is Overhaul. Complex experimental surgeries that take months for someone like Garaki to do can be completed in an instant through Overhaul, and while this has led to our brand of mad science to be different, Overhaul makes things significantly faster, if not generally possible to begin with.

Come to think of it, excluding the specific optimization of your body for quirks like Overhaul, Double, and so on, this’ll go even faster for you then it would for others due to Overhaul using our own proprioception as a jumping-off point.

Now there are a couple steps of the process that I can’t cheat through using that quirk, and you’ll have to spend a while in the pod as that will help your body adapt and adjust to all of these changes, but it should be relatively quick, especially with a steady dose of Cell Activation helping your body out.”

 

“Alright. So everything from adding new quirks to optimizing my body for some of my quirks and Trigger to general modifications to turn me into what can be called a humanoid High-End Nomu in base power and a bunch of other stuff is what I’m gonna be getting here?”

“Pretty much, yeah. I’m also going to be removing any remaining ‘bad’ genes in you, so think of genes that cause or potentially cause genetic disorders like cancer. 

Your immune system will also be bolstered by a shit ton for the sake of Plus Ultra, and your brain will also be getting a major overhaul to help with processing and perception, but especially memory storage. Can’t risk you getting more mental problems or a dose of Dissociative Identity Disorder, after all. Your natural intelligence will get a good boost too, helping you further acclimate to the memories of others quickly, among other perks.

Holding thousands of years worth of memories shouldn’t be a problem once this process completes, and the willpower enhancer quirks you’ll be given will ensure that no vestige can give you the mental AFO Tomura treatment. Then there are minor improvements without direct modifications.” LabHaul confirms that last part, making the original raise an eyebrow.

“What do you mean by that?”

“You know how small parts of the human population in both this world and our original world? Beneficial genes that allow people to be smarter or stronger or live longer? Well, I managed to find quite a few samples of those thanks to all the samples we’ve been getting and genetic sequencing I’ve been doing. 

The degrees in epigenetics we got by copying the memories of some Tokyo Medical University graduates also helped a good bit. Gave me a great starting point when starting up this particular brand of mad science.

I’ve also got a list of optimized organs, some naturally superior and others genetically modified, to replace your old ones via instantaneous Overhaul surgery and even a brand new carbon polymer skeletal system made through the Creation Crew built specifically to help further optimize your new unique body and quirks. 

That’s not even mentioning all the optimized body parts spamming Overhaul and Cell Regeneration on that specified batch of prisoners turned test subjects has created. You’ll be getting a piece of that pie as well.

Then there’s the genes of people like Stain and Mirio who pulled a Charles Atlas and managed to become superhuman without the aid of a quirk. Their DNA alone has been extremely helpful with this project of mine and is practically the centerpiece that allows all these other optimizations and modifications to work. 

I hope you like it, because most of my assistants and I have gotten less than 12 hours of sleep during the last month to finish all these advancements and preparations. Energy Saver plus Endurance plus Plus Ultra and that answer times several dozen gets you this and a few mental breakdowns.”

“Were the bonuses I offered not enough?”

“I don’t think it’s about the money anymore, dude. Like me, they do not need money or sleep; they need answers.”

“Well, good to know how passionate they are. Just make sure they don’t murder me while I’m in a coma, okay? Oh, and if possible, I’d rather not adapt to this shit the way Shiggy did, so no filling up the entire underground labyrinth with endless mutant hands or something. Just use Overhaul to fix that as best as you can if it happens.”

“It definitely shouldn't- uh, probably shouldn’t happen.”

“LabHaul…”

“Sir, yes sir.” His clone mockingly salutes him before asking if he’s ready.

Sekan won’t be awake for this latest and greatest procedure. He may not feel pain anymore, but it’ll still be a lot easier for his clone (and a loss less boring for Sekan) if he gets the equivalent of a time skip.

Good thing Kai Chisaki figured out how to put people into comas for as long as he likes already.

Now it's time for the biggest upgrade yet.

 

Countdown to Canon: 1 Month 1 Week before Entrance Exam

“Oh… this is unexpected.” I mutter upon waking up.

LabHaul just used Overhaul to put me in a coma while he does this latest and greatest upgrade, so I was expecting to wake back up when it was complete.

Instead, I find myself within my vestigeworld once again.

 

It’s hard to believe that this began as a tiny stone platform surrounded by a never-ending fog and is now practically an entire street. A copy of Hassaikai HQ is in the center and over a dozen houses for temporary and permanent vesitges are on the sides.

I’ve temporarily used quite a few quirks overtime, so the permanent residents here willed up some housing for them too. Well, once I allowed them slight access to this place, anyway.

Come to think of it, I may have to expand this place again considering how many new permanent ghastly residents my inner world is about to get.

“Probably.” My own quirk vestige tells me as he floats to my side. “At least you won’t be bored while I maybe evolve into a higher being.”

Yeah, our first artificial quirk experiment actually worked! It took some specialized Trigger and a few specialized body modifications to help force the process, but it finally worked! Mind Web has been merged with several other quirks to become an Artificial Quirk that will now be fused into me via Overhaul. 

As for whether or not my original quirk will merge again with this augmented copy, I have no idea. If we can somehow make that happen through my awakened Overhaul or working some magic in the vestigeworld or both, then I will gladly do so, but that will have to wait until the quirk is actually transplanted into me.

And yes, my quirk vestige is a vestige of me, not the teenager whose body I inhabited upon entering this world.

There will be no internal crying child bullshit like what Tomura had in canon. There will be no Multiple Personality Disorder bullshit for someone like Izuku to try exploiting for his own naive agenda. 

My body is my own. My will is my own, and with the appropriate quirks and modifications enhancing this willpower of mine, no other wills or vestiges or other crap like that can come anywhere close to subduing or resisting it.

Now the passage of time in this place is… weird. It’s hard to tell if seconds, hours, or weeks went by since something happened, but things did happen. Lots of things.

Vestiges came. Vestiges left. Vestiges currently present changed, the quirks themselves being altered in some way.

They feel empowered whenever I apply Trigger to myself, more so whenever I utilize Gigantomachia’s vestige.

An interesting thing to note is that he appears as he does in canon, only in his normal 3 meter-tall state instead of his 30 meter-tall kaiju state. I didn’t know if he would look like that or how he did before AFO gave him more quirks; it seems like the vestige has at least some subconscious thought on how they appear.

The OFA vestiges and AFO vestige being in their hero costumes or main outfits supports this theory, but I wasn’t sure if it applied to their ‘bodies’ themselves or just their clothes and accessories. 

Or perhaps I’m the one subconsciously imagining them looking that way. The others don’t seem to have a problem with how they look and I can manipulate the world itself to my liking.

 

More time passes and more quirk ghosts join us as we begin remodeling the world around us. 

More vestiges arrive and memories on how to use their powers flood in. LabHaul is taking the memories he needs from the Special Praetorians wielding them and transferring copies of them right into my head through Mind Web, blitzing through the time needed to master these new quirks.

Work smarter, not harder. That’s the way to go.

My internal world goes from looking like a small street to looking like a small neighborhood with several dozen houses, some entertainment buildings using my memories as a blueprint, and even a movie theater where vestiges can watch a livestream of my current life or see some of my old memories. 

We all watched quite a few episodes of MHA together, something that really weirded out the new vestiges, but most quickly got used to the weirdness.

“I CAN’T SAY I SUPPORT WHAT YOU’RE DOING, BUT I CAN APPRECIATE THE SHEER AMOUNT OF FIERY PASSION PUT INTO IT!!!” One rather eccentric vestige tells me.

“As if things weren’t weird enough around you on the outside.” Another new vestige mutters.

Several other new additions (that happen to be distant relatives, something currently unknown to them) just wander over to a moping corner that vestige Shin made upon realizing how small they are in the grand scheme of things and that the world doesn’t revolve around them.

Other new additions, the ones belonging to pro heroes in particular, attempt to fight back, but fail miserably and get put in the time-out corner until they ‘embrace the weirdness’ as VestigeHaul put it. He can relate to them.

Several copies of the same quirk were even added into me at one point with each quirk having a copy of the same vestige. 

As for Energy Saver, when I first got a copy of the quirk, I was curious to see if being powered-up (or altered, in other words) in Machia would have an effect on the vestige, but it seemed to just be the original owner rather than a fusion of that owner and Machia or something.

He was actually a pretty nice guy that had the unfortunate luck of running into AFO somewhat early on during the Dawn of Quirks. He wasn’t the equivalent of a war veteran like the second and third OFA vestiges were, but he still had some interesting stories to tell about the old days when quirks (or meta-abilities as he calls them) first became a thing.

 

A second vestige of me actually appeared as well with the two vestiges merging into one being (after another round of goodbyes) with some help from both myself and VestigeHaul. 

The latter has actually become a lot more fascinated with quirks overtime, even though he still would rather have them gone. It’s like a doctor being interested in a virus for interest’s sake while also wanting to make a vaccine for it.

Both him and vestige Shin have become quite good at quirk analysis with one of the newer vestiges reluctantly joining them after spending a while in the moping corner. The irony of a quirk supremacist getting along pretty well with someone who wants to erase quirks is not lost on me. 

But getting back to the new vestige me, he seems to have gotten a few personality traits from the other vestiges that were merged into him. He likes cats a whole lot more than I do and is a bit more of a jock, but vestige me is by far the one with the most influence on this artificial fusion.

This coma sending me into the vestigeworld turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I learned a lot more about how quirks and vestiges work during this little timeskip.

I made some new ghastly friends too with all the new additions not trying to pointlessly fight back at the very least by the end of this timeskip.

Over half a dozen quirk vestiges doing a parody of the “One of us! One of us!” chant to the few remaining ghosts in the moping corner will never not be funny to me. 

Then there’s the other little trick I finally managed to master in here.

You know how Izuku, AFO, and Tomura basically had a battle in the latter’s vestigeworld with all three taking ‘spiritual damage’ as a result? Izuku got his arms destroyed and Tomura’s body was completely wrecked. Even the Decay quirk was destroyed in the process.

Not to mention all the other combat scenes involving quirk vestiges and the mental world they reside in.

Well, that part of MHA’s combat inspired me to give a little trick from Dragon Ball a try.

Image Training.

 

In Dragon Ball, people can image-train by closing their eyes and imagine themselves combating against imaginary foes, letting them figure out how an actual battle against said foes would play out. People can even image-train together by linking their minds, like what Gohan and Krillin did during their trip to Namek.

It allows them to get more combat experience, come out with new strategies, and even slowly grow stronger overtime. And with the vestigeworld allowing me to have actual fights where real damage can be taken, I can pretty much have this place double as my own custom training grounds.

All that’s required is the knowledge of good opponents, and I have that in spades. Even training with Double clones pales in comparison because there are no limits to who I can summon, how durable those summons are, and what environments I can train in.

I just need to be careful about not getting too carried away. The last thing I need is a hundred prime All For Ones beating me and my vestiges to death in my own world.

Yeah, the vestiges can train too using this method, and that helps improve the quirks themselves within me. You can practically call it AFK quirk training at this point!

Taking down weakened, potato-faced All For Ones got easier and easier as my body neared completion and I got more access to quirks. I could even single-handedly hold out well against a prime All For One after a while!

AFO Tomura was a lot trickier, as he nearly rivals prime All Might while quirkless. There’s also the risk of him damaging my vestigeworld through his awakened Decay, so I didn’t spar against that guy too often.

Final War Izuku on the other hand… it was way too easy. He dies the moment he makes contact with me, so all he has for attack options are Black Whip and wind pressure from punches. My options for ranged attacks now greatly surpass his, so all he could do was run until Danger Sense failed to save him.

His shounen-like ‘punch harder’ tactic is completely useless against me now, so I’m practically his natural predator. It’s completely logical, but the main character of a shounen like this doesn’t exactly follow logic 24/7.

For all I know, plot armor and bullshit could somehow allow One For All to withstand Overhaul and knock me out with a Detroit Smash. It makes absolutely no sense, but again, this is a shounen protagonist we’re talking about here. Doing the impossible is his MO.

Even that other, more malevolent deity hinted at such being the case back when I met him, with the world quite literally offering up main characters like Izuku plot armor, or at least, what the so-called devil compared it to. Did he and ‘God’ do that on purpose? What’s the deal with that? Is it just to make my life harder?

Well, I suppose that doesn’t matter too much in the long run. Izuku Midoriya will be dealt with once I ascend again to my Final Form, but for now, this should be enough to handle most of my problems.

This was still a lot of fun, but all good times must come to an end eventually.

And yet, when I woke up, I could still hear the vestige of Kai Chisaki.

 

((‘Oh, would you look at that. It actually worked.’)) VestigeHaul comments upon realization. ((‘Can you hear the others too? They aren’t shutting up right now so it should be pretty obvious.’))

‘Nope, not a thing.’ I mentally comment back while letting LabHaul know about the unexpected development.

‘Both the Endurance quirk and Mind Web becoming an Artificial Quirk probably helped bridge that gap between mind and body. Or perhaps the direct modifications done to my brain played a part in this improvement.

Same goes with all the tinkering we did through use of Overhaul… is it because of Overhaul going through a Quirk Awakening, or was it because we made the alterations through usage of that quirk in particular?’

((‘Couldn’t tell you. I’ll look more into it on my end so you can be the one dealing with this idiotic ghostly peanut gallery full-time. I have a life outside of being your personal telephone.’)) 

‘I have a life, says the literal ghost inside my head.’

((‘Screw you.’)) VestigeHaul deadpans before cutting the connection… and I immediately bring it back through force of will before ranting at him a bit.

Looks like it functions similarly to Mind Web, but I have more of an authority than VestigeHaul does. That works for now; he’s actually one of the most helpful vestiges despite his personality quirks. Get it? Quirks?

((‘You suck.’))

‘Everyone's a critic.’ I mentally mutter while checking myself out.

 

I’ve finally reached All For One in sheer height, being a massive 7 foot 4. It may not sound like much considering how many mutation and gigantification quirks are out there, but in terms of baseline body, I am a one tall bastard.

Stupidly tall and even more muscular thanks to my body being modified to our current level of perfection. That’s on top of feeling like I can easily bench press a building quirkless, let alone when I start stacking superpowers.

I can feel it. My power and vitality overflowed, my senses and perception heightened, ideas and understanding flashing through my mind almost as quickly as IQ previously provided. And this is without a single quirk activated.

I felt something new. I felt reborn, evolved. My body, mind, and spirit are clearer than they’ve ever been; they feel more free than ever. 

‘A genuine rebirth… I suppose such a description isn't too far from the truth.’

Resisting the urge to step outside, cackle at the sky, and shout ‘I AM INVINCIBLE!’ was tough, but thankfully, the Evil Overlord List had taught me better than that. 

In all seriousness, I felt incredible. All my hard work so far paid off spectacularly, and I don’t intend on stopping anytime soon. 

We did all that we could right now, but there are still far more improvements and modifications to come. Garaki’s true Nomu research alone should let me once again grow by leaps and bounds, and I won’t be slacking off on the discovery department either.

Once those discoveries are explored enough and I confirm that everything went as intended, if not better than intended, the really tough part comes.

Saying goodbye to my personal clones and replacing them with new, updated versions.

They would’ve hated this at the start. They may have even rebelled.

They had been nothing before; not literally, but they had my memories from before they were made. Both lives worth of my memories. And they would soon be nothing again.

I sure wouldn’t like that prospect, given how selfish I am.

But overtime, that selfishness simmered down a little bit. We started gaining things, people to fight for other than ourselves.

We have to do this. We need to make sure this works out, so Zookeeper and Eri can be happy. All For One unknowingly slaughtering BossHaul at Naruhata showed the clones just how vulnerable they still are.

We can’t afford to be vulnerable. Not when we have so much on the line.

 

“It’s been a blast, bro. Look after Zi and Eri for us all, alright?” GuildHaul requests.

“He’ll still technically have us all. Better versions of us all, actually.” NightHaul adds on. “Just remember what we discussed. You have all our updated memories and know the personalities we developed. It won’t be the same, but-”

“It’s better than nothing, I know.” I responded.

“Yeah. So pull this off for SCIENCE!!!” LabHaul cheers, giving me a thumbs up before Overhauling himself to death, the other two clones following right after, leaving pieces of Sir Nighteye and a bunch of dark goo in the room.

“...Thanks, guys. Your personalities, your developments, your ‘quirks’ will live on, I promise.” I then whisper to myself before creating two new Twice clones.

Those clones are immediately controlled and given the information needed to create four new clones of me.

“Alright, guys. It’s up to us to make sure that the first batch of permanent clones lives on through us. I’m assuming you don’t mind me randomly assigning positions like last time?”

“Go for it.” All four respond at once, and several minutes later, I have a new BossHaul, LabHaul, NightHaul, and GuildHaul, all of them being copies of me with my current quirks and Semi-Perfect Form.

Even with them only having a small fraction of my durability, taking them down and exposing them as clones is going to be a whole lot harder with how powerful I’ve become, especially with some of my clones filling up their final open slots with extra quirks that should help a lot with their assigned roles.

We’ll all keep this dream we forged alive. We’ll win for every copy and vestige of me that have sacrificed themselves for me, the original. 

I won’t let them down.

 

The Shie Hassaikai has also pretty much finished reorganizing during the few weeks I was out for the procedure. 

After the major losses in Naruhata and massive growth everywhere else, as well as a massive change in strategy going forward, some major changes were needed regarding my clan’s structure. 

In other words, a completely new command structure and logistical network was needed, and I need to make sure my organization gets raised above the mud before the cracks caused by its recent expansion could let in more dirt, ultimately bringing everything down.

With three (four if you count Shin Nemoto) of its members dead, the Eight Bullets has officially been disbanded. While I could just fill those slots with clones, I instead decided to reshuffle and give a different name to a mostly different group of elites.

Henceforth, the Eight Bullets has been replaced by the Sinister Six.

Yes, the Spiderman reference is completely intentional. Despite the constant membership changes, it's still one of my favorite villain groups from my last life.

Even if All For One found out about the group name and understood the reference in question, that’s not exactly going to tell him a whole lot besides the already obvious number of people in the group. 

As for where this group ranks in my new hierarchy, they have the same authority as the Four Horsemen, but slightly less power on average (with a few notable exceptions). Most of them also have other responsibilities, but they’ve earned a spot in this group nevertheless.

And while every living member of the Eight Bullets besides Kurono didn’t make the cut, they are all still top brass in the Shie Hassaikai due to seniority and overall experience.

Hekiji Tengai is now Chief of Security. He handles setting up and maintaining all our defenses at Hassaikai HQ and all our other bits of territory.

Toya Setsuno is now the head of my Thievery Division. Simply put, he’s in charge of our smuggling and thieving subsidiaries like the Volcano Thieves, Gentle and La Brava, Cider House, and so on.

Yu Hojo is the Creation Crew’s new leader, keeping track of whatever that branch needs to make for me and ensuring optimization in that line of production. My limitless supply of loot production really needed the extra management and organization with how large my quotas are becoming. That and some extra Double clones of members to actually meet said quotas.

Soramitsu Tabe is now Head of Evidence Disposition. Turns out being able to eat whatever he damn well pleases makes getting rid of any evidence a whole lot easier. There’s obviously more to it than that, but he’s had plenty of time to learn and plenty of helping hands to ensure success.

And as for Kurono, not only is he now in the Sinister Six alongside being my main assistant, but he is also their leader like now Nine is the Four Horsemen’s leader. The guy is basically my right hand man, so very few outrank him in terms of authority.

 

Everyone also finished getting the new body modifications and quirk copies we had planned to give them. Being able to copy a single quirk to numerous people, and without having to steal the original at that, still remains one of my greatest advantages alongside my particular mindset and general transmigrator knowledge.

Chimera got a copy of Machia’s Fierce Gains to further boost his physical power. I offered the same to Nine, but he believed such a quirk wouldn’t mix well with his ranged arsenal. Air Wall serves as a good enough defense and Endurance plus Cell Activation help strengthen his body enough.

Maguma got a few more fire/volcano theme quirks like Dabi’s Cremation and Burnin’s Blazing Hair. The guy can probably give Endeavor a run for his money now.

Innsmouth got some of Chimera’s quirks and even a copy of Curator’s Whale quirk, letting him turn into a Cthulhu-esc abomination if he wishes. A copy of Ice Ply also ensures that while he’s sailing the seven seas, hitting him with anything less than All Might or a nuclear bomb is a pointless waste of human life.

Slice got a copy of both Vines and Extend-o-Hair, making her hair one of the scariest things in Japan.

Vines is from future UA Class 1-B student Izara Shiozaki and gives the user controllable, thorny vines in place of regular hair. They’re tough enough to drill through concrete, sharp enough to cause abrasion, can be cut off from the head and regrow or simply grow massive amounts at will. A bit of water and sunlight is all that’s needed to keep them healthy.

Extend-o-Hair is from current first year Shiketsu High School student Nagamasa Mora and it can be used to manipulate and grow hair all throughout their body. This hair is extremely resilient, making it practically impervious to any harm or damage.

And no, this mutant quirk doesn’t automatically cause you to turn into a de facto sasquatch. Nagamasa purposefully allows his hair to grow and cover his entire body, so Kiruka can choose to only let the hair on her head grow or cover her entire body in hair for extra attack and defense power before simply detaching that hair through Vines.

With all of her hair quirks put together, Kiruka’s hair is incredibly powerful to put it lightly. Even the current All Might would take some serious damage if hit by her direct assault, not to mention slowed down considerably thanks to the Chronostasis quirk.

I debated tracking down the USJ villain Needle Hair for her Hair Control quirk too, but that quirk is basically a way weaker version of her other quirks and her two new additions are already pushing how many quirks she can hold, even with Endurance shouldering most of that burden for her.

Her hair is still red in color (she can actually change its color between red and green thanks to having multiple quirks involving hair manipulation), but it’s also sharp, thorny, and nigh-unbreakable and she can generate a tidal wave of the material whenever she wants.

 

As a bonus, I had a new villain suit created for her made from her hair (so kind of like what Mirio has) so she can control that too and not have it hinder her quirk. The extra durability her hair provides the costume is just a bonus.

Naturally, Kurono got the same treatment. Quirks, suit, and all. Oh, and Kurono keeps his hair white, its natural color.

Most of my other elites got upgraded suits too, upgraded armor, bodies, and plenty of brand new quirks.

Our facilities have been overhauled too thanks to some mass production from the Creation Crew and plenty of Overhaul usage. This should make my organization far less fragile when it comes to dealing with the best this world has to offer.

It’s a brand new age for the Shie Hassaikai as our preparations for canon finally conclude. 

Let’s see what that shounen show can do against this.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - ?????

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Scanning
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Eri - Rewind, Wave Motion, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Scanning, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Endurance, Energy Saver

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Eruption, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Voyance, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) -  Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Bloodcurdle, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Scanning
• ???????

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (150) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 1200 Regular Personnel 
• 30 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains
• 30 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 30 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 75 Battle Tanks
• 35 Attack Helicopters
• 20 Small Boats
• 2 Battleships

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 50
• Mad Science Branch - 45
• Creation Crew - 55
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 40
• Thugs and Goons - 3405

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 87

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 44: Ready To Go

“IS THAT ALL?!?” Gigantomachia roars, going all out in his mole mode as he swats Nine’s crew away with ease. 

“This is just ridiculous…” Mummy grumbles before his leader orders them all to get into a new attack formation.

Sparring with the giant serves as excellent training for even Sekan’s strongest troops. It’s just that they can’t expect to actually defeat him.

He was an absolute monster before Sekan heavily modified his body. Stacking all his quirks (and a bonus quirk or two) on top of those modifications gave birth to a titan that can engage a significant part of Japan’s heroes at the same time and have a good chance at winning.

Nine’s strongest lightning and lasers barely singe the creature.

Chimera’s lasers are a similar story, but his brute strength can at least trip the beast up from time to time. But tripping the monster up is all he can really do.

Slice can slow it down by hitting it with volleys of strengthened hair stacked with Chronostasis, her new Extend-o-Hair quirk copy from a certain future Shiketsu student boosting the power and production of her hair even further.

Unfortunately for her, the original wielder of Endurance can use it far better than anyone given a copy and literally power through the strengthened needle barrages and slowness effects no matter how many times it’s applied.

Mummy’s puppets are pretty strong, and he can create hordes of them before having them attack in tandem with the carbon fibers he had the Creation Crew make for him via Fiber Master, but that can at best hinder and distract the titan just enough to expose a few openings.

Too bad those openings don’t really do much. Even the extra boost from their copies of Endurance isn’t enough.

…It does serve as amazing training though.

 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

While the demon lord’s ex-bodyguard isn’t exactly the smartest guy out there, he does have quite a bit of combat experience and doesn’t take long to counter whatever new attack formation the team of four tries with overwhelming power.

Machia’s claws dig through the Earth, Mummy and Slice only being saved from the tidal wave of dirt and stone by Nine and Chimera respectively. 

But that wave of debris was just a smokescreen, the giant emerging from underground to headbutt Nine and Mummy away before they could even react. 

“Crap! Hold on, we’re comi- AUGH!”

Machia doesn’t give the other two a chance, using his claws to send several more tons of the ground their way.

“YOU’RE GETTING BETTER, COMRADES, BUT YOU NEED FAR MORE THAN THAT TO BECOME THE LORD’S BEST!!!” The titan declares as he swings his arm up, ready to crush both Nine and Mummy into paste, extra quirks and body modifications be damned.

His lord can resurrect them easily enough.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

“...Huh?”

“You guys don’t mind if I join in, right?” The newest arrival asks, suddenly appearing on Machia’s back with a beaten-up Nine and Mummy each held by an arm.

It takes a bit for the villains to recognize their leader. Even Machia’s Dog quirk is momentarily fooled.

His body is the size and bulk of All For One. His face resembles that of Kai Chisaki. More flesh means more places to store quirks, after all. 

Yeah… this should be the perfect chance for Sekan to properly test out his new powers.

 

Countdown to Canon: 3 Weeks before Entrance Exam

“SHOW ME WHAT YOU CAN DO, MASTER!!!”

Gigantomachia roars as I flip off his back. Nine and Mummy levitate right next to me as I descend back down with them.

It isn’t them doing that.

“You all did good; Plus Ultra, even. Just leave the rest of me, okay?” I request as Slice and Chimera make their way over.

“Seriously?!” A beat-up Chimera gawks at me. “I know you’re strong and just got some major upgrade, boss, but you really want to take that monster on ALONE?!?”

“Pretty much, yeah. Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything in a few minutes.” I give a thumbs up, my expression full of confidence and assurance despite the angry multi-quirked giant in front of me, and telekinetically remove the four of them from the area.

Machia’s mole claw then slams down on me at full force… yet the blow is blocked by nothing but brute strength and a telekinetic barrier boosting it.

 

My newest quirk-boosting concoction flows through my veins, taking my powers to all new heights. It’s a special blend of Trigger made with the accumulated research of myself, Kai Chisaki, Dr. Garaki, and all the doctors and scientists holed up at Humarise.

It was designed for those who possess both multiple quirks and modified bodies. The boost provided to all the user’s quirks is only slightly less than that of the boost Ideo Trigger provides, but what it lacks in sheer power is more than made up for in all other aspects.

Negative side effects such as damage to blood flow, losing sense of reason, or losing control of your quirk or quirks in general have been reduced significantly. The quirk-boosting effect also lasts far longer than other brands of Trigger depending on how much of the drug is taken.

Those produced in Asia last only a few minutes. Those produced in America can last an hour or two. Mine can last up to half a day if enough is used at once and my quirks are used in moderation.

OverTrigger is the name I went with, and the Creation quirk directly supplies me with however much of it I need. The quirks I’m using are powerful already, but this added on is enough to even stop the titan in his tracks.

Not only that, but my body has also been modified specifically to handle the strain and other negative side effects of both quirks and quirk-boosters like Trigger thanks to Garaki’s Next-Level Villain project being taken a few steps further. These two projects go hand in hand with each other.

A normal human taking this would still lose control over their quirk unless they have an iron will. They would also be stuck dealing with the other side effects associated with Trigger, as they don’t have the modified body needed to remove those completely.

In fact, the overall effect might even be worse than Ideo Trigger since OverTrigger was made for multi-quirk wielders, so the boosting would all be focused on their single quirk, pushing it and their bodies far past their limits for far too long as a result.

To summarize all of that, this new brand of Trigger is a boon for whoever I wish and lethal for everyone else. It seamlessly combines with my other pet projects related to the human body and quirks to create a significant boost that can be used with no negative repercussions whatsoever.

And thanks to Creation, I’m free to use this brand new quirk-boosting drug as much as I like.

 

Blue flames soon emerge from my left side, condensing into one point before being channeled into the titanic hand trying to crush me. My eyes also glow a rainbow color as I direct my attack throughout his body.

Machia may not feel anything thanks to my modifications on him imitating Pain Blocker, but he’s gonna show at least some reaction to geysers of fire erupting out from all over his body like mini volcanoes.

Search helped me discover all the weak points that Nine and his crew created (and Machia hasn’t fully healed from) during their own spar with the titan, making this attack even more effective.

“He channeled the heat from those flames directly into Machia’s body, setting it ablaze.” I hear Nine conclude, and yeah, he’s spot on.

Even Dabi’s Cremation quirk didn’t manage to singe Machia’s skin in canon, so my own flames wouldn’t do much better… on the outside, anyway. Directly channeling said flames into Machia’s body, on the other hand, lets me completely ignore that outer layer of defense.

Despite that being the case, Fierce Gains ensures his muscles are mostly fine and Machia recovers what damage was done rather quickly, Endurance visibly patching up the internal wounds as his excitement and motivation increases even further. He wants to do his best for his new master, after all.

I get into my fighting stance before motioning at the 30+ meter tall titan to come, and he obliges by swinging his left arm at me at full strength.

A regular superpowered jump boosted by a certain Artificial Quirk’s overpowered telekinesis lets me rocket above it before boosting me as I land a diving kick right on Machia’s Mole visor, forming a large dent and a spider web of cracks throughout it.

I then flip back around mid-air as Machia attempts an uppercut, but I swing around the giant arm, the wind around me rapidly boosting my speed, and soon land another kick right on his chest with the full force of a supercell tornado.

This pushes Machia back and even gets him onto one knee, but he quickly stands back up and tries to grab me with both hands. 

My heightened senses don’t measure up to his Dog quirk, and that’s just fine, because my sheer speed more than makes up for it.

I jump above the attempted grab, landing back down and using both of his clawed hands to boost myself over the beast, launching a barrage of lightning bolts, telekinetic blasts, fire balls, and mini tornadoes onto the dozens of giant spikes scattered across his back in the process.

A landslide of bloody, hardened chunks roll off the titan’s mutilated backside as he roars once again, turning around to face me before attempting a headbutt. 

I meet it head-on with my fist wrapped in both telekinetic barriers and a fire tornado. 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Machia is the one who gets pushed back, his visor shattering completely.

 

“It doesn’t make any sense… he barely defeated me just a few months ago, and that was before I got any body modifications or extra quirks.” Nine mutters in absolute disbelief.

“And yet Gigantomachia has both those extra perks on top of his original arsenal, but Sekan’s making him look like an absolute fool!” Mummy finishes the thought, he and the other spectators being as shocked, if not more so, then their leader. 

Machia roars again, preparing to strike, but just like I did back during our first meeting, I use Overhaul to slam chunks of the Earth into him from all sides.

Only this time, Machia’s legs are also horribly disfigured.

My body to my clothes to the ground to Machia.

Three-stage contact.

My body was also optimized for both my Artificial Quirk and main Awakened Quirk, among other quirks in my current arsenal. That’s not even including the boosts from Endurance and OverTrigger.

Even without the latter aiding me, this improvement was basically a guarantee. OverTrigger still helps out a lot, massively increasing the quirk’s already ridiculous AOE as well as shortening the time it takes to deconstruct and reconstruct objects.

I still can’t affect liquids or gasses, but Ice Ply can help turn water and water vapor into a manipulable solid at the very least.

Oh, and this combo of mine isn’t quite over yet.

 

“Figures. Even when boosted like this, things like fire and lightning don’t have much of an effect on you.” I nonchalantly comment before powering up into Phosphor.

“Guess I’ll have to try ice…” I then trail off before combining two of the Todoroki family’s most powerful elemental attacks.

Endeavor’s Ultimate - Prominence Burn. Shoto’s Ultimate - Great Glacial Aegir.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

A tremendous beam of my own take on cold fire slams into Gigantomachia, the trapped giant getting completely covered in this combined elemental attack far colder than even nitrogen ice alongside a massive chunk of the terrain we’re fighting on.

Even Nine and his flabbergasted crew don’t get out of the attack unscathed despite the strengthened Air Wall barriers Nine put up around them. 

Shoto Todoroki’s version was devastating enough during the Final War, but with a body better equipped to channel it as well as Endurance and OverTrigger boosting it, I can now go far beyond what the Todoroki family ever could.

My modified blood vessels became even stronger and more durable, capable of handling my significantly enhanced blood flow thanks to my modified heart also becoming far stronger than before. 

With Phosphor circulating both heat and cold blood throughout the user’s body, their heart acting as a generator of sorts, all these upgrades allow for much more to be done with this ability and so many others in my current arsenal.

And that’s just one part of the improvements involving Half-Cold Half-Hot.

Taking inspiration from Izuku’s Overlay ability, I had LabHaul and my Pseudo-Shotos attempt to go another step above what Shoto did with Phosphor, a step that involves pure skill with the quirk itself rather than body modifications to better accommodate it.

The goal was to have them webbing and interweaving extra durable ice subcutaneously to tack onto their own muscles, tendons, flexors, and the carbon polymer replacing their skeletal system (although this works with regular bones just fine too), boosting both their strength and defense.

The hot and cold resistance provided by the initial Phosphor along with their modified bodies would protect them from any backlash, at least in theory, and this was proven true when they eventually mastered this utilization.

It’s just very, very hard to pull off and maintain.

…Unless you have Overhaul and Creation as well.

 

And speaking of those two quirks, LabHaul utilized both when growing some new skin for me, the organ now being made of one of the single most heat-resistant/flame-retardant organic materials on the planet. 

Replacing my old skin with this new one only took a moment with Overhaul, and while my skin is low-grade sandpaper levels of rough now, the benefits are well worth it. And that’s not even mentioning the elemental resistance the rest of my body got (among other new, natural resistances like poison). 

Even Dabi’s Cremation quirk at its own Phosphor state wouldn’t harm my body now, especially with Half-Cold Half-Hot further boosting my heat and frost resistance. And yeah, the Pseudo-Shotos will be getting this particular upgrade too.

“Phosphor serves as a great buffer, but even that has a limit, so might as well go Plus Ultra with the mad science.” LabHaul had told me, and I completely agree. 

So my version of Phosphor not only greatly increases my fire and ice output and the maximum temperatures I can push them to (far more so then the original) while practically providing immunity to those boosted elements, but it also increases my physical power even further. That’s not even mentioning the boost both Endurance and OverTrigger adds to this state.

And shounen tropes aside, in my Semi-Perfect state, Phosphor isn’t even my final form.

Several other quirks of mine can combine with Half-Cold Half-Hot, pushing me into a state far beyond Phosphor, but I don’t even need that to win.

I can completely control both fire and ice however I wish thanks to Endurance boosting my quirks. In other words, I can manipulate fire as much as Ice Ply lets me manipulate ice, allowing me to bend both sides of Shoto’s power to my will.

Creating weapons and thralls with both fire and ice is childsplay. Making those constructs sentient like Pixie Bob can do with Earth Flow is also second nature at this point.

So many powers and so many new, inventive ways to use them…

 

An Artificial Mind Web, an Awakened Overhaul, an Awakened Ice Ply, Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Confession, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Search, and three copies of Willpower Enhancer to help combat the symbols themselves and any unruly vestiges within me plus mental quirks in general.

The artificial Mind Web quirk also technically has both Mandalay’s Telepath and Captain Celebrity’s Flight quirks within it, so take that as you will.

This right here is my current ultimate quirk combination. 

This right here is a gathering of powers that even the Japanese Government shouldn’t be capable of.

This right here is a body that can engage both the current Symbol of Peace and Symbol of Evil at once, and have a very good chance of winning at that! Hell, I may even be a match for those two in their primes if I play my cards right and go all out!

This right here is a body that can be boosted even further through my perfected OverTrigger, a quirk-boosting drug designed specifically for me and can be pumped directly into me thanks to Creation.

Objects made through that quirk appear outside the body… but what if there are holes inside the body? Picture a hollowed out baseball bat that players use to cheat; that’s what I did to myself, but to a lesser extent.

Would those count as viable areas to direct creations out of, so they can be directly absorbed into the body with no visible physical changes? Turns out it does; thank you, loopholes!

And as if that wasn’t enough already, I can use a similar trick with custom tea blends to instantly activate IQ’s effects.

This right here is my Semi-Perfect Form. A culmination of all my projects, quests, battles, risks, rewards, experiments, loopholes, and discoveries in the world of My Hero Academia… so far. 

It’s called Semi-Perfect form rather than my Perfect form for a reason, and it’ll be a while before my second true transcension occurs, but this should be more than enough for now.

 

That doesn’t mean I won’t continue to optimize wherever I can though. All For One never really put much effort into strengthening himself any further since he was already stronger then everyone else after collecting just a few dozen quirks. 

Most of the random quirks collected after that were merely collected on a whim if Machia’s memories are anything to go by.

The only instance I was somewhat similar to him in this was my choice to have both Weather Manipulation and Whirlwind in my latest arsenal. After all, isn’t the former quirk just the latter but more? 

To an extent, yes. However, stacking both quirks allow for much greater air manipulation (not factoring in further boosts from Endurance and OverTrigger), and what I can do with that extra range, power, and control will take your breath away… among many other things.

Things such as forcing people who can fly to the ground or close enough in general to use Overhaul on. A very useful combo worth investing more into for greater effectiveness.

Back to All For One, until All Might nearly killed the guy, he was never really pressured by anyone or anything into looking for some proper quirk synergies or more creative quirk applications (even Tomura was just meant to be a tool of hatred to let him take OFA rather then physically defeat it; he could do the latter already easily enough until All Might), because why bother when you can already defeat everyone, am I right?

Wrong. Being on top at the moment doesn’t mean you’ll stay there forever. 

I’m going to show the world what happens when a demon lord capable of giving and taking quirks puts some actual effort into strengthening themself. I’m going to go far beyond what AFO could have ever imagined and even make the singularity itself look like an absolute joke in comparison. 

Forget defeating One For All or All For One; my Perfect Form will be capable of challenging all heroes and villains across the globe simultaneously! I won’t need Double to become a one-man apocalypse anymore.

 

Gigantomachia has been single-handedly defeated within minutes, his broken body being trapped in layers upon layers of ice, fire, and the Earth itself. Not bad, considering I was nothing but a knockoff Shinso about nine months ago.

I soon free and heal my main bodyguard using Overhaul with him kneeling to me as he returns to his normal size, apologizing for his failure in providing a proper challenge, but I hold my hand out and pull him back up once he grasps it.

“Don't worry, Machia. I still have plenty of ideas on how to further improve you; it won’t be long before you’re using the Tokyo Sky Egg as a baseball bat.” I assure the shrunken titan as he apologizes for being so inadequate. 

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?” Mummy cries out as he and the rest of his crew comedically collapse. “HE’S ENOUGH OF A MONSTER ALREADY!!!”

“I’m a monster, Hoyo. Machia is a kaiju, and our boss is a goddamn abomination.” Chimera groans. “No offense, boss.”

“None taken.”

“THANK YOU, LOOOOOOORD!” Machia then does his best imitation of the Midoriya family’s trademark waterworks, flooding what’s left of the island we’re on in tears and sweeping my Four Horsemen away.

My Four Horsemen that can individually take out multiple top 10 heroes with relative ease.

And that’s just the start of my organization’s forces.

 

My Sinister Six can each rival multiple top 10 heroes at the same time, if not all of them at once.

My several dozen Special Praetorians are in the same boat, and they can obliterate chunks of entire cities while they’re at it.

That’s not even mentioning the regular Praetorians, regular and specialized soldiers, thousands of rank and file, and all the equipment they have stocked up.

Then there’s Gigantomachia who deserves special attention despite being part of the Sinister Six. He’s a walking weapon of mass destruction that can probably bulldoze through Japan and most of its heroes single-handedly.

Then there’s me, the guy who defeated said walking weapon of mass destruction in mere minutes.

And finally, there’s all the other nightmare-inducing projects I still have in development.

Not bad for nine months of metagaming. I’d say this is enough preparation for canon… but I’m not just preparing for canon. I’m preparing for what happens after the main story is complete.

A far, far greater threat than the forces currently at play. A Pandora’s box of powers that will reshape the world, if not destroy it entirely. A world of beings that can squash even All Might and All For One at their peaks like bugs.

That is what I’m preparing for, and I still have a long way to go until I’m truly ready.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Mind Web (Artificial), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Confession, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Search, Willpower Enhancer x3.

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Scanning
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Eri - Rewind, Wave Motion, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Scanning, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Endurance, Energy Saver

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Eruption, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Voyance, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Bloodcurdle, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Scanning
• ???????

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (150) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 1350 Personnel 
• 40 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains
• 40 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 40 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 80 Battle Tanks
• 40 Attack Helicopters
• 23 Small Boats
• 2 Battleships

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 50
• Mad Science Branch - 45
• Creation Crew - 65
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 40
• Thugs and Goons - 3255

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 87

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 45: A Lackluster Entrance

Notes:

So Horikoshi just released some bonus MHA content, and it actually fixes the utter atrocity that was the old ending!… somewhat.

Society is still screwed; nothing was really done to improve the fundamentals of that clusterfuck and Quirk Singularity Doomsday is still gonna kill everybody no matter how much canon tries to forget about that plot point at the last second, but at least some of the main characters got better endings after an eight year timeskip full of crap.

Too bad that just like with MHA You're Next, Sekan was transmigrated before this was even announced, let alone released.

Countdown to Canon: Entrance Exam Today!

U.A. High School… also known as the Almighty Rat God’s Lair to most MHA fans.

This place is considered to be the best hero school in Japan, and from a logical, unbiased standpoint, I can see why.

Every single teacher in this school is a currently active professional hero. It isn’t that strange if you think about it; hero schools need heroes on their faculty to teach students how to be heroes themselves.

However, from my research and general observations here, most hero schools in Japan employ pros who were either retired or in the process of retiring. They may have one or two Pro Heroes who are still active and in their prime, but most have already hung up their figurative or literal capes.

Having your entire staff be heroes, and pretty damn powerful ones at that, already makes UA a very secure location. Add in the defenses Nezu bought with his comical amounts of funding and you get one of the most defended places in Japan.

Are there ways around it? Yes. Warping quirks are cheats and technopathic quirks like Radio Waves make robot armies and security systems useless (it only took two big blasts of the latter to shut down the security systems at Tartarus), but very few have access to such helpful powers.

Security like this quickly let the school build up prestige, and the top heroes who graduated from this place boosted their reputation even further. This all led to wealthy, elite, and/or legacy families like the Todorokis, Yaoyorozus, and Iidas seeing UA as the top choice for their children.

That is UA High School from a baseline perspective. Now, let’s look at how it fits into the story this world revolves around.

 

In canon, it’s the main setting of a shounen that anyone with half a brain and/or a decent quirk can break into and somehow ends up being where the fate of the entire world is decided in a final battle against multiple demon lord LARPers and their ‘army’ of like a few hundred people, most of which being regular mooks. 

In fanon, it’s an impenetrable lair led by the chaotic deity of My Hero Academia’s fandom, the quirked chimera that I’m 90% sure is mostly an albino stoat himself, Nezu. He cultivates loyal followers and apostles among the prized youth of Japan while engaging in a cold war against the HPSC for the entire country’s fate and future on the side.

Honestly, fanon Nezu sounds like a lot more fun to go up against despite that making my plans a lot harder in exchange. 

Fan stories where he is much more competent than in canon, the head of an internal faction of heroes throughout Japan, and usually bitter archenemies with the HPSC witch herself were a lot of fun to read in my last life.

But this is canon, not fanon, and I have no reason to attack a random high school for my own master plan. I’m not a centuries-old potato or a man-child with a hand fetish.

If I had stuck with the origin story those asshole gods laid out for me, I would be walking in to fight godzilla-sized combat robots right now, possibly next to Izuku or Katsuki or even both of them. I’d also be completely screwed since I only have a mental quirk.

Chances are I would end up getting the Shinso treatment and maybe even befriend the guy while being put through the wringer by Shouta Aizawa after Gen Ed classes end for the day. That was the case for my cowardly UA variant, right?

Instead, I’m observing the spectacle as the leader of a villainous organization with enough firepower to equal the Japanese government itself, if not topple it outright. Not bad, considering it hasn’t even been a year since I started my career as a villain.

A pity that I can’t witness the exams outright, as Search only shows me a person’s current condition, not their surroundings. It would’ve been fun dissecting examinees' quirks with Eri or Nine.

Oh well, there’s always the Sports Festival. 

For now though, with a heavily-altered body via Overhaul (just in case the rat somehow catches on), I’m watching random fourteen year olds stroll into a high school to beat up some robots.

 

It’s just me right now. My clones and subordinates are busy doing all the crap I don’t want to do.

As for the group of quirk ghosts haunting me, they’re too busy debating whether or not I can solo the campus, so no using Double, even if just for mergers.

‘You do realize that with the destructive quirks I have and how much they can be boosted, I can tear apart an entire city faster than Nine or Gigantomachia ever could, much less a hyped-up high school.’

And I end up joining in too. Watching teenagers enter a building is about as entertaining as it sounds.

((‘But All Might is here, isn’t he?’)) 

Even VestigeHaul is joining in on the fun with a few other quirk ghosts. I can still only hear him when quirk vestiges are involved, but he can relay his fellow vestiges’ input easily enough.

He doesn’t like being reduced to a ghastly telephone, but hey, it motivates him to figure out how I can communicate with the others faster, right?

((‘No, Izuku would be torn apart before he can even think of giving OFA back to All Might. No! ‘Hobo-Sensei’, as many of you have taken to calling him, can’t do anything without a good line of sight, something Sekan won’t give hi- Shoto, your conspiracy theories are getting dumber by the day. Just stop… no, don’t encourage him, Geten. Don’t join in on it either!’))

I temporarily cut our mental connection after the vestiges start getting more rowdy and watch Izuku Midoriya barely make it to the Entrance Exam on time. Looks like my alterations didn’t change that plot detail. He still trips and gets saved by Ochako too.

My actions shouldn’t have really changed anything too important in the main story up to Kamino if everything works as intended, but I know how much of a pain in the ass the butterfly effect can be, so I’ll just have to cross my fingers and hope for the best.

There’s no avoiding the apocalyptic ending now. Its fate was sealed the moment I became a villain, and it’s not because I want it to happen.

No, the moment I became a villain, I knew that Izuku Midoriya would eventually come for me. He’s the heroic shounen protagonist and I’m a villainous antagonist, so our paths would cross eventually, and by the time that happens, Izuku is going to die.

I would avoid such a troublesome task if I could, but the world itself will draw him to me because that’s how this shounen world works. All I can do is delay it for as long as possible to ensure I’m powerful enough to win no matter how much plot armor he comes at me with.

And without Izuku, the heroes winning the war is simply impossible. Star and Stripe would be a massive pain to deal with if she flies over from the states, but even she will find herself overpowered by me eventually. 

Izuku is a completely different opponent, as is All Might. Not due to their power, mind you, but rather, what they represent in this shounen world.

Even if I get rid of the other big bads for that bush-haired doormat, the world will still fall. The world was always destined to fall; even a shounen protagonist with heaps of plot armor could only delay the inevitable for so long.

 

Izuku means well, there’s no denying that, but he’s still molded by how this society thinks in a way that blinds him to a lot of its issues. Despite seeing time and time again how awful this hero society is, he never stops idolizing it. Also, there is bravery and heroism and then there is a martyr complex.

Just look at how Katsuki Bakugou treats him, and literally everyone else for that matter. And yet Izuku never stops thinking that he’ll somehow be an amazing hero. 

The destroyer of dreams, the abuser and suicide baiter of children, the bloodlusted bomber boy will become an amazing hero and surpass All Might. Sure, Izuku. He’ll totally become an amazing hero.

But in all seriousness, because this poster child for Stockholm Syndrome was written to have not even a single shred of cruelty in his pure heart, he simply can’t comprehend the writing on the wall. Izuku still sees Bakugou as the harmless, hero-hopeful four year old bestie he once knew.

Bakugou never once considered him a rival up to this point and even throughout most of canon. Starting with that river incident, every time Izuku helped him, he saw it as condescension. Every time Izuku improved, he saw it as a threat. 

As a small, petty bully, he just had to put Izuku back in his place. For all his combat prowess, that’s all canon Katsuki Bakugou ever was to me, an emotionally-damaged tyrant. And this is the person Izuku praised again and again.

Then again, with Endeavor being Japan’s Number 2 Hero for decades on end and the HPSC being the way it is, volatile, abusive pieces of shit that have no conscience so long as a win is in sight being viewed as hero paragons of Japan is more a society problem then an Izuku problem.

With an attitude like his, ‘Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight’ should be shipped off to Tartarus alongside Mineta before he turns 20 due to people finally realizing that guys like those two should not be heroes. But no, because besides smashing an ancient LARPer back into his grave, Izuku didn’t fix jack shit.

 

Izuku doesn’t solve the true problems this society has; he wastes One For All doing the equivalent of putting a band-aid on a decapitation. 

He and these other heroic characters can be fun or interesting when you’re watching an anime or reading a manga, but here? Here, where their decisions actually impact my life and the world I’m living in… I’m not exactly thrilled to be sharing a space with such complete fanatical morons.

Sure they defeat All For One, but what good will that do when hundreds of villains wielding similar, if not greater amounts of power start emerging at a breakneck pace all over the globe?

Sure they save the world, but these heroes created the villains and all the other issues that threatened it in the first place themselves. And these issues will continue to threaten it until it all burns down for good.

Not only that, but Izuku gets One For All destroyed in the process of taking down All For One! 

The guy becomes as worthless as he was at the start of the series after that.

His classmates (best friends and main love interest included) abandoning him, his hopes and dreams being shattered, and his recognition for literally saving the world is practically nonexistent when compared to All Might and his fellow classmates are just the start of this failure’s epilogue in chapter 430.

Instead of even trying to continue his dream of being a hero regardless of whether or not he has a quirk, instead of becoming a Pro Hero version of Knuckleduster, he just gives up and is left to rot as a nobody until the rest of his old class throws some chump change at him almost a decade later to give him some bootleg Iron Man suit. 

And yes, I do mean chump change. Momo, Shoto, and Tenya are all loaded, and All Might must have quite the nest egg too after being the Symbol of Peace for decades on end, yet Katsuki Bakugou is the one who donates the most towards Izuku’s very late consolation prize? Really?

All those Fast Food Worker Deku memes didn’t pop up out of nowhere; Izuku saying the MHA story was about how he became the world’s greatest hero at the start was a fucking lie. Once the demon lord LARPer is dealt with, Izuku becomes the greatest 9-5 worker rather than the greatest hero.

 

So with One For All and New Order gone thanks to canon, who exactly is gonna stand up to the next global big bads that rival Nine or All Might or AFO or Star and Stripe in power? 

Katsuki Bakugou? Shoto Todoroki? Oh, please. 

Even Muscular could flatten them, whether it’s by tanking their attacks or tearing them in two before they even have the chance to attack. And that’s just simple brute strength; I could go on all day about counters to those specialized glass cannons.

The moment a strength and/or speed enhancement gets powerful enough, it can blitz through any amount of environmental quirks. Just look at Endeavor and All Might for example; a punch from the latter can change the weather so the air pressure created from that can easily blow the former’s flames away. 

And that’s just a single punch from a guy who can throw dozens, if not hundreds of punches a second. 

AFO Tomura did just that during the Paranormal Liberation War, simply slapping Endeavor's flames away with next to no effort. The generated air pressure was more then enough to get the job done, and that was while he didn't have any quirks activated.

My Special Praetorians were given various enhancer quirks, body modifications, and Trigger to even that playing field (and even then, they also mainly stick to using long-range attacks from the air so enemies will have a very tough time reaching them), but people like Shoto, Inasa, and Bakugou have no such luxury.

So what about the former Big 3? Mirio, Nejire, and Tamaki?

Well they would do a lot better, but if their performance against a quirkless AFO Tomura during the Final War is anything to go by, then they too will be demolished by any true threats, threats that only people like prime All Might or Star and Stripe would be able to match, but those two are long gone. 

Izuku only slightly delays the inevitable in canon, but he won’t even have a chance to do that here. Not if fate wills him into a vain attempt at stopping me. 

Without that delay, the start of this global doomsday may very well arrive before the end of this latest school year, and I’ll be ready for it by then. It’s far from ideal, but this world simply forced my hand.

At least I was able to get a copy of Izuku’s data with the Search quirk, and yeah, he has OFA. This will also let me keep track of MHA’s main character, something extremely useful when keeping track of the main plot and any unintentional changes I made to it.

 

This is the main reason I showed up to U.A. today. Instead of trying to do something stupid like attack the place (I’ll leave that to All For One), I instead focused on completing some proper strategic moves for my long-term plans.

Search lets the user monitor and observe up to a hundred people at once (and that’s not even considering Endurance or my other quirk-boosting methods greatly increasing that number), so I can monitor all my top brass, some subsidiary heads, and a few others in the Shie Hassaikai while still having room for a few important U.A. students.

The quirk can even permanently store the information gained after its usage, so I can swap out certain spots to gain more intel on whoever I want, quirks and weak points included.

Such an overpowered quirk, and LabHaul plans on taking it even further by trying to merge it into an Artificial Quirk with copies of Scanning and Voyance.

As for a name, I’m debating on calling it ‘Detector’ or ‘Quirk-Ray’ or something similar.

We still have a lot to learn about Artificial Quirks and can only somewhat aid the process thanks to Overhaul and Trigger, but from what we’ve gathered so far, the quirks in question need to both be highly compatible and constantly used simultaneously in a single person to be influenced into merging together.

The user of these quirks feeling the strain from too many quirks also helps this process, because it forces the body to try and adapt to having more quirks then it can handle.

The best way to deal with that issue? Have several quirks merge into a single quirk.

 

This process is still far from being optimized and the only successful experiment we had was with Mind Web (perhaps due to the quirks involved being mental ones and/or my otherworldly knowledge about them?), but we’re making progress.

Artificial Quirks, Quirk Awakenings, and quirk-erasing bullets are the three main subjects LabHaul is looking into right now since we’ve done about all we can do in terms of body modifications.

We’ll be able to do a lot more once we either get Garaki’s research or the QAD, but we have a while until then.

((“And so much more to look into! Heheheh… and they called me mad.”))

‘Who did?’

((“Huh? Oh, I guess I just assumed.”))

‘Safe bet.’ I mentally deadpan at LabHaul before getting back to business.

As for our own quirk-erasing bullets, LabHaul has already made a successful prototype that can erase a person’s quirk for up to half an hour. It’s a massive success and will be a complete game changer once the effects are made permanent, but I don’t intend to do what Kai did in canon.

I won’t be flooding the market with these bullets. They are going to be the Shie Hassaikai’s ultimate trump card with only Praetorians and the top brass getting a few rounds of the completed version for emergencies.

After all, the last thing we need is for our enemies to use them against us. Eri can undo the effects with Rewind, and our body modifications make us vastly superior to your average hero even without a quirk, but we will still be a lot more vulnerable until then. 

Side note, when using this bullet on a Double clone, said clone is immediately erased. Same goes for when enough substance from Cleaning is applied, so I need to be careful when pulling the same stunt I did during my first fight against Nine.

Oh, and the Creation Crew can pump out as many of these bullets as we need, but it’s better to keep them in short supply since that means less of a chance of our enemies getting them.

It’s not like we would need that many of them anyway. A single bullet, so long as it hits the target, is enough to take even the most powerful heroes and villains down.

 

Back to the school building I’m standing in front of, you may be wondering if I plan to send a student spy in or something.

No. The answer is no.

I already know more about U.A. then most of its staff does. I also know what events are going to take place here unless I accidentally fucked everything up due to my prior exploits, but even if that was the case (which I’m very confident it isn’t), nothing short of Star and Stripe charging into Osaka with her jet squadron can put me down now.

As for turning members of canon Class 1-A into villains, the answer is also no.

Fan-made MHA stories do that all the time, but I just see no reason to. They may be the main characters in this world, but they’re also 14-15 year old children in their first year of hero high school. 

Why would I waste my time converting those naive teenagers when I could just copy their quirks into battle-hardened adult villains? Each member of the Pseudo-Shotos and Creation Crew is far more dangerous then Shoto Todoroki and Momo Yaoyorozu ever will be, so why should I care about the original users of those quirks?

Besides, that would completely screw up the main plot and make a good chunk of my meta-knowledge useless.

In short, far too much risk for far too little reward. 

Now there will be some instances during these first few months where I will insert myself into the main plot… and I’m gonna be completely hijacking it after Kamino, but until then, I need to make sure that my story knowledge stays as valid as possible.

Right now, the most I’m doing is having a few of the remaining weaker independent villains under me try to take part in the USJ attack. They won’t change anything about it; I simply want to confirm that said attack goes the same way as it does in canon.

If it doesn’t, then at least I’ll know about it and can change my plan accordingly rather than get blindsided by the butterfly effect, right?

 

I end up hanging around Mustafu for the rest of the day, just keeping an eye out for anything interesting or unexpected while monitoring any people of interest through Search. 

I also may or may not have done the quirk duplication trick on a few soon-to-be UA students as they were walking home.

From what I could tell, although there seemed to be noticeably less people taking the exam than in canon (probably due to how much I’ve been boosting villains all across Japan lately; gives these teenagers much more to fear going into this profession), all the major players still participated, and the exam went pretty much exactly the same for said major players.

Izuku still wrecked his body saving Ochako, Katsuki was still an angry pomeranian, Yuga Aoyama is still the traitor.

Yeah, I made sure to ensnare the guy with Mind Web for a bit after the exam and read his mind. AFO and the guy’s parents are still assholes. 

I also saw Minoru Mineta walk in and considered sabotaging the perverted sex offender to throw the rest of UA a bone, but ultimately decided against it since doing that risks changing the plot. It shouldn’t be by much in that hypothetical scenario, but butterfly effect and all that.

So the exam concludes and the day ends without anything ridiculous happening. Yay, great. No immediate, obvious, massive main plot changes so far. 

I’ll have to wait until the USJ to see if all the canon 1-A students kept their spots though. Attempting to hack the school is always an option; Skeptic managed to pull it off during the Final War, but I’m still a bit worried about Nezu catching on to someone invading his lair.

Oh, well. It shouldn’t be the biggest deal in the world. As long as Izuku makes it into 1-A and AFO starts his stupid games, then my own plans should work out.

Until then… I still have over a month until the school year actually starts in earnest, as does the UA Beginnings Saga. 

Yes, I know that saga technically starts at the first chapter of the manga (so when the Sludge Villain incident happens 10 months ago), but that’s just the first few chapters, and c'mon, it’s literally in the name! UA Beginnings! 

 

To give a basic sense of the timeline I’m working with here, the Entrance Exam happens on February 26th. Izuku is then accepted into U.A. a week later, but school for them doesn’t actually start until the beginning of April.

The Apprehension Test and Opening Ceremony takes place on the first Sunday of April with regular classes beginning the day after. The second week of April then starts with the Battle Trials happening on that Monday.

The day after that, Tomura and Kurogiri break into U.A. and steal the class schedule. Then the USJ attack happens on the following day, so the second Wednesday of April. The students get a few days off after that.

The Sports Festival is then announced and occurs two weeks later, so it happens at the very end of April.

Two days after that, hero names are chosen and internships are announced. The applications for them are due at the end of the week with it being May by then.

I don’t know how much time passes between that and the actual start of the internships, but I’m pretty confident that the week-long internships (plus the Hosu attack) also happen in May, albeit the end of that month.

After that, we have a bit of a time skip to the final week of June, where canon states that students have one week until final exams.

This means said exams happen during the first week of July, with the Written Exams and Practical Exams most likely lasting that whole week. This week is also when Dabi and Toga join the LOV.

The day after that occurs, the Mall Incident happens where Izuku has his talk with Tomura.

The first term then finally ends during the middle of July with summer break lasting until the middle of August. The Two Heroes movie takes place at the very end of July.

Then there’s the Training Camp trip. I’m pretty sure this takes place during the second week of August, but I could be wrong. 

The LOV then attacks everyone on the third day of that event with all the teachers having their meeting about it a day later.

The day after that (so two days after the initial attack and kidnapping), the Kamino Arc happens with the two symbols having their second big fight. 

 

Those are pretty much all the canon events I have to worry about because everything is gonna change after Kamino. 

Other than that, I intend for a good chunk of these events to go mostly, if not completely the same. While my exploits over the last ten months or so caused numerous changes, like I said before, very few of them truly impacted the main story, and such was my intention.

There will definitely be some changes made to the main storyline (Hosu and the Two Heroes movie being a few examples), but said changes shouldn’t stop the main story from going as intended up until the two symbols have their rematch.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I won’t be changing anything else until then. There is a lot more to this world than what happens in the canon series; I feel like my own adventures so far have proven that well enough.

I still have exploits to plan and preparations to make before this new deadline, and once that happens, heroes, villains, and vigilantes alike will be completely and utterly fucked.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Mind Web (Artificial), Overhaul (Awakened),  Ice Ply (Awakened), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Confession, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Search, Willpower Enhancer x3.

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Scanning
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Eri - Rewind, Wave Motion, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Scanning, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Endurance, Energy Saver

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Eruption, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Voyance, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Bloodcurdle, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Scanning
• ???????

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (150) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 1550 Personnel 
• 60 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains
• 60 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 60 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 95 Battle Tanks
• 45 Attack Helicopters
• 25 Small Boats
• 2 Battleships

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 50
• Mad Science Branch - 45
• Creation Crew - 80
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 40
• Thugs and Goons - 3055

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 87

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 46: Performance

It’s odd… 

That man didn’t do anything suspicious. He merely hung around the school’s entrance while potential students poured in to the Entrance Exams.

If what he could gather from security cameras was anything to go by, then he spent the next few hours just walking around Mustafu. Most would see him as a tourist dropping by to see the spectacle or perhaps a parent or family friend wishing one of the examinees luck.

But the look on his face… you could say it was like that of a predator stalking its prey.

Only in this case, the predator wasn’t very invested in its latest hunt. It almost felt like a lion debating whether or not it should eat a mouse or a bug out of pure boredom rather than necessity.

He could just be overthinking this, but that person had an almost uncanny resemblance to him.

No, it couldn’t be. Toshinori killed that man years ago!

Nezu supposes he should just keep an eye out for any other strange occurrences and pray that he’s wrong about this, because if that man really is still around at full strength…

Then this world is doomed.

 

Countdown to Canon: 1 Month 1 Week Before USJ

“Come at me, kiddos! I call this latest hit song: ‘Taking You to School!’” The final member of my Sinister Six taunts Eri and her crew with the kids angrily charging forward in response.

The Queen Bee just laughs as her newest playlist starts blasting around the training arena and hundreds of Bomb Bees swarm Eri’s gang of misfits. More of her reinforcements crawl in through cracks only bugs could find and fill practically every surface in the room to answer their queen’s call.

Remember that initial task I did at Naruhata before everything went to shit? Using Rewind to get a copy of the Queen Bee from Kazuho Haneyama or Pop Step?

Well, this is why I went out of my way to do so. 

 

So for those of you who haven’t read MHA Vigilantes, Queen Bee is one of the main antagonists throughout a couple arcs of the story. It’s another quirked animal that Garaki made some modifications to with the result basically being a parasitic hivemind.

It’s a swarm of Apocrita bee/wasp-like creatures that nest behind the host’s left eye with the number of bees in swarms becoming thousands, if not more, as the queen rapidly produces them, said queen being a queen bee with an insanely bloated abdomen.

The queen is bio-physically connected to each bee in its swarm and gains insight into whatever experiences or information they get. These bees are under queen’s control either directly or (usually) automatically following earlier orders; same goes for whoever is hosting the queen, hence me calling it a hivemind. 

Each bee also has a special abdomen that allows the transportation of various substances in small quantities with their stingers acting as syringe delivery systems, allowing for the injection of drugs or other substances as well as extracting samples from whoever or whatever they sting.

She can even temporarily give herself weakened versions of other quirks by having her bees inject her with DNA samples from other people!

As an Ultimate Move, she can create another type of special bee called a Bomb Bee that basically act as sentient suicide bombers which detonate on the queen’s orders. These explosions pack a punch so hundreds going off simultaneously is going to cause a lot of property damage.

Now a member of the queen’s swarm dying does cause the host itself to feel a bit of recoil, but this weakness faded with time thanks to both the queen’s body adapting and usage of Trigger.

Also, as stated earlier, this quirked animal needs a host to function properly; the Queen Bee’s reasoning and thinking capacity depends entirely on whether or not she’s currently in a human host. 

When the brain functions of the host stop, the queen loses access to the complex cognitive functions and mental capacities that humans have. Thus, she can no longer ‘think’ like humans can and starts losing control of the swarm, who will instinctively fly away from the dying hive. Combine that with her body’s bloated state and she is completely helpless and at the mercy of her enemies. 

Also, whoever the host currently is impacts the queen’s personality since it is basically a fusion of the parasitic bee swarm and the host’s own brain. This isn’t the case for anyone the queen’s swarm controls outside of their host though, because yes, the queen bee can control other people with her swarm.

 

The final main ability of this swarm is its absurd survival capability. If the Queen Bee dies, then a member of its swarm will become a brand new Queen Bee, and this Queen Bee would inherit the consciousness of the old one. So this new queen bee wouldn’t be a copy of the queen bee, it would be THE queen bee. 

So yeah, all the bees that flew away to find new hives once their current queen lost? They’re basically guaranteeing that their own hive will live on, and while the queen would have a very hard time possessing a new host without some outside help, it can still act like a normal queen bee can, building up a new hive and doing other bee things.

Only a conscious decision of theirs can terminate their existence permanently. This lets the quirk continue perpetuating even if only one bee survives, but the new queen does need some time to regain strength and build a new swarm.

So basically, this quirked animal has infinite lives as long as it maintains its swarm with only one special bee being necessary to eventually create thousands more.

I previously ranked it as My Hero Academia’s fifth most dangerous canon quirk, a ranking higher than even One For All got from me, for a reason. Well, more like a very long list of reasons.

I won’t bother going over the details regarding its villain role in the story; just know that it possessed a few people like Pop Step and Knuckleduster’s daughter with the end result being Dr. Garaki managing to save the last remaining member of its swarm, putting it in stasis, and not doing jack shit with it after MHA Vigilantes ended.

Well now that I know a lot more about his early research, once again thanks to our attack on Naruhata, I was able to make my own inferences regarding his overall methods of mad science from there, combine it with my own research on quirk vestiges, and eventually create what is basically my own version of a Nomu from this quirked animal.

This isn’t exactly like what I did with my Praetorians; the new Queen Bee is much more like Garaki’s own pet projects, and not just because she started out as one of Garaki's pet projects. 

I don't know how much of her capabilities were natural and how much of them were biological improvements Garaki made to the quirked animal, but he really did some masterful work with this specimen. I just made it even better through my own line of mad science.

Her new body did have a lot taken from my Semi-Perfect state upgrades, but there was also a lot of unique customization to optimize both her original quirk and the arsenal of other quirks I gave her.

Frankly, it took quite a few tries to get right, and without the Overhaul + Rewind duplication trick, I would’ve been screwed. Even then, it still took over a month to create a finished product despite having the cheat known as Overhaul at our disposal.

The result was a brand new Queen Bee with a body built from scratch specifically for her, rather than relying on someone to be her vessel, with said body being similar to a humanoid High-End Nomu like me, only way more inhuman on the inside to better handle her main quirk, hence me believing it resembles Garaki’s work more than my own.

This goes beyond even the line of Special Praetorians; it’s really more like an Ultimate or Custom Praetorian. Special-End Praetorian? Something like that.

Point is, I basically turned a sentient, dead, quirked animal into a flying, singing apocalypse.

 

She has a lot more room throughout her body to create hives and store bees as well as a more powerful, multi-quirked body in general. There are also numerous patches on her skin that can open and close at will to let her swarm, well, swarm out of and her bees have higher specs or stats across the board in general. 

They’re stronger, faster, more durable, have larger natural substance storages, and completely immune to most kinds of bug spray currently being sold in Japan. She can also directly control each and every one of them at all times or have them follow much more detailed automatic orders to the letter.

Some other bonuses include no longer getting recoil from her bees dying and being able to create swarms of powerful Bomb Bees all she likes. Endurance and Energy Saver boosts for the win! 

And best of all, she no longer needs any host to maintain her reasoning and thinking capabilities. Even if she dies in her new body, she’ll come back through a member of her swarm just as mentally capable as she was before her ‘death’. 

Of course, LabHaul and I gave this creation of ours quite a bit of mental conditioning and indoctrination through Overhaul and Mind Web during the development process. We could bestow her with all the knowledge, experience, and understanding she needed while ensuring unquestionable loyalty at a lightning-fast fate.

I’d rather not have to do routine eye checks once a week to ensure the Shie Hassaikai isn’t taken over by brain parasites, thanks.

Now she does still have the memories of all her previous incarnations and hosts. In other words, she still has all that character development from MHA Vigilantes saved within her, so while she is no doubt loyal to me (and wants AFO and Garaki to suffer for the hell they put her through), she’s still a bit… eccentric. 

“Oh please… Danger is sexy. Being feared is awesome! And making stuff go bye-bye is beautiful! You know you all think that too, deep down.”

Huh, I actually recognize that exact line from MHA Vigilantes. Gaining perfect memory from my latest round of modifications has practically turned me into an MHA superfan with how much of that series I can recall.

“Keep it clean, Kuin. You're sparing with kids right now.”

“Boooooo. You’re no fun, boss- WOAH! Hey! Quit squirting me, you little squirt! Heh, phrasing- oomph!”

Way to go, Kota! You too, Tamashiro! Keep that bee-themed Harley Quinn on the ropes!

Now as for what her actual full name is this time around…

 

Like I said, she remembers everything. Memories of the former queens and their hosts alike. 

When she inhabited the body of Rize Kaneki, she called herself Touka Aipatchi. When she inhabited the body of Tamao Oguro, her name had been Kuin Hachisuka. When she inhabited the body of Kazuho Haneyama, she took the name Bee Pop.

And as for her latest, greatest, and final rebirth, she decided to embrace every identity of hers so far and build off of them to become far better. 

Her full name is Kuin Touka Kazuho. Villain name: Bee Pop. 

The first and middle name came from previous fake identities she created while possessing people, the last name came from the first name of her final and most impactful host (the body I made for her doesn’t count), and her previous ‘name’ became her fully-fledged villain name. A little bit of everything was mixed in, and that’s fine by me. 

Embrace every past of yourself. Embrace the past and present, and use it to create a better future for yourself.

…She’s also got her Bee Pop uniform on, something she practically begged me to make her upon being reborn. 

Frankly, asking her to stop wearing that costume would be like asking All For One to stop wearing business suits or Dabi to stop wearing Hot Topic. I could force it if I really wanted to, but some things just aren’t worth the trouble.

Her new body also being a bit more… developed then her previous hosts has already caused some comedic nosebleeds throughout the Hassaikai. The size of her costume was adjusted so she could fit, but that doesn’t change how revealing the costume in question naturally is.

While we did make sure she was loyal and wouldn’t betray us no matter how many more times she ‘died’ and respawned, we weren’t trying to make her into a mindless beast like the Nomus. She can question orders and offer her own suggestions, but she is literally incapable of trying to kill or betray us.

Just a safety precaution. It shouldn’t be necessary, but better safe than sorry considering how much we’ve upgraded her.

 

So Kuin is now one of my Sinister Six members as well as my ‘unofficial queen of spy stuff’ as she put it. Her having a massive hivemind of bees she can control has amazing potential for spying on people, among many other things.

After all, who’s going to question a bee or two buzzing around outside? Kuin’s special bees don’t look that different to most other kinds of bees, so infiltration shouldn’t be a problem.

She’s got a few swarming around U.A, a couple around the LOV’s bar at Kamino, a whole bunch monitoring Osaka, and so on. Her being a hivemind and all lets her process information from her swarm without issues either no matter how many she has buzzing around Japan.

Combine that with all the stage whispers, soliloquies, casual asides, and not-so internal monologues/rants people in this shounen world do and I get all the intel I could ever need. Yes, even Izuku’s mutter storms are translatable and they reveal as much as you expect them to.

And again, this queen has a lot of bees. Zi and I built Kuin her own terradome on the third floor of the Hassaikai HQ’s labyrinth; the nest is growing rapidly, the number of bees under her command more so.

Even if Kuin ‘dies’, she has plenty of backup bees to respawn in and limitless backup bodies to inhabit (possessing extra quirks, body modifications, and everything else) thanks to my trademark Overhaul + Rewind body duplication trick. 

You would have to destroy her nest to have a chance at taking away her upgraded form, and her nest is in my impenetrable secret underground fortress, so that isn’t happening. 

Even if it somehow did, she still has countless bees scattered about to respawn through, and she doesn’t need those extra quirks to be absolutely terrifying.

Clones from Double and modified bees from Queen Bee. Now I have two infinite minion generators and limitless cannon fodder at my disposal.

Isn’t being an intelligent villainous mastermind awesome?

But back to Kuin’s new home, Zi, being the animal lover that she is, also helps take care of Kuin’s massive hives and swarms whenever she can, making her become fast friends with the Queen Bee.

My girlfriend is probably her favorite person in the Shie Hassaikai with Eri also getting plenty of attention. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little concerned about the latter though since Kuin would be a terrible influence on Eri.

Zi assured me that Kuin would keep somewhat of a censor around our- uh, my kid at her request, and I trust her more then anyone else in this world bar Eri herself, so I shouldn’t need to worry about my daughter suddenly wandering around in a revealing bee-themed outfit while blasting crappy music now or ever.

Just thinking about the possibility makes me shudder.

 

“Alright, rugrats. Time for the second act of this show! Go get ‘em, birdies!” Kuin cheers as a swarm of red feathers cut through or drag away most of Eri’s squad.

Anivoice, the quirk of UA student Koji Koda that can, as Kuin so elegantly put it, ‘make a solid half of Japan’s top heroes the user’s bitches if said user wasn’t such a little pussy’.

It allows the user to communicate with and command animals through speech. Koji always asks politely for help from his little animal buddies. Kuin is a lot more forceful, and no, she doesn’t have the physical mutations Koji has. LabHaul took care of that remodeling issue already via Overhaul.

Turns out that this variant of brainwashing can extend to humans with animal-themed transformation or mutation quirks thanks to Endurance and Trigger.

Some examples of heroes with those kinds of quirks are Hawks, Mirko, Gang Orca, and Ryukyu. We tested this out using Double clones of the former and it worked like a charm; combined with Queen Bee, she can basically permanently add them to her hivemind.

I let her have two Hawks clones for this training exercise in order to give the kids a little more of a challenge. The brainwashed top heroes, even when holding back, should prove to be tricky opponents alongside the queen.

And speaking of brainwashing, Eri probably wasn’t expecting to suddenly be held hostage by Kota of all people, causing the rest of her lackeys to freeze up and get taken down by bees and feathers alike.

Looks like she didn’t notice one of her bodyguards spacing out after angrily responding to one of Kuin’s taunts. 

Yup, I got a copy of Brainwashing too. Thank you, UA Entrance Exam, for conveniently gathering up so many helpful quirks for me to create copies of.

And thank you, cyberwarfare branch, for getting rid of any video evidence of me brainwashing and secretly leading a couple teenagers into dark alleys throughout Mustafu a few weeks ago… okay, that sounds so much worse than it actually was.

 

Anyway, Kuin can get anyone under her control so long as they verbally respond to something she says. Thanks to Endurance boosting the quirk, she can get several people under her control at a time through this method and even command people to speak like what Hitoshi Shinso figured out how to do during his training to get into UA’s Hero Course in canon.

However, the orders given through this quirk are a lot more limited than what she can give through people and animals being controlled by Queen Bee and Anivoice. The latter two connect them to her hivemind while the former doesn’t.

She can only give people under Brainwashing simple orders and they can be snapped out of this state by either a strong physical jolt or enough physical pain. The same doesn’t go for her other two controlling quirks.

And yes, she can use her swarm to directly possess other people too, but getting someone to respond to a taunt is a lot easier than trying to secretly have a bee fly into their ears, nose, or mouth mid-fight.

Brainwashing allows her to control living beings besides animals or humans with animal-like quirks with it being an easier alternative to her Queen Bee method, so that’s another good card to play on her end.

She isn’t meant to be a fighter on the frontlines, but rather, a commander or undercover agent that can cause chaos among the enemy forces without them even knowing it. 

Not only that, but with enough data to make Double clones plus the permanent brainwashing properties of Queen Bee, I can force any person I clone under my command so long as I can subdue them long enough for a member of Kuin’s swarm to enter their heads and take control.

Imagine sending out an endless stream of top hero clones like Endeavor, Hawks, Mirko, Edgeshot, Best Jeanist, and so on to cause chaos all throughout Japan. I could do that if I wished, but I have no interest in openly declaring war against heroes and villains alike just yet.

If I really wanted to mindlessly rampage and destroy Japan, I could just use Double to send out endless clones of Gigantomachia and call it a day. However, doing so would turn the whole world against me forever.

I’d rather not have to deal with whatever revenge plans they come up with after winning, and that’s if I win in the first place. Gigantomachia is overpowered, but people like All For One and Star and Stripe are even more overpowered. It’s better to have all my enemies destroy and get revenge on each other for me.

That doesn’t mean I won’t use the occasional brainwashed hero clone to secretly help me out. Brainwashed clones of Cementoss should make quite a few construction projects a whole lot easier, and that’s just one example.

But I digress.

 

Kuin does have a copy of Captain Celebrity's Flight quirk so she can defend her main body from pretty much anything bar All Might and actually fly around (with Zi being given a copy of that quirk too for safety reasons), but other than that, her quirks are mainly meant to be support for herself and others.

Well, I suppose Flight allows for a little more than ‘defending yourself’. The aerodynamic barrier this quirk covers its user in protects them from heat, cold, and physical harm while letting them fly at high speeds and grants enough superhuman strength to lift a cruise ship.

As for why I don’t distribute copies of these quirks to most of my stronger subordinates like the Praetorians and my special soldiers… call me cautious, but the quirks I gave them already make them stupidly powerful as is. 

I don’t want to get too carried away powering my armies up; I don’t want them deciding to ignore my orders or even attempt to overthrow me because of all this power getting to their heads.

Maybe when I get my Perfect Form, I’ll mass-distribute copies of Flight to all my elites since the gap between me and them at that point would still be worlds apart. But right now? I’ll reserve copies of that quirk for those I can truly trust.

Zi gets a copy since she’s one of two people (excluding my clones) that I can trust with my life. Kuin gets a copy because she’s programmed to never betray me regardless of how many times she dies and respawns. Simple as that.

Of course, Kuin can further power herself up if she wishes by injecting herself with blood samples her swarm steals from her opponents, temporarily granting her copies of their quirks like what happened in MHA Vigilantes. 

Her new body lets her maintain these copies for much longer (about half an hour or so) and give herself more temporary copies without collapsing from the strain (she can handle up to 5 temporary quirks at once).

She was also given a copy of IQ to make handling a far larger hivemind easier and more efficient.

And that’s not even mentioning the boost she gets from using OverTrigger (her new body, like my own, was built to handle it), and she still carries tons of it around with her whether it’s on her personally or being stored in parts of her swarm for self-injection.

So yeah, calling the new Queen Bee a country-wide, if not global or apocalyptic-level threat isn’t an exaggeration. This femme fatale might just be my most terrifying creation yet.

 

“Say ‘defeat’!” Kuin mocks, giving a shit-eating grin as she snaps a few group selfies with her opponents being too worn out to protest.

The death glares she got back made it clear Eri and her crew were not happy about their loss. Not one bit.

She needs to make sure that her subordinates don’t rely so heavily on her. She also froze up herself when a small blast of Rewind could’ve immediately undone the brainwashing effect on Kota.

But my daughter will do better next time, as will her subordinates. This will just motivate them all to train even harder in the future. 

They’re going to be absolute monsters by the time they grow up, but for now, they still have plenty of room to improve.

As do I…

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Mind Web (Artificial), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Confession, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Search, Willpower Enhancer x3.

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Scanning
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Eri - Rewind, Wave Motion, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Scanning, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Endurance, Energy Saver

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Eruption, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Voyance, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Bloodcurdle, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Scanning
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (180) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 1550 Personnel 
• 60 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains
• 60 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 60 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 95 Battle Tanks
• 45 Attack Helicopters
• 25 Small Boats
• 2 Battleships

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 50
• Mad Science Branch - 45
• Creation Crew - 80
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 40
• Thugs and Goons - 3390

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 87

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 47: One-Horse Town

“Mirror mirror on the wall. Who’s the baddest bitch of all?” Kuin sings to herself while brushing her bright purple hair.

She then gives her own reflection a vicious grin, flicking some loose strands over her shoulder and giving it a wink.

“It’s me. No need to think; I know it’s me.”

She would be lying if she said she didn’t like Villain Factory 2.0.

Or is it 3.0 after what that asshole Six did? Maybe she should ask that Nine guy; either those two are related or they both just replaced their names with numbers for some reason.

Anyway, the bee is back and she is totally digging this new look! She doesn’t even need a host anymore; the big bad boss designed a brand new body just for her!

It’s a shame she can’t just go wild like last time, spawning a few thousand children here and there to help their majesty raise some merry hell. They’re stronger than ever and ready to go thanks to her new boss.

Said new boss is more paranoid than he is powerful (and he is stupidly powerful; a recording of him single-handedly wiping the floor with goddamn Gigantomachia has already circled around the Hassaikai), but at least he can give her endless clones to kill and a large audience to enjoy her music.

She already has a bit of a fanbase going. It’s not like an internal faction or anything (again, incapable of betraying her new boss), but her beats are getting traction. 

It's gotten to the point where Sekan compared her to some pre-quirk video game guy called DJ Octavio, whoever that is. Kuin doesn't really get the pre-quirk obsession, but there have been quite a few songs in the genre that she's considered remixing. That could be a fun little hobby when she isn't busy with work.

 

So now, she’s either training herself and her new body, helping others train (usually the rugrats; it’s adorable how some of them are getting crushes on her and even more adorable how the little princess is getting jealous over it), taking care of her new hive with her bestie Zi, or spreading out her bees across the country and beyond.

Unlike her old big boss, this guy didn’t have his brain punched out, so he knows how to take advantage of her talents. Well, some of them. He tries to keep it PG-13 in terms of sexual fanservice with how many kids he has crawling around.

Her hivemind of modified bees serve as excellent spies and she can deploy swarms of them all across the country if she really wants to (her boss certainly does). 

Her hive can also either inject their targets with stuff or take some blood from them, and when your boss is a guy who can replicate and duplicate quirks limitless times with only a blood sample, that skill becomes extremely useful.

She’s already got bees hanging around the inside of UA, MLA headquarters, HPSC headquarters, Tartarus, some top hero agencies, some bar in Kamino where her old boss is hanging around at, and other important places to both act as spies and collect DNA samples.

The former is easy enough, but the people her boss wants the latter done for are… annoyingly observant.

They don’t suspect her bees of being any different then the thousands of other bee species out there, but they aren’t about to let her bees sting them either.

Principal Nezu, Shota Aizawa, Re-Destro, Trumpet, and Kurogiri are the main targets to get DNA from, but she’s had no luck getting her bees close enough to get them without looking suspicious.

Her boss made it extremely clear that secrecy is key here and failing the mission while staying hidden is better then succeeding while being found out, and she will follow those orders to the letter because she’s seen what her boss is like when he’s truly pissed off and she has no interest in getting turned inside out, thanks.

At least the guy only gets truly angry when someone fucks up big time. He’ll be annoyed at little mistakes his subordinates make or some of the ‘quirks’ they have (heh), but nowhere near annoyed enough to kill or torture people over it. 

But besides that, things are going great!

She has a great new home, an awesome bestie, and a new boss that’s much more reasonable and competent than her last one.

And soon enough, she’ll get her sweet, sweet revenge on that lousy simp of a mad scientist and his master, the potato-headed bastard who took Koichi away from her.

 

Countdown to Canon: 3 Weeks Before USJ

“You sure, Sekan? Putting most of your eggs into one basket like this-”

“There’s more to it than securing a centralized spot, Kurono.” I assure my right hand man. “Think of this as an experiment of sorts. A precursor to the sliver of society we’ll build once the Quirk Singularity Doomsday begins in earnest. The risk is worth it.”

AFO’s empire is one thing since he started that before heroes were even a thing, but the Meta Liberation Army and Humarise proves that villain organizations can amass an insane amount of forces and firepower completely outside both the government and heroes’ awareness, with them nearly ending society itself as a result.

Cockiness? Naivety? Corruption? I like to think all three of those flaws contribute to villainous organizations being able to pull shit like this here.

Deika City and the other ‘liberated districts’ belonging to the MLA were what initially inspired one of my longest, largest plans. They showed that using an entire city to centralize your hidden evil empire was possible.

But this project has become so much more overtime, and it’s gone back to being my main focus recently.

I’ve built up a pretty solid foundation during the ten months before canon started, amassed enough firepower to have a solid shot of winning a civil war, but why settle for just that much?

No, I don’t want to get involved in the AFO/UA War that the main story devolves into. At least, not until both sides have hammered away at each other enough.

And with that drama queen of a demon lord taking center stage, resulting in most of my current operations being halted, further improving that basic foundation was the obvious direction to go.

 

Now I've already gone over most of the numerous upgrades to my subordinates and the restructuring of my empire, but the largest change over these last few months, and one I haven't quite detailed yet, has definitely been our centralized city of operations, Osaka.

Plenty of time and effort has gone into this pet project of mine, and plenty of quirks are optimizing that time and effort. 

IQ and Mind Web help me learn skills at an incredibly accelerated rate, either naturally or by copying the memories of others. Energy Saver practically removes the need to eat, drink, and sleep. Endurance and my specialized Trigger boosts those powers even further.

Combine that with all the free time, materials, and influence I have now and you get a rapidly-evolving city with its civilians more than happy to accept the changes.

The HPSC and his superhuman society in general have been ineffective to put it lightly. I understand their desire to maintain the status quo, the status quo is a slow and painful death for this country.

Just look at how far this place has fallen since the pre-quirk times, not even a tenth of its size and population compared to several centuries ago. 

Numerous crimes and villain attacks rack up collateral damage real quick, and with this society trying to pretend that quirks don’t exist bar heroes, that damage takes much longer to fix then it should. 

This city is being strangled, and I intended to let it breathe again. I intended to bring wealth, order, and reason to this port city, to this commercial center that’s a shell of its pre-quirk self, and I’ve been delivering over the year since I’ve been here.

I wanted my territory cleaned up, figuratively and literally, so a good chunk of my rank and file were sent out in force to make that happen. 

They have been cleaning any garbage off the streets, repairing the decrepit, damaged buildings, repainting over graffiti gang signs, and so on, making Osaka a good place to live and trade again.

My territory will not be a dump. New trash cans have been placed everywhere for a reason, and anyone who decides they can’t carry their empty wrapper or can ten meters to said trash cans will receive a warning they won’t forget.

Osaka’s crime rate dropping down to almost zero helps plenty with PR too. The heroes and police still present are all under my control, and they’ve been helping to hype up my yakuza as the greatest protectors and guardians this city can ever have.

Besides numerous new cameras and bees from Kuin, I’ve had my rank and file patrol this city-wide territory for three main reasons. Reason one is a simple show of force to other villains, reason two is lowering the crime rate as mentioned earlier, and reason three is further boosting PR by having these guards help out civilians when needed.

Simple things like helping to carry groceries, setting up market stalls on the streets, or even the stereotypical act of rescuing cats from trees goes a long way. 

Very few heroes bother with such things, they merely destroy villains and their surroundings while posing for the cameras. The Shie Hassaikai goes an extra mile for the civilians under its protection.

Naturally, there is a catch to all of this. Many catches, in fact.

 

When crime eventually becomes prolific enough, it has to become organized. 

Organized crime is never a force for good, but the amount of damage it does can vary. Not just by the size of their operations, but by management of the cells or branches or families or whatever you wish to call groups assigned to certain tasks.

PR mattered plenty too. Without it, the MLA would never have taken control of Deika city and I never would have taken control of Osaka. The heroes couldn’t protect those people, so they willingly turned to other groups who could.

Turning a blind eye to little things here and there is a small price to pay for your business booming and safety being guaranteed. This makes them a lot more willing to look the other way when it comes to these changes or slight law breaking of our own. 

Quirk use is by far the most common of these rule-breaks. Other villains are subdued with quirks, damages are repaired with quirks, and even the civilians under our protection are encouraged to use their quirks if they help out with their jobs.

Imagine using a weak wood or metal manipulation quirk to make furniture and toys out of scraps or someone with a quirk that controls fabric color and texture selling custom clothes. I even saw an ice cream truck run by several people with weak ice quirks the other day, letting them freeze their products better than any freezer could and make their treats last longer outside of their trucks.

Such has become normal and more widespread overtime, and both the natives here and people visiting to buy products at Osaka’s markets and ports don’t bat an eye, as not only does it result in better products and services from the markets they buy from, but the heroes around don’t have any issues with it either.

If their precious heroes don’t see it as a problem, then surely it must be okay, right?

The Shie Hassaikai work directly with the police and heroes here. Any villains caught by the yakuza are handed straight over to the heroes who then take them to the police, and the reports sent to the HPSC give heroes all the credit so they don’t catch on.

To them and most others, the Shie Hassaikai is still a de facto charity/community service group. They still think the local government is policing this city with the little yakuza providing bits of assistance every once in a while, when really, it’s the exact opposite.

 

Local vendors and businesses know my yakuza is much more than what meets the regular civilian’s eye, as they were all offered extra protection services overtime.

BossHaul was in charge of that, picking out businesses and markets in our territory and offering them protection on the Shie Hassaikai’s behalf. And it was protection, not the thuggish equivalent that other gangs provided.

Those who accepted the Hassaikai’s services paid us a small, quite reasonable, cut of their profits, and in exchange, their business would benefit from our protection. 

On top of being given a number they could call if they needed help, extra cameras were installed and my minion’s patrol routes were altered to better cover the new businesses.

People willing to pay more for the VIP treatment even got a couple guards permanently stationed nearby, or even right outside or inside depending on the owner’s preference. 

We had started small, mostly targeting basic street markets, convenience stores, or gas stations, and word quickly spread of our efficiency and trustworthiness.

The staged villain attacks we set up also helped coerce people into accepting our protection, among other things. Especially now, when most street-level villains knew better than to enter Osaka, we had to keep at least some crime around.

Our heroes needed villains to capture, and our civilians needed a constant reminder of why our protection and support was needed, so we occasionally have small groups of thugs physically altered through Overhaul cause a bit of chaos before quickly being stopped by other subordinates of mine.

Said surface-level subordinates aren’t even informed of this scheme, making these conflicts all the more authentic. The ‘villains’ are then handed over to the heroes who take credit for the capture, thrown in jail, and then released right after with their injuries being healed and their appearances being altered back to normal.

My yakuza look better, my heroes look better, my civilians become more dependent on me, and no lasting damage is done to the fanatics of mine I have handle this secret mission (with them getting a hefty bonus for going Plus Ultra once it’s all said and done), so everybody wins.

It’s gotten to the point where every business in the city is paying for our protection, most of which upgrading to the VIP treatment, and new businesses that wish to set up here seek us out instead of us seeking them out.

Civilians all across central Japan are now flocking towards us upon seeing how business is booming, these various vendors setting up shop and slowly morphing into small business that dotted my city’s streets, while heroes don’t budge an inch because the crime here (the crime not done and hidden by the Hassaikai, anyway) is minimal. 

That means more money from protection services and more loyal recruits for my organization. The latter is especially helpful because I can’t really continue recruiting from the villainous underworld of Japan anymore, not with AFO taking center stage.

 

There are some exceptions to this, of course. To give an example, let’s take a look at Starservant, an old fart with a ridiculously strong glass manipulation quirk that’s preaching about how the end of the world is coming.

Dabi hired the guy and sent him out after Kamino to get his dad’s attention; the guy was then taken down by the (at the time) number one and two heroes at the time, Endeavor and Hawks.

While he isn’t that strong and is almost as crazy as most of Humarise, he is one of the few independent villains out there that agrees with me regarding the rapidly-approaching doomsday.

Giran had also recommended him to me during a meeting we had a couple days ago where I basically said ‘have fun with the potato; remember not to tell him about the Hassaikai and we’re cool’ and he basically said ‘good luck; I’d retire or at least take a break too with all the profits you made me, but the potato would skin me alive after stealing my quirk if I did, sooooo…’, and next thing I know, I’m talking about doomsday with a living fossil who forgot to take his meds.

As for who I claimed the ‘root of the darkness’ was, I simply directed him towards the other living fossil who forgot to take his meds.

…No, not Gran Torino. I meant the other evil one.

So he and his small band of fanatics (only a few dozen, but that’s a few dozen more minions I will gladly take) have now hopped on the potato-hating bandwagon.

Giran also suggested roping in some of the more morally-compromised vigilantes that managed to escape Naruhata alive (as well as other vigilantes that are barely above your average villain in general), but I turned that offer down.

Vigilantes weren’t well-liked in Japan before the Naruhata War, but things are ten times worse for them now. 

The HPSC has pretty much pinned the blame of those events on the Vigilantes and went on about how heroes in Japan would have handled it much better if they were there, but no, the ones in America decided to work with the awful vigilantes who took over Naruhata and everyone’s dead because of them.

It only slightly improved their PR in exchange for them moving to the very top of the vigilantes’ shitlist. Some have even begun turning into copies of the Hero Killer, something Stain isn’t too thrilled about. He apparently met one a few weeks ago who’s conviction didn’t meet his standards and doesn’t want anything to do with them now. 

Giran offered to help form something of a ‘Hero-Hating Vigilante Alliance’ under Stain’s leadership, but he’s lucky that Stain himself wasn’t at that meeting or I might have had to resurrect him after the hero killer finished chopping the broker into pieces.

So the remaining vigilantes are on the run, not too happy with the villains about Crawler and Knuckleduster’s deaths, and not too happy with the heroes due to getting blamed for the whole thing by them. 

In short, they’re both desperate and extremely pissed off.

So why don’t I recruit them in this vulnerable state? Well for starters, most probably wouldn’t like the shit I’m pulling, even with all the lives I’m saving by doing so. 

Even in their current state, their moral compass is far above mine, so I would have to be very careful when it comes to controlling what they know, and it just isn’t worth it considering what little firepower they have left.

 

Secondly, Stain wouldn’t like it. At all. And the Hero Killer is worth far more to me than a few dozen random vigilantes.

I won’t go out of my way to finish the job, but I won’t bother trying to make them side with me either. There are much better options when it comes to gaining membership, people who are much more in tune with my beliefs or much more willing to accept them.

Humarise is the perfect example of this. Its Japanese branch is already getting infiltrated by my forces, and those who are following the smurf out of fear are being offered a far less radical solution for surviving the Quirk Singularity Doomsday.

With how large Flect Turn’s organization is, keeping an eye on every single member is simply impossible. Dozens of Humarise branches are scattered throughout the world, so slowly converting one of said branches into following me is far from impossible.

Doing this kind of thing in Otheon is one thing, but this small branch is in my home turf, giving me the advantage. 

The end goal for that particular project is Flect Turn’s entire Japanese branch becoming turncoats working for me without the rest of Humarise having a single clue about it, and we’re already making decent progress on that end. 

Plenty of the smurf’s minions are complete fanatics, not to Flect Turn himself, but more so the idea of humanity’s end. I can take advantage of that, offering them a solution that stands to benefit them far more personally. 

Best of all, I can mooch off of Humarise resources too by doing this, the chaotic times I’ve caused in Japan recently making requests for more supplies seem that much more genuine. 

I will gladly take some accumulated resources from a worldwide villain organization without them realizing it, thanks. My plans have been helping out my villainous competition a good bit too, so it’s only fair that they return the favor.

And thanks to my cyberwarfare branch, I’ll be able to keep track of their other operations too. I’ll even know if they get suspicious about their branch in Japan!

Stealing subordinates from All For One and the MLA isn’t happening (excluding a few notable exceptions like Gigantomachia and the Queen Bee), but Humarise gives plenty of fanatical villain recruits already. Besides, there are other sources that don’t involve villains at all.

Japan’s quirkless population is still providing a steady stream of fanatics, and having control of the local Humarise branch makes recruitment even easier.

Then there’s the ‘former’ villains. People who committed even the smallest crimes, got slapped with the villain label, and were released from prison after serving their sentences.

 

People here really don’t like villains, their black and white viewpoint seeing them all as irredeemable monsters. Doesn’t matter you did, that crap stays on your record and any chance of living a normal life again goes down the drain.

Nobody will hire them, nobody will aid them, they’ll be all alone as they lose everything, and they’ll gradually go back to committing crimes again because they have no choice. 

Villain organizations and gangs all pull from this neverending recruitment pool, and my organization is no different. I just made sure to go Plus Ultra with the appeal.

With massive amounts of resources combined with quirks like Overhaul, Mimicry, and Earthflow, creating new buildings takes hours rather than months or years, and completely repairing old one takes even less time.

Many of these new buildings have become homeless shelters for both new recruits and potential recruits outside of Osaka. Word is spreading through the homeless and released villains of my city offering a second chance for them. 

Desperation is the key factor of most crimes, so if the homeless and villains of my territory have a place to sleep, a way to get hot meals, and the possibility of paid work, then they stop committing crimes unless I order them to.

Plus, I can put them to work doing the basic stuff I have my current subordinates doing, saving some time and freeing up some manpower. Picking up litter, re-painting walls, aiding civilians with small tasks, and other low-skill jobs can be done by the hordes of homeless and former villains I have begging at my feet. 

These people will be thankful, they’ll become fanatical, and when they are offered a full-time membership in my secret villainous organization, they will gladly take it and all the extra benefits that come with it with open arms.

As for the HPSC, the trope scope of my plans remain out of their sights, and I intend to keep it that way. With both the civilians and law enforcement being on my side, Osaka has become an information black hole for them just like Deika.

They can’t know what I’m up to, because even excluding the crimes we’re doing, making them look like incompetent fools while making myself appear as a benevolent Godfather would piss them off to no end. 

But nobody is willing to tattle. No civilians are willing to give the safe haven I’ve built for them up, and the local government is firmly on my side.

 

And in case it isn’t already obvious, I didn't create this paradise for them out of the kindness of my heart. I’m absolutely the bad guy in this, it just happens that a little bad can do a lot of good if done properly. 

This isn’t a charity. There’s a difference between ensuring the prosperity of my territory and letting deadbeats who aren’t willing to work for themselves thrive from your hard work. 

The new and improved Osaka promises safety and opportunity as long as you aren’t stupid. And yes, this endeavor is quite costly, but it has quickly proven to be worth it in the long run. 

You have to spend money to make money; that’s a simple truth of both this world and my old one, and while it hurts to burn through money and materials almost as fast as I’m getting them (and I am getting them really damn quickly), that doesn’t change the fact that I’m investing in my future.

Plenty of new funding, plenty of new recruits, and a massive public area where I’m free to do as I please are just some of the benefits from this. It isn’t quite at the level of Deika yet, but that’s to be expected as Re-Destro has spent far longer on his city-wide project than I have with mine. 

Even so, I have more than just meta-knowledge helping me out with my own endeavors. The naivety of this world may just be the biggest contributing factor.

Well, maybe ‘naive’ is too harsh… the best way to explain it is that the vast majority of people here don’t have the same amount of pessimism and paranoia as my other world, and considering my own ambitions, that’s definitely for the better.

Yeah, that’s probably the best way I can describe it. Despite being darker than what the anime and manga would have me believe, this world is still a far cry from superhero franchises like Worm, and there is still a level of naivety that the people of this world seem to naturally have.

It’s like watching a movie and questioning where the common sense was, but I live in the movie now and I am the only one wielding said common sense.

 

That’s not to say I can only rely on myself for things. Just because people here are naive now doesn’t mean that flaw can’t be fixed in the future, and there are a good handful of people who are extremely useful from the get-go.

I could rely on Giran to get funding and support at first; he could do a damn good job with his connections and he takes customer confidentiality very seriously. I could rely on Stain to sow fear and discord amongst the heroes by continuing on with his hunt.

And as for people who can learn to be competent and useful for me, just look at people like Innsmouth. From an extremely minor antagonist who lost to a fifteen year-old frog girl to one of the best smugglers in Japan’s history, anything I need shipped across the seas can be handled by this Davy Jones lookalike.

People here can change, they can undergo character development. They aren’t stuck as second league characters that can be summed up with one or two traits. 

Osaka itself was the perfect chance to prove this, to see what worked and what didn’t. It lets me get invaluable data on building and altering society, and that will help a lot once the quirk singularity starts and I have to run my own sliver of society as the world around it burns.

The city I’ve shaped overtime does that and so much more. I can gain money, materials, and members, hide my small army of villains, ship out and obtain products, control information, and so on.

And that factors into my main plan, producing and shipping out all these products to gangs and goons across the country with both Giran’s empire and minor subsidiaries of mine (ones with minimal information about their employers given) serving as middlemen, ensuring the Shie Hassaikai’s involvement stays a secret.

All these drugs and weapons being fenced, auctioned, and distributed then sparked a wave of crime that covered up some of my other criminal acts such as home invasions (that couldn’t be covered up via Mind Web, anyway), as those crimes meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. 

I’m then able to use those people, or rather, their quirks to make the crime wave worse through acts like starting a villain war between the Wild Villains and Creature Rejection Clan, all without drawing any attention to myself or my own organization’s plans. It’s like some twisted feedback loop if you really think about it.

It’s a plot that should make AFO himself take a step back to admire the sheer scale and execution of… before blowing it all to hell like he tried to in Naruhata. But he still doesn’t seem to know just what this little yakuza has become.

 

Then there’s me, a supervillain that no hero or villain not under me (or allied with me) has ever even heard of before, and who’s plan has progressed enough to kick in the doors of the Japan-sized building that hero society is, sitting back with a bag of popcorn as said building collapses on its own without said society even knowing about him.

Confession and Mind Web lets me catch any spies and traitors before they even have the chance to do anything. Overhaul lets me alter people however I wish; add some fake identities in and you get the heroes getting absolutely nothing from whoever they managed to arrest.

That or false information from any thugs or subsidiaries who I am a lot less close to than the Volcano Thieves or Innsmouth. If they do tell the heroes anything, it will just throw them off even more as it all just leads to an organization that doesn’t even exist.

So the heroes, villains, and vigilantes alike can’t track the source of these modified weapons and drugs, nor the producer, while I’ve continued to profit off of them for almost a year.

Funny how I’ve been preparing the ground for a war against hero society during the last year, feeding the villains and a rise in crime rates with weapons and drugs galore to keep the heroes occupied and the country’s population afraid… only to not even really fight in said war.

Why should I when I can have my competition in the underworld do that for me?

The Creation Crew makes pretty much everything the Hassaikai needs now with the rest being easy enough to get from both our operations in Osaka and our legal businesses and connections. 

We’ve become entirely self-sufficient, and that allowed us to spend the last few months reinforcing our shell rather than expanding it like before.

Our territory and troops are constantly being strengthened. Our level of control only continues to increase.

And that all leads back to what my endgame plan is, what I’m going to do about them once I get everyone I want on the de facto Noah’s Ark I plan to obtain.

I don’t want to get rid of them like Kai or Humarise does. I’m not a quirk supremacist like the MLA is. I don’t want to create a society that revolves around me taking and dispensing quirks like AFO does.

So what do I want then?

 

In my opinion, quirks are fundamentally just an additional hand. Pretending that they don’t exist and outright banning usage of them unless you’re a hero is completely retarded, but allowing everyone free reign on what they do with their powers would lead to chaos and anarchy.

My ideal society would be somewhere in the middle. People are free to use their quirks, so long as they don’t commit any crimes with them. 

Of course, there will have to be some exceptions and limitations like preventing someone with Momo’s Creation quirk from crashing the economy via mass-producing gold and jewels, but overall, people will mostly be free to use their powers as they wish.

Will this cause some people to be better equipped for certain jobs? Yes. 

Someone like Cementoss would be a godsend for construction companies and someone with a green finger-esc quirk would be better at farming then someone without it, but they won’t be forced into those jobs or anything. Quirk discrimination is stupid and won’t be tolerated with me in charge.

All I need to endlessly copy a quirk (and all the work that went into developing it) now is a blood sample. Being able to give, take, and copy these powers is an incredible power to have and I intend to put that to use in my society without becoming a controlling asshole like AFO.

Such a society should be able to satisfy most people who aren’t total fanatics for groups like the MLA and Humarise. There are still a few flaws and details I’ll have to work out, but I won’t have to worry about that for a while.

Besides, it’s not like this society of mine is going to be very large to begin with. 

This isn’t a charity. I’m only saving the people I care about, those loyal to me and the Shie Hassaikai; the rest of the world can go destroy each other for all I care. I’ll just watch and laugh at the incoming shitshow like I did in my old reality.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Mind Web (Artificial), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Confession, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Search, Willpower Enhancer x3.

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Scanning
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Eri - Rewind, Wave Motion, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Scanning, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Endurance, Energy Saver

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Eruption, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Voyance, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Bloodcurdle, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Scanning
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (180) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo ????? (5) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + ?????
• Pseudo ????? (5) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + ?????

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 1550 Personnel 
• 70 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains
• 70 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 70 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 95 Battle Tanks
• 45 Attack Helicopters
• 25 Small Boats
• 2 Battleships

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 55
• Mad Science Branch - 40
• Creation Crew - 95
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 40
• Thugs and Goons - 3914

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 114

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 48: Students

“Did you see this joke? It says he’s a teacher now…” The evil potato’s future meat puppet questions, doing his best to ignore the occasional buzzing around the bar.

“Hey. What do you think will happen… when the mighty Symbol of Peace… is finally kill- GODDAMN NPC BEES! GO AWAY!!!”

“Shall I acquire some insecticides, young master?” Kurogiri asks as Tomura starts chasing around the bee that stung him, decaying anything that gets in the way. 

“TOO LATE TO PUSH THE B-BUTTON NOW, YOU WINGED RAT! NOMU!”

“Young master, please don’t-”

*SCREEEEEEEEECH*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Later that night, All For One ended up having to replace some glasses, a few pieces of his bartender’s wine collection, some skull prop he had up next to said collection for god knows why, and most of the bar stools… again. 

Sekan and Kuin got a good laugh out of that.

“Keep up the good work, Kuin.”

“Sir yes sir, boss-chan!”

It’s a pity they can’t get samples of the warper's blood right now, as such would be a dead giveaway to Kuin’s identity (not to mention there’s no way the bees would be able to leave that bar alive), but that’s okay.

It’s a pity that clones can’t help either since the brainwashing Kurogiri has is not something Sekan wishes to risk bringing into his facilities. The last thing he needs is the sentient Nomu automatically warping his master and whatever other Nomu he has into their own base. Even putting him into a permanent coma doesn't help if canon is anything to go by.

But that’s fine. Sekan will get what he needs from the League of Villains shortly.

This isn’t All For One’s story, nor is it time for Tomura Shigaraki to shine. 

The world will realize that soon enough.

 

Countdown to Canon: 1 Week Before USJ

“YOU FUCKING MONSTERS! LET ME OUT OF HERE! GET ME AWAY FROM THEM; I DON’T WANT TO DIE!!!” The latest clone of Muscular wails, goop beginning to cover his bloodied body as he pounds on the strengthened glass separating us.

“C’mon, Goto Imasuji.” I sigh as my eyes roll and my arms cross. “I gave you the chance to survive. You can even break free if you just keep on fighting. Is defeating some kids in a battle of wills really so difficult? Prove them wrong if you can, or perish with no regrets; that’s your ideology, is it not?”

The A-Rank Villain has no time to respond before he’s stabbed and dragged away by several icy tendrils. 

“Jeez, so noisy. I’d overhaul their vocal cords away, but these copies can barely take any punishment as is.” I grumble as the clone is mutilated and devoured before my very eyes.

Not only is Binging Balls powerful, but it also serves as a convenient way to dispose of whatever remains after these training sessions. The Object Gigantification quirk I copied from one of the Seijin High School students featured in the Provisional License Exam Arc makes cleanup even easier.

On top of allowing the user to increase the size of whatever they touch, it can also increase the speed of whatever they affect to further increase the power of the user’s attacks. Nuts and bolts can grow to dozens of feet in size, and so can Tamashiro’s Binging Balls.

Combine the speed boost both quirks provide and Tamashiro’s complete control over his summoned projectiles and you pretty much get a horde of Chain Chomps from the Mario franchise that can fly and will relentlessly chase you down with no restraints to hold them back. 

It isn’t long before the next clone comes into being, confusion quickly warping into cockiness and wrath, and that quickly warping into shock and terror.

 

There was no grace, no elegance to his movements. Through his body and quirk, Muscular has enough physical power to potentially rival the current All Might, but Muscular is a dullard through and through.

He’s held back by his own brutishness. He treats his quirk like a big club to swing around, making it a simple, dull, blunt instrument. Re-Destro would easily crush him despite their physical power being similar as Re-Destro actually knows a thing or two about strategy.

In short, this was far too easy for his opponents.

“Drop to the left.” I call out, and Kota does.

“Up, and spin right.” Tamashiro follows my words to the letter.

“Use his arm to maneuver him down.”

Muscular was on the ground, arm bent behind his back within seconds. 

Even with all their body modifications, the A-Rank Villain had an advantage in physical strength, far more so with his quirk activated… but muscles happen to be 79% water, something a hydrokinesis quirk like Kota’s can easily take advantage of.

Water Gun started out as a quirk that can only shoot streams of water from his hands, but remember what I said before about the quirk factors of children being more malleable? 

Endurance already provides quite the boost to his power; add in training and repeated doses of my specialized Trigger plus Cell Activation to further aid his already malleable body and quirk factor acclimate to the elevated state and you get extremely quick growth. It’s essentially power-leveling for quirks.

He hasn’t gotten a full-blown Quirk Awakening yet, but his original quirk has become quite the powerful hydrokinesis quirk, and Ice Ply complements that particular power wonderfully.

That’s not even mentioning the rest of his body or the other types of training he’s been doing.

Needless to say, the final clone for this training session doesn’t last much longer.

 

“Well done! I’m so proud of you, Kota! You too, Tamashiro!” 

“Thanks, Mr. Sekan!” The little elemental smiles at me.

“Can you summon more clones please? We can still keep going!” His rival requests.

From their faces, I can tell that they’re using the proper breathing technique I showed them, the way athletes from my old world are taught to for better breath-control and maximum efficiency. 

They’re doing it the way they’re supposed to. They’re learning quickly. They’re getting better fast, and they both know it. 

From the amount they can lift and how much force they could let out in a punch or kick to how many different applications they can use their quirks for and how much they’ve mastered those uses, their combat power is rising rapidly and they revel in this improvement.

And right now, they may look exhausted on the surface, but they definitely have strength to spare.

But this training session is over, as there’s more to life than sparring and eating gym mat enough times to have the taste stuck in their mouths for the next month.

“Another time, little troopers. Getting rest is no less important than training hard, and while Cell Activation does circumvent that requirement, you won’t always have Katsuma nearby to recover your health and stamina. 

Besides, your thievery class with Gentle Criminal is starting soon. Requesting extra combat training doesn’t mean you get to skip your other classes.”

“But that class is boooooooring. And the wrinkled weenie doesn’t even let us use our quirks!” Tamashiro complains, his rival being only slightly less upset about this.

“Quirks are but a tool, nothing more. You may be used to using them freely and in various applications, but skills must be founded on a base layer in order to be truly mastered.

Besides, who says the skills you learn in that subject can only be applied to that subject? Even something as basic as pickpocketing requires you to learn the art of misdirection. It requires steady, silent breathing and feeling the space around you. It requires you to be aware of the target’s own position, in relation to your own being.

Are those not skills that can be applied to regular combat as well? Do those skills not make you more well-rounded and capable overall? You don’t want to limit yourself to being mere brutes like Muscular, do you?”

“No way! I’ll become way better than he’ll ever be!” Kota declares before running off determined, his rival not far behind.

 

You know, one of the main reasons why heroes usually triumph over the villains is that they tend to actually know what the hell they’re doing. Most are lazy, complacent, and stupid, but they at least usually know what the hell to do when disaster strikes (not like it’s rocket science to begin with).

They can learn their trade out in the open at one of the countless hero schools scattered around the world, and Japan is no exception to this. Villains, in the meantime, are typically self-taught or have mentors (like in Tomura’s case) who tend to impart skills and mistakes alike.

God only knows how much damage could have been prevented if the potato just got his student a pair of artist gloves. The man-child has to have accidentally decayed his bed and the floor below it while sleeping at least a few times by now!

So why not fix this issue? 

Not the Tomura thing; he’d probably decay those gloves and whoever buys them for him out of spite. 

I’m talking about education for young, prospective villains. Investing so far into the future may not seem necessary when there will be no future whatsoever in less then a year, but you never know.

Besides, it gives these hyperactive gremlins something to do, hence me starting up what is essentially a school for villainy. A chance to shadow and learn from some of the most powerful and talented villains in Japan, if not the world.

I’ve already been doing something similar with Eri. Some regular classes mixed with combat training, quirk training, and internships where she learned various skills from manipulation to lockpicking to disguises to hacking to investigation to battle tactics and quirk analysis.

Add in some psychological counseling because a majority of these kids have tragic backstories (and being a total ass to your partners is probably the most common reason for villain crews to collapse) and you get a school preparing kids for professional villany. 

It’s like AFO’s Villain Factory scheme, but way less idiotic.

 

Giran had thought so, at least. Then again, he also thought ‘Where the hell did Sekan find these weird kids? I was still playing with sticks and action figures when I was their age!’ upon seeing some of their training.

Eri herself was a bit iffy about the idea at first since this special school would prevent her own organization from doing very much in the future thanks to how much free time of theirs it took up, but I argued back that her top subordinates learning how to be better villains now rather than learning through trial and error later is the right way to go.

She saw how well I managed to do by sticking with long-term investments, so she eventually relented, and once she was on board, her subordinates were on board.

Giving these already hyperactive kids copies of Endurance and Energy Saver, among other quirks, may not have been the best idea, but this at least lets them use all that extra time productively.

Besides, Eri’s argument of ‘Won’t kids our age having THIS much firepower be that much scarier to our opponents?’ was a good one, even if I agreed mostly out of sheer pragmatism.

Most of my top brass have a good chunk of free time too; they have ever since I ordered the Shie Hassaikai and most of its branches to lay low and let the demon lord take center stage.

I can think of worse ways to spend that extra time than training the next generation of villains in my organization. It’s something I myself have been dedicating a good chunk of time to lately.

Why shouldn’t I offer to tutor those little go-getters? I’m obviously qualified to help with this sort of thing.

Look at what I just did with Kota and Tamashiro. Combat training can be demanding alongside power-leveling their quirk arsenals; I want them outfitted to withstand the mental strain balancing some extra Plus Ultra training with the workload from their other classes.

This isn’t like a regular school where things like academic probation or expulsion are possibilities, but learning how to make your own schedule is a crucial skill.

So I plan to measure the effectiveness of their strategies and gauge how they balance that with their current responsibilities and chores. If they aren’t enough, then I’ll explain better memorization strategies and methods catered to their preferred learning styles.

In other words, I’ll observe whatever schedules the kids currently came up with for themselves, and if they can be improved, then I’ll help them improve said schedules.

 

Tutors aren’t just supposed to lecture or help conceptualize different subjects; they’re also supposed to help their students stay balanced or re-balance themselves if the former fails. 

Fortunately for Kota and Tamashiro, their intellect, ability to improve, and sheer tenacity lets them cram in a lot without much problem. Same with Eri and most of the other kids under her.

Now I know that these students are a little young, even by this world’s standards-

((‘They are five to six year old children. That’s more than a little young.’))

‘You are the last person who should be grilling me about parenting, VestigeHaul.’

…But these kids aren’t normal by any means. Even so, I won’t be beating five year olds until they throw up and pass out like Japan’s Number 2 Hero. 

I will also ensure that students don’t become unhealthily obsessed with gaining strength by any means necessary, such as mutilating themselves.

Looking at you once again, Endeavor. There will be no Shoto or Touya Todorokis created by this program. 

((‘So throwing clones of Muscular at them is perfectly fine then?’))

‘Again, you are the last person who should be grilling me about parenting, VestigeHaul. And besides, Kota and Tamashiro aren’t the ones crying like toddlers during those matches. I make sure the clones summoned to fight them are opponents they can handle.’

 

Plus Ultra is an unhealthy mindset to have. Going beyond your limits may be necessary in some very specific situations, but oftentimes, decent enough teamwork or strategies are all that’s needed to win.

That’s what I’m trying to hammer into both the current and next generation of top villains under me. Branching out, pursuing your interests, thinking outside the box, and so on will give them an edge over fools that spout nonsense and mutilate themselves.

Along with developing and refining their fighting skills, this school will help kids build their character, increase their knowledge, and mold them into omni-disciplinaries in the art of villainy by the time they grow up.

Might as well increase the level of professional villainy in the soon to be apocalyptic dystopia once known as Japan. Besides, it’s not like I’ll be having children fight on the frontlines; I’m not the HPSC!

((‘The HPSC started training Hawks when he was around your daughter’s age. And the age of your other students.’))

‘For the last time, you are the last person who should be grilling me about parenting, VestigeHaul!’

I have standards, okay! Not a whole lot of moral standards, but that’s beyond the point. There’s a reason why I turned down LabHaul’s offer to teach the kids’ health classes.

Well it’s a whole lot more than just one reason, but you get the point.

((“Give two!”)) LabHaul takes his turn interrupting me.

‘I can give two hundred related to your quirked animal research alone! I’d rather attack UA just to kidnap Recovery Girl and have her teach Katsuma then have you traumatize him for life!

Hell, I’d rather have a Rappa clone look after him! Rappa! At least the brawler was clever enough to mix physical sparing with medical memorization, killing two birds with one stone.’

The basic idea was to have Katsuma name any specific muscles or bones that Rappa managed to hit during their spars, and for every name Katsuma got wrong, he would get some extra physical exercise as a penalty like 20 push ups or one lap around the training room. 

According to the younger Shimano, it actually did help force him to remember these groups of body parts and was even kind of fun once he fell into a rhythm. 

This wasn’t even my idea either; it was all Rappa. From what his clones told me, he wanted to learn how to patch up himself and his opponents (sometimes) after fights, so he used more fighting to help himself learn faster. 

 

Remember, it isn’t just me teaching these kids. Plenty of my subordinates are pooling their ideas alongside my own to give Eri and her friends/subordinates the best education experience possible.

I’ll show that potato how you teach little kids to become terrifying villains… actually, he’ll be long gone by the time my daughter and her minions grow up, so I guess I won’t.

Oh well. He can watch me be better than him in hell. That so-called devil should have a fun time mocking him with that. 

Now as for my other main rival in the education apartment, I already have Kuin’s bees spread all around campus. 

I also decided to let my cyberwarfare branch hack into the school database since Nezu only overhauls the security (his unintentional pun, not mine) systems after the USJ attack and my technopaths are very good at what they do.

Now’s the time to create a backdoor that the rat doesn’t pick up on. That and the bees should make obtaining teaching material slightly easier. UA’s Gen-Ed course is top notch and there should be a few concepts from the Hero Courses that I can apply to my own school’s practical training.

Oh, and I’m also gonna have some villain grunts under me sneak into Tomura’s crew despite already having two other ways to monitor him during his USJ attack.

Better safe than sorry.

I have my own plans for the USJ, and it’s more than sitting back with a bag of popcorn while I watch a livestream through some hacked security cameras and Kuin’s swarm.  

 

This latest plan of mine is pretty important too, so I need eyes, ears, and insects everywhere for this. It’s the first time I’m interfering in a major canon event bar the Entrance Exam, and I need it to go as perfectly as possible.

“There’s been no mention of Gigantomachia or whoever is replacing Nine for the Pseudo-AFO experiment at the bar, so either the potato still doesn’t know about the former or thinks he just threw a temper tantrum or something. As for the latter, it should be a non-issue if your timetable goes to plan. 

The HPSC still hasn’t been doing much. America is still pretty pissed off at them, but international tensions are mostly a thing of the past anyway. I mean quirks are basically the new nukes that noone wants to see on a battlefield and the United States supposedly does have some intercontinental nuclear missiles left over from the Dawn of Quirks as well.

All your hard work did leave Japan’s hero society critically vulnerable though. Do you really want to let my old boss have all the fun of finishing the job?” The royal beekeeper herself questions during her latest report.

“He won’t finish the job, only hammer away at it some more before we swoop in once again. Trust me, Kuin, you’ll have your time to shine. You, Nine, and everyone else who wants to see this country burn and rule what remains will get what you want, but guaranteeing our safety in case the worst happens comes first.”

“Yeah, yeah. Better safe than sorry, I know.” The queen huffs, not being used to taking such a passive, secretive role for so long.

“It’ll all be worth it, Kuin. Look at how much you’ve gained already; you wouldn’t even be around if it wasn’t for all my precautions and planning. I know what I’m doing, so if you want to put on the greatest performance this world has ever seen, just trust me, okay?”

“Yes, sir!” Kuin chirps, now much more excited.

“That’s the spirit, queen of the tsundere!” 

“Damn, ri- wait, what?”

I grin back, taking off my mask for a bit just so she can see me sticking my tongue out at her.

That move from her usually oh-so-serious boss gets the bee queen to gawk, wondering if Hassaikai HQ has a gas leak or maybe All Might gave her a nasty concussion when she wasn’t looking.

“Nobody will ever believe you.” I then whisper, already ordering my cyberwarfare team to alter that footage through Mind Web.

What? Did she think that the big bad boss couldn’t be a little shit from time to time? That I’d always be the straight-man in these comedy bits?

She should know the kind of people I’ve been around for like a year by now; all that intel was directly fed into her new brain!

Anyway, with UA starting up and me having three ways to spy on the heroes there… no, wait. Make that four.

I still have Search on Izuku and some of the other 1-A students. While it only tells me their location and current weak points (the latter changes whenever they are injured, letting me infer more about what they’re doing by cross referencing canon), it’s still an extra contingency that I will gladly take.

Izuku still hasn’t done jack shit to train OFA, by the way. 

Also, even without Search, it really isn’t hard to spy on him. I don’t even need Kuin’s bees either; the number of different places that kid travels to can be counted on one hand. 

And don’t even get me started on his mutter storms. This little protagonist is lucky that everyone else on the planet is either completely incapable of following along or just doesn’t care enough to listen in because he does not sensor a single fucking thing.

Then again, this is the kid who ‘hides’ One For All in canon despite yelling its name in most of his attacks (which are literally exact copies of All Might's 99% of the time) because he finally has an actual quirk and this is something that he finds impossible to keep in. Yeah. 

All Might had your shiny new quirk officially registered as ‘Superpower’ for a reason, dumbass! Yelling ‘One For All + Whatever State Smash’ while copying All Might’s mannerisms beat for beat is going to make anyone with half a brain start asking questions after a while. 

Even All For One figured it out by the time Kamino happened! All For One! And that guy’s brain is about as healthy and functional as the rest of his scrotum-shaped head!

 

Whatever, it’s not like this affects me. That bullshit quirk won’t be ruining my plans; my vision is much bigger than the twin drama queens and their refusal to just fucking go away after like two centuries.

The number of villain organizations out there has already begun to drop, and I plan on continuing that trend.

This won’t be a permanent thing, of course. Like I said before, groups like the Creature Rejection Clan, Wild Villains, Meta Liberation Army, Humarise, the HPSC, and so on are symptoms rather than causes of problems. 

Yes, the HPSC counts; they’re basically state-authorized villains.

Such organizations require plenty of fertile ground to continue existing and even more of it to grow. Japan’s economy is stagnant, its social system has enough holes in it to resemble swiss cheese, and way too many people live out of its reach. Just look at Shoji’s backstory. 

Then there’s Tomura’s backstory, Toga’s backstory, Izuku’s backstory, and so on. Dissent was all over the country, leading to the existence of those earlier mentioned villainous organizations.

Even if Tartarus is never broken into, I’d be shocked if a new CRC and Wild Villains isn’t formed whenever Japan decides to finally crash and burn.

It’s sad, really, but there’s nothing I can do to stop it. Ensuring the Hassaikai’s survival is what’s important right now; such a mindset is what let me keep the upper hand on heroes and villains alike from the moment I arrived here.

And I don’t intend to let that go.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Mind Web (Artificial), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Confession, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Search, Willpower Enhancer x3.

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Scanning
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Eri - Rewind, Wave Motion, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Scanning, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Endurance, Energy Saver

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Eruption, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Voyance, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Bloodcurdle, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Scanning
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (180) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo ????? (5) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + ?????
• Pseudo ????? (5) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + ?????

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 1700 Personnel 
• 80 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains
• 80 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 80 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 105 Battle Tanks
• 50 Attack Helicopters
• 27 Small Boats
• 2 Battleships

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 55
• Mad Science Branch - 40
• Creation Crew - 105
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 40
• Thugs and Goons - 4431

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 114

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 49: Domino Effect - USJ Edition

“I WILL GET OUT OF HERE! I WILL GET MY SLAVE BACK! AND I WILL REMIND YOU BASTARDS WHY MY FACTION IS CALLED THE WILD VILLAINS!!! I-”

“Quiet, whale. Or you’ll get a few extra blowholes.”

There are plenty of nicer jobs out there, sure, but somebody needs to ensure these deranged animals stay locked up.

Tartarus is inescapable. He and his coworkers will continue to make sure of that.

But the recent ‘special’ batches of prisoners have really been testing his patience lately. 

Half of the Wild Villain and Creature Rejection Clan monsters sent here should have long since received bullets to the brain for insubordination, but they’ve been getting enough flak about human rights violations as it is.

The last thing they need right now is the Hearts and Mind party screeching about ‘executing political prisoners’ or something ridiculous like that. 

Quirks warped their perception so badly. In truth, people like the monsters locked up here are fundamentally different from normal people like him and his colleagues. 

 

Countdown to Canon: USJ Today!

“Youuuu’ll never taaaaake us aliiiii-i-iiiive! We swore that death will do us part; they’ll call our crimes a work of aaaaart!”

“Kuin-”

“Youuuu’ll never taaaaake us aliiiii-i-iiiive! We’ll live like spoiled royalty! Lovers and paaartneeers… partners in crime!”

“I don’t think Zookeeper would be very happy about what you’re implying, Kuin.” I deadpan while my lieutenant sings softly into her imaginary microphone.

“Nah, I asked her already. She said just singing was fine.” The bee queen shrugs back before clearing her throat and carrying on.

…Really starting to regret making those pre-quirk music playlists. Kuin’s been ‘performing’ the more villainous ones nonstop for weeks. Those or her own remixes of them. 

 

Most currently stationed in Hassaikai HQ breathed a sigh of relief when I ordered the queen to accompany me for this latest mission. Kuin herself was thrilled at first, and also appalled that someone is a big enough asshole to attack Universal Studios Japan.

After I clarified what USJ in this context stood for, she was more confused than disappointed, and I really can’t blame her. Frankly, attacking UA to begin with is a stupid idea.

For some context, everything regarding UA High has gone pretty much exactly like canon so far.

Both 1-A and 1-B got their canon 20 students, Shota Aizawa behaved like a mole for the MLA during the Quirk Assessment Test, and the final rankings were the exact same.

1-A Battle Trials also pretty much went the same, albeit with Momo seeming to have slightly more of an inferiority complex then in canon and Izuku being slightly more determined then his canon self. In short, nothing really noteworthy. 

Finally, Tomura unleashed a wave of merciless parasites intent on devouring students, teachers, and symbols alike onto UA’s campus.

Oh, and he broke in to steal some school schedules like normal too, I suppose. But the merciless parasites equipped with cameras and microphones that even All For One’s apprentice could barely steer towards that poor high school were far more threatening in my humble opinion.

That brings us to today, the USJ attack. This attack is a lot of things; the last few episodes of the anime’s season 1, the first true villain attack Class 1-A faces, the introduction of the League of Villains…

And like I said, attacking UA to begin with is a stupid idea. 

 

Let’s pretend for a moment that Tomura and AFO at least partially succeed with this plan. Even if All Might doesn’t die, let’s say that Eraserhead dies or Thirteen dies or some students die.

Heroes in training, dying on school grounds in a villain attack, and on the same campus as high-profile professional heroes including All Might himself? There would’ve been riots, but not nearly as much as, say, unleashing Nomu at the National Diet or HPSC headquarters. 

The best defense either of those places could have is Hawks, and he would get torn limb from bloody limb by a shock-absorbing, regenerating zombie All Might knockoff. 

Kurogiri could warp in the beast and Tomura could have it go nuts, slaughtering a good chunk of the government in one fell swoop. But no, all Tomura cared about was All Might. And his master isn’t much better.

AFO mainly did it to get the name of the League of Villains out there, but isn’t the entire idea of his empire to be secret? A shadow organization that rules from the dark and has an iron grip on society?

((‘You’re one to talk, Sekan.’))

‘At least I cover up or deflect any suspicion towards the Shie Hassaikai, VestigeHaul! All For One could have told Tomura to NOT blab about the zombie bird having multiple quirks, but no, he didn’t. 

As far as the heroes know, only one person is capable of allowing people to have multiple quirks; he was just asking to get caught!’

Hell, the evil potato’s been hiding for how long now? He’s ruled since the Dawn of Quirks and he doesn’t have a single connection to politics or the HPSC; all of his secret spies are random nobodies! 

He was never threatened in power by anyone before All Might, so during that period of time (easily over a century) he could have become god-emperor of Japan or even the world before the Symbol of Peace rose up without any problems.

But nope. He just has to live out his childish fantasies no matter how stupid and pointless they are. He just has to base his entire life around stereotypical demon lord comic book characters that are comically sadistic and evil for the sake of being evil.

 

Imagine the LOV being introduced by having AFO and the Nomu butcher the National Diet and HPSC, or even have them team up to kill All Might before attacking the former two targets through some extra Kurogiri warping. 

Hell, throw in Gigantomachia too if you really want to make it a curb stomp! 

The guy bulldozed through at least several hundred heroes (some being top 10 or close to it) and more than twenty cities in under an hour during the Paranormal Liberation War, and while most of those cities weren’t major ones, that one-man charge still caused massive amounts of collateral damage and casualties.

They would cripple Japan in the span of a few hours, but that is a coherent strategy, and god forbid All For One comes up with a coherent strategy. 

He has the complete upper hand in terms of intelligence on their opponents and surprise factor since said opponents don’t even know the League of Villains exist, and the self-proclaimed demon lord just throws that all away. 

Oh, and let’s not forget what advice AFO gives Tomura right after the USJ attack in canon… gathering up the villainous elites. 

Who the hell throws their element of surprise out the window by chucking complete cannon fodder at the enemy’s most powerful fighter? 

Why not gather up said elites first to launch a much more devastating initial attack, the effects of such multiplying through their element of surprise?

No wonder Tomura started out as such a whiny manchild with no sense of strategy whatsoever. Just look at who his sensei is! Funny how he started actually growing as a person the second AFO himself was taken to Tartarus. 

Anyway, AFO isn’t the only one sending forces to UA today. Kuin and I along with a couple clones are also sneaking into Nezu’s turf, but we haven’t come here to fight anybody. 

I have bigger goals than terrorizing some teenagers and throwing a bird zombie at the Symbol of Peace.

 

“The skies are black with lead-filled rain! A morbid painting on display! This is the night the young lo- oh, hang on. I think it’s starting.” The quirked monarch stops her take on ‘Partners in Crime’ by Set It Off to report in.

I myself use Mind Web to view the action her swarm is picking up, and so far, it’s just as I remembered it going down.

“Okay, the 1-A kiddies are oohing and aahing at the main entrance and the fat astronaut is telling Hobo-Sensei that All Might used up all his hero time already. 

Oh, I’ve got eyes on the Twig of Peace too! The teachers lounge is in my- fuck! Go away, Nezu! You better not try eating some of my swarm again!” My lieutenant complains as she starts giving commentary.

“Huh, looks like Nezu may be at least part bear after all. But I still think he’s mostly an albino stoat; I don’t care what the rest of the betting pool claims.” I mutter to myself as the insect monarch throws a fit.

“He’s also a bee-eating asshole! My children are not lunch, you sentient stuffed animal! I will tear your tail off and- oh, portal’s here! I got eyes on the handyman and his hyper-violent Team Rocket! God, just looking at his crusty ass makes me want to fill my bees up to the brim with chapstick and squirt him all over with it!” 

I would cheekily reply ‘phrasing’, but one of us has to be the mature adult here.

“Show me everything.” I order instead, and she obliges through her connection to my copy of Mind Web.

I’m connected with my other clones too, with them all occasionally having some insight or a comment to add onto this show of a show.

Even VestigeHaul and the other quirk ghosts are watching this all go down with the former either relaying a message from one of the others or adding his own snide remark from time to time.

 

“Wow, and I thought I was dramatic. These guys are total tryhards.” Kuin rolls her eyes

That’s a shounen for you.

“If you think that’s bad, you should listen to Izuku’s internal monologue during this opening bit.” I chuckle back.

“That’s the guy All Might gave One For All to, right?”

“Yup. He’s your classic punching bag protagonist; bullied and abused his entire life for being quirkless, especially by his so-called ‘best friend’ who told him to, and I quote, ‘take a swan dive off the roof and pray for a quirk in his next life’, only to catch All Might’s attention because the teenager viewing himself as completely worthless just so happens to have a side effect involving self-sacrifice, a heroic trait.”

“Oh… that’s fucked up.”

“Yup. Peel back the bullshit propaganda and you get an absolute disaster of a society that is going to tear itself apart the moment their sole pillar collapses.”

“How did you figure that out?” Kuin then asks me with a serious expression on her face.

“I didn’t get a direct confession from either via mind control if that’s what you’re wondering. What gave it away are, pardon the pun, certain quirks of his. Traits he’s exemplified show signs of someone who’s been raised quirkless and never came to terms with others’ treatment or representation of it.

His philosophy to prove himself for the sake of others, his drive to be a hero for the sake of others, and his self-destructive tendencies just to name a few. All these come together to form someone who should either be far away from this industry or, at the very least, reconsidering. 

However, this society that thrives on hero worship would never let such a thing happen, and All Might only made things worse. Being a hero and being a teacher are two very different things, and All Might is only the former, preventing Izuku from growing both physically and mentally. He uses his quirk as a last resort panic button, not an extension of himself. It’s not natural. Not yet.”

“Thanks for the detailed explanation, but that wasn’t what I meant. How did you figure out how horrible this society was? Who were you before you became Kai Chisaki?”

 

It takes a while to come up with an answer for her. 

I know she can’t ever betray me, but even so…

“Who was I? Someone who saw this world for the way it really was, who sees all the petty bullshit that goes on in this society filled with small-minded people fearful of change and enamored with a status quo that threatens us all. 

Someone who was not only willing to accept the end is coming, but also that said ending is inevitable. There is no fixing this world; it has long since passed the point of no return, so I built all this up as a shelter for the incoming storm, and I will be the last one standing when this disaster dies down. 

To summarize, I guess you could say I was born here differently from everyone else. That’s all there really is to it.”

My answer doesn’t satisfy her, but she’s smart enough to know when to drop a subject.

‘This damn shounen world and the fools it revolves around…’

Frankly, Izuku’s backstory is almost as traumatizing as his canon archenemy who was literally manipulated into goddamn existence by his potato-headed master in a stupidly complicated and unnecessary plan because he’s a drama queen who wanted to screw with All Might.

The guy could have just taken Tenko’s older sister, but nope. The toddler was old enough to have actual opinions by then and only the most brainless of traumatized children would go along with All For One’s ridiculousness as his protege/future meat puppet.

Just… ugh. Figures those two giant messes would have even bigger messes as their successors.

 

A long, uncomfortable silence passes before the heroes realize how screwed they are and Kuin goes back to giving commentary.

“Wow, just one electric quirk is enough to completely take down coms and security across the entire USJ, and the quirk itself isn’t anything to ride home about either. The hell is this high school running on? Potato power?”

“Complacency, mostly.” I shrug back as Eraserhead enters the fray, kicking ass without taking names.

I’ve been trying to get this stupid hobo’s quirk for almost a year now because it can render even the two symbols powerless with a fucking glance, but this Underground Hero is damn good at what he does.

He doesn’t have any clear patterns when doing patrol; he updates his Hero Net account less then he sleeps, I still haven’t figured out where the hell he lives, and attacking UA means fucking over the plot and my main advantage despite succeeding in getting Erasure.

Kuin still hasn’t had any luck either. She needs to be extremely subtle with her attempts or her targets may suspect foul play, and while Erasure doesn’t do anything to her swarm, its user can still swat her bees away with ease before they can get even a drop of DNA from him.

But the USJ provides a very good opportunity to fix that problem. The Nomu Tomura brings along absolutely brutalizes Aizawa during this battle, so getting a bit of blood the hero loses shouldn’t be too difficult. 

Finally getting some DNA from Kurogiri is a good possibility too…

Back to the fight, Kurogiri still manages to split everyone up after warping away the second Aizawa blinked. Everyone in 1-A who got warped in canon ends up at the same spots too. How convenient. 

Unfortunately for the heroes, this is where the Butterfly Effect starts to kick in.

Or Domino Effect with me as the sole cause, I suppose.

 

So in the canon USJ attack, Tomura brought 72 villains alongside Kurogiri, the Nomu, and himself. These extra villains, according to Detective Tsukauchi, were all small-time thugs that usually lurked around back alleys.

Around half of these thugs are split up and warped around to the different zones while the other half remain at the Central Plaza with Tomura, Kurogiri, and Nomu where they would all dogpile All Might.

The basic idea was to have Kurogiri split up the hero students and drop them into the different zones where groups of villains are waiting to ambush them. That’s about the only part of Tomura’s attack where some actual strategy was used. 

For starters, Tomura never bothered trying to figure out the students’ quirks beforehand, and he obviously didn’t tell Kurogiri to even consider that either since the warper sent Tsuyu Asui, a girl with a frog mutation quirk, to the Flood Zone instead of, say, the Conflagration/Fire Zone. 

Excluding some villains with water quirks going to the Flood Zone, he didn’t bother sending his villainous fodder to terrains where they would have the advantage either, and all those that remained at Central Plaza weren’t really given any orders besides ‘murder any heroes and teenagers you see’. 

Said villainous fodder clearly didn’t bother using any sort of strategy either. To give an example, the moment Eraserhead jumped down to clash head-on at Central Plaza, you would expect the villains with long-ranged quirks to hang back and attack from a distance or at least use the melee fighters in front of them as cover, right?

Nope. The firing squad ran to the fucking front of the group and were the first ones to be taken down, accomplishing fuck all nothing during the five seconds they were conscious. 

As a result, while there were a few close calls, every student besides Izuku was completely fine with most having wiped the floor with their opponents in no time flat. Even then, all of Izuku’s injuries were self-inflicted.

That’s what happened in canon.

As for what’s happening here, Tomura clearly hasn’t changed one bit, but the small army of goons acting as support is a very different story.

 

Massive change number one, there are quite a few more villains present in general. Instead of 72 extras, there are almost 120 villains joining Tomura today.

Excluding the half a dozen or so spies I have among the rabble, most are Creature Rejection Clan and Wild Villains leftovers from the looks of it; the Villain War and Giran’s increased influence over the underworld when compared to canon must have led to the broker getting more recruits for Tomura’s opening salvo.

I seriously doubt those two organizations will reform and unite under Tomura. From the looks of it, the few dozen extra thugs present can barely stand each other, but it’s still an important change to take note of.

Massive change number two, a far greater percentage of the goons in question, at least when compared to canon, also have bits and pieces of support gear. Not only that, but most of this gear is Detnerat products from the Black Market. 

Looks like Re-Destro is acting out a bit more too. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of these guys are secretly MLA agents.

((“They are. You would know that if you bothered looking at the Cyberwarfare Branch’s daily updates of the MLA’s movements-”))

‘Last I checked, keeping track of stuff like that is your job, BossHaul. Just let me know if any more major changes occur, and even then, NightHaul would probably be the one alerting me instead thanks to Foresight. We all have our part to play; that's why I made multiple other me's to begin with.’

As nice as spamming that quirk to get the optimal ending here would be, that simply isn’t possible. 

Our Naruhata Gambit made quite a few weaknesses outside of interference from other time-altering quirks clear; controlling every last detail of the future through its usage is impossible because we simply can’t see every last detail.

Remember, the quirk shows its user the third-person, soundless perspective of the person they use it on. You can see them and their immediate surroundings, but that’s about it. 

So why not use it on multiple people for a clearer picture then? I have multiple copies of the quirk, right?

Well, remember how Foresight gets messed up when other time manipulation quirks are used? That includes copies of Foresight itself. 

 

Using one copy of Foresight on someone and then having another person use another copy of Foresight on someone else afterwards invalidates the future you saw during the first usage.

Don’t get me wrong, the quirk still is incredibly useful. NightHaul can use it on me to confirm that I’m not ambushed or something during the mission, and we even established our own Morse code to pass on messages of other events going on that Foresight can’t view from its perspective. 

Thanks to that, I already knew that there would be about 50 more villains present then normal.

Thanks to that, I already knew that a fraction of them would come with their own support gear.

Thanks to that, I was able to confirm that my main objective for today should be completed, but the exact details of that victory are something I’ll have to figure out myself in real time. 

And no, my victory doesn’t necessarily mean the heroes and hero students present get out of this mess mostly unscathed like they do in canon.

Tomura’s villain army is more numerous, more equipped, more intelligent.

Massive change number three.

Some who were taken to the various zones had requested Kurogiri to change their locations to more advantageous positions. 

A few people with ranged quirks got sent to higher ground or areas with more cover. One or two with destructive quirks and equipment covering a large area requested to be warped slightly farther away from their group mates to avoid friendly fire.

Others even requested the LOV’s taxi to move them to other zones entirely, and the sentient taxi obliged. These villains were far better at utilizing the power of teamwork than the hero students they were trying to murder.

Pretty minor changes in general, all things considered, but when added together, you get a far tougher challenge for Class 1-A. They won’t be getting out of the attack unscathed in this version of events.

 

Mashirao Ojiro is already getting his ass handed to him in the Fire Zone. He was sent there alone like in canon and 'Tail + Basic Karate' isn’t enough to kick his opponents’ asses without breaking a sweat. In Kuin’s words, ‘it was like watching a nature documentary where you can tell from the sad music that the runt of the litter probably wouldn’t survive.’

Fumikage Tokoyami was forced to let Dark Shadow go apeshit to save a beat-up Koji Koda, and at this rate, he may very well lose complete control over it like he did during the Training Camp attack.

Momo Yaoyorozu, Kyoka Jiro, and Denki Kaminari are even more outnumbered and outmatched over at the Mountain Zone, the latter being forced into using his ultimate shock attack much sooner.

Unfortunately for them, far more than one villain manages to stay in the battle after that. More unfortunately for them, Momo has even more confidence issues than in canon.

Shoto and Katsuki still seem to be kicking ass in their zones, but they clearly have to work much harder for it this time around.

Izuku appears to be planning the same strategy he had in canon, but quite a few aquatic-themed mutant leftovers from the Wild Villains are giving him a much stricter time to work with.

And when it comes to the group that wasn’t warped away, that series of events goes the exact same since Kurogiri hasn’t changed a bit. Tenya Iida still escapes and All Might should now be on his way.

As for whether or not casualties start to pile up on the heroes’ side before he arrives to save the day, I’ll just have to wait and see.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Mind Web (Artificial), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Confession, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Search, Willpower Enhancer x3.

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Scanning
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Eri - Rewind, Wave Motion, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Scanning, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Endurance, Energy Saver

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Eruption, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Voyance, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Bloodcurdle, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Scanning
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (215) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo ????? (5) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + ?????
• Pseudo ????? (5) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + ?????
• Pseudo ????? (5) - ?????

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 1750 Personnel 
• 90 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains
• 90 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 90 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 110 Battle Tanks
• 50 Attack Helicopters
• 35 Small Boats
• 3 Battleships

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 55
• Mad Science Branch - 40
• Creation Crew - 120
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 40
• Thugs and Goons - 4885

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 114

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 50: Bees and Butterflies

“You can erase people’s powers… that’s irritating, but it’s nothing impressive.” 

*bzzzzzzz*

“When faced with true, devastating power…”

*bzzzzzzzzzzzzz*

“You might as-”

*bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz*

“Are you KIDDING ME?!?  Why are there so many goddamn bees everywhere nowadays?!” Tomura Shigaraki shrieks in annoyance as Eraserhead shrieks in pain.

The latter leaves around plenty of blood as Nomu tears him apart, and it isn’t long before some samples are collected.

 

“Tomura Shigaraki… it appears that this haven of heroes also has an insect problem.” The LOV’s sentient taxi comments as he warps on over.

“No shit, Sherlock. At least tell me you killed Thirteen and whatever hero brats were with her.”

His less than ideal response detailing Tenya Iida’s escape gets some neck-scratching and a whole lot of threats thrown his way.

“There’s no way we can win if dozens of pros show up to stop us. It’s Game Over. Back to the title screen.”

“Perhaps not, Tomura Shigaraki. Last I checked, most of our comrades were faring rather well against the other hero students.” Kurogiri comments as the trio of Izuku, Tsuyu, and Mineta make their way to the edge of the Flood Zone.

Izuku used the same strategy he did in canon, only slightly earlier due to the villains forcing his hand.

Eraserhead was taken down slightly faster due to the villains present with Tomura being more equipped, intelligent, and numerous.

The slight distraction Kuin unintentionally provided caused enough extra time to pass for Kurogiri to arrive at Tomura’s side and further distract Tomura with his report before Aizawa died.

All those oh so slight changes ended up leading to a similar end result in that particular case, but the same can’t be said for every other battle in the USJ.

“Is that so?” Tomura smirks as his scratching stops. “Well then, before we head on home, might as well contribute to shattering the symbol’s pride.”

Seconds later, his hand lands on Tsuyu’s face, but Aizawa activates Erasure right on time.

Izuku then throws a punch, and Nomu tanks it.

And just as all hope seems lost…

“Never fear. I AM HERE!”

 

Countdown to Canon: USJ Today!

DNA of Eraserhead? Check.

DNA of Thirteen? Check.

DNA of All Might… while his body is far stronger than the average person (due to previously adapting to OFA’s power), he still has some OFA embers left and I refuse to take any chances regarding that stupid, plot-armored quirk.

Besides, I’ll be getting a decent enough replacement sample of quirkless body evolution soon enough.

DNA of Kurogiri? Not check.

Tomura unfortunately dusted Kuin’s nearby bees out of spite, preventing me from finally getting some goddamn warpers. 

‘You picked the wrong route, Player 1. Forget a completionist playthrough, even your chances of beating an Any% run just went down the fucking drain.’ I internally growl, much to my clones and vestiges’ amusement.

All Might showing up is just the icing on Tomura’s crappy cake.

The psychotic gamer still failed to kill Tsuyu and Izuku still failed to break his arm (again) beforehand, but that’s fine by him.

Now he’s free to give his final boss a tutorial on how to beat his own trump card in peace. 

 

Anyway, the fight between All Might and Nomu then happens like normal, and frankly, it was a lot more underwhelming then I thought it would be.

Maybe it’s because I already saw this happen in the show. 

Maybe it’s because of me being so much more powerful than him now. 

Maybe it’s because him completely wrecking the Wild Villains and Creature Rejection Clan’s shit a few months back was a lot more impressive to me. 

Maybe it’s because there wasn’t any dramatic background music. 

Point is, I wasn’t impressed. 

“Yeah! Pow, pow! Beat the beak off that guy, All Might! Woo!”

‘At least Kuin is having fun.’ I mentally mumble, still using her bees to peer in myself.

 

I can make out the individual scratches from a pillar several hundred meters away if I focus on it; Kuin’s bees don’t have nearly as much perception, but they can still pick up on plenty due to sheer numbers alone.

Everything I need to see can be seen, and there’s more going on now than just the Symbol of Peace punching the Anti-Symbol of Peace.

Shit’s still hitting the fan for the heroes. AFO and I aren’t the only ones who’ve been plotting. 

Re-Destro is likely listening in too through the Detnerat gear scattered around. The Creature Rejection Clan and Wild Villains may have new representatives too, using this attack to send in spies like I have. 

Those guys can try all they like, but they won’t take what I plan to obtain. 

What this world just doesn’t seem to get is that I will be getting what I want. I refuse to settle for anything less. Once I set my sights on something, I’ll do everything I possibly can to get it.

If something goes wrong, then I’ll just adapt and succeed in a different way. If something goes wrong, then I already have a plan to get myself out of that jam.

After all, I already have quite a long list of suspects to frame, and a certain potato is at the top of that list.

Poor All For One, his desire to be the big bad mastermind behind absolutely everything even slightly wrong in this world will turn out to be just too much for him to bear. 

I bet he’d be really confused about some entries in the very, very long list of things he’s accused of if that ends up happening. And what would he do about it? I’d love to see him plead his case about being framed in the future.

And while we’re on the subject of screwed-over symbols, I wonder…

 

“All the drugs and weapons I distributed… the Villain War I caused… even the extra, geared-up villains he had to beat up here and now… I wonder how those things affected what little power he has left?”

All Might tries to german suplex the Nomu, but just like in canon, the symbol struggles to get out.

He can’t get out… and he’s starting to steam.

That certainly isn’t what happened in canon.

((‘Unless you plan on storming both Kamino and Jaku while the demon lord throws a victory party, All Might can’t die here.’)) VestigeHaul says matter-of-factly.

‘Yeah. Unless I missed another big change, the UA students should save hi- yup, there they are. Katsuki and Shoto have quite a few new bruises on them, yet they still seem to be in decent enough shape. Kirishima isn’t here period; must be too injured or exhausted to help out. That’s also different.

And the upcoming final clash… if All Might doesn’t deflate for good, then he’ll at least go way farther past his limit, shortening his OFA time even further then he did in canon.’

That would complicate things; I don’t need IQ to figure out that much. Having All Might and AFO take each other out like in canon is the best option for me, as I can continue keeping the Shie Hassaikai a secret while becoming the dominant power in Japan once both are gone.

 

One symbol still being around and ready to fight without the other one to keep him in check will make things a lot harder for me in the future, and while brute-forcing the remaining one would work, that would take way too many resources as well as my secrecy and I’m not ready to enact my endgame plan just yet.

And that’s not even mentioning how this country is done for without All Might. Just look at how quickly everything fell apart in canon! Japan becomes a villains’ free for all; it’s like The Purge with better costume designs.

“Oh, boy. Tanking a hit for the pomeranian like that can’t be good for his time limit.” Kuin starts to worry as her bees catch All Might taking a blow for Katsuki like in canon. The Nomu fully healed after losing a couple limbs to Shoto’s ice too.

More smoke starts to come off the symbol as he has a bloody coughing fit. He won’t win at this rate.

Damn, why does the butterfly effect always have to screw me over like this? Wasn’t everything supposed to go well during this event? Does one of the new USJ goons actually have a time-manipulating quirk fucking with Foresight or something?

Who knew stirring up some extra conflict and selling a few extra drugs could… wait a second.

“Kuin, I’ve got an idea.”

“Just say the word, boss!” 

“Alright. We’re gonna drug the Symbol of Peace.”

“Got it! We’re gonna dru… eh?”

 

Luckily for us, Tomura goes on the same rant he did in canon about government violence and all that, giving Kuin and I enough time to enact our makeshift contingency plan.

An unassuming little bee buzzes behind All Might as Tomura finishes up his speech… and then it injects the symbol with some of my custom Trigger.

It isn’t OverTrigger; that version of the drug can only be used safely by myself, my clones, and a select few subordinates like Kuin thanks to their special body modifications, but my other kinds of Trigger are still a whole lot better then the shit Garaki and canon Kai made. 

*SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH*

“RRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

The two titans sprint towards each other and clash, All Might’s arm staying firm as the Nomu’s arm nearly explodes.

“WEREN’T YOU LISTENING?! One of his powers is Shock Absorption!” Tomura mocks while the shockwave sends him flying through the air.

“YEAH? What about it?” The symbol responds before engaging in a rapid fire assault with the Nomu… but the latter is being quickly overpowered. Far faster than in canon.

 

Nomu is tossed around like a ragdoll with All Might pummeling him from all directions. Shock Absorption quickly reaches its limit when pitted up against the triggered symbol, both figuratively and literally.

“Now for a lesson. You may have heard these words before… but I’ll teach you what they really mean!”

“Oh, boy. Get ready everyone; here it comes!” I warn my clones and Kuin.

“GO BEYOND… PLUS… ULTRAAAAAAAAA!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

“BossHaul, it’s headed in your direction!”

((“On it! Let’s go!”)) One of my clones gives an affirmative as we move out.

 

Seeing what differences this event would have compared to canon was important. Getting some DNA from a few OP quirk-wielders who’ve slipped my grasp was important too.

But this was the main goal of the day, once again retrieving a powerful asset that the demon lord so carelessly abandoned.

The Instant Villains, Next-Level Villains, projects like the Queen Bee, Gigantomachia, and now the first Nomu he sent out. All thrown away like trash.

And as the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

Now I’ve already made my personal stance on these creatures clear. Nomus are weapons the same way nukes are weapons, minimal amounts of finesse and precision targeting in exchange for large-scale destruction. They’re useful in some scenarios, and extreme overkill with far too much collateral in all others.

I’m far more interested in the heaps of data and superpowers these undead weapons of mass destruction carry.

Shock Absorption and Super Regeneration are two incredibly useful quirks. Then there’s the modified body itself, something LabHaul can’t wait to dissect and reverse engineer.

This will let us learn a lot more about Garaki’s up to date accomplishments in regards to body modification, and just like before, combining his discoveries with our own will let me grow into something truly terrifying.

But for now, we need to actually get the body back to base.

 

As for how we’re gonna do that without getting the attention of heroes or AFO, the solution is simple.

Step 1 - Actually find the thing’s crash site before the police do.

Step 2 - Quickly get the information required to create a Double clone of it.

Step 3 - Create a Double clone of it to replace the original.

Step 4 - Get the hell out of there with the original before any police or heroes arrive.

The USJ Nomu is basically a lifeless puppet without Tomura around to give it orders, so it didn’t resist one bit when BossHaul did his thing. As for the clone, with how durable this Nomu is, we shouldn’t have to worry about the heroes finding out it’s a fake.

They took a blood sample of the guy in canon, but a small incision like that pales in comparison to the damage of a broken bone and Double clones duplicate everything down to the DNA perfectly, so they won’t find out about the switcheroo by doing that. 

It’ll then be locked up and never see the light of day again, keeping my involvement in this incident a secret. Everything wraps up and all is well… for me, anyway.

Don’t get me wrong, the other UA teachers all arrived shortly after that and took down all the villains with an injured Tomura and Kurogiri being the only ones to warp away. Re-Destro also had the Detnerat gear present automatically detonated to cover his tracks like he does later on in canon.

And while the students were all alive, over half of them had injuries ranging from moderate to severe. In fact, Tsuyu and Mineta were the only ones who got through physically unscathed. 

Whether the same can be said mentally is something I won’t know until some time has passed.

No injuries appear to be permanent thanks to Recovery Girl, and Izuku was the most damaged student with the exact same injuries as in canon (three shattered limbs), but some of his classmates like Ojiro, Jiro, and Denki came rather close to matching him.

Learning that none of them died wasn’t too surprising. Everything outside of a goddamn decapitation can be easily and conveniently healed from in days at most when it comes to Class 1-A. 

That’s not to say I wasn’t surprised at all. I can assure you I was very surprised when Kuin flew over to me a day later, sheer panic being all over her face.

“What is it?” I immediately ask, knowing it's serious if Kuin has this kind of expression.

“I uhh… I fucked up.”

Oh boy. 

 

“That detective guy you told me about was having a meeting about the attack with some UA staff and I figured it was important to I hid a bee in there butthatstupidratnoticedandidontknowhow-” She hyperventilates while pulling a Midoriya and muttering up a storm, but I remain calm.

I’m not canon Kai Chisaki. I won’t fly into a rage and murder people for mistakes, even big ones, without getting all the context for said mistakes first. If the deciding factor for failure was something the subordinate in question had no control over, then blaming them for such would be foolish.

“I SHOULD’VE JUST KILLED THAT LIE DETECTOR FUCKWIT BACK WHEN I WAS UNDER THAT POTATO AND SIX! NOW THAT STUPID RAT-”

“Calm down, Kuin. Now tell me what happened. Slowly, steadily, and without skipping over any details.” I calmly order.

So that staff meeting where Detective Tsukauchi gives his report about the LOV was going on and Kuin decided to investigate. A logical decision, as while we did hack into UA’s security systems, we have to be very careful about futzing around with it or else Nezu will notice.

Same goes for Kuin’s spy swarm for the same reason. Unfortunately, her getting a little bold lately with the amount of insect spies she put in UA got Nezu’s attention.

Aizawa saw the Queen Bee’s swarm in action back during MHA Vigilantes. AFO also obviously knows about that particular quirked animal, so I made sure Kuin knew to be careful at both UA and LOV locations.

But it seems that my desire to spy on canon events and know if anything changed caused Kuin to be a bit more daring, and now Nezu connected at least some of the dots.

But his reaction wasn’t what I expected. 

 

Nezu directly confronted one of her bees after the meeting with Tsukauchi concluded, staring it right in the eyes while saying “If you don’t mind, I’d like to have a conversation with your queen.” with a smile on his face.

‘Interesting… I wonder if he caught on about us boosting All Might with Trigger yesterday?’

That boost he got was more than just him going Plus Ultra, and while I doubt that he used Trigger before, he should still be smart and experienced enough to know where his current strength lies.

I wonder if Nezu learned about Tomura’s comment regarding the bees from Aizawa. With how intelligent he is, he probably deduced that Kuin is from a third party, one not aligned with the heroes or LOV.

And now he wishes to meet with this third party… very interesting.

Either Not-Freeman decided to make the chimera more like his rat god fanon self or I underestimated the intelligence and boldness of canon Nezu, but either way, this presents an opportunity to me.

I won’t fuck this up like I did with Knuckleduster and Naruhata in general. If I can screw over All For One while further misleading the heroes… if I can overhaul what may very well be the world’s attempt at stopping me…

It’s a dangerous game to play, sure, but I think I can make it work. 

Game on, Nezu.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Mind Web (Artificial), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Confession, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Search, Willpower Enhancer x3.

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Scanning
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Eri - Rewind, Wave Motion, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Scanning, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Endurance, Energy Saver

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Eruption, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Voyance, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Bloodcurdle, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Scanning
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (215) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo ????? (5) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + ?????
• Pseudo ????? (5) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + ?????
• Pseudo ????? (5) - ?????

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 1750 Personnel 
• 90 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains
• 90 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 90 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 110 Battle Tanks
• 50 Attack Helicopters
• 35 Small Boats
• 3 Battleships

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 55
• Mad Science Branch - 40
• Creation Crew - 120
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 40
• Thugs and Goons - 4885

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 114

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 51: Chat with the Rat

“Dun dun dun dun! Dun dun dun! Dun dun dundundun dun!”

LabHaul is so unbelievably happy right now! 

“Dun dun dun dun! Dun dun dun! Dun dun dundundun dun!”

He got Garaki’s toughest Nomu outside of the High-Ends (and even then, this big lug could crush some of those guys like coke cans), he has just the quirk to bypass that annoying Shock Absorption (thanks, Zi), and he even has his own kickass playlist of old-reality (or pre-quirk) songs to jam out to during this mad science montage!

Now he can finally parody the Jim Carrey Eggman dance scene in the first Sonic movie! His fake life is complete!

“I like the way you smile at me! I feel the heat that enveloped me!”  

Where Evil Grows blasts through his lab’s loudspeakers as he spins around in his swivel chair, twisting his undead test subject into all manner of bizarre shapes every time he touched it. 

Garaki’s up to date discoveries are jam packed in this big black shell, and he can do far more than simply crack it open with his awakened matter manipulation quirk.

 

“And what I saw I like to see! Dundundundun, I ne- bzzzzzzzzzzzzt.”

“Hey!”

“Would you please focus on the beaked Frankenstein in front of you?” BossHaul deadpans as he cuts off the music. 

“Bitch, you’re just jealous.”

“Am not!”

“Am too!”

“Where’s your dignity as the leader of Japan’s most powerful villainous organization?”

“Last I checked, that’s your job! It’s literally in your name, BossHaul!”

The two clones then continue to glare at each other for a while, no lab assistant or Shie Hassaikai employee being around to watch the childish display.

“...Wanna join me?” The scientist Sekan eventually questions.

“We take this to our graves.” His fellow clone nods.

“Evil grows, in the daaaark! Where the sun, it never shiiiines! Evil grooows, in cracks and hooooles, and lives in… people’s miiiinds! Evil grew, it’s a part of you! And now it… seems to beeee! That everytime I look at you, evil groooows… in meeee!!!”

 

Countdown to Canon: 1 Month 2 Weeks Until Hosu

“Apologies if this assumption sounds rude, but I was expecting to find a female at the end of this little journey.” Principal Nezu voices his thoughts as several bees swarm around me.

Our current location: the Sports Festival Stadium.

So why the ballsy move all of a sudden? What happened to keeping as much secrecy as possible?

My entire plan revolves around staying as hidden as possible. The more my organization is exposed and the more groundbreaking secrets of mine are revealed, the more opposition I will openly receive from heroes and villains alike.

And the more opposition I have to waste time dealing with, the less time I have to prepare for the Quirk Singularity Doomsday. An all out assault can defeat All Might and All For One, sure, but they aren’t the final hurdle.

 

I’m preparing to withstand a world that produces All Mights and All For Ones on a regular basis. Wasting so much time both directly dealing with the symbols and the aftermath of such (because many others will obviously either want revenge or simply attack me out of fear) would make my forces weaker in the long run, and I can’t have that.

I need the Shie Hassaikai to be as powerful as possible, so if that directly relates to keeping it as secret as possible, why am I doing this?

Well, to say that Kuin had made what the Shie Hassaikai tends to call an ‘oopsie’ is an understatement.

She didn’t really give me much of a choice here and sending her would be a disaster because Nezu would read her like a book, so I opted for a different approach, one that promises immense benefits and personal satisfaction if done right.

Nezu no doubt knows about my actions saving All Might’s life. He also likely knows about us spying on both UA and the LOV… but that’s it.

In short, he doesn’t know if the current Queen Bee, and myself by extension, is an ally or enemy. We also likely have vital information that he doesn’t, information regarding the hostile group of villainous invaders.

I plan to take advantage of that and get my enemies to further wear each other down for me. This is one of the rare instances where showing bits of my hand benefits me more than not.

Take Naruhata for example. The losses I took were large, the risk even more so, but I was able to obtain critical research and specimens for my future plans.

It’s all about balance and paving the optimal path, and right now, making the heroes further dance to my tune would be pretty damn helpful for my future plans.

But outsmarting the rat isn’t going to be easy. He’s almost like a reverse Aizawa, cute and cuddly on the outside, rotten and sadistic on the inside.

 

Animals developing quirks are quite rare, and intelligence quirks are similarly hard to find, so you could say Nezu won the genetic lottery in that regard. Or perhaps, said lottery was rigged in his favor, but I can’t know for sure without finding out just what experiments were done on him way back when.

Maybe he’s like the animal version of a Nomu? That sure would explain a lot.

I already activated IQ and chugged some of the best tea the Hassaikai has (I can’t be wasting lipids in case things get ugly; I’ll pay Gentle back for the tea later) before rushing back over to UA. The intelligence boost should hopefully compare to his own, and my canon knowledge gives me the upper hand.

I also had NightHaul use Foresight on me for extra protection and insurance.

I even have quite a few other people on standby in case things take an unexpected turn despite the use of Foresight. Worst case scenario, I end the rat right here, make a Double of the USJ Nomu, and frame the LOV for it. 

Mind Web won’t help me here if my ‘encounter’ with Saiko Intelli is anything to go by. The Artificial Quirk upgrade helped patch weaknesses like the number I can affect, the range I have, and the inability to be telekinesis alongside telepathy, but not this. Even with IQ’s help, I wouldn’t bet on breaking through.

While I could try using OverTrigger to fix that problem, Nezu has a much better intelligence-boosting quirk than Intelli (he’s smarter than her despite having much less base intelligence to start with), so I don’t want to risk him catching on through that.

Simply using Overhaul as a mind scalpel to make Nezu my brainwashed slave has similar issues. An insane intelligence quirk combined with his chimeric body would make any body and mind alterations difficult since I don’t know how his body and mind work.

Even if I did, I doubt I’d be able to make any alterations or forced orders stick through Overhaul, Mind Web, or both. It simply isn’t worth the risk; I’d rather go with options that I know would work.

At least I have two other trump cards to help outplay the rat, right? Such should let my original plan for him work well enough.

 

Now I’ve used IQ in strategic situations many times before, such as putting together my plan for Naruhata, and it’s a really good thing that I have that prior experience because adjusting to said effects while battling Nezu in a game of wits wouldn’t end very well.

That isn’t the case, however. I already have superhuman levels of intelligence thanks to my numerous body modifications. Stack IQ on top of that and Nezu just met his match.

But I don’t plan on settling for these advantages and contingencies so easily; that’s what cost me a victory at Naruhata. 

At the very least, that battle helped me get Kuin, and this recent mistake of hers can become a major benefit of mine if I play my cards right.

“The Queen Bee is under my employment, Nezu. I figured this introductory meeting would best be done between leaders rather than proxies. After all, there isn’t much time to beat around the bush here.” I nonchalantly respond.

My body currently looks the same as it did when I hung around right outside campus during the Entrance Exam. It’s close to AFO in height, but skinnier and with black hair as well as a heavily altered face.

I went to UA with a heavily-altered body just in case Nezu somehow caught onto me, and it seems like that precaution was warranted after all. I wasn’t expecting to use it this way, but whatever works.

Oh, and my voice is altered too. I’m not wearing my villain costume either.

Can’t have him catching on to the Shie Hassaikai, now can I?

“Is that so?” Nezu asks, genuinely curious. “I take it that something big is coming? I suspected that what the League of Villains did was a declaration of war, but I wasn’t expecting such a daring end result, one that would’ve been successful without your interference.”

Thanks for confirming that, Nezu.

 

The rat is daring too, coming alone like this.

He isn’t afraid of or above putting himself in the front lines, or in danger in general when his student’s safety is involved. 

There are still combat robots stored in the Sports Festival arena, several Executors or Zero Pointers included, for the ‘Robo Inferno’ they have planned for said festival’s first event (not that those will do jack shit to me), but this is still quite the ballsy move on his part.

It seems we’re both willing to take a gamble here, him due to a lack of information and me due to having more than enough information.

“Heh, you don’t know the half of it. Walk and talk?” I ask after a quick chuckle, and Nezu obliges. 

“That’s fine by me.” The chimera happily replies as we start a night tour of the Sports Festival arena.

“So what exactly should I call you?” Nezu inquires. “I don’t recall any Pro Heroes having an appearance like yours, unless you and the Queen Bee directly work for the Hero Public Safety Commission.”

“Oh, no. The HPSC is more in the dark about what’s going on than you are. As for a name… you can call me Long Haul.”

I obviously couldn’t go with Overhaul since that’s the name of Kai’s registered quirk and Nezu would make that connection by the end of the week. 

I couldn't go with Sekan Doraifu either since that’s my current villain name and also the name I gave to Mirio at the last Sports Festival. 

So instead, I went with an expression that fits me in this second life of mine pretty well.

 

“Interesting alias… care to explain your reasoning?”

“I’m sure you can figure it out yourself, unlike what the deal behind the League of Villains is, am I right?”

“The investigation could certainly be going better.” Nezu admits. “But I doubt the information you have will come for free.” 

“Glad to see we’re both on the same page. You don’t have to worry; I’m not asking for much. I merely want my friends and I to survive what’s to come, and you can, potentially, help out with that.”

“You make it sound like the end of the world is coming.” Nezu points out as we circle around the arena.

“I wouldn’t go that far, unless the singularity doomsday theory is to be believed, but in Japan? We both know what will happen when All Might’s lingering dregs finally wear out. We both know that Endeavor and Hawks aren’t exactly ‘unstoppable symbol’ material.”

“...If I may be so inclined to ask, exactly how much do you know about our Symbol of Peace?” The chimera quits beating around the bush.

“More than you think. But even if he didn’t get a chunk of his chest torn out half a decade ago, I doubt he would be able to stop what’s coming.”

I have Nezu’s full attention now, and give a long sigh before holding up three fingers. 

“Three, Nezu. Three villainous organizations that have been around since the Dawn of Quirks. Three villainous organizations that are spread all throughout Japan, if not the world, with the country’s heroes and other law enforcement utterly clueless about their existence. 

Three villainous organizations that could individually take over all of Japan if they decided to launch a civil war or coup d'etat on hero society right this second, All Might be damned. The only reason they haven’t yet is because their victory can be all the more smoother with some extra, Plus Ultra preparations.”

That claim gets the rat to pale.

 

All that has happened over the last year, from the Villain War to the Second Underground Masquerade to the Naruhata War to the Trigger and modified weapons epidemics, has merely been an appetizer.

The Creature Rejection Clan, Wild Villains, and Nine’s massive crew at Naruhata? Those villain armies were small fry compared to the true dangers lurking, and the heroes don’t have a clue about how painfully outmatched they currently are.

In fact, just for the fun of it, let's go ahead and compare just how the heroes currently stack up against the villains.

Now since the canon villain ranking system from the HPSC is complete and utter nonsense (Re-Destro is ranked at the same level as the three individual Middle-Tier Nomu from Hosu to give an example of its stupidity), I’m going to take some creative liberties and make my own classifications based off my own opinions and some inspiration from the MHA fandom.

So the highest villain ranking shown in canon is SS-Rank which is exclusive to All For One because he’s All For One. Behind that is S-Rank which goes to villains who can, according to their system, engage a top hero in combat.

Rolling with that metric, let's say that S-Rank Villains on my list can tussle with most top 10 heroes in a 1v1. 

Now going from that to All For One is a little extreme since most villains are a world apart from the demon lord, so for this hypothetical example, an SS-Rank Villain will instead be someone who is considered a regional threat rather than a global threat.

In other words, they can engage with the heroes present in an entire city or even prefecture (so picture a top ten hero or two and several dozen to several hundred weaker heroes) through either their own power, the organization they’re leading, or a combination of both.

Curator is an example of an SS-Rank, and Bearhead would be an S-Rank. The CRC leaders would all be grouped together as an SS-Rank since while their quirks are rather weak, the organization they lead more than makes up for it. 

The current Giran would be an SS-Rank too because of his criminal organization. Canon Kai Chisaki would also be here.

Geten would be here because of his sheer power alone. So would Nine (with his three teammates all being at the top of S-Rank, if not low SS-Rank themselves), his current, multi-quirked self being at the peak of that rank. 

Most top heroes would be butchered by them in a 1v1; you would need people like Endeavor or Captain Celebrity who are really up there at the top to stand a chance at stopping those particular villains.

 

After that comes what I consider to be SSS-Rank villains or national-level threats, once again either through their own power or the organization they lead. In other words, these villains can engage with an entire country’s law enforcement, so every hero, police officer, and so on, and at least stand somewhat of a chance at winning.

Re-Destro is here, both due to his own power and massive organization. The current, weakened All For One is here for similar reasons, but it’s more his raw power then his organization or what little is left of it. Their hero equivalents would be the current All Might and the HPSC (although the latter is basically a villain organization in disguise).

Gigantomachia is here due to his sheer power alone. Same goes for me, and my organization’s power on top of that puts me at the higher end of this rank. 

And finally, there is what I’m calling SSSS-Rank villains or global threats. Same classification rules as the prior rankings apply here.

Flect Turn is here. All For One at his peak is here. Canon AFO Tomura is here mostly due to his raw power. I’ll be here by the time my perfect body is complete, but I can get there now if I decided ‘screw it’ and unleashed Sad Man’s Parade.

As for the heroes, Star and Stripe is here. All Might at his peak is here. The World Heroes Association is here.

So going back to the main point of this tangent, here’s how the heroes and villains of Japan look right now.

Heroes have a weakened All Might and the HPSC itself for SSS-Ranks, although the latter is probably more of a hindrance than a help for the heroes. Endeavor and maybe Hawks would be SS-Rank. Everyone else in the top 10 is an S-Rank.

Nezu himself would at best be a SS-Rank due to his control over UA High and his super intelligence potentially making him a pretty solid commander (he only really helped contribute to the idiotic hero plans of canon Kamino and the Final War, hence his at best SS-Rank), but his fanon counterpart would easily be SSS-Rank.

Unfortunately for the heroes, this isn’t a fanon world.

 

For villains, we’ve got Re-Destro, myself, All For One, and Gigantomachia as SSS-Ranks. Kuin will be here too once she has developed her swarm enough.

Dealing with the CRC and WV took two SS-Rank villain organizations off the board, AFO’s Villain Factory from MHA Vigilantes might as well be another SS-Rank organization dealt with, and the USJ Nomu can be considered an SS-Rank in sheer power alone. The ‘new’ Vigilante Alliance at Naruhata, while weaker than the prior examples without any hero aid, is another notable piece off the board.

However, Re-Destro has Geten, AFO and I have Giran’s organization, and I’ve got at least several dozen SS-Ranks worth of sheer power under me (my top brass and Special Praetorians), Double clones excluded. 

As for S-Ranks, AFO has his Nomu army, I have my Praetorian army and other elites, and Re-Destro probably has quite a few S-Ranks in his own army.

And when looking at your basic foot soldiers, while Japan has an oversaturation of heroes, so many heroes that they damn near fight each other over the chance to arrest every petty street crook, their total number pales to that of the Meta Liberation Army, let alone the total number of villains in all of Japan’s major evil organizations.

That’s before I even arrived here, and in the year or so since then, numerous heroes have been killed, corrupted, or simply quit through my direct and indirect actions alike while the villains in general have grown stronger and more numerous than ever.

So yeah, this isn’t looking very good for the heroes of Japan, especially as they are unaware of their true opposition’s existence. These guys have been checkmated before they even realized the game started.

They would need aid from both Star and Stripe and the WHA as a whole to turn this shitshow around, but Humarise and AFO’s international supporters, among other international villains and villain organizations, can keep them in check.

Of course, it’s not like I can just call up All For One, Re-Destro, and Flect Turn on Facetime and organize a combined assault on the world’s heroes with them. The major villainous players may never truly unite (and most don’t even know about the others existing), but we do have a clear common enemy in the heroes right now.

When they do start fighting in earnest, it’ll be on a battlefield already littered with the corpses of this country’s heroes.

Going back to my current task at hand, the two of us then stand there in silence for what feels like hours with nothing but the slight buzzing of several nearby bees being heard in the arena.

 

“...He’s alive, isn’t he?” Nezu finally bites the bullet and confirms.

“What gave that away? The fact that his apprentice bragged about Nomu having multiple quirks? Or the fact that a manchild like him somehow gathered up over a hundred villains, some being former members of the Creature Rejection Clan and Wild Villains, to launch an attack at UA with them following his every command?” I snark back.

But I then sigh again as I confirm his worst fears.

“All For One is alive. Injured, but alive. He was the one responsible for the Creature Rejection Clan and Wild Villains tearing each other apart along with part of the country as collateral, his apprentice inheriting what was left of both. He was the one behind the events at Naruhata over the last few years. All of them.

The Villain Factory in that prefecture along with creatures such as the Bombers, Anonymous, and even the Plasma Villain were all precursors to the bioengineered monstrosity that fought All Might at the USJ. 

The gathering of villains and other problems at Naruhata was his doing, and he mowed them all down by himself. I saw the guy blast Captain Celebrity himself to bits after impaling Nine right through his skull.”

When in doubt, blame All For One. 

Like I said before, the potato-headed bastard being responsible for 99% of My Hero Academia’s plot points makes pointing the finger at him for stuff like this much more viable, especially when the one you’re trying to convince knows the guy so well.

“...He wanted to get rid of his student’s competition? Could he not just subjugate the villains entirely himself instead of killing most and taking what little is left? Is he really that injured?”

“Answering in order, probably, no clue, and it certainly looked that way. I couldn’t confirm much. I barely escaped Naruhata alive that night with Kuin, and now with the HPSC hating vigilantes as much as, if not more so than villains…” 

I slightly growl that last part, letting Nezu come to his own conclusions.

 

“I just don’t want to lose anyone else. The Symbol of Peace dying at USJ would be the end for Japan, and I’m not ready for that yet. None of us are.”

“I take it you are looking for some sort of insurance or backing before this doomsday comes?” Nezu questions, slowly taking the bait.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. Considering how easily the demon lord’s student broke in and how easily I could have Kuin investigate the place-”

“I plan on doing a complete overhaul of our security systems. I won’t allow my school to be caught off guard by villains again, even with All Might being the target that he is.”

Oh, that declaration isn’t going to age well. 

“I’ll be blunt, Nezu. I’m weighing my options right now. You have a lot of money and resources to work with as well as the Symbol of Peace… or what’s left of him. I may consider helping you out, but I don’t want to risk the lives of my friends and myself any more than I already have.

All For One may already be suspecting something due to Kuin’s bees; he helped create the original Queen Bee, after all. But I’m willing to give you guys one chance. 

If any of the big three villain organizations make a move again, I’ll give you a heads up when I can. If you do a good enough job responding to it, I’ll consider taking more risks to supply you with more info, but I will expect good results. 

Also, do not tell the HPSC about this or you’re never hearing another word from me. Those guys are as bad as the demon lord in my eyes.”

“...Very well, Long Haul. Me and the heroes I trust will work to earn your own trust; I hope you will give us the same courtesy.”

 

Now for those of you that are totally lost right now, let me explain what just transpired. 

In simple terms, I just convinced Nezu that the new Queen Bee and I are part of a new vigilante team who have been caught in the middle of several big bads, fear the worst to come, and are looking for potential allies to combat this unprecedented threat.

When we first met up, I displayed nothing but confidence towards him, but as our conversation continued, I began to let desperation intentionally slip through the cracks, losing my composure at how grand these supposed threats are.

Kuin’s slip-up and my own invasion into UA can thus be blamed on panic and fear with us not having many options left due to the HPSC cracking down on any and all vigilantes. 

And as for why I revealed there are three major villain organizations that nobody knows about, well…

“I can infer that All For One’s empire is one of the three, but what about the other two?” Nezu had inquired later on into our conversation.

“...The Meta Liberation Army isn’t as ‘long gone’ as you think it is.”

AFO’s Empire, the MLA, and Humarise (the latter is simply the end result of Anti-Meta groups across the world starting from the Dawn of Quirks, so it technically fits). By the time I’m ready to go, Nezu should know all about the first one and maybe unravel part of the second and third ones.

I’ll at least have secretly taken over the Humarise branch in Japan by then, and if Nezu catches on faster than I thought, then Humarise should distract him for the remaining time I need. 

At the very least, I’ll make sure that Nezu and UA by extension stick to how they handled things in canon. Perhaps I can even slightly alter events to make the heroes and villains hammer away at each other more than usual, making it easier when I decide to swoop in after Kamino.

Not a bad plan, right? The USJ attack and the research Nezu does should make this conspiracy a lot more believable, making him more susceptible to my suggestions.

…Great, an Endurance-enhanced IQ seems to be influencing my vocabulary too. Good to know.

Oh, and there’s still another layer to this latest plan of mine, one I haven’t mentioned yet and perhaps won’t need, but considering this is Nezu I’m up against…

Yeah, better not to chance it. Let’s see if he springs my little trap.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Mind Web (Artificial), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Confession, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Search, Willpower Enhancer x3.

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Scanning
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Eri - Rewind, Wave Motion, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Scanning, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Endurance, Energy Saver

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Eruption, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Voyance, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Bloodcurdle, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Scanning
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (215) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo ????? (5) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + ?????
• Pseudo ????? (5) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + ?????
• Pseudo ????? (5) - ?????

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 1750 Personnel 
• 90 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains
• 90 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 90 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 110 Battle Tanks
• 50 Attack Helicopters
• 35 Small Boats
• 3 Battleships

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 55
• Mad Science Branch - 40
• Creation Crew - 120
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 40
• Thugs and Goons - 4940

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 114

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 52: Layers Upon Layers

Despite the chaos of yesterday’s attack, the chaos Japan has been plagued with in general during the last year or so, and the fact that Japan’s remaining lifespan could be counted in years, if not months, Nezu felt… actually pretty great about it.

He absolutely loved challenges, and the curveball that Long Haul threw him was most certainly a challenge, perhaps the most incredible one in Nezu’s long, long life.

Years of slowly whittling down All For One’s empire alongside All Might, Sir Nighteye, Gran Torino, and a few others was an interesting challenge for his intellect. Same with the recent war between the Creature Rejection Clan and Wild Villains, although his role in the latter was minimal.

Out of everyone in the old Anti-AFO crew, Sir Nighteye was the one mainly getting involved there with his star pupil and current leader of UA’s Big 3. 

All Might had struck a critical blow several months into that conflict, taking out most of both sides’ leadership and many more of their members in a single battle, but it was Nighteye’s investigative efforts that really bore fruit, both before and after All Might’s decapitating blow.

The war didn’t end there and then. There was still some leadership, funds, bases, means of contact, and so on among the survivors, and it took months to mop up what remained of those two organizations, even with Sir Nighteye playing the part that he did.

It did eventually conclude, and while the underlying hatred of certain demographics was still present, the manifestation of it is gone from Japan, at least for the time being. 

Nezu thought peace would return after that, but then the Naruhata Disaster happened and now his own school was attacked by none other than All For One’s new apprentice. 

Most of Class 1-A and the teachers supervising them sustained severe injuries; it’s nothing short of a miracle that nobody died. UA is now under heavy scrutiny and both the public and HPSC are demanding answers (the latter still wanting to hold the Sports Festival despite what just occurred), answers he only has because of this new ‘ally’ he has.

Again, he loved challenges, and what Long Haul is presenting him with now is definitely a difficult challenge.

But… it was also a rather composite one. There were sub-challenges he could indulge into. 

Digging into past events like the Villain War and Naruhata Disaster (as well as previous events relating to that city), looking more into the second villain organization his new acquaintance revealed rather than focusing on the reemerged demon lord himself… or perhaps… he should look into the third secret villainous organization that threatens the entire country.

Long Haul’s.

 

He played the act well. Most would be fooled by such a thing, as there was no doubt quite a bit of truth sprinkled into those lies.

But that look he gave back during the Entrance Exams… that man is no prey. He is an apex predator from Japan’s criminal underworld, and he’s looking to use Nezu and All Might to take down his fellow apex predators.

One look at him after first meeting face to face confirmed that this person was an extremely dangerous man.

It was in the way he moved despite his size. How he held himself, not thinking himself invulnerable but knowing he could handle whatever was thrown at him. 

The rest was just an act. A very convincing act, but an act nonetheless.

Now what to do with this discovery…

He’s great at multitasking thanks to High Specs, but at some point, even his capabilities on that field would be strained to their maximum. Not to mention him being woefully outgunned when it comes to vital intel about both All For One and the MLA (if they really are back).

Not to mention the impact this latest and greatest war will have on society as a whole. The amount of factors involved in that avenue is… intimidating, even for him. 

A lot of them were hard, if not impossible, to calculate by default. Nezu can deal with rational actions, but how many people out there actually act rationally?

He is going to need help with this. Pride cometh before the fall after all, and that’s not a rabbit hole he intends to fall into.

He knows that All Might’s other closest compatriots didn’t part with him on the best of terms, but they are heroes first and foremost, and they will unite once again if that’s what it takes to save everyone.

“Sir Nighteye?” Nezu confirms once his phone call is picked up. “May I take a bit of your time? There have been… developments.”

 

Countdown to Canon: 1 Month 13 Days Until Hosu

((“Guess who just called me, looking to host a little reunion?”)) NightHaul lets me know through Mind Web.

‘Looks like we’re going with the full plan then.’ I give a vicious grin while mentally responding back. ‘Oh, I can’t wait to see the look on that rat's face by the time Endgame comes around.’

So despite my best efforts, Nezu saw through my act. He figured out that I’m not some runaway vigilante, but rather, the supposed third mysterious villain leader in this war game we’re playing.

And guess what?

That’s exactly what I wanted him to figure out.

 

I knew that despite a few poor, plot-driven decisions he made in canon, Nezu is a logical-minded genius. I knew that the sociopathic rodent would be smart enough to catch onto any disguise I went into with, and going in directly as the third villain leader wouldn’t work because he would be a lot less likely to work with me.

Nezu would figure that out no matter what. If not immediately after our meeting, then he would at least do so before Kamino… so why not take advantage of that?

My ominous words combined with the major rise in villainous activity over the last year will make Nezu think that I’m not lying about the major threats lying in the shadows. The heroes are in Check, but what if he can use one of his opponents to avoid a Checkmate?

He could pretend to buy into my act, getting vital information needed to take down AFO and the MLA while preparing to strike at my own organization in the background. He could have me whistleblow for him until he’s ready to backstab me.

A pretty good counterattack plan on his end, right? 

Well unfortunately, such a thing is too much even for him to accomplish… unless this is a fanon variant of Nezu, in which case I would be open to sipping tea with him as we watch the HPSC’s Headquarters burn to the ground from our combined assault.

So this Nezu is going to need some help to handle this new threat, and who better to ask for help than the old Anti-AFO dream team?

All Might. Detective Tsukauchi. Gran Torino. Sir Nighteye.

But wait a second… Sir Nighteye?

He actually, secretly goes by NightHaul now, and nobody outside the top brass of the Shie Hassaikai has a single clue about that.

 

This is the final layer of my latest big bad plan. Have Nezu think he has the upper hand and plan out a counter strategy with his old potato-mashing buddies.

Only with one of said buddies now being a spy, something he would never even begin to suspect if that whole thing in canon with Aoyama is anything to go by, not only will I know about said counterattack plans, but I will also be able to influence his decisions without him even knowing it.

It’s me manipulating him while he thinks he’s manipulating me. 

He thinks he’s outplaying me, but he really just played himself. 

The heroes suddenly decide to start adapting to my tactics? Fuck ‘em, I’ll adapt right back.

NightHaul just needs to make sure he doesn’t act too suspiciously, but with all the guy’s memories and almost a year of experience pretending to be him, not to mention it being several years since his breakup with All Might (leading to potential slight personality changes from natural character development), it should work out just fine. 

That human lie detector is the only problem now, but I already thought up a solution to deal with him too, one that will turn him into an asset rather than a hindrance. 

I’ll be getting Kuin to handle that shortly, and this time, her part in my plan will go perfectly. She knows not to even imagine fucking this up in the slightest.

Nezu was more capable than I expected, and outsmarting him wasn’t going to be as easy as outsmarting the potato at every turn.

But as the pre-quirk meme goes, I’m just built different.

 

So yeah, while I’m technically working with some of the heroes now, I’m not really working with them. At the end of the day, we’re both just using each other for a little while.

Could that relationship evolve into genuine cooperation? Probably not, considering the numerous issues plaguing this society, but it is an interesting option to consider.

Why not really work with the few good heroes out there? Like, genuinely work with them rather than make a temporary, flimsy alliance where both parties are looking to stab each other in the back the second it becomes convenient?

I am not a hero. I am not a good person and I won’t pretend to be one. If anything, my moral spot on the DnD chart would probably be True Neutral at the moment.

The people who could help me with my goals the most here happened to be villains, so I became what this society categorizes as a villain. 

Preparing for the Quirk Singularity Doomsday will always take precedence, so if going legal gives me and those I care for a better shot at surviving it, then I would likely go for it. If working with the heroes was a better option, then I would do so, simple as that.

Game theory states that, among many other things, acceptance and genuine teamwork in society is scientifically proven to practically multiply the efficiency and results of pretty much anything they want to do.

So if the heroes actually got their crap together, if the corrupt assholes like the HPSC were booted out and those who remained were actually willing to change for the better, then most of my reasons for going villain would disappear into thin air.

Just imagine it, me flipping to the side of order, presenting my irrefutable proof for incoming disasters like the quirk singularity and society actually willing to cooperate with me as a result, because yes, I have actually been gathering factual data on that. Knowing what to look for thanks to canon and having plenty of factual, stolen data from Humarise to supplement my own findings helped a lot.

 

Anyway, the concept of criminals striking deals with governments to go legal isn’t anything new; such occurrences have happened in history before. Take the Chinese pirate Zheng Yi Sou for example. Back in the early 1800s, her pirate army was in such a position of power that they could negotiate surrender to the government without punishment or reparations being imposed on them.

China’s government was so desperate to end the scourge of piracy that they were willing to legitimize their power in exchange for their retirement. 

Zheng was given various benefits like land, resources, money, and a complete pardon for her and her crews in exchange for collaborating with the government to defeat other pirates or aid their society in other constructive ways. Zheng herself went on to own and operate a successful gambling house in Canton, China until she died.

As for me, my criminal empire’s biggest trade is modified weapons and significantly improved variations of Trigger, so if I went legal, my operations would transfer into both pharma/MIC and police or military services.

And let’s be honest, any government loves that shit.

Well, the HPSC would probably be a bunch of absolute obstructive buffoons about it. Like the legal and human equivalent of a tribe of constipated chimpanzees.

((‘That’s a harmful comparison.’)) VestigeHaul points out. ((‘For the chimpanzees.’))

'Touche.’

Not to mention my operational resources and Thinktank are absolutely ridiculous. As the world approaches the singularity, my current forces could easily hold the line as I biologically improve and better equip the country’s heroes and other defenders. 

A simple touch would allow me to permanently sharpen their instincts, bodily systems, learning capabilities, and so on while fixing any injuries or illnesses they have. It can instantly turn a worthless man into an alpha male.

Overhaul can produce wonders in seconds that entire countries could work on for years. It has the potential to save millions, if not billions of lives, and I would do that so long as I stand to benefit enough from such.

I would probably have to make some compromises and stop some of my more morally questionable endeavors, but overall, so long as I don’t go on any power trips and moderate my villain-ness, I could become really damn successful in that new society.

Whether or not that happens is up to the heroes, and frankly, I don’t have high hopes for them. I’m not willing to risk even more over an alliance that is very likely doomed to fail. 

I’m not trying to create anarchy for the sake of anarchy here either, but I won’t help out a self-destructive society like this if it’s not willing to even consider fixing their mistakes.

Now then, with that little deviation out of the way, it’s time to address a few other issues before the Hosu attack, because yes, I still plan for Stain to take center stage.

There’s just one thing I need to do first, addressing the elephant, or bee in this case, in the room.

Kuin has been on edge ever since my meeting with Nezu, because while this latest plan of mine should work out, that doesn’t excuse the fact that she fucked up big time, forcing me to improvise and take some more risks.

 

“Kuin.”

“EEP! Uh, h-hi boss. Ummm…”

“This isn’t an impromptu execution, Kuin. You fucked up bad, you did the very thing I made clear you shouldn’t, and I was forced to take a heavy gamble as a result, but I’m not going to kill you for it.”

That doesn’t remove one bit of fear from her. She knows what Overhaul can do, and how my prisoners have to deal with a whole lot worse than death on regular intervals.

There are many people out there who can kill others in creative ways, especially with most people on Earth having quirks by now, but Overhaul is a rare case of a quirk that can let its user test all those creative ways out on a single person. 

This adds a completely new level of terror to my character. 

My clones and I are the ones who come up with 99% of the Shie Hassaikai’s plans; all our subordinates have to do is follow our instructions, and these instructions tend to be rather reasonable considering their capabilities at the time orders are given.

So naturally, if something ends up going wrong in those plans, my clones and I will either be extremely curious in the case of unexpected events throwing off our predictions or less than pleased over the direct failure of our subordinates. 

But we don’t show this through emotions; our subordinates don’t see those sides of us on our faces. We show our displeasure of their failures through actions and ensure that everyone else gets the memo about not severely fucking up like Kuin just did.

“We talked about your actions under All For One’s banner at Naruhata, and the heroes that were around to witness them. Shota Aizawa in particular saw your bees in action as they injected some and took the DNA of others. 

That may have been years ago, but he is still a very capable hero with a good memory. Not only that, but he almost certainly told his chimeric boss about it too.

Then there’s your original creator who would no doubt recognize the handwork, and despite not having eyes anymore, he still has several quirks that can make up for it and then some. You haven’t been caught by the latter yet, but you do understand why you absolutely can not get caught by them, right?”

Kuin frantically nods her head as I continue.

“The fact of the matter is that you were caught by the UA staff, and the Symbol of Peace by extension. I understand that several big events were happening at the time, events that I previously emphasized were rather important in the grand scheme of things, and you found it necessary to peer in on them as much as you can. 

I even directly told you to for some of them, but I also made it very clear that failing to obtain info while staying hidden was the better outcome than obtaining info and getting caught, because the latter will make it much harder to obtain info in the future. This was not the operation to go Plus Ultra in.”

The queen shrivels up at this, probably expecting the worst case scenario to happen soon.

But that’s not what I have planned.

 

“Do you know why I didn’t just program you into being a mindless puppet, Kuin?” I then question, getting a surprised look from my lieutenant. “I ensured you couldn’t betray me, yes, but I could have gone much further if I wanted to. I could have made you like Garaki’s Nomu if I really wanted to, but I didn’t. Do you know why that is?”

“...N-No.” Kuin mumbles back.

“It’s because unlike your old boss, I can actually value others for their thoughts and opinions, rather than just power. You are valuable to the Shie Hassaikai and its future. 

You have quirks and the skills to perfectly back them up. I invested a lot into getting you upgraded and on board with my operations, but it wasn’t just for power.

Your insights and perspectives are also very important to me. You can look at situations from a different angle than most, and that can give us an advantage if used correctly. You can willingly choose to put in more effort than what should be possible because of your own emotions and thoughts.

You are extremely outgoing and not all there mentally thanks to all the trauma and possessing, but all those experiences and thoughts come together into a person far more capable at using Queen Bee then anyone else.

You have so much potential, Kuin, and I intend to bring that out of you, turning you into an unstoppable force of nature rather than a mere goon for a mindless master. 

With enough hard work and dedication, you could single-handedly conquer all of Japan with your swarm and make waves in the singularity doomsday that’s to come, but I need you to truly accept this before we can make any progress. 

I’m not going to kill you, nor cripple you, but I need you to start taking this more seriously from now on, because if you fuck up like this again, I won’t be nearly as forgiving. Do you understand?”

“Y-Yes, sir! I’ll follow every future order to the letter and only deviate or go Plus Ultra when you need me to!” The Queen Bee swears before I dismiss her.

She immediately flies towards the training arenas with fear and determination in her eyes, ready to throw herself into perfecting all her powers.

“I was honestly expecting worse… thank you for proving me wrong.” Zi admits, emerging from her hiding spot.

“People can’t exactly learn from mistakes if they’re too busy being dead to do so, right?” I shrug back. “Being a villain and being a monster are two different categories that are paired together far too often. Things aren’t as black and white as society makes it out to be, but you know that all too well, am I right?”

“Yeah. Good work maintaining your ‘scary but reasonable villain boss’ image, by the way.” My girlfriend gives a thumbs up before we both start to chuckle.

From Kuin’s subordinates’ perspective, I usually have everything planned to a T and have both the confidence and results to back that up.

However, I also have a tendency to pretend that every beneficial coincidence that I didn’t predict was actually my plan all along, and even when these coincidences are messing up all my plans, I still pretend that everything is alright. 

It’s a little something I picked up from watching canon All For One in action, one of the few things he actually did right in my opinion, and it’s a skill villainous masterminds should master if they don’t want to get backstabbed as appearing like you’re about to lose might just give your underlings a few nasty ideas.

“The Shie Hassaikai will be the last ones standing.” I declare with utmost confidence oozing out of my every word. “The only question is how bloody it’s gonna be for us on the way there.”

 

Our forces are growing. New recruits from Osaka are pouring in with the number only increasing as Hero Society becomes less and less reliable. Our invisible grasp on various enemies is tightening. Our arsenal of special soldiers continues to grow.

People like Nine, Gigantomachia, and Kuin can bring ruin to Japan by themselves. For all three of them to be under the same leader is a force that can surely grasp even the World Heroes Association by the throat.

The Pseudo-Nines are getting better with Weather Manipulation by the day thanks to the real Nine teaching them so well. He doesn’t have much to do now since his not-so-fake death, so might as well have him and his crew help out around the house.

The first batch of Pseudo-Machias is also coming along well. Unfortunately, I couldn’t give them both the Praetorian’s arsenal and Machia’s quirks despite how well those fanatics under me can utilize Endurance, so I ended up simply giving them the latter’s arsenal along with a few other quirks.

Shock Absorption and Super Regeneration. Oh, and Gigantomachia himself is getting a copy of them too.

Such a powerful Shock Absorption quirk (it can tank hundreds of rapid blows from a weakened All Might for crying out loud!) is a godsend for my squishier subordinates. 

Such a powerful regeneration quirk (even getting decapitated becomes nothing more than a minor inconvenience) is a godsend too, mainly for my tankier subordinates. 

I’m making sure to distribute plenty of both quirk copies around for my elites. I even debated taking a Super Regeneration copy myself, but Overhaul is far faster and being able to activate the quirk from anywhere on my body means I can instantly heal from everything up to complete decapitations.

In short, it isn’t worth wasting a spot on Super Regeneration or Cell Activation when Overhaul can do a superior version of their healing already and insta-killing me is practically impossible. 

Unfortunately, like myself, many of my subordinates are reaching their limits when it comes to quirks. My body modifications can only help so much and Endurance isn’t nearly as effective for those with weaker excitement and motivation.

Don’t get me wrong, they’re still incredibly motivated and confident. It’s just that guys like Machia, Stain, and I set the standard too high with our absurd amounts of willpower.

We can set several times more out of Endurance then even most of my other top brass can, so I can only really give one quirk or the other onto them, but both are powerful enough on their own. Besides, min-maxing is a thing, and there are other quirks that can be more useful to them than one of those two USJ Nomu quirks.

Have fun dealing with that, heroes. 

 

Oh, and Nine’s name finally makes sense. Shock Absorption is the guy's ninth quirk and he got a ton of teasing for it. Nine himself was not amused.

The titan himself isn’t the best teacher by any means, but he still has valuable experience that I can copy-paste into these Praetorians to help them wield this quirk combo more effectively.

If you thought one Gigantomachia was bad, then just wait until you see entire squadrons of them on a battlefield.

Oh, and I can even make more of him through Double if I want to! Why Twice didn’t consider doing this in canon is beyond me, but I won’t be making that same oversight.

Speaking of canon LOV members, while I don’t like the way this was obtained, I did make use of the blood Eri got me during her original ‘internships’ to create another variation of special Praetorians.

Pseudo-Togas.

The Transform quirk is incredibly useful for undercover missions, as canon displayed. Its awakened version is even better, but I have no way of getting that to happen right now, so I’ll have to stick with the original.

Oh well. I can still duplicate blood thanks to Overhaul and Rewind, so I at least don’t have to worry about these Praetorians running out of, uh, ‘ammo’ for their extra quirk. All they need is some extra acting classes and they’re golden.

…I actually did sign those Praetorians up for genuine acting classes. They seem to enjoy it, so no harm no foul. 

It’s a little unorthodox, sure, but that pretty much describes my second life in a nutshell.

 

My military forces are also growing steadily with more and more equipment being pumped out by the Creation Crew and stolen from Humarise every day. 

Osaka’s security is also growing more and more now that my cyberwarfare branch obtained most of the blueprints for Tartarus and all their wonderfully effective weapons via secretly hacking into their systems.

Seriously, a small army of technopathic quirk wielders with enough hacking knowledge make this stuff laughably easy. 

And then there’s the most recent addition to my army (nothing else can describe it at this point) that I took inspiration from both UA and Tartarus from.

The Creation Crew once again proves to be an absolute godsend with their nearly limitless creation abilities. I’ve had to ramp up production of various special stuff by a lot these last few months, leading to the crew rapidly expanding in size.

Them also taking some of the Trigger that they themselves create (oh, the irony) to boost their production speed even further is just the icing on the cake. 

Nezu catching on a bit may have caused me to stumble, but the Shie Hassaikai is still stronger than ever before. The difference between a good plan and a great plan lies in contingencies, and not even All For One can compare to me when it comes to planning contingencies.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Mind Web (Artificial), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Confession, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Search, Willpower Enhancer x3.

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Scanning
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Eri - Rewind, Wave Motion, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Scanning, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Eruption, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Voyance, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Bloodcurdle, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Scanning, Shock Absorption
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (215) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (5) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (5) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (5) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 1750 Personnel 
• 90 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 90 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 90 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 110 Battle Tanks
• 50 Attack Helicopters
• 35 Small Boats
• 3 Battleships

????????:

• ???????
• ???????
• ???????

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 55
• Mad Science Branch - 40
• Creation Crew - 120
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 40
• Thugs and Goons - 4940

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 114

Outside Allies:

• Giran
• Nezu

Chapter 53: Bonus Chapter - Eri’s Awakening

Notes:

Due to a bit of initial confusion, some extra additions and details were given to this chapter of HTSAS. Feel free to give it another look through if you read it during the first day or so of its release.

To Eri, Sekan Doraifu had two main sides or personalities.

The first side was her daddy. Sweet, lovable, a bit of a goofball at times, extremely curious, and always helping her and praising her and treating her like a princess.

He even got her a throne for her own meeting room because kings and queens and princes and princesses all sat on thrones. That’s what her cartoons told her. 

He always does his best to support her despite his other job. Even with help from clones, he’s still pretty busy running such a large, secretive, villainous organization.

And that leads to the other side of Sekan, a rising demon lord that can match, if not surpass the previous one. The one who practically ruled Japan, if not the entire world for several centuries.

This side of him is serious. It’s manipulative. It’s calculating. It’s terrifying. It’s something even Kai Chisaki would cower under if his vestige is anything to go by.

It’s something you don’t want to be put up against.

And yet, that’s exactly what she just asked him for.

 

Her dad can have a presence when he wants to. He is absolutely enormous after all the body modifications, rivaling All Might himself in size. Intimidating to say the least. 

But there’s more to it than that. The moment he entered a room in ‘secret villainous overlord’ mode, said room would suddenly feel… full. It’s as if everything happening there was now happening due to him, because of him, and that he was the main character of it in general.

And frankly, that’s not far off from the truth most of the time.

She’s seen this other side to him before, the most recent example being the footage of him making the Queen Bee nearly piss herself with words alone.

He barely threatened her during that talk. He even complimented her a bit.

But his tone… his expressions… his mere presence was far more terrifying than any threat other villains could have screamed or sweared.

He probably picked up that murderous aura trick from her Uncle Stain. She’s seen him use it a couple times on heroes, making them nearly die from fright alone and paralyzing them better than his original quirk ever could, but her dad’s is different.

It’s more calm. He doesn’t yell or make many wild gestures, but it’s still absolutely terrifying because anyone facing it just knows that the monster can walk out of its cage whenever it damn well pleases, and if it decides to or is given a reason to, then you’re dead. Simple as that.

She overheard her dad once say his aura is like a mixture of Stain’s and All For One’s presence and intent. A wild fanatic in his beliefs and conviction, but also a calm ruler that can dispose of any peons in his way whenever he wishes.

She only has a verbal description of the old demon lord’s aura, but being hit with her dad’s presence now, she can notice the similarities. He basked in both of their auras before, AFO’s only once, and that exposure was enough to develop and master his own variation.

 

On the one hand, seeing just how badly she’s outclassed right now helps bring her ego down a bit. 

Eri knows she’s powerful and talented, and when combined with all the body modifications her dad gave her overtime, everything from her processing abilities to her body’s coordination skills to her instincts and muscles to general adaptability was simply astonishing.

Although, when compared to the utter freak of nature that is her dad, she’s still badly outclassed in all specs across the board. 

She isn’t mad about that, not one bit. She loves how awesome her dad is and knows that she wouldn’t even be a fraction as awesome as she is now without his help.

Besides, she doesn’t want to become some arrogant young master antagonist down the line.

Arrogant young master antagonists never win in stories. Ever.

On the other hand, this level of fear she felt… the visions of death she saw… it was worse than anything Kai Chisaki could’ve ever hoped to bring her down with.

“You won’t have to deal with this, Eri. At least, not until you grow up and start playing in the big leagues like I am now. I’ll be the one fighting opponents who can do this to ensure our safety when the world ends.

However, I accepted your request because gaining a little experience with such a thing in a safe setting couldn’t hurt. It never hurts to be prepared for the worst.”

She knows that if Sekan takes things seriously, she can’t hope to scratch him, let alone win. 

She knows this isn’t the kind of opponent she shouldn’t be facing, especially when she’s still so young. So small. So delicate.

But the fire her dad lit in her that day… it’s been growing since then, burning brighter and brighter as she continues to grow. To learn. To fight!

And not even the strongest storms can hope to damper it now.

 

“F-Fight me!” She declares, doing her best not to stutter. “I’m not afraid! I have training! I have quirks! I have-”

“Nothing that will help you out against someone like this… not right now.” Her dad finishes, appearing right behind her in an instant despite being over 50 feet away and having no warp quirk to speak of.

Innsmouth took them to another one of Japan’s many uninhabited islands. They’re small; barely a dozen square miles, if even. This one is pretty rocky too with lots of small hills, but both of them can fly.

She’s strong now. Stronger than Kai Chisaki ever was, and she’s still just a kid!

She’s supposed to be a leader! She’s supposed to be her dad’s successor!

How can she be worthy of that if she still can’t fight back!

The golden energy of Rewind completely surrounds her as she powers up, Wave Motion being added on with the output at 100% from the start.

“If that’s what you want… come at me with everything you have, Eri!” Her dad declares, motioning her forward.

She obliges, and launches a full-power Time Pike his way at the start. 

Nejire’s Energy Pike combined with her own Rewind energy.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Rewind is extremely dangerous, even for him. Reverting him back by even a year would undo all his progress, quirks, modifications, and so on.

But she actually has to hit him with that power for it to do anything, and Rewind has no effect on non-organic matter.

That’s why, despite the power boost from Wave Motion and Endurance, her energy pike fails to break through the telekinetic barrier surrounding her dad on all sides. Captain Celebrity’s power boosted with Endurance is no joke.

Good thing Wave Motion lets her get a bit creative with energy manipulation.

The pike may not be able to break his full-body shield, but it can wrap around it, something her dad clearly doesn't expect as he’s suddenly covered with her own energy and pulled towards her like a yoyo.

He doesn’t expect her to turn into a giant energy drill with Wave Motion either, getting tackled through a small hill as Eri uses her own energy to propel her forward and hammer away at her dad’s shield.

IQ helps calculate the details, but her dad can see her thoughts with Mind Web, right? With the range getting a massive upgrade thanks to Mind Web merging with Telepath, she can’t outsmart her dad anymore, right?

Well, Mind Web still has a major weakness. Her dad can read her thoughts, sure, but what if she thinks something while actually doing something else?

Controlling her thoughts is hard, but she’s gotten better after some practice. 

Now when she mentally thinks something like ‘Got you, dad!’, he’ll likely be on the lookout for a super strong attack and then get really confused when no attack comes, leaving him open for her actual attack.

Her dad calls it mind games, which is pretty accurate, but they add another layer to fights that make them way more complicated.

But she’ll figure it out. She has to if she wants to be better than him one day!

 

After slamming her dad through a rocky hill, she unleashes her aura again and launches a barrage of punches and kicks wrapped up in her power.

Each one targets the cracked areas her previous attack made, but her dad keeps switching around different weakened areas, forcing her to chase after them to break through and land even a scratch on him.

“Keep a cool head, Eri. Faster! Destroy my focus!”

He isn’t trying. He can easily teach her while fending off her assault.

Creation and Half-Cold Half-Hot can further boost his defenses. Cleaning can weaken her quirks and Overhaul can end it in an instant, yet he still isn’t using any of those!

The telekinetic barrier alone is recovering faster than she’s breaking it!

A punch to the face. A kick to the stomach. An uppercut to the jaw. 

None of those strikes actually hurt him; his barrier is tanking it all.

‘This isn’t working. Gotta gain some distance!’

Eri blasts back with Wave Motion as her dad finally starts going on the attack, and the energy she expels through her legs used to propel herself away doubles as binds that wrap around her opponent. They can’t physically hurt him, but they can keep him in place.

She made sure not to think about that part, once again using his overreliance on Mind Web to throw him off, even if only for a bit.

“This energy… it doubles as bindings and triples as a slingshot. Very good, Eri.”

‘He figured it out already?! Right, he has IQ too, and he’s super smart on top of that.’ Sekan’s successor curses back.

But she still follows through with her plan and uses both the bindings she placed through her legs and new waves of energy through her arms to propel herself forwards.

The drop kick that follows finally sends him crashing down into the rocky ground below and she wastes no time sending two more Time Pikes his way. Rewind may not affect inanimate objects, but her pure vitality from Wave Motion is a completely different story.

Combine the two together with IQ helping her aim and Endurance + Energy Saver giving her far more strength and stamina and you get something pretty scary.

But this is her dad she’s up against right now.

 

He flips over one Time Pike while using Whirlwind to wear the other down with debris from all over the island. The first one loops back around, ready to hit him in the back, but Half-Cold Half-Hot and Ice Ply cause it to collide with a giant ice dragon instead.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

His enhanced telekinetic barrier must be at its limit. Good, now she can…

‘Wait. Where’d he go?’

She finds out half a second later after getting kicked in the face by an ice-covered boot. Kota’s ice-covered boot.

Double plus Mind Web.

She can’t feel pain and her Rewind + Wave Motion energy provides a barrier of its own, but the barrage of ice and boiling water that follows still sends her rocketing towards several other stone hills, bouncing off of them like a ping pong ball.

But the energy cocoon she formed soaks up most of the damage, and it isn’t long before she stops herself and charges back in with everything she has.

The more time Kota has, the more water and ice he can summon, and the harder beating him becomes. 

Same goes with Tamashiro and his own summons, and both of those clones are throwing their ever-increasing arsenals her way.

“Hope you don’t mind me borrowing your bodyguards, kiddo.”

Using her subordinates like disposable pawns, even if they’re just clones… it pisses her off to no end, and her dad knows this. He’s the one who taught her how valuable people those that loyally follow you are, after all.

‘I’ll make this quick. I won’t let him use you any longer.’

 

Her loss against Queen Bee taught her not to hesitate in situations like these. Two more condensed energy pikes tear through any defenses between her and the clones’ heads, ending that brief battle in seconds.

With nothing standing between her and her dad now, she goes back in for the attack, throwing another rapid assault of energy-coated strikes his way.

This time around, instead of letting his barrier do all the work, he dodges every punch, kick, and blast sent his way while they dart all across the island. 

Her reactions were getting faster, her blows were getting stronger, and her quirk combinations were getting more efficient and aggressive as the battle went on.

Sekan’s attacks, dodges, counters, and reactions to every little thing she does, Eri absorbs that information like a hungry predator, her mind already piecing together any patterns or other significances with help from IQ and Endurance.

Every detail, no matter how small, was another step towards understanding her opponent. Knowledge was power, and her dad taught her how to wield it ruthlessly.

But all her dad had to do in response to her rapid discoveries was take things a little more seriously.

“You’ll have to do a bit better than that, sweetheart!”

“If you insist, dad. Time Flood!”

Putting her own spin on another of Nejire’s moves, a downward spiral waterfall of Rewind-boosted vitality slams into her dad, the attack being too large for him to dodge.

It’s like she’s in an anime right now! And speaking of…

“Ultimate Move: Kamehamehaaaaaa!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

An even larger wave of energy slams into her dad, once again careening him into the island below.

She’s forced to pant as the dust cloud starts to clear, those last two attacks taking a lot out of her even with Endurance and Energy Saver.

But there’s no sign of her dad anywhere, only some storm clouds closing in.

Wait… storm clouds?

“You asked for this, so I shall deliver.”

Oh no.

 

“Ultimate Move… ULTRA PHOSPHOR!!!”

 

Dozens of lightning bolts strike down… but not towards Eri.

Instead, they all converge on Sekan, striking him- no, fueling him as he activates the other part of his brand new form.

Spread out in an X-shape on his front chest are the flames of Phosphor, but the flames aren’t red, orange, white, or even blue. They’re violet, a more intense and efficient combustion process creating the hottest color flames can be. 

At the moment, this Phosphor can be seen as Dabi’s version which is mainly ice intensifying fire, but Sekan can switch it to Shoto’s version, fire mainly intensifying ice to create a cold fire, as well. 

In fact, Sekan can switch between both versions whenever he wishes, drawing out the full potential of the dual-elemental quirk with no drawbacks whatsoever.

And it makes Endeavor’s Flashfire Fist look like a campfire in comparison.

Coincidentally, this fire is the same color as Nine’s boosted lightning with said lightning also being mixed in with the flames. All living cells have their own bioelectricity, and Sekan knows how to amplify and weaponize that like Nine can. 

On his back are the massive purple energy wings Nine forms when he goes all out with Weather Manipulation and Trigger, but the latter isn’t required for Sekan’s version, not with his body now capable of absorbing any lightning he summons, powering him up even further.

There are purple cracks scattered throughout the rest of his body, but unlike Nine, they aren’t hurting him. They merely serve as more outputs for the power he’s amassed.

In this state, heat, frost, and energy attacks can’t hurt him. They only reinforce or enhance him. They only make him stronger. 

He still isn’t using OverTrigger, but this is his absolute best without quirk-boosting drugs. 

 

“A boosted Phosphor with Nine’s ultraviolet-colored lightning mixed in.” Eri gawks, slack-jawed at the display. “Also ‘Ultra’ as in Plus Ultra… wow.” 

Gaining her father’s love for analyzing quirks didn’t take long. Figuring out applications, strengths, weaknesses, ways to improve them, and so on was so much fun. Using that knowledge to crush her opponents is even better.

The latter wasn’t going to happen. Not when Sekan Doraifu is her opponent.

When she requested her dad to fight her seriously, Sekan decided to turn it into a lesson about how far she is from standing among the best.

He hoped that unleashing his presence and murderous aura upon her would be enough intimidation, showing her just how long she has to go until she can contend with the greatest heroes and villains this world has to offer. 

But she’s grown so much over this last year. Her dad inspired her to go Plus Ultra and beyond, and with him giving her so many lessons, upgrades, and quirks… with him breaking what was considered possible in this world right alongside her…

It wasn’t going to be enough. He can’t afford to sandbag this fight any longer.

He’s so proud of her, but this is a lesson he needs to hammer in for the sake of her future.

 

*FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

He summons a massive tornado all around him with a combination of Nine and Inasa’s quirks, completely tearing the island he’s on apart. The purple flames of Phosphor and the lightning from Weather Manipulation make it far more dangerous.

Even Ice Ply is used on the surrounding water, creating hundreds of steam explosions all around the tornado when it’s mixed with the purple flames. 

It reminds Eri of her dad’s final clash with Nine, only there’s far more power being concentrated this time around.

Avoiding either being blasted away or getting sucked into the multiple natural disasters stacked on top of each other takes everything she has right now… but there’s still more she can do.

She can still go Plus Ultra herself.

The vial of her dad’s Trigger she snuck into the battlefield takes immediate effect, the fear she once had of needles and injections being long gone at this point. Her own power skyrockets and she prepares the strongest attack she’s ever made. 

Energy concentrates throughout her entire body, the attack she plans to launch mirroring that of Endeavor’s Prominence Burn. 

She doesn’t notice her horn rapidly growing. She doesn’t notice it starting to crack either. 

Instead, she’s focused on channeling her power. Mastering her power. Bringing all her lessons, her skills, her discoveries, and her gifts together.

 

When she first started learning how to use Rewind, moving past the innate fear she had and the lies Kai Chisaki tried to instill in her, she didn’t know what to do, what direction to take.

Sekan knew, or at least, he had a pretty good idea of how this godlike ability worked.

‘Mind over matter’, he had suggested. She didn’t know what that meant, or even what time itself was. Kai Chisaki wasn’t exactly concerned with educating his biological bullet factory on anything other than how quirks were curses.

Sekan walked her through telling the time, what the measurements and averages meant in reality. The idea was that if she could judge time, she could judge when to turn her quirk off.

“TIMESTORM!!!” Eri cries out, firing everything she can muster up at her dad’s attack.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

He would give points of comparison for her to work with. Example like her last meal being an hour ago or her favorite anime having a weekly television schedule helped her visualize different lengths of time.

Once she got the hang of that, she could start learning how to further weaponize that energy, truly making it an extension of herself. Being given Wave Motion helped tremendously with this, essentially acting as a crutch for her.

As much as she liked getting this advantage, it just didn’t sit well with her. This extra quirk simply being a crutch, a handicap. 

It helped her, but in a way, it was also limiting her. 

She didn’t want that. She needed to be better than that!

She wanted her power to become something more, not less!

 

With Sekan being surrounded by inanimate objects, such an attack shouldn’t do much, even with Nejire’s power being stacked on top of Eri’s and multiple quirk-boosters supporting that combo.

And yet… said objects begin to rewind into nothingness, Sekan’s own flames and energy doing the same as the compatible powers of Wave Motion and Rewind interconnect like never before.

In a dark, fog-covered world, a teenage girl with light blue hair smiles at the child who’s sitting on her lap as the two begin to merge.

A giant begins to race forward, intending to protect his lord’s daughter from whatever is going on, but a lavender-haired girl with a golden monocle stops him, already recognizing the phenomenon from her host’s memories.

 

If Sekan reacted even a second later, he would’ve died. The tidal wave of time-bending energy would have rewound him out of existence in mere moments if it landed.

But he notices the golden glow piercing his attack before it’s too late, and directs everything he has at it in return. 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

His power is unbelievable, but even that pales in comparison to the power of time itself.

Not even One For All and All For One could try to defend against such a thing, and it just became even stronger.

“Urk- SERIOUSLY?!?” Sekan can’t help but cry out in disbelief as his combined attack is actually pushed back, his daughter’s energy erasing everything it comes into contact with no matter how condensed and powerful it is. 

Mind Web! Overhaul! Endurance! Energy Saver! Confession! Weather Manipulation! Creation! Cleaning! Half-Cold Half-Hot! Whirlwind! Ice Ply! Search… Search reveals the truth.

He isn’t the only one with a brand new Artificial Quirk anymore. One of MHA’s most overpowered quirks just got a whole lot stronger.

Sekan pumps himself full of OverTrigger through Creation, using his empowered arsenal of quirks to gather everything he can from the sky to the sea to the Earth itself, all to defend himself as best as he can. 

Eri isn’t even thinking anymore, her entire focus being towards the time-bending attack she’s firing.

Both give one last roar as the bright light encompasses all.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

 

 

“...Heh, looks like being completely overpowered runs in the family.” Sekan whispers as he slowly descends with his unconscious daughter in his arms. 

Her body is burnt and her horn is shattered, but those injuries are quickly healed through Overhaul. 

“Seriously, I thought I was sent to My Hero Academia, not Dragon Ball! And yet here I am, holding a female kid Gohan in my arms. Fucking shounens… At this rate, I’m gonna be surpassed in power by my own kid before she even enters Middle School!”

It could be seen as an awakening of sorts. Not a Quirk Awakening, mind you. Rather, Rewind and Wave Motion merged into an Artificial Quirk similar to what Kurogiri possessed, something much more reasonable for the young heiress to achieve.

A mental awakening would be more accurate to what Eri just achieved, Sekan supposes. A new feeling, a new awareness, a new understanding of what’s in store for her.

He’s so proud of her.

“So, uh… is this a bad time?” Sekan then hears an unnaturally deep yet very familiar voice behind him.

“What do you think?” The transmigrator deadpans back. “Why are you even here- wait, IT’S BEEN A YEAR ALREADY?!? ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?!”

“Today is April 19th, yes.” The amused deity chuckles. “Ready to return to your side story and play another round?”

“Oh god damnit. Can’t you two like… give me an extra week or something? A few days? Or at least let me drop my kid off first?”

“I can handle that last part. I’ll heal you up too; you must be exhausted after fighting a six year old for so long.”

Sekan flips him off before the two disappear in a wave of red flames, Eri being returned to Innsmouth’s ship with the multi-quirked mutant receiving orders to take her back home by a Sekan-disguised deity.

That is, if they will even have a home after the Second Round concludes…

Chapter 54: Side Story Incursions - Round 2

Countdown to Canon:  4̸̢̛̪̗̗̖̞̔́̿̾̈̉̈̌̔̚͘̚͝͝?̷̧͕̱̼͉̩̹̭̲̾͜?̵̧̡̝̹̞̭͕̝̍͑̄̋̏͐́̌̂̉̆͊̅͜?̴̨̽̏͋͂͛̈̄̽?̵̠͎̖͑̐̇̈?̶̟̦̩͈̒̄̈́͊̊́̆̊̎̊̇̍̽̓͝?̵̫̝̯̺͙̩̝̤͉̘̟̊̃̄͆̽́̎̕?̵͚̼̜͙̟̭͔̮͉͉̩̙͇̱͕͐̊͒̂̋̿͌͠͠ͅ?̶̧̩͍͓̗̰͚͕͓̺̎͜͝%̸̡̘̟͈͔̤̞̰̹̮̟̼̹̑͊͌̏̏̈́̚̚͜͜$̶̢̛̬̩̝̹̟̣̥͚̣̫̹̙̈́͐̀̒̽͒́͘#̸̨̧̜̮̺̳̠͚͔̜̤̿͒̇̃̊̍̌̋͛̎̿̊̓͋͠&̵̡̥̺̪̯̯̞̯̼̰̦̞̞͔̬́͆͛̓̆͌͗͒͆̓͗͊̾̓͘̚^̶̨̧̧̤̣̹͚̫̫̯̯̲̗̬̲̠̐͆(̷̗͖̖̫̻̎$̸̡͓͇̞̥͚͂̂͜ͅ#̴̧̛͎̰̮͔͕͉̟̺̣̗͉̻̮̭͚̲̉̈̍̃̈́͒̈͒͂%̵͚̰̬̘̻̞̳̮̤̃͛͑̅̇͂̆̄̂̆̊͋̔̕^̸̢̡̥͈̜͖̘̫̥̰͉̩̔̑͜͝&̸̺͇̲̩͓̮͕͇̟̟̞̤͎̭͑̌̆͛͠ͅͅ

“First a wannabe AFO successor and now a wannabe Overhaul successor? Oh well, I guess that’s what I get for going villain.” The new arrival sighs.

From the moment Sekan saw him, he knew that this variation of himself wouldn’t be nearly as easy to trick or take down as the last one.

“Successor is a bit of a stretch, considering how I mind-controlled the guy into fusing with me a few seconds after we met, and then taking over his entire organization on like Day 3 of my arrival. What about you?”

“Mind-controlled into fusing, huh? With you in full control, I take it? Overhaul is a broken meta-ability, sure, but why choose the Shie Hassaikai when there are much more powerful organizations out there?”

“Joining the potato is just asking for trouble. Same with Humarise considering they would hate our quirked existence. That just leaves one, and considering how you said meta-ability instead of quirk…”

“Yup. I’m Sekan Doraifu officially, but I also go by Prophet, Head Advisor of the MLA.” The transmigrated teenager grins while giving the MLA salute.

“Prophet? You told them the truth about you?” Yakuza Sekan questions, genuinely curious.

“Not exactly. They think that my meta-ability is a combination of Mandalay’s and Sir Nighteye’s meta-abilities. I can see thoughts and read minds from a certain range, and then use that to make a precognition of the future up to several times a day.

The more thoughts and memories I read, especially from people involved in what ‘potential’ future event I’m looking for, the more accurate they supposedly are. Oh, and unlike Nighteye’s future-seeing ability, the future I look at can be changed.”

“You sly son of a bitch.” Yakuza Sekan grins.

“We’re two to talk.” MLA Sekan grins right back. “I hoped you buffed your canon organization up, because I sure as hell did.”

“You won’t be disappointed, scam artist.”

“Once again, we’re two to talk.”

 

“Are you two done with your bromance yet? Because I want to get this show on the road already.” Lucifer breaks the two variants up.

“Just one quick thing first.” Yakuza Sekan pipes up before turning back to his fellow variant. “You said you fought an AFO successor variant before? How long have you been in MHA for, and how did your last match go?”

“I’ll tell you if you tell me.” MLA Sekan counteroffers.

“Deal. You first.”

“Alright. That idiot thought he could scam AFO out of his own quirk without turning into the guy’s meat puppet, so he managed to go and get the Nine treatment before killing Tomura, busting into Garaki’s lair, and forcing the guy to do the true AFO upgrade on him. 

It failed miserably, so while the guy was strong, he also had severe multiple-personality disorder that was literally tearing his body apart, and I simply took advantage of both that and my numbers. 

Not every variation of us has a working brain, it seems. Or maybe this shounen’s stupidity infected him. Oh, he also came from around when the Final War started, which is total bullshit because I was only in MHA for six months at that point.”

“Same here, only my opponent was a lazy coward who hid behind the heroes and main plot, barely making any changes at all. Endgame Deku was the only real issue for me, but a little zappity zap from my adopted daughter erased OFA before he even knew what hit him.”

“Heh, funny. My adopted little sister is what let me take down our AFO variant. A few months worth of time was all she had to rewind from him. She’s becoming so happy and confident and can do so many cool things with her quirk and I’m so unbelievably proud of her!”

“Preaching to the choir, pal.” Yakuza Sekan smiles. 

 

“You get ten more seconds of pre-fight dialogue. Same rules as last time.” Lucifer declares and God nods in agreement, the two impatient deities wanting to get a move on and start the latest round of their game already. 

“Alright, alright. May the best Sekan win?” MLA Sekan confirms.

“May the best Sekan win. Oh, want to form a mind link with Mind Web to taunt and monologue at each other?” Yakuza Sekan questions.

“Sure, why not.” His MLA variant accepts. “No trying to brainwash each other or forcefully read thoughts though. I’m more of a commander than a fighter anyway.”

“I can agree to that. Not all villains have to be total assholes like the LARPing potato.” 

The two shake on it and set up the link before being transported to the arena along with all of their assets, and the first thing both Sekans notice is that the battlefield is a whole lot bigger than their previous battles. 

On one side is the entire city of Osaka, and on the other side is the entire city of Deika, a larger scale for a larger number of total combatants.

The transmigrators then immediately prepare their cities for battle, remembering the 24 hour time limit they’re limited to.

((“Testing. Testing. Can you hear me? Also, why the hell do you get a city too?”)) MLA Sekan mentally sends a question his opponent’s way.

((“I took inspiration from the MLA’s work with Deika, ironically enough. The city of Osaka is now completely under my control.”)) Yakuza Sekan grins back.

((“No way you got over a hundred thousand people under your command in like a year. I’m calling your bluff.”))

((“I said I have the city under control, not all its inhabitants… I did recruit quite a few of them though. Let’s see who’s army is superior, shall we?”))

((“Game on.”))

 

Yakuza Sekan knew that he was completely outmatched when it came to quantity, but so was the LOV in canon, and look what happened there. 

His opponent no doubt strengthened the MLA several fold and likely recruited quite a few extra heavy-hitters into the secret society too. But that shouldn’t matter, not when quirks themselves have become his bitch.

He first has Kuin survey the enemy area with her swarm. His variant no doubt read MHA Vigilantes too, but he shouldn’t expect the Queen Bee coming back after being dead for over half a decade.

Thanks to that, he sees thousands upon thousands of MLA warriors flooding the streets, marching towards their target in an orderly fashion. The ones with defense-boosting or tanky mutation quirks are mostly up front, ranged quirk wielders are behind, and so on.

It really looks like an army rather than a random mob, a massive paramilitary ready to crush anyone in their way. 

Yakuza Sekan can mobilize a little under 9,000 people at most with all his forces in one spot. A respectable number to be sure, and far greater than canon Kai’s Shie Hassaikai at its peak, but the MLA is sending almost twice as many people just to probe their forces.

But again, quality over quantity.

And this time around, the yakuza boss has no need to pull his punches.

 

While that’s going on, MLA Sekan observes the scene from Deika’s Central Tower alongside his girlfriend, adopted sister, and the MLA top brass. 

“Can’t I just crush them now and be done with it?” Geten groans.

“Patience, Geten. I don’t want you falling into my doppelganger’s trap so early on. You’re one of our strongest warriors, after all.” The teenager (physically, not mentally) responds and Geten huffs, but follows his orders.

He earned the man’s respect after helping him, among so many others, improve their powers by so much.

“Can you see the outcome of this battle, Prophet?” The Grand Commander questions.

“I’m afraid not, sir. Foresight abilities are blocked during these battles, but we won’t need that to… to…” MLA Sekan trails off, seeing his counterpart’s own initial assault.

“RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Pseudo-Machias. 

Five of them, all with the same quirks as the canon titan, as well as a few more and plenty of body modifications stacked on top.

Behind them are Five Pseudo-Nine’s creating the largest hurricane-thunderstorm combo the MLA has ever seen to tear Deika itself apart with.

And on the Machia’s backs, hidden among the rows of spikes, are a hundred regular Praetorians ready to ambush and finish off any stragglers.

That’s just the vanguard. 

 

((“WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK?!?”)) MLA Sekan screams through the mind link.

((“Do you like them, Prophet? I call them… the Praetorians.”)) Yakuza Sekan grins, relishing the moment to monologue.

He has no reason to keep this card a secret, not when he’s come knocking with them.

((“I made my mark in this world not with an interest in numbers in mind, but quirks. Overhaul offers so much potential regarding these biological powers, even more so than anything Garaki can cook up, and when combining the powers of Overhaul and Rewind, you’ll find that you can do so much more than make a few shiny bullets.”))

The MLA vanguard is swatted away like flies as the rearguard and reserves forces are bombarded with hundreds of tornadoes and lightning strikes. 

((“The normal ones have various enhancers mixed together alongside my own take on body modifications, which are then further boosted by a modified arsenal of weapons and my special Trigger. 

Already a terrifying force that can rival Garaki’s best Nomus, but I decided to take things a step further and add in a few overpowered quirks from the show on top. Gigantomachia. Nine. Inasa. Shoto. Geten. I can go on and on, but I think you get the point.”))

((“Funny you should mention Nomus…”)) MLA Sekan trails off as his opponent takes a look at his counterattack through Kuin.

Nomus. Hundreds of them from Low-Tier to High-Ends like Hood and Woman emerge from various hidden laboratories all over Deika, all of them being led by Geten and a few other MLA warriors on a giant ice dragon of his.

((“So you took down the demon lord cosplayer too, huh? Or at least his pet kaiju. Well you’re not the only one who took that route! I sent the heroes led by All Might his way months before Tomura’s debut while the MLA raided Jaku hospital and some of Garaki’s other laboratories.

All Might stopped his archnemesis for good, Kurogiri was killed, Tomura was arrested, and we got all the amassed quirks and pet projects his doctor made after reading his mind and killing him, and since they were already in production, why not finish them?”)) MLA Sekan takes his turn to gloat and monologue.

((“We still can’t give living beings multiple quirks like what Garaki did with endgame Tomura or AFO can do himself, since the body can’t handle that level of stress, but we had plenty of fanatic members willing to give their lives for the cause, becoming far stronger during the nomufication process. 

Garaki had more than enough meta-abilities stocked up to make that happen and the MLA had enough scientists and biologists to make sense of the doctor’s notes and memories after a while, so behold! The demon lord’s army that was meant to suppress will now be used to liberate!”))

 

The Nomus, Nines, and Machias then clash with another wave of MLA warriors supporting the former from afar… but they were just a distraction.

Yakuza Sekan isn’t too worried. His Praetorians can match most Nomus in combat and the Pseudo-Machias can each take on most of Japan’s hero society on their own. They can protect the Pseudo-Nines long enough for them to destroy Deika, and even if they can’t, the Pseudo-Nines can easily protect themselves well enough.

The Trigger they all equipped should just be overkill, right?

Well apparently not, as after Geten’s ice dragon slams into one of the Machias alongside a barrage of sharp ice fragments, creating a few holes in it’s Shock Absorption, a golden beam of energy strikes the titan, rewinding his quirks right out of him.

“Oh, you’ve got to be KIDDING ME!” Yakuza Sekan growls, seeing a variant of his daughter begin taking down his trump cards one after another. 

“Not only did Geten figure out the extra Shock Absorption quirk they have way too damn fast, but also found a quick way around it so Eri’s blast can hit. Also, HE SERIOUSLY BROUGHT ERI INTO THE MIDDLE OF A BATTLEFIELD?!?”

“Don’t worry, dad! I’ll handle her!” His own Eri then declares before flying out of Hassaikai HQ.

“...And now my own Eri is going into the middle of a battlefield. Ugh, of course she picks up our more reckless traits.” Yakuza Sekan groans before issuing new orders.

“Sinister Six! Four Horsemen! We’re heading out too, no more fucking around!”

A six-digit number of warriors charge out of Deika, doing their best to avoid the lightning and tornado bombardment to join their allies.

Meanwhile, Yakuza Sekan himself leads the second wave with Nine’s Crew, the Sinister Six, most of his subsidiaries, the remaining Praetorians, military, and other forces right behind him.

 

The battlefield becomes even more chaotic when the reinforcements reach each other.

Over a hundred Battle Tanks and almost as many Attack Helicopters engage the flying warriors and Nomu from afar.

The Pseudo-Inasas, Pseudo-Shotos, and Pseudo-Getens work together to create a hurricane of fire and ice to blow thousands upon thousands of warriors away. 

The Pseudo-Inasas also help direct the ammo that hundreds of artillery batteries scattered throughout Osaka are further bombarding Deika with. 

Yakuza Eri takes to the skies with some of her stronger subordinates, two Pseudo-Inasas, and a dozen Attack Helicopters reinforcing her, clearing the way as she stops her doppelganger from taking down a third Pseudo-Machia. She won’t let her dad’s strongest blade be blunted that easily.

Eri quickly discovers that the other two people riding on the ice dragon are MLA Sekan’s Nine and Slice, the transmigrator having succeeded in recruiting them after Re-Destro and Geten (barely) defeated the crew in combat. 

MLA Nine had been doing his best to move the storm away from Deika, but five others with his Trigger-enhanced quirk working together was far too much to stop. Instead, he’s been using his own lightning and tornadoes to slow down enemy forces whenever he could, taking advantage of the smokescreen his imitators created.

MLA Slice focuses on defending the dragon alongside Geten himself, but the Pseudo-Inasas manage to direct the needles and ice barrages away from Eri before managing to knock off both Slice and Nine, the four powerhouses then engaging in a 2v2.

But even if she was alone, she wouldn’t be afraid. She’s strong now, so much stronger than she could have ever imagined becoming, and with her new dad by her side, there’s nothing in this world or any others that she’s afraid of.

 

“So you’re supposed to be me, huh?” Yakuza Eri grins, both Kota and Tamashiro floating by her side. “I can tell you’ve still got a long way to go before reaching anywhere close to me, and not just with quirks.”

“W-We’ll see about that!” MLA Eri argues back, the two then firing their own Rewind blasts at each other… but the latter is immediately overpowered and barely avoids death thanks to Geten redirecting his dragon.

Yakuza Eri then redirects what remains of her blast as well, and would’ve scored the double kill if it wasn’t for MLA Nine blowing them away with a small tornado. 

“As some pre-quirk superhero whose name I forgot once said, I can do this all day!” The yakuza princess declares, unleashing a wave of Rewind energy at all directions, the Wave Motion part of the now Artificial Quirk letting her manipulate that power however she wants. 

Meanwhile, her dad charges into battle himself while his clones relay orders as best as they can. 

The original Gigantomachia is defending Osaka with a few thousand thugs and some soldiers in case the automatic weapons stationed around aren’t enough to tear down anyone who sneaks past the yakuza’s army. 

There’s a reason why guns were optional in the modern world of superpowers, Stronger quirk users could either tank, dodge, or kill any gun user from a distance with automatic turrets and most other weapons not doing much better.

Most. Yakuza Sekan once again thanks Tartarus for their systems being so easy to hack into (if AFO could tear it apart with a couple quirks, then surely Sekan can do much better with what he has, right?) and their blueprints for top of the line weapons for being much more effective deterrent for any invaders than most other guns out there.

Artillery units are still effective against most, and the Shie Hassaikai’s newest addition to their army also fares quite well.

 

Combat robots. Various ground and air models from Tartarus that are a whole lot tougher than the ones random 14 year olds can tear apart during the UA Entrance Exam. 

This isn’t a comic book where hordes of clankers can be brought down with a few shocks. The yakuza leader ensured his combat robots were properly insulated to handle such methods.

Of course, there is one exception to this, despite them being a massive pain in the ass to make. Several Zero-Pointers or Executors may not be as powerful as the Machias, but they are still death machines the size of skyscrapers. 

Most of the robots (those guys being monitored and/or controlled by the Hassaikai’s cyberwarfare branch) are defending Osaka, but there are some joining the tanks and their long-distance bombardment of Deika City. 

Unfortunately, the sheer number of MLA warriors lets plenty slip through the cracks of the yakuza’s push, bringing some of the fight to their own city. 

Two of the Pseudo-Machias going down early on helped a lot with that. Over a dozen High-End Nomus targeting the Pseudo-Nines also helps a lot.

Kuin is able to spot them with ease. And monitor the rest of the battlefield. And possess or brainwash hundreds of MLA warriors. And rain fire down upon Deika with swarms of Bomb Bees.

She’s practically become the backbone of Yakuza Sekan’s army, all the training, modifications, and extra quirks her master gave her not going to waste. 

The attack gets bogged down after almost four hours of a grinding warfare of attrition. MLA Sekan’s ingenious fortification planning for Deika and Re-Destro’s callousness when it came to ordering half-dead warriors to continue no matter what finally succeeded in staving off the Hassaikai forces.

Endurance and Energy Saver may make the Praetorians and top brass tireless, and Super Regeneration or Cell Activation may help out with healing, but the sheer number of powerful MLA warriors and Nomu continuously crashing into them was going to score some instant or quick enough kills eventually. 

Lucky shots would be landed here and there, and Yazuka Sekan only has around 200 normal Praetorians so far with most of the military and thugs having much less resistance to offer. He only has so many specialized military units ready to go.

But wait, can’t Yakuza Sekan simply use Overhaul to resurrect any fallen Praetorians or shower Deika in spikes? 

Well, he would if he hadn't been occupied during most of this battle.

 

“200 PERCENT LIBERATION!!!” Yakuza Sekan had heard several minutes after approaching the frontlines. 

With Overhaul now being capable of three-stage contact, he could simply stand still as his Awakened Quirk’s power went through his body and the ground to his targets.

Allies would be healed or even resurrected while enemies would die instantly, being turned into red mist before they even knew what happened. 

And there were far more MLA warriors dying all around him as Deika was being burned to the ground. That made a certain Grand Commander unimaginably stressed as he got a debriefing from his Head Advisor and charged into battle himself.

Yakuza Sekan’s first thought is how Re-Destro’s Claustro armor looks a lot more mecha or transformer-like than it did before. 

His next thought is wondering if said transformer knockoff really just shot multiple missiles at him.

His third thought mostly consists of shock as the missiles coated with Stress Output Burden explode, tearing through several tons of concrete and ice he used to shield himself with Overhaul and Half-Cold Half-Hot respectively. 

Even the few metal-alloy shields quickly made from Creation are blown apart. Using that quirk in conjunction with Overhaul’s ‘return to factory setting’ lets Sekan spam it all he likes, but the speed he can produce objects, large ones especially, is a weakness he has yet to find a way around.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Yakuza Sekan is sent flying through several buildings, taking a good bit of damage despite all his body modifications. He uses Overhaul to fix them instantly a second later before charging back towards the mech, Endurance surging and the Flight part of Mind Web further boosting his already incredible natural strength to beyond weakened All Might levels of power.

 

He learns several more things in the next few hours while combating this variant of the MLA’s Grand Commander. 

Overhaul being ineffective in turning Re-Destro’s armor into his coffin since it’s wrapped in a layer of Stress Output Burden is one of them. Even after awakening, that quirk still can’t affect pure energy no matter how solid it appears to be.

Stress Output Burden also being able to make everything from missile launchers and autocannons to giant goddamn broadswords pack far more of a punch is another. Not even the turrets at Tartarus can compare; Sekan figured out that much after using Creation a bit more.

He won’t lie, the MLA’s Grand Commander wielding a three-meter long katana coated in crackling black energy with enough strength to cut JSDF tanks in half like butter is not only extremely practical but also looks incredibly cool. And that’s just one part of the guy’s new arsenal!

Most of Sekan’s own attacks from fire to ice to lightning to the arena itself via Overhaul also prove to be mostly ineffective with Re-Destro’s sheer power being able to contend with the telekinetic strength of Captain Celebrity combined with Endurance and his own numerous body modifications. 

Even his artificial Mind Web quirk is pushed back thanks to the commander’s ridiculous amounts of willpower, a common occurrence in tougher opponents that Sekan is really starting to get tired of.

As for running out of stress to strengthen himself, with his army continuing to die and his city continuing to burn, Re-Destro’s power and stamina isn’t going anywhere. 

Sekan may not be going all-out yet (no Ultra Phosphor or OverTrigger yet), but he has to give his variant credit for creating such a powerful opponent. Even the current, weakened All Might and All For One would be on the losing end against an opponent like this!

But he can’t continue admiring his opponents for long. His forces are starting to get pushed back by the endless hordes of Nomus and MLA warriors, and he will have none of it.

He hasn’t forgotten what’s at stake here. He hasn’t forgotten how many are counting on him.

A quick Cleaning plus Overhaul to get through the burden barrier and manipulating his own suit into crushing him should finish the Grand Commander in seconds, but there is still a whole lot more to worry about.

A three, maybe four digit number of Nomu. Over a hundred thousand warriors with almost half of them being capable of at least matching an average Pro Hero. Other elites like Geten, Nine’s crew, and so on to directly engage more of his heavy-hitters while the numerous rank and file pick and prod at them until one lands a lucky shot.

This MLA is far beyond the one featured in canon. This one is actually defeating his forces.

 

Yakuza Sekan has always been aiming for the most bloodless victory (on his side, anyway) he could. In the perfect world, he can enact his endgame plan without anyone even realizing it, letting the Hassaikai survive the upcoming quirk apocalypse with both minimal losses and no pushback from enemies.

If he started a civil war with the current hero and villain society, the insane amount of heavy hitters he has could tear through most of his enemies, but at the cost of heavy casualties at best and everyone outside of himself, Zookeeper, and Eri at worst.

In a nightmare scenario, one of the symbols would kill him or he gets overwhelmed by endless opponents. He refuses to have that.

Reports from his clones keep coming in. Half of the Sinister Six is dead. Mummy is too with Chimera being in critical condition after finally tearing his MLA counterpart apart. The latter brought several High-Ends with him and Super Regeneration can’t heal wounds if what caused them is still lodged in the user’s flesh.

Trumpet is being a real pain in the ass, helping the MLA rank and file stay strong and energized with loudspeakers all over Deika despite them having to continue their attacks on the pile of corpses that are their predecessors, and Kuin can’t find any openings to brainwash or possess him.

Fanatical loyalty plus Incite makes even regular civilians fight with a ferocity that’s rare to find even amongst hardened yakuza, and that’s not even mentioning the increase in specs across the board Incite gives them. Oh, and Re-Destro is being boosted by this too.

What’s he at now? 250% Liberation? 300% Liberation?

Geten is down, as is his daughter’s counterpart, but the yakuza princess is too exhausted to keep fighting (he’s so incredibly proud of her). 

Most of his remaining special Praetorians won’t last much longer either, while a certain variant of them is about to murder whatever command staff is left at Central Tower, his own variant likely included, it won’t be enough at this rate.

The massive purple broadsword of Re-Destro’s slams him into the Earth, his raw power and the telekinetic barriers defending him with all his might… but the latter is starting to crack.

This was a wonderful test for his forces, but he’s going to lose at this rate, and he can not have that.

No more holding back.

Ultra Phosphor plus OverTrigger.

 

Meanwhile, the other Sekan just came close to death as well, his girlfriend just barely saving him from… Skeptic?

The hacker then begins to melt after Himiko Toga threw one of her custom metallic alloy knives into his head, revealing a dead Pseudo-Toga.

“Even his thoughts matched the original Skeptic! How did you…” MLA Sekan trails off, but his girlfriend just smiles at him.

“Takes one to know one, dummy. Looks like your doppelganger handed out a few copies of my quirk too. I’m flattered, but you’re still my favorite Sekan by far.”

The LOV never formed thanks to MLA Sekan taking out the demon lord early, but he knew how much potential some of its members had. That’s why he had the MLA track down and recruit Toga, Mustard, and Mr. Compress, the former getting extremely close with him over the last half a year.

They tried recruiting Twice too, but he ended up dying in a three-way war between him, the MLA, and AFO who likely got tipped off by Giran. That battle is what led to the MLA going all in against the demon lord, and eventually sic All Might on him.

“Thanks, Himi.” MLA Sekan smiles before ordering the High-Ends to kill anyone that enters the room and taking the vials of Trigger the fallen Praetorian had yet to use. He isn’t much of a combatant, but you never know when such a thing might come in handy.

When Trumpet and Curious protested to the order he gave, the MLA’s head advisor argued back that the rest of the building could’ve been compromised for all they know since they have no clue how many Pseudo-Togas his variant has under him.

There don’t seem to be that many of each Special Praetorian, but he has to be ready for whatever trump card his opponent pulls out.

He wasn’t.

He was expecting another secret fighting force or branch of his small army, but Yakuza Sekan’s main focus has always been improving himself. Considering how selfish he is, how could it not be?

So when a massive purple and red tornado filled with fire, lightning, and the battlefield itself appears right outside of Deika city, he realizes he may have miscalculated.

And when Claustro 2.0 is torn apart like tissue paper, he realizes he definitely miscalculated.

The Grand Commander of the Meta Liberation Army exploding half a second later hammered the point home. His face was grabbed and his body was popped like a bloody balloon.

The maniacal laughter his variant echoes all across the battlefield doesn’t help much either. 

“Oh, you have got to be kidding-”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Yakuza Sekan reaches the top of Central Tower in mere moments, demolishing a third of the highest floor and blasting back the two High-End Nomus acting as bodyguards through his explosive entrance alone.

But those few moments were enough to make preparations for one of the head advisor’s contingency plans.

“WAIT! WAIT, HOLD ON A SECOND!” The MLA agent shouts while waving his hands in the air. “Before you murder us all, can I at least show you something real quick?”

“...Seriously? You expect me to believe this isn’t a trap?” The yakuza leader sneers, his voice echoing around what’s left of the room.

“It’s just a few notes I took on my phone about MLA discoveries I made. If I’m gonna die, I at least want you to help out the version in your world a bit, or look at them in a better light.”

“...I’m still not buying it, but you know what, sure. Let’s see why you think a phone can kill me.” The yakuza relents, more curious than anything.

He then immensely regrets doing so three seconds later when his counterpart starts up a FaceTime call with-

“MR. SMILEEEEEY!!!”

“Oh, YOU MOTHERFFFFFFFAAAHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!”

“Thank you, filler episodes.” Prophet smirks before commanding, “PLAN B! NOW!!!”

 

Smile. A goofy but absurdly broken quirk exclusive to the MHA anime that basically makes its user Ms. Joke on steroids. 

It causes anyone who sees the user’s teeth in real time, whether directly, in a mirror, or on a live video, to laugh uncontrollably for two hours. Two. Whole. Hours. 

Even All Might and Endeavor were rendered powerless for hours on end when hit by this effect, and there’s no limit to how many people can be affected at once either!

Hell, you could incapacitate half the country at once for two entire hours if they’re all watching a live video of that quirk in action! 

While it is true that this quirk is comically overpowered (pun intended), and that it would’ve made the canon Final War both a whole lot easier and a whole lot funnier if the quirk’s user was present, there are some notable weaknesses and counters.

Besides simply keeping your eyes shut and relying on other senses, like what Endeavor trained Bakugou to do during that particular episode, attacking Mr. Smiley from outside his quirk’s effective range (which isn’t very large), or just ambushing the guy before he can activate it would get the job done.

You could also probably knock yourself out for a bit to cancel out the effects, either with help from a friend or specialized support gear, as a few seconds or even thirty seconds unconscious is better than 2 hours of uncontrollable laughter where you can’t defend yourself.

As for more hypothetical or unlikely ideas, both Sekans theorized that maybe a quirk that causes negative emotions in people could cancel the laughter or positive emotions out. There’s also quirks like Rewind which should undo the biological state of being affected by that quirk, but considering how rare temporal quirks like that are, that idea would be put on the back burner unless you have Eri with you.

There is also the return to factory setting that Yakuza Sekan developed with his Overhaul quirk, but not only is he currently in a fit of uncontrollable laughter, but he’s also getting ambushed by the multiple High-End Nomus still present as well as the MLAs remaining top brass.

All the remaining top brass except Prophet and Carmilla, or MLA Sekan and Himiko Toga, who hitch a ride to the MLA’s backup command center on a High-End Nomu.

But why not go all in and try to finish him now? Well, this assault group doesn’t have to finish him, just distract him for a few seconds until the final part of their Plan B is ready, a far more manageable task. 

Knowing the trouble Tomura Shigaraki and the canon LOV cause for Deika, MLA Sekan came up with a countermeasure in case the city’s Central Tower was ever invaded by an overwhelming force.

That countermeasure is explosives. Lots and lots of quirked explosives from Curious and multiple other people with similar quirks covering all of Central Tower as well as the surrounding kilometer or so of land. 

Each individual explosion doesn’t pack much of a punch, even with Trigger being applied on the quirks’ users during this set up, but thousands of these explosions going off simultaneously? Even some of All For One’s most dangerous quirk combos don’t measure up to that level of destructive power. 

In this case, Curious sacrificed herself to spring the true trap seven seconds after the ambush began, five seconds after MLA Sekan and Toga escaped Central Tower, and half a second after Yakuza Sekan used Overhaul to undo Smile’s effect.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

An eerie silence covers the entire battlefield after that, warriors and yakuza alike gawking at what once was the center of Deika City. 

MLA Sekan and Toga soon arrive at the secondary command center, never taking their eyes off the massive crater where Central Tower used to be. 

They had been far enough away from the blast for the High-End Nomu to tank most of the damage and recover just fine, but their guard hasn’t been dropped just yet.

“We did it?” The vampire girl confirms. “With your variant dead, so long as you live until time runs out, our side wins, right?”

Prophet doesn’t answer her, instead looking closely at the dust cloud where his variant once stood… and the dark goop that slowly rises out of it.

Dark goop that begins creating duplicates. Soldiers, Praetorians, Eight Bullets, Sinister Six, Four Horsemen, and many, many Yakuza Sekans.

Dozens of each become hundreds. Hundreds then become thousands.

And in the middle of them all is a mutilated, half-dead, absolutely livid transmigrator.

“Infinite Doubles… Sad Man’s Death Parade. DESTROY THEM!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

“We’re not done yet.” Prophet growls towards the incoming tidal waves of duplicates.

“But we are so screwed.” Toga gawks back.

“No, we’re not.” Her boyfriend assures her. “Our Eri is still alive; my Mind Link with her is still active, as is my Mind Link with my variant. 

We need to get to the former first and foremost. Use your sample of Re-Destro’s blood as it should come with his Claustro gear. Let me hop on and follow my directions from there.”

Himiko Toga has long since trusted Sekan with her life. The life of a normal girl with the cutest smile in the world… the life he helped make possible.

So she doesn’t hesitate to follow his instructions to the letter, transforming into a copy of their Grand Commander and taking off with the remaining High-End following close behind as a meat shield and Sekan himself activating the earpiece Skeptic gave him.

“All remaining Nomu and Meta Liberation Warriors, this is Prophet. I need you to surround and repel the growing mass of dark goo where Central Tower once stood. Form rings within rings, layers upon layers. The other enemies don’t matter anymore; it’s all or nothing at this point.

Every remaining MLA member left besides Trumpet and Chronos, go forth and put everything you have towards keeping our dreams of liberation alive. Koku, I need your heart and mind elsewhere for my final gambit to work. Eri, I need your blessing of an ability now more than ever, little sis.”

Dozens of thousands do just that as Sekan and Toga fly across what remains of Deika, straight towards where the remaining Shie Hassaikai members are at.

“Sekan?” Toga stutters. 

“Remember that pre-quirk movie I watched with you last week? Ender’s Game? We’re gonna be doing my own take on beating that Final Test.” Sekan explains. “Eri and Trumpet aren’t far. You and the High-End Nomu can carve through what few opponents we need to.”

“And what then? The other warriors won’t stop your variant from expanding. An onslaught like the one he’s building can overcome anything!”

“Anything except the power of time itself. Two boosted outlets of time’s power, to be specific.” The transmigrator turned meta liberation warrior smirks.

 

Trumpet is the first essential piece to be picked up, the MLA member still being surrounded by a few dozen other warriors who then give their lives to buy Sekan a few more seconds.

The High-End with them dies fifteen seconds after that, a barrage from the remaining real Pseudo-Nines taking the modified undead down, but it buys Sekan and Toga enough time to reach their little sister.

Both her and her variant.

“It’s too late to stop him.” The yakuza princess smirks, holding an energy blade to her variant’s throat. “Just take a look.”

Thousands of clones become tens of thousands as the dark goop covers over a fourth of Deika.

Tens of thousands of clones become hundreds of thousands as the dark goop shoots miles into the sky. 

“Would your father give up if he was in my shoes?” MLA Sekan questions back. 

“You-” 

She doesn’t get the chance to answer, the stolen dosage of Trigger Sekan took boosting Mind Web enough to stun the young villain, even with her intelligence-boosting quirk being active. 

His little sister takes the chance to kick her counterpart away and run towards the trio.

 

“Toga, ditch your current disguise and drink some of Eri’s blood. Trumpet, boost all three of us with Incite as much as you can. We’re going to-”

“Wait! Take this blood instead!” Prophet’s little sister suddenly shouts, sticking her bloodied hand towards Toga. “It’s from the other Eri. Her meta ability is way stronger than mine!”

“You heard her.” The transmigrator grins. “Transform as best as you can and then work with Eri to form a barrier of Rewind’s energy around us. We’re going to carve our way through the swarm, drill a path right towards the original. If he goes down, all his clones will follow.”

“NO!!!” Yakuza Eri screams, lunging towards the group who dare defy her father.

But she gets blasted away by a teenage version of herself.

“Oh, damn. Multiple meta abilities. And I’m pretty sure Rewind is a merged one like Kurogiri’s power.” Toga smirks before turning towards the dark tidal wave.

“Take this too.” Trumpet offers. “It’s some of the Trigger our warriors got from the corpses of those Praetorians.”

“Got it. Thanks, Koku.”

Sekan stands next to her and Eri crawls on top of him with Trumpet putting a hand on both teens’ shoulders. The remaining doses of Trigger are injected and the four remaining meta liberation warriors prepare for their last stand.

“The fate of our liberation lies with you, such was the Grand Commander’s decree.” The oldest remaining executive declares. “Let’s do our best, Prophet.”

“Right! Ready, everyone?”

Hundreds of thousands of clones become millions as the dark goop consumes all of Deika and begins doing the same with Osaka. 

“NOW!!!”

 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

*BOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOM*

Toga leads the charge, Eri’s power reinforcing her sister in all but blood. Sekan guides the way and Trumpet provides the three with his quirk’s own boost on top of what they’re all already getting from Trigger.

“Keep going straight for the next five seconds. Then begin heading upwards at a thirty degree angle.” Prophet commands, the golden drill rewinding whatever goop, clones, and attacks it hits out of existence. 

Trigger and Incite are replenishing Eri and Toga’s energy… his variant is standing still among the swarm… they can still reach him!

“Sekan, their resistance is growing by the second!”

“Keep going, we aren’t far.”

“My power’s running out!”

“I’m close to quirk exhaustion!”

“Just a little bit more, you guys!”

A hundred meters… fifty meters… thirty meters…

 

*BOOM* *BOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOM*

“Toga! On my count, accelerate your Rewind energy from the nose of the construct into a continuous stream!” Prophet then orders.

“Like a Nejire Pike?”

“Exactly! Like a bullet from a rifle, you will clear a visual for Eri. We’ll drill a hole through the clones, and the moment we reach my variant, Eri will fire every bit of energy she has left at him!”

“Got it, big bro!” The white-haired girl cheers, more determined than ever before.

“In three… two… one… Now, Toga!”

The teenager’s horn starts to crack, her copied powers pushed to their absolute limit as another wave of energy begins piercing through the clones right in front of them. 

Trumpet gives the last bit of energy he can as the group’s Trigger slowly begins to wear off.

Twenty meters… fifteen meters… ten meters… five meters…

*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOOM*

“Huh? And just what do you think you’re-”

“ERI, NOW!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

 

 

The dark flood begins fading away, revealing what few survivors remain on the war-torn battlefield.

Koku Hanabata, Trumpet, unconscious and foaming out the mouth from quirk exhaustion.

Himiko Toga, Carmilla, back in her original, albeit goo-covered body, also unconscious and severely spasming as a backlash from her copied powers.

Eri Doraifu, Chronos, her horn now shattered from overusing her power, in the arms of her big brother.

And Sekan Doraifu, Prophet, struggling to stand with his passed out little sister nestled in his arms.

They’re all beaten, bloodied, and completely exhausted. They fought to their limits and went even further beyond.

Such is why they remained as the battlefield cleared up, the mind link Prophet had with his variant now gone and the final clones fully fading away.

‘No more Shie Hassaikai members are around… did the swarm destroy them too?’ The transmigrator questions before nearly blacking out.

But he remains standing. He refuses to let Eri get hurt any longer, even if by a simple, few-foot fall. 

He refuses to go down now, not until he gently places his little sister down first. 

Once he does so, he finally lets himself collapse.

…He too is caught.

“Truly incredible, other me.”

 

Sekan Doraifu, the yakuza Sekan Doraifu, smiles as he catches his variant and gently places him down, just as the MLA member did to his sister.

“How?” Prophet gasps, barely able to even speak due to exhaustion and blood loss. “The clones… melted. Faded away. Only… only happens when-”

“The Double user dies, or in Toga’s case, runs out of time.” His variant finishes. “Just as our Mind Link guided you to me, it also guided me to you. I wasn’t entirely sure how, but I knew you were approaching me for one last gamble to destroy Double, so that’s what I let you do.

While my clones were keeping you occupied, I separated the Double quirk from myself with Overhaul and gave it to one of my clones. When you had Eri launch her final attack, I severed the mind link we had and let my clones tank it while tunneling underground.

My original Double quirk was thus destroyed, so as a result, all the clones faded away.”

“Could’ve just… backed up before…” MLA Sekan mutters.

“Yeah… but with all the effort you put into that final push, you deserved to feel victory, even if only for a little bit. I’m a selfish bastard, but even I can respect the effort you put in, and you deserve to have at least one final moment with your loved ones.”

The teenage transmigrator then pulls in his unconscious girlfriend and little sister for one final hug, tears starting to trickle down his face.

“What I said before… about helping out the MLA…” He mutters. “They aren’t all bad… just need some character development…”

“I know, trust me.” Yakuza Sekan assures his variant, kneeling down. “So long as everything goes according to plan, the Meta Liberation Army will never be ruined by All For One. They’ll be better than ever before, and show my shackled world what it truly means to be liberated.”

“Then I’ll… I’ll l-leave it to…” The transmigrator whispers, just barely managing to stay conscious. 

“Leave it to me. I’ll carry on your ambition for liberation until the day I permanently die.” The demon lord usurper promises. 

One last activation of Overhaul finishes the job, and the rest of this battlefield finally fades away.

 

 

 

“How many more of these are you gonna make me do?” Sekan can’t help but groan when he returns, now knowing without a shadow of a doubt these Incursions, these stupid side games, are real.

He achieved victory again, but that caused an entire world to be erased again.

And yet… he can’t find it in himself to be angry.

Is it because of the Kai Chisaki part of him? Is it because of all the villains influencing him? Is he going even more insane?

Or is it simply because there is no stopping this even if he wants to?

The world of My Hero Academia, under all the glitz and glamour, is full of tragedies and broken people. It’s something Sekan can’t fix no matter how many quirks he obtains.

He can’t stand against those who forced him into this transmigration position either. It’s like what Nine said, the strongest have the right to do as they wish. It’s simply their right as the strongest… it’s simply their right as gods. 

And if he doesn’t like that, then he’ll just have to become a god himself and change it.

“This will continue until only one version of you remains. We’ll leave you alone after that, our curiosity satisfied.” Lucifer answers… and Sekan gets an idea.

A potential loophole. Another crack in their system.

 

‘I should have more than enough data to do this, and he deserves to continue his legacy here. He’ll be a great help in my future endeavors.’ Sekan smiles as he activates Double.

The Twice clone comes into being as planned… but the same can’t be said for the clone that clone was supposed to summon.

Sekan then tries it himself, and he also fails to create a clone of his MLA variant.

“Sorry, no creating Doubles or clones in general of beings from other timelines. That just wouldn’t be fair for the other competitors, and while I am all for that, my divine frenemy unfortunately isn’t.” The horned asshole shrugs.

“Then drop that restriction after this bullshit is over.” Sekan demands. 

“Someone’s certainly feeling bold today.” The deity growls before chuckling. “Sure, why not. But that’s only if you win. 

Now then, you best head home now and continue to prepare. There aren’t many variants left, and this world’s apocalypse is drawing ever closer. I personally hope you emerge victorious; I’m curious what you’ll do during the aftermath.”

“Isn’t it obvious…” Sekan mutters, starting the long flight back to Japan’s mainland. “What I’ve always done. Survive the stupid shounen you’ve thrown me into.”

Chapter 55: Stars, Scrubs, and Sports Festivals

“Is this… confirmed?” All Might questions in his Small Might form after Nezu’s lengthy explanation and some quick catching up.

“The ‘Nomu’ in question was confirmed to have multiple quirks as well as signs of extensive genetic and biological modifications from the blood samples taken.” Nezu explains to the small group around him. “Not only that, but Recovery Girl confirmed that there was Trigger of an unprecedented quality in your body right after the events of the USJ.”

“But how? My sense of reason was never lost despite the highly emotional state I was in at the time, my tongue never turned black due to damage in my blood flow, and the boost in power was-”

“Greater than any other variant of Trigger we’ve ever seen despite the negative side effects being practically nonexistent.” UA’s principle cuts the Symbol of Peace off. “Long Haul never brought up this drug during our talk; he probably wishes to use information regarding the drug as a leverage in the future.

He’ll eventually blame one of his competitors for such when it was most likely his own organization that created this significantly improved variation of Trigger.”

“And the rest of his words? Also, I do hope you had some contingencies in place in case this villain decides to strike, Nezu. He’s clearly capable if he was able to break into UA undetected, and without a warp quirk nonetheless.” ‘Sir Nighteye’ questions.

It was easy for NightHaul. So unbelievably easy without the sentient lie detector standing in his way.

Kuin may have messed up big time, but she more than made up for it recently. She’s going Plus Ultra in terms of effort from now on while following every order to the letter, and her latest mission was a complete success.

Now he just needs to play his part.

“I was never in danger. If he was willing to save All Might’s life to make his competitor’s lives harder, then surely he wouldn’t go through all that trouble to kill me. Well, not now, anyway.”

“The fact that he views the Symbol of Peace as less of a threat, even when weakened… He’s clearly quite intelligent, but his statements are outlandish to say the least. 

But if they really are true… this is why you should’ve gotten some rest back then, Toshinori.” NightHaul speaks up again, playing Nighteye’s role of an ‘angry tsundere simp’, as his real self described it, as best as he can.

Detective Tsukauchi doesn’t speak up about the lie in his statement.

Kuin made sure he wouldn’t unless ordered to. 

 

“All For One… the Meta Liberation Army… and this third villain leader who wants to pit us all against each other. Multiple country-wide threats with ambitions to become global threats. How could I have missed this? How are we supposed to combat this?” All Might questions.

“You could start by giving One For All to someone who could actually-”

“ENOUGH, Mirai! We are not having this talk right now!” The symbol barks at his old sidekick. “Mirio Togata is well on his way to becoming an incredible hero, but the choice of my successor is my own.”

“Tell you what. I’ll test the kid’s mettle after the Sports Festival, help him get into the swing of things. Or perhaps I should have a few more training sessions with dumb and dumber over there to shake that rust off of ‘em.” Sorahiko Torino offers, making All Might tremble and ‘Nighteye’ shiver. 

“That will not be necessary. I trust you can be more reasonable about our ultimate weapon against these villains than your old student?”

“Quit heckling, Mirai. And don’t act like you don’t have a laundry list of issues either. Now then, what’s our play, Nezu?” The old hero gets straight to the point.

“I’m afraid the best move we can make right now is playing along with Long Haul’s game. We have no other methods of finding out information regarding the other two villainous empires, or Long Haul himself for that matter.”

“Should we not report this to the HPSC?” ‘Nighteye’ questions.

“No.” Nezu shuts him down immediately. “The current crisis is because the HPSC focused on heroes as a go-to means of dealing with issues, and completely forgo working on the issues that cause villains to be born in the first place. If anything, the villains seem to be more united than the heroes right now.

Then again, I didn’t do a whole lot about this either, something I plan on changing in the future. But for now, I can infer that the Creature Rejection Clan and Wild Villains were just a taste of what’s to come. 

Far more people will flock to one of these three empires. They already have, if Long Haul’s claim about them all being able to take on Japan and win is anything to go by. We need to stop them before they can act as well as stop the problems that create so many villains at the roots.”

‘Yeah, good luck getting anywhere with that, rodent.’ NightHaul mentally grumbles. ‘The Entrance Exam and Sports Festival alone should be completely overhauled, if not scrapped entirely, and that’s not even a month into the school year at your place.’

 

“Unfortunately, UA is only a single school and I happen to have a long list of issues with many others. The HPSC only making things worse with their policies isn’t helpful either. 

Hopefully some schools will follow our example; UA is pretty much the image of an ideal hero school after all. But none of that will mean anything if society as we know it is destroyed before those changes start to take any effect.”

“Easier said than done. Which organization should we target first, if not all of them at once?”

“All For One.” All Might sternly declares. “Neither of the others can possibly be as big of a threat as that man. This time I’ll make sure he stays down, even if I have to beat his whole body into a bloody mist.”

“Hold your horses there, hotshot.” Gran Torino stops his student. “The MLA was a real pain in the ass back then too, and then there’s the guy manipulating all the above for his own plans.”

“I understand what you’re saying, but I agree with All Might.” ‘Nighteye’ voices his opinion. “We can at least confirm how much of a threat All For One is. Finishing him off as early as we can would be best. After that, when Long Haul directs us towards the MLA or any other potential villainous organizations he is enemies with, we can start our investigations into him.

Taking down All For One with help from his guidance would also allow us to learn more about him and gain his trust. That should make investigating him later on a lot easier. Such will hopefully lead us to taking him down alongside the Meta Liberation Army, if it really is still around.”

A logical plan full of lies, but once again, Tsukauchi doesn’t say a word.

This really does make things so much easier for NightHaul.

‘You haven’t the slightest fucking idea what you’re dealing with, lab rat. Now go and nibble on that potato for me.’

 

Countdown to Canon: 1 Month Until Hosu

“WELCOME TO THE UA SPORTS FESTIVAL!” Present Mic screeches as thousands cheer and fireworks explode.

Yup, I’m back for another Sports Festival. As for how it’s going, the event has barely begun and I already want to turn Present Mic into Past Mic. How do the hobo and bonafide prostitute put up with this?

((“Someone’s rather grumpy today. Still hung up over the Second Round?”))

‘What do you think, NightHaul?’

((“Well I’m sure our student kicking absolute ass will cheer you up. GO MIRIO!!!”))

‘That’s my head you’re screaming into!’

((“MI-RI-O! MI-RI-O! MI-”))

I cut the mind link after that. 

 

Now unlike last year, this Sports festival is the canon one, and I’d be lying if I said I was excited for it. I’ve watched this arc way too many times and the changes Butterfly Effect causes here should be minimal, so can you really blame me?

But I’m not without contingencies. This time around, I have three things to help spice this up.

First is Eri, who is joining me like last year. She is currently giggling at the arena full of morons drooling at Midnight’s fanservice.

Second is Zi, who also agreed to come. She is currently covering both Eri’s eyes and my own, shielding us from Midnight’s fanservice while cursing UA under her breath for letting a de facto prostitute host the Sports Festival starring 14-15 year old children.

Third is NightHaul, who is nice enough to share a mind link with us (and quit his chanting after we all complained about it) as he watches the third year’s Sports Festival, letting us see whatever he deems interesting enough to send over.

My clone is very excited to see Mirio kick everyone’s asses, and I can’t really blame him. The blond hero student has become something of a personal pet project for the guy and I see nothing wrong with a person admiring their work, especially when that person is me.

Oh, and my physical appearance has been altered to be as it was during last year’s event. Same with Eri, so Nezu shouldn’t connect us to ‘Long Haul’ at all.

((“Any bets on who’s gonna win the whole thing?”)) Zi sends Eri and I a message through our de facto mental group chat.

Frankly, I really should’ve done this with Eri last year instead of whispering and relying on the sheeple being too distracted eating this shit up. Not that the latter strategy didn’t work, it was just way more risky. Oh well, better late than never.

((“Yeah! The kid whose hair looks like a candy cane! His dad is almost as bad as Kai Chisaki, but trying to beat me down made me stronger, sooooo…”)) Eri mentally voices her own thoughts.

‘Not everyone is like you, snowflake.’ I let my daughter know. ‘I’ll go for the angry pomeranian who just pissed off half the audience. He looks like the kinda guy who can back up his bark with some bite… and a side of rabies.’

Yeah, Katsuki still does the student pledge. His character also didn’t change one bit; how he hasn’t gotten a stroke yet is beyond me.

And yeah, I may be cheating with my canon knowledge, but hey, it’s not like the Butterfly Effect hasn’t screwed me over before, so I’m not counting the two white-haired girls out yet.

That doesn’t stop NightHaul from rolling his eyes at me. I don’t see that through our mind link, but I just know he’s exasperated about this.

As for who Zi went with, she chose Izuku since she saw me eyeing him so much.

Too bad she specified the bets were for the whole thing. She would’ve won if she asked who we thought would win this round.

Then again, I would’ve just chosen Izuku before she could bet on him.

Ain’t I a stinker?

 

But back to the actual festival, the first round goes pretty much the same. 

Shoto proves just how much better my Praetorians are at using his own damn quirk than he is. Katsuki proves he’s still an asshole who should be locked up in juvie rather than being a hero student in Japan’s best hero school. Izuku proves he still prefers not using his quirk at all or breaking his own bones over actually doing some of his fabled ‘analysis’ on it.

Yeah sorry Midoriya fans, but Izuku’s canon analysis is clearly nothing on a professional level. It’s just a few basic observations anyone with half a brain in our own world can make that aren’t even useful as his main solution in canon tends to be ‘PUNCH HARDER! PLUS ULTRAAA!’

But I suppose even that much is far superior to every other canon quirk analyst in this shounen world.

((“Why doesn't candy cane kid just freeze the pomeranian’s hands? That’s where the sweat his explosions use is coming from, right?”)) Eri mentally complains as the two top first years duke it out on the obstacle course.

Get good, scrubs. Even my six year old daughter is a better analyst than you.

In all seriousness, while seeing this in real life is still kinda cool, I’ve just been through much, much more than this during the last year.

If I accepted my UA backstory, then I’d sure as hell be excited. I also probably would’ve teamed up with Shinso. We could work together to throw people off regarding how our mental quirks work and I may have even won if OFA didn’t screw me over. 

Ah, well. No point getting hung over what-ifs. I’ll save that for the next incursion.

For now, I’ll just keep watching the first years fumble around their Sports Festival and the Big 3 dominate in their own Sports Festival. 

NightHaul had offered Nejire and Tamaki a few quirk tips at the request of Mirio. Nejire was easy thanks to my discoveries while training Eri to use Wave Motion. Tamaki was even easier due to how versatile his quirk is. The recommendation my clones and I had for him was to look into what durable metals he could safely eat in extremely small amounts.

He was able to utilize Yu’s crystals through Manifest in canon, so why not take that one step further?

Anyway, Izuku’s suicidal tendencies win him the first round (he literally builds a pile of mines before jumping on it with a chunk of metal to fling himself across the arena) and the calvary battle basically goes like normal too. There isn’t really a point going into further detail about them. 

Seriously, why do people here consider this to be in the same league as the Olympics? I know they’re infatuated with all things hero-related, but these are just mostly inexperienced high schoolers beating the shit out of each other.

If it was an international event between the world’s top heroes, then I would understand all the hype. Watching All Might, Big Red Dot, Star and Stripe, Salaam, and other Number 1 Heroes across the globe duke it out in various over-the-top events would be fucking awesome, but this?

Whatever. This’ll probably be the last Sports Festival ever done anyway, so I suppose it doesn’t really matter.

 

As for the break between rounds 2 and 3, Eri wanted to go off and troll Endeavor, but her Uncle Stain and I have plans for that flaming trash bag, so she was eventually willing to relent and wait a month or so until Hosu.

Speaking of Stain, I made sure he wouldn’t engage Ingenium if he ran into the hero. The evil plans I just mentioned will be a whole lot easier to enact if those pesky main characters don’t get in the way.

Eri, Zi, and I still did get up and wander around. It was right around when the 1-A girls proved they’re still stupid enough to dress up as slutty cheerleaders and strut their stuff on national television at Zappy and the Grapist’s insistence. 

Yeah girls, that’s totally something Eraserhead would have you do. And use Mineta as a messenger for. Oh, and let's not forget how Mineta got Momo to actually make the costumes because UA obviously doesn’t have the money to spend on some cheerleader outfits for their supposed yearly tradition in advance despite buying Godzilla-sized combat robots in bulk without a problem.

Why was she given a 6/5 in intelligence again? Seriously, I know this shounen is shit at ranking basically everything, but this is awful even for their subpar standards.

And you’d think there would be some kind of fallout to that ‘prank’ too, especially with Momo since this should be a big slight on family reputation, the concept of which being a massive part of Japan's culture, but nope. 

Then again, this is the society who’s top hero school barely gave Bakugou a slap on the wrist for literally trying to, and damn near succeeding in, obliterating Izuku during battle training on the second day. He won’t die if he dodges, right? That’s a shounen for you.

“Don’t worry, dad. I’ll make sure my minions don’t grow up to be stupid bimbos like them!” My daughter assures me. 

“Atta gi- wait, where did you hear the word ‘bimbo’ from?”

“Kuin. She also said the next person who calls her that will have more stingers on their body than skin when she’s done with them. I haven’t seen her that angry since her custom-made Skycrawler body pillow was stolen! Heheh, the Creation Crew member who she forced to make that looked like he was done with life and she also bribed me to not tell you about that incident. Oops. You can keep another secret, right?”

Of course it was Kuin. It’s always Kuin.

Somewhere back in Hassaikai HQ, Sekan’s over-engineered mess of an immortal insect monarch sneezes before shivering in inexplicable fear.

 

The third round starts soon after we get some more snacks and the lineup is… exactly like normal. Again.

Seriously, butterfly effect? I know I wanted minimal impact on the main plot until Kamino, but why can things never be interesting unless they involve my organization potentially being exposed or me potentially getting murdered?

Whatever. The 1v1 totally-not-deathmatches then start with Izuku completely ignoring Ojiro’s advice about how Shinso’s quirk works (quirk expert, huh Horikoshi?) and the power of foreshadowing lets him-

((‘How odd…’)) 

That wasn’t Eri or Zi or my clones, but VestigeHaul.

‘What?’

((‘I expected more from this fabled ‘plot-armored quirk’, but either those vestiges didn’t have brains form with the rest of their incorporeal bodies or they’re drama queens rivaling our friendly neighborhood demon lord.’))

‘VestigeHaul, if you alert them to your presence-’

((‘Relax, Sekan. Only One For All and All For One resonate with each other like that. Besides, what awareness they do have is now focused on Shinso’s brainwashing. We also have far more control over your own vestigeworld, and with a little bit of Search and Mind Web, I should… be able to…’))

‘VestigeHaul? Hey! What are you-’

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Izuku breaks his fingers as badly as the ring like in canon, but I’m way more concerned over the stunt one of my ghosts just pulled.

VestigeHaul and I are on far better terms now, and he’s responsible for many of my discoveries about the vestigeworld in general, so he’s basically on probation, allowed to use some of my quirks for his experiments regarding this mental realm of mine.

As for him betraying me, the other vestiges, my own included, won’t let that happen.

Besides, those guys already mentally broke him ages ago. That or the fanfics. 

Or both. Probably both. 

But he can still get a bit caught up in his work, potentially doing things most would find to be terminally stupid.

Hopefully this isn’t one of those instances. Kuin’s fuckup was bad enough.

((‘How pathetic… this clan of fools who can only run away.’))

‘VestigeHaul, what did you just do?’

((‘I acquired data on this artificial abomination and the vestiges that plague it. This should help with some of your future projects.’))

‘I already know plenty about One For All.’

((‘But do you know more than just a glimpse of the memories associated with their users? What about the weak points of these vestiges? And no, they aren’t aware of what just happened. You know how thorough I am when it comes to my research. With how undeveloped they still are, such was a simple task.’))

‘I wasn’t aware that vestiges even had weak points.’

((‘Neither was I. Good thing I checked, right?’)) The masked ghost snarks back.

‘Couldn’t you check your roommates for that?’

((‘Didn’t think of it. Did you?’))

‘...Touche.’

 

Why the hell didn’t I think of that before? Search specifically targets the Quirk Factor and DNA of people and vestiges basically are quirk factors. 

I’ll have to get a copy of Scanning too. Or the Artificial Quirk of that and Search whenever the copies of those quirks finally decide to merge in our test subjects.

‘But for now, care to share what you learned?’

((‘Alright, but there are some gaps that I hope your otherworldly knowledge can fit in.’))

I don’t really pay much attention to the festival after that. Comments from Eri like ‘Half of these idiots can’t even hold a stance, let alone take a punch!’ and ‘Even my worst minions can use their quirks better than they can, and all they would get is the quirk’s name!’ got a few laughs out of me, but that was about it.

I’ve already seen Izuku’s talk-no-jutsu to Shoto and Bakugou being chained up like the feral animal he is. None of this is new or interesting to me.

I’m too busy chatting with VestigeHaul to really care about seeing the rest of this arc play out live; besides, I can just watch the recordings later if I really want to.

Maybe I’ll turn it into a bonus quirk analysis class for the rest of the Head-Starters while I’m at it. Having them theorize drawbacks, applications, and potential improvements at a deeper level than Present Mic could ever accomplish would be a good lesson.

This is a disappointment compared to me shaking up the USJ, I know, but Hosu should be a lot more interesting with what I have planned.

Oh, and the top four were still the same. The wild pomeranian was still put on a leash too.

But there was one major difference. Tenya Iida was there for the awards this time, so it looks like Stain avoided Ingenium as per my orders. Great! 

Not only that, but we also run into another familiar face a bit later on. One who dominated as expected and is taking home the gold. His fellow Big 3 members also got second and third place, Mirio beating Tamaki in the semi-finals and Nejire in the finals.

 

“Hi, Ghost Might!”

“Oh! Hi, Eri!” Mirio waves hello to his little fan and we wave back. “Nice to see you again. These are my friends, Nejire and Tamaki.”

“Nice to see you too, Mirio.” I smile at the trio.

Yup. His two best buddies and fellow Big 3 members are with him this time around and Nejire squeals at Eri’s cuteness while Tamaki shrinks away as her dad looks them over.

“So tall…” The latter mumbles. “Scary…”

Jeez, Tamaki. I know I’ve got a good few inches on you even like this, but come on. Just picture me as a potato or something.

“Uh, yeah. Hehe. You’ve grown a lot too, Eri! How old are you now?”

She looks the same as she did last year, horns, hair, and all thanks to Overhaul, but I get his desire to change topic for Tamaki’s sake. He’s a good friend like that.

“Six!” The white-haired girl cheers, being adorable like always. “I love being a big girl, but I also wanna be bigger and prettier when I’m older! Like Nejire!”

The blue-haired girl squees in adorableness some more while my daughter continues to charm her. As for Tamaki, either his sixth sense is going haywire at who is secretly one of the world’s most powerful villains being ten feet away or he just has a major fear of tall people.

Gigantasophobia, I think? 

 

Actually, now that I think about it, that guy is basically afraid of everyone in canon. Don’t ask me why he wanted to be a hero (maybe constant pep talks from Mirio during their childhood?), but it just doesn’t sound like a very good career choice for someone so timid.

Manifest is an incredibly powerful quirk, don’t get me wrong, but-

((‘By any chance is Tamaki a cannibal?’)) VestigeHaul suddenly asks me out of the blue, and it takes everything I have to keep a straight face after that.

‘Okay, dude. I know you have some serious issues given the toucan you came from, but what the fuck?!’

((‘The Manifest quirk allows the user to enhance their body parts with the characteristics of anything they consume, right? I’m just curious what happens if he eats human hair or drinks human blood or something like that. Can he manifest other people’s quirks for a while?’))

That’s… a very good question. 

If he can, then he would have a way better copy quirk than Neito Monoma since he can manifest traits of stuff he eats as long as it’s in his digestive system. That’s a whole lot longer than the five minutes Neito has, and Tamaki has no limit to how many things he can manifest at once unlike Neito who can only use one quirk at a time.

Hell, with enough strands of hair or samples of blood, Tamaki could temporarily beat All For One at his own game!

((‘No wonder this world didn’t have any competent quirk analysts before you came along. Some idiots would find a way to destroy said world a decade after quirks pop up at most if there was.’))

‘Mood.’

 

I did the bodyfuse trick with Tamaki that night. He wasn’t awake beforehand, but he probably would’ve just passed out from sheer terror if he was.

Neito Monoma got the duplication treatment too. I would’ve done it after the Entrance Exam if I could find the guy and it slipped my mind until now. I had much higher priorities. 

LabHaul should have some fun picking at these quirk copies. He’s still messing around with the USJ Nomu; Super Regeneration lets him get as much DNA and other materials from the thing as he wants.

Stuffing a body full of quirks or heavily modifying it causes the body to stress, but it’s mainly the brain that’s affected. The brain can be modified to better handle the strain; quirks like Endurance help improve it too, but there’s a limit to how much you can hold without going brain dead.

Just look at the Nomus for an example. And even then, Garaki can only modify them so much. 

The All For One and One For All quirks help out with this… when it comes to quirks, anyway. 

AFO keeps the quirks collected all sorted and helps the user bear the strain of so many quirks… mostly. Garaki said in canon that there is a limit to how many quirks an AFO user can safely control without adversely affecting them, much like the Nomu. 

Tomura’s superpowered body was supposed to fix that problem (why AFO didn’t let Garaki give him any body modifications to fix this is beyond me; even the Next-Level Villain treatment would’ve powered him up a ton), but it broke down and then mutated like crazy and then broke down again during the end of MHA.

OFA has similar issues, as the fourth user showed. Only someone quirkless can safely wield the power of that combined quirk, and even then, the amount of power it has can shatter the user’s body until said body adapts to it.

Overhaul lets me negate that issue, and with our research and Endurance helping out, I can wield almost 20 quirks now, but I’m going to need a lot more than that.

Just like what happened before, I’m going to build off of Garaki’s research with my own. Doing so with his earlier projects resulted in my Semi-Perfect Form and doing that for his AFO-bestowing procedure will grant me my Perfect Form.

I’ll make sure to fix all those problems, the disgraceful demon lord vestige included, but for now, I’m just going to keep exploring new avenues for power.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Mind Web (Artificial), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Confession, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Search, Willpower Enhancer x3, ???????

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Scanning
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Scanning, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Eruption, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Voyance, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Bloodcurdle, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Scanning, Shock Absorption
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (250) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (15) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (5) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 1925 Personnel 
• 100 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 100 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 100 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 115 Battle Tanks
• 55 Attack Helicopters
• 40 Small Boats
• 3 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 350
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 200
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 3

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 60
• Mad Science Branch - 45
• Creation Crew - 135
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 40
• Thugs and Goons - 5295

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 114

Outside Allies:

• Giran
• Nezu

Chapter 56: Erasing and Merging

“That’s all he was willing to tell me, and before you ask, no, I could not trace the phone he used to contact me with.” Nezu concludes his latest report to everyone else in the room.

“So basically, the League of Villains is going to launch an attack in a few weeks with more of those Nomu, but he has no clue exactly when or where it’s happening?” ‘Nighteye’ summarizes.

“I suspect that he does in fact know, but simply refuses to tell us at the moment. He probably will let at least a bit more information slip shortly before the attack. I suppose I can’t fault him for that; if we are too prepared, then All For One will know he has a leak.”

“Or he’s trying to make us and All For One damage each other as much as possible before swooping on in himself.” Gran Torino counters the chimera. “Feels like we’re helping replace one All For One with another.”

“Well what’s important right now is saving whoever we can and being the heroes we’re supposed to be.” ‘Nighteye’ cuts in. “I’ll ensure my entire agency is on standby whenever the attack begins; I suggest you message whatever contacts you have as well without alerting the HPSC. They’ll just make everything worse.”

“Oh? I thought you wanted HPSC in on this?” Gran Torino eyes his student’s old sidekick.

“...Recent discoveries have altered my opinion on the subject.” He replies.

“About time, hardass. Now you go and train your golden boy while I take a look at Toshi’s.”

 

‘Why do I feel like they’ll end up in Hosu no matter what I try?’ NightHaul mentally sighs to himself before opening a Mind Link to his fellow spy. ‘Any issues so far, Kuin?’

((“No siree! Not a peep from this puppet of mine like all the rest, although his vestige probably finds all the police corruption and general violence happening around us to be rather depressing. Not a concern in the slightest, I just thought it was funny.”))

‘And his sister? I know she moved back to Japan after Captain Celebrity’s agency went under. Our Naruhata Gambit got every hero and sidekick in said agency slaughtered.

Makoto Tsukauchi was a rather notable detective herself, and she knows how to both organize people and use underhanded methods to achieve her goals. If anyone were to figure something out and secretly amass a notable resistance against us, it would be her.’

((“I know, I read the files you gave me. Luckily for us, she isn’t doing so hot right now.”))

‘Oh?’

((“Remember Naruhata, the now city-sized burning wreck you picked me up at that you also mentioned like five seconds ago? Well pretty much all her friends, interests, hobbies, hopes, and dreams died there somewhat recently thanks to a certain LARPer and the guy secretly trying to overthrow him.

She helped manage some of Pop Step’s events, but now that vigilante is dead. She was practically running Captain Celebrity’s PR department before, now he and most members of his hero agency are dead. Knuckleduster is dead, Skycrawler is dead, all those former Villain Factory workers and victims she befriended are dead, so on and so forth.

Not to mention all the controversy surrounding Christopher Skyline’s secret trip to and elaborate suicide in Japan. She was practically chased out of the United States because of that, her celebrity status completely tarnished and plenty of people pissed at her and the few other remaining agency members simply because they don’t know who else to be pissed off at.

With her parents not being around, pretty much everything in her life outside of her brother is now among the ruined debris of Naruhata, so she’s depressed as hell right now. Seriously, it was depressing just looking at her! 

And she hasn’t really been talking to her brother much either, so the chances of her catching on are minimal, but as a just in case and also because I didn’t want her bringing down the mood of my spying sessions, I decided to bee-jack her too! You’re okay with that, right?”))

‘No problems here. But just to be clear, you took her over mainly to help maintain our other living lie detector’s cover.’

((“Yup.”))

‘And nothing else.’

((“Yup.”))

‘So Makoto having a crush on Koichi/Skycrawler and confessing her feelings to him and the former vigilante also having a crush on her had nothing to do with it.’

((“I can’t be mad at her for having a good taste in men. Besides, they never actually got together in the end, so no harm no foul… for me.”))

‘Yeah, that tracks. Okay then, so long as those Tsukauchis don’t turn the tables, their angst doesn’t really matter. Nezu wants to stab us in the back? We’ll make him and his little crew pay for it one way or another.’

 

Countdown to Canon: 2 Weeks Until Hosu

“Here it is! The new and improved - compared to canon, anyway - Permanent Quirk-Destroying Drug!” LabHaul announces to me after requesting I do a drumroll.

VestigeHaul is actually clapping right now, but a sudden yelp implies he got smacked in the head by one of the other vestiges a few seconds later.

“Holy crap, did this take forever to make! And I had way more to work with than Kai ever did, but the results are well worth it! Not only that, but this product is far easier for us to create now that it’s complete. I can finally start putting more focus on other projects like turning our Dark Shadow copies into Stands!”

“What.”

“What?”

 

Now I always knew that making these bullets was going to be a pain, but not for the reason you’re probably thinking.

While I know that the canon bullets were made from Eri’s blood, I don’t know the process from Point A (Eri’s blood) to Point B (bullet with a solution that can erase quirks). As for just using Kai’s memories, he was just starting that project when I killed him and took over, so that doesn’t help.

The theory VestigeHaul and I came up with is that the canon quirk-eraser solution works in a similar way to Kuin’s method of temporarily gaining other quirks via injection of foreign DNA.

In other words, getting hit with a quirk-erasing bullet causes you to temporarily get a copy of Rewind, only this copy is set to automatically activate in one particular way, that way being rewinding their chronological state to an earlier stage of human evolution, namely the one before quirks as a phenomenon began, without touching the rest of their bodies.

Of course, this is only a theory. So combine a lack of intel with not wanting to harvest Eri’s blood and having alternate solutions be viable and you see why we went our own route.

And according to Kai during the Overhaul Arc, this process was expensive and took way too long. An entire month for just five permanent bullets!…But we have the Creation quirk at our disposal, so we can make all the quirk erasers we could ever need!

“Dark Shadow is- you know what? I’ll save that talk for later. Look, I trust you developed an antidote just in case this ever gets turned against us?” I inquire. 

“Well for starters, Overhaul and Rewind can still undo the effects, the former working if we do that ‘return to factory settings’ trick on someone hit before… what’s the maximum amount of time you can do it for now?”

“About half an hour.”

“Yeah, that long. And Rewind is even more broken, especially now that it became an Artificial Quirk via fusing with Wave Motion. But more on that later. 

To answer your question, yes, I developed an antidote. But that’s not enough for me, so I decided to go Plus Ultra.” LabHaul monologues while pulling out a vial of blue liquid.

“Drink this, please.”

“...What does it d-”

“Just drink it.”

I obliged and chugged the vial’s contents a few seconds later. It’s tasteless and has a weird texture and-

“Congratulations! You are now officially immune to any kind of quirk-erasing… excluding Rewind.”

…Eh?

“I’ve been mainly focused on both the USJ Nomu and Quirk-Erasing stuff since the USJ battle, and with us finally getting a sample of Aizawa’s DNA as well as the means to infinitely duplicate it, I decided to go a little further then just making copies of his quirk.”

Yup, I finally got a copy of Erasure. Now I’m actually looking forward to my next confrontation with Aw-Ful-One (get it?) that NightHaul saw via Foresight. The look on what’s left of his face is gonna be fucking priceless.

No wonder I had the balls to shit-talk him to his face during that vision.

 

“Being able to study Zookeeper’s DNA and quirk substance for so long made doing the same for Eraserhead a whole lot easier. Both quirks have similar functions, they just do it through different methods. 

From there, I analyzed the two different quirks and their effects with Aizawa’s DNA helping to speed up my research even further. 

Finalizing the antidote didn’t take that long, so like I said before, I decided to go a step further and see if I could develop a vaccine to quirk blocking and erasing in general. Cut to a few weeks later and this is the result!” LabHaul smiles before chucking the bright red bullet into me.

“Wha- HEY!!!”

“Relax, you’re fine. See? Just ask VestigeHaul.”

((‘He’s an idiot for doing this, but he’s also right. The liquid contents of that bullet have no effect on your body; your white blood cells are even breaking them down into nothing.’)) The beaked ghost confirms.

After using Overhaul and a few other quirks again just to confirm, I smack my clone on his forehead.

“OWWWW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?! IT WORKED, DIDN’T IT?”

“And if it didn’t, you and your fellow clones would cease to exist. Even if Rewind still brings my quirks back, that wouldn’t bring you back.”

“But it did and I knew it would. Your body is completely immune to those kinds of effects now, or at least, this level of them. Like I said before, Rewind still works just fine. I had a clone of Eri test it out.”

With how skilled she’s gotten with her quirks, Eri can easily target specific parts of the body rather than the whole body with the effects of Rewind. She can even do this with quirk factors, so long as she knows where in the target’s body they’re located.

So essentially, she can mimic the quirk-erasing bullet’s effects. Another powerful attack in her arsenal for enemies she wants to capture rather than kill. She can even choose how much she wants to rewind the quirks of people instead of simply deleting them entirely.

Imagine blasting Endeavor with this attack and reverting his quirk back to the power it was at when he was just a toddler, with the rest of his body being unharmed. 

It would completely undo the decades of training he went through to make Hellflame as powerful as possible, and that’s if Eri doesn’t just rewind his quirk factor entirely, leaving him quirkless with no chance of recovering his power.

It’s an Ultimate Move she calls the QAB or ‘Quirk-Erasing Bullet’, named after the project of ours it was based on. It was either that or ‘You’re Gonna Regret Making Me Do This’, and while the latter is both hilarious and spot-on, the name is too much of a mouthful.

She’s only six years old and she already has an ultimate move more non-fatally devastating than any hero in this country. 

Did I mention how proud of her I am?

 

“And can this vaccine work on others?”

“Nope. This was tailor-made for your Semi-Perfect Form since that heavily-modified body is the only body that can handle this vaccine right now. Someone else chugging this stuff down would end about as well as chugging OverTrigger, so they die and said death won’t be pretty.”

“Can you fix that?”

“Ummmm, maybe? But it’ll take a while and I’ve already got plenty of more important stuff on my plate. Like creating a gaseous version of this stuff like Humarise does for their special Trigger. 

I’m thinking… missiles with quirk-suppression warheads. Capable of temporarily or permanently erasing the quirks of entire cities and can travel throughout the country or even go intercontinental like the United States’ nuclear missiles can.”

((‘Yes, please.’))

‘Nobody asked you, VestigeHaul.’

“Let’s put a pin in that for now. All it would take is a couple gas masks to solve that problem and-” I suggest, but my clone just keeps on rambling.

“Nope! This drug is new and improved, remember? It doesn’t need to enter your bloodstream to take effect. Enough of it getting on someone’s bare skin will do the job just fine too. 

Oh, it also still has the Cleaning quirk effect of dampening or even erasing any quirk effects the liquid comes into contact with like Endeavor’s flames or Hawks’ feathers. Doesn’t really help with bullets, but if you splash someone with a bucket-full of this drug…”

Oh. That’s dangerous.

I could literally take out All Might or All For One with a water balloon full of this stuff.

Or slip a bit of that substance into their drinks and wait a couple minutes… or seconds.

 

“Out of curiosity, what would happen if you were affected by this drug?”

“Well, me and the other clones are parts of a quirk, so we would probably melt the second we come into contact with it unless we’re really quick with using Overhaul to counter. The immunity vaccine doesn’t work either since our ‘Double’ bodies are so much less durable than yours.

Not to worry though. I’m careful when handling this stuff. I got goggles and a way too large lab coat and gloves and everything!”

…Maybe I should let LabHaul have a vacation soon. Energy Saver and Endurance can keep him working for weeks on end without food, water, or sleep, but this is still working for weeks on end without food, water, or sleep.  

Double clones need that stuff too. They’re exact replicas of the originals besides durability, so they need what humans need to survive.

It’s why I don’t dare to make any Double clones of Soramitsu despite him being such a great tank and evidence disposer. You’d think he was a saiyan from Dragon Ball with how much that fat bastard eats! 

Actually, he’s even worse than a saiyan! At least saiyans stick to eating stuff that can be defined as food; that glutton will eat anything in sight if he’s hungry enough! 

Just last week he ate 23 pizzas, the pizza boxes they came in, the metal table the boxes were placed on, and the chair he was sitting at while eating the prior items in one sitting! He may have eaten the modified gun he had on him too, but if he did, then he had Yu replace it before I could confront him about it.

I can’t have Yu and the Creation Crew waste time and resources making replacement furniture! Any Shie Hassaikai property he eats comes straight out of his paycheck, but that new rule just made him get better at hiding it from my cameras. Either that or he’s made a buffet or two go out of business during his free time.

But I digress.

 

“Okay, just two more questions. First, can the Creation Crew safely mass produce this? You said they could before, but can they do it without losing their own quirks in the process?”

“It’s a little tricky since they can’t have the stuff touch their skin, but there is a loophole we can exploit to make it work. Simply create the drug encased in something, like a bullet, and they will be fine. The drug still technically passes through their skin, but that’s when it still has Creation’s sparkly-glowy effect and isn’t fully formed yet, so it doesn’t take effect on them.”

“Great! And last question, can you go into more detail about how Rewind fits into this equation?”

“Well in canon, Kai managed to both create a quirk-erasing drug and an antidote for it with Eri’s DNA, but I decided against going down that avenue at all for a couple reasons.

First of all, we already have a quirk-erasing drug that works even better than the original. Incorporating Eri’s DNA into it would just be unnecessary. 

Second of all, doing that would require me to make a new antidote and vaccine, with the latter potentially blocking Rewind’s effects entirely, and seeing as how Rewind can fix us up in case of an emergency, that just sounds like a really dumb idea.

As far as we know, there isn’t anyone else out there with a quirk like Rewind. New Order could potentially replicate some of its effects, but we shouldn’t have to worry about that since Cathleen Bate isn’t very creative. 

The point is that nobody should be capable of replicating what Kai did in canon like Eri, so we would just be throwing one of our biggest lifelines and trump cards away for no reason by doing that.

Third of all, and the most important reason to us, I do not want to experiment on our daughter. Even if we can infinitely duplicate her DNA and she would be willing to help, I still don’t want her to go through that any more than she already has.”

Understandable.

 

“Alright, so that’s one major project finally done. How are our other quirk-related projects doing?”

“Well, I’m still gathering more data about Quirk Awakenings to see if there is any way to replicate the process in a less risky way, but I’m not having much luck in that regard.

If anything, I’ve been having better luck with completely unintentional discoveries regarding quirks in general and how the body adapts to them, such as how children’s quirk factors are more malleable than adults' quirk factors. It helped a lot when creating your Semi-Perfect Form and the same will go for your Perfect Form in the future.”

“Alright, keep working on that. The more data we can get before that perfection procedure, the better. We can always further improve the form afterwards with any new discoveries, but getting even stronger even faster doesn’t hurt. What about Artificial Quirks?”

“Now that, I have been making a lot of progress on. I even crafted a new theory about it that would probably get me at least half a dozen separate Nobel Quirk Prizes and several consecutive life sentences.”

“Well, we are practically overhauling, pun intended, this world’s knowledge on the biological side of quirks with mad science that makes Frankenstein look tame. Kidnapping, murder-”

“Animal abuse.”

“...What?”

“Besides what we’re putting Nezu through mentally, any and all Dark Shadow and Soul clones I create have been fucking assholes who just refuse to cooperate no matter what I try. I’ve made some progress regarding quirks in general by picking apart the sentient ones we have, but fuck do those little bastards like to peck.”

“Have you figured out how to control them through Mind Web yet?”

“Nope. As the merged quirk is now, Mind Web doesn’t seem to affect what counts as a ‘mind’ for sentient quirks at all, but that problem should be fixed soon, and it actually connects back to our original topic.

So all our research and discoveries about what has been dubbed Artificial Quirks in canon has given birth to what I call the Quirk Resonance Theory.

This theory is all about the mechanics associated with holding multiple quirks inside a single body without an AFO quirk to keep them all sorted, preventing them from melting down the holder’s brain.

Quirks can merge together for as long as their nature is compatible, and the compatibility of their nature depends almost entirely on the holder’s perception of themselves and their quirks. Things like the Endurance quirk or our Trigger can help, but it’s mainly one’s own mentality.”

“Mentality?” I question my clone, and he elaborates.

 

“Think of it like this. Oboro Shirakumo’s original or base quirk was Cloud, but he then received several other quirks that likely related to teleportation or transportation in some way. This was while, either on the surface or subconsciously, he wanted nothing else but to be somewhere else. To escape.

As a result, the quirks merged into one superquirk that allowed him to be elsewhere and to escape… if he wasn't brainwashed into not doing that.”

“So what about stuff like Quirk Marriages leading to Shoto Todoroki?” 

“You can only be born with one quirk, even if it has multiple completely different functions like Shoto’s Half-Cold Half-Hot. Artificial Quirks are somewhat similar to that Quirk Marriage, but also different. Instead of parts of quirks combining into one via propagation, Artificial Quirks are entire quirks combining into one in the same person. 

But as I said, you can only be born with one quirk. If Kurogiri were to ever have kids, then they would only have one quirk. It could be a copy of Kurogiri’s quirk or perhaps a merger of both parents’ quirks, but it would still only be one quirk, just an incredibly powerful one with multiple different applications.

This is why I’ve been having so much trouble creating Artificial Quirks before; I gave copies of quirks I wanted to merge to test subjects and have them train with them, but very few had the correct mindset needed to force the quirks into merging at all, let alone merging the way I wanted them to. Simply splicing quirks between people and said people training hard with all their powers isn’t enough.

It’s also why, according to the canon backstory All Might gave, very few people that AFO gave multiple powers to didn’t become mindless husks. They unintentionally managed to combine their multiple quirks into a single one by having the right mindset.

Now such a thing is possible without mental input thanks to our other methods like quirk-boosting quirks and drugs like Trigger, plus the fact that said quirks were usually very compatible to begin with; doing so is simply a lot harder and more unlikely then the method I previously described.”

“So basically, you have to know what you’re doing and what you want, even if that isn’t entirely correct or accurate?”

“Something like that. For example, give an unhinged pyromaniac like Dabi multiple quirks based around the concept of fire and they will likely merge into a fire-themed superquirk. 

Now not everyone out there is a pyromaniac, but with mental quirks like Mind Web or Queen Bee, forcefully brainwashing people into having the right mindset to induce quirk resonance is possible. 

We just need to know how the brainwashed people should think to make this happen. I have plenty of prisoners and a Kuin clone to test out my theories with, so it’s only a matter of time before I learn how to mass-produce various kinds of Artificial Quirks.

But here’s the best part of this; we can potentially push this phenomenon much, much further, and I have just the test subject to try this out with… You!”

Eh?

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Mind Web (Artificial), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Confession, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Erasure, Search, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Scanning
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Scanning, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Eruption, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Voyance, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Bloodcurdle, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Scanning, Shock Absorption
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (250) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (15) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (15) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (10) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 2050 Personnel 
• 5 Commanders - ?????
• 110 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 110 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 110 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 125 Battle Tanks
• 65 Attack Helicopters
• 45 Small Boats
• 3 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 380
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 220
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 3

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 60
• Mad Science Branch - 45
• Creation Crew - 140
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 40
• Thugs and Goons - 5610

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 114

Outside Allies:

• Giran
• Nezu

Chapter 57: The Grand Reveal

“I still don’t understand. You have so much power, now more than ever before, so why stay so hidden? Why not show this world how wrong they are? Why not show the Symbols of Peace and Evil what you can do?” Nine questions the only person he will ever bow down to.

Learning all that he has amassed, many would reach the same conclusion. With society being so frail and the symbols being so weakened, accumulating this much should be enough, right?

“I’m afraid it isn’t that easy, Nine.” Sekan sighs. “We’re outsiders, you and I. Others have always feared you, right? You were forced to live a life of suppression instead of affection, and you thought it was your fault that they feared you, right?” 

Picking up on his silence, Sekan chooses to continue.

“It’s not complicated. People fear those who are different from themselves, who don’t fit into this society’s status quo. Even if you went ahead and became a hero who rose to the very top, well, look at Endeavor. 

All Might would always overshadow you because All Might is the best, right? It’s become an accepted fact, even if it’s really just an opinion. The same goes for All For One; the underworld sees him as the undisputed demon lord, their eternal ruler to forever curse and fear.”

Innate, exceptional talent was often shunned. The uneducated can’t understand talent, they only see something different from themselves which they automatically label as bad. 

Nine knows that well. He also knows how nice it is to have others actually acknowledge your strength, especially people as powerful as his family. 

They are like him. Sekan is like him. 

So then why…

 

“The answer is simple, I don’t care about them.” The new demon lord shrugs. “Why should I care about them? They’re the strange ones, not us, and they’re the ones who are going to suffer when this false reality they’ve built for themselves comes crashing down.”

Sekan then places his hand on Nine’s shoulder as they look over the broken world. A world so fragile yet so easy to control, especially with the power and talent that they possess. 

Sekan knows it isn’t anywhere near as easy as his subordinate thinks, but he won’t bog Nine down with the terrible truth.

“There’s no point trying to prove anything to those kinds of people. Instead, focus on proving yourself to yourself and the people you do care about. Prove your strength to the people you call your family by protecting them; that’s what I do and will continue to do once this false world falls.”

Proving yourself to only the people you care about…

The people that already value and acknowledge you, just as you value and acknowledge them.

And proving to yourself how capable you truly are.

…Yeah. That sounds like a nice goal to have.

“Thank you, Sekan.” The godlike quirk wielder smiles at his leader.

“Not a problem, Nine. Now let's get back to work.”

 

Countdown to Canon: 2 Weeks Until Hosu

“Recall how your original Mind Web quirk merged with the artificial version of that quirk pretty quickly, strengthening it even further, albeit only slightly.” LabHaul carefully explains to me.

“Yeah, that was thanks to both me and the quirk vestiges wanting that. Could their mentality possibly influence the creation of Artificial Quirks too?” I question my clone.

“...Maybe? I don’t see vestiges like you can, but the vestiges being willing to merge would probably help the process a lot too. Anyway, usually the quirks participating in these mergers should be growing weaker as more of them get together. Certain pieces or aspects of the quirks are simply lost in the merger.

However, that issue can be dealt with depending on your mentality during the merger. Not only that, but that fusion proved that quirks aren’t limited to one merger.

Give a person two or more quirks that are compatible with each other and they will probably merge into a superquirk. Give said person another pair or batch of compatible quirks and they’ll merge into another superquirk. And if both superquirks are highly compatible…”

“They’ll merge again into a super-superquirk, potentially not growing weaker at all or even growing stronger by mutually empowering each other, like what happened with me.”

“And this can continue on and on and on, forming a potentially endless feedback loop of quirks merging to lower the strain on the holder while empowering each other through a synergy effect, for as long as the holder’s perception of themself is consistent, their willpower is ironclad, and the quirks are picked very carefully.

Merging 8, 16, 32, 64, or more quirks into a god-themed superquirk is possible, and even if the person wielding it doesn’t have any body modifications or other methods to house multiple quirks, that wouldn’t matter because this godquirk is still technically just one quirk.”

“Holy. Shit.” I gawk at my clone.

“Yeah, that was my reaction to that discovery too. It’s like a more powerful version of the naturally-occuring Quirk Singularity. And like I said before, this also solves our storage issue when it comes to amassing quirks in people.

While we have been gradually, permanently expanding that limit through various experimental drugs and other body modifications, relying on Artificial Quirks instead would easily multiply just how many powers our test subjects can use at once.

That being said, want to give it a try?”

“...Huh?”

 

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. Pulling a 64-quirk merger off would probably take years worth of trial and error, if not longer at my current pace, but I recently managed to create a few Artificial Quirks that would go great with your current Mind Web quirk.

The first one is a combination of Search, Scanning, and Voyance. The second one is a combination of Confession and two quirks from MHA Team-Up Missions.” 

“Let me guess, Mind Reaper from that hero edgelord Odd-Eye and Truth Inducement from The Realist.” I raise an eyebrow. “They both need physical contact to work, right?”

“Yup, although enough willpower can prevent the quirk from working. Considering that Confession is rather specific when it comes to forcing answers to questions, I figured this quirk would be an excellent compliment.

Not only would Mind Reaper make it harder for any targets to resist in general, but it would also ensure that any extra details the specific questioning of Confession may avoid can be dug up.

Truth Inducement is pretty much the same with the user capable of making anyone they touch blurt out their true thoughts unprompted. The victims of this quirk have no knowledge of being under its effect; they simply feel like they’re blurting out their thoughts.”

“I see… these two sets of three Artificial Quirks should be compatible enough with each other, especially when you consider VestigeHaul’s stunt at the Sports Festival.” I comment, slowly starting to agree with the idea.

((‘Last I checked, said stunt greatly helped us. But as for his suggestion, do it. We have no reason not to.’)) VestigeHaul gives the go ahead and I end up agreeing to it too.

Half an hour later, I’m back in my vestigeworld after LabHaul puts me into a coma via Overhaul. 

The pouty vestige of Tomoko and the content vestige of Nemoto then leave my body alongside the quirks and two new quirks replace it soon after. 

The first vestige is… it looks like Clair Voyance but with green hair, a skirt over her suit, and fake cat ears. The second one resembles Nemoto more then Odd-Eye and The Realist, but has far more flair and overall emotion then the former Eight Bullet ever did.

 

“So this confirms it. Interesting… when quirks merge together, their vestiges do as well with the fusees who have more willpower and/or a better sense of self having more of an influence in the fusion.” VestigeHaul concludes.

“AFO and Tomura’s merger mainly had AFO in control, but Tomura turned the tables and managed to suppress his other half. Then AFO’s vestige came back and completely destroyed Tomura, his mind, quirk, and all with only an echo left.

As for Mind Web, vestige me was the dominant part of that fusion by far with only bits of Mandalay’s and Christopher’s personality traits mixed in due to the former’s willpower and knowledge on the subject.

And as for these new vestige fusions, both Clair Voyance and Tomoko Shiretoko make up most of the first fusion’s appearance and personality with the vestige of Scanner having minimal impact while Nemoto has a slight edge over Odd-Eye and The Realist in the second fusion.

Not only that, but how the vestiges turn out doesn’t seem to affect how the actual quirk turns out. Is that because the latter is up to the person wielding it? So the vestige doesn’t interfere in that part, but can still potentially affect the user afterwards, even controlling them like a puppet in the worst case scenario like AFO’s vestige did with Tomura.” I add on.

“It seems that way.” Vestige me nods in agreement. “Now then, let’s have a little chat, my fellow fusions.” He suavely smiles at the female vestige fusion, causing her to blush, while the fusion of Nemoto, Odd-Eye, and The Realist gives a sly smirk.

“Careful, your Skyline side is showing.” I deadpan as the three fusions start walking away.

“You could at least take her out to dinner first; most respectable women wouldn’t readily agree to a three-way like that.” VestigeHaul deadpans alongside me, but then gives a confused look as I smile at him.

“What?”

“It’s just nice to see how much you’ve changed, Kai.”

“Blame my roommates and those cursed fanfics you read for some ungodly reason for breaking me. I did not need to know about being shipped with dozens of psychotic fangirls, or what shipping even was. Frankly, I’m still not sure if this is my own personal hell or not.”

“Well it’s not like you were gonna end up in Heaven after the crap that real you pulled. Besides, I doubt you would be having so much fun learning about quirks if this was hell. Also, you have literally seen Hell every time Lucifer has dragged me there.”

“Don’t remind me… so dirty.” The ghost bird grumbles and I give a quick laugh back.

Never thought I would be all buddy-buddy with Kai Chisaki of all people, but these are strange times I’m living in.

Now then… what do I want this merged quirk to do? 

If I can control the end result of this merger to an extent, then I should start brainstorming now before vestige me finishes doing his own thing.

 

What feels like several days pass in this place as I rack my brain with VestigeHaul and a few others what the best outcome would be based on the current quirk lineup this fusion will have.

Two copies of Mind Web, one of Telepath, Flight, Search, Voyance, Scanning, Confession, Mind Reaper, and Truth Inducement. 

It’s meant to be a support quirk more than anything. Overhaul is unrivaled in close and mid-ranged combat with quirks like Weather Manipulation, Whirlwind, Half Cold Half-Hot, Ice Ply, and so on being mainly long-range combat tools. That isn’t what I need right now.

The Flight part of this power will help keep me protected, but this new Artificial Quirk is mainly meant to help me better understand people and the world. I want to know everything I can about them. Body, mind, quirk, all of it. I want the stereotypical gamer Analyze or Observe ability on some serious steroids.

I want to survive in this world, and the best way to do that is to discover all its secrets. What’s hidden beneath the surface. What can be exploited for my gain.

As I go through this state of comprehension, I feel myself start to change… like my desires are quite literally taking shape.

Said desires are sharpened by my knowledge of the human body, all the nitty gritty details about how certain parts work and what exactly I want to change or evolve.

Take the concept of lying for example. When a person lies, their brain expends much more energy in controlling and regulating their body functions than when they’re telling the truth.

There are three main areas in the brain that generally become more active during deception. The anterior cingulate cortex which is in charge of monitoring errors, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex which controls behavior, and the parietal cortex which processes sensory input all have to work much harder when someone is lying.

Simply put, I would want this merged quirk to limit the involvement of those parts as much as possible, and those specific desires can take shape into a more effective artificial superpower than someone who just desires a general ‘make it harder for people to lie to me’ when attempting to merge appropriate quirks within them.

 

“The strength of the synaptic connections in your hippocampus is already far greater than any other brain we’ve examined or come across bar Nezu.”

“And that allows faster and more efficient communications between neurons, I know.”

Having someone equally as intelligent to bounce ideas off of also helps. The person having a different mindset helps even more as they might think of ideas that multiple of me can’t, which is why I’m chatting with VestigeHaul about this rather than my own vestige. 

Well, that and my own vestige is off preparing the other de facto spirits for their merger.

“Improving that function would be helpful. Moreover, the ability to better evaluate and process a large amount of information at an extremely rapid rate. Mind Web and Search already do that to an extent, but having that aspect further improved would be great. Thoughts?” I question the bird ghost.

“That would require highly efficient communication between different regions of the brain, particularly those involved in decision making and cognitive processing. You would also need the neurons in your brain to fire even faster than what your current modifications allow.” The bird ghost chirps back.

“What about parallel processing? The modifications done to me allow that to an extent and-”

“Wouldn’t work. We’re talking about quirks here, not the body itself, and no quirk going into this merger has such a function. I’d suggest adding in IQ to the merger, but its activation requirements may make the final product worse rather than better.”

Now with Mind Web’s first big augmentation, I wanted the range and number of people Telepath affected to be transferred into my base quirk, and that’s what happened. I also wanted the telekinetic properties of Flight to be carried over and unchanged, and that’s what happened.

I wanted my original copy of Mind Web to further strengthen certain parts of the artificial version, and that’s what happened.

As for these other Artificial Quirks, they didn’t really change much; both are pretty much single quirks with several main applications rather than several quirks with one application each.

That’s probably what LabHaul requested or brainwashed his test subjects to try and aim for, so that’s what happened.

And now that I know what I’m doing, I can make these quirks empower each other rather than lose some of their properties while fusing like before.

I feel this qualitative change occur… and I feel it when the process completes. 

 

“Oh, so that’s where weak points for quirk ghosts are.” I smirk as VestigeHaul raises an eyebrow.

I test it out on the nearby vestiges, and it works like a charm.

Vestige me then flies right back as I’m processing this brand new feeling. He still has the same outfit on, but he seems a bit more chipper than usual.

“Worked like a charm! Mind Web is now an Artificial Quirk times two… or squared. Or would it be to the third power since the Artificial Mind Web originally merged with your own Mind Web? Or because this is made up of three Artificial Quirks rather than two?” My own vestige questions.

“That Mind Web fusion can be counted in with the initial fusion, and the three Artificial Quirks were all fused in another singular fusion, so this would be an Artificial Quirk squared or a super-superquirk. Also, it’s odd how I don’t feel any personality changes myself, unlike you.”

“I did that on purpose. I didn’t want other vestiges affecting your personality like AFO did with Tomura, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

“Oh… thank you. Thanks for carrying that burden.” I give a heartfelt thanks to my ghastly self.

“Not a problem. It isn’t that big of a deal thanks to our knowledge and reinforced willpower, but better safe than sorry, right?”

“Yeah. Now if you’ll excuse me, I want to go catch up with Zi.” Vestige me excuses himself before flying off.

“Alright. See yo- wait a second. Are you two ghosts together? What the hell did you do with that other female vestige fusion then?”

“Gave her a tour alongside the Nemoto/Odd-Eye/Realist vestige and eased them through the fusing process? Why? What did you think I did?... Zi would kill me if I cheated on her, quirk ghosts be damned; you of all people should know that.” He gives us a weird look before going back to flying away.

“…Fair enough.”

I then wake up soon after, quickly perfecting my new super-superquirk… I really need to think of a better name for that.

To give a brief summary, Mind Web, if we’re still calling it that, can be used to observe and gain data on everything several miles around myself, if not more. Said data for people includes their body, mind, and quirks while the data for objects mainly works like how it does for Voyance, only more detailed and with more things at once if I want. 

Said data is also permanently stored, and I can even keep track of anyone I gain data from no matter how far away they are thanks to Search. That data updates on the fly if their condition changes, telling me everything I need to know about them at all times.

I think I’ll call this super-superquirk… Reveal.  

 

And with this data being so accurate, especially on people… perhaps it’s finally possible.

My hypothesized Stage 3 of Overhaul, a superior version of All For One.

The ability to directly give and take quirks with a simple touch from anywhere on their body rather than having to place your whole hand on their body for a while as glowing energy stuff dances across the two bodies.

AFO’s method is as dramatic as he is. My method is meant to be quick and efficient.

With Reveal guiding the way and Overhaul’s delicate, perfected matter manipulation, I should be able to pull this off.

And it works. I try it out on a few thugs and it works!

I even try it out on some of my Sinister Six, and I can take whatever quirks of theirs I want into myself, even all of them at once, in an instant with the slightest touch from anywhere on my body, so long as there is physical contact. I can also give others any quirk I currently have in an instant.

Now I can just take a person’s quirk without bodyfusing and Rewind can still give the person their quirk back, but my old method when breaking into houses for quirk hunting is superior since doing the latter means dragging Eri along to use Rewind on the target every time.

This also doesn’t mean I can stock up on hundreds of quirks like AFO can; I’m taking their quirks through this method, not their actual quirk factors or the natural storage containers for their quirks. If anything, my old method is superior with that too since it can also give me enough of their flesh and blood to wield it without any strain.

So just to recap, my two main methods for quirk-transfering are the canon All For One way and the canon Overhaul way. 

Using Overhaul the canon All For One way lets me give and take quirks, but not the quirk factor itself, so subjects will most likely go braindead under the strain unless the quirks merge together to form an Artificial Quirk.

Meanwhile, using Overhaul the canon Overhaul way solves the quirk factor issue by merging that along with the person’s quirk into a target, but the amount of body material required would quickly turn subjects into massive eldritch abominations if I merge too many bodies together. Even shapeshifting or other body alteration quirks can’t really help much with that.

Of course, the AFO quirk gives its user a far larger container for quirks then Overhaul unless I would be willing to turn myself into a fucking kaiju, but Overhaul’s method actually allows the quirks of its user to potentially fuse into Artificial Quirks rather then keep them separate.

I can go on all day about the pros and cons of AFO and Overhaul, but the point is that Overhaul just got even better thanks to Reveal… and that using both in tandem would be best, especially with how much I’ve perfected Overhaul.

But that comes later. For now, I need to update some clones.

 

Overhaul takes Mind Web and Confession out of them all with no body fusion necessary. Then Overhaul is used again to put Reveal into them. Rewind then gives me a copy of Reveal back without any problems.

Nine also gets an upgrade after this latest discovery with his Scanner quirk being replaced with a copy of the Artificial Quirk made from Search, Scanning, and Voyance, an Artificial Quirk we call Quirk X-Ray or ‘Q-Ray’. 

I could give him Reveal instead, but I don’t want all that power both figuratively and literally going to his head.

Many other higher-ups get this intel-gathering quirk too. I even grant copies of this Artificial Quirk to a few commanders of my military; it should work wonders with their overseer roles.

With that out of the way, I now turn my attention back to the next big canon event.

It’s now your time to shine, Stain. Have fun!

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Reveal (Artificial^2), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Erasure, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Q-Ray (Artificial), Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Eruption, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Bloodcurdle, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Shock Absorption, Heat-Resistance
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Incite

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (250) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (15) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (15) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (10) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 2050 Personnel 
• 5 Commanders - Q-Ray (Artificial)
• 110 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 110 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 110 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 125 Battle Tanks
• 65 Attack Helicopters
• 45 Small Boats
• 3 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 380
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 220
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 3

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 60
• Mad Science Branch - 45
• Creation Crew - 140
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 40
• Thugs and Goons - 5615

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 114

Outside Allies:

• Giran
• Nezu

Chapter 58: True Heroes and True Villains

He understands why Sekan let him do this.

To satisfy his curiosity, and see if these villains have even an ounce of conviction. 

He also understands why Sekan requested to obtain a blood sample of the misty one. 

Stain is no army strategist, but he knows how useful warping quirks can be, especially for an organization like Sekan’s. Combine that with his growing army of soldiers, spies, and walking nukes and you get a doomed country if he ever went all out.

But he won’t burn this world to the ground, he’s merely preparing for when others do so. He isn’t like the hand-covered manchild he just had a chat with.

He can respect both Sekan’s conviction and his desires. It’s why he’s been willing to serve as his blade for so long. 

And now, when he walked into Sekan’s meeting room for his latest assignment, he’d already been ready to lend his support, yet their conversation had done more than reinforced his resolve, it impressed him.

His plans were precise and thought through with contingencies that accounted for nearly every possible twist. Each time he pressed Sekan with a question, he was met with an answer, calm and ready, as if every thought of his was anticipated.

The extra tools, quirks, and general support supplied are merely a bonus.

 

“The word ‘hero’ has lost all meaning in this society. The world is overrun by fakes and criminals like you who chase petty dreams. They must all be purged.” He had told Tomura Shigaraki.

Sekan isn’t perfect, but the goals he has for his little sliver of society are acceptable in his eyes.

Tomura, on the other hand, has a warped sprout of conviction and desire inside of him. Their goals oppose each other, and he is curious to see how Tomura’s sprout blooms, if it does so at all before Sekan puts an end to him.

And the fake heroes infesting this city, this society… a bunch of super-powered individuals running around, doing whatever they want with zero coordination, stealing each other’s victories as a publicity stunt… such a waste. Such a folly.

He is just another prize to fight over in their soon to be lifeless eyes. These fakes will be culled, so those who are worthy like All Might can shine.

The warper then returns him to Hosu, and he hands the now bloodied knife he struck said warper with to Sekan once he is far enough away from the dark cloud. 

“Thank you, Stain. That’s Part 1 done; are you ready for Part 2 and the Number 2?” His leader had confirmed.

“Like you even have to ask. Now leave me to my work.” 

 

Countdown to Canon: Hosu Tonight!

YEEEEEEEEESSSSSS!!!

YES! YES! YES! YESYESYESYESYESYEEEEEEEESSSSSS!!!

FINALLY! After SO FUCKING LONG, I FINALLY HAVE A WARPING QUIRK!!!

 

I knew that the LOV would invite Stain to join them like in canon. He’s even more infamous here than he was in the original series.

At this point, Stain has killed almost 70 heroes and permanently crippled 42 more; that’s waaaaay more than in canon (where he only killed 40 by the Final War).

Not only that, but he went after some higher-ranked targets too. He killed or crippled 5 heroes that ranked in the double digits and even fought Mirko to a standstill almost 2 months ago (he’s still grumbling about that draw). 

So AFO would arrange for him to meet Tomura through Kurogiri, and when this happened in canon, Stain managed to make both Tomura and Kurogiri bleed. He even paralyzed the latter, indicating that he got his hands on some of that blood.

He’s far more powerful then he was in canon, so I simply requested him to bring me back a blood sample, and just like that, I can now start creating copies of Warp Gate without completely fucking canon over. 

Once Stain heads back into Hosu (I made sure he would hang around that area like in canon) and resumes his role as hero-killing bait, I hand the knife off to GuildHaul for him to take back home.

BossHaul is busy with logistics, as always. Our organization is only continuing to grow, and while there isn’t much we need to personally interfere with at Hosu, the same can’t be said for some future canon events.

LabHaul is busy preparing his lab for mass quirk duplication. I want as many copies of Warp Gate as possible so my troops can begin training with them.

GuildHaul is busy recruiting once again, but not too busy. He’s actually the one taking this blood sample back to base while I remain in Hosu. The terror AFO and Tomura are spreading bring many residents of Osaka further into our grasp, and my clone just needs to make the occasional stop by to confirm their intentions through Reveal.

NightHaul is busy training Mirio for his own UA Internships while planning with Nezu and the rest of his anti-AFO squad on the side. They won’t be anywhere near Hosu tonight.

He was able to confirm that villains aren’t the only ones changing. Gran Torino seems to be taking Izuku’s training a lot more seriously this time around. The guy isn’t even bothering with his senile act here, instead immediately telling Izuku to stop being a bone-breaking idiot and channel a bit of OFA throughout his entire body already!

And Izuku isn’t the only Class 1-A student getting a different internship experience. Several of those teenagers were given internship offers from Slidin’ Go, and Mina Ashido accepted, so she’s now spending the week at Deika City.

Seems like the MLA is getting a bit more antsy if this and their part in the USJ attack is anything to go by. I wonder if they’ll actually manage to turn Mina into an MLA turncoat, or perhaps a mole in UA like Aoyama is for AFO?

She and the hero spy don’t share many similarities in terms of quirks and fighting style; it’s only really their sliding tactics that somewhat resemble each other, but Slidin’ Go is rather high on the hero rankings and I can see Mina liking the whole ‘freedom’ idea they preach.

 

As for me, like I said before, I’m staying at Hosu in case anything goes wrong. Just like during my first meeting with Stain, NightHaul assured me everything would be alright after using Foresight, but it would be best for me to not know what tonight has in store.

That’s fine. I’m confident in my skills; Foresight is simply a bonus contingency, one I can’t overly rely on due to how much we change the fate of this world. 

I learned that lesson after the disaster at Naruhata.

Now there are a whole lot of heroes in Hosu right now, way more than in canon, due to Stain being spotted there a few days ago. 

Heroes came flocking to Hosu in canon because of that and now more idiots want to get famous by defeating the killer, clearly not seeing any issues with that plan.

You’re just making Stain’s job easier, idiots.

Oh, and I’ll be contacting Nezu a few minutes before the attack starts too. His reinforcements should further pressure the Wish-Dot-Com Satan.

I even have a few of my corrupted heroes in town, ready to act on my orders!

 

Speaking of, as for what exactly I’m planning to alter from canon, Stain won’t be getting arrested here for starters. No vengeful teenagers or Dekus will be around to fuck things up, and even if they somehow were, Stain should wipe the floor with them the way he is now. 

More heroes being present as well as a stronger Stain should also force that disabled fossil to waste more of his Nomu. He had six ready to go at this point, but only gave Tomura three for a ‘learning experience’ in canon.

What the fuck AFO wanted Tomura to learn from that, I couldn’t tell you. He literally just stood on a roof and watched some of his undead pets burn things. 

So basically, I’m going to ‘encourage’ the heroes and villains to put more into this battle, further weakening each other as well as further weakening the public’s faith in hero society.

A certain flame hero’s demise tonight should push the latter even more. He only becomes important after the events of Kamino, and that’s when I plan to really tear the canon script apart, so dealing with him now has no negative consequences for me.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

The attack begins and Hosu starts to burn.

Kuin and I are both hiding on a roof with full-body cloaks on. I don’t intend for the cameras to catch us like they do with Tomura and Kurogiri.

And speaking of the main antagonists…

“Found ‘em. Handjob’s laughing his ass off on some water tower and monologuing gamer lingo while misty man is being the nanny he is. I also see threeeeeee… no, four Nomus.”

“Just four, huh? Looks like I’ll have to dangle a bit more bait his way. Tell our heroes to enact Plan B and direct them towards Tomura’s current location.” I order, IQ and Reveal being used in full to help calculate and coordinate my subordinates.

 

Reveal especially is… well, you could almost say it’s too powerful. 

Picture it as an RPG Analyze skill cranked up to 11. When used to its full potential and boosted by Endurance, I can discover every last detail about anyone and anything in a radius of miles around me from the composition of objects to the biology and memories of people.

All that information is transferred straight to my mind and senses; it reminds me of what I can do with Overhaul. The quirk training I did to master it helps a lot, as does all the modifications I did to my brain plus Endurance and IQ.

But even with all of that, I can only unleash slight pulses of it at a time to not overload myself with the input. If I was still a regular human, I would go brain-dead in an instant when using this power at its best, not to mention when it’s stacked with OverTrigger.

So right now, I need to learn how to hold back with it, direct my focus towards certain aspects of my surroundings rather than everything. Some bonus aspects like using telepathy with others are simple, as now it’s just a better version of what I previously had, but this new general analysis is far beyond what even Search could do. Makes sense considering Search was just one component of this.

Now is a perfect time to practice, sharpening Reveal by focusing on different areas, different objects, different people and quirks, so as to not overwhelm myself. Any areas I’m not covering can be handled by Kuin and her hivemind.

“You got it, boss. Also- pffffffftt, hehehe. A caped old midget is beating a Nomu senseless right now.”

‘Old midget?... goddamnit. Looks like even NightHaul couldn’t change their direction.’ I mentally grumble. ‘Would it have killed him to let me know beforehand, or is my reaction just that funny to him? Or is this his way of saying I don’t need to worry about it?’

It seems that Gran Torino and Deku are still joining the fray. But there’s no Tenya for Deku to fight the Hero Killer for and his 5% OFA shouldn’t do jack shit against the Nomus, assuming he even managed to master Full Cowl yet. 

Great, things are already deviating from the original plan. I have plenty of backup plans ready, but that didn’t mean much back at Naruhata.

Hopefully tonight doesn’t become a repeat of that.

At the very least, NightHaul was extremely confident that things wouldn’t go monumentally wrong tonight, so I’ll trust him.

“Damn, that shriveled-up fish stick’s got moves! Also, is that a bento?” Kuin questions as I pull out a small, black box that’s warm to the touch.

“Zookeeper made it. When left to my own devices, I tend to grab something from a konbini or just forget to eat while I’m away from Osaka. Such shouldn’t be a problem with the Energy Saver quirk in my possession, but she’s afraid that I’ll starve to death anyways.”

“Ah, got it.” The bee queen responds in understanding, her too being a target of Zi’s pampering. She knows better than to question or tease me for it.

“...Want some?”

“Yes, please!”

 

Casualties on the heroes’ side start building up quickly. Even with more of them present, most of these guys are just mooks looking for their five seconds of fame. 

Stain’s already killed three of them as a warm up and the Nomus are slaughtering more left and right. 

Kuin also leads one or two to their deaths against the beasts through her swarm. That’s while causing a little more damage to the city through some Bomb Bees after searching for viable targets and asking me for permission.

She’s putting a lot more effort into training ever since her fuckup at the USJ and the results are clear to see. Her swarm’s stealth and precision has increased a lot, as has their skills with possession.

With the Nomus wrecking havoc and everything burning around them, who’s going to notice a few bees, especially when they’re so quick and quiet?

Back to the Bomb Bees, their queen is looking for potential spots close to the Nomus so they can be framed for the explosions caused by her swarm’s kamikazes. 

Then there are the heroes under my command, either through Kuin’s swarm or body-fusing. The ones blackmailed or bribed by me won’t be taking part in this or even knowing about it; the information they have on their employer will continue to be minimal.

Those heroes under Kuin and I’s control just launched an attack on Tomura and Kurogiri with the latter warping in two more Nomus right after to get them back… just as planned. 

Tomura screeches about his livestream getting interrupted, but he soon gets warped out of there by his nanny, leaving the Nomus to do their thing. 

My heroes retreat after that, leaving the other heroes in Hosu to handle the new additions while they ‘look for Tomura to stop him before he can deploy more’.

That excuse should be valid enough.

Now if the other heroes weren’t overwhelmed before, they sure as hell are now. 

Well, every hero besides the flaming inferiority complex that just roasted a Nomu alongside that sadistic old man Deku calls a mentor.

That slaughter went as it did in canon, and several seconds later, Japan’s Number 2 Hero rockets off to stop the other monstrosities.

But Stain gets in his way. A far more dangerous Stain then his canon self ever was.

 

“ENDEAVOR!!!”

“HERO KILLER!!!”

A Stain that also happens to have several more quirks then in canon, a brand new Heat-Resistance quirk included, just for this fight.

He isn’t completely immune to fire, even with both Endurance and his modified body adding onto this quirk’s resistance; Endeavor spent decades pushing his own powerful quirk to its very limit bar an awakening, so his own attacks at Flashfire Fist levels will hurt the hero killer.

Just not nearly as much as Japan’s Number 2 will be expecting.

“This is gonna be good.” Kuin grins while taking another bit of my bento. “Payback time for roasting my swarm at Naruhata, you flaming trash bag!”

“Keep your swarm away from him for the time being. We can’t see the fight if our eyes in the sky are cooked, and directly sending your insectoid armies after him won’t go much better than it did the last time; just sit back and let the hero killer do what he does best.” I remind my lieutenant as the stars of my latest show begin their battle.

Endeavor is supposed to take down the other two Nomus, but without him there and three extra Nomus being around, the damage and casualties for the good guys get a whole lot worse. 

“Another three heroes are dead; one of them is that engine guy you mentioned before. Stain’s fighting to a standstill against Endeavor, I think Deku just broke his arm to take another Nomu down with Shoto, and Tomura’s warped back into the city, about two blocks away from his previous location. Orders?”

Oh. Well, it looks like that cyborg amalgamation of a teenager that runs on orange juice has a new target for his stupid revenge quest. 

As for the main protagonist of this shounen beating himself up more than all his enemies combined do… what else is new?

“Send the heroes under your control towards Tomura again. He’s already revealed his hand.”

“He’s got plenty of hands, boss.” Kuin snorts. “And he ain’t exactly hiding ‘em to begin with.”

“Good one, but in all seriousness, if AFO has more Nomus than I think he does, then we’ll make him bring those out too. The more of those creatures we can acquire tonight, the better.”

The Nomus are never sent to Tartarus in canon and that doesn’t seem to be changing here. That makes it a lot easier for my subordinates in the police force to get me a secret audience with them.

From there, I can use Double to make copies to swap the real ones with and Warp Gate to warp the real ones out so LabHaul can continue mastering Garaki’s brand of mad science. Some of the quirks they have could also potentially be useful.

“Oh boy, flaming abuser at nine o’clock.”

“FLASHFIRE FIST - HELL SPIDER!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Tonight’s main event gets a little too close for comfort, the building Kuin and I are hiding on getting its top half cut off while Stain continues parkouring around like the fanatical ninja he is.

Endeavor doesn't spot me or Kuin. NightHaul would've let me know if something like that happened when he used Foresight and the hero’s entire focus is purely on Stain if Reveal is anything to go by, but that doesn't make it any less annoying.

‘Mind taking your bout in a different direction, Stain? I made it pretty clear which area I would be scouting from during the debrief, didn’t I?’

((“You can handle a close call, innocents can not. No civilians are present in this area; this so-called hero has done enough damage already.”))

‘Oh the irony. Here’s a better idea, finish the fucking fight already.’ I mentally groan as the roof I’m standing on slides off the building.

Jumping into another building with Kuin before we crash down below isn’t too difficult, even while keeping our presence hidden. It’s just annoying that we need to reposition ourselves. 

Stain does veer off with a fiery comet blazing right behind him. Flame-resistant knives and fireballs are flung across the street as the two close in on each other.

“FLASHFIRE- URK!” Endeavor grunts as the hero killer tackles into him mid-air, slamming him into the wrecked, burning street below. 

Did I mention that Japan’s Number 2 Hero is still coated in flames? 

“The absolute madlad…” Kuin gawks before getting back to business. “Tomura retreated again and got some more injuries, but he dusted two of our fake hero guys before leaving. Also, Mirko just showed up and tore a Nomu’s head off with her legs. If HeroNet is anything to go by, then Hawks is on his way too, just as you predicted.” 

Not very surprising. Mirko, being the battle junky that she is, would no doubt be itching for a rematch with the hero killer. 

As for Hawks, the HPSC has taken far more blows then they have in canon, so they’ll naturally have him on the hunt for such a problematic figure as well, even if he’s forced to be much more secretive about it. 

“Have our remaining heroes fall back. Any luck with getting your bees to control the Nomus?”

“Nope. AFO and Garaki’s programming is still preventing my swarm from doing anything there.”

“Alright. Have those bees pull back and send a few Bomb Bees towards Echo street. The flying Nomus there are ramming into buildings left and right, so toppling the foundation of a couple can be blamed on them and cause a bit more chaos.”

“On it.”

See, now this would be a good learning experience for Tomura if he was with us. This is how you wreck havoc while completing whatever other objectives you have. This is how you use your overpowered, multi-quirked assets.

This is how you can be a smart and threatening villain leader.

And this is what I’ll be showing Eri and her crew later on. I’m making sure to record some parts of this for their classes so they can see a villainous mastermind at work. My cyberwarfare branch is also gathering plenty of live footage throughout Hosu for them.

I haven’t forgotten about the kids that I’m supposed to be teaching. 

 

Kuin loves causing chaos too, and while she isn’t the center of attention, she is still doing more damage then she ever would by just flying out in the open and bombing everything in sight. 

Aim for the weak points. Use manipulation and misdirection. These subtle little things add up into something a whole lot larger.

Many factors play roles in a fight, but the most important factor is probably momentum. To have the other party move to the beat of your drum and dictate the flow of combat was essential to come out victorious and ultimately overpower your opponents. 

I had won many battles throughout my second life, not always because I was stronger than my foe, but because I was able to claim momentum and never lose it, making the other party fail to fully display their power as I simply never gave them the opening to do so.

How I first acquired Overhaul is a perfect example of this. Kai Chisaki could have murdered me in a heartbeat back then, but I was able to surprise him with a Trigger-enhanced Mind Web and keep up that momentum until the end, making him fuse with me and place me in command of the resulting merger.

Of course, momentum doesn’t only hold importance in a fight. In wars or campaigns, it’s arguable even more important 

Having momentum means you have high morale, motivated fighters, and belief in victory. Throughout my own campaign against heroes, villains, and vigilantes alike, I always waited for the best moment to strike and often had many other preparations made beforehand, all so I could instantly claim momentum whenever I struck and set the pace of the following conflicts.

Yes, this didn’t always work, but my track record is pretty damn good when looking at everything I’ve done.

And this latest battle will be yet another victory on my end.

 

“I’m doing good, right boss?”

“You’re doing great, Kuin. Are you happy with how much you’ve improved?”

“Y-Yeah! I can do so much more now, and going all-out when the world ends is gonna be a blast!... thank you. Thanks for giving me another chance.” Kuin mumbles as tears start to leak out of her eyes.

“Like I said before, I never wanted you to be a mindless slave like the Nomus, Kuin.” I gently tell the queen while placing a hand on her shoulder. “I want allies. Friends. People I can count on to make all our dreams a reality. 

If you do your best to help me, then I’ll do my best to help you. Together, we’ll prepare for when this ignorant world that takes our pain and suffering for granted finally collapses in on itself. They don’t understand us, they don’t understand what their foolishness is leading to, and they won’t stop us from surviving what’s to come. 

That’s what we are, survivors. People who have been through so much, and were forced to bear their torments alone. But together, we’ll create the future we all deserve.”

Kuin stares in awe at her latest and greatest leader. She had a basic understanding of me before, but now she has truly seen both sides of me. Someone enemies should fear and allies can depend on. Someone willing to go Plus Ultra for them if they’re willing to go Plus Ultra for him.

I’m not solely an authoritarian boss like All For One; I like to think that I’m at least somewhat of a natural leader as well. 

I allow my subordinates to develop not just as villains, but as people. I care for my subordinates and go out of my way to make them happy in exchange for their continued loyalty, but I also make sure to be clear about what happens if that goodwill is spat on.

Being solely an authoritarian boss or natural leader can be good, but the ability to swap between both is best.

Never hurts to have adaptability like that, right?

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Reveal (Artificial^2), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Erasure, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Q-Ray (Artificial), Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Eruption, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Bloodcurdle, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Shock Absorption, Heat-Resistance
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Incite

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (280) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (15) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (15) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (15) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (15) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (10) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 2100 Personnel 
• 5 Commanders - Q-Ray (Artificial)
• 125 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 125 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 125 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 130 Battle Tanks
• 65 Attack Helicopters
• 45 Small Boats
• 3 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 400
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 260
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 3

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 60
• Mad Science Branch - 45
• Creation Crew - 140
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 37
• Thugs and Goons - 5895

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 118

Outside Allies:

• Giran
• Nezu

Chapter 59: Hosu Hero Massacre

“You seem certain of many things, Sekan.” Stain had pointed out as his leader was explaining his plans for Hosu. “Endeavor’s arrival, Tomura and All For One’s retaliation, and so on. While Foresight is an invaluable tool-”

“Our Naruhata gambit proved its fatal flaws, I know. But that quirk is far from the only one we can plan ahead with. IQ in particular supplements our predictions with calculations, Endurance boosting both is another boon, and I myself have become far better at utilizing these tools overtime. Trust me, Stain. The numbers do not lie.”

“The numbers do not lie?” Stain repeats, his eyebrow raised and his tone challenging.

“They do not. But sometimes, we do.” Sekan grins back. “A true strategist manipulates the odds; he does not let them manipulate him. Better to create the odds than to play them.”

 

Most of his top brass are here even though very few should have necessary parts to play. Like what happened with the USJ attack, it will mainly be their opponents moving pieces across the board.

“I’ll be there personally overseeing this operation. Kuin, you’ll be there too. Monitor the battlefield with your bees, collect blood samples of heroes with interesting quirks, and cause a few more hero deaths to the Nomus through your possession if you can.” The transmigrator orders.

“You got it, boss!”

“Now naturally, even with Foresight, we won’t know every single hero present until the battle begins, but the chances of there being at least a few who can hinder us are high. Some may have scanning or sense-enhancing quirks that pick up on Kuin’s actions; others may be capable of taking down Nomus much faster then we would like. 

Nine, you and your crew will be positioned in several hideouts I’ve prepared in areas most likely to become caught up in the battle. Rented apartments, abandoned buildings, and so on. The four of you will be spread out, but you’ll each have a dozen Praetorians as backup. 

Depending on the situation, you’ll either be obstructing them or eliminating them. As for the former, it can be anything from blocking their path with already damaged debris to posing as thugs looking to take advantage of the chaos.

Whenever I give the order and necessary intel, strike hard and strike fast. The cyberwarfare branch will deal with any security cameras and other technological devices that pick up on you. I’ll be altering your physical appearances with Overhaul beforehand, but better safe than sorry.”

“Understood.” Nine nods back.

 

“This is risky, Sekan.” Kurono points out. “Like Naruhata, the stakes are-”

“I know the stakes better than anyone.” I declare with a smile on my face. “Imagine it as a simple game of superpowered chess.”

“And we are your pawns?” Stain growls.

“That position goes to Double clones and Kuin’s swarm, Stain. You are my knights.”

Many of the big bads Sekan amassed don’t take offense to this. They know more than enough about what their leader, a monster amongst monsters, is capable of.

In this world, only the exceptionally extraordinary mattered or had agency. Survival, much less freedom, demanded you become the best of the best, a living legend at the pinnacle.

Their leader was one of those few. Someone who could unite them all, someone who could truly carve a meaningful, desirable path for them all. 

“Make no mistake, we shouldn’t have to interfere much for this plan to work, nor do I want us to interfere that much during the actual attack. No need to go overboard with this; I mean who the hell is gonna stop us? Endeavor?!?”

That got a good laugh out of everyone.

“Hahahaaaa. But in all seriousness, the Number 2 Hero of Japan is done for.”

 

Countdown to Canon: Hosu Tonight!

Heroes are dropping left and right, either due to the Nomus or the occasional interference from my own forces.

Kuin’s gathered quite the collection of DNA samples too, both from heroes and Nomus. We’ll be getting the latter in full soon enough, but we might as well start the duplication of those powers a little early if we have the chance.

Endeavor is down. With the Hero Killer being able to practically no-sell his quirk, surpass his quirkless strength and speed, tank or absorb his physical blows, and fight with a much greater arsenal of modified weapons, this was only gonna go one way. 

 

His battle with the High-End Hood proved that the flame hero can fight even if his body can’t move. His body being paralyzed doesn’t mean his quirk is, but that doesn’t matter when his quirk can’t hurt his opponent.

Even so, Stain isn’t exactly in tip top shape either right now… yet he’s still giving a similar speech to the one he gave in canon with some other heroes and recording news cameras nearby

And if said speech wasn’t intimidating enough to begin with, it gets a whole lot more scary when he’s standing victorious over a bloodied, exhausted, and paralyzed Number 2 Hero. 

Oh, and his extra Physical Enhancement quirk is also on full display (not that people know it’s an extra quirk), causing an aura of red flames to erupt out of him alongside his bloodlust and killer intent.

But I only said ‘similar’ for a reason. 

Stain got a couple crash courses in Todoroki family history in preparation for tonight, so this altered speech of his includes a few gems like “NO AMOUNT OF QUIRK MARRIAGES AND CHILD ABUSE WILL EVER PRODUCE A BETTER HERO THEN ALL MIGHT!” and “YOU AND YOUR YOUNGEST SON ARE THE FAKEST HEROES OF ALL!” and “IF THE VILLAIN DABI, YOUR OLDEST SON TOUYA TODOROKI, WON’T PURGE YOU, THEN I’LL DELIVER JUSTICE MYSELF!!!”

Dabi must be losing his fucking mind at whatever Hot Topic goth section he’s hanging around. Sorry, staples. No victory dance for you in this timeline.

Tomura must also be losing his fucking mind right now since nobody cares about his pet zombies at the moment.

And once Stain is done tearing Enji Todoroki a new one, he raises his sword to deliver the finishing-

“SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!!!”

…God damnit, Deku.

 

((‘Man, that is one wascally wabbit!’))

‘Leave the terrible pre-quirk references to me, VestigeHaul.’

((‘But I am you though.’))

Just how much did my other vestiges break him lately? Or is he just doing this to piss me off?

Probably both, but I’m much angrier at My Hero Academia’s main character right now.

The sentient bush just broke his other arm and both of his legs to save a flaming trash bag, knocking Stain off of the guy and… that’s about it.

Looks like someone didn’t bother planning ahead. What else is new?

‘Wait, is Izuku actually gonna die here?’ I perk up, genuinely curious to see if the plot continues to protect him or not.

Stain’s now asking the kid what the hell he’s doing and he gives his usual ‘I’m gonna save everyone except myself’ spiel and that actually seems to satisfy the killer. 

“Self-sacrifice… the most noble trait of a true hero.” Stain mutters as Izuku channels his inner worm to squirm towards the killer. “Yes. Continue cultivating that, child, and you may be exempt from my judgment once you grow up. But you will not stop me from slaying this fake.”

Figures. Just like in canon, if anyone lived up to Stain’s ideals bar All Might, it was the grossly masochistic stalk of broccoli who would happily eat rocks if it meant being able to save more people.

Whatever, I can still-

“HE MAY NOT, BUT I CERTAINLY WILL! DETROIT SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!!!”

And now All Might’s here… huh?

 

“When did he- how did none of my bees catch him? How fast was he moving?” Kuin mutters in fear, but not of All Might.

Rather, in fear of what I’ll supposedly do to her for this failure.

“Hey, it’s okay. That guy is the Symbol of Peace for a reason, and it seems like he has a lot more juice left than he did at USJ. I want you to reach your full potential, but I don’t expect the impossible from you, Kuin.” I assure the queen who gives a small sigh in relief. 

Stain gets smashed down the street with All Might checking on his student right after. Not Endeavor though… funny how he didn’t deny Stain’s claim of his fellow top hero being a fake. 

But I know Stain isn’t done just yet. And I know how obsessed he is over the number one hero.

“ALL MIGHT! THE ONLY TRUE HERO IN THIS SOCIETY! THE ONLY HERO I WILL ALLOW TO FINISH ME!”

“Aaaaaaaaand he’s caught up in his own stupid fantasies again. Great.” I sigh before turning towards Kuin.

“Orders, boss?”

“Don’t worry. All I ask is that you watch what’s to come.” I reply as dark goop from Double begins to surround me, goop that is augmented by Overhaul.

I by no means planned to fight All Might tonight. Endeavor and Deku could be major pains in the ass too; canon proved that crippling injuries are minor annoyances to them at worst.

Those three together? Well now, that doesn’t seem fair. I’ll have to even the odds.

Good thing I’ve been practicing that little trick I used against Nine during our first fight, and with so many people now being in my repertoire…

 

“Strongarm, Charging Muscles, Muscle Augmentation, and Fast Fist from Rappa.” I begin, my body starting to grow. 

“Shock Absorption and Super Regeneration from the U̸S̷J̵ ̸N̴o̵m̸u̶.̸”̴ ̴

My skin darkens as my voice starts to distort.

“̴B̷a̴r̵r̷i̷e̵r̶ ̶a̸n̶d̶ ̵A̴i̵r̶ ̴W̸a̷l̷l̴ ̷f̸r̸o̷m̵ ̴H̸e̶k̴i̷j̸i̶.̸ ̶C̸h̷i̶m̷e̷r̶a̴ ̶a̷n̸d̵ ̷D̷u̴p̸l̴i̸-̸A̶r̵m̶s̵ ̵f̴r̴o̷m̵ ̸C̷h̶o̶j̴u̷r̸o̷.̵”̴ ̵

The swirling storm of goo continues to grow, bulging black and blue bodies blending together.

“̴F̶i̸e̷r̵c̷e̸ ̴G̶a̶i̷n̷s̵ ̸a̷n̴d̴ ̸D̸o̷g̸ ̸f̷r̵o̴m̴ ̸G̴i̷g̵a̵n̶t̷o̸m̶a̶c̸h̴i̷a̸.̴ ̷R̵a̷b̵b̶i̸t̴ ̷f̵r̸o̵m̷ ̴M̴i̸r̵k̴o̴.̷ ̸F̸i̴e̴r̷c̸e̵ ̶W̴i̵n̷g̶s̵ ̸f̸r̸o̴m̶ ̸H̴a̷w̶k̷s̴.̴”̶ ̵

Kuin’s eyes widen further than ever as the quirks and mutations keep pouring in.

“̸S̵e̵v̶e̵r̷a̶l̵ ̸m̵o̵r̸e̸ ̸c̸o̵p̸i̸e̷s̷ ̵o̴f̶ ̸D̵o̶u̸b̸l̴e̶ ̵f̷r̸o̴m̵ ̷T̶w̷i̴c̸e̵.̸ ̶A̷n̶d̵ ̶O̵v̷e̶r̸h̶a̷u̶l̶,̶ ̵I̸Q̴,̷ ̶a̶n̴d̴ ̸C̴r̶e̴a̸t̶i̴o̷n̴ ̶f̴r̴o̶m̵ ̵m̶y̷s̴e̴l̷f̶ ̸t̶o̵ ̴b̸r̶i̷n̸g̶ ̵i̸t̷ ̴a̸l̴l̴ ̴t̶o̷g̵e̷t̴h̷e̸r̶.̵”̵

 

Four Twice clones, a Rappa clone, a USJ Nomu clone, a Hekiji clone, a Chimera clone, a Gigantomachia clone, a Mirko clone, and a Hawks clone.

Nobody knows my true appearance, and I can use that to my advantage. The new full-body cloak and mask I equipped through Creation also helps. 

These clones can take far less damage then me, but the stacked defense from their quirks more than makes up for it. However, I can’t throw away most of their body mass like I do with ‘permanent’ quirks of mine as that would make the clones dissipate. 

I can ‘compress’ their bodies, so to speak, but that can only help so much, especially when I’m trying to avoid damaging these clones in the slightest both during and after the process. 

As a result, I become a good bit bigger, a lot more muscular, and extremely deformed. Most of Mirko’s legs are merged with my arms for maximum effect of her quirk, just to give one example. 

The cloned hero can’t fight back against this either. None of them can, not when I put them all into permanent comas the instant they formed. I learned my lesson from that disaster fusion with Stain.

As for the copied vestiges, my willpower enhancers and other vestiges from within can ensure they don’t cause any trouble.

Yeah, this outta be enough. I can physically overpower top heroes like Mirko and Ryukyu while quirkless, the Flight part of Reveal lets me toss around skyscrapers like javelins, and Endurance and OverTrigger are stacked on top of that Artificial Quirk. 

Add on all those strength-boosting quirks and I should be golden. Now about my new appearance, because my latest fusion just feels freaky and looks even freakier.

“That… is AWESOME!” Kuin gushes as I raise multiple eyebrows on the right side of my deformed face. “I mean it’s disturbing, even by my standards, but it’s awesome.”

Definitely covering this up. Good thing I have Creation.

Several seconds later and I’ve become your classic cloaked figure standing ten feet tall or so. As for the parts that cloak doesn’t cover, I have white gauntlets on my hands and a white mask on my face, kind of like what Muscular wore during the Training Camp attack.

I won’t let any hints be given away via fashion design.

Now then, as for the killer and the one hero he idolizes…

 

Stain’s willpower is ridiculous and his body is far stronger, but All Might just hit him with a full-power smash. I’d be surprised if any of the killer’s ribs weren’t broken right now.

And yet he’s still standing.

“A quick but non-lethal incapacitation to ensure I can’t escape. Ending the fight as soon as possible so you may quickly return to saving others. As expected from you.” Stain smiles as the Symbol of Peace rockets towards him, preparing to knock him out.

But his fist is caught, and easily at that.

“What?”

“WHAT?! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING, S-”

“̵̛̲D̵͓̆o̵̟͒ṅ̸̢’̷͚́t̷͓͑ ̵̙̃b̵̲͂e̴͎̓ ̴̡̕ă̵͚ ̴̤͗f̷͔̕o̴̢͠ô̵͉l̷̩͝,̶̥̒ ̷̪͊S̸͓̍t̸̢̓à̷̦i̸̠̕n̴̖̚.̵̤͘ ̴̻̄T̴̫͐h̴̺͌é̸̘r̵͊ͅe̴̘̿’̷̘̐s̸̰̒ ̶͎̔s̶̰̈́ẗ̶̥i̷̼̋l̵̄ͅl̵̰͘ ̷̼̕w̵̉ͅó̴͙r̶̜̈́ḱ̶͈ ̷̠̅ṱ̷͑ō̵͔ ̵͙̉d̶̤͗o̴̹͝;̶̯͂ ̷̜̆y̴̩̓o̵̱̚ȗ̸̻ ̵͈̈́c̸̞͗a̴̲͊n̴͉̋ ̵͕̃d̸̜̎i̴͔̐e̴͓̐ ̵̹̾b̷͕͛y̷͎̽ ̴̺̈ẖ̶̒i̵̝̎s̷̾͜ ̴̝̓h̷̯͌a̷̢̓n̸͈͂d̶͕͆ ̶̢̔l̷̢̊a̴̹͌t̸͔͑e̵̞͊r̵̝̃.̷̬͝”̴͉̃I interrupt the two gawking figures, my voice now coming off as a horrifying amalgamation from so many mergers.

We’re all away from the cameras and spectators now. It’s just me and the two other titans who are glaring daggers at me.

Stain’s aura caused me to shrivel in fear the first time, but it doesn’t even make me flinch now. All Might’s intimidating aura does nothing either. If anything, he’s the one who is slightly afraid.

“Who are you?” The symbol finally asks as I stare right into his soul.

“̵̺̋S̴̥̈ò̷͜m̸̗̈ė̴̪ó̶̳n̶͖̈e̴̯͊ ̸͉͝w̵̥̚h̶̲͌ö̸̺́ ̴͎̄ḣ̶͙a̷̘̿s̴̛̥ ̴͂͜à̷̝l̵͔̋s̷͙͗o̴̹͂ ̵̫́g̴̯͛r̵͖̅ả̴̦ẑ̷͖ȅ̴̹d̷̞̃ ̸̧̃t̶̳͝h̸͇̕e̶̲̓ ̶̯̊S̴͒͜i̵̹̽n̴͙͝g̴͖̑ǘ̷̞l̵̫̏a̸̜͑ṛ̸̈́i̸̓ͅt̴͓͋y̶̙̆.̵̪̂”̶̜̏ I ominously respond. The eldritch-like appearance I have now may be covered by the cloak and mask, but the words coming out of my many mouths are a very different story.

All Might breaks away from my grasp, making some distance before calling upon whatever embers he still can. Said embers are waning and his body is failing, but this is still a guy who can change the weather with a punch, someone who still managed to carry this society on his shoulders for years on end, so he can still do something, right?

No. His current strength isn’t nearly enough, not against what I managed to amass.

 

“TEXAS SMASH!”

"̶̇͜S̶̹͂ḽ̴̊ö̶͉w̴̘̐.̸̭̿"̶̛̪

“DETROIT SMASH!”

"̴̯̌S̸̨͝l̵̦̀ö̴̦́p̸̣̅ṕ̶̤ẏ̷͜.̵͈̉"̷̘̈

“CALIFORNIA SMASH!”

"̵̹͋Ś̶ͅa̷̯̿d̴͂͜.̵̖̉"̶̑ͅ

He throws a few more of his state-named punches, but I block every blow with ease. The quirk combination I’m using now could contend with his prime self in power, so he’s not doing anything to me the way he is now.

“UNITED STATES OF- URK!”

"̸̧͆Y̸̜̑o̶̳̾ū̶̥'̷̙̒ṛ̴̃e̸͈̍ ̷̡͆n̵͖͛ó̴̱t̶͚̿ ̵̮͝l̵̲̉i̷̮͊v̴̥̐i̷̙͂ñ̴̗g̴͔̃ ̶̘͝ṷ̸͆p̸̼̆ ̴̥̍t̷̞̿o̶̗͘ ̶̩̿t̴͓̓ḧ̵̺́e̷̦͂ ̴͇̋l̸͖̑e̵͎͒g̶͕͝è̸͕n̷̢̅d̶̤́,̸͕͋ ̸̫͒S̴̖͋y̷̤͑m̸̫̂b̸̥̍o̷̝̅l̶̛̠ ̶͓͝ö̴̯́f̸͉͋ ̷͈̅P̶͚͘ê̶̮á̶̠c̸̱̄ȇ̴͉.̵͖͒"̸̡͝

He isn’t smiling. He hasn’t been since the start.

Nezu’s warning scared him, but there’s hearing about it and then there’s seeing just what monsters have been amassing under his nose in person.

“̷D̴o̷n̵’̸t̵ ̸w̶a̴s̴t̵e̷ ̵y̸o̸u̵r̷ ̴r̸e̵m̶a̷i̷n̶i̶n̷g̷ ̷t̴i̸m̴e̸ ̸o̸n̵ ̴m̸e̵;̵ ̸y̸o̷u̴ ̶s̴t̷i̴l̸l̸ ̵h̸a̶v̸e̵ ̸p̶e̵o̸p̴l̷e̴ ̶t̶o̷ ̶t̴r̵y̵ ̵a̸n̶d̷ ̶s̶a̶v̸e̷ ̵a̴n̴d̴ ̶a̵ ̸q̸u̷i̵r̸k̵-̶s̷t̵e̴a̸l̷i̴n̷g̶ ̷n̵e̵m̸e̴s̶i̵s̵ ̸t̴o̶ ̶d̵e̸f̸e̸a̴t̸ ̷f̵o̷r̸ ̷g̸o̷o̶d̸.̷”̸ I warn, my voices slightly clearing up as my own oppressive aura recedes.

That gets him to pause, knowing very well what I’m implying.

“...Are you one of them?” He finally asks

“̸D̵e̵p̷e̵n̶d̴s̴ ̷o̸n̷ ̸w̵h̴a̶t̵ ̷y̶o̵u̷’̴r̶e̸ ̷r̸e̶f̷e̷r̵r̷i̷n̸g̶ ̷t̷o̸.̵ ̵I̷ ̵s̵i̶m̸p̶l̸y̶ ̶s̴e̵e̸k̵ ̶s̶a̴l̶v̵a̶t̵i̸o̶n̶.̷”̸ ̴

I then wrap Stain’s arm around my neck, and give one last warning before leaving.

“̷T̴h̴e̴ ̵w̸o̴r̵l̶d̸’̸s̴ ̶p̴o̴w̴e̶r̸s̸ ̴w̸i̶l̸l̴ ̸b̵e̴ ̶t̷h̴e̶i̴r̴ ̵u̷n̵d̸o̶i̸n̷g̴.̴ ̸I̶ ̷h̴o̷p̸e̶ ̷y̷o̶u̴ ̶c̴a̸n̶ ̸s̵a̶v̶e̸ ̷y̷o̵u̴r̸ ̶s̸t̴u̷d̴e̷n̴t̴ ̷f̴r̸o̶m̶ ̴t̴h̵i̶s̴ ̸c̵r̷u̴e̸l̴ ̷f̶a̴t̵e̶.̴”̸

The Symbol of Peace is too stunned to chase after me and the Hero Killer passes out soon after due to his injuries, but Overhaul quickly fixes those once I get back to Kuin.

Overhaul’s return to factory setting then gets directed towards me, reverting myself back to normal and getting rid of all the dark, goopy evidence. 

 

“Was that…”

“No, it wasn’t part of the original plan. But my actions should’ve turned it around; I’ve been getting pretty good at that lately.” I sigh, sounding like an actual human again.

“But the paralysis, and the shock absorption, and the flaming aura, and how physically strong he was shown to be-”

“That does appear to be multiple quirks, doesn’t it?” I shrug back. “But it turns out that Stain only has a single quirk, one that can strengthen parts of himself and weaken his opponents based on how much willpower he has and who his opponent is. 

In Endeavor’s case, Stain’s hellbent determination on ending him let him no-sell his flames and outclass his physical strength. He also weakened Endeavor to the point of paralyzation when licking the blood right off his dirtied sword. Not only that, but that aura around him succeeded in paralyzing everyone around the duo excluding All Might himself, and even All Might felt that will being forced down on him.

Quite powerful and versatile; perhaps he even awakened his original quirk through all that hardcore training he’s done. At least, that’s what the media will explain and/or theorize once workers on our payroll, either willingly or through brainwashing, sent in that intel from trusted, anonymous, analyst sources.

The hero survivors of Stain’s other rampages over the years can attest to this. Even without body modifications or extra quirks, some heroes honestly believed him to be a robot undercover or something. He’s like a walking, talking, fortified bunker that will always get back up no matter how much he’s injured, all while scaring the shit out of them to the point of paralyzation.”

“...You built off his paralysis quirk and the extra power to channel his absurd amounts of willpower, further leaning into what little was already known about him as well as all the rumors and legends about his abilities.” Kuin quickly concludes. 

“With how powerful and complex quirks are becoming nowadays, it’s not too much of a stretch when looking at the data they have. Maybe Nezu will figure out the act, but without proof, what can he hope to do about it? 

Any blood samples of Stain were either destroyed by Endeavor’s flames or recovered by Kuin's swarm. And All For One? Please, like that egotistical ass would even dream of others having his quirk-stealing power.”

Nothing new, really. This is how I’ve been hiding my more public multi-quirked subordinates since the beginning. 

Hopefully canon hasn’t completely gone off the rails now… eh, it should be fine. With AFO stepping into the limelight, All Might’s bias will keep his eyes off me until it’s far too late.

 

I could take more direct action. After all, I just made the Symbol of Peace look like a child throwing a tantrum, and that’s not even considering the army I have backing me up, but no. I won’t compromise my position; I won’t throw away the country-sized veil I created like AFO did.

Even when looking at the current, active heroes, Izuku is set to surpass All Might at his peak in less then a year, let alone the current All Might, and Star and Stripe is leagues beyond them both. I’m not even factoring in current villains and what the Quirk Singularity Doomsday will bring.

Cockiness won’t be my undoing. I won’t bring about my own downfall like so many other villains here do.

Tangents aside, after ensuring Kuin’s swarm got some blood samples from the defeated number two (in more ways than one, might I add), I leave with my two lieutenants and an empty bento, our task list for tonight finally being complete. Looks like NightHaul was right about tonight.

Endeavor might not be dead, but his career sure as hell is. The HPSC will probably try to defend him, but that’ll just bury them further in the eyes of the public and plant a wider rift between them and Nezu. 

With how weak in power he is compared to us, this might even be a better option for us than outright death. I’ll let him fan the flames of hate against this hero society, pun intended.

Dozens of heroes were killed and a good chunk of Hosu is in ruins. 

Stain is still free to judge the heroes of Japan, the fear and awe surrounding him being greater then ever before.

Dabi should still join the LOV; he and Tomura can bond over their hatred of Stain together. 

And as for Himiko Toga…

 

“Welcome to my evil lair, young villains.” I announce in my best villain voice a few days after what has been dubbed ‘The Hosu Hero Massacre’. 

Toga jumps back on instinct. It isn’t very surprising; I can be quite intimidating, even while turning around on a swivel chair like some James Bond bad guy. I even borrowed one of my subordinates' pet cats for this bit in exchange for some bonus pay.

Her instincts are well-honed. Even without thinking about it, she immediately recognizes me as a mortal danger. An apex predator. She would do so even without Giran and my daughter’s warnings.

“Daaaaaaaaad.” Eri groans. “Please stop scaring my friend.”

“Just sending the record straight, snowflake.” I warmly respond before turning to the other young female villain in the room.

My own intimidating aura also lessens significantly, letting Toga remember that breathing is a thing.

“Thank you for aiding my daughter with her training, even if only for a little while, Himiko Toga. She has told me your origin and your desires, and I can provide you a home that will accept you and love you just the way you are.

However, there is something I require from you first. I’m sure you’ve heard of the League of Villains by now? Well, Stain is not with them. He is under my employment, and if you accept my offer, he will personally train you for the next few weeks in preparation for this mission.

After that, I will need you to join the League of Villains as my undercover spy. It will not be for long, only a few months at most, but I will need you to report any developments back to me. Can you do that?”

 

“...You can make the world an easier place to live in for me? I wouldn’t have to hide anymore?” Toga questions with both a hint of awe and skepticism. 

“In less than a year, the world will descend into complete chaos and anarchy, but I will have a paradise ready for all my followers by then. This entire city is already under my complete control, as is the hero killer you admire so much, and I already possess a power superior to that of even the quirk-stealing demon lord himself. 

I can provide you whatever you desire if you do me this favor, and my daughter will do the same if you choose to follow her afterwards… when she’s older and ready to make a name for herself, that is.”

Eri’s puppy eyes seal the deal. The LOV should stay the same until Kamino and I have a new spy to report any changes as a just in case. The Hosu Nomus will be picked up in a few days when our Warp Gate copies are done and I’ll have what I need for my future plans.

Not everything went as I hoped, but a few quick alterations fixed most of those problems and even made my position better at points. 

It feels good to be a villainous mastermind… even if the reasons for it aren’t so good.

Unlike All For One who’s in it for shits and giggles, for me, becoming a de facto demon lord is a necessity and coping mechanism more than anything. 

This isn’t supposed to be fun, but can you really blame me for making the best out of it? 

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Reveal (Artificial^2), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Erasure, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Q-Ray (Artificial), Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Eruption, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Bloodcurdle, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Shock Absorption, Heat-Resistance
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Incite

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (280) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (15) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (15) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (15) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (15) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (10) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 2100 Personnel 
• 5 Commanders - Q-Ray (Artificial)
• 125 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 125 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 125 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 130 Battle Tanks
• 65 Attack Helicopters
• 45 Small Boats
• 3 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 400
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 260
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 3

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 60
• Mad Science Branch - 45
• Creation Crew - 140
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 37
• Thugs and Goons - 5895

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 118

Outside Allies:

• Giran
• Nezu

Key Spies:

• Himiko Toga (LOV)
• Detective Tsukauchi (Nezu; Under Kuin’s Control)

Chapter 60: Guns and Glory

Notes:

I’ll be taking a brief hiatus to avoid burnout and finalize future plans for HTSAS. Expect chapters to start getting posted again next Sunday, so around a week and a half. Until then, enjoy this latest chapter of How to Survive a Shounen!

It was just another day for her.

Another day stuck in this stupid cell. Another day under the HPSC’s rule. Another day of this fucked up society carrying on.

How long has it even been? Has her replacement snapped yet, or did they brainwash the little bird even more than they did with her? Does anyone even remember her anymore, or did they cover it all up like they always do?

…Why is there a glowing purple portal in her cell?

She’s telekinetically yanked into it, and witnesses what looks like a clone of her being created soon after. A small bee then flies into the clone’s ear before said clone is thrown back into the portal.

Three people. One of which seems to have commanded the bee, another guy who just turned into goop after making that clone of her, and… holy crap, that aura is intimidating.

“A pleasure to meet you, Lady Nagant.”

 

Countdown to Canon: 2 Months Until I-Island

Warp Gate… it’s everything I thought it would be and more. 

The combat applications alone are incredible. Kurogiri has decent reflexes, but veterans or the overly-paranoid can counter him easily enough if they were positioned nearby, and it’s not like the Nomu was ever shown training.

He was nothing but a glorified taxi under All For One’s employment, and while that is definitely a convenient usage of Warp Gate (every subordinate of mine involved in the Hosu learned that after I warped them to a really expensive spa and onsen; all expenses were paid and everyone enjoyed the reward), there is so much more than can be done with it.

And with me now having it? This teleportation quirk practically doubles as a reflection quirk in my hands, not to mention the ability to sever opponents in half if I close portals around them fast enough. Not even All Might would be immune to that as the canon USJ attack displayed.

And then there’s the very long list of things a long-distance warper can accomplish in this society.

I could open a large portal on top of HPSC headquarters and bomb the shit out of them with some missiles or quirks.

I could smuggle anything smaller than a skyscraper across the entire country or even out of it in seconds.

I could teleport into a person’s bedroom at 4am and easily make sure said person never woke up again.

I could break into Tartarus and yoink out whoever the hell I want… that’s actually what I did a few days ago with none other than Kaina Tsutsumi, or rather, the lovely Lady Nagant.

 

Now the high-tech security system would no doubt pick up on the latter, that is, if we didn’t already have control over it. Thank you, technopathic hackers. Messing with a few seconds of camera feed for a single cell under the wardens’ noses is a simple task for people with their quirks and skills.

Investing so heavily into cyberwarfare resources and from the start was definitely one of my better ideas. Our capabilities in that department far outclass even the MLA, let alone the heroes.

With a technological leg-up, Warp Gate, Kuin’s bees, and the brainwashing properties of Reveal, I can secretly collect blood samples from every prisoner kept at Tartarus with heroes and villains alike being none the wiser. 

Canon didn’t showcase many notable names and quirks from Japan’s most secure villain prison, but there are a couple that stand out among the rest.

Dictator’s Despot quirk allows him to puppeteer dozens of others, if not more, through threads coming from his body. These puppet soldiers retain their consciousness and free will, but are unable to break free of his control unless they get a strong enough jolt or Dictator himself is knocked out.

Kunieda’s Plant Growth quirk lets him sprout and grow gigantic flowers, spores, and various fungus-like plants from either the ground or people’s bodies.

The latter case involves spores and plants thriving off the victim’s flesh, growing into large, carnivorous plants and spreading pollen upon maturity, allowing for rapid propagation even if Kunieda himself is defeated or unconscious.

Dozens of heroes quickly went down to him during the Final War, and entire cities can potentially be overwhelmed by his man-eating plants if they aren’t contained quickly enough.

Gashly Eijiju’s Shadow Puppet quirk lets him spawn nearly endless amounts of shadow puppets from a dark mist below him, the malleable puppets coming in a variety of shapes and sizes. They can be further stretched and morphed out of shape without being ripped apart, and Gashly used them to cause mass devastation and overwhelm others via battles of attrition. 

So yeah, there are some very dangerous villains locked up here, and I’ll be helping myself to this buffet of powerful quirks Japan has gathered into one convenient space over the last few decades. 

Back to my latest target, this late-game MHA character was the HPSC’s former Hawks, an assassin that took down anyone who ruined the narrative or status quo of hero society the commission’s president wanted to depict. 

That is until she blew the former HPSC President’s brain to bits with the incident being covered up and the former hero/assassin being sent straight to Tartarus.

She’s familiar with hunting both heroes and villains, meaning she has a unique advantage of knowing how both sides of that messy dichotomy think. She also knows just how corrupt this society is, and actually preferred AFO’s rule to it in canon, so she’ll definitely like what I have in store.

To summarize, she’s basically a gun-loving combination of Hawks and Stain with very few being her match, especially when she has the element of surprise. Even both of AFO Tomura’s hands got blown off by her hair bullets during the Final War!

 

Slice is still fangirling like crazy. Eri’s squad is also becoming big fans of her and have already begun getting gun lessons from her.

The former hero looked at me like I had three heads when I asked her to teach a class of 5-6 year olds how to shoot people, but most are already decent at it thanks to Slice… who is also taking part in those classes.

Kaina, Kiruka, Kuin, Konako, and Zi have formed their own friend group at this point, and the ex-HPSC assassin probably thinks she’s still hallucinating as she gets filled in on what the Shie Hassaikai is.

Finding out that I can give and take quirks better than the fabled demon lord can without his particular quirk didn’t help Kaina’s grasp on sanity. She does seem to enjoy the copy of Homing I gave her though. Same with the other quirks.

Thank you for your nonconsensual contribution, Snipe.

And thank you for your consensual contributions, Kiruka and Kurono.

And before you ask, no, I did not give her a self-destruction quirk. I’m not All For One; as long as Deku doesn’t do his Talk-no-Jutsu bullshit on her, she’ll stay by my side as the newest member of the Sinister Six.

I decided to move Gigantomachia out of the position, not because he’s too weak, but rather due to him being too strong. Besides, his job as my bodyguard makes it so he won’t really be attacking much.

So while that’s going on, the Shie Hassaikai is mainly busy starting the next round of preparations for Endgame. 

I’m having LabHaul pump out Warp Gate quirk copies like crazy (plus a few more copies of Foresight and the arsenal of quirks I gave Lady Nagant) because those are going to make so many things so much easier.

 

Fun fact about Japan in my old reality; out of 14,125 islands, only 430 of them are inhabited.

Fun fact about Japan in this reality; even fewer of those islands are inhabited here then in my old reality.

Quite a few of them also sunk from one quirk-related incident or another (almost a thousand total; no, I was not responsible for all of them… just most of them) and most of them don’t even cover 10 square miles.

But that’s fine by me; I don’t need that much space anyway.

The first step of these preparations is already in motion. Innsmouth and his crew are currently sailing all over Japan, mapping out the most far out of these tiny islands and their coordinates.

Until now, the naval fleet he’s been building up had two main purposes, smuggling and raiding.

Smuggling my drugs, weapons, and other products across Japan helped spike up crime with the thieving sprees groups like Cider House, Gentle and La Brava, and the Volcano Thieves did in conjunction further fanning the flames. 

All this crime served as a distraction for, among many other things, raids Innsmouth would launch on ammunition and fuel storages belonging to the coast guard and some aquatic-themed heroes like Selkie. 

My Creation Crew could make those things for him, but I’d rather have them focus on creating rarer and more expensive materials. Items that are of a higher priority to my operations.

Speaking of higher priorities, aquatic heroes and police were pissed, but the HPSC had much more important things to devote their forces to then recovering a few boats and whatever supplies went with them.

As for the lower-ranked heroes, remember the ongoing Trigger and weapons crisis I spent almost a year setting up? I may not be selling products anymore, but there is still plenty floating around the Black Market, and the results of that are occupying a whole lot of heroic rank and file.

This negates their advantage in numbers over lower-ranked villains of more revolutionary or political inclinations, especially as, unlike us, they have an entire country to garrison. That and AFO dealing with All Might will pave the way for groups like the MLA and Humarise to act, with the Shie Hassaikai likely serving as the grand finale.

But I suppose I’m getting ahead of myself.

 

So this drug/weapon epidemic allowed Innsmouth to stock up plenty of resources overtime while further hindering the heroes, but that job is done, and I see no need to continue when it risks the HPSC deciding to give a crap. 

I don’t really need him for most smuggling missions anymore either, but there are still plenty of other uses for my Davy Jones parody.

“We be making mighty fine progress, cap’n; the new cogs be doing a fine job for me hearties. There be no interruptions besides a small hero crew we see recently. We ran a shot across the bow, but the bilge-sucking landlubbers weighed anchor and hoisted the mizzen, so I scuttled the skallywags and sent them down to the locker.”

Side note, I have no idea when or why my head smuggler started talking like a pirate (pretty sure Eri is at fault here; neither her nor Innsmouth will confirm such), but I’m all for it. Sure as hell beats his one-dimensional goonish canon personality.

So yeah, I don’t really see a problem with it; he and his crew do great work in record time and are just incomparably more skilled than they were in ca- waaaaaait a second.

“Innsmouth?”

“Aye?”

“By any chance did that last crew of heroes you sunk have a girl with a frog mutation quirk in it?”

“Aye. Why?”

…Oh. Well, Tsuyu Asui’s dead.

 

I’ve been so focused on my plans for Hosu and the main plot that I completely forgot about the only other 1-A side character that actually does something even somewhat meaningful during the class’ first canon internships. 

Oh well, it’s not like she was very important in the grand scheme of things. When it comes to canon, she was about as noteworthy as the unranked hero Muscular shoved face-first into a ventilation fan last week. Most of the poor sap’s head was completely shredded; I pity whatever HPSC goons are responsible for covering that shitshow up.

Maybe Shinso or some 1-B student will take her place before the Training Camp and maybe the other 1-A students will train a little harder, but other than that, the effect on the main plot pre-Kamino should be minimal.

I wasn’t focused on her. I had no reason to focus on her. I had my own, far greater goals.

…Could that be the answer?

They all survived the USJ attack. All the important heroic characters survived Hosu; they were the stars of the show, and their light wasn’t extinguished. They could still oppose me, and knowing what they could potentially accomplish, I was wary of that. 

I saw them as genuine threats because they were the stars of this story.

But what if they weren’t the stars of this story? What if they weren’t the center of my attention? What if I simply stopped caring about them?

If they truly mean so little to me, if they truly have no way of opposing me… then why would this world bother keeping them around? 

If they are nothing but weak, pathetic background characters in this story I altered, then why should the story, this world, work to keep them alive when it can provide support to meaningful opposition against me instead? That would be the best way to stop me, the big, bad antagonist, right?

Their plot armor would fade, and their lingering dregs of light would be easily snuffed out.

‘So that’s the answer. That’s how this world works. To think it was so simple…’

 

Yes, these high school heroes won't get in my way. They can’t get in my way. Against my current forces, that class of teenagers is nothing.

Most are far too specific and niche; one trick ponies, as Shota Aizawa would call them. 

The majority of Class 1-A should be outclassed by most unranked heroes, let alone heroes like Japan’s top ten, but canon portrays them all as the greatest thing since sliced bread, beating down the biggest villains ever when actual adult pro heroes all across Japan and even the world couldn’t.

Izuku Midoriya I can understand because One For All. Shoto Todoroki I can understand because of Endeavor trying to play god with eugenics and somewhat succeeding after the fourth attempt.

But then you have people like Kyoka Jiro fighting and somehow beating back All For One and you can’t help but scratch your head a little if you put a brain cell or two into actually processing that.

Fumikage Tokoyami with both a kaiju-sized Dark Shadow and Inasa Yoarashi further empowering his shadow’s attacks pushing the old demon lord back for a bit I can understand, but goddamn Jiro? Seriously?

All For One was hindered by such things, but I am a different story. I’m different from him, I’m better than him, and what was a threat to him doesn’t have to be a threat to me.

I get it now. I know the way forward.

And to think this earth-shaking, life-altering revelation came from a simple smuggler of mine with a funny pirate accent, and by complete accident at that. 

Another normal day with abnormal revelations, perks of being in an anime world.

This world really is something else, and I understand my place in it now. 

I’ll encounter my own challenges, I’ll face my own threats, I’ll have my own hurdles to overcome, and I’ll do my absolute damn best to come out on top.

But that comes later, and by then, I’ll be ready for it.

 

Going back to business, once Innsmouth maps out some uninhabited islands, I have what Eri has dubbed ‘Klonogiris’, aka Clone Kurogiri’s or Shie Hassaikai members gifted a copy of Kurogiri’s Artificial Quirk, make sure they can warp to these islands without any problems.

After that, we begin construction of our outposts. Our many, many outposts.

Ideally, Osaka being taken over by a secret criminal empire won’t be discovered before Endgame, but if it is, then I need to have safe places ready to move my supplies and soldiers to. 

Remember that international scouting mission I had my feelers do while I traveled to Otheon? The one where they were searching for potential international hideouts in case the Shie Hassaikai was forced to flee Japan? Well multiply that by what I did at Nabu Island and you get this current mission.

Unlike hideouts at civilized areas in other countries, both the isolation and distance means I don’t have to go through all the trouble of hiding elaborate, high-tech bases swarming with minions and superweapons from heroes. And with so many powerful warp quirks, traveling to and from takes seconds rather than hours or even days.

I’m still having them work on a few viable international hideouts as a just in case; it’s just that these island hideouts are a larger priority at the moment.

Even if Hassaikai HQ isn’t discovered, I never planned on staying in Osaka. I never planned on staying in Japan either.

A global apocalypse is going to start soon! Why the hell would I remain in the middle of its ground zero?

((“You just want your own volcano lair, don’t you?”)) VestigeHaul deadpans.

‘Hey, a crater inside some big mountain is a relatively defensible position, especially with how well Overhaul works underground. There’s also plenty of free geothermal power, it looks impressive, and everything’s cooler with lava!’

((“At least tell me you won’t waste time reshaping any of these islands into a giant skull.’

‘You’re no fun.’

Anyway, by the time Quirk Singularity starts or the heroes and villains launch a full assault on Osaka, most of my army and supplies won’t even be in Japan anymore!

They won’t be living at our international hideouts or on numerous small islands either. These are all just temporary, even my soon to be volcano lair. 

I have somewhere else in mind for the Shie Hassaikai’s final destination. 

But that (ideally) comes a good bit later. For now, some of my clones and I have to do what I did back on Nabu Island times several hundred.

((“And continue leading a certain rat by a piece of cheese on a stick.”))

‘I believe the phrase is ‘carrot on a stick’, NightHaul. But in all seriousness, any issues with Mirio and his third-year internships?’

((“Nope. The kid’s always been a joy to have around, good vibes and all that. It’s been a nice break from the usual, even if hiding so much from him is kind of a pain.”))

I figured as much, but misdirection and secrecy is nothing new for us.

 

And as for our other potential threats, investigating the HPSC should satisfy Nezu’s crew for a while… and make them realize how screwed they are.

They’re already doing their best to protect Endeavor’s shattered image alongside the hero’s PR department, claiming Stain’s words are false and all that. 

Unfortunately for them, my cyberwarfare branch has long since amassed plenty of damning evidence against the guy and are doubling as Stain supporters, ensuring the video of his big speech stays up. 

That’s not even mentioning the hordes of journalists and barbaric vultures masquerading as tabloid writers. Forget having a field day, they must be having a field year with all the material I’ve given them!

Fear mongers, money grubbers, and shit-stirrers alike, go on and fan the flames, pun intended! My secret villainous organization will gladly support your society’s self-mutilation!

This should be a much better rallying cry for prospective villains than anything Stain did in canon.

And now, the HPSC was dying from their own weapon, public opinion. Because there’s a limit to how much they can bend and twist the facts, how long they could railroad the narrative. 

Now, all they can really do is watch someone play their own system against them, and steadily win at that.

Whether they like it or not, the media plays a major role in how heroes can operate. The media dictates how much society likes or dislikes heroes; they dictate the very image of heroes.

If the media only covers the bad parts, society will turn their back on heroes, thus making said heroes’ jobs that much harder. Impropriety, or even the suggestion of such, has a nasty impact on a hero’s job and their ability to do their job unimpeded, especially when they’re out and about in the public spotlight rather than an underground hero like Eraserhead.

So sometimes it’s a boon, and other times it’s a horrific nightmare. It all depends on them.

And while the HPSC definitely has their talons on some sources of media, groups like the MLA, Humarise, and the Shie Hassaikai have something similar, and all us villainous groups have a common enemy right now. 

Even if they aren’t aware of it, we’ll all still be working together to ruin the HPSC’s day.

Oh, what fun this battle royale is turning out to be.

 

The flame hero is on leave right now, both due to injuries and the so-called ‘investigation’ into him (which is a load of crap), but the HPSC won’t go down that easily. Neither will Endeavor despite the equivalent of a nuclear bomb suddenly being dropped on his reputation.

Both the allegations against him and getting his ass handed to him in Hosu. It was only a single night’s worth of events, but those events stung.

While we’re on the subject of morally questionable top heroes, perhaps I should fill Nezu’s crew in on a certain bird’s backstory. They should know that taking down the three secret villain organizations in Japan isn’t enough to win; the HPSC could even be considered the fourth one.

And Humarise the fifth. That group being my allegiance is what my vague words to All Might were meant to imply, and they are most certainly a massive threat to Japan along with the rest of the world.

“Your plans have always been some of the most ridiculous, nonsensical things I’ve ever heard, Sekan, and this is coming from a guy who’s had All For One as a client for years, but this one takes the cake. 

I know they always end up working out; we wouldn’t be nearly as successful if they didn’t, but this one is just plain asinine to me. So why? What exactly am I missing here?” Giran questions me later in the day.

I’ve had a couple of meetings with him lately to help set this up for the next part of my grand scheme.

Him getting into contact with Toga was just one part of this latest step. I have other things in mind that my favorite villain broker can help me out with.

“Stain has been secretly working under you for almost a year, and he’s more popular than ever now after defeating and humiliating the Number 2 Hero. All the major players like me are watching and the villains scattered around Japan have a new rallying point.

They know what banding together can accomplish thanks to the villain war between the Creature Rejection Clan and Wild Villains, and Stain’s ideals are stirring up society far more than those two groups ever did. That’s hundreds, maybe thousands of potential recruits all flocking towards the group that they believe Stain is connected to.”

“The League of Villains.” I finished the broker’s thought. “And that’s exactly what I want. I have no use for the mooks and goons hiding behind back alleys anymore. I already gathered up the ones I saw potential in and helped turn those small-timers into far more useful subsidiaries. Just look at Innsmouth.”

“I know that, but there are some other talents out there that could be helpful. You were willing to recruit Starservant before. You even asked me for Toga last time we met-”

“Because my daughter wanted me to recruit her friend and I happen to have some use for both her and the old glass guy. There are a few acceptions, but overall, I want these people going to the League of Villains. To All For One. And that drama queen of a demon lord won’t be able to resist.”

“You mean…” Giran trails off, slowly putting the pieces together.

“Isn’t it obvious? Sometimes I forget that others don’t see the bigger picture nearly as well as I do.” I sigh. “Do you know why I prioritized securing and reinforcing my territory after Naruhata? We both know I could’ve gone on the offensive, expanding operations like the SUM while I still have the element of surprise.”

“You knew All For One was planning something, and are going to prepare for when he and the heroes take each other out.”

“Bingo.” I smirk. “He won’t be able to resist coming out to personally finish the job, but All Might beat him once and he’ll do it again, or at worst, cripple him even further before dying himself. 

The old demon lord’s return is simply the opening act of this play; the underworld will be stirred and peace will fall, but he won’t be on top when that happens. All his hard work will be for the benefit of others; how ironic for a selfish prick like him.”

 

I am not a good man; I enjoy my villainy and am already replacing this world’s demon lord better than canon Kai ever could, but there’s a lot more to me than that.

To Giran, I seem like an emotion-fueled madman but also colder than anyone else. I appear steeped in dreams but also grounded in reality.

Even after all this time, he still can’t get a good read on me.

Good. That’ll make things harder for any enemies that learn about me through him, such as the MLA.

The canon LOV should still mostly be the same. Stain won’t be spreading the word about his true allegiances; I made sure of it.

The newly crowned S-Rank villain is gonna be hanging out at Hassaikai HQ for a while until the heat around him dies down. 

Besides the fact that he’s probably the most wanted person in Japan right now, I also don’t want him seeking suicide by All Might anymore, so until he starts using his brain again, I have him in what is basically time out.

The Hero Killer took my declaration like an angry finatical superpowered ninja should. In other words, he left to go beat some sandbags to super-death just to unwind.

From there, I sent Eri his way for some serious guilt-tripping.

 

It seems to be working so far, especially with some of her subordinates joining in.

They’ve all become big fans of the Hero Killer thanks to my daughter. Same goes with the Volcano Thieves.

Gentle and La Brava… less so. The latter especially isn’t very happy about the Volcano Thieves being the Head-Starter’s favorite band of thieves and ignores the guys from Cider House when they tell her it’s no big deal.

Nothing like a little healthy competition to spur up efficiency. Most of my subsidiaries are still hard at work, even if most of said work is much less out in the open nowadays.

“Are you two sure you don’t want any extra quirks?” I had asked the VillainTube duo shortly after getting back from my meeting with Giran.

“I appreciate the offer, young master, but that will not be necessary.”

“Young ma- I’m like five years younger than you! White hair does not equal old people! Just look at Zi and Eri for proof!”

“You are younger than me though.” The troll of a thief smirks. 

“Whatever. Also, I have some more businesses for you to hit. Put on a good show, and NO BRINGING ERI ALONG! I don’t care how good her disguise is or how desperate your fans are!

More people are going to continue requesting her to become a permanent addition the more you let her participate and I will NOT give in no matter how much peer pressure you shove my way! And no requesting Double clones of her either!”

His lack of insight was a major issue in canon and I’m doing my best to fix that, but fuck, is this dynamic duo stubborn.

Well, at least everything else is going fine enough. ‘All Might vs AFO 2: Electric Boogaloo’ is getting closer and closer; same goes for a very special trip I plan on taking over the summer. 

I-Island won’t know what hit it.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Reveal (Artificial^2), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Warp Gate (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Erasure, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Q-Ray (Artificial), Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Eruption, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Bloodcurdle, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Shock Absorption
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Incite
• Kaina Tsutsumi (Head Assassin) - Rifle, Homing, Slice, Chronostasis, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (280) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (15) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (15) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (15) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (15) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (10) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 2100 Personnel 
• 5 Commanders - Q-Ray (Artificial)
• 125 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 125 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 125 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 130 Battle Tanks
• 65 Attack Helicopters
• 45 Small Boats
• 3 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 400
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 270
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 3

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 60
• Mad Science Branch - 45
• Creation Crew - 140
• Klonogiris - 18
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 37
• Thugs and Goons - 5960

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 118

Outside Allies:

• Giran
• Nezu

Key Spies:

• Himiko Toga (LOV)
• Detective Tsukauchi (Nezu; Under Kuin’s Control)

Chapter 61: Passing the Torch

“So now you know… the entire purpose of One For All is to defeat All For One. As its holder, you may one day have to fight against this great evil yourself, and perhaps, even the other great evils plotting in the shadows.” All Might finishes his speech to his student.

He had been so sure the demon lord was dead. He thought passing it on to Izuku would signify a fresh start. A new, peaceful chapter in One For All’s history. 

He never would’ve passed this burden onto him if he knew what was brewing in the darkness. 

And yet, even after seeing the disaster in Hosu with his own eyes, even after one of his fellow students has gone missing or potentially even died during her internships (the investigation regarding Tsuyu Asui and the rest of Selkie’s Hero Agency is still ongoing), Izuku Midoriya is still determined to do his best. He says that he can do anything as long as All Might has his back.

Deep down, he knows that won’t be how things play out, but he just can’t bear to tell his student the truth.

Nighteye’s warning back then… and the fact that this new villain is powerful and intelligent enough to treat him, the Symbol of Peace, like a puppet on strings. 

It had to be him in Hosu. He’s the one who saved Stain, the one who so easily toyed with him, he’s sure of it! Long Haul must be the one who gruesomely kills him in Nighteye’s vision.

Or maybe, it’s really All For One. If the old demon lord is still severely injured, then Nighteye probably wouldn’t have recognized him because of it.

 

They were all so sure he was dead, but who else could it be? Who else could be strong enough to kill the All Might, regardless of if his power has already been waning? 

Other top heroes like Mirko and Ryukyu are strong, but there’s a difference between simply being strong and being able to beat All Might in a fight. He can still decimate entire city blocks with the flick of a finger, so who?

Long Haul, apparently. And the Nomu at USJ. And who knows what other monsters are hiding in the shadows, taking advantage of the precarious situation hero society is in.

The immediate aftermath of Hosu was telling enough, he didn’t need an intelligence-boosting quirk like Nezu’s to see that. Stain’s accusations that night were horrifying, and what the youngest Todoroki was willing to reveal doesn’t paint a much better picture, but the media response was too fast.

Not to mention authors and sources that are difficult, if not impossible to trace and related scandals such as Endeavor’s wife being admitted into a mental hospital following far too quickly. He was always going to get a lot of attention, being the media’s new favorite subject, but things happened way too fast.

Same goes for many other articles being put up in defense of Endeavor and discrediting Stain. It all reeked of being manufactured to his finely-tuned bullshit sense. The villains on one side and the HPSC on the other, all pushing their own agendas.

Nezu agrees with this, and he suspects that Long Haul is involved with Humarise after All Might told him what the villain said, but he could also be trying to frame Humarise and Flect Turn’s involvement.

He’s misleading them, having them fight against who he wants them to fight, and the worst part is they have no choice but to. 

They can’t ignore the threat All For One and his League of Villains have on society. They can’t ignore Humarise and the MLA and whatever they’re planning. They can’t ignore the HPSC and Endeavor’s villainous acts.

They can’t ignore the information Long Haul just sent them about the Winged Hero: Hawks.

 

And the way he effortlessly blocked All Might’s blows back then… he knows he’s far from his prime, but that level of power is still ridiculous. It should be impossible.

Could he have multiple quirks? No, he clearly wants All For One gone as much as they do, albeit for completely different reasons, and the demon lord would never let someone he gave a quirk or quirks to betray him.

Could he have a quirk like his other student then? Even at his peak, he knows he would be no match for Star and Stripe. He’s so proud of how far Cassie’s come, and while asking for her help is tempting, she has her own country to look out for.

He won’t drag her into any of his own problems; just like with All For One back then, this is his own mess to handle.

Unbelievable. He was supposed to be a symbol of peace, freeing Japan of villains entirely, acting as someone to look up to, being a reminder to other heroes about what they are supposed to be, and make any new potential demon lords think twice about going down that dark path unless they want to get sent flying across the entire country with a punch.

But besides All For One and his empire, he only really dealt with small fry over the decades.

Other major threats simply took this time to better prepare in the shadows, likely taking advantage of All For One’s gradual downfall, becoming more cautious instead of dissuaded. Even All For One himself began doing this after his supposed ‘death’ a few years ago, recouping his forces as his archnemesis continued to burn out.

To All For One and his competitors, the Golden Era of Peace he painstakingly built over several decades was simply a short break, a period where they could relax and rebuild before returning to rulership better than ever before.

And now that burden is going to be on his student’s hands. It’ll be up to him to maintain this fragile peace that’s rapidly breaking apart before his very eyes.

Long Haul, or whoever he really is, knows about Izuku. All For One may know now too.

So much for being a Symbol of Peace. A symbol of failure is what he is.

‘I’m sorry, Young Midoriya. By the time you face them… I won’t be by your side anymore.’

 

Countdown to Canon: 1 Month 2 Weeks Until I-Island

“Without Captain Celebrity or Star and Stripe, it would be easy pickings! I’m thinking we give them 1,000 dollars, a week’s worth of food rations, and maybe a-”

“Okay, hang on a second, Sekan. We were talking about how Binging Balls can potentially be used as mini storage areas not even five minutes ago. How did we get to the topic of the Head-Starters overthrowing the United States Government as a final exam?” 

“Chrono, I’m a man with a vast imagination. You should expect this kind of behavior from me by now.”

While I won’t admit it to her, Eri does have a point about how fun messing with Kurono is. 

Thanks for the inspiration, fanon Nezu. I may or may not genuinely implement some of your educational tactics in the future.

 

“Alright, kids. That’s enough sparring for now. Katsuma, please heal them all.” I then politely request the younger Shimano sibling who immediately does so while fussing over his friends for being too reckless again.

They’ve all continued working hard, the current chaos going in society only serving as more motivation. Not to stop it, mind you, but to be on top of it, to control it.

To one day take my place as the ultimate villain mastermind behind everything. Their words, not mine. 

Oh, how All For One would seethe if he heard them. 

Oh, how Garaki would seethe if he saw them.

Children matching, if not surpassing even his High-End Nomus in power, not that he finished any of them yet. Even Hood doesn’t get completed until a few months after Kamino, and none of my changes should’ve resulted in Garaki further optimizing Nomu production. 

I’ve been stealing his research, not the other way around.

Best of all, my multi-quirk creations don’t lose any cognitive functions. In other words, they can still think and mentally develop like actual humans. Besides getting a little taller, their appearances don’t change either.

They’ve got it good. Really good. I’ll only give the best to my daughter, and she’s not leaving her little minions behind.

I can’t be sure what the future will hold. I can’t be sure what the state of the world will be by the time these kids will be grown up.

Will everyone else be dead? Or will society return to the way it was during the Dawn of Quirks with Quirk Warlords ruling different parts of the planet?

Well whatever it is, these kids will probably want to get in on the action. Many people in the Shie Hassaikai do, and I intend to give them that chance after ensuring our safety if the worst were to happen.

And after making sure they’re ready, of course.

Stain, Lady Nagant, Kuin, Nine and his crew, the Volcano Thieves, Innsmouth, and many others in the Shie Hassaikai. They’re all helping to teach these ankle-biters everything they know, as am I.

The key to never growing complacent in this business is listening and learning. Character development, in story terms. 

Not only are these kids learning crucial skills from a variety of reliable, relevant sources, but they’re also learning about the mistakes these sources made and how to avoid making them.

Simply put, in a decade or so, these little monsters will rise up into the ultimate villains and rule whatever remains of this world. 

I know it sounds overly dramatic, but hey, this world is a shounen. Of course things are gonna be overly dramatic. It’s par for the course.

I can’t help but be curious though, and with copies of Foresight at my disposal…

 

The thought stays in my mind as time passes by. 

I watch my daughter hit more and more moving targets as Lady Nagant and Slice guide her in gunmanship.

I watch my daughter sneak into the underground barracks during drills and steal a large crate full of supplies without a single person noticing, Gentle and La Brava giving her a perfect score for the heist.

I watch my daughter make most of my top brass rage quit after card-counting their bonuses to death. That and the various betting polls we’ve got going on are really doing a number on them.

I watch my daughter spar with Stain alongside her two bodyguards, all four of them using what Eri has dubbed ‘knife-fu’ during their quirkless battle.

The three were still no match for the hardened killer, but he’s really started to enjoy teaching these kids how best to swing different blades.

Right now, Eri darts under Stain’s extended arm as Tamashiro gets knocked away with the hero killer jabbing his other knife forward. Eri not only slows down in time, but actually runs up his arm before landing a mean kick to the side of his face.

Of course, this doesn’t do a whole lot and Eri is grabbed alongside Kota who planned to stab him in the leg, severing his Achilles Tendon and crippling the killer while he was distracted. 

Their plan may not have worked and Stain may not have been giving it his all, but he is far more powerful then his canon self and managing to get a blow in to begin with was definitely an accomplishment. 

“She’s growing up so fast… when did she go and get so big?” I mumble, wiping away the tears that are forming in my eyes.

((‘You’re the one who fused parts of multiple people into her.’))

‘QUIT RUINING THE MOMENT, VESTIGEHAUL!’

 

The curiosity eats away at me, but will it really mean anything when even the ‘unchangeable future’ that quirk shows can be so easily changed by me?

With how often Rewind and other time-bending quirks are used around here, the Foresight quirk is practically useless when looking far into the future… but it’s still worth a shot. 

So I head into the main quirk lab and take a copy before heading towards my daughter, Reveal letting me see where in the compound she is without a problem.

“Hi, dad!” She smiles at me, taking a pause from drawing something with crayons.

“Hey, snowflake. What are you doing?”

“Designing my future villain lair, but it looks more like an outpost right now…” She trails off.

“Hey, that’s okay. Outposts are important to have too. Just look at how many I’m building right now.” I remind her before getting down on one knee.

“You know I’m proud of you, right? I always have been and I always will be.”

“...Thanks, dad.” My daughter smiles at me, going in for a hug which I gladly reciprocate.

I then activate Foresi-

 

 

 

 

 

“Hey, dad.”

I fall back in shock, gawking at the only other person present in this void I suddenly entered.

It was a grown woman about as tall as me, but she looked far larger than life. 

Her bright white hair floated around her as if it were suspended in water, with small zaps of electricity jumping between the largest strands.

Semi-transparent white wings sprouted from her lower back, crystal-looking bones running through the ghostly appendages. A similar, ethereal disk floated over her head, but calling it a halo would be wrong. It was partially broken like a crescent and crackling with energy.

Instead of one small horn, she has two enormous ones on either side of her forehead, wrapping around the back of it like she was a dragon instead of a unicorn.

She also has two small holes in the palms of her hands, the special quirk-stealing organs alongside the rest of her body storing enough power to break Reveal the instant it probed her, something I didn’t even know was possible.

But it was her eyes that really left an impact on me. They shone like miniature stars, with the iris an electric red plasma and the pupils a blazing gold. 

The woman stood confidently and seemed to radiate a presence that rivaled the deity who transmigrated me to begin with.

This was my adopted daughter, and she’s gained more power than I could possibly imagine.

“W-Wha… Eri?” I stutter in disbelief. “H-How? How can you see me?”

“I’ve pretty much become omniscient now that my ultimate quirk creation is complete and I’ve evolved beyond the singularity. Something as minor as witnessing you glance through time is a trifling matter for the literal goddess of time.”

Ultimate quirk? Does she mean…

“Yeah, Quirk Resonance Theory. The chucklefucks calling themselves ‘God’ and ‘Lucifer’ for your convenience didn’t have a clue that one of their experiments could allow beings to potentially reach their own level. Not until it was too late, anyway. 

You’ve already made some progress with this discovery, but I ended up taking it much, much further over the years as the Quirk Singularity started in earnest. Shouldn’t be very surprising if you think about it. 

A powerful time-manipulation quirk to start and you, the guy who can exploit everything in sight to a ridiculous degree, as my mentor? Figuring out time travel was inevitable, especially after going through so much growth.”

How many superpowers does she have fused into her own now? Thousands? Millions? Billions? And just how much have those powers evolved overtime? Just what are quirks truly capable of?

No, that’s not what matters right now. There’s a much more important question I need answered.

 

I do my best to steel myself while facing the goddess in front of me before asking, “Was I there for you?”

“...You will be this time.” My daughter mutters before speaking up. “Don’t blame yourself for my bad ending; I was the one who fucked up in the future, and you taught me how to learn from my mistakes. No need to worry about this, you can leave it all to me.”

Well that’s ominous, if not reassuring. 

Gee whiz, I wonder who she got that from? 

“First multiverse bullshit, and now time travel bullshit? Preparing for the singularity is difficult enough as is without all these classic convoluted tropes being thrown my way.

How unbelievably annoying… thanks for trying to shield me from it, fledgling.” I smile, walking over to my grown-up daughter and giving her the best hug I can. This Eri looks like she needs it.

She shivers a little at my touch, but reciprocates the hug soon enough, the two of us staying silent for the next few minutes. I’ll do this as long as she needs me to.

And assuming she now knows the truth about me…

“I’m sorry for lying to you.” I finally whisper. “About my true origin.”

“It’s okay. I get why you needed to keep such a thing a secret, and besides, knowing what you did and actually using that knowledge to save me are two very different things. That was just another burden you carried to make my life far better than it was ever supposed to be.”

She then uses what I assume to be her own Rewind quirk on me, fixing Reveal up and just making me feel better.

Unknown to me at the time, she also transferred a little something extra into my body, something not even my vestiges could pick up on.

 

“Thanks, snowflake. You sure you don’t need me to do anything?” I then confirm as she breaks the hug and smiles at the old nickname.

“What, not gonna try using the future cheat sheet in front of you?” Eri snarks back.

“I may not have a fancy total time-manipulation quirk like you… yet… but I know plenty of tropes surrounding time-traveling and future-seeing narratives. Meta-knowledge exploiter, remember? Assuming I get what I want in the end, you causing a major change through this talk may just screw us over, albeit accidentally. 

That’s why you were so vague with your earlier explanation, excluding the part where you specified the big oopsie wasn’t from me and that I didn’t need to worry about it. If you give me specific details about my future, chances are those parts will go differently due to that knowledge causing a Butterfly Effect.”

“Figures you would catch on, even without IQ.” The white-haired woman smiles back. “But thinking about it… I suppose some more things do need to be said. Watch out for those so-called deities and the games they play; my very existence doesn’t guarantee you’ll win that side story they’re putting you through for their own amusement.

And as for your main journey, All For One and All Might, Nezu and the HPSC, the MLA, Humarise, the WHA, and so on; the show may not really show it, but they’re all strategizing, making plans and playing this big game that they don’t fully understand.

Even you won’t be able to outplay them all; you can only see and do so much no matter how many exploits and plans you pull off. But more than that, the rules here won’t allow that to happen. In worlds like the one you’re in, you can do whatever the hell you want, but these worlds will do whatever the hell they want too. 

These worlds were structured in a certain way when created; they’re governed by natural, practically unchangeable laws. They’re almost like living organisms themselves, forcing their ridiculous rules down onto their inhabitants. You should’ve already gotten the basic gist of those laws by now.”

“The laws of a shounen world… from the way people act to the way their powers work to the way their clothes conveniently cover their private parts no matter how much damage is done to plain old plot armor protection for a select few key characters.” I mutter in understanding.

“Bingo. These laws can be bent with enough force, but the methods that allow such have their limits and they will snap back if too much force is applied. That’s not even mentioning how haywire the world goes once Quirk Singularity Doomsday rears its ugly head.

It’s an annoying game to play, but here’s a tip that you should already know deep down, a tip you’ve been using this whole time, really. If you can’t play the game, you break it.

Oh, and don’t stress over this. We all know you’re trying your best and we can’t ever thank you enough for it. Just keep playing your game and I’ll keep playing mine, and together, we’ll emerge victorious.”

 

She’s come into her own. She’s all grown up, off on her own adventure several levels beyond my own in scale.

And from the looks of it, I prepared her enough for whatever lies ahead on her own journey. Good to know.

“Right, but I just have to ask. My own Chibiusa didn’t become a bootleg Black Lady while she was off on her own, right?” I cautiously confirm, motioning to the holes in her hands. 

“Heh, Sailor Moon. I missed your pre-quirk references, dad… and every other little quirk of yours too, pun intended. But to answer your question, yes and no.

I reject my so-called ‘canon’ self completely and utterly, and unlike Tomura, I am no slave to my quirks, All For One included. They’ve all been evolved and combined into something far greater. That being said, continuing with the Sailor Moon comparisons, you’re kinda like Wiseman if he actually cared about Chibiusa.

My name is Eri Doraifu. My identity is Eri Doraifu, daughter of Sekan Doraifu, now and forever. From a caged little slave to a demon princess to a goddess of the singularity; it’s quite a story, but I’ll save that for another time. 

In short, the hypocritical heroes that made me squander my potential will fall, the pathetic villains that would bend me to their will like Kai once did will be the ones bending to my will, and my transmigrating father that helped all my dreams come true should love what I have in store.”

I know she’s telling the truth. I can see it in her eyes, and besides, there’s no way any All For One can do that good of an impression of my daughter, or even bother when he has that much power at his disposal.

“Good, just making sure. I won’t let there be a repeat of my Naruhata Gambit, and I won’t work myself to death over this. I can’t exactly help you out then, now can I?”

“Nope.” The goddess chuckles before giving me one last hug. “I’ll come visit you again soon, dad. I promise, and… thank you, for freeing me from my fate.”

Everything then goes dark again, and I soon open my eyes to see my daughter in my arms.

My current, present, six year old daughter.

 

“Dad? Are you okay?” She asks me as tears start to build up in my eyes again.

“I’m alright, snowflake. Just really, really proud of you.”

“But I’ve barely started villain-ing!”

“And you’re already doing an amazing job at it.” I compliment while ruffling her hair and she giggles at the physical and verbal affection.

Neither of us notice something transferring itself from myself into her, the very thing that goddess transferred into me earlier.

“Well I’ll be a whole lot better when I’m older. I’ll be the best villain ever!”

I couldn’t keep my composure after that, letting out a laugh while scooping her up into my arms. She squeals in delight as I tickle her, thrashing so hard she almost kicks me in the face like she did Stain.

Not many six year olds can claim to have landed a solid hit on the Hero Killer.

She really is going to be unstoppable once she grows up.

“I’m sure you will, just don’t forget that being a villain and being a total jerk are two different things, okay?” I remind her after putting her back down.

“I know. I’m gonna be a villain that protects her family and her subordinates. You all help me so much, so I’ll help you too and deal with those that hurt us at the same time. I’ll be a super efficient villain, just like you.”

“I’m sure you will, Eri. I’m sure you will.”

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Reveal (Artificial^2), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Warp Gate (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Erasure, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, ?????

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Q-Ray (Artificial), Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Eruption, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Bloodcurdle, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Shock Absorption
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Incite
• Kaina Tsutsumi (Head Assassin) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Rifle, Homing, Slice, Chronostasis, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces ( + Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (305) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (15) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (15) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (15) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (15) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (10) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 2200 Personnel 
• 10 Commanders - Q-Ray (Artificial)
• 135 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 135 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 135 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 130 Battle Tanks
• 75 Attack Helicopters
• 50 Small Boats
• 4 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 440
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 300
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 3

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 60
• Mad Science Branch - 50
• Creation Crew - 145
• Klonogiris - 57
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 37
• Thugs and Goons - 6405

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 118

Outside Allies:

• Giran
• Nezu

Key Spies:

• Himiko Toga (LOV)
• Detective Tsukauchi (Nezu; Under Kuin’s Control)

Chapter 62: Sekan’s Villain Academia

There’s still been no sign of her, not to mention Selkie and the rest of the Hero Agency she was interning with… 

At this point, he has to assume the worst, and he absolutely hates it. 

She wasn’t even in Hosu at the time! She wasn’t anywhere close to where the hero massacre took place! Izuku and Shoto were, and both were severely injured that night, but at least they're still alive.

This is why he pushes them so hard and threatens to expel them so often. This is what he warns all his classes about each and every year.

He knows it’s illogical to blame himself for it. Unlike at the USJ, there was nothing he could do to help. He could only do his best to teach them, warn them, and prepare them beforehand so a repeat of Oboro’s death wouldn’t happen.

Shota Aizawa can only hope that this tragedy makes the other students realize just why he pushes them so hard, and motivates them to go as Plus Ultra as he can. 

Most of them were devastated upon hearing the news. Even Bakugou kept his mouth shut as he explained the situation, giving them their largest reality-check yet. 

He’ll give them time to grieve, time to decide if this is what they really want for themselves, and those who still remain will be pushed harder than ever.

As for him… there’s a certain rat he needs to confront regarding a few things he overheard and the occasional bee he’s found buzzing around.

It took him a bit to remember, but he recognizes the latter. Oh boy, does he recognize the latter.

And he wants some fucking answers.

 

Countdown to Canon: 1 Month 2 Weeks Until I-Island

“COME ON, HOYO! FOCUS YOUR CARBON CABLES ON THE KRAKEN! INNSMOUTH, BREAK FREE OR YOU’LL END UP AS CALAMARI!”

“HEKIJI, KEEP THOSE BARRIERS UP OR I’M SUMMONING TWICE AS MANY RAPPA CLONES NEXT TIME!”

“BE STEALTHIER, NINE! KAINA, KEEP SHOOTING THROUGH HIS STORMS!”

“For the love of gohooooodddd, make it staaaahhhhhppppp!!!”

In UA’s Training Camp, heroes have their little child soldiers train in extreme quirk use for one week a year during all three years of their High School careers. Their prestige, connections, and comical amounts of funding let them accomplish this since hellish training doesn’t come cheap.

For many members of the Shie Hassaikai, they get similar training at least several days a week for most weeks of the year, and that’s if they have other jobs to attend to. 

The ones that don’t get a whole lot more, enough to even make my combat junkies step back in disbelief.

 

“DAMNIT, NINE! DODGE! DO YOU WANT NEW HOLES IN YOUR HEAD AFTER NARUHATA?!”

“KUIN, PACK THOSE BOMB BEES WITH BIGGER BLASTS!”

“CHANNEL AND FOCUS THE HEAT, MAGUMA! I’VE SEEN RATS WITH BETTER CONTROL OVER THEIR QUIRKS, AND I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT NEZU!”

“JOI, I WANT THAT ENTIRE ISLAND UNDER YOUR CONTROL IN THE NEXT TEN MINUTES NO MATTER HOW MUCH TRIGGER YOU HAVE TO TAKE!”

“Zi, you’re doing an awesome job. Keep up the good work.”

“THIS IS BULLSHIT!”

“NO, THIS IS YOUR VILLAIN ACADEMIA! GET USED TO IT!”

“WHAT?”

“NEVERMIND! NOW DROP AND GIVE ME TWO-HUNDRED!”

“Isn’t the phrase drop and give me twenty-”

“DID I STUTTER?!?”

Of course, unlike UA, I actually know a thing or two about how quirks work and how to best train and/or develop them. Also unlike UA, I have access to endless optimized quirk-boosting drugs plus multiple quirks that can heal all wounds, improve physical condition, and even resurrect people… and countless copies of most of said quirks.

So what if they look like they just went 12 rounds with Mike Tyson? Any injuries, death included, can be healed in seconds!

And now that I have warping quirks and a whole lot of uninhabited islands far away from the mainland mapped out, I can take the training of my subordinates to a whole new level.

This led to the creation of my supervillain bootcamp. 

“KEEP IT UP, MAGGOTS! ANYONE WHO DROPS OVER IS GETTING MOUTH TO MOUTH FROM MACHIA!”

*ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRR*

 

My top brass are all already powerful; enough to wipe out at least some of the top 10 heroes at once on their own. They are some of My Hero Academia’s most dangerous villains in canon for a reason.

But that doesn’t change the fact that most of them are destined to be defeated by overemotional, short-sighted teenagers. Either that or develop a terminal case of morals from some suicidal bush’s Talk-no-Jutsu.

It’s a shounen, I get it. People here tend to make very stupid decisions.

But that’s not gonna fly with me, so this bootcamp is mainly meant to beat the stupid out of them. If I can’t do that, then Gigantomachia will.

I don’t need cartoonish, mustache-twirling villains shouting ‘Curses, foiled again!’ once a week or weak-willed fools that will side with heroes after getting hit once or twice in the feelings; I need competent villains to get things done. 

Villains who can work as a unit, who can lead and be led whenever necessary. Villains who are aware of their limits, but can think outside the box. Villains who can handle whatever heroes come their way.

Villains who are powerful and reliable companions who can think for themselves in any situation, no matter how die it may be.

Now unless you practically cheat like me or are a main protagonist/antagonist in this shounen reality, getting past a certain level of both natural and quirk strength is extremely difficult. The fact that these guys got so strong to begin with is a testament to their potential and dedication.

They are powerful in both their quirk factors and experience with them, and with my guidance, modifications, pharmacology, and growing understanding of various quirk theories… I’d be surprised if any of them doesn’t obtain either a brand new Awakened or Artificial quirk by the time Endgame starts.

Some may even enter the singularity itself and undergo an evolution similar to AFO Tomura during the Final War.

A few of them have already gotten Hysterical Strength at one point or another. All that’s left is to refine that into true, permanent Quirk Awakenings.

On top of that, I want to try teaching them the power of will, something completely separate from quirks. 

Channeling your willpower and intent to the point where it impacts the psyches of others should theoretically be possible for anyone to learn here under the right guidance. Myself, Stain, AFO, and AFO Tomura can do this, so I see no reason why some other top villains can’t pick this skill up too.

Even if they can’t master it, they can at least learn how to resist it, something even Endeavor couldn’t manage against Stain despite having decades of experience as one of Japan’s top heroes.

I’ve blasted them with my own, even combining it with Reveal from time to time. As a result, my willpower wasn’t simply imposing dominance over them, but quite literally attacking their mind and sanity, tearing it to shreds. Rewind can heal that damage if it proves too much for Overhaul.

Other powers that aren’t quirks like being able to instantly bulk up your muscle mass might come in handy too, even if it didn’t really help people who can do that like Gran Torino (but to be fair, his opponent was AFO Tomura at the time).

“I still can’t believe there are genuine superpowers other than quirks!” Kuin had commented. “It feels like something straight out of a shounen manga!”

…Oh, the utter irony of that statement.

 

Anyway, as for teamwork and general discipline, I’m having these guys practice numerous battle tactics and strategies to further build trust amongst themselves and each other while improving in overall combat and quirk usage.

By the time my endgame rolls around, I want each and every one of these guys to be excellent tacticians with plenty of combat experience who know when to follow my plans and when to alter them on the fly because circumstances unexpectedly changed.

Skill is needed, and trust is needed even more. They all already trust me, but I also need them to trust themselves and trust each other. 

This isn’t limited to my top brass either. My Praetorians, both normal and special, are also constantly training hard. I don’t want my lower-tier soldiers being redshirts or paperweights with mouths.

The rank and file willing to go Plus Ultra is also in my own style of bootcamp. My various branches like the Creation Crew, Cyberwarfare Branch, and the Klologiris are training their skills and quirks a ton just by doing their jobs with some extra combat drills to practice their other skills, and even the regular thugs get occasional training exercises to stay in shape. 

My military units go through training more intense than my rank and file, but less intense than my Praetorians and top brass. By the time they’re ready, each ‘normal’ one should be capable of taking down most unranked heroes in a 1v1, if not multiple unranked heroes at the same time.

The specialized soldiers and Praetorians have bonus training tailored for their bonus quirks, and they can each take on far tougher opponents.

And new recruits continue to pour in every day. I have plenty of duplicated quirks to supply them with, but duplications or not, they still need to train using those quirks, especially ones like Warp Gate where precision and memory is key.

…But having the appropriate memories to copy-paste along with quirks cuts that time down significantly.

Eri and her Head-Starters are busy too, getting the villain equivalent of UA High education with lots more practical experience mixed in.

Like I said before, instead of recruiting, I’m mainly focused on consolidating my forces. I intend to make each of these guys capable of facing several, if not dozens of their canon selves working together with ease.

Double proves to be an absolute godsend for this. I have reservations when it comes to clones of myself, Zi, and Eri, but the same doesn’t go for most others.

I lost count of how many Hawks, Captain Celebrity, Skycrawler, Mirko, Best Jeanist, Lemillion (thanks, NightHaul), and Endeavor (thanks, Hosu) clones have been reduced to goop in the last few months. These top heroes have become whetstones used to further sharpen my subordinates with every kill.

And that’s just some of the top heroes I can make copies of. And I haven’t even gotten into all the villains I can do the same with.

Let’s just say that Zi had her fair share of Curators to kill, as did Eri have Kai Chisakis to kill.

The creation of Reveal made things so much easier for me; I can instantly get enough data to create up to date clones of anyone miles around me if I want.

Yes, even All Might. 

However, Doubles of him are… weird.

 

I don’t know if it’s because of his weird semi/ember quirk state or stockpile quirks in general (like how Neito’s Copy quirk can’t copy stockpiles) or something strange with OFA in particular, but they never come out right despite me getting all the data I need about him during our brief clash in Hosu.

Speaking of OFA, VestigeHaul’s stunt at the Sports Festival gave me a lot more data to work with about that ridiculous quirk, and frankly, it just makes me want to stay away from it more.

It’s ridiculous. Plot-armored ridiculousness that even LabHaul doesn’t want to try experimenting with. I don’t dare try to make Izuku Midoriya clones either.

LabHaul’s… experience with sentient quirks helped him realize he can’t play god with every quirk out there without any resistance, even if Reveal is capable of controlling sentient quirks now.

Yeah, my desire for that upgrade was also mixed into this squared Artificial Quirk. It even seems to help get a handle over quirk vestiges more, but I doubt that’ll matter when pitted up against that stupid quirk.

I’ll just figure out other methods to surpass that Artificial/Awakened/Singularity monstrosity. 

After all, Eri eventually manages to, and she clearly based her research off my own. We can go far beyond what’s possible in the main plot, my own adventures have long since proved that.

There’s something more out there, something more than the stupid plot and the apocalypse it fails to stop, and it just reinforces my main goal in this world: survival. But to survive that, I first need to survive canon.

 

“You have my permission to summon whoever you wish. Much like All For One’s mother, I will accept all comers.” I smirk as GuildHaul stifles his laughter.

“Should I summon a copy of the crippled potato and see what he has to say about that?” My clone then retorts, summoning two clones of Twice that are instantly controlled through Reveal.

It’s not just my subordinates training; I’m continuing to push myself quite a bit too, stockpiling more quirks, skills, experience, and everything else I can get. 

Right now, I’m mainly focused on better adapting to Reveal. Keeping clones made during my subordinate’s training sessions under lock and key with that quirk is one method, especially with many of those training dummies having rather strong wills themselves.

Maintaining control under various distractions and sensory overload is another major hurdle. I’ve done plenty of that already, but Reveal takes the challenge up a few notches. Most people with cranial-controlled quirks rely on meditation or emptying their mind, which can help, but not so much in a life or death situation when your stress is at an all-time high.

So that led to me training this Artificial Quirk under increasingly difficult conditions. That way, I can ensure proper handling and precision even under pressure in various situations rather than being stuck only sending out the occasional ‘pulse’ like at Hosu. I haven’t forgotten about that close call with Stain and Endeavor during their battle.

To accomplish that, I line that portion of Reveal training up with Kuin’s own practice of the song and dance variety. Besides most of her music being loud and annoying as hell, she tends to let her swarm loose too, pumping out hordes of Bomb Bees to be used as pyrotechnics. 

Not even Mei Hatsume can match the number of explosions she makes. I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve had to reinforce her music studio; it damn near rivals the Bird Cage in durability at this point!

Point is, her practice gives me a very loud, very dangerous, very annoying environment to work with which happens to be exactly what I need right now. I’ve gotten headaches, vertigo, mental exhaustion, lots of bleeding from skull orifices, and the general list of explosion-related injuries from this, but that comes with a good bit of improvement.

Combat training hasn’t been pushed to the wayside either. Hordes of copied memories or not, I can’t let myself get sloppy, so I’ll have one of my clones create a boss rush of top heroes to tear through from time to time. 

It’s destructive. Most of this is destructive, but that’s alright.

 

“We’re gonna run out of islands at this rate, and someone’s gonna start questioning all the sudden storms and slight flooding outside the country eventually.” Zi warns me soon after my latest physical training session concludes.

“Eventually, yeah, but they’re waaaaaay too focused on their precious hero society going down the drain to care about a few storms overseas.” I grin back at her. 

“Dad! Hey, dad!” Eri suddenly barges into the room we’re in. “I came up with a new idea for my quirk, but I need help testing it out.”

“What is it, snowflake?” I ask while kneeling down to face my daughter.

“So you know how I originally stored up Rewind energy in my horn instead of throughout my body? Well I can still do that and I started thinking about what would happen if a horn filled with my energy was separated from my body.

Would my energy signature remain in the horn? Can I store and control that energy in the horn to use later or even charge me back up? What if-” My daughter goes on and on, but it all starts to be drowned out by a ringing in my ears.

Separating her horn from her head. Tearing it apart… mutilating herself like she did in canon after being inspired by Kyoka Jiro and those other goddamn suicidal fuckers.

She couldn’t have done it herself. Someone helped her with that, and it must have hurt her so, so much.

And all because goddamn Izuku Midoriya just couldn’t face the consequences of his own fucking actions for even a single chapter in the manga, forcing my daughter to-

“Dad?”

“Sekan? Are you okay?”

 

I snap back to reality and see both Zi and Eri giving me worried looks.

‘No… I’m not like that, and I won’t let paranoia get the better of me right now. Don’t count her ideas out, Sekan. You’re smarter than that; you can make that work. You have the perfect quirk to make that work!’

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I assure the two. “Just thinking is all. While we have multiple healing quirks to help regrow your horn, that simply isn’t practical for what you’re suggesting. But don’t worry, I know just the quirk needed to make your idea feasible.”

Horn Cannon from 1-B student Pony Tsunotori. 

It allows the user to detach and launch their horns as projectiles. Pony can fire off several horns in succession with a new set regenerating on her head almost instantly. She can remotely control up to four of them as well, but she can create as many as she wants as long as she has enough keratin in her diet.

One of Pony’s ultimate moves even involves this. Horn Barrage has her shooting dozens upon dozens of horns towards an opponent while leaving four controllable horns on standby for support and sneak attacks. 

Kuin still has bees flying around UA, getting DNA from various students whenever she gets the chance. Directly bodyfusing with them is faster than getting quirks via small DNA samples, but the latter only takes a few days for LabHaul now, and we can use the duplication trick on those finished quirks afterwards.

I have copies of Pony’s quirk, and I give one to Eri so she can put her new ideas into motion. I also removed all the secondary, horse-like mutations such as the tail and hooves with Overhaul afterwards. They don’t affect the main application or part of the quirk and Eri didn’t want to deal with that extra baggage. 

“What about her memories, dad? Even if it’s only a few years worth, that can help me gain a good head start, right?” My daughter had asked me.

And while she does have a point, I decided not to give her that memory package, just like how I didn’t give her any of Nejire’s memories along with Wave Motion.

This is for two reasons, both of which she agreed with once I explained them to her.

 

First, there is Eri’s age to consider. She’s still young with few memories and plenty of room for development. If I give her even a few years worth of memories from someone else, that might lead to Dissociative Identity Disorder.

The Special Praetorians and groups like the Cyberwarfare Branch are hardened adults that received specialized training and complex surgeries to better handle these kinds of memory packages. Even if I gave Eri the same treatment, she’s just too young to risk it.

That’s not even mentioning the possibility of some quirk she gets pulling the same crap AFO did to Tomura in canon. The person and quirk practically merged into a new being, but All For One was the dominant personality either due to his will, how much longer he’s been around for, or a combination of both.

Reason number two is while the memories of their wielders training serves as a good crutch, that’s what it is at the end of the day, a crutch. Very few beings in this world manage to unleash the true potential of their quirks; most tend to develop bad habits or even mental blocks that lock away what their powers are truly capable of.

Now if these memories were going to someone who is worse than the original user at analyzing and utilizing these powers, then this would actually be the preferred method. However, most canon characters fucking suck at creatively using their quirks and I don’t want my own subordinates inheriting their idiocy.

More often than not, those memories get transferred over unedited as combing through and editing these years-long memory packages is rather difficult, even with Reveal at my disposal. As a result, these bad habits have to be gradually removed through more training, and even then, completely removing that limiting, flawed mindset is extremely difficult.

Take the Pseudo-Getens for example. Geten was severely limiting his quirk’s potential so I had to personally guide those Praetorians back to the correct path, allowing them to make sentient constructs or turn entire clouds into ice. 

That’s all well and good, but I’d prefer Eri to completely separate herself from the original wielders of her new quirks as she is a far better analyst then the original wielders of her extra quirks.

Starting from scratch means she will take her own unique path of quirk development and, because of the mindset I instilled in her, pick up general lessons that would be unavailable if she got that faulty cheat sheet. 

You could compare it to what UA attempts to do in their own curriculum in regards to free range education. I’ll still give Eri some subtle pushes here and there, but this is to help my daughter mainly discover things on her own, which means that she’ll believe it to be her own development. A perfect way to build self-esteem, what a nice little bonus of this method when it’s actually used correctly.

In short, gaining the memories of the original users training their quirks may usually help in the short-term, especially for those who aren’t great at analyzing or utilizing the powers they get, while mostly starting from scratch and making your new quirks truly shine as your own is much better long-term, especially for those who are more gifted in analysis and utilization of the quirks in question. Oh, and the extra boost of self-esteem from figuring things out yourself is nice too.

Special Praetorians can be mass produced and are powerful enough already, but Eri? 

 

My daughter will be going down whatever path has the most potential. Soaking up every lesson she’s taught like a sponge is great; it shows how gifted she is at learning, but knowing how to teach and grow on her own without outside aid is also a crucial skill to have. 

And yes, I see the hypocrisy in part of my reasoning. I was given memories of my Special Praetorians training quirks like Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, and so on during my Semi-Perfect ascension. 

However, not only was their quirk training far superior to the original wielders of their power, but I was the one who came up with their new training methods and ideas to improve in the first place. 

I also already know how these quirks were originally trained because I watched the fucking show these powers originated from, and I know how to avoid the holes these users unknowingly dug themselves into.

Essentially, my status and mentality as a transmigrator who knows plenty about the world he was thrown into makes me an exception to this rule. 

So Eri was given a clean slate, left to experiment and develop this latest power mostly on her own, and sure enough, she quickly made progress with her own style of practice and experimentation while bouncing some ideas off me. This was the case when she was given Wave Motion and IQ, and the same is happening now.

It’s heavily inspired by my own experimentation methods and she still does tend to mimic the moves of their original wielders, albeit with their own spin (like her Time Pike and Time Wave mimicking Nejire’s moves to give one example), but the fact that she can handle learning by herself at all is great for her growth. 

Besides, mimicking and improving upon the original wielder’s abilities is more of a warm up or starting point for her then anything. It wasn’t long before she was taking inspiration from other anime and manga franchises I showed her like Dragon Ball and Naruto to build her own version of Chi or Ki attacks.

From flying to firing various blasts to forming shields, barriers, and blades to using low output energy streams for capture and containment to augmenting certain parts of her body for increased striking power and defenses. Ever since she merged Rewind and Wave Motion together, any energy she released no longer needed to come out in spirals. 

Eri’s artificial Rewind quirk is more of a general energy augmentation and manipulation quirk with time-reversing properties being an extra option to stack on.

And now, with Horn Cannon at her disposal?

 

Every horn Eri separates from herself can have her energy stored within it. She can prepare plenty of these Rewind Horns in advance, storing a high amount of energy within each of them.

Once she sends a new charge commanding this energy to be released, these horns… they are like bombs. Bombs that can either undo all your injuries or rewind you out of existence.

Same goes for if these horns stab you, just like what happened with Izuku in canon, only this Eri can control her energy far better then her canon counterpart thanks to all her training and Wave Motion. 

She could even expel the energy from her horns to create walls of Rewind that erase any people or projectiles that come in contact with them. It looks like she took inspiration from my telekinetic barriers.

After a few days of training this new quirk, she even figures out how to heal herself with these prepared horns, as well as recharge herself like a battery. 

Say she is at 100% stamina and puts 50% of her stamina into two sets of horns that she detaches. Her main body then recovers to 100% stamina, but she still has those four horns with an extra 50% of her stamina within them, ready to recharge her or even further boost her as long as she brings them with her to whatever battlefield she fights in. 

There doesn’t seem to be a limit to how long her energy signature can remain in these horns either. So essentially, she can stock up on extra energy overtime by amassing a pile of horns full of her power and bringing some of these extra horns with her to whatever battle she decides to enter.

She can even gift some of these fueled horns to others, allowing the rewind energy to automatically enter whoever slightly stabs themselves with said horns to rewind any injuries they have exactly like what happened with Izuku in canon. 

Or they could just hold on to these extra horns for Eri if they’re joining her in whatever battle is going on, letting her have even more stamina reserves.

Doing the former requires the person to know exactly how much energy the horn possesses and how long to keep that horn connected to them. They can’t be rewinding themselves too much, now can they?

But Eri is already training her minions on how to do this, ensuring that they don’t accidently rewind themselves too far back when using her detached horns while she isn’t around to moderate the process.

Eri came up with about 90% of these ideas all by herself, figuring most of this out over the course of a single week (she had her Endurance-enhanced IQ quirk to help out a lot with the specifics, but still). 

Not only that, but the Horn Canon quirk itself actually changed to fit her desires.

Eri knows about the Quirk Resonance Theory I came up with and she already experienced it once while sparring with me, so she has experience already, but this…

It barely took her a minute after getting this new quirk to seamlessly merge it with Rewind. 

That’s absolutely monstrous growth, even by my standards. 

 

The fastest I’ve ever done something like that was several hours (when my original Mind Web quirk merged with the artificial Mind Web quirk), and not only were the quirks merged much more compatible, but I directly collaborated with multiple quirk vestiges to pull the merger off that quickly.

As far as I know, Eri hasn’t seen any of her own vestiges yet.

You’d think she awakened her new quirk in an instant while developing some complimentary mutations for an increased output (so like what Koji Koda did during the Final War), and frankly, that may very well have been the case as Horn Cannon was brought into her main Artificial Quirk.

She went from having a small horn on the right side of her forehead to having two horns that look like Pony’s. Said horns then slowly changed shape and position with them now starting on either side of her forehead and curve backwards, wrapping themselves around the back of her head.

They look like a dragon’s horns now… they look like her future self’s horns now.

“I want my horns to be like a dragon, not a unicorn!” Eri had told me. “Dragons are more powerful and scary. Also, I wanna be like Kanna-chan in Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid!”

Was this what my daughter originally went through? Or has Eri already started deviating from that path?

And would that even change anything? Even if I fail, even if she failed, the amount of power she has now means she can do just about anything, and I trained her to have an imagination as massive as my own.

I feel so proud of her, yet really scared at the same time. 

((‘Who’s idea was it to make her a demon princess again? All For One? Tomura? Kai Chisaki? Ohhhhh, right! That was you.’))

‘Shut up, VestigeHaul. She knows that we aren’t being evil for the sake of being evil. She knows better than that… I think… I hope.’

I’ll trust her for now, and if she ends up needing it, then I’ll save her just as I did at the start. That’s what we promised each other, right?

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Reveal (Artificial^2), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Warp Gate (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Erasure, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial^2), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, ?????

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Q-Ray (Artificial), Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Eruption, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Bloodcurdle, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Shock Absorption
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Incite
• Kaina Tsutsumi (Head Assassin) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Rifle, Homing, Slice, Chronostasis, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces ( + Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (305) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (15) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (15) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (10) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 2400 Personnel 
• 10 Commanders - Q-Ray (Artificial)
• 150 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 150 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 150 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 145 Battle Tanks
• 78 Attack Helicopters
• 55 Small Boats
• 4 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 490
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 350
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 3

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 60
• Mad Science Branch - 50
• Creation Crew - 155
• Klonogiris - 81
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 37
• Thugs and Goons - 6870

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 118

Outside Allies:

• Giran
• Nezu

Key Spies:

• Himiko Toga (LOV)
• Detective Tsukauchi (Nezu; Under Kuin’s Control)

Chapter 63: Quirk Cheats 101 - One For All

They aren’t fully formed yet… and they never will be.

They’re all lost… and they will never be found.

They have so many questions… and they’ll never get answers to them. 

They still aren’t sure what they are or how this is even possible, but they feel like there’s someone who does know all that and more.

They know it isn’t All For One. They know he’s still out there; both quirks resonate with each other, after all.

They aren’t sure who else it could be, but they fear it’s someone far, far worse than the demon lord that’s been haunting them for so long.

“Izuku Midoriya… A transcendent one approaches.”

 

Countdown to Canon: 1 Month 1 Week Until I-Island

One. For. All.

Where do I even begin with this absolute bullshit of a quirk?

So several centuries ago, AFO and Yoichi were born and the former gave the latter a quirk that lets him stockpile power in his body, not knowing that he already had a quirk that can transfer itself to another person.

These two quirks merged together to become the Artificial Quirk known as One For All.

Let’s stop right there for a bit.

 

For starters, what exactly does One For All (and the stockpile quirk AFO gave Yoichi by extension) stockpile in the first place?

OFA, at first glance, acts as a General Enhancer, raising the performance of every single aspect of the body. 

This quirk is a pool of energy inside you that you can channel through your body to enhance your strength, speed, durability, senses, and so on to absolutely ridiculous levels, shattering any human limits you have. You can also use moves to project that energy outward to apply tremendous amounts of force at a distance.

Sound familiar? Well it should because this is basically Ki in a nutshell. 

Only it isn’t Ki because Ki doesn’t exist in the world of My Hero Academia. This isn’t Dragon Ball.

Now it’s said in canon that the stockpiled energy grows overtime and becomes stronger when transferred from user to user. Said energy is more like a constantly expanding power generator rather than a battery to be discharged, or in other words, the stockpile in OFA users doesn’t deplete by being used unless it’s passed on.

Going more into the latter, when OFA is transferred from one person to another, both holders carry the same stockpile for some time. The only difference is that the former holder’s stockpile would inevitably start shrinking without the quirk itself to maintain it. 

The energy or ‘embers’ will then become less and less until it burns out completely. Going past your limits will speed up this process, some people having their stockpile drained far faster than others, but I’ll take a deeper dive into that detail later.

It’s shown that OFA’s power can manifest outwardly in different ways, such as All Might’s buff form and Izuku’s lightning.

It’s also explained that Hikage, the fourth user, secluded himself to train the quirk as much as possible, greatly shortening his lifespan in the process as his body couldn’t handle multiple quirks.

But that still doesn’t answer the question here.

 

Does OFA stockpile a person’s vitality and use that like a permanent version of Nejire’s Wave Motion quirk? 

Does it stockpile Kinetic energy like a permanent version of Fa Jin or Fat Absorption? 

Does it do something similar to photosynthesis, converting light energy into stockpiled energy?

Does it get stockpiled energy from a natural bodily function like metabolism or bioelectricity?

Or maybe it’s all of the above and more.

Even after getting some data on it thanks to VestigeHaul’s stunt at the Sports Festival, I’m still not 100% sure where the hell this stockpiled power comes from.

The very users of this quirk aren’t sure either, but with how bad they clearly are at building up power to defeat All For One, their one and only job for entire centuries, I’m not surprised in the slightest.

Now going back to the quirk’s origin story, OFA is passed on from user to user, slowly building up more power and quirks with the latter being fully unleashed once it reaches the point of singularity. 

However, even before that, the vestiges from the quirks within were at least somewhat sentient as they managed to repel AFO’s attempts to take it from the fifth and sixth OFA users.

Also, while that was going on, OFA was just handing out Quirk Awakenings like fucking candy.

Every single new quirk factor that entered One For All underwent an awakening and became much more overpowered. The massive amount of stockpiled energy had to have been responsible for that.

And that’s not even the most ridiculous thing this quirk can do!

 

Let’s look at the Heroes Rising movie for a bit. 

In a last ditch effort to defeat Nine, Izuku transfers OFA over to Katsuki and the two manage to save the day, with Katsuki somehow being able to instantly use 100% OFA for a while without exploding.

It took Izuku several hours to gain access to the quirk after eating All Might’s hair, but that’s just the start of the inconsistencies. 

So during this final part of the fight, Izuku somehow managed to burn through all of OFA’s remaining embers within the next few minutes despite All Might being able to hang on for months on end, going past his limits several times in the process.

And Bakugou somehow didn't have any embers after losing the quirk.

But the most ridiculous part of this whole thing? After the battle ends, One For All somehow manages to TRANSFER ITSELF BACK TO IZUKU WITH NEITHER KNOWLEDGE, CONTACT, NOR CONSENT FROM HIM OR KATSUKI BAKUGOU!

All Might calls it a miracle thanks to Izuku’s heroic heart. I call it Grade-A bullshit. 

Oh, and speaking of the symbol, he also somehow keeps a connection with OFA after passing the quirk on thanks to his vestige apparently, something that doesn’t happen with any other transferred quirks bar All For One, and the latter is likely only a thing because AFO got a duplicate of his own quirk within him. There are no ‘AFO embers’ to speak of.

Not even New Order can compare to the rules this quirk seems to write into reality on a whim.

And since we’re discussing ridiculous OFA feats, let’s go over a few more, shall we?

 

Yoichi is blown into pieces by All For One, but that doesn’t stop OFA from somehow transferring into Kudo, so being dead doesn’t stop a transfer as long as there’s even the slightest bit of blood or DNA left. 

Also, if the OFA vestiges don’t like a person that they’re transferred into, they can fucking destroy themselves out of spite, taking the quirks and vestigeworld of that recipient with them as the final battle against All For One showed. Even OFA embers can be transferred according to said final battle! 

Also also, OFA can allow users to sense other predecessors when they had the quirk as if they had a telepathic link to the dead or something. That goes for OFA users without the quirk too, as All Might showed in canon.

Then there’s the massive stockpile somehow being duplicated when the quirk is transferred between users. Neito’s Copy quirk can’t copy stockpiles, but somehow OFA can. 

Doesn’t this mean that Izuku can pass around OFA to like 50 different people and all give them power beyond All Might in his prime, even if only temporarily? Whether it’s for minutes like Izuku or months like All Might or just doesn’t happen like Katsuki seems to be entirely dependent on the ongoing plot.

Doesn’t this also mean that OFA can collect more quirk factors? But that brings up the question of whether or not OFA copies the quirk factors of its users or actually takes them.

When Katsuki got OFA in Heroes Rising, his quirk factor somehow never entered OFA, so that’s a point for the latter option.

When OFA users transferred the quirk, they seemed to be capable of using their original quirks just fine if Kudo’s last stand against AFO is anything to go by, so that’s a point for the former option.

When All Might transfers OFA, his vestige remains in OFA (despite not being fully formed and despite Toshinori being quirkless previously) so that’s… possibly a point for the former option?

Again, One For All is complete and utter bullshit that just does whatever the plot demands it to.

But taking away the shounen aspects and unfair bias, what do you have?

A tool. A very powerful, multifaceted tool, but a tool nonetheless. 

 

In my personal opinion, One For All should have never been a symbol; it’s simply a tool in the holder’s arsenal. Nana and Toshinori distorted it into some trophy and the position of Holder into a godlike symbol. 

They have no idea how the quirk really works. Neither does All For One. Even the goddamn OFA vestiges themselves barely know jack about it! They just go along with whatever developments magically occur with that quirk as that’s necessary for the plot.

All Might thought he was untouchable, just like All For One did. Both nearly died because they called no backup to their fights and underestimated each other. 

Imagine if AFO brought Gigantomachia with him for support. Imagine if All Might brought Japan’s other Top 10 heroes or even top international heroes like Star and Stripe with him for support.

Both symbols were molded by this society before building upon it, only making things worse. The military is nonexistent and the government is a farce. The HPSC runs the show and heroes are seen as gods that can do no wrong. More and more people are being pushed towards villainy and the whole world would have collapsed ten times over if this wasn’t a shounen.

It all loops back to this being a shounen, a shounen where the main character is a good guy so the good guys just have to win through flashy action scenes and talk-no-jutsus. 

One For All is a powerful tool, and when enhanced by these shounen-like tropes and qualities, there’s practically nothing it can’t do.

So the question is what to do with this quirk.

Well there’s no way in hell I’m trying to take it. That might as well be an elaborate method of committing suicide.

Don’t get me wrong. Among other uses, my arsenal of quirks was created to counter One For All at its peak.

Overhaul can obliterate anyone the instant they touch me no matter how much raw power they have. 

Quirks like Whirlwind and Weather Manipulation can let me counter or even hijack any air pressure attacks. 

Weather Manipulation also lets me absorb and control energy to an extent as Nine proves in Heroes Rising, and my body modifications plus quirk-boosting quirks plus Trigger plus Ultra Phosphor further support that function, so output from quirks like Blackwhip would just be absorbed upon contact with me, making me even more powerful for a while.

What’s left after that? Fa Jin and Gearshift are useless in this scenario. Flight is better than Float in every way, Smokescreen is useless thanks to Reveal. Arsenal of Awakened Quirks or not, there’s just no reasonable way for an OFA user to defeat me in direct combat.

Unfortunately for me, quirk vestiges and plot armor can fix pesky issues like ‘impossible odds’ no problem. 

 

Even if I body-fused with Izuku or a clone of him made with Double, that main protagonist and his ghastly guardian angels will somehow find a way to take back control or destroy me or my quirks or both no matter how many preparations I make.

When I asked LabHaul about potentially working with some Izuku Midoriya DNA samples (since that teenager bleeds a truckload practically daily from self-mutilation alone), my clone just deadpanned at me before shaking his head no.

His personal, professional suggestion regarding that quirk and its users was, and I quote, “Just fucking nuke Izuku and any other living OFA users, former or otherwise, and call it a day.”

Honestly, I can’t really blame him for that response. For all I know, OFA could somehow magically transfer itself back to All Might from halfway across Japan after I obliterate Izuku down to the last fucking atom. 

Managing to get full control of OFA and its stockpiled power could potentially allow me to awaken whatever quirks I want by simply transferring them into whoever is using OFA, commanding the quirk to empower it with its massive stockpile, and then take the awakened quirk out.

But it just isn’t worth it. 

That stupid quirk would just find a way to ruin everything no matter what measures I take to avoid it. Whether it sticks with Izuku and drags him out of obscurity again or somehow gets transferred to a hero who can potentially stop me (such as America's reality-warping Number 1), it'll probably find some way to cause unending amounts of problems for me, especially if I try taking it myself.

So why bother trying to take it at all? I’m not All For One, now am I?

No… I’m something far better.

Overhaul is practically a superior version of All For One at this point, so why not simply make a superior version of One For All? A new tool that far surpasses the original.

The quirks making it up are nothing special. Well, besides Yoichi’s quirk-transfer quirk, but a quirk-transfering quirk like Overhaul renders that obsolete.

I already know how to create Artificial Quirks and there are plenty of other stockpile quirks out there, stockpile quirks that are far stronger than whatever stockpile quirk AFO gave Yoichi back in the day.

So why not take advantage of that?

These thoughts were what led to Project AFA or ‘Awakened For All’ being born.

 

This project revolves around creating an artificial power-stockpile quirk that is both under our complete control and better than One For All in every single way. It will also allow us to awaken whatever other quirks we want by using the created stockpile of power.

But wait a second, you may be thinking. Even if I create my own OFA that accumulates stockpiled power faster, it still took centuries for OFA to become as strong as it did! 

Even with stockpile quirks being much stronger now, won’t it still take forever to accumulate enough power to rival All Might?

Well that depends entirely on just what this Artificial Quirk will stockpile. 

Remember my earlier guesses regarding how OFA stockpiles power?

Vitality, kinetic energy, photosynthesis, metabolism, bioelectricity, various other chemical processes, and more. This is how my own version will stockpile power.

But why stop there? Why does this stockpiled power only have to come from the user?

One of the quirks I intend to add to this is a copy of Rikiya’s Energy Suck. It’ll allow the user of this quirk to take energy from others to fuel themself and permanently add to this stockpile.

But again, why stop there?

 

Imagine this Artificial Quirk getting other energy absorption quirks mixed in. 

Imagine this quirk being able to absorb electricity and convert it into part of this stockpile. You could quite literally grab an exposed cable with your bare hands and power-up that way. 

Getting blasted head-on by the full force of something like Denki Kaminari’s Electrification quirk, the MLA member with the Amplivolt quirk, or a barrage of lightning bolts from the sky via Nine’s Weather Manipulation will rapidly increase the stockpiled power this quirk possesses, and I have copies of all those quirks already. 

And that’s just electricity! Imagine being able to constantly absorb all kinds of energy and add that to an OFA-style stockpile! Imagine getting blasted by billions upon billions of volts and having all that energy rapidly transform into stockpiled power!

I could give my Praetorians copies of the three earlier mentioned quirks and have them blast me at full power over and over again day in and day out, rapidly building up an energy stockpile that would surpass OFA’s in a matter of weeks, if not shorter!

My body can already absorb lightning to fuel Ultra Phosphor, but that power-up is temporary rather than a permanent, ever-increasing stockpile. Succeeding with this project will let me build up endless amounts of energy to use at my leisure.

That’s the endgame for this latest project of ours. We can already generate more than enough power needed; we simply need an Artificial Quirk that can transform that energy into power we can manipulate.

Power we can empower and awaken our other quirks with. 

Being able to endlessly duplicate quirks is overpowered enough already. Imagine us being able to endlessly awaken quirks whenever we want too as well!

In short, the heroes and villains of MHA that aren’t working for me would be even more screwed.

This will no doubt take a while to put together, but we still have plenty of time and enough knowledge on how to do it.

And with our expertise regarding quirk vestiges, we’ll make sure that this quirk’s vestige doesn’t even think about causing us problems. 

Beat that, Izuku. 

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Reveal (Artificial^2), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Warp Gate (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Erasure, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial^2), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, ?????

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Q-Ray (Artificial), Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Eruption, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Bloodcurdle, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Shock Absorption
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Incite
• Kaina Tsutsumi (Head Assassin) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Rifle, Homing, Slice, Chronostasis, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (305) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (15) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (10) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 2450 Personnel 
• 15 Commanders - Q-Ray (Artificial)
• 160 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 160 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 160 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 150 Battle Tanks
• 78 Attack Helicopters
• 60 Small Boats
• 4 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 505
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 375
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 3

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 60
• Mad Science Branch - 50
• Creation Crew - 155
• Klonogiris - 84
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 37
• Thugs and Goons - 6940

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 118

Outside Allies:

• Giran
• Nezu

Key Spies:

• Himiko Toga (LOV)
• Detective Tsukauchi (Nezu; Under Kuin’s Control)

Chapter 64: Finals

Controlled breaths and muscles. Minimal sway of the body. Don’t get caught.

Minimal sway of the body. Maximal balance. Reduce the weight on her feet. Don’t get caught.

Slowly… steady… aaaaaaaand…

“YAH!- OMPH!"

“I could hear you the whole time, Toga.” Her mentor lectures, having just thrown her over his shoulder and into the cold hard ground below. “Stealth slows you down. You put too much pressure on your toes and that gives you neither speed nor silence. Try again.”

“Okey dokey, Mr. Stainy!”

 

Himiko Toga is sooooo excited! It won’t be long before she finishes proving herself to the big bad bird and his adorable little villain boss of a daughter! 

She’s so strong and so cute and doesn’t mind her acting however she wants. All her little minions are cute too, and they can really understand her like Eri does!

Her dad kept his promises so far too. Mr. Stainy is training her and she even got to be him for a while after she got a few small cuts in! He stopped underestimating her after that and she’s getting beat up a lot while being mentored by him now, but it’s still super fun and this place has healers galore!

The Shie Hassaikai doesn’t judge her either. She’s given all the blood she could ever ask for and got to be so many different amazing people! She made plenty of other friends too and even joined them in a couple drama classes.

She wasn’t sure about those at first, but turns out acting can be so much fun when doing it for plays and shows and stuff. She also got better at being a spy too and got training from a bunch of other cool people like Ms. Nagant and Ms. Kiruka. 

They’re all fighting to survive the upcoming apocalypse and create a utopia free from the rest of this cruel, unfair world. She can get behind that; being able to join the Head-Starters is enough for her.

But first, she needed to join the League of Villains and stay there for a little while. It’s kind of like a Final Exam for her, but ‘Mistress Eri’ asked her to help so she’ll help screw over the handyman and the potato guy he’s working for. 

Even Mr. Giran was willing to help out after Eri’s dad bribed him enough. She went to some bar with some patchwork guy who looked ready to literally burst and almost died before patchwork guy and handyman bonded over their mutual hatred of Mr. Stainy.

She wants to cut them both up into itty bitty pieces, but she needs to be patient for now. She’ll get the chance to soon enough.

 

Countdown to Canon: 1 Month Until I-Island

“Found both of them. Crusty is headed towards greenie now.” Kuin tells me, and I see the POVs of several bees through Reveal.

I could just use my own quirk to spot the two in this mall, but the more experience Kuin gets, the better. She needs it more than I do. 

“Thanks. I’ll take it from here.” 

It would be so easy, using the slightest bit of telekinesis or mind manipulation to push Tomura’s final finger into Izuku’s throat.

OFA would die alongside Izuku, All Might would be furious and hunt down AFO much faster, leading to their second clash a lot earlier than canon (especially if I had NightHaul tell them the Kamino bar’s exact location), and letting me enact the next phase of my plans several months faster.

It would completely change the plot, but that would be okay since all of my goals before the main plot goes off the rails would then be completed.

Well, all of them except one, which is the reason why I’m not doing that.

 

I still need the events of Two Heroes to mostly start out the same for my plans to work. The best version of my plans, anyway. I’m still trying to make my organization win rather than solely make the heroes lose; I’d just let loose a few hundred clones of Kuin and Machia across Japan if my goal was the latter.

Also, the rules of this ridiculous world would probably find some way of protecting Izuku from what should be certain death, making it pointless to even try. I doubt his plot armor has faded away entirely yet, patience is key.

So for now, I need to make sure that Shiggy and Deku stick to their canon script. I need to make sure their development doesn’t accelerate, so silencing them for good when the time comes is as easy as possible. 

Oh, and also making sure the Search part of Reveal lets me acquire and keep track of Tomura’s location in case any unwanted deviations happen. I already have Izuku down, so might as well add another key canon character under my eternal gaze.

Their talk mostly goes the same with only a few small differences like Izuku asking if Tomura was responsible for Tsuyu’s death and Tomura not knowing who or what the hell he’s talking about. 

Both then reach the same conclusions and Tomura still wants to dust All Might while Izuku is still as naive as ever. 

Good. Stay that way. 

It’ll make burying you both for good so much easier once I’m ready.

((‘To think that these fools are the ones who ended up with the pinnacle of power… no wonder this society is going to fall apart so soon.’)) VestigeHaul comments. 

‘Yeah. My own ideals and convictions may be far less grand, but they are also far more realistic. This world is doomed; there’s no point trying to change these sheeple into seeing things our way, the right way, so they can all rot for all I care. 

I just want to save myself and the few I care for from the rest of this godforsaken world, and if stepping on everyone else to accomplish that is what it takes, then so be it.’

Once I make sure that canon scene happens as per normal, I warp back to Hassaikai HQ with Kuin to check up on a few other things.

 

“WELCOME BACK, LORD!” Machia greets me, acclimating to the role of the world’s ugliest garden gnome for the time being. 

He’s also rocking the new tuxedo I got him, made from his own DNA like Mirio’s outfit so it grows and morphs alongside him rather than tear off every time he goes kaiju mole mode.

He also has a scarf that Eri gave him a while back. She’s long since befriended the giant and is now his third favorite person after Zi and I. 

Kuin and I then split up with me heading over to meet with BossHaul. We can talk all we want through the Mind Web part of Reveal, but some things are simply better discussed in person.

“Have we put a tracker on the bootleg Magneto yet?” I confirm, getting straight to the point.

“Finding the location of his crew had been an absolute pain in the ass, but yeah, one of our Pseudo-Togas managed to replace a goon of Wolfram’s and get the intel we needed while planting a few trackers.

Himiko Toga’s quirk is both amazing and terrifying. It’s also one of those quirks that really can’t be in the hands of SMART bad guys or they’d win against the heroes easily. 

The Pseudo-Togas have already done infiltration missions in the HPSC, MLA, Humarise, and now Wolfram’s crew, opening up more holes for my cyberwarfare branch to slip into. Their teamwork will be the bane of my enemies’ collective existence. 

All their plans. All their knowledge. All their dirty laundry. 

All of it is in my grasp.

Only AFO’s empire remnants remain outside of my reach for now; I still don’t know what quirks he has protecting his security systems and I don’t want to chance a sneak attack just yet. 

I’ve got plenty of people working on safely uncovering as much of that clusterfuck as possible, whether it’s through reconnaissance and infiltration or chasing rumors on the dark web, and while progress is slow, it’s still being made.

And there’s still plenty of other things I can do in the meantime.

Once my meeting with BossHaul is done, I go down into the labyrinth to check on the Head-Starters. They’re taking their own final exams right now, exams that I have shamelessly ripped off from UA’s final exams.

I’m a villain, remember? Why would I care about copyright infringement?

 

Anyway, there’s both a written and a practical for these kids with the latter involving grouping certain kids up and having them go up against their teachers. I even got the Creation Crew to create weights for said teachers as a handicap to make things more fair, once again shamelessly copying canon.

And no, I don’t have any fake cities to host the exams in. Even after hacking into UA’s systems, I still don’t know how the hell Nezu gets his comical amounts of funding. 

Instead, I have plenty of small, uninhabited islands for them to use. 

Kota and Tamashiro are up for a nasty fight against Nine, especially now that the guy knows how to remove water and ice from the surrounding atmosphere with his Weather Manipulation quirk. Brute force won’t get them anywhere, so they’ll have to incorporate the other lessons they’ve learned to receive a passing grade.

Katsuma and Mahoro will be handling Gentle Criminal. The gentlemanly thief is quite dangerous and even more unpredictable, and with the two kids mainly being supporters rather than regular combatants, they’ll have to really think on their feet to win.

Those are just a few matchups. Every member of the Head-Starters has been assigned to groups of 2-4, with each group having their own professor to face and challenges to overcome while fighting.

Well, every member except my daughter is going through this, and not due to bias as her parent. If anything, the unique examination she’s getting is the most challenging of all.

Her practical exam is being the villainous leader and mastermind she wants to be. She has to help each team come up with strategies and game plans for their own tests and issue orders on the fly to them during their tests (which are all happening simultaneously, mind you, so there’s plenty to keep track of and adapt to) and she passes if her plans let all her subordinates pass.

She and the others have already been through numerous mental examinations to maximize their minds’ potential. Of course, they were all presented in the form of games and entertainment, which made it easier for children like them to adapt and grow.

Imagine methods like memory tests, critical thinking challenges, problem-solving scenarios, mathematical and analytical training, strategy games, attention and concentration tests, and communication and linguistic assessments. 

Eri benefitted the most from this, and having her leadership skills tested would be far better then simply having her power tested.

The exams haven’t finished yet, but they seem to be going well so far based on the footage I’m watching. They all fight and act like seasoned pros rather than the children they really are.

 

I know this isn’t normal. I know that they don’t really understand just what they’re doing.

At their age, they will accept whatever they’re taught as normal. Then, by the time they grow up, slaughtering heroes by the hundreds or creating chimeric, multi-quirked monstrosities will be a fact of life for them.

It won’t be possible for them to start doubting the righteousness of their actions, or they would collapse under the weight of all the guilt their previous, numerous, villainous actions caused.

Eri knows this. She understands this, IQ lets her be smart enough to.

And she’ll make sure her own subordinates never think twice about what they’re doing. She’ll make sure they do anything she wishes and die for her without a moment of hesitation. 

I’ve said this before, but my daughter is going to be absolutely terrifying once she grows up.

I know she will. I already saw her all grown up, after all.

Modified bodies and multiple powerful quirks aside, my daughter built up quite the hefty amount of determination, ferocity, and skill sets in them. This won’t be an easy fight for the adults they’re up against.

They’re all growing up so much…

And I can’t let myself fall behind that easily.

“Ultra Phosphor…”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

A combination of Overhaul and Half-Cold Half-Hot lets me create an improvised railgun that turns a Hawks clone into bloody, goopy mist. 

I roll under Mirko’s kick and use Whirlwind to redirect Skycrawler’s ranged blows before barreling into him and shattering his shields. Mirko herself gets torn apart a few seconds later.

Captain Celebrity tries to drop a small mountain on my head, but that becomes his tomb rather than mine.

“More.”

I use Muscular as a meat shield for Dabi’s flames and Nine’s lightning.

The goop he turns into blinds Chimera as the mutant tank charges towards me, letting me end the clone with a single touch of Overhaul.

“PROMINENCE-”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

A wave of ice wraps around the clone of Endeavor, his half-charged attack mixing with it to create a steam explosion that annihilates the top half of the top hero and blows back several others.

“More!”

Curator weighs over two tons, but throwing him over my shoulder and into Gang Orca is nothing. Both their heads are then caved in with a single kick.

All the bindings on me from Mummy and Best Jeanist are instantly undone via Overhaul, and Warp Gate redirects all of Slice’s projectiles back to both the cloned Pro Hero and cloned members of Nine’s crew.

Bullets made of hair whizz by me as I dodge, having been blasted back by several Bee Bombs that double as a smokescreen. 

But Reveal does its job and reveals everything.

And the Kuin clone is given no more time to grow her swarm.

Lady Nagant doesn’t get another shot in either, a Re-Destro in full Claustro gear arriving a second too late.

 

“STRESS OUTPUT 150 PERCENT!!!”

While he isn’t nearly as powerful as the one my MLA variant threw at me, the guy is rather strong with his support gear. 

Some of my Pseudo-Togas were able to see him spar with Geten a few times and those memories were enough to let me recreate my world’s Grand Commander at his peak.

But even an opponent like him doesn’t cause me many problems once I get serious. Cleaning plus Overhaul does the job nicely, crushing the Meta Liberation Army’s leader in his own gear and stress.

It still buys enough time for several more clones of top heroes and villains alike to be made.

This battle is far from over, and I don’t mind that one bit.

"MORE!!!"

Brainwashed Twice clones keep creating more enemies, a gauntlet of top heroes and villains alike.

Double clones can’t even survive broken bones, so even with everything else from quirks to skills to memories staying the same, they would never be able to match up to their originals.

Of course, more durable originals means more durable clones, and the villains under me are quite durable thanks to extra quirks and modifications.

Even so, this isn’t enough for me. Not after all that I’ve achieved.

My Semi-Perfect Form alone has turned me into an absolute monster in power, let alone all the new quirks in my arsenal. I don’t even need Erasure or Double for this.

I’m still pushed into using OverTrigger and using all my other quirks together to beat the endless legion of powerhouses back, and I’m having an absolute blast while doing so.

 

A part of me just wants to stop hiding already. 

I want to be free, so I can use my powers as much as I want!

After all, what’s the point of having so much skill and talent if you are never able to use it?

But a much greater part of me knows that doing so simply isn’t worth it. I’m not naive enough to be the infallibly kind hero and I’m not naive enough to be the murderhobo villain; besides, those two roles are already taken.

I’m not just doing this for myself, not anymore. I’d get a greater challenge and a bit more fun at the cost of making the lives of my friends, family, and organization much harder.

I may be a villain, but I’m not going to be a selfish prick that screws them over. Not after all they’ve done to help me. 

“DETROOOOOOIIIITTTTTT…”

“Smash?”

The symbol’s clones are still broken, and not broken as in overpowered. That doesn’t mean it’s not satisfying to punch him into pieces.

And that only applies to Double clones. The All Mights I make through Image Training in the vestigeworld work just fine, as do the All For Ones. 

All Might’s body splatters into goo as another wave of clones, heroes and villains alike, charge towards me together. Kuin’s gotten great at positioning bees in their forming, goopy heads, controlling them the second they’re complete.

This isn’t a final exam for me. Mine will come later, and it won’t involve fighting.

It’s the opposite, now that I think about it. My final test will be sticking to my ideals as Future Eri warned me to do. 

Even after I achieve my Perfect Form… even after I become truly unstoppable in this world… my organization’s safety will still be what’s most important to me. This group of villainous fodder and background characters is what’s important to me, because I built it all up with my own hands.

 

Hero society is crumbling. More and more people from Osaka and everywhere else my reach extends to are joining me, seeking out the Shie Hassaikai’s protection and getting a whole lot more safety than they expected.

If they’re willing to help me, then I’m willing to help them. Like I said before, being a villain and being an asshole are two different things, and genuine loyalty can go a long way.

Could I just use clones, robots, and brainwashed people to handle any menial tasks in my future society? Probably, but that isn’t what I’m aiming for.

I’m ruthless, manipulative, and especially selfish. I’ve seen what this world has to offer, both as a manga-reading transmigrator and a homeless orphan turned yakuza. 

This is not the story of Izuku Midoriya or All For One or Tomura Shigaraki or even Kai Chisaki, but the story of Sekan Doraifu, the man who will emerge triumphant in the upcoming age of evolved, post-singularity gods as the world crumbles around him.

I will be the one who stands on top. I will be the one who remains.

I will be ready for anything that stands in my way, even the gods overseeing this little ‘experiment’ of theirs.

Like I would forget about them. Like I would forget why I was originally sent to this world. Like I would forget about that little side story they're putting me through. Like I would forget about being nothing but a guinea pig in the grand scheme of things.

And even now, I just so happen to be doing the bare minimum of what they wish for. I am technically being somewhat of a good person by helping and saving so many from the cruel fate canon or this world in general has in store for them.

The heroes will fall due to my machinations, but so will the villains. The demon lord will die, as will the other big bads… besides myself, of course. 

Will that be enough? Beats me. This is just a byproduct of my plans, and I’m not changing shit for them. I'll do what I damn well please.

If they give me a gold star and fuck off, then great. If they end up being the final bosses in my journey, well, I can at least prepare for that as best as I can.

All For One and One For All. This stupid game that those two brothers are playing along with everyone else they dragged into this absolute mess… if only that was all I had to deal with.

There’s still so much I don’t know, and all I can do about it is prepare for what I can. 

I just hope that’s good enough in the end, because this will all eventually come to an end.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Reveal (Artificial^2), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Warp Gate (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Erasure, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial^2), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, ?????

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Q-Ray (Artificial), Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Eruption, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Bloodcurdle, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Shock Absorption
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Incite
• Kaina Tsutsumi (Head Assassin) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Rifle, Homing, Slice, Chronostasis, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Mimicry, Softening, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (335) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (10) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 2550 Personnel 
• 15 Commanders - Q-Ray (Artificial)
• 175 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 175 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 175 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 150 Battle Tanks
• 80 Attack Helicopters
• 65 Small Boats
• 5 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 525
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 400
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 5

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 60
• Mad Science Branch - 50
• Creation Crew - 155
• Klonogiris - 87
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 37
• Thugs and Goons - 7070

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 118

Outside Allies:

• Giran
• Nezu

Key Spies:

• Himiko Toga (LOV)
• Detective Tsukauchi (Nezu; Under Kuin’s Control)

Chapter 65: Femme Fatales

It was honestly a total fluke.

It was completely by chance, or perhaps, a sign from whatever god or goddess was watching over this world.

She has no clue how right she was.

How long she’s been locked in here, she doesn’t have a clue. Months? Years? Decades?

All she knows is that she was actually close to forgiving the two families full of bastards that made her whole life hell, your classic case of Stockholm Syndrome.

But then she came along, hiding out here to avoid some heroes who were on her trail. 

The woman wasn’t scary by any means. She had taken the disguise of a nurse and asked politely if she could stay here for a while. 

She had no reason to refuse.

 

And so they got to talking, and they turned out to be more similar than either of them thought.

Brainwashed into serving monsters, only unlike her new friend’s case, she was brainwashed and sold by her first family into her second one.

Her new friend ended up coming back several more times, and she gradually brought other new friends of hers. People who had similar stories of being controlled.

She doesn’t know when the switch finally flipped in her. Perhaps she snapped again? Or perhaps she finally realized the terrible truth.

She tried being nice. She tried to make it all work, and this is where it all led her.

She could never decide for herself and had to take everything thrown at her until she lost it.

Why should they be allowed to get away with it? 

And so, when her new friends came back and asked if she wanted to be broken out and get revenge, she gladly accepted.

She was given a new home. A new purpose that she was free to turn down if she wanted to.

But she didn’t. 

 

She was happy when the bastard husband of her last life got what was coming to him. She initially cursed the bush-haired brat for stopping his execution, but on second thought, the bastard still being alive means he gets to suffer more, so it was a blessing in disguise. 

She considered doing something similar with what’s left of her first family, but she eventually decided it wasn’t worth the hassle. Besides, slaughtering the remainder of that clan was a nice bonding experience with her new friends. 

She learned just how powerful her quirk could be and even got several others, one of which being from another relative of her old life. 

He’s lucky he has some stupid army protecting him at the moment.

But she won’t get too caught up in her old life; that would just be letting those bastards win.

She’ll work towards a new life in this new home with her new friends. She’ll do her best to help them like how they helped her. 

Same goes for the children they’re protecting; children better than that bastard’s ‘products’ ever were. Better than anything she was forced to pump out after her first family sold her as a broodmare to her second one. 

One of them looked like her, only with small horns on her head. She gave her so many years of her life back. No… she rewound those awful, awful years. Physically anyway.

She was the daughter of the man who made all this happen, and someone her first new friend is a mother for in all but blood. 

A mother… she was honestly terrified of the concept after what happened last time, but her new friends assured her that it wasn’t her fault. She was abused and pushed into insanity by her old families!

She probably still is insane, but she doesn’t care anymore.

 

Another one of those kids… he’s the cutest, most adorable little droplet she’s ever seen. 

He had awful trauma with his old families too. The parents of his first family abandoned him and died for it. His second family was even worse, ignoring his suffering and telling him it was a good thing because his first parents were heroes.

Endeavor is a hero too, one of Japan’s top heroes for that matter. Look at what he’s fucking like.

They could relate to each other, and she tried her best to help him. She helped all the kids, but there was something special about him, and he felt the same way about her.

He was willing to trust her more. Talk to her more. Listen to her more.

And when her precious little water droplet recently asked if he could call her ‘mom’, that day became the happiest day of her life. 

She isn’t a Himura or Todoroki anymore. She’s just Rei.

Oh, and also Morana, a B-Rank Villain too, she supposes.

 

Countdown to Canon: 2 Weeks Until I-Island

I won’t claim to know everything about the Shie Hassaikai, nor what all its members do at any given moment. Reveal can cover the entire compound, but I don’t keep in on 24/7 because the constant influx of info from so many different people and things would be nothing short of agonizing for me. 

My clones help out with micromanagement, and we inform each other of the important developments each day… mostly. There are some cases where the assholes keep a thing or two hidden to troll me with at a later date.

And while my clones and I give out plenty of specific orders, not everything is always going to go exactly to plan. It usually does, but not always.

The problem with that is the few things that don’t go to plan, the few instances where unexpected issues arise, well… they have a bad habit of being ridiculous. Just absolutely ridiculous.

 

Despite me taking a more ‘realistic’ path throughout my second life, this world is so anime it hurts, so the occasional mindfuck moment is to be expected. 

That doesn’t make me stop feeling like the straight man in a comedy movie at times, especially as I seem to be the only person who finds the occasional shounen anime-esc moment like this incredibly odd.

All For One showing up and Naruhata and wrecking a lot more shit then I assumed was unexpected, but I knew he was going to come and had prepared what I assumed to be several appropriate countermeasures for it. 

That’s not the kind of thing I mean by ridiculous, completely unexpected problems.

Rappa somehow managing to accidentally murder the Number 8 Hero during his morning jog is one such instance of what I mean.

Eri somehow managing to get Himiko Toga as a friend and teacher for stealth training behind my back is another. 

Me running into Rei Goddamn Todoroki in one of Hassaikai HQ’s underground kitchens at like seven in the morning while she’s making breakfast is the most recent of these issues.

The fact that she’s cooking with one hand and holding up a pajama-clad Kota Izumi (who is calling her mom for some reason) in the other is another big surprise.

Oh, this is also a case of the former issue because my clones knew and didn’t inform me because they thought my unprepared reaction to this would be hilarious.

((“And it was.”))

‘Fuck off, NightHaul. This is why no one partners with your hero agency.’

((“No one partners with my hero agency because I never send out team up requests to begin with. It makes the whole ‘undercover’ thing a lot easier when you don’t have to constantly worry about getting caught by other heroes. Also, us clones have to keep ourselves entertained somehow. Also also, you owe me 5,000 Yen, GuildHaul.”))

((“Two more days. Just two more days and I would’ve won. Fuck you and fuck your coffee addiction, original. You already have both Endurance and Energy Saver! Why do you need fucking coffee on top of that?! Switch to tea! You already use it a ton to power-up IQ!”))

See why I don’t summon more Double clones of myself to help out now? At some point, the opposite starts to happen.

 

So it turns out that Zi just so happened to run into the mental asylum Rei was being kept at in canon while monitoring the Villain War and hiding from heroes. The two then became friends with each new addition to my girlfriend’s girl group (Kiruka, Kuin, Kaina, etc) befriending her too. 

Looking back, this probably explains Kuin’s latest hit among the Hassaikai, a parody of Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked called ‘Ain’t No Rest for Endeavor’. That song basically disses the flame hero for three minutes straight and includes almost my entire supply of dirty HPSC and AFO secrets related to the guy.

It’s pretty catchy, not gonna lie. 

Anyway, the villainesses then busted her out a few weeks before Hosu (meaning Shoto never got to see her and really start that character arc of his) and began murdering what’s left of the Himura family together during their time off. 

Then Hosu happened and Rei apparently wants both of her families to burn in hell now, so she thanked me for sending Stain after Endeavor when I met her and my clones gave me context while laughing their fake asses off.

She probably would’ve turned into Dabi 2.0 if it wasn’t for her having a solid support group backing her up. Granted, she still is a villain (the B-Rank Villain, Morana apparently; HPSC doesn’t seem to know her secret identity yet); she’s just a lot more willing to be friendly with others.

Eri also rewinded her by around two decades, making her now in her early 20s, and she decided to adopt Kota after connecting with him a bit, with me not having a single fucking clue about any of this until now.

I mean, I did know that one of the rugrats’ new caretakers was ‘Ms. Rei’, but I didn’t think that this ‘Rei’ was REI TODOROKI! There are plenty of people named Rei in Japan! Sue me!

Ugh, this is fine. This is okay. Leadership is a journey, not a destination. I expect my followers to constantly challenge me to prove that I deserve to be the one in charge, and I intend to prove myself each and every time, until they have no more doubts that serve me for a reason, if not a whole list of reasons.

Anyway, after finding out that I wasn’t hallucinating and Rei Todoroki (now just Rei) was actually a part of the Shie Hassaikai (and pretty deep into it too), I talked with her and Kota for a while over breakfast.

Her ‘precious little droplet’ is happy with all the motherly affection he’s getting and the rest of the kids like her a lot, so I suppose there isn’t that much of a problem. I just need to make sure Kota doesn’t develop certain, uh… habits as he grows up. 

((“If anything, Eri would be the one wearing the trousers in her future relationship. Especially if she ends up with Katsuma, but Kota would be the timid, submissive one too with how our daughter is developing. Hell, she may end up with both boys or even form her own harem if-”))

‘LALALA, I CAN’T HEAR YOU!!!’

As for Endeavor, he seems to have ‘persuaded’ the right people to keep his bought wife’s asylum escape a secret, but with all the fire he’s been under recently (pun intended), that extra tidbit of info is probably going to come out eventually. The public wants answers… or blood. Either would suffice.

I personally got a good laugh out of the articles titled ‘Hero Killer Burns The Flame Hero’ and ‘Endeavor: Number Two Hero, Number One Abuser?’. If there’s any big advantage of being a villain in a hero society, it’s that those fucking vultures that make up the media are gonna be hounding your enemies instead of yourself. 

Seriously, it’s never been easier to be a villain in this world! If it wasn’t for the fact that most villains are complete buffoons who’d rather scorn at media related to heroes instead of having that same media work for them, then this society would have long since turned against its protectors.

Even All Might wouldn’t be able to stop that.

 

Watching the HPSC trying to spin articles like those to fit their own narrative was even more hilarious, but in all seriousness, they won’t be taken down so easily.

Yes, canon fodderized them, scoring a quick and near total wipeout with a mere Re-Destro clone during the Paranormal Liberation War. I doubt it'll be as easy here, but even if it was, why should I stop them from constantly shooting themselves in the foot right now? Like reporters and civilians in general, they're just making my life easier, so again, why should I stop that when I only stand to benefit by waiting?

As for Rei’s new alter ego, Morana is the Slavic goddess of cold, frost, winter, and death. She’s associated with winter’s death, rebirth, and dreams. Pretty fitting villain name, especially considering the new quirks at her disposal.

Geten’s awakened quirk alongside her own make her a nightmare to deal with whenever there’s water, snow, or ice nearby and she’s also picking up plenty of other skills from her new gal pals.

It won’t be long before she starts getting some fire quirks too. I got DNA from Endeavor back at Hosu, DNA from Shoto when I invaded his house to create Pseudo-Shotos, and DNA from Dabi while Giran sent him on a few side missions for me. 

Those three quirks on top of her current arsenal may just make her one of the world’s most powerful elementals alongside Nine and I!

As for her costume, not gonna lie, she looks like a depraved shrine maiden. 

Most of it comes from various forms of her own ice. A shimmering white and blue kimono with various sculpted designs throughout it and flowers that ‘bloom’ and move around, showcasing her masterful control over ice. 

She has some ice flowers perched on her hair too, their color being a similar dark blue to the flowers she had growing in her old home/prison. With Morana often being seen as a goddess of agriculture too, that just makes Rei’s villain name even more fitting.

From what I was able to uncover, she’s never gone all-out in a public fight yet (which explains her current B-Rank, but they did give Geten a B-Rank despite seeing all that he could do and villain rankings are also stupidly inaccurate most of the time), but she has made a name for herself over the last few months; it just wasn’t big enough for me to naturally notice.

I have plenty of other stuff to worry about, okay? I have a massive villain organization to help run and the end of the world to plan for! Sorry if I didn’t notice a random B-Rank Villain who happened to resemble a younger Rei Todoroki!

Ugh. Anyway, while those six girls (Kaina, Kiruka, Kuin, Konako, Zi, and Rei) aren’t known to the public as their own villain team/gang yet, they are one in all but name to the Shie Hassaikai, and one of my most dangerous teams at that.

They may mainly be long-range fighters, but with the power they’re packing now, even my Sinister Six and Four Horsemen would have a tough time getting to them. Yes, I know that some of those girls are a part of those groups too, but I’m just talking hypotheticals right now.

And their power is only growing. New improvements to body modifications plus an increase in willpower and motivation for Endurance gradually allows for more quirks to be stored for most. 

However, the main issue is just how many people I have to provide quirks for. LabHaul and Eri can only duplicate so many quirks in a day, and when your organization has thousands upon thousands of people in it… yeah.

Even when stuffing a bunch of quirks inside one body before doing the Overhaul + Rewind trick on all of them at once can only help so much. I need to prioritize quirk additions for my subordinates, so people who can’t do a whole lot for my current tasks with certain upgrades won’t be getting those upgrades for a while. 

That being said, I have been going all-in on the quirk duplication and handing out a whole lot of upgrades these last few weeks because I have some big events planned and I need my armies in tip top shape for them.

 

Nine’s crew can now fit both Shock Absorption and Super Regeneration copies, just to give one example. Mummy also got a copy of Dictator’s Despot as it complements Mummification and Fiber Master incredibly well and Chimera got a copy of Gigantomachia’s Gigantification quirk for similar reasons.

I considered giving Machia a copy of Chimera too, but with his poor intelligence that even body modifications and quirks like IQ can’t do much to fix, having so many limbs and so many ways to use them would be more of a hindrance than a help. Better to keep his arsenal simple enough for the time being.

Nine already has Cell Activation, but he wanted both quirks as a just in case due to how Weather Manipulation in particular affects his body. Kuin had asked if Nine was gonna rename himself to ‘Ten’ considering his current quirk count. Nine was not amused.

Stain finally deciding to go all-in with my quirk handouts is another example; he stuck with the basics and went for most of the Praetorian package plus a few extras like Kurono’s Chronostasis for a ranged paralysis attack option. He just needs to style his hair a bit differently so no enemies can see the two arrow shapes in them until it’s far too late.

Maguma also got a copy of Endeavor’s quirk plus Shock Absorption and the Heat-Resistance quirk I gave Stain for that fight as the hero killer no longer needed it. While a lack of ice quirks means he can’t do Phosphor, having both Hellflame and Cremation alone gives him insane amounts of literal firepower.

As for his teammates, Konako got copies of Whirlwind and that dust production/manipulation quirk from one of Tamashiro's classmates on top of Hellflame to spam hurricanes and dust explosions as support and Tsumuji will be getting the Displacement quirk of Nobu, one of Wolfram's top subordinates, as the mutant quirk fits perfectly with his own.

Some of my original top brass also got long-overdue upgrades. I gave Soramitsu Tabe a copy of Manifest as that quirk is practically tailor-made for his current build. I gave Toya and Hejiki a copy of Q-Ray. I gave Joi a copy of Earth Flow and I was gonna give him Cement too, but the latter’s mutations were just too difficult to get rid of while maintaining the original quirk effect, even with Overhaul.

I gave my Commanders copies of both Incite to power-up their troops and Despot to help them further guide their troops or simply retain control if shit hits the fan. I gave the Creation Crew copies of Size from 1-B student Yui Kodai, which I really should’ve done earlier. That quirk can alter the size of inanimate objects the user touches, so you can turn a toy car into the size of an actual car and vice versa. Pretty helpful when you’re trying to mass-produce stuff. 

A student from Seijin High School also has an object gigantification quirk, but since his name is never revealed and most of his appearance is covered by robes, figuring out who exactly the guy is more difficult than it should be. Whatever, my Cyberwarfare Branch should finish that search soon enough.

I considered giving a bunch of my top brass copies of Warp Gate, as it would pair rather well with arsenals like Kuin’s and Nagant’s, but I ultimately decided against it as I’d rather not waste a slot of theirs on something they can just borrow a Klonogiri for. 

A separate Warp Gate user can spot Nagant’s assassination missions or transport Kuin’s bees wherever they need to through the sight she gets from them.

And Rei’s compatibility with Endurance is absolutely insane now that she has her friends and Kota, aka, people to fight for. 

 

Considering how people like Shoto, Touya, and Endeavor are like in canon, I suppose Rei having similar amounts of morale, willpower, and overall dedication isn’t surprising, and her being able to hold OVER A DOZEN DIFFERENT QUIRKS proves that.

Most can’t even hold ten in total through their modifications and the boost from Endurance, let alone that many! 

From fire and ice elemental quirks to a copy of Kota’s quirk to copies of both a fire and frost resistance quirk I found so she can further increase her output, the ex-Todoroki has become an absolute powerhouse.

Her being right there to witness several decades worth of Todoroki training helps too, especially since she has copies of their quirks too. All the extra training with her friend group just sealed the deal.

Rei is also an official member of the Sinister Six now, Innsmouth stepping down recently due to his main focus being smuggling rather than front line combat. He’s still among my top brass, he just won’t be a part of that particular group anymore, and Rei more than earned the open spot.

They all can easily take on most top ten heroes. Kaina is probably the world’s most dangerous assassin, Kiruka can slaughter entire armies with her base quirk alone, Konako can blind, burn, and blow any opposition away, and Rei is a league above any of the Todoroki family right now, even Japan’s Number 2.

Zookeeper is both their leader and main supporter, the new quirks I recently gave her fitting these roles perfectly. She can nullify most quirks with Cleaning and Erasure, one-shot almost anyone with an awakened Overhaul, heal people with Overhaul or a copy of Cell Activation, and boost any allies with her copies of Love and Incite.

And Kuin… she’s probably the most terrifying of the bunch, even before I gave her a copy of Despot to make escaping her control even more difficult.

I wasn’t kidding when I called her an apocalyptic threat, a preview to the horrors I expect the Quirk Singularity Doomsday to eventually bring on the regular.

 

With my entire game plan revolving around this concept coming to fruition, I naturally searched for more evidence and information then what canon provided as well as look into the research Humarise did, and all that did not paint a pretty picture.

First was pretty much confirming what canon claimed, quirks growing stronger with each generation as Quirk Factors mix together. Think of it as a natural version of creating Artificial Quirks.

This process keeps going and going until quirks are no longer able to be controlled by their owners, resulting in people like Nine who can easily destroy entire cities at the cost of damage or death to themselves.

Not to mention people simply improving their quirks through training. Look at how the first few minutes of World Heroes Mission went; even people with the most basic and boring of quirks turned into absolute monsters in appearance, power, or both once hit with Ideo Trigger, and drugs aren’t the only way to improve quirks.

Is there an upper limit to this natural quirk-mixing process? From what I’ve been able to gather, no, there isn’t.

Even if we exclude outliers like Star and Stripe or All For One during the Dawn of Quirks as well as people like All Might who gained power by a transferable stockpile that grows overtime, there are still numerous people with absurd amounts of power.

Even if quirks suddenly stopped becoming any more powerful as more generations pass, you still have people like Nine, Dabi, Geten, Twice, and so on. People who are young adults with terrifying abilities. Assuming they are the peak, more and more people will reach that peak, and you will still have an absolute disaster on your hands.

So yes, Quirk Singularity Doomsday is happening. The world may fall apart in five months or five years or fifty years depending on how much of an impact I’ve had, but it will inevitably fall apart with or without me.

And yes, I’m willing to bet that my actions have sped up that timer. I’ve helped a lot of people massively improve their quirks. I’ve also given plenty of people extra quirks.

There’s a pretty good chance that at least some of these people will have children, and I have no idea how children of multiple-quirk wielders will turn out as canon never explored the topic, but I do have some theories and none of them are good for society at large.

Doomsday is coming, the only question is when the tipping point will finally be reached.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Reveal (Artificial^2), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Warp Gate (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Erasure, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver, Cell Activation, Incite, Love, Erasure
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial^2), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, ?????

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Q-Ray (Artificial), Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Despot, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Gigantification, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Eruption, Hellflame, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption, Heat-Resistance
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Bloodcurdle, Chronostasis, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Shock Absorption
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Incite, Despot
• Kaina Tsutsumi (Head Assassin) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Rifle, Homing, Slice, Chronostasis, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Rei (Head-Starters’ Babysitter) - Ice Ply (Awakened), Frost, Hellflame, Cremation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Water Gun, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Heat-Resistance x2, Frost Resistance x2

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Mimicry, Softening, Earth Flow, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Manifest, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (360) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (10) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 2700 Personnel 
• 15 Commanders - Q-Ray (Artificial), Incite, Despot
• 190 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 190 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 190 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 155 Battle Tanks
• 80 Attack Helicopters
• 70 Small Boats
• 5 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 560
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 440
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 5

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 70
• Mad Science Branch - 50
• Creation Crew - 160
• Klonogiris - 95
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 37
• Thugs and Goons - 7250

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 118

Outside Allies:

• Giran
• Nezu

Key Spies:

• Himiko Toga (LOV)
• Detective Tsukauchi (Nezu; Under Kuin’s Control)

Chapter 66: Monarch

“The Explorer Hero: Saguri-chan, was it?” Kuin Kazuho sneers from atop her new throne, the island-sized hive around her teeming with life upon their latest victory.

When Sekan Doraifu called her an apocalyptic threat after bioengineering her to literal hell and back, he wasn’t joking. Even if left solely to her own devices, she can still grow into an eternal, immortal, country-wide threat for the entire planet.

Yet he still keeps her hidden. He still has her gathering intel, improving her army, and making plenty of other extra preparations, all so when her true show begins, her enemies won’t have the slightest chance against her.

She’s been doing well with this, and her boss rewards her for it, letting her pursue certain hobbies and projects or giving her certain assignments that are more to her liking. And recently, one of the latter opportunities was presented to her, taking down a rather abstract hero agency and all who dwell there.

As her hero title implies, Saguri is both a hero and an explorer. She roams the land, exploring uncharted territory and taking down whatever villains she comes across in the process. She goes wherever her curiosity leads her and delves into whatever catches her interest.

Basically, this particular hero from MHA Team-Up Mission is a combination of Nejire Hado and Lara Croft from Tomb Raider, a very attractive and very curious, capable explorer.

With most Shie Hassaikai facilities and general territory bar Osaka being in uncharted land around Japan, there was a serious risk of her stumbling upon Sekan’s operations. She actually did come rather close to uncovering a facility of his recently, so Sekan decided to deal with the explorer hero permanently.

Her hero agency is a run-down building in the middle of nowhere, so he was originally planning to have Gigantomachia squish her and any sidekicks she has, but then he remembered the insect monarch he has working for him and decided to give her the task instead as this was a good opportunity for her to go wild.

When said insect monarch looked into the hero a bit more, she was not happy about her obsession with hunting and collecting insects, so she gladly accepted the chance to have fun while delivering some karmic justice.

 

Saguri’s quirk lets her sense underground movements, a crucial ability for navigating most environments as she can identify hidden dangers like traps or enemy movements. Kuin’s swarm is airborne, practically negating her opponent’s trump card, yet another reason Sekan chose her to handle this.

Needless to say, it was an absolute slaughter. A full-scale invasion was launched with waves of Bomb Bees destroying everything in their path and unending swarms of insects terrorizing any heroes or sidekicks present.

None of them were killed. Instead, Kuin had them captured and brought back to her latest and greatest hive, another little project of hers that Sekan gave the go-ahead to create.

“A bee with a human quirk? Or a human with a bee quirk? Oh, are you that queen bee villain from Naruhata? I was planning to head there myself to stop you, but I was exploring this ravine at the time and-”

The heroic motormouth just keeps on going, pissing Kuin off to no end. 

She has yet to truly understand the situation she’s in. This isn’t bravery, it’s just stupidity. An airhead hero who doesn’t know any better.

“You have quite the obsession with insects, don’t you?” The monarch cuts her off. “Collecting them, mounting them, displaying them as trophies for your little game. Let’s see how you like being the insect for once.”

Zookeeper probably won’t like what she has in mind for this particular hero, as it’s rather similar to how she was treated under Curator, but what her bestie doesn’t know won’t hurt her. 

It’s not like Sekan specifically said she couldn’t. He just ordered her to not let any prisoners leave her hive alive, and that is something she planned to ensure anyway.

 

Countdown to Canon: 1 Week Until I-Island

Remember the outposts I’m building on uninhabited islands around Japan? Well Kuin requested I give her free reign over one of these islands so she could turn it into a massive nest. 

The terradome she has at Hassaikai HQ is large, but it became full rather quickly thanks to how much faster she can create new bees now. 

She doesn’t need that many bees to fulfill whatever tasks I need her to; I don’t need her pulling that final performance she did in MHA Vigilantes. For now, it’s mainly spying or dealing with the occasional troublesome hero like a certain spinoff explorer hero who doesn’t know how to leave well enough alone.

But if the Shie Hassaikai is dragged into an open war, it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared for it. 

 

Speaking of spinoffs, Kuin has been taking quite a few trips to Megalo Safari from MHA Team-Up Mission, Japan’s biggest and best zoo. It’s basically the USJ in zoo form, various zones with different topography and climate for different groups of animals.

One of the zookeepers there, Kotoba Honyakuji, has a quirk that lets her understand the language of all animals. The zoo was able to make interpreter devices that make use of her quirk so others can understand the animals too.

Kuin doesn’t need the quirk since she can already understand animals as a quirked animal herself, but the quirk itself is pretty interesting. I got myself a copy of it to put in storage as a just in case. You never know when such a quirk might come in handy.

The bee queen has taken to practicing subtle invasions by gradually taking over the zoo with her swarm, possessing animals and their human zookeepers alike. She’s also taking this chance to build some extra hives and even experiment a little with the DNA of other animals.

But even then, she wanted more space, private space where her hive was free to grow without any sort of restraint. So she wanted her own private island for this project.

And with Kuin being able to better macromanage her swarm, giving them tasks to do automatically without further input, there shouldn’t really be a limit to how many of her special bees she can create and control.

So I accepted this request, and she’s spent most of her time working on this project with some help from the Creation Crew and various Hassaikai members with helpful quirks to speed up construction. The end result is absolutely horrifying.

The nests of giant honey bees are some of the biggest in both my old world and this one. They can be up to 1.5 meters in width and 1 meter in depth. This large, single comb can hold up to 60,000 bees. An average beehive can hold around 50,000 bees for reference.

So picture that, and then multiply both the size and number of inhabitants by several thousand.

 

The entire island became a place where humans weren’t welcome. The air around it feels thin and tastes of mold while the air in it smells nauseatingly sweet. 

Miles of honeycombs stretched as far as the eye could see, and millions of bees patrolled the surrounding area, gathering all kinds of materials from the remaining flora and fauna boosted by several nature and Green Thumb-type quirks.

It gets a lot scarier when you actually enter the hive. Kuin had seen multiple entries of the Alien franchise before during Hassaikai Pre-Quirk Movie Nights and clearly took inspiration from them when designing this place. 

Walls covered in honeycombs were like lairs the Xenomorphs had built with their own organic matter. Oh, and there were even more bees inside than there were outside.

They didn’t harm or even inconvenience me when I visited several days ago. LabHaul ensured Kuin and her swarm were incapable of betraying us, but that didn’t stop me from getting shivers down my spine while walking through this honey-scented nightmare.

The buzzing certainly didn’t help matters either. I never thought bees could be so loud, even when genetically modified. It was like machine-gun fire. 

The corpses also didn’t help either. I remember LabHaul mentioning that Kuin requested a few prisoners recently for some of her own experiments and my clone obliged. We had plenty, so getting rid of a few was no big loss. 

Their bones had been sucked dry. Their bodies had been made part of the hive and some bees were nestled in both empty eye sockets and mouths that had frozen into mute screams. 

Several minutes after I first entered, I found myself descending towards the center of the hive. A massive underground cavern that looked like its own world. 

Massive golden honeycombs covered the walls, hives shaped like columns were spread out and had honey dripping down them like waterfalls, and at the center of it all was a golden throne where rows of giant, curved stingers resembled spikes and holes situated in front of the armrests housed even more bees.

Then there are the special bees guarding this place.

Bees that LabHaul has done some extra tinkering with via quirks like Overhaul and various drugs in our endeavor to learn more about how quirked animals work. 

Actually giving them new quirks of their own is something we haven’t managed yet due to them technically being part of a quirk already (this excluding quirks possession victims of theirs have), but using quirks on them to change their genetic properties is much more manageable.

There are bees ranging in size from as big as my hand to as big as cats. The latter can no longer fly, but dozens of cat-sized bees scuttling their way towards you is still fucking terrifying.

There are bees with some extra pairs of wings for increased aerial maneuverability. 

There are bees with extra large stingers and bees that can shoot stingers like a natural nail gun. 

You get the point, these bees of hers are something straight out of a horror movie. 

Oh, and did I mention how many of her bees are possessing other living beings? 

 

Some of her possession victims are various animals from the zoos she either raided or stealthily took over. I’ve got no problems with those as it saves me the trouble of getting some for later, when we begin to really focus on playing around with favorable genes of animals.

Some more of her possession victims are Double clones she requested for this purpose, Kouichi Haimawari or Crawler or Skycrawler making up most of them. ‘He’s strong and his quirk is super versatile! This isn’t because of some old crush, baka!’ were the exact words she gave me for her reasoning.

Old crush. Sure, Kuin. You totally haven’t been fantasising about ‘Skycrawler and Queen Bee, the perfect performing villain duo that even the sky can’t limit’ because Reveal definitely, conveniently, magically breaks whenever I decide to peer into your thoughts, tsundere.

Her final category of possessed prisoners are just that, prisoners of ours that I gave her the go-ahead to deal with.

Makoto Tsukauchi is one example of the latter. Remember her, the human lie detector’s sister who also has a lie detector quirk? She got bee-jacked just like her brother a while back.

I figured Kuin wouldn’t be a fan of Skycrawler’s other main love interest, but besides the whole mind-control thing, she’s actually treating the girl pretty well. Apparently it’s due to their similar tastes, aka, massive crushes on the late Koichi.

Polygraph is a very useful quirk, allowing its user to judge the authenticity of their target’s words, telling them if they are speaking the truth or lying through direct physical contact. While vulnerable to technicalities, it’s still incredibly useful, especially for the kind of work I usually have Kuin do.

She wanted Makoto to be her de facto right hand lady, so that meant either replacing the former detective or faking her death. I chose the latter, mainly because she was already incredibly depressed before, so it would look a lot more believable.

Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had Kuin fake deaths or cause deaths. Far from it. Before I got Lady Nagant under my payroll, Kuin was my go-to girl for assassinations. 

People under insect possession or general mind-control don’t have any problems with walking off roofs if their controller commands them to. Who would’ve guessed. 

The Explorer Hero: Saguri-chan is another example of the latter, that hero in particular practically being the Zookeeper to Kuin’s Curator after being captured. It may even be worse as Kuin was absolutely livid when learning about the hero’s insect-hunting obsession.

Kuin, being an insect monarch herself, took Saguri’s actions personally. Extremely personally. 

Another moral issue to debate on. Wonderful.

 

Look, I’m the bad guy here. I’m a supervillain amongst villains. I’m extremely selfish, keeping my more often than not batshit insane subordinates happy so they are more loyal in turn and taking down anyone else I need to for that to happen. That’s not going to change.

I’m also incredibly, brutally pragmatic. I’m ready to do pretty much anything if it means achieving my goals, whether it’s terrorist attacks, smuggling drugs, killing and/or torturing people, and so on, but I’m not the type of guy to go kick a puppy because I felt like it. 

If you do a good enough job without screwing up, then I’m willing to look the other way for certain quirks of yours, both figuratively and literally, so long as they don't put my own plans at risk. 

You want to possess some problems of mine instead of killing them? Fine, as long as you ensure they stay possessed. You want your possessed prisoners’ dress code to be revealing, bee-themed outfits? Fine, as long as you don’t have them wandering around in public Shie Hassaikai areas or public areas in general. Keep your brainwashed stripper servants at home.

Saguri is nobody important, just another enemy I wanted dealt with. I’m also no stranger to occasional acts of excessive cruelty, and this doubles as another reward to Kuin for all her hard work, so as long as she ensures this prisoner doesn’t escape and this action comes back to bite us, what’s the problem?

Well like I said, Kuin’s current treatment of Saguri reminds me of how Curator treated Zookeeper, and that’s something which does matter to me. 

Zi is the one who’s opinion I’m concerned about regarding the brainwashed hero’s less than stellar slave treatment, and I don’t want Kuin gradually getting any further fucked up in the head.

So I told Kuin to go work that out with her bestie, leaving those two to reach a consensus about the issue. The problem is out of my hands and the people whose thoughts and opinions I actually care about get what they want, so everyone wins. Simple enough solution, right?

From what I heard, those two had quite the emotional argument about it, but eventually came to an agreement. Kuin would dial the needless cruelty back a good bit, and instead focus on actually being productive with that new asset because her niche quirk can be quite useful with planning further hive expansions underground.

Looks like my own mindset affected Zi a good deal overtime. Don’t be wasteful for stupid reasons, as that usually comes back to haunt you. Just look at All For One for proof.

All in all, trying to destroy Kuin’s latest and greatest hive would probably take an army of heroes led by either All Might, Endeavor, or Star and Stripe to get the job done, and even then, Kuin can simply possess most heroes through her swarm in no time.

I wasn’t kidding when I told Kuin she could single-handedly conquer Japan. This island is to her what Deika City is to the MLA, and the heroes will be far too busy trying to stop constant attacks on the mainland to destroy her hive. That’s if they even manage to find this place.

Of course, unlike the MLA, Kuin can simply, quickly create other massive hives to spawn more bees from. Yes, just like what normal worker bees can sometimes do, some bees in Kuin’s own swarm have developed functional ovaries to lay eggs and create more insect drones with.

Thank you, LabHaul, for figuring out how to force that development. 

The number of bees that can do this is very small, about one percent among the regular bees (Bomb Bees can’t develop this even with LabHaul’s help) to be specific, and the number of eggs (not fully-developed bees, but eggs, meaning they need also some time to grow and mature) but keep in mind just how many bees Kuin has in her swarm now. 

The heroes would never be able to kill her since she has countless backup bodies buzzing around Japan. She already has plenty of them around Japan and even a few in some of the Hassaikai’s international outposts. Her swarm is spreading across the world at a rapid pace and Kuin herself is quickly becoming a global threat rather than just a country-wide threat.

 

Now just to be clear, the old queen bee under All For One couldn’t pull something like this off, even if the demon lord actually knew how to utilize his doctor’s experiments correctly. He would need to min-max the equivalent of a High-End Nomu for her to get similar results, and the Queen Bee project was abandoned long before any of those things were made.

Not only did I give Kuin an empty, heavily-modified vessel just to further optimize her quirk, but I also gave her an arsenal of other powerful quirks that support her own. Endurance, Energy Saver, and IQ are just a few examples of major boosts she has, and that’s not even considering the usage of my own blends of Trigger for even better results.

But even without the modified body and extra quirks I gave her, she would definitely be able to at least defeat Japan in a war of attrition if the bee queen utilized her full potential.

Like I said before, Queen Bee is a quirk that nearly rivals Double in potential. It’s a quirk that can overturn and destroy the entire planet if the user wishes to. 

If given enough time to amass, even All For One and One For All are hopeless against Queen Bee or Double, and I now have both those quirks at my disposal. 

Two quirks that grant me infinite minions. Two quirks that can solo the world of My Hero Academia if used properly and given enough time to amass. Two quirks that serve as the foundation of excellent backup plans if my initial plans go to shit. 

I have the former quirk down to a tee, and the latter is a quickly-developing work in progress. I just need a little more time to get my perfect victory. 

It may even become three if one of our Artificial Quirk projects works out. 

Combine Tokoyami’s Dark Shadow quirk with Gashly Eijiju’s Shadow Puppet quirk and Ectoplasm’s Clone quirk and you get an ability that should, in theory, not only give you an endless amount of powerful shadow puppets to summon, customize, and command, either automatically or like a hivemind, but you could also create dozens of copies of yourself, each one also capable of summoning shadows.

Terrifying, and that’s not even mentioning if an Artificial Quirk of Double and Clones is possible. That might just allow me to perfectly control any summoned goop clones rather than being stuck with completely independent clones, making Sad Man’s Parade actually feasible in a fight.

We’ve yet to accomplish those combinations, figuring out the right mindset to make the merger happen exactly as you want is a lot more difficult than you would think, but progress is being made and the results are going to be incredible.

 

Even if the Shie Hassaikai was revealed in full to the world, I’m still confident that I can win against its heroes and villains. That victory would just be far more bloody and inconvenient than I would like. 

The heroes should hope they don’t uncover me, because if they do and force my hand early, I’ll stop playing nice. I’ll stop being slow and steady. I’ll show them just how powerful my organization has become.

I’ll crush them all and the very world they stand on without hesitation, consequences be damned.

Ignorance really is bliss, isn’t it?

But I’m getting ahead of myself. We still have plenty of leeway, and I don’t plan on throwing that away anytime soon.

My subordinates are free to enjoy themselves rather than charge into battle against the world itself, and many take advantage of that.

Zi and her group of friends are one such example.

Their ‘Girls Nights Out’ are apparently an absolute nightmare for my tech nerds to cover up. I learned why after seeing some footage from a few of them taken straight from hacked security cameras.

((“No kidding. The last one involved Kuin subtly using her swarm to cheat during a drinking contest with Mirko while the other five girls were taking turns riding around on a transformed and hammered Ryukyu’s back like they’re riding a bull at a rodeo.”))

‘...You’re joking. Tell me this is a joke, BossHaul.’ 

((“I’d tell you that Rappa accidentally murdering Wash was a joke too, but it wasn’t.”))

Oh god, it’s another one of those moments, isn’t it? 

 

‘Just… how?’ I question, completely exasperated.

((“Turns out more villains than ever plus a pissed off Hero Public Safety Commission equals plenty of mandatory overtime for heroes across Japan, especially top ones. It got to the point where even Mirko wanted a break, so she took her fellow top female hero out for a night on the town.

Kuin caught wind of this and decided to totally coincidentally take her friends out in civilian personas and stumble into them, partly to further slander hero society as a whole by acting as shoulder devils for them and partly to just have some fun, only they took things a little too far.

Never thought our villain organization would actually work alongside the HPSC for something, even without the latter realizing it, but covering this crap up apparently warrants that. Just… ugh. At least they make sure to mind their surroundings during their more R-Rated exploits.”))

God damnit. Why LabHaul felt the need to perfect an instant Overhaul surgery that seals a female’s fallopian tubes is beyond me. 

((“It stops both periods and pregnancies! And I can even undo it whenever they wish! Do you know how convenient that can be for some people?”)) Another of my clones butts in.

‘Show those statistics to someone who cares, LabHaul. Probably BossHaul; employee satisfaction is mostly his department.’

((“DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE PUSH THAT ON ME, YOU-”))

I choose then to cut my mind link with both of them. I’m far too mentally drained to deal with them right now.

BossHaul will probably curse me out later for that, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Welp, as Sun Tzu says, ‘In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity’.

…Note to self, see if there are still any ‘The Art of War’ book copies around when I get the chance. That and the Evil Overlord List should be good reading material for Eri and her crew considering how much of the latter villains here break on a regular basis.

So Zi somehow ended up leading a small group of extremely powerful female villains that DC’s Birds of Prey could only dream of being like. 

And Eri is not so subtly trying to make us get married already. Wonderful.

Not sure how this day can get any wierde- NOPE, NOT JINXING IT! Fate screws me over enough already, thanks!

 

But as for tying the knot with Zi, it’s not like I’m against the idea… I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t head over heels for her at this point.

I was far from being a casanova in my last life despite having some wild teenage years, but it’s not like I’m some stereotypical clueless anime protagonist that’s denser than everything else on whatever planet they’re on put together.

As for Zi… when it comes to the very simplest of things that should be obvious within a relationship, little things that should more or less be done habitually and not even thought on after a while got a lot of satisfaction out of her.

Something as simple as just sitting with her and holding hands or asking how her day was and if she needed help with anything always got a happy smile out of the reclusive, strong-willed girl.

Fucking Curator… have fun rotting in Tartarus, you whale-headed asshole.

But back to the issue at hand, I’m not opposed to popping the big question. The only issue is I have no clue how to do that, but our I-Island trip is coming up in a few weeks so maybe I’ll figure something out while messing with that movie plot?

Maybe? Probably? Help? 

How did my second life turn into this?

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Reveal (Artificial^2), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Warp Gate (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Erasure, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver, Cell Activation, Incite, Love, Erasure
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial^2), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, ?????

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Q-Ray (Artificial), Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Despot, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Gigantification, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Eruption, Hellflame, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption, Heat-Resistance
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Bloodcurdle, Chronostasis, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Shock Absorption
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Incite, Despot
• Kaina Tsutsumi (Head Assassin) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Rifle, Homing, Slice, Chronostasis, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Rei (Head-Starters’ Babysitter) - Ice Ply (Awakened), Frost, Hellflame, Cremation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Water Gun, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Heat-Resistance x2, Frost Resistance x2

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Mimicry, Softening, Earth Flow, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Manifest, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (360) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (10) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 2750 Personnel 
• 15 Commanders - Q-Ray (Artificial), Incite, Despot
• 195 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 195 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 195 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 155 Battle Tanks
• 80 Attack Helicopters
• 70 Small Boats
• 5 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 570
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 440
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 5

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 70
• Mad Science Branch - 50
• Creation Crew - 160
• Klonogiris - 95
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 37
• Thugs and Goons - 7300

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 118

Outside Allies:

• Giran
• Nezu

Key Spies:

• Himiko Toga (LOV)
• Detective Tsukauchi (Nezu; Under Kuin’s Control)

Chapter 67: An Island, Two Heroes, Five Villains, and a Whole Lot of Headaches

“You sure about this, Star? I know you’re not exactly the biggest fan of politics.” Timothy Agpar checks in as the Number 1 Hero is gearing up to leave with her entourage.

“Nah, it’s fine. America’s been down in the dumps ever since Christopher’s death and Japan isn’t looking so hot either. The increase in PR or whatever is just a nice little bonus of having a reunion with my master. Besides, it’s been ages since I visited that island-sized carnival convention.”

“Alright, Cassie. Just keep those spirits up, okay?”

“Like I ever don’t. Want anything from whatever gift shops they have lying around?”

“I’m sure anything you bring back will be just fine.”

“Don’t blame me if it sucks then.” Star and Stripe snarks back. “Alright, bros. LET’S MOVE OUT!”

 

Countdown to Canon: I-Island Today!

I-Island. Where the world’s brightest minds gather together to research quirks and develop new hero support stuff. 

…Yet somehow they collectively and conveniently pale in comparison to Dr. Garaki and I in the general quirk department because of plot, I guess.

My clones and I making one breakthrough after another in quirk biology is one thing since I had both a few canon monologues from Dr. Garaki for inspiration and a collection of extremely overpowered quirks to work with, but Garaki himself has an understanding of quirks that far surpasses the greatest achievements of the world’s scientific community.

He had All For One’s help, yeah, but all that guy could do was occasionally give and take quirks while providing funding for Garaki’s own research. I-Island should have far more funding available and Garaki can transfer quirks without All For One in the picture or other powerful quirks like the ones I have, so there’s no reason why others can’t eventually replicate his methods.

The rest of this world simply never tried it, because god forbid they actually look into how these biological superpowers that most of the world now has actually fucking work. That’s a plot hole if I’ve ever seen one.

((‘A shallow excuse at best.’)) 

‘Well then, care to throw in your two cents, VestigeHaul?’

((‘This entire artificial island and everything they research there… this right here is the problem with these academic types. These self-proclaimed ‘geniuses’. They never bother to look into the truths they build their lives around and assume that they have the final word on anything.’))

‘And you?’

((‘My ‘canon’ self has this problem too. You changed that.’))

Food for thought, I suppose.

 

Anyway, the ‘island’ is entirely artificial, can move around, and has a security system on par with Tartarus so nobody has ever committed a crime here until the head of the island decided to be a dumbass All Might simp and hand the keys to the kingdom over to villains supported by All For One.

Now these scientists and their ‘super duper top secret research’ may help out a bit with my own endeavors, and all that data will be a nice bonus for this latest mission of mine, but my true, short-term target is something else, as is my long-term goal regarding that island.

After me and my party get through the island’s ‘Immigration Inspection’ thanks to some body alterations via Overhaul and some top notch fake identification that Giran charged way too damn much for (AFO may be his main focus now, but we still talk and trade on occasion), we head into the main area for the pre-opening of I-Expo, an event that is basically a worldwide science fair. 

My party consists of myself, Zi, Eri, Nine, and Kuin. 

My girlfriend, my daughter, and I are here to have another nice family trip before the world ends… and also do a little villaining on the side.

Nine is mainly here for extra security and firepower in case something goes monumentally wrong. I considered bringing along Machia at first, but I don’t need AFO catching on and Machia isn’t exactly subtle like Nine can be.

Besides, it’s not like Nine is weak either. Even before I recruited him, his full rap sheet involved destroying cities like it was going out of fashion. After I recruited him, this guy has been killing himself through training, putting in as much effort as Rappa did to grow, and the results of such are showing.

Weather Manipulation and Cell Activation is a truly terrifying quirk combo when it comes to base growth. The former breaks down your cells and the latter rebuilds them better than ever, making him faster. Tougher. Stronger. His copy of Super Regeneration was purposefully removed during these training sessions just to ensure this method of his works.

Spamming that cycle hundreds of times over let Nine skyrocket in quirkless strength, but this method can’t be used forever as Cell Activation’s improvements include making his body used to the strain. Nine can still push that limit with Endurance and Trigger, but the gains he can get from this method are fleeting.

That’s not to say he can’t still improve with Cell Activation healing; he just needs Machia beating him to hell and back for some proper gains via healing, and he’s always up for going another round with the giant.

Kuin is also here for security, but her main jobs are reconnaissance, sample collection, and general infiltration. We’ve already infiltrated Wolfram’s crew and are getting some DNA from a few of those guys to duplicate, but there’s also an international buffet of heroes to get quirks from.

Pankration’s Power quirk, Nyikang’s Spirit Possession quirk, Plastic Man’s Plastic Transformation quirk, and so on, not to mention the quirks of any regular civilians that catch our eye. It should be a good haul, so long as we remain cautious. This security system rivals that of Tartarus, so Kuin can’t unleash her swarm and let them do their thing as it will likely get caught on a camera or two.

Of course, if shit hits the fan and we’re forced to fight, then having my apocalyptic monarch by my side should be pretty helpful. With Nine being here too, I don’t even need Machia by my side, All Might and Izuku be damned!

Getting five invitations for the preview costed way too damn much in my humble opinion (it’s just a little identity fraud, Giran; the fuck did all these zeroes come from?!), but I already have more then enough saved up thanks to my previous business endeavors and the Creation Crew. 

 

“Woooooaaaahhhhh.” Eri gasps as we reach the main staircase down, and yeah, it’s a pretty incredible sight in real life. 

“You wouldn’t think these scientist types would care all that much for how a place looks. Guess the people running it have good taste.” Nine comments.

“Well, most people want to work in someplace comfortable and the ones that don’t care, don’t care. Why do you think my own headquarters looks so nice on the inside?” I rhetorically ask back. 

“That and the big wigs running this place want their expo looking good for the cameras and potential investors. Same with the regular old shlubs in attendance 'cause of public image or whatever, but they’re way less important than the former two. Point is, it’s all about presentation!” Kuin pitches in her own two cents.

“You ready to start exploring, fledgeling?” Zi then asks the youngest of us, noticing her excitement.

“Yeah!” My daughter cheers before flying down the staircase.

By flying, I mean literally flying. People can use their quirks here and her false ID displays her quirk as ‘Energy Storm’. She’s basically using the Wave Motion part of her Artificial Quirk a bit more creatively then its original user. 

Zi and I quickly follow behind her with Nine and Kuin staying behind for a bit. They need to get more eyes and bees on both the main heroes and villains of this movie first and foremost, and I’m 99% sure we’ve arrived earlier than both groups. 

At the very least, I’ve got the Search part of Reveal to confirm that Izuku and All Might haven’t arrived yet.

Most of the movie happens during the first day; we’ll all have plenty of time to explore the Expo together afterwards. How nice of them to not immediately cancel the event and even open it up to the public as planned after that villain attack.

“Now remember the rules, fledgling.”

“I knooooooow. No messing with any UA losers except during the Villain Attack Course.”

“And?”

“And… uhhhhhhh… avoid metalhead if you see him because you called dibs on kicking his butt?”

“Close enough.”

 

The next few hours are lots of fun and taking a look at all the new support gear is actually pretty cool. Kuin and Nine also give the occasional report from wherever they happen to be, and nothing seems too out of the ordinary so far.

1-A moving around. Wolfram doing his thing. More planes and jets landing, or fighter jets, maybe? Kuin wasn’t sure. Probably just another part of I-Island’s security.

Anyway, if there is any area of improvement the Shie Hassaikai is lacking in, it’s support gear. The basic modified weapons I and the Creation Crew make are just that, basic modified weapons.

Blades, guns, bullets, stuff like that. 

When it comes to traditional support gear, my production and collection of such is minimal despite having access to all of Detnerat’s networks as a side effect of secretly hacking the MLA.

The details of that support company were actually pretty interesting to learn about since canon doesn’t tell me jack shit. 

Detnerat’s entire brand is based on custom orders to accommodate the tremendous diversity in metahuman needs. That being said, how does one mass produce individualized products?

3D-printing and modular assembly line machinery, apparently. The scale of it all is immense, requiring numerous warehouses with a massive variety of processed raw materials and chemicals, not all of which can be easily synthesized at most of their industrial centers.

Said centers are mostly a nightmarish spaghetti grid of machines and rail networks between stories in these buildings. The entire thing was serviced and supplemented by semi-autonomous drones and (secretly) various quirks, making the logistics grid even more stupidly complicated. 

Seriously impressive, and something only possible in a shounen world where most of its inhabitants have various superpowers. Comical amounts of money help too, but money is only as useful as what it can get you. 

 

As for why I don’t just buy from them, not only are their products incredibly expensive, but they also reserve their best stuff (and most support gear meant to help with combat) for their secret soldiers. 

But that being said, can’t I just skip all that nonsense and have my Creation Crew pump out any interesting bits of gear from their numerous blueprints? Or maybe just buy some gear on the Black Market?

I’ve got a good few reasons why I haven’t bothered to go down those avenues. Black Market support gear is also incredibly expensive and most of it nowadays is from Deternat (so MLA garbage that blows up more than Mei’s inventions do to cover their tracks). 

However, the biggest issue is finding support gear that actually helps my more elite units. Such is rather tricky due to their multiple quirks and body modifications, and giving them to my thugs and goons just isn’t worth it for the small boost they’ll provide. 

My limited funds and the Creation Crew’s limited stamina would be better off supporting other endeavors of mine. As for why I don’t just create a few thousand clones of them for that job, the nightmarish logistics that would come with that just isn’t worth the slight boost.

Besides, I prefer creating gear like Nine’s full-body armor. It’s basic, but defends the user well and also has capsules for Trigger and other helpful drugs that can automatically be injected if the user wishes it so, providing a far better quirk boost than most support gear does.

Compared to the costumes of most heroes which are more fashion statements than genuine protection, this gives my troops more than an edge in the support department. And if I need my elite troops to be formal and representative for something, I can just have them wear blazers and dress pants over it similar to what Nine does as such doesn’t hinder the gear underneath in any way.

As for my subsidiaries, I let them get their own support gear if they want it. Innsmouth usually arranges that and smuggles some for those guys with the Creation Crew making any replacements if they happen to break. Those guys can simply take note of the atomic composition and pump a new model out when necessary.

But I can’t have them getting too carried away with that. I need them creating more important things than low-level support gear, and besides, several hundred thugs all having the exact same piece of support gear is going to look way too damn suspicious.

Training your body is better, anyway, as is gaining more quirks to further support you. Support Gear is a crutch that can only do so much, and relying on it all the time will be fatal the moment you lose it, something you can worry much less about with quirks themselves. 

 

Back to the artificial island tour, we visit some more attractions, get some autographs (I couldn’t resist getting one from Godzillo) and observe some canon events like All Might getting mobbed by fans upon entry.

This also gave me the chance to renew Search’s effects on most of Class 1-A. I had my original Search quirk taken out and replaced with the one that merged into Reveal, and while I can keep track of even more people now, I also had to get close enough to said people first.

The distance I can put people under reveal is massive, entire miles away if I want, so getting most of the ones I wanted under surveillance back wasn’t too difficult, especially since I know where they go thanks to the show.

Or movie, in this case.

As for getting heroes across the world under Reveal’s tracking, I have no reason to. I can’t do my quirk-copying bodyfusion trick here due to all the security around and most of these heroes don’t have very interesting quirks to begin with.

I do still copy their data, as you never know when learning about a new quirk or two could lead to inspiration, but I haven’t gotten any of that yet.

“PLEASE WELCOME OUR NEXT CHALLENGER, uhhhh…” 

“Hi! I’m Jikan, I’m six years old, and I’m gonna kick all your butts!” 

“THE HELL DID THAT LITTLE BRAT SA-” A certain human pomeranian starts to roar, only to go slack-jawed a split second later.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*

Jikan is Japanese for ‘time’ according to Google Translate. It seemed like a decent enough fake first name for Eri. 

Also, the look on Katsuki Bakugou’s face right now is priceless. I made sure to take a few pictures for keepsake. 

“LOOK AT THAT TIME! THIS IS INSANE! ONLY 8.7 SECONDS; A BRAND NEW RECORD BY FAR! WHO IS THAT KID???”

“I told you I’m Jikan.” Eri gives an adorable little pout at the announcer before sticking her tongue out at the snarling pomeranian who just got his first place score demolished.

It takes most of the present 1-A students to hold him back as Eri walks off the stage, humming to herself. 

Lucky him. He would’ve been slaughtered faster than he could blink if he laid a finger on my daughter. Not even Horikoshi himself would be able to save his favorite from me.

((“Eri would’ve beaten you to it. Or Zi; she can be downright feral when any- HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!!”)) BossHaul gawks.

I do too, and for damn good reason.

 

“THAT WAS QUITE THE TIME, LITTLE LADY! I COULDN’T HAVE DONE IT BETTER MYSELF WHEN I WAS YOUR AGE!” Cathleen Bate announces, dropping down into the arena in her hero costume and all.

Cathleen Bate, also known as Star and Stripe: Number 1 Hero of the United States.

And the one hero in this world no doubt capable of curb-stomping the ‘unbeatable’ Symbol of Peace, even at his peak.

Also, WHY THE FUCK IS SHE HERE?!?

At that moment, I’m pretty sure my brain produced the neurological equivalent of a Windows bluescreen of death. 

I blinked. I blinked again. And then my brain finally rebooted.

‘I know that Captain Celebrity died in Naruhata like half a year ago, but how does that lead to Star and Stripe showing up at I-Island for the Two Heroes movie?’

((“Politics?”)) 

‘More like bullshit!’

 

The announcer starts freaking out and the audience freaks out too as the top American hero congratulates Eri, giving her an autograph as a little bonus prize.

Looking like a female All Might with an american flag for a cape doesn’t make her any less intimidating then the Symbol of Peace, especially when you know just how powerful she really is. 

Good thing she isn’t here to fight… yet. There’s still tonight’s international heist to worry about, but that comes later. Probably should’ve checked ahead the day before with Foresight, but I didn’t see a need to as I figured the greatest threat would be All Might, and look what that resulted in back at Hosu. 

That screw-up is on me. I was not expecting America’s best to appear nearly this soon as I had no reason to, but that doesn’t change the fact that it happened.

My daughter, for her part, plays the role of a starstruck little kid perfectly (although I don’t think she was faking very much of her awe) and doesn’t bring any attention towards Zi and I after I ask her not to through Reveal’s mind link.

She even gets a picture posing with the hero thanks to the announcer. That’s about all the one on one time Eri gets with her before Star is swarmed by fans.

“So how much of the plan does this complicate?” Eri then asks me after we leave the arena.

“I… don’t know. But probably a lot.” I admit as my phone rings and Kuin JUST NOW REPORTS that she overheard some people talking about Star and Stripe being here. 

She isn’t risking the deployment of any bees right now which I completely understand due to this place being as guarded as it is, but it seems that she’s grown a little too reliant on them for quick intel gathering.

Nine phones in with a similar report fifteen minutes later, but he isn’t really spy material to begin with.

Ugh, I suppose not picking up on this before was my fault too. They did report seeing several fighter jets around the island, but I assumed they were part of this place’s security or perhaps carrying important guests to the I-Expo.

Canon gave me logical tunnel vision again, and the possibility of those jets being Star’s squad never even occurred to me. But even if I did guess those jets were hers and were currently carrying her here, or if I even used Foresight before coming here to learn of her arrival, that wouldn’t change the fact that my plans just got a whole lot harder to pull off.

Things would mostly be fine if Star was trapped alongside All Might and the others during the initial attack, but the two Number 1 Heroes would arrive as reinforcements a whole lot faster then All Might did by himself in canon.

That’s if she even bothers playing prisoner until Izuku and Melissa reach the top of the tower and deactivate its security system. For all I know, she could just use New Order to make any ranged weapons around her useless and take down Wolfram’s goons seconds after the attack starts.

I was able to get her under the Search part of Reveal, meaning I can keep track of her location, so that’s a plus. Unfortunately, that’s about all I got out of it as I know what her quirk is and what its few weaknesses are already.

 

The five of us end up meeting back at our hotel room a good bit earlier than planned due to the renovations we’ll have to make for the rest of said plan.

“Okay, so the most obvious change is that we’ll have to be a whole lot faster when doing this.” I begin, not bothering to beat around the bush. “If Star and All Might do manage to show up before we’re done, don’t bother holding anything back. Doing so would be suicide, and even then, managing to escape with both our prize and sabotage intact is far from guaranteed.”

“Having both Warp Gate and multiple quirked individuals at our disposal could make us look like villains under All For One. Wolfram was given an extra quirk by the demon lord, right? We could use that same explanation.” Nine points out, and yeah, that’s a very good point.

“That should be the case. According to NightHaul, Nezu and his crew don’t believe the other two ‘secret villain organizations’ to be capable of giving and taking quirks as well. They have no reason to believe as much, only that Kuin can, at best, temporarily use weakened versions of others quirks for a few minutes by injecting their wielder’s DNA into herself via her bees as she did during the Villain Academy incident.

Unfortunately, there is also the risk of Star deciding to stay in Japan for a while after this mess, and while the weakened AFO will be easily crushed by her and All Might, it’s also going to make our future plans a whole lot harder the second Shie Hassaikai is revealed. We’d have to sell out the MLA at minimum to buy enough time.” I explain to the four people around me. 

“It doesn’t sound like there are any better options at the moment, but if the worst were to happen, what do you think your chances of winning against the two are?” Zi questions.

“Less than 10%. And that’s with the QAD equipped.” 

“Seriously? You easily took on All Might back at Hosu-”

“All Might would play support. Star and Stripe is the real monster to look out for; even All For One’s quirk legion and One For All’s energy stockpile combined don’t come anywhere close to her New Order.

I could increase our chances by a lot if I was willing to fully commit, but even if we did win, that would just get the entire world to target us, and after way too many losses at that.”

“So best case scenario, we complete our tasks and escape before the two titans show up, but the chances of that aren’t very great even if we go as fast as we can and get no resistance from Wolfram’s crew. All Might and Star can bulldoze through any resistance in their way, and we may even get Star’s fighter jets joining in on the party.” Nine summarizes.

“Pretty much, yeah.” I confirm.

 

“Alright, how about this? I can buy you some extra time if necessary of the middle floors, claiming to be an overseer sent by All For One and do a villainous monologue that exposes him as the one behind Wolfram, as he wanted David Shield to screw himself over and ‘fall into the darkness’ as that ugly potato would say.” Nine then offers, being the tactician that he is.

“Are you sure? The chances of you getting caught are-”

“Reveal and Warp Gate can get me out of there as long as one or both of them don’t stick around to guard me, and I doubt that they will. The main problem is Star potentially sticking around Japan for a while afterwards.

The U.S. Government would probably fight it for a while considering what happened to Captain Celebrity when he came to visit, but Star has always been one to disregard the rules. And don’t worry, I won’t hold back like I did against All For One at Naruhata.” Nine counter-argues. 

“Ugh. I don’t like it, but we may not have a choice here… Alright, but just to be safe, we better warp in some reinforcements.” I finally cave in. “I could use Double as well, but I don’t want to expose such a powerful trump card to Nezu this early on if I don’t have to, not to mention dragging in certain villains that could lead the rat back to the Hassaikai. 

Having them pop in and out through Warp Gates could work so they don’t get the chance to be hit, but the last thing we need is All Might or Star and Stripe to dart in through a portal and find everyone gathered around here, or worse, everyone at Hassaikai HQ. How annoying.”

We already made sure that no security cameras or microphones can pick us up in our room, so once we confirm coordinates, we have some of the Klonogiris warp in a few special Praetorians as backup just in case. 

I’ve got eyes on both Wolfram and the heroes thanks to Reveal, but this is still going to be almost impossible to pull off flawlessly.

The greater difficulty, the greater the rewards. Anime taught me that much.

I’d rather be stuck going up against both regular AFO and AFO Tomura at 100% completion in a 2v1 then Star and Stripe herself, but beggars can’t be choosers. This is an opportunity I can’t let pass.

As for my objectives tonight, those haven’t changed.

Simply put, there are two main goals for tonight.

 

Goal one is creating a secret backdoor into this island’s systems to not only gain access to the treasure trove of data and experiments this island has gathered over the years, but also stay updated on any new experiments that take place after this.

If I end up going public earlier than planned and this place ends up developing some secret weapon or improved QAD to stop me, I’d rather not be in the dark about it. Instead, I would take those plans for myself, add onto them, and one-up the heroes once again. 

Wolfram’s crew and David Shield will do most of the heavy-lifting, but this is still a security system to rival Tartarus we’re talking about. Not to mention the system overhaul likely to take place here after tonight to prevent anything similar from occurring. 

We need to ensure our access stays hidden, and while a good chunk of that can be done at Hassaikai HQ, my cyberwarfare guys need to set that up through Central Tower’s systems in person. They estimate that it will take anywhere from 5-15 minutes to complete that job, so we need to keep the heroes back until then. 

Goal number two is getting my hands on the Quirk Amplification Device or QAD for short. 

This is what Wolfram was after in canon, and AFO was involved with this international heist too, but his reasoning for butting in is just so… him. 

The guy couldn’t care less about the QAD despite the incredible amounts of power that device could grant him. He just heard that David Shield was getting involved with villains and he wanted in because he knew it would ruin All Might's day.

‘It prioritizes sheer pettiness over strategy and logic in general. Who would be fucking stupid enough to do something like that?’

((“All For One.”)) VestigeHaul, my clones, and probably every other quirk vestige within me answers without the slightest bit of hesitation.

‘All For One indeed.’ I mentally mutter.

((“Vestige Shoto answered ‘All For One and Tomura Shigaraki’ if you were looking for some variety.”)) VestigeHaul chimes in.

‘Well tell Vestige Shoto I’ll summon him some cold soba next time I visit.’

Now where was I? Oh, right.

 

The Quirk Amplification Device. This nifty little helmet is a support item that David Shield and Samuel Abraham worked on for years. It can exponentially increase the power of the user’s quirk without negatively affecting the body or brain, so no debilitating side effects like what you get by using Trigger.

No addiction, burnout, body degradation or anything. It’s just a massive power boost with the only weakness being how vulnerable the helmet itself is. Destroying it or just taking it off the user’s head would do the trick.

As for people with multiple quirks, if Wolfram is anything to go by, then it enhances every quirk a person has as much as it would enhance someone’s quirk if that were their only quirk. 

In short, this is the most overpowered support item in canon by far and can probably rival my OverTrigger in terms of a power increase for quirks. Being short-sighted morons obsessed with keeping the status quo, the world’s governments naturally didn’t want quirk-enhancing technology like that to exist.

They don’t even want heroes having tech like that since it would rock the entire base of superhuman society, so they told David to knock it off and locked up his work, ensuring it would never see the light of day. 

In MHA Two Heroes, Wolfram manages to equip the QAD and nearly take down All Might with his super-enhanced quirks, but like always, shounen teenager protagonists came to the rescue.

The plot MacGuffin eventually gets destroyed by a Double Detroit Smash and the heroes get their textbook happy ending. 

Of course, since it’s a movie, that device is destroyed and we never hear from it again, something that makes no sense from the perspective of the wider canon, but god forbid we take any attention away from the Musketeer quirks.

Well screw that! I want that goddamn helmet and the info needed to make more of them, which means I need to read David Shield’s mind. Those UN and WHA suits probably messed with the data, if not deleted it entirely, when burying this project, so getting what I need straight from the source is my best bet.

So why not make a clone of him through a Reveal + Double combo and call it a day? Well it’s not that simple because of course it isn’t. 

 

Now Sir Nighteye’s memories do allow me to make a clone of David Shield, but said clone is outdated by several years. While it had nothing on the QAD, I did get some extra intel on Central Tower’s basic layout and systems, but I’d be shocked if the gathering point of innovations and inventions across the world didn’t make some upgrades to those over the last half a decade. 

As for getting an updated version of the guy, spamming Reveal across a massive mechanical island filled with hundreds of thousands of people and plenty of complicated inventions to try and locate one person isn’t as easy as it sounds. 

My quirk gives me every last detail about the environment, and there are a LOT of details here. I know how to focus the quirk on smaller areas, but that doesn’t help me when I don’t know what smaller area he’s currently at. 

Spamming Reveal like that hurts like hell for me mentally, and quirks like Overhaul and Cell Activation can’t really heal me from that kind of damage. Rewind might do the trick, but that involves undoing a horde of memories entirely, and as much faith as I have in Eri, I don’t want to risk doing such a delicate process until she’s better mastered that function of her main quirk.

So I’d prefer not going the Reveal route, especially if I’m gonna be stuck fighting both All Might AND Star later on to buy time for my other main goal (which is likely to take longer either way and can’t be made easier by doing this). 

Not being entirely satisfied with that, I decided to use my meta-knowledge to cheat. I knew that All Might meets with David Shield before the party starts at Central Tower in canon, and I already have All Might under Reveal, so I could just wait until he goes there because David will be there too, right?

Nope. All Might decides to catch up with Star instead of reuniting with David. Damn you, Butterfly Effect.

At that point, all I could really do was swing by Central Tower a couple times throughout the day so as to not look suspicious to security, using a quick pulse of Reveal across the entire thing (still took quite a bit mentally; there is a LOT of stuff in that building) and hoping he or even Samuel happened to be there one of those times. 

Nope. Not once were either of them present there when I dropped by, and Kuin and Nine couldn’t spot those two either throughout the day.

It felt like the world itself was conspiring against me at that point, so I just decided to wait for David to be brought up by Wolfram’s goons and let Reveal handle things from there. Whether it’s through mind-controlling, bodyfusing, or just getting enough intel to create a Double clone later on doesn’t matter to me so long as I get the memories I need.

So the estimated time of completion for Goal #2 is much harder to predict as it depends on when David Shield is brought up to the main control room. Hopefully it doesn’t take as long as Goal #1.

Doing this would’ve been easy if events went like canon since I would have plenty of time before Izuku and Melissa show up. 

Unfortunately, I’ll simply have to hope that Swordkill gets David up to the top floor (again, spamming Reveal all throughout that massive tower full of people, gizmos, and gadgets takes quite a bit out of me mentally and I’d rather be at my best if I’m stuck fighting the world’s strongest heroes) and I can get what I need from both him and I-Island’s networks before All Might and Star smash their way in.

That’s not something I’m very confident about, as hope tends to be on the heroes’ side.

 

We spend some more time finalizing the plan with my clones, warping in some emergency reinforcements, and severely altering our appearances via Overhaul again before the big party starts. 

As for bodyfusing with Double clones like I did against Nine and All Might, I decided not to for this mission. My main goal is stealing and escaping rather than fighting, and as All For One said in canon, petty tricks mean nothing against Star and Stripe. 

If anything, that needlessly risks exposing my possession of Double to the heroes, something I want to avoid at all costs as that could clue in Nezu to us being our own separate entity rather than minions of AFO. I mean if AFO had such a powerful quirk at his disposal, then why wouldn’t he use it to create doubles of Nomus at the USJ or Hosu? With how long Twice has been missing for here, unlike canon, I doubt they’ll buy that AFO just got lucky stumbling into him recently either.

They would know it’s me, and I can’t have the heroes completely focusing on me rather than AFO. I need them to continue underestimating me until they’re at their weakest and I’m at my strongest to have the greatest chance at victory.

Besides, Star and her jets have enough firepower to tear apart even AFO Tomura, so with how weak Double clones inherently are, they would be turned back into goop within moments, rendering any extra quirks from them useless. 

Not only that, but there’s a chance that personalized New Order rules can work on any Double clones that I make. Imagine me merging with a clone of Nine. Star then manages to touch a part of me that is Nine’s body and makes a New Order rule that makes his heart stop or does something to Nine’s side through an indirect contact rule.

So would that rule affect me too? I mean it’s technically two different bodies in one, right? This isn’t like AFO’s quirk vestige and Tomura’s ego merging into a new personality; this is me controlling a copy of someone else’s body and said other person technically isn’t dead, just comatose thanks to Overhaul. 

Plus, there’s always the chance that Star can declare some rule like ‘clones can’t be formed/created’ or even allow the clone to gain full control over our combined body, completely throwing me off my game. There are simply too many risks that all depend on Star’s creativity with her quirk, so I don’t want to risk it.

Bodyfusing with actual human flesh, blood, and quirks would solve those issues, but I could only fit in one or two more before I start looking like an eldritch abomination that would completely throw off my fighting style (another glaring issue with using Overhaul x Double), and frankly, there isn’t much I can add onto my current combination.

My body can’t handle any more quirks unless I fuse with the user’s own body in its entirety, and again, I’d rather not become an eldritch abomination as it feels really damn weird and uncomfortable. Even holding this much is really pushing Endurance and my willpower (not the mention the THREE willpower-enhancing quirks I have) to their limits.

But this should be enough for what I need to do. 

Now we got the coordinates we needed to thanks to the bees Kuin planted of Wolfram’s goons earlier. Sure enough, I get word that both All Might and Star and Stripe are at the party.

I even warp NightHaul in so he can use Foresight on me, but all he gets is garbled nonsense back. That implies Rewind or other time-fucking quirks like Chronostasis were used, and there are a lot of uses of those quirks at that.

Meaning a lot of Shie Hassaikai members will need immediate healing on lethal injuries tonight.

God damnit. 

Well, looks like I’m stuck relying on insight and hindsight then.

 

“I know you’ve built yourself up as this all-seeing villainous mastermind with tons of quirks and even more plans, but please be careful, Sekan.” Zookeeper whispers as I’m mentally preparing myself for my hardest fight in either life by far. 

“Hey, don’t worry. I’ve faced number one heroes and villains before, and I’d gladly fight all of them at once if it means making you happy. It’s nothing I haven’t planned for.” I assure her, and she gives me a kiss in return.

“Just don’t reduce Eri’s number of parents back down to one while you’re at it, love.”

“Not in a million years.”

“Uuuuuuugh, you guys are taking way too long!” Eri suddenly butts in. “The climax is about to start and you still haven’t asked her!”

My daughter then digs around her pocket and pulls out- WHERE DID SHE GET THAT?!

“Wait wait wait, DON’T! That’s just a placeholder for-”

“Here!” She cuts me off, throwing the small red box I had hidden away at me. “Ask her so you get even more motivation to win. I saw it in my favorite anime; the main protagonist is much more likely to win if they have something super important to immediately return to afterwards, and a wedding sounds important enough to me.”

((‘Bold of her to assume that you’re the main protagonist here rather than the exact opposite.’))

‘Fuck. Off. VestigeHaul!’

Everyone else in the room now has their full attention on us, not daring to utter a word.

Not even my clones have any comments or witty remarks right now.

 

Both Zi and I just gawk at my… at our kid. 

She is right, though. Good to know she’s gotten all the basic tropes down from her tv shows already. She’d get far if she was ever isekai’d, just like her dad…

“Alright, since it’ll increase my chances and all that.” I chuckle at Eri before switching to a dead serious expression.

Inside the now opened box is a regular golden ring. Nothing fancy or extravagant or game-breaking or anything like that.

“It was supposed to be a placeholder until I found something worth the proposal, some sort of unique gem creation or quirked ore or something magical-”

“It’s enough.” Zookeeper assures me, a smile slowly creeping its way onto her face. “After all the insanity you’ve brought into my life, I don’t mind doing something normal for a change. You alone are enough for me, Sekan, so listen to your daughter’s advice.”

Facing my girlfriend, I dropped down to one knee.

“Well, I probably have less than a minute before this mission starts and I have to survive an onslaught from the world’s two most powerful heroes, but I’m way too in love with you to bother delaying this anymore.

Will you marry me, Zi?”

“Shouldn’t you know the answer already, Mr. Mastermind?” She asks back before slamming her lips into mine.

Everyone in the room then cheers, but alarms blare a few seconds later and I know it’s go time.

“You better come back.” Both Zi and Eri warn me. 

“I wouldn’t dare to do otherwise.” I respond as one of the Klonogiris opens up a warp gate.

Alrighty then. Let’s fucking do this!

 

 

 

Status of Current Forces at I-Island Central Tower:

Heroes:

• All Might - Unharmed
• Star and Stripe - Unharmed
• UA Students - 0/10 Defeated or KIA
• Other Heroes - 0/34 Defeated or KIA

AFO Villains:

• Wolfram - Unharmed
• Masked Lieutenants (Nobu, Daigo, Swordkill, etc) - 0/5 Defeated, Arrested, or KIA
• Masked Legion - 0/83 Defeated, Arrested, or KIA

Hassaikai Villains:

• Sekan - Unharmed
• Nine - Unharmed
• Kuin - Unharmed
• Praetorians - 0/20 Defeated, Arrested, or KIA
• Special Praetorians - 0/10 Defeated, Arrested, or KIA
• Cyberwarfare Branch - 0/5 Defeated, Arrested, or KIA

Others:

• David Shield - Unharmed
• Samuel Abraham - Unharmed
• Civilians - 0/114 Severely Injured or KIA

Chapter 68: Stars of the Show

Wolfram likes to think he’s a pretty simple guy. 

He wants what he wants, and he’ll crush anyone who tries stopping him from getting what he wants.

If he wants money, he’ll steal it. If he wants power, he’ll take it. If he wants to make a deal with the quirk-stealing devil, he’ll do just that. 

If he wants to trick David Dumbass into handing over his prized invention, he’ll do that too.

He’s taken Trigger before, got him out of a jam or two across his career, and the chance to have a device that could replicate its effects with no downsides whatsoever is way too good to pass up on, especially if he can force its creator to make more for him.

Should sell for a shitload, and it’s not like anyone can stop him either. Even if All Might and America’s Number One are here, they wouldn’t make a mess when he holds all the cards. 

The island’s security? His crew is controlling it. Hostages? He’s got plenty. David Dumbass and his assistant are being sent to retrieve his prize by Swordkill right now, and he'll join them when he finishes gloating a bit more to the Symbol of Peace.

All For One offered him an extra cash bonus if he went Plus Ultra with the taunts to his archnemesis, something about getting even for all the extra Nomu he had to waste on him.

Yeah, he’s got this in the bag… wait, what are those Number Ones mouthing to each oth-

“OKLAHOMA SMASH!”

“NEW ORDER!”

 

Countdown to Canon: I-Island Today!

[This is an announcement from the I-Island security system. We have received-]

That’s our cue. 

“Huh? WHAT THE FU-” Me, Kuin, and several dozen Praetorians, normal and special alike, dart in through the warp gate and I immediately use the Mind Web part of Reveal on every enemy around me.

Every Wolfram goon on the top floor immediately freezes in place, unable to move as my Praetorians quickly knock everyone out.

Kuin then spreads out several bees as I immediately bodyfuse with the Wolfram grunt working the main security system, copy his memories of this system, and send said memories over to my three cyberwarfare guys so they can get to work.

Next, I unfuse with the guy and begin slightly altering the memories of Wolfram’s grunts as my Praetorians start equipping their armor and tossing their unconscious bodies through the warp gates leading to Hassaikai HQ. Many of these disguised Praetorians are warped down to meet up with and assist Wolfram’s other forces, buying us some more time. 

It’s been less than 30 seconds since we arrived. Wolfram should be giving his villain monologue right about now.

 

“Get every security drone on this island combat-ready NOW!” I command in a hurry.

“Yes, sir!” 

A coordinated strike of technopathic quirks bypasses whatever scanning process David Shield uses in canon and my Cyberwarfare Branch quickly gets to work. Doors are locked down, security bots are sent out, and a secret backdoor is made for later use.

Wolfram’s group already being in control of the security system makes this a lot easier, but this still takes almost a minute to do. I-Island’s cybersecurity is a real pain in the ass.

‘Nine should’ve been transported below by now. David should be heading up with Swordkill too, and my clones and Praetorians should be hiding wherever Wolfram’s guys aren’t. 

Even if it’s unintentional, both groups and I-Island’s security working together should buy me a few extra minutes.’ I mentally monitor my progress, confirming it all through Reveal while hopping into another warp gate, this one leading to the main storage room.

I then yank out the drawer holding the QAD with telekinesis, not even bothering with entering the access codes. Luckily for me, I know which one of the thousands of small storages it’s in thanks to the movie.

The storage units are shut tightly, but Captain Celebrity can carry a goddamn cruise ship with his quirk so this teched-out drawer offers no resistance, especially with me using Endurance and OverTrigger from the very start.

The Klonogiri then opens up another Warp Gate and I chuck the briefcase that holds the QAD kit inside the portal where BossHaul is waiting with some more cyberwarfare guys.

“CLONE A QAD COPY AS SOON AS YOU CAN!”

“I KNOW!” I hear from the other side as the warp gate closes and ano-

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Well, shit. That didn’t take long.

Figures some neon Fruit by the Foot wouldn’t hold the world’s two strongest heroes.

 

If Reveal and the sudden shaking is anything to go by, then the duo of number ones are darting around the party room, taking every villain still there down in moments.

Wolfram is also present, but without the QAD on, he’d only buy a few seconds even with his extra strength quirk from AFO. The security drones my cyberwarfare guys are bringing down en masse probably won’t add much more to that. 

They’ll probably leave the other few dozen heroes present to take care of them while they rush towards the top. 

The UA students will probably help out too, or at least clean up whatever the two Number 1 Heroes leave behind on the upper floors.

I open my own warp gate while yelling at the Klonogiri to get out of there and wind up back in the control room just as the elevator door opens up.

“What? Who the hell are-” Swordkill and Samuel get knocked out right after that while I body-fuse with David Shield, combing through his memories using a combination of Overhaul, Reveal, and IQ.

*BOOOOOOOM*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

“THEY’RE COMING, BOSS!”

“Several X-66 fighter jets are taking off at the island’s main runway.”

“Star and Stripe is coming up from the side!”

“Nine’s engaging All Might and some UA students are starting to climb the tower. Orders, sir!”

‘Come on, just a little bit more!’ I grumble, combing through everything I can relating to the QAD.

 

“Order Wolfram’s crew to hold the line against any UA students! The Praetorians are a last resort; make sure they can be warped away if the worst were to happen! Any other aerial drones around the island are to keep the fighter jets busy! Send all the Central Tower’s ground and air drones we can against Star and Stripe!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

“Boss, she’s too fast! We can’t get the drones to her in time!”

((‘Just take David with you! Or make a new Double clone of him! We don’t need the guy at this damn island for Endgame!’)) VestigeHaul yells in my head. 

‘Did you forget about creating a secret backdoor into their systems? This is our best shot to make one under the WHA’s nose and I refuse to be caught off guard by any potential secret weapons developed here to take me out between now and my Endgame, not to mention all the useful data they’ve gathered over the years.

I need intel on how to make that quirk-augmenting helmet, because holding off the world’s most powerful heroes may very well fall to me in a bit, so knowing enough about the QAD to make a copy through Double or Creation myself would come in handy, don’t you think? You know, just in case my clones can’t hand a copy over themselves?’

((‘Just try not to let your aspirations become your downfall. Do I need to remind you about Naruhata again?’))

‘Gee, thanks for the hindsight. Try to make it insight next time, will you? Now just a little bit more… okay, that’s good enough!’ I mentally cheer while defusing from the scientist and quickly altering his memories to forget this ever happened.

“Alright, everyone cover our techies until they’re done! And get some extra reinforcements up here! Form a perimeter-”

“NEW ORDER!”

‘Shit.’ Is all I can think as two words echo around the tower.

Words that were toted across the entire world as something to be respected and feared.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

“Space can not be altered in a one-mile diameter around me!”

The Klonogiri’s warp gates dissipate, severing one of my Praetorians in half while leaving me and all my other subordinates trapped on this tower. 

 

“Star and Stripe… to what do we owe this tremendous tax burden on the American people?” I quip, but the world’s strongest woman is in no mood to play games.

“Surrender, villains, or you’ll end up losing a whole lot more than your legs like your friend did.” The absolutely livid American hero growls back at us. 

My appearance and voice have been heavily altered already. I’m also wearing a similar-looking body armor to what Nine wore in canon while all of my subordinates are disguised as members of Wolfram’s crew.

She should assume that we’re all with him rather than a completely separate party. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that I’m now face to face with Star and Stripe. A very, very angry Star and Stripe.

Oh, and All Might’s on the way too. 

Fucking wonderful. 

“WE SURRENDER!” Kuin screams, with us all putting our hands up right after.

“Good choice-”

“Remain motionless.”

 

A.A.P. (Angry American Protocol) #1 - Brainwashing

That’s Step 1.

Step 2 is using Erasure on Star and Overhaul on the ground and Star, intent on ending her there and then through the former quirk’s sealing, the latter quirk’s multi-staged contact, and not giving a flying fuck about NightHaul’s Final War foresight anymore…

But it doesn’t work.

Instead, I barely manage to activate Overhaul again before my own body finishes blowing into bits. A split second later and I would’ve been dead.

Using Erasure during that initial Overhaul didn’t work either. The effect somehow hit me instead.

If LabHaul hadn’t already made me immune to quirk-erasing effects…

“New Order, all attacks on Cathleen Bate are reflected back onto whoever or whatever sent them. Good try, villains. You almost had me there.”

Damn. Looks like she was expecting an ambush if she made that rule in advance. She also swapped her strength rule for that space-sealing rule after busting in here, no longer needing it to tank our attacks.

Very clever, Cathleen. Where was this competency in canon, I wonder?

Kuin had her attack reflected back too, but even if she didn’t, Star probably has enough willpower to at least somewhat resist mental probing or controlling. She’s America’s Number 1 Hero, and you don’t get that kind of position without truckloads of determination and a will to match it.

The Mind Web part of Reveal probably won’t be helpful either, even if she doesn’t have a rule active to counter it. People like Stain and Machia wield almost impenetrable minds that even I can’t really gleam into without the use of a single quirk, and the hero in front of me is a similar case. 

God damnit. Why must this happen every time I face someone actually challenging?

I suppose it’s to be expected from someone like her. In Tomura terms, if One For All and whoever’s wielding it is the final boss of a villain playthrough, then Star and Stripe is like the hidden post-game superboss that makes the former look like a regular mob in comparison.

 

So a quick reminder about how New Order works, it is literal reality-warping.

The user can manipulate and bestow new properties onto themselves and the world around them functionally at will, with a maximum of two ‘new orders’ at a time, and this is done by touching the target and saying their name. 

Said rules are kept active even if her quirk is taken, assuming the rule in question isn’t then replaced by the new wielder.

Apparently, the same goes for if the quirk is erased, making my Erasure trump card a lot less helpful. Even when boosted, Erasure seems to only prevent her from making any new rules rather than canceling the rules she currently has activated, and that’s without factoring in rules to counter it like her reflection one. Helpful for sure, but not an instant ‘I win’ button like I hoped.

New Order rules can range from simple descriptions to conditional changes based on cause and effect. It can affect physical entities, people, objects, and incorporeal things such as the air and light. It can even affect itself and other quirks.

Want to stop gravity from working around you? Want to make a skyscraper have the consistency of wet cardboard? Want to make anyone who touches you fall unconscious? Want to fly or reflect damage or have physical power like All Might’s? Just declare a rule allowing it and you’re golden.

And while people usually scream out their attacks in this shounen world (with Star being no different), she can also quickly and quietly whisper a new rule to get one over on people like what she did to AFO Tomura during the end of their fight.

She had shouted out every rule she applied until that point with AFO Tomura and her bros hearing them all without a problem, but whispered the rule making New Order oppose other quirks so AFO Tomura wouldn’t hear it.

That’s something I need to be on the lookout for, as while Reveal can give me information about a quirk and when it’s being used, I can’t see the exact details of that usage.

 

For example, Reveal could tell me that Endeavor is powering up his Hellflame quirk to perform what I already know to be a Flashfire Fist, but I wouldn’t know what ultimate move Endeavor was using this powered-up state for.

Similarly, I can tell when Star issues a new rule through activating her quirk (meaning she can’t get away with simply bluffing a new rule), but I wouldn’t automatically know what that specific rule is nor which of her already existing rules were swapped out from that alone, although the latter should be easy enough to figure out through observing the environment around us with Reveal.

I would have to directly read her mind to find out more details, and as stated earlier, Star more than likely has enough willpower to resist such a thing for at least a little while, more than enough to declare a New Order rule that could render her completely immune to or reflect mental attacks like that.

Now Star and Stripe doesn’t know who the hell I am, so that limits what she can do a good bit- 

“My turn. New Order: Cathleen Bate can learn the preferred name of anyone she looks at.”

Shit, I was afraid she’d try something like this. Like what happened with All For One back in Naruhata, she’s clearly much more competent with her powers than she ever was in canon.

She even specifically went with ‘preferred name’ instead of ‘real name’ so her understanding of the target’s identity aligns with said target’s own understanding, allowing personalized rules on them to work without issue. 

Even if she can’t create any personalized orders to screw my subordinates and I over without physical contact too, this would render our disguises meaningless and severely screw up my plans… if I didn’t already have a contingency plan in store.

With how paranoid I tend to be in this latest life, it would be pretty weird if I didn’t make my own list of New Order rule counters in advance, wouldn't it?

Reveal and a little bit of Overhaul spread to myself and my allies the moment I heard ‘preferred name’ come out of her mouth. From there, my amassed expertise in brain alteration came into play as the perceptions of myself, Kuin, and my other subordinates were slightly altered.

In simple terms, I essentially tricked myself and my subordinates into believing our names were different, thus altering the information Star got.

 

“First name ‘Nice’, last name ‘Try’. For every single one of you bar David Shield and Samuel Abraham.” Star gawks as she glances around the room, recomposing herself soon after. “I’ll admit, that’s a first. Did you brainwash yourselves through some kind of mental quirk?”

“Wanna try getting our real names next?” I smirk back, mentally sighing in relief. “FYI, touch any one of us and our own understanding regarding names will be altered once again, countering that particular branch of rules.”

“You sure seem to know a lot about my quirk.” The American points out.

“I’ve got some good sources.” I shrug back.

Crisis averted, but while this limits what she can do, the extra creativity she has compared to her canon showing more then makes up for it.

Herself and the environment around her are fair game too, as she obviously knows her own name and inanimate objects don’t have their own sense of self. 

The ability isn’t omnipotent when it comes to the rules it can inflict. For example, it can’t power her up to physically match All Might in his prime, but she can get close enough to rival it and could send AFO Tomura flying back with a regular old punch.

Power-scaling a bit, AFO Tomura was originally stated by Dr. Garaki to not quite match prime All Might in physical, quirkless power during the Paranormal Liberation War. However, that was when Tomura had been released a month or so early, the completion process of his AFO procedure being only about 75%.

Even if Garaki’s statement was implying that the completed AFO Tomura wouldn’t be able to match prime All Might in power, there’s another factor to consider here. The Quirk Singularity.

AFO Tomura was shown adapting and evolving over the next few months as his completion process gradually reached a hundred percent. Then, during the Final War when his final evolution was well underway, he stated multiple times that his physical, quirkless power rivaled All Might in his prime. The heroes fighting him at UA also admitted that he was a completely different beast to his PLF War self, and that was before he started mutating like crazy.

AFO’s vestige also determined that in terms of competition, they were at 97% or 98% right before their battle against Star. This battle took place just a few days before he was originally supposed to be completed, but her vestige going apeshit within him after being stolen delayed the process by about a week. 

With all that in mind, I feel like a generous estimate of both AFO Tomura’s power at that point and Star with a power rule equipped is about 95% of prime All Might’s power, 90% at the very least. And even 90% of prime All Might’s power is absolutely monstrous, far greater than the weakened All Might shown in canon.

That’s just one potential rule of hers, and even with that limitation, New Order can still do some pretty ridiculous things. Bending the world around her to her will is childsplay. She may even be able to send me flying back into my original dimension with a well-worded rule from that godlike ability! Again, that quirk can warp reality for crying out loud! 

 

Take the next half a second as an example of her power, when I use Whirlwind and Reveal’s telekinesis to both blow all the debris I can around Star (without directly hitting her so her reflection rule doesn’t hinder me) and send my allies towards the opening Star made when busting in here.

If we get far enough from the tower, from her, I can warp us out of here.

But Star had other plans.

“You know we have control over the entire island’s security, right? We can set the countless drones scattered around to kill their captives at any time.” I threaten.

“Yeah well, I hope your complete disregard for authority was worth it, because now, this is happening. New Order!”

Cue all the air in and around us poofing away as a stampede of heroes and security guards led by the Symbol of Peace continue their climb towards the top.

The latest rule change of America’s best is one she did to AFO Tomura in canon, turning the air 100 meters in front of her into a vacuum. It gives Whirlwind nothing to work with and also removes our fucking oxygen.

The blood of my top brass, Praetorians, and myself have been modified to hold oxygen for much longer than what’s naturally possible for human beings, but that doesn’t mean a damn thing if the oxygen is directly, completely removed from our bodies. My technopathic techies are even worse off.

My guys can remain composed even after the sudden surprise and I can use Overhaul to constantly reset our bodies to combat this at worst. Kuin also has Swordkill, now possessed by one of her bees, distract the hero by charging at her with his blades out.

Unfortunately for us, she is crazy strong even without a power-buffing rule so the distraction barely gives us half a second. Just like what Stain did, she managed to surpass human limits without a quirk through sheer training and dedication alone. She even has a similar utilization or manifestation of willpower that matches my own.

 

‘NINE! CLONES! I NEED HELP RIGHT FUCKING NOW!’

((“BUSY DEALING WITH AN ANGRY SYMBOL OF PEACE AT THE MOMENT!”)) Nine yells back through our mind link before being cut off by a trademark ‘smash’ from All Might.

((“Opening warp gates now! We’ll have to make due with the QAD; just get to one of them and you’ll be home free!”)) NightHaul lets us all know as I watch multiple purple portals opening across the sky.

But Star and Stripe is right on our tail.

My subordinates are too busy asphyxiating to help right now, so I use telekinesis to chuck them all towards the nearest few portals before resetting my body again through Overhaul and turning around to face the world’s new Number 1 Hero in all but name.

((“SEKAN, WHAT ARE YOU-”))

‘BUYING YOU ALL TIME! NOW FINISH CREATING A BACKDOOR INTO THEIR SYSTEMS AND GET EVERYONE ELSE OUT OF HERE!’ I mentally roar back to every Shie Hassaikai member taking part in this while powering up.

Even if I don’t succeed in my first goal, I can’t let the heroes capture my subordinates, not even one. They don’t know everything, but they know far too much to let slip under a forceful confession rule of hers.

That means fending off Star and Stripe as they finish their job or escape at the very least, fighting the world’s strongest hero far earlier than I had planned. 

Not like I have much choice anymore…

ENDURANCE! ULTRA PHOSPHOR! OVERTRIGGER!

Storm clouds cover most of the artificial island as a Prominence Burn and several lightning bolts crash into the world’s strongest woman, but she tanks them all with an elemental resistance rule.

Purple flames form an ‘X’ across my chest and purple energy wings sprout from my back, the extreme temperatures turning my regular clothes to ash and exposing the full-body Praetorian armor I equipped beforehand. 

“Multiple quirks?” Star asks as I turn up the pressure, fire and lightning alike turning a lighter shade of purple. Even Endeavor’s best attacks look like mere sparklers in comparison, but this is Star and Stripe we’re talking about.

No way she’s going down that easily.

“Yup! Same goes for Wolfram and the guy fighting your master right now. Ask him about a villain named All For One sometime; it’s quite the story.” I monologue, shifting the blame as planned while using Erasure and flying up higher.

All while taking out a few shiny red bullets and chucking them at her with Flight’s telekinesis.

 

A.A.P. #2 - Quirk Deletion

New Order is absolutely busted and redefines what quirks are capable of, but it’s still a quirk at the end of the day, and we’ve long since created a way to erase those for good.

Even with a telekinetic boost to their speed, I doubt the bullets will pierce a body almost as powerful as prime All Might, but my quirk-erasing solution doesn’t require injection. 

The bullets will shatter on her body and their contents will cover her bits of exposed skin, severely weakening if not downright erasing her quirk that Eraser is temporarily keeping in check. This will prevent any last-second rule changes from saving her.

“New Order… seriously? A quirk-erasing quirk too? Haven’t dealt with one of those in a while, but they can’t affect any rules I already declared!”

Figures she would catch onto that eventually, but with the wind already thrashing my hair every which way and my pupils remaining rainbow from Reveal rather than red like Eraserhead’s own, my excuses suddenly become a lot more feasible.

“You can thank the Gollini Family for that acquisition; those mobsters have amassed quite an arsenal over the last few decades, and a certain demon lord wants to ensure victory next time he and All Might duke it out.”

“Of course they’re involved too. If only the WHA didn’t drag their feet so damn much.”

“That’s politics for ya.” I shrug back, launching my latest payload her way.

“Amen.” She dryly replies before we go back to killing each other.

((“I warped in more Cyberwarfare guys and Special Praetorians to protect them since you’re so insistent on finishing the job. Give them about five minutes to finish up, and I know that five minutes is an eternity in anime combat time, but you’re the one who wanted to go Plus Ultra.”))

‘Just leave it to me, NightHaul. It’s not like we’ve been caught completely flat-footed.’

Turns out Shota Aizawa isn’t the only one with a quirk-erasure quirk, even if we exclude Zookeeper. Seriously, why All For One never tried getting one of those erasure quirks besides one half-assed attempt on Shota is beyond me.

At least it serves as a convenient excuse now, and another way to throw Nezu off my trail.

Now then, with my cover maintained, I make sure the bullets are aimed at what parts of her aren’t covered by her costume and-

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

And get shot back down by her goddamn jets, ruining both my plans. 

The lasers force me to blink and vaporize my bullets that she was already in the process of dodging. Looks like the I-Island drones didn’t last as long as I had hoped. Goddammit.

 

“WE GOT YOUR BACK, STAR!”

“THANKS, BROS! THAT QUIRK-ERASING QUIRK OF HIS NEEDS AT LEAST SOME AMOUNT OF FOCUS TO KEEP UP, SO DON’T GIVE HIM ANY OPENINGS! BATTLE FORMATION ALPHA!”

“ROGER THAT!”

‘Like this wasn’t difficult enough already. At least she got the activation conditions wrong.’ I mentally groan.

What’s next? Is All Might gonna smash his way over? Or do any other Number 1 Heroes want to come out of the woodwork and join this shitshow.

Big Red Dot? Salaam? Any takers on further fucking me over?

“Now then, let’s take this villain down! DON’T HOLD ANYTHING BACK! FIGHT WITH HONOR AND I’LL MAKE SURE YOUR REMAINS GET TO YOUR LOVED ONES! NO MERCY!!!”

A similar speech she gave her bros before engaging AFO Tomura in canon; she’s taking me as seriously as she took him.

Should I be flattered at the praise or curse for losing any advantage her underestimation of me could create?

“FIRE!!!” Ethan Drive cries out.

‘PROMINENCE BURN!!!’ I mentally roar back.

Their laser cannons are quick, but even at close range, it’s nothing I can’t dodge with some help from Whirlwind and Flight.

They pack a punch too, enough to rival Endeavor’s Flashfire Fist, but my own firepower goes far beyond that, and a counter from Half-Cold Half-Hot should tear through their shields and blast them out of the sky! 

I’ll throw in Weather Manipulation too, strike them down from behind with lightning just to be certa-

“AIR! THE AIR HARDENS INTO MY FORM BUT A THOUSAND TIMES BIGGER!”

‘Shit, the jets were a feint, weren’t they?’ I mentally curse as Star’s cover veers off, and a mile-high titan of solid air takes their place.

 

“NEW ORDER: THE LASERS WILL FORM INTO A SINGLE, HOLDABLE BEAM! ULTIMATE MOVE…” She cries out as her bros fire everything they’ve got at her, fueling the massive energy lance her air avatar is now wielding.

Reveal does let me see the outline of her air construct, but that doesn’t really help me right now. Not when an ultimate attack that can permanently pin down AFO Tomura is about to strike.

((“SEKAN, BELOW YOU!!!”)) NightHaul cries out, a warp gate portal opening right below me.

“OH, NO YOU DON’T! NEW ORDER!”

The titanic air avatar then dissipates, but not before it thrusts the augmented laser down in my direction.

The warp gate also dissipates before I can travel through it, but not before a certain helmet is thrown through it by… Zi?

((“Kick her star-spangled ass, love.”))

“UNITED HYPERMAX OUTPUT LASER - KERAUNOS!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

 

 

Status of Current Forces at I-Island Central Tower:

Heroes:

• All Might - Moderately Injured
• Star and Stripe - Unharmed
• UA Students - 3/10 Defeated or KIA
• Other Heroes - 12/34 Defeated or KIA

AFO Villains:

• Wolfram - Arrested
• Masked Lieutenants (Nobu, Daigo, Swordkill, etc) - 3/5 Defeated, Arrested, or KIA
• Masked Legion - 29/83 Defeated, Arrested, or KIA 

Hassaikai Villains:

• Sekan - Moderately Injured
• Nine - Slightly Injured
• Kuin - Defeated (Escaped)
• Praetorians - 3/27 Defeated, Arrested, or KIA (Reinforcements Warped In)
• Special Praetorians - 4/16 Defeated, Arrested, or KIA (Reinforcements Warped In)
• Cyberwarfare Branch - 5/10 Defeated, Arrested, or KIA (Reinforcements Warped In)

Others:

• David Shield - Unconscious
• Samuel Abraham - Unconscious 
• Civilians - 59/114 Severely Injured or KIA (Dozens more Injured or dead outside the Central Tower)

Chapter 69: Pinnacles of Power

Lasers are dodged. Hydras are wrested. Air Walls are shattered. Wind is withstood.

And punches rain down upon him… yet Nine remains standing.

‘Certainly stronger than Captain Celebrity, but compared to Gigantomachia, he’s nothing much.’

Super Regeneration and Cell Activation heal whatever manages to bypass Air Wall and Shock Absorption, Endurance and his numerous modifications making these smashes even less effective.

Yet as multiple massive hydras slam him through floor after floor, that smile still remains on his face, only growing as he yanks said hydras forward faster then he can produce them.

“CALIFORNIA SMASH!!!”

Fighting indoors limits him, his original quirk especially, but he doesn’t need that to win. 

 

All Might too is limited, having to condense and control his blows even with how reinforced this tower is to prevent a total collapse.

All Might too has seen worse, has fought against worse.

‘Much tougher than even the Nomu at USJ, but compared to All For One, he’s nothing much.’

If only he didn’t have so few embers remaining. At this rate, he may be completely spent before his rematch with the demon lord even begins.

“You can feel it too, can’t you? Even without any sort of scanning quirk, it’s pretty easy to notice.” Nine confirms.

“Feel what, villain?” All Might barks back, starting up another rapid exchange. 

Only for a tremendous shockwave to knock them both over, and make the entire island tremble.

“How much we’ve been left in the dust.” 

Q-Ray doesn’t give a complete picture, but he doesn’t need it to. Sekan’s already insane level of power is rising to no end, and Star continues to match him.

Neither Nine nor All Might is jealous, the former having long since grown past such feelings.

Instead, they hold out hope for their allies, their friends. They will cheer them on as they finish their own fight. 

The same goes for every other battle happening throughout Central Tower. From the other Pro-Heroes and Hero Students to Wolfram’s crew and Sekan’s own forces. 

They all have their parts to play, but they also know who’s worthy of taking center stage.

 

Countdown to Canon: I-Island Today!

This power…

Endurance. Incite. Love. OverTrigger. The Quirk Amplification Device. 

Thanks to Zi sending three more major boosts my way, I’m empowered like never before, and I know exactly what I need to do. Not get overconfident. Not get drunk on power. 

Right now, I need to focus on the task at hand.

 

‘First, those fighter jets of hers. They can acquire data on my biological responses and analysis on each quirk I exhibited if canon is anything to go by. Can’t have them revealing all my secrets once this shitshow is over. Reveal, IQ, and Weather Manipulation should let me properly target and overload what needs to be destroyed. 

The QAD needs some extra protection too; can’t have this giant energy spear erasing my latest power-up right after getting it. Spreading Flight’s barrier should do the trick, and all the quirk boosts I’m getting should more than make up for a slight lack of defense everywhere else.

Finally, there’s dealing with what remains of her Keraunos ultimate itself. Way too much to absorb and redirect even in this enhanced Ultra Phosphor state as Weather Manipulation only allows for slight energy manipulation, but that trick of mine combined with a bit of Overhaul usage… hmmm… yeah, this combination should do the trick.’ 

I-Island rumbles as the massive energy spear is thrusted deep into it… but it then begins to get lifted back out. Probably another first for Star if the expression on her face is anything to go by.

Not even AFO Tomura could do that in canon.

The storm clouds above grow more intense than ever, and every single X-66 fighter jet is struck by condensed purple lightning bolts; the shields they possess block most of the strengthened blow, but enough gets through to fry their scanners and data storage drives.

My willpower seeps out too, and when combined with Reveal, it gives America’s best and her squadron of veteran soldiers a good bit of trouble. Yet despite all that, well…

Even now, I doubt I can defeat her… but that’s not the goal here.

 

‘Please don’t break, helmet. Please don’t break, helmet. Please don’t break, helmet. Please don’t break, helmet! Pleeeeeaaaaase don’t break, helmet!’

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Star’s energy spear then forcefully dissipates as I redirect a good chunk of it through Ultra Phosphor, stacking several other empowered quirks on top of that to complete the counter.

Dozens of energy and fire-filled tornadoes are created, hurled at the hero and her fleet of fighter pilots. The latter weaves around every one while the former jumps between jets and shrugs off my attacks, if not completely dissipating them through the air blasts made from her punches.

‘She’s using the strength rule again. Where are we with hacking and evacuation?’ I mentally question, hoping a clone of mine will answer and trying to cut the squadron off with some massive ice dragons mixed into the tornadoes.

I-Island is just that, an island, and islands are surrounded by water.

An awakened Ice Ply combined with the QAD and multiple other major quirk-boosters lets me freeze and throw around enough water to cover I-Island itself… or form a horde of dragons rivaling her air avatar in size.

*ROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRR*

“NEW ORDER! THE TEMPERATURE A MILE IN DIAMETER AROUND ME IS EIGHTY DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.”

The ice turns to water and the lightning fails to cause any burns. My fire attacks are even worse off after this latest rule. Reforming them is also out, New Order overriding any control my own quirks provide over this reality.

And considering that the average human body temperature is 98.6 degrees fahrenheit, I should probably avoid getting close to her for the time being. I can’t have her messing up my Ultra Phosphor form.

Good thing she's stuck in that position too, even the roundabout wording not letting her move with it active just like with her air-removal rule in canon. 

Nothing stopping her from deactivating the rule, moving to a better position, and reactivating it though.

(("Keep it up, original! You're doing great!"))

'Gee, thanks.' I deadpan back, while playing keep-away with the Pro-Hero. At least this latest ridiculous rule forces her jets to do the same.

 

Speaking of, it doesn’t help that Star and her jets are also moving too fast for me to reach with Warp Gate; they’re easily breaking the sound barrier right now, and while I can predict their patterns with IQ while moving at similar speeds, their defense and reaction speeds are really something else. 

Catching them off guard again is far easier said than done, and blasting attacks through warp gates won’t help either since these guys can quickly get away from the portals before said blasts come through.

Even if I could, getting close to Star and Stripe in general is a pretty terrible idea despite her not knowing my name. We’re both practically gods to everything we touch, and she could easily give herself a new rule that kills or subdues me through physical contact before I can kill or subdue her through physical contact. 

Perhaps ‘Cathleen Bate can disable/delete other people’s quirks through physical contact’ or ‘Cathleen Bate gains complete control over anyone she touches’ or maybe a simple ‘Cathleen Bate can knock out anyone she touches’. Either way, sticking to long-range combat is my best bet, especially since my main goal is to buy time rather than defeat her. 

Trying to hit her with LabHaul’s quirk-erasing solution is even more unlikely then beating her through physical contact. I tried several more times with capsules made by Creation, but they are either destroyed or dodged before they can land.

At the very least, this attack can be disguised as a quirk similar to Mr. Compress. There’s no way I’m doing some evil monologue about that particular weapon of mine, so if it fails to work, then it will continue staying unknown. 

And if it does work, I can once again pin it on AFO, so no harm no foul. Even if Nezu eventually discovers it was me, with no All Might and Star to back him up, he could easily be silenced before he spreads the word regarding its true creator.

But that’s if it does hit Star, and Star isn’t stupid or cocky enough to let that happen. She still doesn’t know my name and she can’t just send in Tiamat missiles to nuke me (mostly because that means nuking I-Island and everyone on it by extension), but I’m limited in this fight too, Double not being an option if I want my plans to work out.

We’re both limited in our own ways, but she still holds the upper hand. I’m still being beaten around, and what’s far more concerning is the recoil starting to accumulate within.

I’m going beyond my limits, and contrary to what canon would have you believe, doing so comes with a cost.

‘Damnit! Spamming Double will fully expose me as being more than the demon lord’s lackey to the world at large, turning the entire world against me instead of AFO, and even if I bit the bullet, it wouldn’t do much thanks to the dozen fighter jets hammering me with laser blasts from all angles! 

They’d erase pretty much all my clones before they’re formed, and probably inadvertently at that, but do I even have a choice right now? It’s better than nothing; I’m fighting Star and fucking Stripe after all.’

I’m fighting Star and Stripe with All Might close behind… so much for staying cautious. 

So much for ensuring I have a future in this world…

 

Is this the world’s new way of resisting me? I presented the heroes with a greater threat than Wolfram and All For One, so the world ensured that a greater power than One For All was present to combat it. The world ensured its heroes would emerge victorious. 

New Order is a quirk too powerful to exist in the story it was a part of. She had to die to AFO Tomura right after being introduced in canon and AFO Tomura couldn’t be allowed to have her quirk for the plot to proceed. It couldn’t end any other way.

But here, when I’ve already broken this world time and time again? But now, when Izuku Midoriya and his classmates are insignificant nobodies in my path, incapable of providing any true resistance towards me?

It seems that the world has chosen a new main protagonist to support. Allowing an unrestrained Star and Stripe to fight back is a pretty good deterrent for any clever, villainous transmigrators who become too powerful, too successful.

Did my very being really cause my downfall in this world? Was I destined to lose the moment I chose to go down this path?

((‘Not a good time to be throwing some pity party, Sekan.’)) VestigeHaul of all people chimes in as Star and her jets keep piling on damage. 

((‘I’m the last person who should be giving you a motivational speech right now, but the more you doubt yourself, the less morale you will have, and the less morale you have, the worse your boost from Endurance will become. I suppose the others are too busy to help at the moment, or are simply incapable of such, so I’ll keep it plain and simple.

Remember who you are. Remember what you’ve done. Remember what you’re fighting for and what’s waiting for you. Remember how you’ve succeeded in breaking and besting the world thus far, and all that you can do in the future if you succeed here. 

You aren’t All For One, so stop trying to act like him. You aren’t a new demon lord trying to slay the chosen hero and take over the world, because that narrative will never work for you here. At the end of the day, you’re just a guy trying to survive this quirky world. Try not to let Zookeeper and your brat down; don’t fall into the same pitfall you did in Naruhata.’))

…Heh, the fucking irony of Kai Chisaki snapping me out of my stupor with a motivational speech, even if it’s just a quirk vestige of him.

 

But he’s right. I’ve been on the backfoot since this battle began, and while the nuclear contingency I came up with should logically destroy these heroes for good, I know that beating impossible odds is a shounen protagonist’s MO, and I know that isn’t what the Shie Hassaikai needs right now.

I won’t jeopardize my organization and long-term plans for this short-term greed. Star and Stripe is the only current threat to myself before Quirk Singularity Doomsday occurs, and All Might is still a bit troublesome too.

While killing them both guarantees a victory for me specifically, everyone will come after the Shie Hassaikai and I’ll lose much of what I’ve built because of that.

My current power is great, yeah, but I can gain so much more with their help. I won’t risk losing them when I myself should be enough to hold her back, even if only for a bit.

I’m not fighting to win right now. I’m not fighting for just myself right now. Right now, I’m fighting so my organization can survive. So Zookeeper and Eri can survive! 

That’s all I’m looking for. That’s all I need, survival. That’s the game I’m playing right now, not the hero-villain bullshit everyone else is obsessed with.

And just like what my grown-up daughter said, if I can’t play their game, then I’ll break it instead. I’ll do things my way. I won’t lose my temper and go too far. I won’t lose sight of my goals for this world and stumble again like back at Naruhata.

I may be a villain in this shounen world, but that doesn’t mean the little tropes and tricks that help power the protagonists up won’t work for me. Case in point, motivational speeches.

((“Original, I’m preparing our final contingency bar Sad Man’s Parade. Even Star and Stripe shouldn’t be able to survive the R.F.G.”))

‘That won’t be necessary, BossHaul. We still need this island and some of its heroes in one piece for our future plans.’

Ultra Phosphor. OverTrigger. The QAD. Endurance. Incite. Love. Even Hysterical Strength.

Bright purple cracks cover my body as the flames across my chest and energy wings sprouting from my back grow more intense than ever before. 

I’m not going down like this. As much as I hate the motto, it’s time for me to go Plus Ultra. 

“NEW- MMPH!” I use telekinesis and wind manipulation to slam her mouth shut from afar, all my boosts and all my expertise bringing these powers to a whole new level.

Beyond what I ever thought possible. 

“No. My turn, Star and Stripe.”

 

Flight and Whirlwind + Weather Manipulation and Ice Ply.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Despite the monstrous hurricane I’m forming all around us, her fighter jets stay steady and tear apart most of my strengthened dragon constructs. However, the empowered lightning strikes true and I begin to pummel America’s top hero from a distance.

“NEW ORDER!” She roars back, brute strength being enough to quickly tear her free from my telekinetic grasp.

But even with physical power just below All Might at his peak, the brief onslaught does noticeable amounts of damage. A shame the window of time to attack was so short.

It doesn’t take long for her to break free, hitching a ride on one of her jets before launching back towards me. The other jets get into their attack formation right behind her as I defend with everything I have.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Most of the civilians and other heroes are either hiding in the Central Tower or have gotten the hell out of here. With how easily our clashes are tearing apart the buildings around us, most spectators would be slaughtered before they could even react.

The entire island is lit up and trembles as we duke it out. Colossal ice dragons wrap around even larger air constructs and roar as lightning and tornadoes pierce through the clouds. Fighter jets weave through torrents of fire and chunks of metal debris as they fire lasers at the icy dragons and provide mobile platforms for Star to boost off of.

This is a fight far beyond Izuku and All Might’s canon battle against Wolfram. It’s an order of magnitude beyond even Nine and All Might’s current battle, and I can only pray that the Symbol of Peace doesn’t hop out to help his fellow Number 1 Hero. 

That’s a 2v1 I stand absolutely no chance against.

 

I dodge and weave between fighter jets, lasers, colossal air hands, and some other New Order tricks, literally using tornadoes just to boost my speed and launching potshots whenever I can to stun the star, but she isn’t making it easy.

All For One was spot on with his description of her. Petty tricks don’t mean anything to her.

Boiling her blood with Half-Cold Half-Hot or freezing it solid with Ice Ply?

New Order can prevent her body from being manipulated by others. That cancels out Overhaul and Flight’s telekinetic power too.

Cutting off her oxygen with wind manipulation, telekinesis, or waves of fire?

New Order can make it so she doesn’t need to breathe, and that’s if she doesn’t just escape the area of effect through either her own brute strength or squadron of jets.

Warping her outside of Earth’s atmosphere?

New Order can prevent space from being altered. Or she can just declare ‘Cathleen Bate can survive in space’ or something. 

She actually did the latter and dragged herself back through the portal before I could close it on her. I could only reach the upper atmosphere with an enhanced Warp gate, not space itself, but it wouldn’t have made a difference either way.

Trying to cut her in half with a warp gate like what Kurogiri tried against All Might at the USJ doesn’t work since that requires keeping Star pinned in place for a bit, more than long enough to just New Order her way out whatever quirks I use, if not physically get out like she did that time.

And whenever I try to prevent a rule change with Erasure, her stupid jets force me to lose focus and blink as they fire everything they've got, staying out of my range or let Star herself serve as a living shield whenever I try to target them. That’s if she doesn’t just send that effect back too with a reflection rule or something similar.

 

I’ve built up a long list of tricks and insta-kill methods overtime, and as the name implies, the latter are meant to be instant. Unfortunately for me, she has plenty of experience to back up her power so she doesn’t even need her bros to give her a heads up on any new attack I try. 

'Great, she's predicting my attacks now. Or maybe she faced similar situations before, at least with individual methods of mine? I don't see shit about her decades of hero work around the world in canon thanks to Horikoshi.'

It’s almost like she developed a secondary Danger Sense quirk through her decades of experience as America’s best. She always has a New Order rule ready to counter whatever I’m about to throw at her, and said rules are becoming more general and all-encompassing to counter as much of my vast arsenal as possible.

Power alone means nothing. One must learn how to wield it effectively, counter an opponent, and manage unforeseen variables to make something of themself. 

In other words, power without experience backing it up is far from frightening. Star and Stripe doesn’t have that problem, not here.

She’s learning as she fights. I’m probably giving her one of, if not the most difficult direct battle of her entire career, and now that she’s actually being pushed, she’s being forced to adapt. 

Now landing the occasional distant blow or two is still possible, as is finding loopholes around certain rules. 

In fact, she’s not even bothering to maintain her All Might strength rule most of the time as our fight is being kept at long-range, so hitting her at all could do a lot if caught off guard, maybe even get me a win outright, but I can’t get close thanks to her fighter jets doubling as escorts. And that’s if she doesn’t equip a reflection rule at the last second.

Yet even when strength or reflection rule is equipped, my onslaughts have become powerful enough to somewhat damage her. Both being stacked is still too much though.

A good chunk of her rules, particularly ones that affect my body from a distance such as ‘the air in front of me is a paralytic agent/sleeping gas/nonexistent’ are also ineffective on me thanks to Overhaul’s return to factory setting. 

Her New Order rules may be far more varied and deadly than anything she showed in canon, but her lack of creativity is still a massive limit. If I was in her shoes, I could’ve ended the fight a dozen times over with some of the potential rules I have in mind.

Star and Stripe, everybody. The one person in this world more overpowered than myself.

 

*BOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOM*

Fire that rivals the surface of the sun in temperature, supercharged lightning from the sky, tornadoes and hurricanes that tear the metal ground apart and focus that shrapnel towards a singular, person-sized point, titanic overhauled creations from one of the most well-defended landmarks in the world, and kaiju-esc ice constructs from the surrounding ocean slamming into her are just fucking potshots when your opponent is the world’s most powerful hero.

The pinnacle of the world ever since All Might and All For One severely crippled each other, and even then, she would be more than a match for the two symbols in their primes. That’s what I’m currently up against, and far earlier than planned at that.

‘So this is what facing Star and Stripe is like. No wonder even AFO Tomura was so easily beaten around in canon. But…’

But that doesn’t stop me from going beyond even Plus Ultra as we tear this mechanical island apart. The QAD, OverTrigger, and Hysterical Strength make Endurance, Love, and Incite even more effective while stacking with their effects on my other quirks, granting me far more power than ever before, enough to at least hold back the world’s most powerful hero.

All Might still seems to be fighting Nine with how much the Central Tower is getting destroyed, and the UA students are scattered all across what remains of said tower fighting more of I-Island’s security and what’s left of Wolfram’s crew.

My own crew should be almost done getting their backdoor and getting the hell out of there.

I really hope so, because a laser blast to the head just broke through my shield and turned the QAD copy into sludge and then ash in quick succession, cutting off a solid chunk of my current power. Fucking fighter jets. At least the concentrated beams of light made seeing the split second scene of melting goop impossible. 

Well, her jets' quirk-analyzing tech probably would've picked up on it, but I already destroyed those.

Even so, one of my biggest boosters was just destroyed and the hit my morale, and Endurance by extension, takes from that setback isn’t pretty either.

I then get grabbed by another massive air hand (Overhaul still doesn’t work on it despite Star turning it solid; does New Order simply overpower actions through Overhaul like Rewind does?) and slammed into the metal island below.

‘Shit! Flight x Creation! Whirlwind and-’

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Overhaul lets my body return to normal after practically becoming a pancake despite the defensive quirk combo, but I’m running out of steam fast. Even the stamina boosts from Endurance and OverTrigger have their limits thanks to how much energy I’m throwing at the hero, not to mention all these different boosting methods I’m using.

Endurance, OverTrigger, and the QAD are supposed to eliminate the strain on a person’s body and mind that said boosts create, but using all of them at once alongside other boosts like Love and Incite for so long is apparently too much to bear.

Even for my heavily-modified body (which is even further strengthened by several of these boosts) made specifically to handle such enormous amounts of strain, stacking so many power-ups to both it and my massive arsenal of quirks like this is more Plus Ultra then I can take.

Hysterical Strength welled up within me for a reason. Despite my healing methods, I’m getting really damn close to a permanent death.

I can make more copies of the QAD thanks to reading David’s mind earlier, but such a boost might just do more harm than good with the state I’m in.

That’s not even mentioning general quirk exhaustion. Even Overhaul has its limits when trying to fix damage like that, and said limit is fast approaching after spamming it so much throughout the fight.

Overhaul will never be omnipotent no matter how much of its potential I unlock and how many times I upgrade it. Same goes for my other quirks and my body in general.

My power is enormous, more than enough to take on All Might and All For One in their primes even without Hysterical Strength, but Star and Stripe simply has me beat right now. Even spamming Double could potentially be countered by some overpowered rule.

Her air avatar punts me like a football into what’s left of Central Tower, figuratively and literally putting my back against the wall. My whole body is damp with sweat and blood, most of my limbs have gone limp from this onslaught of punishment, quirk exhaustion is really starting to hit me hard, and I’m quickly running out of ways to further stall.

‘Damn, my body’s breaking down! How much longer are my guys gonna take?’ 

 

“Last chance to surrender, villain.” The American hero bellows with her massive air construct pulling back a fist and her jets getting ready to fire. 

‘Shit, what now? Do I try to use Overhaul and Warp Gate for a sneak attack? No, I’m dead if she reacts fast enough to reflect it like before. Reinforcements? Machia is my ace in the hole and an absolute monster, but even he wouldn’t last very long against Star. Anyone else under me would get crushed in an instant.

A warping sneak attack on her jets, maybe? I got most of the pilots under Reveal during the fight; I can’t control her, but controlling them to kill themselves or each other would- no, that would just make her go Plus Ultra out of anger. Fuck!

What about All Might? Forcing a body fusion with him could give my body a major power boost. Quirks too if I can properly siphon his embers, but that’s assuming the OFA embers don’t simply rebel and tear me apart like they did to AFO Tomura. And that’s assuming Star and Stripe doesn’t take me down before I can reach him.

Should I just bite the bullet and give the go-ahead our final protocol bar Infinite Doubles? It’ll be really damn costly long-term, but I shouldn’t have to worry about canon heroic opposition before the singularity itself anymore.’

((“Original?”)) 

My clone asks for confirmation, our final contingency before Infinite Doubles being ready to go.

But such an extreme measure isn’t necessary. Not anymore.

“Not so fast, Star and Stripe.” A new voice interrupts her threat and we both look over to see Nine holding a skinny, bloodied, and beaten All Might by the throat.

‘That’s right… THAT’S RIGHT! All Might was exhausted before the party due to spending so much time in his buff form! Way to go, Nine!’

Finally, a positive to being on the villains’ side in this situation!

Looks like the nuclear option isn’t necessary after all.

 

“I’ll be blunt. Let my ally and I go, or the Symbol of Peace dies.”

“Ack- IGNORE HIM, STAR!” All Might cries out, coughing up a mouthful of blood. “YOU HAVE TO STOP THEM HERE!”

“Master… what happened to you?” Cathleen pales, seeing the state her fellow Number 1 Hero is in.

“That would be thanks to All For One too.” I chime in, doing my best not to stutter and wheeze from the horrific amounts of damage I’ve taken myself. “Well the injury he left a few years ago, anyway.”

((“Backdoor will be done in 30 seconds and everyone else has been evacuated already; Eri and I are healing everyone we can at the moment! The stockpiled horns she prepared cost us an accurate Foresight, but they’re a lifesaver dozens of times over right now!

This won’t end like Naruhata, you guys. This won’t end with us losing anyone! The R.F.G. or Sad Man’s Parade may not even be needed anymore!”)) BossHaul sends a mental message Nine and I’s way.

Yes. Yes! We can do this!

“PLEASE, STAR! JUST- ACK! JUST FINISH YOUR FIGHT; END HIS EVIL! DON’T LET ME STOP Y-” 

“We both know she won’t do that.” Nine comments, putting his free hand towards All Might’s face with the glowing purple charge of his Bullet Laser quirk glowing on each finger. 

Using loved ones as leverage, oldest trick in the book. Not that I’m complaining.

Reveal helps confirm the position we’re in. The Symbol of Peace has been reduced to a crippled hostage, my last few subordinates are heading through the warp gates now, the other heroes are still caught up with I-Island security bots, and… wait.

Oh, no. 

‘OH DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE, YOU BUSH-HAIRED BASTARD!’

“SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHH!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Every single barrier Nine puts up with Air Wall is shattered and he’s sent flying across the artificial island with Izuku Midoriya catching the shriveled-up All Might before he falls to his death. 

That little gauntlet device Melissa Shield gave Izuku in canon saves his arm from being as broken as Nine’s barriers, but it too shatters under the strain of his output. But even with that MacGuffin taken out of play…

First Hosu and now this. So this is what dealing with a shounen anime protagonist in earnest is like… it’s really fucking annoying. Looks like his plot armor hasn’t faded away entirely just yet. 

One last lingering gasp of relevancy from the original protagonist of this world. So be it.

At least this served as a good enough distraction.

Killing Izuku Midoriya should take seconds for the current me (assuming plot armor doesn’t protect him, which it probably will), but with Star and Stripe still around, I don’t have a moment to spare!

Half-Cold Half-Hot forms a stream of fire from my left foot. Creation makes a jet boot set to full blast on my right foot. A mini-tornado from Weather Manipulation, Whirlwind, and telekinesis from the Flight part of Reveal boosts my speed even further.

Then there’s the two tricks I borrowed specifically from Shoto Todoroki, creating a layer of heated air to reduce friction and using regenerating ice constructs to reduce drag with Half-Cold Half-Hot.

I rocket off with every bit of power I have left while all eyes are on All Might, catching up to Nine and using my own Warp Gate quirk to get us both the fuck out of here.

“NO! NEW OR-”

Too late, Cathleen.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Nine and I crash into a wall of Hassaikai HQ’s underground labyrinth (much to the shock of a few grunts), and after closing the portal, confirming that every job has been done and no Number 1 Heroes are about to step in here too, I collapse back down in relief as the drawbacks of what I just pulled start to bubble up.

“Sekan?”

“Yeah, Nine?”

“Let Machia handle the bodyguard bullshit from now on, okay? Please?”

“...Fine, Nine.”

 

 

 

Status of Current Forces at I-Island Central Tower:

Heroes:

• All Might - Defeated
• Star and Stripe - Moderately Injured
• UA Students - 6/10 Defeated or KIA
• Other Heroes - 21/34 Defeated or KIA

AFO Villains:

• Wolfram - Arrested
• Masked Lieutenants (Nobu, Daigo, Swordkill, etc) - 5/5 Defeated, Arrested, or KIA
• Masked Legion - 67/83 Defeated, Arrested, or KIA (all others taken by Shie Hassaikai)

Hassaikai Villains:

• Sekan - Defeated (Escaped)
• Nine - Defeated (Escaped)
• Kuin - Defeated (Escaped)
• Praetorians - 14/27 Defeated, Arrested, or KIA (Escaped)
• Special Praetorians - 5/16 Defeated, Arrested, or KIA (Escaped)
• Cyberwarfare Branch - 5/10 Defeated, Arrested, or KIA (Escaped)

Others:

• David Shield - Unconscious
• Samuel Abraham - Unconscious 
• Civilians - 80/114 Severely Injured or KIA (Dozens more Injured or dead outside the Central Tower)

Chapter 70: I-Island Aftermath

“Last chance to surrender, villain.” The American hero bellows with her massive air construct pulling back a fist and her jets getting ready to fire.

‘Shit, what now? Do I try to use Overhaul and Warp Gate for a sneak attack? No, I’m dead if she reacts fast enough to reflect it like before. Reinforcements? Machia is my ace in the hole and an absolute monster, but even he wouldn’t last very long against Star. Anyone else under me would get crushed in an instant.

A warping sneak attack on her jets, maybe? I got most of the pilots under Reveal during the fight; I can’t control her, but controlling them to kill themselves or each other would- no, that would just make her go Plus Ultra out of anger. Fuck!

What about All Might? Forcing a body fusion with him could give my body a major power boost. Quirks too if I can properly siphon his embers, but that’s assuming the OFA embers don’t simply rebel and tear me apart like they did to AFO Tomura. And that’s assuming Star and Stripe doesn’t take me down before I can reach him.

Should I just bite the bullet and give the go-ahead our final protocol bar Infinite Doubles? It’ll be really damn costly long-term, but I won’t have to worry about canon heroic opposition before the singularity itself anymore.’

((“Original?”)) BossHaul cuts off Sekan’s inner rant.

It’s an unspoken request for confirmation, and Sekan knows he has no choice at this point. Star and Stripe is just too damn powerful. Unfairly powerful.

Even if he were to retreat now, who’s to say that Star wouldn’t find him through some bullshit tracking New Order rule? 

No, she needs to die. Right here, right now. Same with All Might, Izuku, and the rest of Class 1-A for that matter.

Sekan is done letting these heroes get in his way. 

‘...Finalize preparations for the R.F.G. I know not everyone is evacuated yet, but I can’t hold her back any longer. Bring it over as soon as you can.’

“Heh, a shame your only real weakness is an inferiority complex. Even at his peak, All Might would be curb-stomped by you.” The villain then chuckles, desperately buying just a few more seconds.

“Flattery won’t be getting you out of Tartarus or whatever supermax prison you end up in.” Star and Stripe barks back, her squadron on jets surrounding the beaten villain.

The beaten transmigrator… a title that makes him far more threatening than she could ever imagine.

 

“Fair enough.” Sekan shrugs, receiving the report he’s been waiting for.

Only he, Nine, and a few other subordinates of his are left now, and at the very least, both he and Nine should be able to survive what’s coming… hopefully.

Space is locked down, both his quirks and mind are exhausted, the QAD copy he got was destroyed, and his first two Angry American Protocols failed.

What now then? Infinite Doubles - Sad Man’s Parade?

No, that guarantees a game over for everyone, and Sekan is far from done with this world. Right now, only the greatest heroic threats need to be dealt with.

Not just Star and Stripe, but also All Might and Izuku Midoriya, among others like the rest of Class 1-A. 

He was planning to keep them alive so they could continue dealing with most of his villain opposition for him, allowing him more uninterrupted time to prepare for the Quirk Singularity Doomsday, but they aren’t giving him much of a choice.

So now, they all need to die.

“I’ll be a good sport and admit you’re better than me, Star and Stripe.” Sekan smiles. 

((“R.F.G. dropping in five… four…”))

“But I suppose I did lie earlier about your true weakness. The inferiority complex is bad, but not nearly as bad as the mindset All Might instilled in you. Instilled in everyone, really. Everyone except myself.”

((“Three… two…”))

“Physical power isn’t everything; a little ingenuity can go a long way too. Now die, hero.”

((“One.”))

 

Just over a mile above Star and Stripe, a warp gate opens up, and an object falls out of it.

With the object in question moving over 30 times the speed of sound, America’s Number 1 Hero has no time to react before it hits her. 

Nobody has time to react. Nobody except Sekan and Nine, who got the heads up beforehand and defended themselves with everything they had left.

Even with the advanced warning and all the powers they’ve accumulated overtime, it’s only barely enough to survive what comes next.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

 

 

When it came to the one person more overpowered than Sekan himself, developing countermeasures was far from easy. New Order was just too powerful, too all-encompassing.

It has limits, but those limits are just insane. Simply ‘punching her harder’ wouldn’t work unless that punch contained power well beyond even All Might at his peak.

Power that rivals a nuclear bomb like the Tiamat missiles Star and Stripe has access to.

Her own ultimate attack with those missiles served as inspiration for Sekan’s final Anti-American plan, a final contingency before being forced to unleash Sad Man’s Parade for mutually assured destruction on a global scale.

There were other sources of inspiration too, at least one of which should be obvious from the protocol’s title alone.

His final resort bar global annihilation from Infinite Doubles: the R.F.G. or Rods From God. 

 

It’s a weapon that was being developed in Sekan’s old world when he was transmigrated. The basic idea is hurling precision-guided rods from space, the rods in question being made of tungsten and rivaling telephone poles in size. 

The matter-based weapon would be dropped from orbit, and upon impact, the kinetic energy of the rods would be released, causing an explosion akin to a nuclear bomb without the associated fallout or radiation. 

By the time it reaches the surface, it would be moving around 10 kilometers per second or 30 times the speed of sound due to gravity. However, the rods would never get that far to begin with due to simply burning up upon re-entering the atmosphere. 

That and issues involving launching large amounts of matter into orbit are just some of the problems with this potential weapon, so it has yet to be properly implemented there.

However, in this world full of superpowers, Sekan was able to find workarounds for all those problems. He knows of an isekai anime where the weapon was made viable through magic, and he decided to put his own spin on the process through quirks.

Most of his current quirk arsenal comes into play for this weapon to work.

Creation is first used to make the tungsten rod in question, its density and thermal resistant properties making it the ideal metal to use. However, this rod is initially far larger than the designated size, and that is done on purpose due to the next step being possible.

Overhaul is used after that to compress the metal, making it smaller and much more dense for a greater impact upon landing.

Next comes Warp Gate to help bypass most of the problems associated with this weapon.

Even with all the powers he has, reaching orbit or a large enough distance to have this weapon drop for its intended effect is impossible for Sekan. So in that case, why not simply warp space to gain that required distance?

A giant portal will be opened up, leading to 10-20 kilometers directly above the Warp Gate user. From there, so long as the tungsten rod keeps entering the portal, it will be teleported back up while keeping its increasing speed over and over again. 

Picture the ‘infinite loop jump’ from Portal 2. An endless loop of space will be created that lets the rod build up as much speed as needed thanks to gravity.

However, this doesn’t solve the issue that comes from re-entry. Such happens for spacecraft at altitudes of 35-65 kilometers, but it isn’t height that causes objects to heat up. Rather, it’s the speed they’re currently going at.

 

Getting to the speed needed for this weapon to have the needed impact involves compressing air enough to burn and break apart the rod regardless of how far above ground it’s at, and by hot, I mean over 3000 degrees Fahrenheit hot.

For reference, Dabi’s Cremation flames or blue fire in general is anywhere from 2,552 to 2,912 degrees Fahrenheit. So yeah, really damn hot. More than enough to destroy the tungsten rod.

Several quirks can help fix this problem. Whirlwind and the wind-manipulation part of Weather Manipulation can protect it from heating up, the aerodynamic barrier from Flight can help protect it, Half-Cold Half-Hot can help protect it as well as create a layer of heated air to reduce friction and use regenerating ice constructs to reduce drag.

In fact, Flight, Whirlwind, and Weather Manipulation can also help further speed the rod up while allowing for plenty of control over it.

However, for this to be possible, all of those quirks need their user to be in close range with the tungsten rod.

So taking inspiration from the Dr. Strangelove movie and a certain cowboy who rides a hydrogen bomb at the end of it, Sekan would have a clone of his ride down on the rod. 

Overhaul can partially fuse him into it, preventing him from flying off due to the sheer speed it’s traveling at, and the multiple quirks mentioned above can help protect him as well as the rod so neither break apart. 

This also solves the last major hurdle, actually aiming the rod. Getting a direct hit would require extremely accurate calculations and execution, something that can be done using the IQ quirk. 

After that, once the tungsten rod has built up enough speed, simply open one last portal to wherever or whoever you want the rod to hit. Whoever is controlling the rod can jump off at the last second (an Endurance-enhanced IQ making it possible despite the ridiculous speeds the rod is going at by then).

Finally, Reveal is used for the clones to know each other’s location and keep in contact with each other throughout the entire process, so Sekan knows when the payload is coming and the clone controlling the rod knows when to abandon ship.

 

So to summarize, Creation, Double, Overhaul, Warp Gate, Whirlwind, Weather Manipulation, Flight, Half-Cold Half-Hot, IQ, and Reveal are all contributing to this weapon, this final contingency. 

The result is your enemy getting hit out of nowhere with enough force to rival a nuclear bomb. In fact, the various optimizations and upgrades to the initial weapon through quirks place the amount of force created around the stronger side of nuclear explosions.

If AFO Tomura could barely survive a nuclear blast by burying far underground before it hit, then Star and Stripe getting directly hit by this would not end well for her.

Didn’t she survive the nuclear blast she hit AFO Tomura with in canon? Yes, but like AFO Tomura, she was far away from the missiles when they actually went off.

This weapon is hitting her directly, and despite having physical power around All Might at his peak, it simply isn’t enough, especially when she has no time to properly defend through specialized New Order rules. 

Even the combined assault all his elites and Special Praetorians used to demolish Gigantomachia doesn’t come anywhere close to this. Even Star’s own nuclear ultimate may be outclassed by this. 

“Physical power isn’t everything; a little ingenuity can go a long way too. Now die, hero.”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Star and Stripe, the world’s most powerful hero, is instantly vaporized alongside her jet squadron.

All Might, Izuku Midoriya, and everyone else at I-Island Central Tower have a similar fate less than a second later.

Sekan himself can’t warp away in time thanks to Star previously locking space down. Every other quirk was focused on either defense or mobility, but he still takes lethal damage as the Central Tower is consumed in energy.

Overhaul instantly heals any injuries again and again as Sekan collides into the artificial island’s outer wall, plowing right through it and the island itself while the blast and shockwaves continue to rapidly grow. 

Nine, being much further away when the rod dropped, makes it out too thanks to Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Hydra, Cell Activation, Super Regeneration, Endurance, Shock Absorption, and Energy Saver.

All those quirks being used in tandem lets him barely survive the blast, and only because he was so far away when it first went off.

Everyone else on I-Island isn’t so lucky. 

 

From the civilians still under lockdown to the remaining UA Students in their hotel rooms, nobody else comes close to withstanding the blast besides a few heroes with durability quirks at the very edges of the island.

Whatever scattered chunks of the artificial island remain then sink into the ocean depths, ending any lucky survivors outside of Nine and Sekan. 

Sekan himself simply stares in awe after he finally gets his bearings. I-Island and everyone on it besides himself and Nine was just wiped off the map.

Star and Stripe? Dead. All Might? Dead. Izuku Midoriya? Dead. 

A six-digit, if not seven-digit number of people? Dead.

He knows how much this hurts his long-term plans. He knows that losing the artificial island is going to hurt him as much as it did the heroes.

He knows that All For One needs to be dealt with immediately since the only three heroes who could hope to beat him were just obliterated simultaneously.

He knows there will be a massive investigation launched, and he knows that keeping his organization a secret has been thrown out the window. 

He knows that… no. He knows what’s going on now.

And he knows that it’s time to wake up.

 

Countdown to Canon: 3 Weeks Until Kamino

‘Luckily for both of us, I didn’t end up going that far.’ I internally growl, flickering in and out of consciousness.

Days have passed since that battle, most of it feeling like a blur thanks to the state my body is in.

Sometimes I end up in my vestigeworld, many of those lingering ghosts being in a pretty poor state themselves. They were pushed far beyond what they were capable of, and when you add general quirk exhaustion on top of that… yeah, most of them aren’t exactly pleased with me right now.

Other times I have dreams like that one, what-if scenarios of what could’ve been, although the term ‘nightmare’ better fits most of the latter. Star backed me into a corner back there, her control of this reality overriding my own on plenty of occasions. 

And that forced me into going the Deku route for once… twice, if my first battle with Nine’s crew counts. Only the backlash my body faced this time was much harder to heal from.

It wasn’t just regular, physical injuries, although there were plenty of those. Pushing my powers far beyond their limits like that isn’t so easily healed from.

 

‘From some scrawny teenager with a ‘meh’ mental quirk to a villainous overload capable of fending off the world’s strongest hero, and in less than two years at that. It’s a marvel, but also a burden. 

Heavily-modified or not, overpowered quirk arsenal or not, my body was being pushed way beyond its limits, and while my will could carry me through, it won’t keep me standing forever.’

My body can’t feel pain and LabHaul’s already made some pretty good replicas of Garaki’s tech, but this recovery process is still far from comfortable, the recoil from going Plus Ultra affecting my body far more than the blows of my opponent. 

A good reminder why Deku’s combat method of suicidal Plus Ultra should be avoided unless absolutely necessary, and with what happened at the island… yeah, I’d say it was absolutely necessary. 

I really was backed into a corner back there, and was this close to taking the nuclear option, albeit a lesser one then Infinite Doubles. 

But no. It’s definitely for the best that I didn’t. Spite can fuel me and ambition can guide me, but both can also consume me if I’m not careful.

‘Any remaining secrecy we still had would be thrown out the window, and that would just be one part of the fallout if the R.F.G. contingency actually worked.’ I conclude after yet another nightmare, my body having been moved out of the pod and into a regular hospital bed.

I’d double-check with Reveal to confirm my physical condition is getting better, but even if VestigeHaul wasn’t screaming at me not to activate any of my powers, I still instinctually feel like using any quirks right now is a terrible idea. 

Quirks… even the weakest quirks out there can do some truly ridiculous things when the right combinations are found. Put together a few stronger quirks and, well, look at what I managed with Overhaul and Rewind.

My RFG combo too, the closest thing I have to a literal nuclear option now. I’d prefer getting the blueprints for the United States’ Tiamat ICBMs, but my cyberwarfare branch hasn’t been able to find those quite yet.

I suppose this will do for now, and I really hope I won’t have to rely on that in the future. A rematch with America’s Number 1 will probably happen down the line, and ideally, even without relying on any nuclear options, I’ll have no trouble taking her down by then.

‘I’ve been chasing power like a demon since the start. Even if my body is fine, my mind still needs a break. Can’t have greed and hunger for strength be my undoing. Can’t become my own worst enemy like so many others here have.’

 

More time passes and plenty of people come to visit, one little girl sticking around much more often than the rest. 

“Dad?” 

“Yeah, fledgeling?” I respond, turning over in the bed I’m in.

‘Ah, she was watching over me again. Probably shouldn’t be surprised. Once I was out of that healing pod, nothing short of tearing her arms off was going to get her away from me.’ 

“W-What did I say after your big battle with Uncle Nine?” My daughter asks, tears forming in her eyes.

“I’m right here, Eri. I’m okay; everyone got out and-”

“YOU WERE UNCONSCIOUS FOR ALMOST 4 DAYS, DAD! IF- *sniffle* If it wasn’t for those big pod things LabHaul had built and put you into…”

“Then you could’ve just hit me with your blessing of a quirk, Eri. You saved plenty of other lives that way thanks to your amazing ideas.”

I was never in any true danger after escaping. Rewind is an undo button for any injury, no matter how severe or outlandish. Combine that with Overhaul’s ability to resurrect the dead slightly after the person in question passed and I would be alright even if Star managed to murder me while I crossed through the portal.

“Please, d-don’t change the subject.” My daughter whimpers, climbing onto me.

None of her subordinates are around, so she doesn’t bother trying to keep up a professional image. Not that she needs to, she’ll always be my little angel.

((‘Little devil, more like it.’))

‘Quiet, VestigeHaul.’

((‘Quirk Exhaustion is hell for vestiges; consider my pestering as payback, you maniac.’))

Oh, the utter irony of him calling me a maniac… should I be concerned?

Eh, I’ll worry about that later. I have a daughter to comfort now.

“But it’s true.” I tell Eri, ignoring the bird ghost. “The Hassaikai is safe, the potato is getting blamed for everything, and we didn’t lose a single person in the process. New Order could’ve forced any prisoners to spill their secrets; we could have both Japan and America gunning after us right now, but we stopped that together. 

I was the only one who could hold off Star and Stripe, and you were the only one able to save so many lives so quickly. We did it, Eri, and everyone’s okay.”

 

Zi and my clones helped a lot too through spamming Overhaul, but Eri was the MVP when it came to healing people. She stockpiled more than enough energy-filled horns to get the job done.

As for me in particular, it turns out that quirk exhaustion times 20 is an absolute bitch to deal with, and the recoil of stacking so many boosters on top of that made it even worse. 

Even Endurance couldn’t help much because that quirk was strained too, but quirks are like muscles, so healing from tears only makes them stronger. 

It’s why I didn’t want Eri to hit me with Rewind unless absolutely necessary; even if the power boost isn’t much, I won’t say no to an extra increase if a few days of discomfort while resting is all it takes. 

Like I mentioned before, LabHaul had put me in one of his own Garaki-esc pods to help me heal and prevent any permanent damage to my quirk factors (kind of like what happened with Hawks in canon), but if that and spamming Cell Activation didn’t work, then I could simply have Eri use Rewind on me.

The former ended up working, but like Eri said, I was out for almost four days. My body was spasming nonstop and my quirk factors were trying to recover from being pushed far beyond their limits, not to mention the absolute ass-kicking Star and Stripe gave me.

My first genuine loss in direct combat with an enemy, and the closest I ever came to a permanent death. My initial fight against Nine was risky, but both sides were working together to ensure the combatants’ survival. It was a deadly spar, but a spar nonetheless.

Back at Naruhata, I never actually engaged All For One; the guy was mainly butchering my subordinates as we all routed. As for Hosu, while I did run from All Might, he and I both know I could’ve finished him if I really wanted to.

But against Star and Stripe? She mostly went for the kill, and that was definitely a loss on my end. While I did get the QAD and we all retreated without any captures or casualties, I still didn’t win. I couldn’t win, even with all the bonus boosts I had.

Does it sting a little? Yeah, but I’d expect nothing less from the most powerful hero in this world by far, someone shaping up to be the brand new main protagonist to my main antagonist role. 

So much for spending the whole week at I-Island. Even if I was okay, I-Expo was still canceled due to how much more damaged the island was when compared to canon. 

BossHaul had to temporarily take my place to legally leave the island with Zi, Eri, Nine, and Kuin since I was down for the count.

Nine was also pretty exhausted from his fight with All Might, even if he did end up winning there, but he wasn’t on death’s door like I was. 

That’s honestly about it when it comes to the bad news.

 

We managed to gain quite a lot from this endeavor. As much of a pain as fighting Star and Stripe was, this was an invaluable combat experience that my body grew from. 

No way am I beating her in a rematch right now, even if I was fully recovered, but this will help me a lot in the future once we have our rematch. Combining this experience with my Image Training trick will also be a boon.

Every bit of data from and backdoor access to I-Island’s databases and security networks will also help immensely in the future. Those blueprints plus the Creation Crew’s powers will let us replicate the best tech this world has to offer.

Of course, to properly replicate these blueprints, we need to know what the hell we’re looking at. As mentioned before, Support Gear has become something of an Achilles heel for my organization overtime. 

We still utilize them and plenty of other technology, but we can only really copy what’s already out there at best. 

No game-breaking innovations or anything like that; mostly just taking parts of one design and throwing it onto others, like installing some energy-weapon type defenses from Tartarus onto my territory and some larger vehicles with more room for modifications like battleships.

Good thing we have a way to fix that. If we don’t have any tech genuses with us, well then let's just make some! Double clones and brainwashing for the win!

I’ve got enough data through Reveal to make ‘modern’ copies of both David and Melissa Shield, and I have the means to ensure these copies do exactly as I say without complaint.

Sure, I could’ve tried recruiting the originals, but why would I do that when I can just clone them? I’m not All For One; the satisfaction and spite I would get from that isn’t worth the risk and effort.

Besides, it’s not like-

“Uh, boss? I think you should see this.” A member of my Cyberwarfare Branch mumbles as I’m doing rounds around Hassaikai HQ. “Really good thing we got into I-Island’s systems when we did; we totally would’ve missed this otherwise.”

Oh?

 

A recording from Central Tower is pulled up. A live feed caught on a security camera, a live feed with Melissa Shield front and center… a live feed that Melissa Shield clearly attempted to sabotage by hacking into said security camera beforehand.

She seems to think she succeeded with that, and she probably would’ve if the island’s systems weren’t infected with the Shie Hassaikai’s technopathic quirks. 

‘Well now, what could daddy’s little angel be hiding?’ I mentally ponder. ‘Canon never featured anything like this, and my own machinations never involved her. Well, the original her. Double clones don’t count.’

She looks to have her own personal laptop out at the moment, and after taking one last look around the room she’s in, she starts up a call with…

Oh, what the actual hell is this?!

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Reveal (Artificial^2), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Warp Gate (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Erasure, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver, Cell Activation, Incite, Love, Erasure
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial^2), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, ?????

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Q-Ray (Artificial), Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Despot, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Gigantification, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Eruption, Hellflame, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption, Heat-Resistance
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Bloodcurdle, Chronostasis, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Shock Absorption
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Incite, Despot
• Kaina Tsutsumi (Head Assassin) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Rifle, Homing, Slice, Chronostasis, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Rei (Head-Starters’ Babysitter) - Ice Ply (Awakened), Frost, Hellflame, Cremation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Water Gun, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Heat-Resistance x2, Frost Resistance x2

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Mimicry, Softening, Earth Flow, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Manifest, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (360) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (10) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 2800 Personnel 
• 20 Commanders - Q-Ray (Artificial), Incite, Despot
• 200 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 200 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 200 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 160 Battle Tanks
• 80 Attack Helicopters
• 75 Small Boats
• 5 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 580
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 450
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 5

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 70
• Mad Science Branch - 60
• Creation Crew - 160
• Klonogiris - 100
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 37
• Thugs and Goons - 7470

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 118

Outside Allies:

• Giran
• Nezu

Key Spies:

• Himiko Toga (LOV)
• Detective Tsukauchi (Nezu; Under Kuin’s Control)

Chapter 71: Salvation

“I assume you’ve been keeping up with your father’s court case?” 

“Y-Yes, sir.” Melissa Shield stutters back. “He… He only wanted to help people, but his sponsors wouldn’t let him... hero society wouldn’t let him, and now he’s the one being convicted of treason. The suits who stopped him should be the ones charged with treason!”

“Such folly is natural for the quirked, their self-destructive habits being nearly impossible to curb for those afflicted. Their corrupt, flawed status quo will be their undoing, and it is up to us to ensure the remaining pure, such as yourself, survive their inevitable doomsday.”

When he first reached out, she was desperate. The actions of those villains, the people they killed and the damage they did, was blamed on both her father and that bastard Samuel despite the latter being the one to hire real villains.

Samuel betrayed her father, betrayed her, and now both him and her father were paying the price for it. Even with Uncle Might testifying in his favor and all that he’s done for the world, her father would likely be incarcerated in a U.S. federal prison.

His other backers abandoned him. He had no other shoulder to lean on besides All Might’s, and for once, even All Might wouldn’t be enough. 

 

So when he reached out to her, offering to keep her father out of prison in exchange for her helping his cause, a supposed mutual interest, she jumped on the opportunity. 

At first, she had no intentions of really joining. She even considered playing something of a double agent to stop what she believed to be a hidden group of villains.

But as she started investigating their claims, learning more about their ideology and goals… she began to understand where they were coming from. She began to agree with them. 

The Quirk Singularity Doomsday. The inevitable armageddon that society refused to accept out of hubris and ignorance. All those with quirks… all those who mocked and belittled her for being quirkless… they would die. 

They would die, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Would she stop it if she could? She would have said yes unquestionably before, but now? Do they really deserve to be saved after all they’ve done?

She still wants to save people like All Might, that much hasn’t changed. If anything, her goals have sharpened, have become more realistic. 

She’ll help save the remaining quirkless from the quirked. She’ll help save humanity from itself. 

“Your father will be saved from his fate, but his reputation will forever be tarnished. Unfortunate as may be, it still offers you a golden opportunity. Work to succeed him, to take over I-Island, and turn it into a haven for your fellow pure. For humanity’s salvation.” Flect Turn declares.

“For humanity’s salvation.” Melissa Shield repeats, blind fanatical worship slowly blooming just as it did for her father in regards to All Might.

 

Countdown to Canon: 2 Weeks Until Kamino

Humarise. 

Mother Fucking Humarise swooped in and made Melissa Shield go villain after Star and I tore I-Island apart. The curveballs here are never gonna end, are they?

Okay, no need to panic. While this development is completely out of left field, it’s not a very big deal. I have both physical and mechanical eyes peering into I-Island and Humarise. I can keep track of their actions and secret partial collaboration.

I haven’t mentioned them in a while, but they have been quite busy, and their canon course has been gradually changing like with most others.

 

According to Giran and my spies, both my Trigger and modified weapons products have been quite popular with the cult, those guys buying a solid chunk of each whenever I send more to the Black Market. 

As nice as the extra funds are, this doesn’t bode well for World Heroes’ Mission, at least for the heroes. Melissa Shield joining them gives that international organization an even bigger edge.

Flect Turn’s Trigger Bombs will probably be finished a good bit faster then in canon with Melissa Shield aiding in their development, and with my own brands of Trigger mixed in (albeit weaker brands then what I keep for myself and my subordinates), they’ll be more effective at global genocide as well.

So either the events of World Heroes’ Mission will happen a lot earlier or Humarise will stock up on way more of the things before their canon start time, sticking with their canon schedule time. Either way, things are looking to be much more disastrous on that front.

I should still be able to sabotage the things and the terminal that controls them, preventing Quirk Singularity Doomsday from starting way too early, but even a few of those things being manually, forcefully detonated around the world could cause some problems.

Still troublesome, but much more manageable. I’ll stand by for now, see how this new situation develops before making any direct moves against them. 

That unexpected development aside, I may have lost the battle at I-Island, but all things considered, I did win the war.

 

For starters, Nezu’s group is certain that AFO was responsible for the I-Island disaster just as planned. While that guy isn’t on the very top of my shitlist, he is a very annoying and very convenient target, one that will be dealt with shortly.

A forced-truth New Order rule made Wolfram admit AFO was the secret supporter behind all of this and the guy gave him his extra quirk. I simply manipulated things without either the mercenary or his employer knowing about it, just as planned.

Wolfram also said he doesn’t know anything about Nine and I during that interrogation, and that’s fine too because I already told Nine to say that AFO sent us to secretly oversee Wolfram and his crew while fighting/monologuing to All Might. 

Kuin and a few Praetorians will be roped into that category too, but again, that’s just fine. Our disguises worked. Our excuses worked. Thanks for being such a great scapegoat, All For One.

As for how I found this out, the rat called for another secret meeting a few days after the attack with both ‘Sir Nighteye’ and Detective Tsukauchi attending, so I had two different spies listening in to all the details explained and conclusions theorized.

Star and Stripe also joined in on the meeting through video and gave her two cents on the matter after being filled in on the absolute mess that is both AFO and OFA. 

Luckily for them, nobody else noticed All Might in his skinny form thanks to either being holed up in the Central Tower or evacuating to the edges of the island, so that secret is still safe from the public.

Luckily for me, the heroes aren’t creative enough to consider locating me through New Order. Even if they don’t know my real name, that doesn’t mean the quirk can’t be used like a dowsing rod… at least I think that’s the case.

Something like ‘Cathleen Bate can find the last person she fought’ or ‘Cathleen Bate can find the last person who damaged her’ might be able to work. I can’t say for certain without trying out the quirk myself, and there’s no way I’m gonna try to subdue a Double clone of her. 

That can easily end up backfiring on me no matter what preparations and contingencies I make, especially with how dangerous her quirk vestige can be.

And trying to take over her body instead of just her quirk probably wouldn’t work either. We got plenty of DNA samples from heroes on I-Island, a certain Pro-Hero from Sudan being especially interesting.

Nyikang’s quirk, Spirit Possession, lets him convert his consciousness into spiritual energy which he can send towards a target to possess them. That’s the only information canon gives, but the implications are pretty major. 

Can he possess both living and nonliving things? Can he possess things while remaining in control of his own body? Does killing or destroying whatever he’s possessing destroy his consciousness too, or does it send said consciousness back to his original body?

Unfortunately, after running some tests with copies of that quirked, it appears to just be a way worse version of Kuin’s own possession powers. 

 

Even when boosted by several quirk-enhancers, you can only possess one thing at a time for a few minutes, and living beings with enough willpower can resist. Not only that, but succeeding in a possession makes you lose control of your own body, hence the armor that Pro-Hero wears. 

Your own body collapses like a puppet that lost its strings whenever a possession succeeds, not very good in the middle of a battle, even if you’re only facing a single opponent. 

No wonder this guy was just another face in the Pro-Hero crowd, and even relies on a sword to take down opponents. His quirk sucks compared to quirks like Kuin’s and Dictator’s own! The only advantage he has is being able to possess inanimate objects too, and even that doesn’t mean much when looking at the many major downsides it has.

Hopefully LabHaul can make an Artificial Quirk that’s actually worth something. Combining that with Despot, Brainwashing, and maybe Queen Bee too should produce a terrifying result. 

Going back to Star and Stripe, at the very least, while she does appear to be much more competent then she was shown being in canon, she can’t hope to match my creativity and expertise on all things quirk-related. 

And as for the QAD copy, since my clone made that outside of the battle and it was blasted to dust by those jets’ lasers, the heroes have no clue about it being a copy. They think that trump card is off the table and they’re in for a nasty surprise once I start producing copies of it myself.

Oh, and let’s not forget the other data I collected from I-Island or the backdoor we made to keep track of any new projects. From support gear and specialized combat suits to upgrades for vehicles that traverse air, land, and sea, the Shie Hassaikai’s technological prowess just skyrocketed.

I also have enough data of both David and Melissa Shield to create double clones of them, and those clones can be brainwashed into doing our bidding. Flect Turn can keep the original Melissa Shield; I got a much better option at my disposal.

Kuin already requested a copy of Melissa Shield to help handle logistics in her main hive out of practicality, spite, and a desire to see her in the hive’s human dress code. I reminded her that Melissa is still a few months away from being eighteen. She countered by suggesting aging her up a bit via Overhaul fusion.

I pushed the request off to BossHaul after that. He can go deal with that mess.

At least we’ve got a lot more going for us tech-wise now.

 

Speaking of, I got a very detailed scan of the X-66 Fighter Jets via Reveal while facing Star, and I have every intention to start production of those aerial vehicles myself. Excluding Tiamat, they’re probably the most dangerous non-quirk related weapons in this world

And while I got data on them, the fighter jets didn’t get any data on me. Most of my current quirk arsenal is now known to the heroes, but my trump cards are still a secret. The heroes can only estimate what my quirks are and how they work, and there’s no way they can guess even half of my true capabilities. 

That’s if they even figure out that ‘Long Haul’ was the person fighting Star back there and not one of All For One’s new pet projects. 

Reveal alone is absolutely terrifying and barely a fraction of its capabilities were made obviously clear to my enemies. 

I wonder what team UA and Star’s reactions would be if they knew I could track all of them and pretty much anything going on with their bodies and quirks 24/7? 

Even if Star figured out it was me and got my exact location through New Order, I’d see her coming from much more than a mile away and use Warp Gate to get the hell out of whatever base of mine she’s heading towards. 

Said base would also probably be rigged to explode out of spite, and not only would keeping me on her radar waste one of two rules, but I can also move around much faster then her with Warp Gate. It would be incredibly annoying, but I could just lead her on a wild goose chase around the world while my organization finalizes our preparations to take her down permanently.

Besides, knowing what my quirks can do and knowing suitable counters for them are two very different things, especially when I have so many quirks in my arsenal. Also, it’s all well and good to try and exploit your enemy’s weakness, but there isn’t really a point when you’re too weak to take advantage of said weakness.

As far as they know, my abilities range from insane physical power to flight and maneuverability to temporary quirk-erasing to summoning and controlling to physical and elemental manipulation that makes Endeavor’s Hellflame look like chump change.

Having Shouta Aizawa use Erasure on me would be their best bet, but even if his quirk did work on me (which it won’t; I’m immune to quirk-erasure now, remember?), the number of heroes who could overpower my current quirkless body shouldn’t even be in the double digits. 

In short, what little the heroes got from me shouldn’t be too damaging towards my long-term plans.

Going back to the Shield family, with both All Might and Humarise teaming up to help him out (even if inadvertently, it’s still pretty shocking; what, is the Symbol of Peace gonna join forces with All For One next?), he ended up getting a similar slap to the wrist punishment his canon self did despite the attack being much worse here.

I wonder if the board of suits will change their tune about the QAD project when everything goes to hell here? Oh well, it’s nothing I can’t sabotage at this point, whether it’s the heroes or Humarise attempting to create more.

Samuel Abraham, on the other hand, was flat-out incarcerated, sent to some supermax prison they have in America. It hasn’t been decided yet. He was turned into the scapegoat there, being the one to actually hire the villains who caused the disaster.

I-Island also ran blood tests on a certain pair of severed legs (clever move fucking with my warp gates, Cathleen; lets see how you like getting bisected next time) that got left behind and found out about the multiple quirks I put in my Praetorians. 

Luckily for me, since everyone believes this to be AFO’s fault, Nezu’s group came to the conclusion that this is a new type of humanoid Nomu the demon lord created with Nine and I (not that they know our real identities) being two more of this type.

 

Another convenient bonus for me is that even I-Island doesn’t seem capable of determining the exact quirk factors present in my Praetorian. They can tell the blood sample has factors like a general strength enhancer, speed enhancer, healing quirk, and so on, but not the exact details of said quirks.

Even if they could, it should be pretty obvious by now that AFO can copy quirks too. How else could all his better Nomus have Super Regeneration? 

Cross-referencing their results with Japan’s quirk registry might lead to them seeking out Katsuma for questioning, but with Tsukauchi under our control, he can lie all he likes and the heroes won’t suspect a thing.

And that’s the worst case scenario. With pretty much everyone outside of Dr. Garaki and I being completely clueless about the biological side of quirks, I shouldn’t have to worry about that scenario happening anytime soon.

Speaking of my main scientific rival, he and his master are probably gonna be pretty confused if the details of what occurred here ever come back to them. 

My cyberwarfare branch ensured that the I-Island cams got no footage of the ‘incident’, and I fried the recording/auto-analysis parts of Star’s jets during our fight so AFO can’t potentially use that either.

Wolfram’s entire crew was arrested (either by the heroes or my guys), and even if AFO broke them out, I made sure to either avoid them, capture them, or alter the memories of those that did see us and weren’t captured with help from my clones so the demon lord wouldn’t get anything from that either.

In short, even if he did hear about the extra multiple quirk users and Kurogiri warp gates through rumors, he’d probably think that the Japanese and American governments are trying to paint the LOV (and him by extension) in the worst light possible.

…To those who are told, anyway. There’s no way the heroes are going public with the exact details like people being capable of having multiple quirks. Even the supposed multi-quirked Nomus were described as a myth by Hawks in canon until the Paranormal Liberation War happened.

So that wraps things up nicely, right? I almost died in the battle of a lifetime, but I reaped all the rewards I wanted while shifting the blame towards another one of my biggest threats.

I got the original, intact QAD as well as the knowledge necessary to create more of them, something LabHaul and the Creation Crew are already working on. I protected my secret organization, preventing anyone from being captured or dying. I can peer into I-Island’s project and make limitless brainwashed clones of their best and brightest.

So this is a win, right?

…Yesn’t. 

 

Things would’ve gone a whole lot better if it wasn’t for one completely unexpected variable, Star and Stripe. 

It’s not even because I lost to her since I still achieved what I set out to do. Frankly, I’d be shocked if America’s Number 1 Hero doesn’t fly on over to Japan before the events of Kamino happen.

I (as Long Haul) already told Nezu that All For One was behind the events at Naruhata, meaning he was responsible for Captain Celebrity’s death. He told Star that and Star will probably tell some top brass in the U.S. Government about that.

They’ll probably agree to send Star over and ‘avenge’ Captain Celebrity’s death because taking down the demon lord is definitely in America’s best interest, especially after he killed a top hero of theirs, corrupted their top scientist, and nearly destroyed I-Island through his machinations. 

All Might may have way less OFA time left now then he did in canon at this point, but Star and Stripe helping him out guarantees the demon lord is going down. 

And once that’s done, their attention is going to turn my way. I can’t have that.

Even if I wanted to take over Japan by force, Star and Stripe is the one person I don’t have confidence in defeating with my current forces bar nuclear options like the R.F.G. and Sad Man’s Parade (and even then, I’m not 100% certain of victory). My goal is preparing for a much worse threat, but I can’t do that if my organization is exposed and crippled by her.

The MLA and Humarise can still buy me some time. BossHaul and the other clones even sent another message to the hero crew as Long Haul, dropping a few more hints about both organizations and the HPSC’s corruption to keep them busy, but Nezu is starting to look into my own identity more and more. 

AFO is still his top priority, especially after this little incident. Two more Class 1-A students, Minoru Mineta and Denki Kaminari, actually died thanks to me throwing a lot more of I-Island’s security at the heroes then Wolfram did in canon, and the rat is taking that personally. 

Zappy McDerp and the Grapist mean nothing in the grand scheme of things, but Nezu isn’t going to let AFO get away with this.

He probably suspects the demon lord to have been involved in Tsuyu’s death too. Good. Direct all that anger and spite at another one of my greatest threats, Nezu.

But that’s all going to change after Kamino. 

 

Should I push the MLA into acting early? Their ‘Revival Festival’ isn’t for a few more months, but they would have a lot more firepower than they did in canon thanks to the LOV not destroying a solid chunk of them like in canon.

Perhaps I could fully expose the HPSC for the corrupt organization it is to the public too. They’re already in some deep shit thanks to Endeavor; Nezu’s crew and the WHA taking them down would buy me a decent amount of time and crush Japan’s faith in heroes even further.

I’ve already got my cyberwarfare branch putting together a little operation we codenamed ‘VPSC’ or Villain Public Safety Commission that will probably start a civil war throughout Japan once it’s ready and released. 

That’ll work well, but I’ll save that trump card for much later on or if the WHA sends reinforcements. Humarise getting thrown into the spotlight should also buy me some time, distracting heroes across the globe and further destroying the faith put into them.

Once Kamino happens, it shouldn’t be too much longer before I finish my Endgame preparations. All of Japan will burn to the ground, but that’s fine by me. Their destruction is their fault, not ours. 

We deserve to survive. We deserve to be rewarded for all our hard work. We deserve to celebrate the ridiculous feat we just pulled off, and another job well done.

So we end up throwing a party throughout most of the underground labyrinth for both a job well done and something of an engagement party for Zi and I, because yeah, that happened too.

Thanks, Eri.

 

“So, how does it feel being the only villain out there to ever truly defeat the Symbol of Peace? Something even All For One couldn’t do?” I ask Nine.

“Frankly, the old me would’ve been jumping for joy… and get one hell of an ego boost. But the Symbol of Peace was barely a small fraction of what he was at his prime. It wasn’t even that bad; I just had to stay on the defensive for a few minutes until he ran out of steam.

Oh, and in case you forgot, there just so happened to be two people a league above All Might and I duking it out right next to us. Kind of hard to feel pride about my strength and victory with that going on.”

“Well it’s still an accomplishment.” I assure my friend. “Dealing with Star and Stripe was bad enough; I would’ve been completely screwed if I had to face both of them by myself, so thank you.”

There’s only so much I can do to prepare for threats like that. I don’t even dare create copies of Star with Double for the same reason I don’t dare to make Izuku Midoriya copies. 

Even with the situation completely under my control, even if I instantly merge with the copies as they’re summoned into being, I can’t be sure that they won’t somehow pull a fast one on me, especially as they can use their own quirks in the vestigeworld without any issues if canon is anything to go by.

Look at what happened to AFO Tomura; letting any part of OFA or New Order inside of you is a death sentence that I can’t circumvent quite yet. They’re more dangerous on the inside than they are on the outside, and they are extremely dangerous on the outside. 

In cases like this, relying on my allies for support is the best way to go.

Nine gives me a smirk and thumbs up back, showing just how much he’s changed from his canon self.

Everyone in the Shie Hassaikai has, and I better make sure it stays that way.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Reveal (Artificial^2), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Warp Gate (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Erasure, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver, Cell Activation, Incite, Love, Erasure
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial^2), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, ?????

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Q-Ray (Artificial), Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Despot, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Gigantification, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Eruption, Hellflame, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption, Heat-Resistance
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Bloodcurdle, Chronostasis, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Shock Absorption
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Incite, Despot
• Kaina Tsutsumi (Head Assassin) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Rifle, Homing, Slice, Chronostasis, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Rei (Head-Starters’ Babysitter) - Ice Ply (Awakened), Frost, Hellflame, Cremation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Water Gun, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Heat-Resistance x2, Frost Resistance x2

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Mimicry, Softening, Earth Flow, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Manifest, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (360) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (10) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 2850 Personnel 
• 20 Commanders - Q-Ray (Artificial), Incite, Despot
• 200 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 200 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 200 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 160 Battle Tanks
• 80 Attack Helicopters
• 75 Small Boats
• 5 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 590
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 450
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 5

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 70
• Mad Science Branch - 60
• Creation Crew - 160
• Klonogiris - 100
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 37
• Thugs and Goons - 7535

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 118

Outside Allies:

• Giran
• Nezu

Key Spies:

• Himiko Toga (LOV)
• Detective Tsukauchi (Nezu; Under Kuin’s Control)

Chapter 72: All Night Long

“A pity Wolfram could not obtain the device, but no matter. David Shield’s reputation has been ruined and I-Island has been damaged despite both Japan and the United States’ Number 1 Heroes being present, further ruining society’s faith in its current system.”

“And what of these other rumors and reports, my lord? Kurogiri was not present, and yet some say his warp gates were used.”

“Likely an attempt to further bastardize me, allowing for a certain American heroine to be allowed access into our country.” All For One shrugs his mad scientist off. “But that won’t matter. All Might’s lifespan can be measured in weeks now, as is the small thread of stability in Japan. Even if Star and Stripe shows up, she won’t be able to stop what’s coming.”

“What about Gigantomachia, my lord? There still haven’t been any signs of him. Did you not intend for Tomura to begin training with him soon?”

“It seems he has gotten impatient. No matter, even All Might is too weak to stop him now. His tantrum will cause even more problems for the heroes until I’m ready, and if he refuses to kneel, then he’ll be put down like the rest once my perfect body is complete.”

“Yes, my lord. And as for the League?”

“The League of Villains needs people who will get behind Tomura’s principles. I’ll leave all of the decisions to him for now, and if he asks for help, then of course I’ll step in and guide him. That’s not a problem as I see it.”

It’s all falling into place for him.

Or so he believes…

 

Countdown to Canon: 1 Week Until Kamino

ISpyTheyDie:

Vampire: Update time! Another Stain cosplayer guy tried to join a few days ago, but he got dusted by handyman after they argued about his idol for a bit. That’s like the eighth one so far!

Boogeyman2.0: Was his name ‘Spinner’ by chance?

Vampire: I think so? I know it started with an S.

Boogeyman2.0: Was he a lizard mutant?

Vampire: Yup!

Boogeyman2.0: Yeah, that’s Spinner. Don’t worry about that for now. Just give me an update on your current LOV teammates. Real names or their code names, please.

Vampire: Same as last time. Tomura, Kurogiri, Dabi/Touya, Mustard, Muscular, Moonfish, Mr. Compress, and Magne. 

Vampire: Wow, so many names that start with ‘M’! Oh, and the total number of failed, dusted auditions is now at fifteen.

Boogeyman2.0: How about that.

Vampire: Any new orders?

Boogeyman2.0: Just go along with their plans for now. I’ll let you know which of our guys will show up at the LOV’s next attack to aid you once we get more details.

Vampire: You got it, boss! Tell Eri I said hi, please!

Boogeyman2.0: I’ll do you one better…

Boogeyman2.0: [Img]

Vampire: OMG SO CUUUUUTE!

Boogeyman2.0: She says to keep up the good work if you want to see more pictures of her cosplaying as you in your villain costume.

Vampire: SIR YES SIR!!! MA’AM YES MA'AM!!!

 

 

“Told you it would work.” My daughter smugly smiles as I put my phone down. 

“Never said it wouldn’t fledgling. Few can hope to resist your adorableness, and you’re getting better at wielding it by the day.” I compliment back, patting her head.

Her little giggle brightens my day… well, night. Energy Saver might just be one of my favorite quirks of all time with how utterly convenient it is.

It’s an absolutely incredible quirk that lets people carry on like normal with 2-3 hours of sleep a month, and a similar amount of food and water. You can eat, drink, and sleep a normal amount if you want; you just don’t need to.

Naturally, I had LabHaul make hundreds upon hundreds of copies of this quirk with copies of Eri and distributed them all across my organization, allowing us to practically work 24/7 if we wanted to.

Now I obviously don’t do this. Speeding up our long-term plans is nice and all, but just ask Jack what happens when you have all work and no play. My timetable isn’t that tight; I’m not in some extreme rush to optimize every single second of my day (although many who know me would probably assume otherwise).

Now enforcing such insane work hours onto others would be just plain cruel; I provide my subordinates with plenty of breaks, rewards, and bonuses as long as they try their best. 

Besides, moments of downtime are healthy in the long run, even from a progress perspective, and the increased motivation helps plenty too, getting more out of less time.

The progress they’re currently making is good enough already. Our army is growing rapidly, as is our supplies and quirk storage. With my favorite strategy revolving around making any enemies destroy each other for me, I almost never have to waste subordinates and resources against opponents.

So this naturally leaves us all with quite a bit of time on our hands. Even with both the Training Camp Attack and Kamino being right around the corner, I still have a good bit of time to myself. Plenty of time for some more shounen-style shenanigans to pop up.

Factor in Energy Saver and you get twice as much time for ridiculous antics, sleep no longer standing in my organization’s way.

That being the case, what shounen-style ridiculousness have the villains I rounded up been getting into recently? 

Well, some minor nighttime incidents include Gentle Criminal and La Brava becoming sworn enemies with Present Mic after hacking into his radio show, Chimera starting his own garage band which already performed a few times at the local mall (everyone in it had their physical appearances altered via Overhaul for those), and Soramitsu Tabe eating an entire restaurant (like, literally the restaurant itself) out of protest after getting kicked out for, surprise surprise, eating too much.

As for major incidents, look no further than my own daughter… again.

 

It all started shortly before our trip to I-Island. Eri has been poaching new recruits from some of Japan’s heroic elementary schools over the last few months to, and I quote, ‘both bolster my forces and gain some future higher-up hero spies if heroes are still a thing by then’.

Not a bad idea by any means, and yes, hero schools in Japan aren’t limited to just high schools. There are some hero elementary schools where children are trained to control their quirks and become heroes.

One of these schools is Terakoya Hero Elementary School on Oku Island, and one of the students from said school Eri swayed to her side is Ikkaku, an energetic prankster who had a level of hero worship rivaling Tamashiro before Eri swayed him to her side.

Now Ikkaku’s quirk is a relatively simple one, a unicorn-like horn on the center of his head that can be used to detect a variety of things that seem to be based on his desires. It’s practically a built-in detector or treasure map.

On its own, the quirk is somewhat useful for rescue and investigation. When combined with a copy of Horn Cannon and given some solid training, this kid basically becomes Hawks with horns instead of feathers.

Ikkaku now has three large horns on his head (one in front of his head and one on both sides of his head), and these horns can be constantly detached and regrown to quickly create a storm of dozens or even hundreds of sharp, telepathically-controlled projectiles that double as sensors and triple as compasses.

This extra quirk was disguised as simple growth of his original quirk and nobody had any reason to believe otherwise, so nothing to worry about, right?

Well yes, but what I didn’t remember until recently is that this kid and this school are featured in the spinoff MHA Team-Up Mission. Chapter six of that spinoff manga to be specific.

To give a quick summary, Class 1-A students Mashirao Ojiro and Toru Hagakure visit Terakoya to give a presentation to the students there. They end up meeting Ikkaku (who pranks Ojiro with a net trap), get called out for being boring background characters by a bunch of five year olds, and have to go find Ikkaku after he ran off which leads them to beating up a random villain.

Oh, and Ikkaku ran off to begin with because his horn detected something, that something being ancient ruins holding a secret treasure.

Yes, I’m serious.

Oku Island’s big secret is that there’s supposedly some legendary ancient ruins with a secret treasure waiting to be found. Ikkaku was thinking about it on his way home from school and his horn started ringing, so he followed the trail his quirk was leading him down and he actually found some genuine ancient ruins.

As for what happened in my own version of events, he ended up telling Eri and the others about this legend after being recruited and I agreed to let them investigate for the hell of it. 

Imagine my surprise when my daughter dragged me to an ancient temple with a massive cracked monster mouth statue for an entrance. I genuinely believed this to be a prank at first because this is supposed to be the world of My Hero Academia, not Indiana Jones.

 

A quick comb through my MHA memories confirmed that this place is actually 100% real. This is an actual fucking ancient temple with skeleton corpses and cliche yet lethal traps everywhere.

As for what lies at the end of it, the hero students never bothered exploring that far. They got past a few traps, ran into a minor villain who was also looking for the treasure, beat him up, and then left without ever bringing this up again because plot I guess.

Well screw that! I wanted some ancient treasure so we were getting some ancient goddamn treasure!

So off we went into the temple ruins. The traps ranged from spikes popping out of walls and floors to fucking swinging spike balls and giant boulders chasing us down hallways.

It was seriously straight out of a goddamn Indiana Jones movie, but we are superhumans with superpowers, so there was never any true danger. 

Any injuries the kids got would be instantly undone with Rewind, Cell Activation, or Overhaul, and they wouldn’t even feel pain thanks to me modifying their nervous systems. That’s not even mentioning how I can practically bench press the temple itself at my level of strength.

But that didn’t make this any less cool for me or the kids. This may be just a real life Indiana Jones dungeon dive, but c’mon, it’s a real life Indiana Jones dungeon dive! 

Unlike Class 1-A’s fodder, we actually make it to the end of this temple, and I kid you not, there was an actual ancient treasure chest full of gold, jewels, and various priceless trinkets. 

Treasure that’s probably worth billions of yen, if not more, was right in front of us, and as I was imagining what Giran’s reaction would be once I started selling some of this stuff, Eri made a request.

She wanted to turn this temple into her organization’s secret villain lair.

 

I thought she was joking at first, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. It’s large, hidden, full of deadly traps, and the treasure we just got could serve as funding for fixing and upgrading it. 

This island is also far away from mainland Japan and the hero presence here is practically nonexistent, so yeah, these ancient ruins would be a solid spot to create a villain base at. 

If the Mayans or Aztecs or whatever ancient civilizations built this place don’t like it, then they’re free to try haunting us or whatever. I’ve dealt with quirk vestiges and I can deal with whatever kinds of ghosts those guys are too.

No haunting (outside of quirk vestiges) has happened yet, so whatever ghosts are around probably know better than to mess with us. Even if nothing I do damages them, that doesn’t stop me from warping them into Earth’s upper atmosphere.

Anyway, the Head-Starters have been fixing up and modifying their new villain base ever since. 

Because Ikkaku was the one who found this place, I let him and the rest of Eri’s crew have the treasure we found. Of course, if they want aid in gathering materials, warping said materials over, and constructing the actual base, they need to pay up.

It’s meant to be a lesson on managing funds and deciding which services they need for certain tasks with some practice with haggling and bargaining mixed in. If they want to add spike strips on the pillars and pits of lava and other classic villain castle commodities, then they need to manage their budget.

I already instructed my branches of subordinates like the Creation Crew, Klonogiris, my best engineers and designers, and so on what prices to charge for their services, so now it’s up to Eri and her crew to make the best lair possible for the cheapest price possible. 

All in all, that project is going rather well so far. While there wasn’t any more treasure hidden around (I had Kuin check already), what we did get from this unexpected excursion was already great.

 

As for my own nightly activities, besides occasionally making sure my organization still remains in one piece, abusing Warp Gate to check out international tourist spots, and doing some, ahem, ‘private activities’ with my fiance, nights usually consist of what Eri and I have dubbed ‘Quirk Farming’. 

She has an Energy Saver copy too, and if she behaves well enough (so no giving me heart attacks via her independent antics and adventures), then I let her come with me several nights a week as I cherry-pick quirks to copy from Japan’s registry. 

Quirk Farming is nothing new. I’ve been doing it for almost a year now, ever since I first discovered this quirk duplication trick.

The only difference between now and then is that I have become much, much better at it.

Training with Overhaul, training with Rewind, getting other assets like the Praetorians, cyberwarfare branch, and Klonogiris as backup, and so on helps a lot when it comes to efficiency.

Frankly, the biggest issue I have now is the occasional instance where a quirk that interests me is falsely classified on Japan’s registry because quirk counselors and analysts here suck.

No, magnetic quirks are not telekinesis quirks. Wind manipulation quirks aren’t telekinesis either. 

Your quirk letting things go up in the air around you for a while doesn’t automatically make it a telekinesis quirk, dumbasses! 

 

Anyway, nowadays, I can literally just warp into the bedroom of my target with Eri, subdue the target if necessary, use Overhaul to body fuse with the target, and defuse a few seconds later.

Then have Eri use Rewind to return me to said body-fused state, warp into LabHaul’s quirk/body storage room, defuse with the copy of the target, let LabHaul store said body/quirk copy while my cyberwarfare branch deletes any footage of Eri and I’s invasion if necessary, rinse, and repeat. 

This process can take only a few minutes if we really rush it, although we typically have no need to. We also take the occasional detour or deviation so she can practice other skills like how to masterkey most mechanical locks and basic electronic security. Might as well make the most of this, right?

So nights of this can consist of anywhere between a few invasions and a few dozen invasions. I have literally become more of a quirk-stealing boogeyman than All For One and I find that to be extremely funny.

This latest rendition of our system has been in use since Hosu, and while my previous methods were a lot slower, I’ve still got a sizable collection of quirks stored up in my secret lair. LabHaul’s quirk storage room might even rival Dr. Garaki’s at this point!

He’s had like a century to build it up. I’ve had less than a hundredth of that time.

As for what all these quirks are for, some are given to my subordinates and subsidiaries, others are for simple experimentation (like sentient quirks and Geten’s awakened quirk, but I use the latter too), some will be used for various future projects that don’t involve myself, and the rest will be transferred over to me upon the completion of my Perfect Form.

I shouldn’t have much of a limit to how many quirks I can store by then, and I intend to have a much more diverse arsenal then the demon lord ever did.

Japan alone has millions of useful quirks I can make copies of, and I plan on making plenty before the name Sekan or Overhaul is known and feared by the world.

If that even happens to begin with. My ideal plan involves the true scope of the Shie Hassaikai not being discovered by any enemies or the general public even after Endgame is complete, but I’m not holding my breath. 

At the very least, I’ll be ready to absolutely obliterate any potential opposition by then. Yes, that includes All Might, Izuku Midoriya, Star and Stripe, All For One, and AFO Tomura Shigaraki, assuming they’re still around or come to be by then. 

Even all five of them working together while at their absolute peaks in canon won’t be enough by then.

I haven’t forgotten about the prediction NightHaul showed me of me, Star, and AFO getting ready to duke it out. We’ve screwed with Foresight predictions so much by now that the vision is probably invalid, but better safe than sorry.

 

But that’s the future. Back to the past, Star beat me up badly, sure, but the real problem was, ironically enough, my own boosting methods.

Endurance. OverTrigger. The Quirk Amplification Device.

Using all three of these massive boosters simultaneously pushed my quirks too far, and while I will make a full recovery, that doesn’t change the fact that my body and quirks simply can’t handle that level of power at the moment. Not for too long, anyway. 

My climactic fight with Star and Stripe didn’t even last ten minutes, and I was at my limit by then, Hysterical Strength coming and going as I approached permanent death.

Rewind can undo any permanent damage, but the ideal solution would be making my body powerful enough to permanently handle those simultaneous boosts.

My Perfect Form should be able to achieve that. LabHaul is already investigating the phenomenon while reverse engineering the QAD. 

He has the device, he has the memories I copied from David Shield, and he has clones of the guy himself and his daughter, but he wants to get as much of an understanding as possible so he can mass produce or even potentially improve the device with Shield family clones and the Creation Crew. 

LabHaul and his assistants are some of the people who practically work 24/7 without breaks. My clone handpicked the most devoted to this branch with some slight insanity sprinkled in; it’s led to some serious progress being made, so I have no reason to complain.

The temporary and permanent quirk-erasing gas is coming along nicely (thanks for your Trigger Bomb research, Humarise), as is general quirk research, creating more Artificial Quirks, and reverse-engineering Dr. Garaki’s various Nomus.

We’ll get the rest of his Nomus after Kamino, but just think of this as getting a head start. We are in a pretty tight time crunch after all, at least as far as this war goes.

 

After my mad scientists, the cyberwarfare branch is doing the most work in the Shie Hassaikai. They swap out a lot with only about 20-25 being required to handle day to day tasks, but there have been more than a few occasions where all hands on deck were needed to cover up some ridiculous bullshit.

Their payment and living quarters are extremely generous in return, and that seems to be enough seeing as how there are no strikes or Workers’ Unions popping up.

Well, either that or they’re just way too terrified of me to betray me.

Probably both.

Those guys are also in the middle of a vicious prank war with Kuin, who just so happens to be next on the list. 

She actually has more work than anyone, even the guys working R&D with LabHaul, but a massive hivemind that she can macromanage combined with a mastery of multitasking and parallel processing lets her handle dozens of jobs at once while having enough free time to (among many other things) make enough custom songs to fill multiple albums, work on her island-sized hive… and the pranks. God, the pranks.

Big mistake ‘misplacing’ her Skycrawler body-pillow, random cyberwarfare branch member. Now your entire division is feeling her wrath, but that group has gotten close, not throwing the perpetrator among them to the wolves (or bees, in this case), and they aren’t about to take her antics lying down.

My tech nerds are now secretly collabing with the Creation Crew to produce cocaine disguised as pollen and tricking Kuin’s bees into taking it. I don’t know how that hivemind can get any more hyperactive and I don’t think I want to find out.

I don’t have any problems with them having fun like this, but I should probably make sure this doesn’t get too much in the way of their actual jobs. Maybe I’ll send Machia to give both sides a good scare; my other subordinates have enough common sense to not piss off an angry mountain of muscle.

 

As for my bodyguard, he doesn’t really have a whole lot to do as a bodyguard as I’m almost never putting myself in danger. 

In fact, I have him act more as a punching bag for the training finatics then a bodyguard (more on that later), but dammit, if that guy isn’t determined to be useful in some way, I don’t know who is. 

Now while I appreciate his enthusiasm to go Plus Ultra, this doesn’t mean I’m going to have him handle jobs that aren’t suited for him. 

Why All For One thought Gigantomachia of all people could be an incognito scout is beyond me (remember the canon incident with Middle School Mina and Kirishima?), and don’t even get me started on his decision to not include the guy during the USJ attack. All Might would’ve become nothing more than a punching bag when up against both him and the USJ Nomu!

Speaking of punching bags and All For One, I’ll probably have to make him some more customized AFO-faced sandbags soon; they’re a hot commodity among my top brass and I can’t keep shelling out the Creation Crew to make more. 

I could always just add more to their ranks, and I do at a reasonable pace, but those guys require training, loyalty, and enough maturity to not goof off… too much.

Getting back on track, after Machia is Nine and his crew. Those four come close to Stain in training fanaticism and have Gigantomachia to spar against whenever they like after warping to one of Japan’s many remaining uninhabited islands. With them no longer acting as my personal Black Ops squad all the time, they have plenty of opportunities to do so.

Even now, he would just refuse to drop dead no matter what they throw at him.

Maybe if Machia wasn’t given any body modifications or extra quirks by me, Nine’s crew would be able to win now, but it’s only fair that I buff him like I did with everyone else. 

Shock Absorption x Super Regeneration for the win.

And Muscle Augmentation.

And a very special quirk that should both cover his main weakness and grant him more strength once Kuin finally gets a sample of it.

Seriously, the Hero Society in this country is fucking done for.

 

BossHaul is up next when it comes to work. He has Joi, Kurono, and a small team of others helping him out with organizational stuff, but running a villain empire this large, and keeping it completely secret from the rest of the world at that, is just ridiculously difficult even with quirks like Reveal.

GuildHaul helps him out too with their work being the most interconnected out of all my clones, NightHaul following closely behind. 

The latter doesn’t patrol very often due to how peaceful Osaka is (yet it’s run by villains and inhabited by thousands of other villains at this point; oh the irony) and Nezu doesn’t have too many secret meetings regarding Japan’s current secret crisis, so he pitches in to help from time to time. 

The rat did make a private group chat just for that though, and the very people he’s trying to keep this all a secret from the most laughing over said group chat and private meetings regarding how to uncover and stop them would probably give said rat an aneurysm if he found out. 

As for pretty much everyone else with the Energy Saver quirk, they also do at least one of the things I said at the start, but this doesn’t mean they sleep, eat, and drink the minimum required amount.

In fact, only my mad science branch does this. Most people with Energy Saver copies at least get one regular night of sleep a week as sleep still does make you feel good. 

It’s more of a mental thing than anything. A human with a heavily-modified body is still a human; they only become something more after undergoing the Quirk Singularity. 

I am no exception to this. I get a full night’s sleep with Zi at least once a week (with Eri maybe joining the two of us for family cuddles and fluff). 

 

Speaking of family, as for when Zi and I are planning to get married, we decided to wait until after we enact Endgame or at least wait until the society-shaking events from us and others die down. We agreed that things are too chaotic now to devote time to that, so better to wait until after we’re safe from the apocalypse.

It should be a year at most until we’re ready, but it’ll likely be a lot shorter depending on what unexpected events occur and what contingencies I’m forced to enact.

America becoming so much more involved in Japan’s problems then in canon most certainly wasn’t part of the plan, but Naruhata and I-Island changed how things were planned to go.

Hosu did too, but for the better. Endeavor is still getting kicked in the PR and the Nezu is already taking a closer look at the HPSC, something he really should’ve done in canon rather then just sit back and let them weaponize his students for a fucking war.

If the rat is going to actually grow a pair here and use them to face me, then I’m at least going to make sure he directs this newfound bravery and common sense towards my other enemies too. 

We’re at a crucial part of my grand plan right now, so there’s no time for distractions. 

The two symbols hopefully taking each other down will signal the start of my master plan’s final few phases before Endgame, but I have my doubts about that now.

I was originally worried that AFO was going to win the rematch this time around due to All Might losing his OFA embers a good bit faster than in canon. He would’ve died to the USJ Nomu if it wasn’t for me and I-Island didn’t do him any favors.

But I’m 99% sure that Star is going to be a surprise guest in that rematch and she can take down the weakened AFO single-handedly, meaning All Might will likely still have some juice in the tank.

He’ll probably be able to use his buff form about half an hour a day (Reveal still isn’t very good at deciphering the mess that is OFA embers), if even, but a weakened All Might is still a powerful enemy to have. That’s not even mentioning the possibility of a well-worded New Order rule letting him temporarily use a whole lot more.

 

So now heroes will have the advantage in this balance I’m trying to keep up, but that’s definitely preferable to AFO having the advantage. There are other villain groups I can throw at the heroes, and I need AFO out of the picture as soon as possible after Kamino for my plans to work.

All that’s left now is to wait and prepare for my next big move during the events of Kamino. It won’t be long now, and I’ll probably interfere a good bit with the Training Camp Attack too.

I know Kota has quite a few people he would like revenge on. 

Rei too… I think. That or she wants to supervise her adopted son. 

I’ll probably stick around as well. I still need to take it easy after the showdown at I-Island, but unless AFO shows up in person, I should have no need to go all-out.

This much and a few other subordinates of mine should be more then enough for the Training Camp, and I have far bigger plans for right after Kamino. Whether the heroes or All For One win this phase of the war between them, one thing's for sure.

Both sides are gonna come out far from unscathed.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Reveal (Artificial^2), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Warp Gate (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Erasure, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver, Cell Activation, Incite, Love, Erasure
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial^2), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, ?????

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Q-Ray (Artificial), Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Despot, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Gigantification, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Eruption, Hellflame, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption, Heat-Resistance
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Bloodcurdle, Chronostasis, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Shock Absorption
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Incite, Despot
• Kaina Tsutsumi (Head Assassin) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Rifle, Homing, Slice, Chronostasis, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Rei (Head-Starters’ Babysitter) - Ice Ply (Awakened), Frost, Hellflame, Cremation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Water Gun, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Heat-Resistance x2, Frost Resistance x2

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Mimicry, Softening, Earth Flow, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Manifest, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (395) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (15) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 2900 Personnel 
• 20 Commanders - Q-Ray (Artificial), Incite, Despot
• 210 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 210 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 210 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 160 Battle Tanks
• 80 Attack Helicopters
• 85 Small Boats
• 5 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 600
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 450
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 5

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 70
• Mad Science Branch - 60
• Creation Crew - 165
• Klonogiris - 105
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 37
• Thugs and Goons - 7605

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 120

Outside Allies:

• Giran
• Nezu

Key Spies:

• Himiko Toga (LOV)
• Detective Tsukauchi (Nezu; Under Kuin’s Control)

Chapter 73: Bonus Chapter - Eri’s Mission

Notes:

Be warned, these next few chapters are where things really start getting ugly for the main heroes. This is no dream or 'what-if' scenario like chapter 15 with All For One and chapter 70 with Star and Stripe.

“I just want to know the truth.” She admits, hating how weak and vulnerable she still feels deep down.

((‘And you will.’))

She hates that hint of hesitation within her.

((‘All I need is your help, with something only you can give me.’))

She hates that bit of worryness regarding her dad, a slight lack of faith in him. She knows he’s secretly scared despite everything he has, and in turn, that makes her scared.

((‘Any questions you have will be answered. Any doubts you have will be put to rest. From dad’s hidden past to our forged future, both the power and knowledge you need to succeed will be provided.’))

She knows this is no trick or illusion. Horn Cannon was just effortlessly fused into her own quirk along with an extra gift. She feels the power brimming within her, and she knows she’s only scratching the surface of what’s still buried within her. 

Could she ask her dad about this? His plans? His origins?

And would he be honest with her about it?

((‘He means well. He really does, but you’ll never surpass him if you continue letting him baby you like this. Will you take the training wheels off and work to make a true difference in this world? Or will you forever remain a mere princess to the ultimate emperor?’))

This being claiming to be her, she knows blindly trusting it would be foolish at best… but making a few deals here and there, working to ensure her dad’s victory…

“No more secrets?” She confirms.

((‘No more secrets, little me.’))

Eri Doraifu agrees… and she begins learning what needs to be done. 

 

 

 

Explosions rock the area nearby as she steps through the warp gate, with several others following close behind.

“Well, home sweet home, Kota.” One of her bodyguards comments as they step through right after her.

“This place was never my home. I just had no other options back then.” Her other bodyguard grumbles as his adopted mother squeezes his hand.

Her dad then steps through the portal with Gigantomachia and Kuin right by his side.

They’re far more powerful than her own bodyguards, but he’s her dad so she isn’t too jealous. Besides, her own bodyguards/enforcers will surpass her dad’s own eventually.

Like all her other subordinates, they have the drive, skills, and smarts to get far. They’ve been training their quirks since they were five or six years old; keeping up this pace, that’s much longer than most people who end up populating hero schools. And that’s not even mentioning the kinds of training they’re doing or all the extra benefits her dad provides them.

 

“Alright, everyone. Welcome to the Beast’s Forest, or rather, Kota’s old mountain hideout near the forest.” Her dad begins. “This place is home to the Wild Wild Pussycats as well as the 37 first-year UA students making their way through it on their first day of quirk training. Eraserhead and Vlad King are here too, overseeing their classes.

The LOV attack won’t be happening until the third night, so take time to get situated around the area. Kota, please offer everyone aid when you can, and make sure to stay out of sight. You know this place better than any of us, so I’m counting on you to be our guide.”

“I’ll do my best, Mr. Sekan.” Kota answers, putting his disdain for his old home aside to give the others a tour from up here.

Sekan already has a good layout of this place due to his knowledge of canon and previous mission here, but giving Kota and the others some more experience and confidence never hurts.

This next week is going to be a major turning point for her dad’s plans, and Eri refuses to screw her part up. She may only be taking part in the smaller of the two parts, but this is still extremely important!

So the League of Villains, according to Toga, is planning on attacking this place. They plan on kidnapping the angry pomeranian to recruit him as well as Ragdoll so AFO can take her Search quirk.

Part of their role is preventing the latter from happening, but it isn’t that simple. The whole point of this is to weaken both the heroes and AFO’s villains by having them tear each other apart, just like what happened at Hosu.

So her dad sent a message to Nezu as ‘Long Haul’, telling Nezu that the LOV may potentially attack the training camp, but only after the students have already arrived. 

He also said that he and his so-called vigilante allies will stay close by and aid the heroes present as a sign of good will due to All Might, and Nezu by extension, stopping the LOV at Hosu and I-Island (with Nezu only being warned about the former).

 

Now Nezu will see this as a perfect opportunity to both learn more about her dad’s forces and stop AFO’s forces, bringing the rat closer with who he (correctly) believes to be two of the three villain leaders her dad mentioned.

But he still plans to have other heroes hideout near the area as a just in case, keeping All Might in particular away so the villains don’t suspect anything. Her dad knows this because Nezu told NightHaul and Kuin (as Nighteye and Tsukauchi) all about it during their latest meeting. 

If Nezu found out about this before the training camp trip started, then he probably would’ve canceled it, but after I-Island, he’s taking a high-risk high-reward approach to hopefully finally get some leeway.

All Might and Torino were against it, but ‘Nighteye’ and ‘Tsukauchi’ argued in favor of Nezu because the heroes actually being ready for an LOV ambush for once is better than being caught off guard later down the line and losing more students. 

Those two being on her dad’s side and Nezu’s use of logic over emotions (and lack of understanding regarding human emotions in general) led to this plan of theirs being formed, exactly as her dad intended it to be. 

The heroes believe it to be one massive trap for the villains, while it’s actually one massive trap for everyone except her dad’s forces.

Ramping up the heroes’ side through NightHaul and the villains' side through a little bee possession via Kuin should cause both sides to damage each other more, and as long as Katsuki Bakugou or any other student gets captured, then the second part of her dad’s plan will be guaranteed to work.

It’s all falling into place now, and as a bonus, one of Eri’s closest friends and best subordinates will be able to get the payback he wanted. 

When Kota first joined her, the small pack of human cougars he was forced to live with before pretended to care about it. They put up some posters and it got on the news for like five minutes, but the search stopped after barely a week.

Kota didn’t care. He has her now, after all.

He has a new life that he loves. He has a new leader that he would follow until the ends of the earth. He has plenty of new people to idolize with those sparkling eyes and child-like smile and the determination to reach similar heights one day. 

No, her precious bodyguard is right where he needs to be, where he was always meant to be. By her side. 

Same goes for all her other subordinates. They know where their place is and always will be, right by her side.

 

“Idiots, the lot of them. Wanting to be heroes is bad enough, but they can at least use their quirks a little better if they want to survive longer than a few months on the job. What kind of stupid quirk training is this? Several of them like blasty and frosty are literally torturing themselves for a slight improvement!” Her bodyguard with the horn hat grumbles.

“They will be crushed!” Gigantomachia declares, speaking much quieter than usual as per her dad’s orders.

“Their training regime is pretty stupid, yeah.” Kuin comments, viewing all the action through some of her swarm. “Take this as a lesson, kids. Work smarter, not harder. They can go ‘Plus Ultra’ all they want; it’ll just make their failures all the more hilarious.”

Sneaking around is easy with Kuin’s bees acting as scouts and Kota knowing this place like the back of his hand. Toga also lets them know the LOV’s moves at all times.

Hero? Villain? It doesn’t matter.

Nobody will escape her dad’s sight, and nobody will ruin his plans this time. Especially not that suicidal, sentient bush kid!

((“The attack will start in 5 minutes. Get ready, everyone.”)) Her dad broadcasts through Reveal, letting them know where heroes, students, and villains alike are most likely to go.

“Be careful, droplet.” Auntie Rei warmly warns Kota before heading off. 

She’ll be fine. Her dad called Auntie Rei ‘an absolute sadist who enjoys plucking the lives of her former family members like she does her favorite flowers’ and ‘a prime example of why the quiet, reserved ones are to be feared the most’ before requesting Eri regularly checks in with Kota in regards to his mother’s remaining grasp on sanity.

Her dad and Kuin already went off to other places in this forest with Machia staying hidden here in case she and her two bodyguards need help.

They won’t.

Under her leadership, they can handle whatever missions her dad gives them. She’ll continue proving herself to be a worthy successor, even if her dad already gave her that. She wants to earn her position, and she will.

 

The moon rises with blue flames and poison mist rising soon after. Screams can be heard and heroes emerge from their hiding spots, only to soon be met by several Nomus the Vanguard Action Squad brought along.

“I came up here scouting for a nice vantage point, and here I find some brats who aren’t on the list. Wasn’t this place supposed to only be babysitting hero students?”

And one particular member of the Vanguard Action Squad made his way up here, just like her dad said he would.

“Yeah. You and the rest of your posse aren’t the only visitors tonight.” Tamashiro fearlessly informs him.

“Is that right? Well, fine by me if it means more people to kill.” Muscular takes off his mask and grins before turning towards Kota. “Cool hat, by the way. Mind if I trade you for this stupid faceplate? Or I could just take it off your corpse? Either way works.”

What, no comment on how kids their age shouldn’t have biceps this lean and muscular? He should know considering muscles are kinda his whole shtick.

No comment about how fearless they are despite knowing exactly who he is and why he’s here? Pretty much any other kid would be bawling their eyes out or crapping themselves in terror right now.

She supposes the clones of him her dad summoned for training did make it rather obvious, didn’t they? He’s nothing but a murderous muscle-for-brains.

((‘Encourage him to act.’))  

The goddess suggests such in her head, the goddess who helped her become a dragon rather than a unicorn.

The goddess she will become much faster this time around.

She steps forward, ready to shut the mouth of this muscled nuisance, but a small arm blocks her way… just as she planned.

“Allow me, mistress.” Kota expressionlessly offers.

“Oh? Trying to look tough in front of your little girlfriend, are you?” Muscular taunts. “I wonder what expression you’ll make when I kill her in front of you? HAH! That’ll be a riot! HAHAHA-”

A moment later, Kota takes a page out of Bakugou’s book, propelling himself up to Muscular’s face with his own summoned geyser of water.

The next moment, Kota shoves his hand into Muscular’s wide open mouth mid-laugh, and blasts over a gallon of water into it.

He activates Ice Ply the moment after that, with Muscular’s whole head now resembling that of a frosty porcupine once the water hardens and reshapes.

No fanfare. No chance to activate or boost his quirk. No climatic slugfest. Goto Imasuji underestimated his opponent just like most of his clones did, and just like said clones, he paid the price for it.

 

The A-Rank villain dies instantly, collapsing to the ground less than two seconds after the fight began as Kota lands himself, turning towards Eri with an expressionless look on his face.

“Apologies if I was too rash, mistress.”

“It’s fine, Kota. Are you feeling okay after that? While I never got to personally get revenge on my own tormentor, I did get second-hand info from my dad about it.”

“I… don’t really feel anything. Maybe it’s because of how many Muscular clones I already killed during training, or maybe I’ve simply moved on from my old life...” The little boy trails off, losing his composure. 

He trained for this. He knew where to aim and what quirks to use. 

About 60% of the average adult male body is made up of water. Broken down a bit, that means the brain and heart are 73% water, the lungs are 83% water, the skin is 64% water, the bones are 31% water, and the kidney and muscles are 79% water.

His main quirk allows the production and manipulation of water, and he can hydro-kinetically tear thousands upon thousands of muscle layers apart like tissue paper. He’s done it before, Sekan (at Eri’s insistence) taught him how, and nobody is better at manipulating the human body than him.

The more Muscular powers up, the more he’s giving Kota to manipulate.

But Kota saw no reason to even risk that. He saw no reason to play around in this real life situation. He was fast and ruthless, cold and calculating. He remembered what he was taught and didn’t hesitate one bit.

There’s no muscle near the skull, so Muscular couldn’t protect himself even if he did activate his quirk. Kota went straight for the kill, ignoring the unspoken rule of anime and not even giving his enemy a chance to power up. 

Yet despite winning so quickly and easily, he feels nothing.

Not because he didn’t win against Muscular while the guy was at his best; he’s not Son Goku from Dragon Ball. 

Kota doesn’t know for sure, but Eri doesn’t need him to know for sure.

 

“Well just know that I’ll always be here to support you if you need it; being your leader doesn’t change the fact that I’m your friend.” She assures her bodyguard, her friend while giving him a hug, Tamashiro joining in too right after.

The two boys still bicker, but they have gained respect for each other as rivals over time. She knows they’ll have each other’s backs whenever such is needed.

Nezu is expecting some members of her dad’s group, or even her dad himself to help out at the very least for the sake of their ‘alliance’. 

Muscular’s head having a few dozen bloody ice spikes coming out of it should be a good enough indicator and contribution, with the rat only being able to conclude that one of her dad’s ‘vigilante friends’ has a powerful ice quirk.

So he basically learns nothing.

But her dad and his team aren’t done for the night just yet. Far from it.

Auntie Rei should be having a little chat with Kota’s old guardians right now, with her heading over to some of her old children later. 

Speaking of, an absolutely livid Touya Todoroki should be duking it out with his younger brother out of spite right now if the massive waves of blue fire and ice are anything to go by. 

Himiko Toga should be having some fun with whatever UA students she comes across, whittling down the living number of first years even further. 

“Orders, my lady?” Machia asks, emerging from the little cave he formed on the mountainside. 

“Slaughter any other hero or villain that comes up here and isn’t with us. If my dad needs help with something else, he’ll let us know.” She orders the currently shrunken giant. 

Without his Gigantification quirk activated, he’s only about three meters tall. It’s still big, but that’s not even a tenth of his titan size.

 

((“EVERYONE IN CLASS A AND CLASS B! IN THE NAME OF THE PRO-HERO, ERASERHEAD, YOU ARE GRANTED PERMISSION TO ENGAGE IN COMBAT! I REPEAT, USE YOUR TRAINING! YOU MAY FIGHT THESE VILLAINS!”))

“Mandalay’s Telepath quirk… looks like she had no time to limit who got the message in its range.” Tamashiro comments.

“Isn’t that just ridiculous? Using your quirk to fight back against villains trying to kill you is against the law unless you get permission by a hero, and even then, cases where a hero does give permission is rare because god forbid they don’t get the credit for beating up bad guys and saving the day themselves. Even the MLA’s quirk-supremacist garbage makes a hundred times more sense than that.” Kota rants.

“Yup.” Eri gives a long sigh. “Quirks have been around for centuries and almost everyone has them at this point, and yet this stupid society is soooooo adamant on pretending they don’t exist with heroes being the one exception. 

And all because heroes are gods who can do no wrong, so don’t question them or the corrupt government organization that leads them or else you get slapped with the villain label. Funny how the quirkless are so discriminated against when most of the quirked can never use their powers anyway. Funny and extremely hypocritical.

Not every country is like Japan. Places like I-Island or some other countries like America have far less strict quirk restriction laws with the latter even having an actual military still around, albeit not even a fraction of what it was before the Dawn of Quirks. 

But hero society exists all over the globe, as does the mountain of problems it brings, and that mountain is collapsing as we speak. The rotten foundation it was built on can only support so much, and going Plus Ultra with this crap sealed the deal.”

She’s gotten a whole lot better at giving monologues after secretly practicing and watching her dad give a couple. 

Her subordinates agreed, and she made sure they wouldn’t develop into a bunch of yes-men overtime, so their opinions are valid.

((“Eri, you and your guards stay where they are. Kuin, use a bee to possess Mustard and get that walking Geneva Convention violation back up; his mask is off and the students who beat him down left, so you should have no risk of being spotted. Once that’s done, take some blood samples and give the heroes poison-filled hell.

Rei, continue staying out of sight and tear apart any other pussycats or villains you find for now. Wait for Shoto and Touya to tire each other out before confronting them. Machia, continue guarding my daughter and her subordinates.”))

Her dad is the one sending a message this time. Looks like everything is going well on their end.

She’s a little disappointed she doesn’t get to truly fight. She loves this feeling of the cold night air and the freedom she has. The thrill of using her quirk to light up the night sky would make things even better, but she isn’t a selfish fool.

Kota needed the development. He needed the closure. 

He and the rest of her subordinates will be built up alongside her, like what her dad is doing with his subordinates. They won’t become emotionless weapons to be thrown away when used up; they hold a special place in Eri’s heart.

 

The poison gas starts up again with it being much more focused this time, the flames and ice begin to die down, and some magician guy (Mr. Compress, she remembers her dad called him) is hopping through the trees with Izuku and several other students on his tail.

“Oh, looks like Kuin is having Mustard help the marble man escape with some more gas. You think bush boy will realize his discount state smashes could blow the gas away?”

“We’re talking about an idiot who solves all his problems by punching harder no matter how much that destroys his body in the process. Considering how much he’s copying All Might, I doubt he even realizes that kicking is a thing, much less weaponizing air pressure made from strong enough punches.”

Eri chuckles a bit at her two personal bodyguards (Machia doesn’t count), remembering overhearing her dad ranting about the ‘plot-armored, empty-headed, bush-haired bastard of an OFA user’ more than a few times over the last couple months.

“He’ll probably catch up at the cost of an arm or a leg… or both… or double of both.” She voices her thoughts as a giant shadow bird monster pops up in the distance. 

“Too bad we don’t have any popcorn with us…”

“MACHIA LOVES POPCORN!!!”

“I know, big buddy. My dad and I will get you some as a reward when we’re done here, okay?”

“THANK YOU, MY LADY! MACHIA WILL PROTECT UNTIL THE END!!!”

The heroes better pray that’s the case, because the only alternative to Gigantomachia staying on the defensive is Gigantomachia going on the offensive.

They’ll all be going more on the offensive soon, all according to her dad’s plan. With how paranoid he is, if he deems their forces as powerful enough to finally go on the offensive, then Japan is absolutely SCREWED.

Before this week is over, the pillars of peace and evil will collapse onto each other, whatever’s left of that rotten building following soon after. Idiots, the lot of them! They’ll be the architects of their own destruction, and she can’t wait to witness that alongside her dad.

In the meantime, she still has a role to play.

Her dad’s gonna be soooo proud of her!

 

 

“Oh, it seems I was a little late…” 

The charred skeleton widens what’s left of his eyes as she arrives.

“That’s okay though. It’s just fine. I have my priorities straight now, and protecting my new family is far more important than slaughtering my old one.”

“M… m-moooo… mmmmmmAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!”

“I did always tell you, Touya, you were never cut out to be a hero. None of you Todorokis were.” Rei calmly reminds the skeleton as it lunges at her like a wild animal.

“Not because of your blood or quirks; you were never bound by that. Rather, your obsessiveness and one-track minds brought about your family’s downfall.”

She stares down the flames of insanity without even a shred of fear.

Why should she be afraid? She’s become far stronger than her old family ever was.

“At this rate, you’ll burn out far before you can reach your father, but don’t worry…”

The skeleton never reaches its target, the mountains of ice her old youngest left around before her old oldest turned him into a kindling reshape and skewer it before it can.

She also uses it to skewer the youngest Todoroki, just in case.

She also further burns both with her copy of Endeavor’s quirk. Just. In. Case.

“Freeze first, then burn. Such a simple strategy, one Shoto was never smart or daring enough to try. Enji made sure of it; he ensured his foolishness would rub off on all of you.” Japan’s most powerful elemental sighs. “I’ll get revenge in your stead. I want revenge on all of you, after all, and now… now, I’m two steps closer to achieving that.”

The oldest Todoroki child slumps down dead after giving one final screech. No need to collect some of their DNA; Sekan already has plenty of it and can duplicate more whenever he wishes to. 

She then further alters the flaming, ice-covered battlefield, ensuring that anyone else who stops by will believe the two boys simply killed each other if sublimation doesn’t handle the cover-up for her.

Enji will be devastated from wherever the HPSC is hiding him now.

Good. Let him suffer a bit more until she gets around to finishing the job. 

Now it’s time to leave. She has to congratulate her precious little water droplet for finally getting his own revenge if Sekan’s update is anything to go by. 

She’s so proud of him.

 

 

“Your ‘Gunhead Martial Arts’ was cute and all, but Mr. Stainy’s combat training is so much better, right?... right? Hellooooooo?... Oh, you bled out already. Oopsie daisy.” 

The blond-haired villain sighs as she gets a bit more blood from the fresh corpse, getting ready to use her quirk. 

Her actual secret boss promised her all the blood she could drink as well as other adorable pictures of his daughter for completing this, so there’s no way she’s gonna screw up now!

She can’t let her mind wander off. She needs to stay focused! Like Stain told her after throwing her into the ground for like the hundredth time, “Body and mind must move together in harmony. If either wing fails, the eagle cannot fly.”

To him, Toga was still a worm and Stain hardly needed to soar to tear her out of the ground. Not even getting a copy of his quirk helped as she has to actually damage him, make him bleed, for the paralysis to work.

But she was improving. She didn’t get this far without being caught thanks to sheer dumb luck.

She will become as skilled as him someday, as skilled and far more powerful than the killer ever was. She will pay back Eri for all the kindness and love she gave her.

“I wonder how many other cuties I’ll be able to fool with your face, Ochako? Oh, that sounds like a fun game to play! I can complete both my missions too while doing this! Yippee!”

 

 

‘The villains got Katsuki Bakugou, but All Might’s on his way. ETA 3 minutes 20 seconds.’ Kuin thinks to herself and sends her boss the mental message.

((“Use your bees to lead him towards the surrounding Nomus; that’s what ‘Long Haul’ just offered Nezu, and the rat accepted our further aid. Even if he drove most of the way here and didn't use his muscle form for anything else, he won’t have much time to save the day.”))

‘Understood.’

Funny how schooling a hero school several times is all it takes for this society to crumble. 

Talk about fragile, but that’s just fine. It lets her little shows have much more of an impact, after all.

And that’s before she takes center stage as the world burns down all around her.

 

 

Everything’s going to plan. 

No, it’s actually slightly better than what Sekan hoped for.

Twice and Spinner not being around for this rendition was going to limit the villains’ firepower compared to canon, but AFO could just send more Nomus then in canon to make up for that, which is exactly what he did. He had several dozen ready by Kamino in canon, and that’s only a few days away.

Nezu also continues to see that so-called demon lord as the greater threat, which makes delivering their ‘aid’ that much easier. 

And said demon lord would burst a blood vessel from that bald head of his if he could see Sekan now, if he truly knew what changed fate awaited him.

Katsuki was still kidnapped, and Fumikage Tokoyami was along for the ride too thanks to a mind-controlled Mustard stopping Izuku and Yuga Aoyama likely getting different instructions from the demon lord.

Tenya Iida decided to stupidly rush off and get revenge for his big bro like he did in canon. The Nomus killed his big brother back then, and the Nomus (plus an Ochako-disguised Toga; you should’ve seen the look on his face during that literal backstab) killed him now. 

Izuku wasn’t around to save him this time.

 

He wasn’t around to fight Muscular either. A pity, Kota could’ve shown him how to properly take down villains like that. 

The guy’s quirk was a perfect foil to Izuku blindly hitting and trying to win by increasing power output instead of actually thinking things through, and he should’ve been thinking a damn lot if his mutter storms and hero analysis are anything to go by. 

Letting your enemy power-up is one thing, but attacking their strongest points instead of their weakest is just peak stupidity on his end, and he’s made plenty of stupid decisions during his time as a hero student. But this is a shounen and people here have to go ‘Plus Ultra’ and all that.

‘Unfortunately for you, my version of Plus Ultra is far better. The results speak for themselves.’ He grins as this latest and greatest altered act comes to a close.

More heroes and villains were taken down thanks to AFO and Nezu secretly sending in reinforcements, the UA students actually had some casualties this time around, and my two biggest threats are even more determined to end each other in a few days time.

The original plan was to keep any truly massive changes for post-Kamino, but the Training Camp Arc is close enough. Only a few days away from the symbols’ second showdown.

‘Class 1-A… whether it’s because of grit or plot armor, they are diamonds that were meant to shine brightly as heroes one day. However, the higher the price diamonds have, the more their defects are clear. 

The society you created and protected won’t accept such flaws. Society has no use for you, and I have no use for you, so naturally, the world has no use for you, and so it stopped protecting you. 

I didn’t orchestrate your deaths in particular, as I had no need to, no reason to. I simply wanted to weaken the heroes along with the villains; that meant background casualties were inevitable, and you just happened to be part of that statistic.’

 

 

Ochako Uraraka? Dead. 

Shoto Todoroki? Dead. 

Tenya Iida? Dead.

Dabi and Muscular? Dead and dead.

Four 1-B students are dead and two more are crippled for life despite Recovery Girl’s best efforts, so no more heroing for them. 

Mustard and Moonfish were captured along with seven out of thirteen low/mid-level Nomus sent to aid the LOV. 

Over a dozen Pro-Heroes died fighting most of the latter.

Tiger is the only Wild Wild Pussycat member that didn’t die. AFO didn’t get Ragdoll either; with how thorough Rei was, the Vanguard Action Squad had nothing left to kidnap. A few Class 1-B students who happened to be around some of the pussycats met similar fates, Rei leaving no witnesses to her rampage behind.

Izuku somehow managed to break even more of his body then he did in canon despite not facing Muscular, but he’s taken far more damage mentally. 

The Middle-Tier Nomu Kuin’s swarm possessed (yes, she finally learned how to do that thanks to some help from IQ and more modifications from LabHaul) and sent to distract him at the start probably contributed to that thanks to its sheer strength and regeneration.

Katsuki Bakugou and Fumikage Tokoyami were both kidnapped by the League of Villains.

All Might is furious, Izuku is devastated, and Star and Stripe is ‘secretly’ on her way.

“Let your final act begin, All For One.” Sekan grins, heading back through the warp gate after everyone else in his team.

He leaves nothing but a flaming forest full of corpses and despair behind.

Chapter 74: The Demon Lord’s Downfall - Part 1

“This is an embarrassment, through and through.” UA’s principal states solemnly to everyone in the room, with hints of anger clear in his tone. “We have been outmaneuvered by these villains every step of the way, and that’s despite the enemy of our enemy giving us advanced notice.”

“Are you sure that he isn’t secretly with All For One? We keep failing despite his warnings, and said warnings are given awfully close to the time these events happen.” Gran Torino asks while picking at his arm cast.

“If he and his helpers are with him, then All For One is certainly going to extreme lengths to hide that fact. Long Haul quite literally sent me several selfies of his allies standing over the corpses of Muscular and two Nomus, with the appearances of said allies being covered up by masks and full-body cloaks.

Also, through both statements of the survivors as well as investigating the crime scene, I can be certain that none of the heroes or hero students present were responsible for those three casualties on the villains’ side.

The Queen Bee’s swarm also helped guide All Might to where the villains are, and I doubt that All For One would be willing to aid him in any way, even if it was for a greater plan. He’s far too prideful for that.

And to add insult to injury, Long Haul, according to the recent messages he sent me, is considering ending our alliance and looking for other allies due to us failing miserably to stop All For One’s assaults even with his help.”

“That’s most likely a lie. He simply wants us to become more desperate and try harder.” ‘Sir Nighteye’ points out.

“Like we aren’t doing enough of that already.” Gran Torino mutters.

“And yet we failed. That is the simple truth of the matter, and now seven of our students are dead, two are permanently crippled, and two more are now in the clutches of All For One. And that’s just this latest incident.” Nezu sighs. “If it wasn’t for All Might directly advocating in our favor, UA would be completely shut down.”

It was very rare to hear him sound so defeated and angry, but the others couldn’t help but share the sentiment. They failed to pull through when it mattered the most and they were now paying the price for it. 

Forget Long Haul, they couldn’t even handle All For One with the former’s help!

“Is there nothing we can do then?!” One of the crew’s newest additions growls. “You all decided to keep secrets and let these villains lead you around by the nose, causing defeat after defeat!”

“And what would you have us do then, Eraserhead? Go to the HPSC? Even if we dismissed Long Haul’s unconfirmed claims as 100% false, the ones I did confirm make them almost as villainous as All For One himself!” ‘Nighteye’ argues back.

“Nighteye has a point. Besides, it’s not like Madam President will be standing idly by either. Half of Japan’s reporters are banging down your door right now, some are even setting up tents, and things will only get uglier if Bakugou and Tokoyami aren’t saved soon.

However, the heads of UA’s staff aren’t the only ones on this country-sized chopping block. All Might made the HPSC complacent, but they won’t let something like this go unpunished. Our counterattack will likely double as a show of force for them.” A secretly-possessed Detective Tsukauchi throws in his two cents.

 

“First I-Island and now this… I knew that David blamed himself for not being able to heal my injuries, but I figured he would at least move past it during these last few years. 

I told him there was nothing he could do to help. His specialty is in support equipment for quirks, not gastroenterology, and if the brightest medical minds of Earth combined with Recovery Girl’s quirk couldn’t repair the damage, no one can.” All Might soberly sighs.

‘Shows how much you people know. In Japan alone, I found and acquired Overhaul, Cell Activation, and Rewind. That’s three quirks that can easily heal your injury, three quirks far beyond anything Recovery Girl can pull off with her own.

Four if we include the Cell Activation of Katsuma and Mahoro’s dad. Five if we also include Creation, as any replacement body parts can be made with enough intel. 

And I’m not even counting Super Regeneration as that would need to be transferred over to work. Seriously, you people suck at this!’ NightHaul internally rants, but keeps his act up and his mouth shut to avoid blowing his cover.

“I can pull some strings once we take down the demon lord.” Star and Stripe claims over the video call. “The World Heroes Association can’t help much, but America still has resources like the CIA and FBI at its disposal, even if they don’t quite compare to their pre-quirk selves. 

We can act publicly and maybe even get the WHA as a whole to step in if we find enough damning evidence, but that may take a while.”

“That will have to come later.” All Might sighs. “For now, we can only-”

*bzzzzzzt*

“Oh, excuse me.” Nezu apologies while looking at his phone.

His expression turns to shock a few seconds later.

“What now?” Gran Torino groans with Nezu flipping his phone around so everyone can see.

It’s several messages from Long Haul, a few pictures and sets of coordinates leading to both the LOV’s bar and Nomu facility in Kamino.

After that is one last text message.

-Last chance, heroes. Don’t fuck it up.

Long Haul

 

Countdown to Canon: Kamino Tonight!

The greedy rat took my bait, just like I knew he would. Momo not planting a tracker like she did in canon worked for my benefit; Nezu and the others just couldn’t resist taking this opportunity, so I could dictate exactly when the Kamino raid occurs. 

All For One has been taking a more active role, just like I knew he would. That drama queen wouldn’t let anything get in the way of his crappy ‘master plan’, and that also worked for my benefit. Even if he suspects foul play outside of the heroes, what’s he gonna do about it, especially as said heroes bust his door down?

Both Endeavor and Star will be making a surprise appearance at Kamino thanks to the HPSC and Nezu respectively. All Might may be weaker than he was in canon, but the demon lord is still done for. Forget a fire, I’ve lit a goddamn inferno under their asses!

And once the dust settles and the demon lord is thrown into Tartarus, I’ll make sure both his empire and reign ends for good.

“Oh… oh, this is gonna be glorious.” Kurono grins once he finishes processing the plan.

Same goes for the rest of my armies.

 

Over 8,000 regular yakuza, 3,000 soldiers, 1,000 Tartarus combat robots, 400 Praetorians, 120 Special Praetorians, several hundred corrupt officers/heroes, the Sinister Six, the Four Horsemen, Gigantomachia, and almost every subsidiary and specialized Hassaikai branch I have.

All of them are well-equipped and out for blood. Grunts and soldiers will have military helmets, bulletproof vests, combat boots, and assault rifles alongside their quirks at the very least. Tools like flash grenades and canisters of tear gas will also be in abundance, primarily in the soldiers’ arsenals.

You can put this army next to the modern JSDF special forces of my previous world and you wouldn’t notice the difference equipment-wise. 

More elite units like the Praetorians will have their custom gear. Advanced, flexible nanomaterial using the best of modern science and some quirks to form with some canisters of my special Trigger blend attached and able to be injected at any time the user wishes. Picture something similar-looking to Nine’s suit in canon.

At this point my Creation Crew made enough for all my best subordinates and top brass. Praetorians, Special Praetorians, Sinister Six, Four Horsemen, and so on. I even have my own suit equipped, albeit with some extra customizations, both to benefit my quirks and to have me stick out as leader.

And that’s not even mentioning all the heavy weaponry I’m deploying in tandem with this army, including a small squadron of my own X-66 Fighter Jets. It took a little while for their pilots to master the controls, but I say they’re ready for their first combat test.

That’s also not even mentioning the massive army of modified bees Kuin and several of her clones will be deploying to both oversee and reinforce this massive attack. Along with allowing me to easily monitor the battle, they will be injecting allies with my Trigger and enemies with temporary quirk-erasers. 

And there’s the army of Double clones I can make at any time as more reinforcements.

Oh, and myself along with my top brass and various Praetorians all have their own QAD to equip alongside our custom gear, further boosting their quirks. Unlike the one made from Double back at I-Island, these were made with Creation as we now have a complete understanding of David’s device.

Only the Pseudo-Machias are excluded from this extra gift since the helmets would snap the moment their gigantification quirks kicked in, but they’re powerful enough without it.

Hypothetically translated to the HPSC’s Villain Ranking System, this attack will feature, among many others, at least dozens of S-Ranks, hundreds of A-Ranks, thousands of B-Ranks, and myself as a SS-Rank, a villain ranking only given to All For One himself in canon. I say I earned it at this point.

In short, there will be no pulling punches tonight.

And the targets for this massive assault? Jaku Hospital and the megatall skyscraper AFO camps out in before the events of Kamino as well as every other secret AFO stronghold and subordinate present throughout Japan.

…Excluding the bar and Nomu factory in Kamino, of course. The heroes will handle those ones for me.

A pity for them that they won’t see how the hell you actually deal with quirk-stealing demon lords. I’m about to make AFO’s war against All Might’s little group and his war against two centuries of OFA users in general look like walks in the park.

 

While I’ve been mostly steering clear of AFO himself, his local assets are a very different story. 

The IQ quirk excels in processing vast quantities of information in order to find seemingly unnoticeable tendencies and connections.

Kuin and my legion of spies are excellent at conventional investigation, reconnaissance, and infiltration. Not to mention gathering information from people and properly interpreting whatever they gained.

NightHaul alone had decades of experience dealing with All For One thanks to Sir Nighteye’s memories, so recognizing his handiwork became easier then ever. And do I even need to mention my own meta-knowledge.

Add in groups like my Cyberwarfare Branch and you get an organization that’s pretty much impossible to hide things from. This organization had over a year’s worth of prep time for this assignment, and their results speak for themselves.

His spies, his villains, his Nomus, and everyone else under him will be going to me either dead or alive. All his properties, online networks, bank accounts, and stored quirks (his original quirk included) will become mine.

I am taking every single little thing he owns in Japan tonight at minimum right after the heroes finish beating him down, and there’s not a single fucking thing he can do about it. 

Oh, and if I find out about assets of his in other countries, I’ll gladly take those too. I have enough people with Warp Gate copies to form a goddamn warp railway across the globe, and I’ll be putting that international railway to use.

 

Not only will we have surprise on our side, but Dr. Garaki and the others will be too shell-shocked after AFO’s defeat to properly respond as long as we act fast enough, and I made sure that my guys will be fast enough.

This is my biggest operation to date by far and something I’ve been preparing to pull off for over a year. Not even my Naruhata Gambit comes close to this; I’m truly going all in this time.

Even if my forces directly fought AFO and all his current assets on a battlefield, I would still probably win. But that scenario involves fighting fairly, and I’d be a pretty crappy villain if I did something as stupid as that. 

My own armies mobilize as the heroes do with my corrupt officers confirming ‘Long Haul’ was telling the truth by presenting similar evidence pointing towards the bar as in canon. Tsukauchi and NightHaul also keep me updated on all the heroes' plans. 

The heroes requested that ‘Sir Nighteye’ use Foresight, and he did on All Might… well, he pretended to, anyway. He then claimed that he couldn’t view anything and AFO must have gotten a quirk to block it after his last fight with the Symbol of Peace.

NightHaul had used it on me an hour or so earlier. He’s going to be the main coordinator of this invasion and use both future knowledge and otherworldly knowledge to help ensure our victory. 

And unlike when he used Foresight during I-Island, there are no time-manipulation issues on my end to mess up the results. However, in the very slim chance that AFO or some Nomu of Garaki’s actually does have a quirk that messed with Foresight without us knowing, we’ll be ready to alter the plan accordingly.

Eri wanted to help too, and she can control whether or not her energy carries the Rewind effect, as can Kurono and Kiruka with their Chronostasis quirks, so they can fight without jeopardizing our future-seeing trump card.

As for why I’m letting Eri and the other Head-Starters help out, they deserve a reward for their hard work and they’ll be backline support for the smaller facilities rather than busting heads on the frontlines.

Still better than what the HPSC did during the Paranormal Liberation War, and I’m an actual villain!

 

Anyway, the main goal here is still secrecy, and the Klonogiris warping parts of our army directly into every AFO-owned property across the county should let us avoid being detected. The cyberwarfare branch covering our tracks while hacking into their databases and coordinating all these strike teams is just an extra precaution.

It was going to be a logistical nightmare for them, but they have enough people and skills to pull this off, especially with NightHaul and BossHaul helping to oversee the process. 

They managed to track down several dozen general targets already, and Foresight only added to that number according to NightHaul. Mostly personnel and locations involved in operations like information gathering, secret research, and various legal businesses that his agents are running.

But there will probably be a lot more to go after once AFO’s private online networks are laid bare in front of us. That’s why I’m keeping a decent portion of my army in reserve initially while the rest take over the locations we do know about.

And once again, warping quirks prove to be an absolute godsend for me. The tactical potential they have in warfare is never-ending.

Same does with the Double quirk. I have several dozen Twice clones ready to create more clones of my top brass as reinforcements if necessary. Both them and my warpers each serve as force multipliers, so stacking them on top of each other should be overkill.

Excluding the support swarm from Kuin and her Double clones, most of these strike teams will initially consist of half a dozen Praetorians, a few dozen soldiers and combat robots, and a hundred or so thugs. The priority targets like the Nomu factories will get several times as many forces as well as several Special Praetorians and Special Military Units. 

Clones of the Sinister Six, Four Horsemen, and various subsidiary group leaders will be sent as backup once the originals have all been deployed to provide aid.

As for the underground lair of Jaku Hospital, that target will be visited by yours truly, Gigantomachia, Kuin, 20 different Special Praetorians, 150 regular Praetorians, 500 soldiers, most of my Special Military Units, and almost all the remaining combat robots and modified bees at my disposal.

Ideally, by going all out immediately, I’ll be able to prevent Garaki from deploying even a single Nomu, unfinished High-End or otherwise, but I’m prepared to take on every Nomu the good doctor currently has if necessary. 

Kuin and Gigantomachia in particular have a serious bone to pick with the doctor, so if things really do end up getting ugly, then I can rely on those walking weapons of mass destruction to crush whatever tricks he has up his sleeve.

All eyes will be on the two symbols tonight, and that’s just what I need. It’ll greatly help with the next stage of my grand strategy to be a resounding success. 

 

((“The heroes’ attack is about to begin.”)) NightHaul lets me and the other clones know as our armies prepare for a mass deployment across the country.

Maybe even the world if we get enough data on international AFO hideouts.

Nezu arranged a similar press interview as in canon for a distraction, once again stupidly leaving Aizawa behind despite how easily he could take down the quirk thief with a simple glare.

He must be going for the flashy route… Of course he is.

It’s the method that has been ingrained in society thanks to All Might, after all. You’ve got to look good for the cameras, now don’t you?

According to my cyberwarfare branch, the HPSC plans to have Endeavor ‘redeem himself’ by stepping in at the most opportune moment, stealing the thunder from All Might. 

Yeah, like that’ll go well.

When I asked NightHaul about it, he told me not to worry and focus on my own part of this mission. I trust his judgment, but I know he’s looking forward to my reaction to this altered Kamino. God forbid he spoils the new plot for me.

Anyway, it seems that even the HPSC has picked up on All Might running out of steam. The flame hero is probably quite eager to get payback on the villain group that led to two of his sons killing each other, one of said sons being his ‘masterpiece’ at that.

Unfortunately for them, Nezu has a different star planned for this show, and All Might is currently much less weakened then the HPSC believes him to be. I may not have the results of Foresight, but Reveal paints a clear enough picture for me.

Kuin has hundreds of bees spread out all over Kamino, and I soon see the heroes and police charge towards the two hideouts through her swarm.

I already instructed Toga on what to do. 

I already know what I need to do.

And this time, I know it’s all going to work.

 

 

The Kamino raid begins like it does in canon. 

The remaining LOV members are restrained, lower-tier Nomus are warped in through AFO’s Gloop Warp (not as many as in canon due to wasting more back at Hosu), and All For One defeats Best Jeanist along with the rest of the Nomu raid team with a single blast.

As for team Class 1-A, they aren’t present at either location.

Momo never attached a tracker onto a Nomu here, Shoto is dead, Tenya is dead, Ejiro is still severely injured, and Izuku is both severely injured and practically catatonic right now.

The latter completely lost it in canon after Bakugou was captured, so with both him and Tokoyami being captured plus several of his other closest friends being killed, just imagine how he’s feeling here. The Dekusquad is done for.

Now where was I? Oh, right. So just like in canon, the Nomu raid team is taken down with only Best Jeanist still trying to fight back after AFO’s initial multi-quirked blast. He managed to get the others mostly out of the way by manipulating their clothing, and he himself isn’t down for the count just yet.

A follow-up blast of Air Cannon then cuts through the Number 4 Hero’s remaining threads and… oh.

Ohhhhhhhh, boy. 

 

Instead of his chest like in canon, that blast of pressurized air just blew up most of Best Jeanist’s head, killing him in an instant. And unlike when I insta-killed him, AFO has no means of resurrecting him, not that he would if he could.

All For One then finishes off Gang Orca, Tiger, and Mt. Lady one after the other using more Air Cannon shots combined with several strength-enhancing and kinetic-boosting quirks.

Looks like someone isn’t happy about having much more losses then in canon up to this point. 

More Nomu losses, more villain losses, no Gigantomachia (if he even knows about that), no new fancy Search quirk, and all the things that happened before the main story even started just to name a few inconveniences for the old demon lord. And the best he can do to counter it is throw a murderous hissy fit like his so-called apprentice.

Katsuki, Fumikage, and the remaining LOV members then warp into the area, so Tomura, Kurogiri, Toga, Magne, Mr. Compress, and… that’s it. 

The three members who were caught in canon were also caught here (or killed in Muscular’s case), Dabi is dead, Twice is long-dead, Spinner is also dead, and Toga is my spy.

So all Tomura has left besides Kurogiri is Magne and Mr. Compress, Kurogiri and Magne also being unconscious from the heroes’ initial assault on their bar. Sucks to be him. 

Well it’s not like his own story is going to last much longer here. This isn’t canon. Not anymore.

Anyway, the potato gives his spiel about letting Tomura try again and how this is all meant for him and-

“RETURN MY STUDENTS, ALL FOR ONE!!!”

 

Oh, All Might got here faster than in canon. Far faster than in canon.

And that’s despite him being weaker then his canon self at this point, so what gives, you may ask.

New Order: Toshinori Yagi will return to his prime. 

With this being based on the target’s perception, his ‘prime’ is right before All For One tore part of his chest out, so not only does he de-age a few years and have all his injuries completely healed, but he also returns to his level of strength at that exact point in time.

He doesn’t get a new copy of OFA itself (so the embers that do return can still burn out like what happened to Izuku in Heroes Rising after immediately passing on the quirk), and all these effects only last as long as Star and Stripe keeps the order up, but this is just ridiculous. 

This would also no-sell any temporary quirk-erasing quirk AFO supposedly has (remember my I-Island cover-up?) since rules Star and Stripe already implemented aren’t affected by those. Very clever, heroes. 

“Have you come to kill me a second time, All M-”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

The demon lord gets cut off as his day is further ruined and his helmet is shattered in a single blow. 

‘Oh, this is gonna be satisfying to watch. Kuin, make sure your swarm doesn’t get caught up as collateral.’ I grin as my subordinate gives the affirmative.

 

The potato-man, upon realizing that his archnemesis is a whole lot stronger then he should be, immediately fires up his Air Cannon x Springlike Limbs combo with all the strength enhancers and kinetic boosters he can.

“Star and Stripe, I presume? Relying on others like this… you really have gotten weaker, All Might.” The Symbol of Evil comments.

“And you’ve gotten fatter. Plan on changing out of that Darth Vader cosplay anytime soon?” The Symbol of Peace quips back.

All For One’s multi-quirked blast is then tanked and what remains of his life support mask is torn apart by his archenemy.

But the potato-headed nuisance is far from finished.

“Have you not learned by now how getting others involved in our little feud goes, All Might? Your only sidekick left you, your best friend betrayed you, your master died for you, and her only friend continues to wither away alone. And if I recall correctly, your newest protege recently lost most of his own companions too.”

“And YOU?” All Might retorts. “At least I have people who genuinely care about me for who I am rather than what I have.”

AFO’s Impact Recoil and Reflection quirks are both overwhelmed as All Might delivers a nasty uppercut to his chin. Even the copy of Shock Absorption he added on was helpless.

The supercentenarian does manage to recover thanks to a copy of Super Regeneration he had Garaki give him (why he didn’t get one of that and Shock Absorption in canon despite handing them out to hordes of Nomu like candy is beyond me) and defends as best as he can, but it’s clearly a losing battle at this rate.

However, he is a villain, and the biggest asshole of the bunch at that.

To be more specific, the evil Mr. Potato Head starts firing destructive quirk combinations all over Kamino instead of All Might, forcing the hero to defend the surrounding civilians as best as he can.

“You think boosting the power of a half-dead will change anything? How long will you last with that fried body, All Might? How long can your star-spangled student go Plus Ultra for?”

Katsuki and Fumikage aren't doing much better despite having less opponents to deal with. AFO also used Forced Quirk Activation on the unconscious Kurogiri to open an escape path for the league, and the two UA students are gradually getting forced back towards it by Tomura and Mr. Compress.

“PROMINENCE… BURN!!!”

 

A strengthened Air Cannon counters the flame blast as an absolutely livid Endeavor arrives on the scene, far earlier than he did in canon.

Looks like someone isn’t too happy about his masterpiece getting burnt to ashes a few days ago. 

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING, TODOROKI?!?” All Might barks at the new arrival.

“Why hello there, Endeavor. I figured the HPSC would send their newest lapdog my way as well rather than have him handle the small fry. I must thank you for giving my apprentice such a valuable ally in his quest to bring this world to ruin.

I did hope your oldest son would last a little longer though. Almost made retrieving and partially fixing his burnt body from Sekoto Peak back then not worth it. Oh well, at least he took your masterpiece down with him.” All For One then taunts.

If Enji Todoroki wasn’t furious before, he sure as hell is now.

“Seriously?” All Might mutters as the flame hero rockets towards the other symbol in a blind fury, getting part of his side chomped off by a mutant quirk combination like he did during the Final War as a result.

“Oh I’m not done yet, All Might. While we’re on the subject of my apprentice, here’s a little fun fact about Tomura Shigaraki. He’s Nana Shimura’s grandson.”

And that’s two out of three top heroes present shell-shocked because of this world’s Wish-Dot-Com Satan having a thing for traumatized kids.

((‘Hypocritical much?’))

‘Hey, Eri was the one who recruited the people in her organization, not me!’ I mentally argue with my bird ghost.

Oh, and as for the third top hero present…

 

“NEW ORDER! CATHLEEN BATE IS GONNA SMASH YOUR POTATO-LOOKING HEAD INTO THE DIRT EVEN IF IT’S THE LAST THING SHE DOES!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Star and Stripe outdoes AFO at his own air manipulation game, slamming him into the ground below with a massive air palm. Gran Torino also shows up to help Katsuki and Fumikage escape.

That flying goblin in spandex might be ancient at this point, but if AFO is anything to go by, ancient doesn’t mean weak.

Speaking of, the demon lord isn’t looking too good after that last hit, and unlike me, he doesn’t have Overhaul to instantly fix the damage.

It’s almost time…

“MOVE, YOU FUCKING AMERICANS! HE’S MINE!!!” Endeavor roars despite his chest gushing out blood, interrupting Star’s latest attack and throwing a Hell’s Curtain of his own down at him. 

Star growls at the flame hero, having heard a bit about his family history herself, but eventually relents and uses this chance to check up on her master, giving herself her strength rule back in the process which dissipates the giant air construct.

Endeavor, in the meantime, blasts at the downed demon lord over and over with everything he has left.

But the villain has long since escaped that onslaught and appears next to Tomura, forcing him and the remaining LOV members into the portal. Gran Torino, Katsuki, and Fumikage have also already escaped from the villains.

AFO even tries to escape himself, but Star’s anti-warp screws him over like how it screwed me over back at I-Island.

However…

“Powering All Might up and stopping my warping… that’s both rules used.”

 

“No, GET BEHIND ME, STAR!” All Might screams at his old student.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

AFO hammers away at the duo, All Might doing his best to defend Star as she quickly reapplies her own strength rule. Meanwhile, Endeavor practically collapses after his rage and stamina fade away.

‘Seriously? How do you manage to screw even this up?’ I can’t help but internally complain. ‘The three of you should’ve been able to easily take him on at his prime, yet here you are, fumbling around like children despite him being so weakened. 

Where’s the Star and Stripe that kicked my ass at I-Island? Is the world only making her competent when I’m her target? You people never learn, do you? None of you ever do…’

“ENOUGH!!!” All Might roars, redirecting the multiple Air Cannons upwards before rocketing over… but the demon lord just grins.

“Gloop Warp…”

Star and Stripe is pulled right into his grasp.

“PLUS NEW ORD… huh?”

“New Order, New Order can’t be stolen. NOW, ALL MIGHT!!!”

“UNITEEEEEDDDDDDD…”

AFO tried to use Star as a shield, but he’s hit from the back by one last fireball from Endeavor before the flame hero passes out.

“STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATES…”

Star breaks free from his grasp, and reapplies her strength rule to jump away in time.

The demon lord isn’t so lucky.

“...OF SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

All Might could’ve killed him right then and there if we wanted, but he’s a ‘true hero’ at the end of the day, and his situation isn’t as desperate as it was during their first fight. 

That’s a pity. The potato being permanently squashed would’ve made things easier in the long run, but he’s still been taken off the board for the time being. That’s all that matters.

“It was more difficult than expected, but everything still went according to plan. Let’s move out, everyone.”

 

All For One had his chance. 

He could have taken some quirks to increase his willpower or found a bodyfusing quirk like Overhaul to easily take One For All, but he didn’t. Hell, a brainwashing or mind control quirk could make OFA users consent to giving him the quirk, but nope, he never thought of that.

He could have ended me at Naruhata (or at least forced me to use Sad Man’s Parade for a MAD) if he paid more attention and was willing to fully commit to his butchering, but he didn’t. He could have maintained control of Japan’s underworld or just went to some other country to rebuild power without All Might stopping him, but he didn’t.

Hell, he could have found and taken a Shock Nullification quirk if he wanted! I’m trying to find one right now, but I’ve only been searching for weeks while he’s had entire centuries to get his shit together.

Even if he was smart enough to give himself copies of Shock Absorption and Super Regeneration here (why his canon self didn't do that is beyond me), he still could've gone the extra mile. He still could've gone Plus Ultra with ease.

Can you imagine the irony of that? Around two centuries of One For All gathering physical power to fight him, only for All For One to render it practically useless with a single quirk. 

He could have won so, so easily, but he didn’t. He lost, not because the heroes were strong but because he was absolutely terrible at his job, and now all that he has left is mine for the taking.

Two centuries of undisputed lordship over the Japanese underworld is enough. The world of villains needs some new perspectives to evolve, so no more AFO. 

And now, well… borrowing the very phrase All Might said upon his canon victory and only his canon victory…

NOW, IT’S MY TURN!!!

Chapter 75: The Demon Lord’s Downfall - Part 2

Notes:

I'll be taking a one-week hiatus to reorganize and finalize plans for the next section of HTSAS, but before that begins, enjoy a certain demon lord finally getting his comeuppance.

“NO! MASTEEEEERRRRR!!!” The ancient geneticist wails as his lord is beaten down and taken away.

He was SO CLOSE! If All For One acquired New Order, their plans, their dream would have become so much easier!

Damn those heroes… but it isn’t over yet. 

Kyudai Garaki rose from his seat, deciding to walk through his library of quirks to settle his nerves.

Countless pods filled with his own custom preservation solution to contain their contents. Countless Quirk Factors gathered over the years through stealing or copying, just waiting to be inserted in his numerous projects.

He took pride in his work, especially since it took him decades to get to his current level, and seeing it all on full display always reignited his resolve.

And his master… his presence is overwhelming, his smile like Buddha’s; he is a god walking among them in human form. But even he has limits.

He was one of the first people to ever have a quirk. His body isn’t nearly as evolved as the newer generations, meaning more complex and powerful quirks are difficult for him to hold inside his aging body.

Tomura can solve that. His body will be modified to bring out the full potential of every quirk All For One stockpiled. His master will be able to both use and hold more quirks, all whilst having enough hatred to finally take back One For All.

Essentially, this will be All For One’s way of upgrading. His master will have the hardware needed to keep up with his software, and the tremendous physical power boost this will give him is just the cherry on top.

This will allow him to survive the singularity, and Garaki will be safe by his side as the entire world crumbles once again.

 

But before the day of reckoning, and even before his master’s new body is complete, he has so many other projects to show the heroes.

Hood is almost finished, and many more High-End Nomu will follow.

The test subject for his ‘Pseudo-AFO’ quirk creation should also cause plenty of havoc before his body fails him.

Gigantomachia is still out there somewhere, and he won’t take his master’s defeat lightly. If Garaki can’t get him back into the fold, then the giant will at least keep the heroes occupied for a while. 

A High-End Nomu or two should be a decent enough replacement for Tomura’s true training.

All Might is done for and his successor isn’t anywhere close to being ready. Star and Stripe shouldn’t stick around Japan for much longer either.

Yes… while there have been some unexpected bumps in the road, the winner will ultimately be-

“What’s up, doc?”

 

Countdown to Canon: Kamino Tonight!

Seconds after that final punch was thrown, several hundred warp gates opened all across Japan, and thousands of Shie Hassaikai members rapidly spilled out of them. 

Warp quirks open up so many possibilities when warfare is involved. No advanced warning, no risks of a random patrol detecting your assault unit beforehand, no problems with delivering resources to target locations, easy retreat after the fight is over, and so on. Such strategic assets would be targeted and taken down whenever possible.

It’s almost like playing a game on the lowest difficulty setting. The only issue is how rare powerful warp quirk users are. Even if AFO and Tomura weren’t unimaginative shits, they only had one Kurogiri and a different, far weaker warping quirk at their disposal.

I can create as many as I need, and I know how to properly use them. 

Very few could react in time. After all, how could they peel their eyes away from such a colossal event? Their lord was fighting the Symbol of Peace and he was totally going to win, right?

Simply put, they never saw it coming.

 

I knew where Garaki’s main hidey hole was located thanks to the Jaku Hospital Raid in canon, and had a pretty good idea of the lair’s layout too. 

From there, my clones and I only needed to make a few calculations and use Reveal on the building from afar to give Warp Gate viable coordinates.

After that was done, we just needed to make sure the actual hospital doesn’t catch on, but nobody above ground should notice a thing as long as a massive brawl doesn’t break out.

The moment I step out of the gate, I see that midget Eggman being the sniveling fool he is as a live report of All Might standing triumphant plays in front of him.

Got you, Garaki.

“What’s up, doc?” I give a vicious grin, picking up the doctor with telekinesis before he can press any buttons.

“ME AND MY PROBLEMATIC PERSONALITY ARE BACK, JACKASS!” Kuin screeches next to me, mentally commanding hundreds of bees to surround her old handler.

“QUEEN BEE?!? Cease fire!” Garaki shrieks to no avail. “You blasted- this is why I shelved you!”

“SHELVE THIS, YOU-”

Probably for the best I didn’t have any kids partake in this attack. If the lab full of bioengineered horrors didn’t earn an R-Rated label, then the screaming match between these two definitely does.

“You leave my mother out of this!”

“Why should I when you shuffled my mother’s insides around?!”

“That was your previous incarnation, you pea-brained insect!”

“Close enough, you Frankenstein reject!”

As entertaining as this is, and as good of a distraction to keep Garaki occupied as this is, it’s about time I sealed the deal.

 

Kuin falls silent as I glance her way and Garaki falls silent as I shut his mouth with telekinesis, ensuring he can’t cry out for any Nomus.

Meanwhile, the Praetorians, soldiers, modified bees, and Tartarus robots pour in and the cyberwarfare division immediately gets to work hacking everything they can. No need to get by facial recognition scanners and pin codes when you have technopathic quirks.

I literally had no time to waste since I have no clue what superweapons Garaki can prematurely activate, but despite that extra hurdle from the get-go, everything went just as intended.

AFO hideouts everywhere are facing similar problems, and we’re quickly discovering more with every second passing. 

Good. I have over a hundred warpers and a five-digit number of other subordinates prepared for this very day, and that excludes the massive armies of modified bees and clones I’ve amassed overtime. I can handle a slightly larger, but still horribly fractured and disorganized, shadow empire no problem.

Does this leave my own territory completely defenseless for a while? Kind of. I have plenty of automatic defenses hidden around Osaka, but that’s about it. 

But nobody knows about my organization’s existence under the harmless yakuza group, so there’s nobody around to take advantage of its critically vulnerable state.

“What’s wrong? You didn’t think that your master was the only quirk-stealing demon lord out there, did you?” I gloat to the now terrified doctor as he witnesses hundreds of multiple-quirk wielders securing the area.

Some of my cyberwarfare guys are already at his main terminals and computers, combing through his databases and shutting down any security measures they can across his empire. 

Naturally, someone who had well over a century to collect quirks obviously had some superpowered safeguards on such key pieces of equipment. For all we knew, the keyboards would try to bite off our hands the second we touched them.

But the skills and technopathic quirks my own subordinates have let them quickly break through what Garaki didn’t already have unlocked, and no hands were bitten off in the process.

Dozens of warnings pop up on his main screen, alerting the doctor to all his master’s other facilities being attacked. It’s a hard pill to swallow.

No, it’s a nightmare that he’s never waking up from. 

 

“Oh, but where are my manners? My name is Sekan Doraifu, the man behind the Trigger and Modified Weapons Epidemics, the Second Underground Masquerade, the Villain War, the most recent attack on Naruhata, the I-Island disaster- yes, I hijacked the mission AFO sent Wolfram on and took the QAD for myself. Oh, and Machia? Care to say hello?”

“RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!”

“Gigantomachia is my subordinate now, by the way. I subdued him after you so callously threw him away like the trash you believed him to be. You’ll find him to be far stronger than before thanks to the extra quirks and body modifications I gave him. 

Same goes for the Queen Bee and most of the other projects you so callously abandoned. Yes, I didn’t just beat your boss at his own specialty. I’m also something of a mad scientist myself.”

Is giving villain monologues a bad idea in general? Yes, as long as any enemies that hear it live to tell the tale, something Dr. Garaki most certainly will not.

“The Quirk Singularity is coming, Garaki, and I plan on coming out on top once the world destroys itself, so I’ll be helping myself to all your resources and hard work, All For One’s original quirk included. 

And no, your master will not be possessing me once I give myself the ‘Perfect Body’ you planned to give Tomura, and AFO by extension. If anything, I’ll be improving it even further for myself!

The curtains have truly closed for you, Kyudai Garaki. Every base, subordinate, Nomu, quirk, and everything else you and All For One have amassed for entire centuries is being taken or destroyed by my own secret army as we speak, and all in a single night at that.

You two were never the ones in control here, nor were the heroes. It was always me. Now then, before I take your memories and slaughter you, is there perhaps any advice you would like to give to your new ‘successor’ for the incoming singularity? I’m open to suggestions, and don’t bother calling out to the Nomus. I’ll stop you the instant you try.”

A few seconds of silence pass before a slight chuckle escapes the doctor’s lips.

Then another one. 

Then more and more until it becomes full blown laughter.

“The Singularity… YES! THE QUIRK SINGULARITY APPROACHES! Everyone will become equal… EVERYONE WILL BECOME GODS!!! AAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!!!”

 

I didn’t show it at the time, but his final words really bothered me, especially with me knowing how Eri turned out.

But besides that unnerving moment, my secret invasion went perfectly, as did all the other parts of my latest plan.

A good chunk of my troops, with help from any free Klonogiris, went around killing every secret spy and/or follower AFO still had in Japan as de facto SWAT teams using weapons and quirks in tandem.

Kuin had her bees secretly inject most of the stronger ones with temporary quirk-erasers before my subordinates warped in, making their takedown guaranteed.

Hundreds of other thugs and goons of mine helped disguise this mass kidnapping and murders across the country as villains taking advantage of the top heroes, All Might included, being preoccupied, exhausted or straight-up dead. The first of many crime waves to come now that there’s a demon-lord sized hole in the criminal underworld just waiting to be filled up.

So the demon lord’s spy network was dealt with. That series of battles was rather short with All For One’s pawns quickly discovering what people with professional training and tactics could do. Namely, very efficiently take down a group of idiots.

Every spy besides the Aoyama family got attacked (although Kuin is having her bees monitor them in case they somehow catch on). I’ve got something special planned for those three later on; they’re gonna regret being the only exceptions to my purge down the line.

A counterattack of heroes across the country led by Hawks eventually got society back in order, but doing so took practically the entire night with only a few dozen of my cover-up men being taken to various prisons for various crimes. 

The reason I say ‘taken to various prisons’ and not ‘arrested’ is because many more actually were arrested. Most simply managed to break free between then and being thrown into a cell, whether it’s right after they were tied up or while riding in the back seat of police cars.

My Hero Academia has a long history of treating police custody as something like a status effect, like once a villain has been subdued, they’re ‘in custody’ and magically become incapable of attempting to mount an escape.

Why exactly is this the case? Well, it seems to just be another stupid thing ingrained into the people of this society, and unfortunately for this society, I ensured such stupid actions (or lack thereof in this case) would not be taken by my subordinates unless I order them to do so.

 

Oh, but what about quirk cancellation restraints? Surely those make preventing villains from breaking out much easier, right?

Just like scramblers that can stop warp quirk users, quirk-canceling cuffs and similar restraints are a fan-made concept only. No such device exists in the canon anime, manga, games, or spinoffs. 

This is why people like All For One and Muscular are restrained so unforgivingly (remember the Maiden containment cells?) when they’re first arrested. This is why prisoners at Tartarus have guns pointed at their heads at all times. This is why canon Kai’s quirk-eraser drugs were such a big deal.

If you want to stop someone in MHA from using their quirk and you aren’t one of the lucky few with a temporary or permanent quirk-erasing quirk (or quirk-stealing quirk, I suppose), you either have to convince them not to through diplomacy or intimidation, or knock them unconscious. 

Oh, and either of those only work for Emitter and Transformation quirks; mutant-quirk users can’t stop using part of, if not all of their quirk unless said quirk is stolen or completely erased.

So yeah. Even though the police and heroes were bringing in those transports they used to take most of the PLF to prison in canon, there are still plenty of quirks that can break out of those armored trucks and take down any heroes or police kept inside with the prisoners.

Most of my subordinates escaped by trashing these trucks and running over to the nearest rendezvous point for pickup. Several particularly bold subordinates of mine actually managed to steal one of those trucks and bring it over for pickup via Klonogiri. 

I ended up giving those guys a bonus for going Plus Ultra. The truck doesn’t help me much, but I felt like their extra achievement deserved some kind of a reward.

And as for everyone who was caught and successfully transported to police precincts, none of them got caught doing crimes bad enough for placement in Tartarus, just as I had intended, so they’ll be let go legally or broken out illegally without much of a problem soon enough.

Some criminals on my side (not that the heroes know such) had to be caught, even if only for minor offenses. The situation would look far too suspicious otherwise.

Of course, almost every corpse from this secret spy-killing spree (thousands to be exact) was collected and stored for future use throughout the night. Same goes for anyone who saw too much in general; they were either taken too or just warped into the nearest active volcano.

That’s not even including all the people present at AFO’s various facilities and outposts. I may prefer my Praetorians over the Nomus, but the latter can still be a very useful asset. Especially the High-Ends.

Might as well use this chance to get resources for more of them.

All of his secret spies and followers besides the Aoyamas were killed. All of his outposts and hideouts were raided. All of his accounts and properties were seized. You could say I finished what All Might started several decades ago. 

 

Most of his properties were hidden within larger cities, such as that megatall skyscraper he was always hanging around at in canon pre-Kamino. 

That place was a particularly big pain in the ass to secretly raid with how large it was and how many personnel he had there, but the cyberwarfare branch hacking into his tower’s custom security systems let us lock the place down without any civilians outside knowing.

From there, some precise warping with an extra large unit of soldiers and Praetorians reinforced by Kuin’s bees and some Double clones managed to take the tower and subdue its inhabitants before anyone could flee or generally make an unwanted scene.

Some secret outposts of his were pretty far away from society, such as the safehouse AFO and his followers used after escaping Tartarus in canon and the mansion he had set to blow up when heroes raided it during the Dark Hero Arc.

Those locations got a visit from my tanks, ships, attack helicopters, and/or fighter jets with many more soldiers manning other pieces of heavy weaponry I’ve stocked up on to deal with any defenders. Swarms of Bomb Bees also helped a lot during those assaults.

That was enough to handle any resistance, freeing up room for my squads of Praetorians and other elite units to attack other targets. AFO’s minions fought fiercely, but there was only so much they could do against an organized, multi-quirked military. 

I didn’t even need to send that many clones of top brass as reinforcements! Most of the demon lord’s remaining supporters were nobodies; I only needed enough people to ensure they were taken down quickly and quietly.

I even found the secret lab where AFO and Garaki were working on their replacement Pseudo-AFO. Nine never underwent that procedure, so Garaki found someone else to do it on. I found the secret lab where that was going on and took it over.

As for the guy getting the procedure, it was some random A-Rank Villain that wasn’t shown in canon.

He doesn’t matter. The procedure he was being given is a different story.

All For One himself couldn’t control Nine in canon through that quirk like he could with Tomura. The AFO quirk Nine got was a weak, synthetic version. Far weaker than the synthetic version All For One himself got before Kamino.

But it can still be incredibly useful in the right hands, especially if I can duplicate it.

Then there’s the orphanage where AFO and Garaki kept their spare vessels in case Tomura didn’t work out. The one where Kai Chisaki spent some time in and Touya burnt down.

Except it didn’t actually burn down.

 

Touya set fire to it, yeah, but according to the manga (an ‘extra page’ in Volume 35 to be specific), that fire was quickly put out while Touya escaped.

Garaki, fearing that his little plot would be exposed, blamed Mr. Sunny (the staff member with that sunflower mutant quirk) for accidentally starting the fire, thus protecting the facility’s dark secret.

And since nobody died and the story never made the news, heroes and police were none the wiser about Garaki’s hidden agenda. According to the manga, if the fire had been a bigger deal, the world wouldn’t have ended up in its current state.

I already knew where that old orphanage of theirs was thanks to Kai’s memories, and I knew that it was still up and running, but I didn’t dare go near it in case AFO still had his figurative eyes on it. 

This place was also on the chopping block tonight. The staff were all killed and the place was thoroughly investigated by my Praetorians in case there were still any secrets lying around.

There weren’t, or at least, I didn’t learn anything I didn’t already know.

As for the kids, I left them be for now. More than enough evidence to shut the place down and have all its staff arrested was found after taking over the demon lord’s networks and investigating the building itself. 

Of course any evidence linking this to AFO will be deleted; I can’t have All Might getting involved when I have other plans for this place.

Said plans involve my own corrupt cops raiding the place tomorrow, only to find that the staff had ‘fled’ the previous night and take all the children into protective custody right after. And once that is done, well, I have plenty of subordinates who are willing to adopt them.

Their quirks are pretty powerful and they frankly deserve better than being backup meat puppets for the potato. They’ll be much happier working for my daughter.

As for facilities of his outside the country, there weren't many of them that were purely AFO’s, just as I suspected. The demon lord focused his personal empire in Japan and focused on building connections internationally. 

Just look at what happens in canon; AFO’s allies and supporters rise up all across the globe to cause havoc while he’s tearing Japan apart. 

 

These allies and supporters aren’t my targets tonight; I’m focused on the people and properties that are truly a part of his empire. Besides the fact that his international aid is far too numerous for me to take down even now, they are also the main opposition for heroes across the globe.

Why would I help the heroes take down so many threats of theirs when they aren’t a direct threat to me? Whatever supplies and bodies I get out of that would simply not be worth it.

I still had my troops raid every international facility that belonged to the demon lord’s personal empire. Sending strike teams of Praetorians, soldiers, robots, clones, bees, and so on to various hideouts across the globe got the job done easily enough. 

After all, there isn’t much people can do against several dozen multi-quirked, highly-equipped, highly-trained opponents warping into your base out of nowhere and wreaking absolute havoc.

Centuries of his hard work became mine over the course of a single night. There weren’t even any casualties on my end thanks to some of my clones being on standby to use Overhaul for resurrections. 

Even then, only a couple hundred thugs and a couple dozen soldiers were temporarily killed during the invasions. Many more got injured, but there were always Praetorians and Medical Units with Cell Activation available to heal any injuries outside of instant death in seconds. 

Some combat robots, clones, and drones got destroyed too during small battles here and there, but they can be replaced easily enough. Plenty of Kuin’s bees died as well (mainly the Bomb Bees as they’re meant to be kamikazes), but they can also be replaced easily enough.  

Simply put, we struck with complete surprise and an overwhelming force and it paid off spectacularly.

Now there’s always a chance that the guy has some super duper secret facility that only he knew about with no documents whatsoever attached to it and no appearance or mention in the anime or manga, but even if he did and got to it alive after somehow escaping Tartarus, that still wouldn’t help him. 

It would be far too late to mean anything.

The guy has backup plans on top of backup plans on top of backup plans to an almost absurd degree, but so do I. With a massive informational advantage on top of that, there was no way I wasn’t beating him in the planning department.

At the end of the day, he is more of a schemer then an analyzer while I am more of an analyzer then a schemer. He had hundreds of years and the ultimate quirk to build up an empire, and all he could manage was a shell depending on far too many ridiculous plans conveniently working out. 

Foil those big bad plans of his and he has nothing to fall back on.

 

And as for the final thorn in my side, once I finish copying Garaki’s important memories (I don’t want centuries worth of AFO-simping in my head, thanks), I have one of the Klonogiris warp me to where the League of Villains currently are… the very warehouse where Kai Chisaki met with them in canon.

Oh, the absolute irony.

It’s just me here. I myself am all I need.

They may have somehow bested thousands of frothing finatics and two big bads that could each individually flatten most top heroes during their trip to Deika City in canon, but that is months away and with several more members who are no longer among the living.

Not to mention I’m now more powerful than all those MLA guys combined.

“WHO THE HELL IS THIS NPC, KUROGIRI?!” Tomura screeches, still less than pleased about his master’s recent defeat.

“I… don’t know, Tomura Shigaraki.”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON’T KNOW? YOU WARPED HIM IN, DIDN’T YOU?”

“In Kurogiri’s defense…” I trail off before activating Overhaul.

“He didn’t. Game Over.”

 

Tomura, Kurogiri, Mr. Compress, and Magne all turn into bloody mist a moment later.

No chance for Kurogiri to escape. I’ve learned to single out whatever noise the pressure shift his Artificial Quirk creates when opening a warp gate; forget getting the drop on me with that quirk, even running away is impossible because I can force him to ground with wind manipulation or telekinesis if necessary and activate Overhaul much faster then he can complete a warp.

No chance for the other three to retaliate. Tomura and Mr. Compress haven’t started their training montage against Machia yet, and Magne couldn’t even last a second against the original Kai Chisaki in canon, let alone me.

No resurrections. No plot armor. No bullshit whatsoever to stop them all from dying on the spot, because I’m the main antagonist now, and the world knows that.

All that’s left now is me and my little blond-haired turncoat.

“Well done, Himiko Toga.” I then congratulate the vampire girl, reducing my aura of malice and bloodlust now that All For One’s final piece on the board is knocked out. 

“T-Thanks, sir.” My spy stutters back. “I-Is that it? Can I come back now?”

“Yes, you are now an official member of the Shie Hassaikai… and the Head-Starters, if you wish to directly join my daughter.” I confirm while patting her head a bit to help calm her down.

The two of us then go back through a warp gate, but not before I bring down this warehouse for good. The demon lord had plenty of these, such as the one the Vanguard Action Squad waited around in before attacking the training camp, but every single one was raided of its contents tonight, security personnel included.

 

All For One, Dr. Garaki, and the League of Villains are now gone. The main antagonists in canon have been taken off the gameboard. I wasn’t kidding when I said everything would change after Kamino.

No more avoiding the butterfly effect as much as possible. No more sticking to the main plot.

I have no more use for any of them. All For One’s empire is mine, Garaki’s knowledge is mine, and Tomura…

Hatred is powerful, don’t get me wrong, but it’s also hazardous and hard to use. It’s why I never recruited people like Dabi, and instead had Giran act as a middleman for the occasional task I needed handled outside of the Hassaikai before the LOV formed.

The guy was completely insane, gradually turning into a charred corpse held together by nothing but obsession, spite, and shitloads of staples. Not even All For One could manipulate or control him; he was far too much of a loose canon to simply leave around.

Rei ended up far better as she isn’t just fueled by hatred for the old, but love for the new as well. She has new friends and family she wishes to protect, and is generally just far more willing to be selfless and reasonable, accepting any requests (polite orders) I may have.

And just to add more fuel to this fire, Rei is the one who killed Dabi in this world. I wanted him and Shoto gone, as did she, so it’s a win-win.

 

So no more Dabi, no more Tomura, and no more using hatred as an ultimate power source. 

No more All For One crap period. That mustache-twirling troll may have hijacked Tomura’s main antagonist role in canon, but that won’t be happening with me.

This is my story now, and I don’t plan on losing by the end of it like the villains here always do. I’m more than that. I’m more than them.

((“No signs of All For One knowing what happened.”)) NightHaul confirms. ((“He’s heading to Tartarus now. Our ‘official’ alliance with Nezu is basically done for too. The rat is already coming up with ways to stop both Long Haul and the MLA.”))

“Perfect. By the time either of them figure us out, if they do so at all, it will be far too late to do anything.”

We just took another massive step close to not just surviving the singularity, but getting this stupid shounen world off our backs. All For One is done, his archnemesis will soon follow suit, and then I can really start ramping things up.

Thanks for the assist, heroes. I’ll put these all gains to great use.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Reveal (Artificial^2), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Warp Gate (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Erasure, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver, Cell Activation, Incite, Love, Erasure
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial^2), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, ?????

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Q-Ray (Artificial), Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Despot, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Gigantification, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Eruption, Hellflame, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption, Heat-Resistance
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Bloodcurdle, Chronostasis, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Shock Absorption
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Incite, Despot
• Kaina Tsutsumi (Head Assassin) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Rifle, Homing, Slice, Chronostasis, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Rei (Head-Starters’ Babysitter) - Ice Ply (Awakened), Frost, Hellflame, Cremation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Water Gun, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Heat-Resistance x2, Frost Resistance x2

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Mimicry, Softening, Earth Flow, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, ?????
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Manifest, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (395) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (15) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 3100 Personnel 
• 20 Commanders - Q-Ray (Artificial), Incite, Despot
• 230 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 230 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 230 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 170 Battle Tanks
• 85 Attack Helicopters
• 20 X-66 Fighter Jets
• 95 Small Boats
• 6 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 585
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 430
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 5

Nomus (Complete/Combat Ready):

• High-Ends - 0
• Near High-Ends - 0
• Upper-Tier - 5
• Middle-Tier - 12
• Lower-Tier - 34

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 75
• Mad Science Branch - 60
• Creation Crew - 170
• Klonogiris - 108
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 37
• Thugs and Goons - 7840

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 120

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 76: Second Saga

Re-Destro is stressed. 

Very stressed.

Japan may be falling apart, but that won’t mean a damn thing if America decides to step in and make the country their economic vassal. What the hell is the World Heroes Association doing?!?

At least everything else is going well. Better than expected, even. 

New recruits are pouring in like never before, many still remaining in their original positions as spies. Even UA High has been infiltrated now, Slidin’ Go bringing first-year hero student Mina Ashido - Code Name: Alien Queen - into the fold.

Frankly, that high school should’ve been completely shut down after the Training Camp Attack, but both All Might and the Hero Public Safety Commission are doing whatever they can to keep it open, both fearing what would happen if their country’s top hero school was closed on top of every other loss they’ve recently taken.

Japan desperately needs more strong heroes right now, but their efforts won’t be enough to resist the country-wide liberation that’s coming.

The demon lord who can give and take meta-abilities like candy is now rotting away in the deepest pits of Tartarus. The heroes are also in a bad spot despite their victory; several top heroes and way too many other people died, protests but he feels like this isn’t the end of it.

He hopes this isn’t the end of it, because the last thing he needs is those heroes to discover his conspiracy before he’s ready.

 

Of course, if the country-wide crime wave that occurred mere minutes after the demon lord’s defeat is anything to go by, then the Grand Commander should have plenty of time to complete his preparations.

Hawks put an end to that quickly alongside a small army of other Pro-Heroes, but even he isn’t fast enough to stop several more crime waves happening simultaneously across Japan.

Come to think of it… that horde of criminals did seem rather organized. We’re they perhaps All For One followers looking to get payback on the heroes? 

Or is there another organization out there like the Creature Rejection Clan, Nine’s crew, or Wild Villains?

Perhaps it was Giran and his little empire. Perhaps it was an international organization like the Gollini Family or Humarise. 

Re-Destro has no way of knowing for sure, but he does know his organization will be ready for almost any opposition, heroic or villainous. Key word, almost.

The MLA is strong. Far more numbers than the current heroes in Japan, and most members have the training to rival, if not surpass them. He and Geten can even take out most of Japan’s top heroes with ease, All Might being the only issue.

But an army of top international heroes led by Star and Stripe sticking around would be a major hinderance to put it lightly.

He should probably get Skeptic to fan the flames a little bit, encourage the HPSC to be a little more firm with telling the American hero to get lost already and take any of her foreign friends with her.

Once that’s done and his final preparations are complete, he and his comrades will finally liberate Japan.

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐ 2 Months Until The Final Festival

The Nomus. My Hero Academia’s resident freaks of nature.

They are created when Dr. Garaki bioengineers corpses and gives the reanimated beings multiple quirks. They have no will of their own and can only act as they’re programmed to.

Based on their strength and the number of quirks they wield, Garaki split them into lower, middle, and upper tiers.

Lower-Tier Nomus are nothing more than foot soldiers. Distractions. Disposable pawns. Even so, their enhanced physical strength and 1-2 quirks are enough to overpower minor Pro-Heroes easily enough.

These light-skinned Nomu usually need a voice command from a designated keeper to perform an attack, but they will rampage around at random if the situation is bad enough. 

They also make up most of Garaki’s supply with dozens being taken down in Kamino and nine more being thrown around by Hood in canon, both of these instances being examples of the Nomus acting at least somewhat independently.

 

Next up is Middle-Tier Nomu, and these creations are pretty much slightly better versions of the Lower-Tiers. Their skin is a more vibrant color, they have greater body enhancements, and they carry more quirks on average. Some canon examples of these guys are the flying Nomu from Hosu and the Tool Arms Nomu from the Training Camp attack.

After that is the Upper-Tier Nomu. Upper tiers also have more than ten times the muscle density of an average person, granting them ridiculous amounts of physical strength even without quirks backing it up. They also all possess a copy of the Super Regeneration quirk, among other quirks. The USJ Nomu was an Upper-Tier for reference. 

Then there are the High-Ends. Along with having far higher specs then the others across the board, they are also capable of advanced, independent thinking. Each one can also have up to six quirks, with all canon examples at least nearing that limit.

Their personalities reflect whoever they were before the ‘nomufication’ process, with all High-Ends once being villains who had a strong desire for carnage like Muscular. 

Preparing raw materials and surgically transferring abilities is quite the chore for Garaki. The quirks take over three months to adhere or properly bond with the body they’re transplanted into through Garaki’s surgery alone. 

Without AFO’s quirk, it is extremely hard for Garaki to mass produce these creatures, but he’s been doing this process for decades now, if not longer, and also had AFO’s empire to get him plenty of test subjects and quirks over countless years.

In his Jaku Hospital laboratory alone, Garaki has several hundred different Nomu in various stages of production stored in giant purple pods (with over a thousand more empty pods ready for more specimens when needed) as well as several thousand quirks stored up. 

Then there’s the other Nomu facilities scattered throughout Japan like the one the heroes raided in Kamino. 

All the captured Nomu and the dead ones’ remains from Kamino have already been secretly taken by the Shie Hassaikai, by the way. Getting so many corrupt officers under my orders made doing the Double switch a piece of cake.

It only took a few days thanks to having copies of Double and Warp Gate. Thanks again for not sending them all to Tartarus, idiots!

 

I even reformed some of Kurogiri’s remains to study after taking out the LOV. He was practically a High-End in all but physical power, and he was also pretty much the first Nomu to be featured alongside Number 6 and the Hooded Man (aka Hood), so he should be good research material.

And that’s not even mentioning the terabytes of data about quirks and body modifications that Garaki gathered during his lengthy life.

Of course, I made sure Kurogiri was dead dead before letting LabHaul do his thing. Can’t have Oboro Shirakumo suddenly screw us over, now can I?

Garaki had a couple other Nomu production facilities set up, but they only produced Lower-Tier to Upper-Tier Nomus, and very few of the latter at that.

But getting more production facilities is better than nothing. I sure as hell need them with how many projects the Shie Hassaikai is now working on simultaneously. My organization has become an ant hill, almost literally considering how many of my facilities are mostly underground.

Not to mention how expensive all this stuff is, even with the Creation Crew and all of AFO’s bank accounts being under my control. Just putting the data from I-Island to use is taking up a serious chunk of their production power; even producing hundreds extra Double clones a day isn’t enough to fill all of my ever-increasing quotas!

You have to spend money to make money, that’s a simple truth of the world, and while it hurts to burn through money nearly as fast as I’m getting it (and I’m getting it really damn fast), that doesn’t change the fact that I’m investing in my future. 

Plus my cyberwarfare branch has recently started a rather successful scheme involving scam and phishing emails, helping to lighten the load a bit. Never underestimate how effective a flashy message can be at getting simple-minded fools to click on it.

 

Now the High-Ends are exclusively created here unless AFO both wiped Garaki’s memories of other Nomu production facilities and kept the information on that off of pretty much all his systems and documents, but if canon is anything to go by, then I seriously doubt that.

During the Paranormal Liberation War in canon (so a bit over six months from now), Garaki had the High-End Nomu Hood complete and 5 other High-Ends ready for the testing phase, but just barely. 

There were 12 High-Ends shown being in production after Kamino when the LOV was first warped into Garaki’s lair. By the time the Paranormal Liberation War happened, Garaki also had dozens of Near High-Ends ready which attacked the heroes.

Near High-Ends are Nomu that were going to be High-Ends, but hadn’t entered their testing phase and can’t think for themselves. They still do possess power that rivals the High-Ends and took out hordes of heroes during the canon battle at Jaku.

So yeah, these guys took him a really long time to make, especially without All For One helping out.

But I have a quirk much better then All For One when it comes to this kind of thing. 

Not only that, but I both optimized and awakened said quirk, and also have several clones who can use it to a similar level. And that’s not even mentioning the intelligence-boosting quirk, energy saving quirk, and multiple quirk-boosting methods we have as well.

What Garaki can do in months, LabHaul, his dozens of assistants, and clones of said assistants can do in hours or days at most.

But they aren’t working on any Nomus right now. Our top priority right now is clearing all this stuff out.

 

All For One is probably the one guy in MHA who has more plans and backup plans than I do, so sticking around all his hideouts and using his systems without a care in the world would take a special brand of stupid.

So the Shie Hassaikai’s first post-Kamino goal is taking every asset he has out of his bases and moving them to my own.

Remember all those secret outposts I had the Shie Hassaikai create on hundreds of different uninhabited islands all around the outside of Japan? Yeah, that’s mainly what this was for.

I’m having my army of thugs, soldiers, warpers, scientists, hackers, subsidiaries, and Praetorians pack up everything belonging to the demon lord and relocate it all to these various outposts and secret bases. Ensuring his stuff can't be tracked by him in case he ever gets out of Tartarus is also a top priority.

Quirks like Pixie-Bob’s Earth Flow, Cementos’ Cement, Mimic’s Mimicry, and Wolfram’s Metal Manipulation (Kuin got a DNA sample from him back at I-Island) make the construction, demolition, and relocation processes so much easier. None of them are Overhaul, but their quantity can make up for its quality as I’ve been rather generous when it comes to handing copies of them out.

They’ve been doing something similar with a lot of our own supplies for a while now, and that experience along with their sheer numbers should help move this along. 

Having all of the outposts and facilities built already also makes this a lot easier since they simply need to move stuff from Point A to Point B. 

It’ll only take a few weeks at most with the Nomu laboratories being the top priority, so that part will all be done in about a week. 

LabHaul also activated all the completed Nomus he could, practically doubling the amount of combat-ready Nomus we had before Kamino. 

Said Nomus have obviously been reprogrammed to follow our orders, and they are now helping us move everything too. Their crazy amounts of physical strength really comes in handy when transporting all the heavy equipment we have through warp gates.

Even once that’s done, I won’t be using them in guerilla campaigns against Japan or anything, even if I can frame the LOV for that. I would rather keep them here, focus on R&D and discover ways to improve them for when I truly need to utilize them rather than throw them at Japan just to cause some more collateral damage. 

 

Both All Might still being a hero post-Kamino and Star and Stripe sticking around Japan are massive issues, but I don’t need to waste the Nomu to solve them. I have other plans to handle those two.

As for where our new Nomu and quirk storage facility is, and yes, all of that stuff is going into one massive facility that LabHaul and his assistants are basically going to live in alongside several hundred Tartarus robots and some Praetorians, it’s at none other then Nabu Island.

Remember that outpost we built there way back when? Well, I decided to scrap that and build a new and improved version.

Taking inspiration from the deepest underground research center in my old world, China’s Jinping Underground Laboratory, I created this behemoth of a facility over a mile underneath the small island.

It’s only accessible through warping quirks and is almost as big as the Hassaikai HQ, various blueprints from both Tartarus and I-Island making it practically impossible to raid from the outside. It’s also got a small atomic reactor powering the place like said HQ.

Thanks again, Creation Crew. You make my life so much easier.

All the materials I’ve been either buying, making, or stealing have been going into these numerous facilities, and thanks to Overhaul, whenever I’m ready to pack up and head out, I can simply take all those materials back and transport them over via warp gate to where we’re creating our next facilities.

We already tested out that particular method with Wolfram’s international hideouts (it’s not like he’ll be using them anytime soon) shortly before blitzing through All For One’s empire.

…Huh, I’ve really gotten into the habit of robbing villain organizations blind, haven’t I? The Shie Hassaikai, Wild Villains, Creature Rejection Clan, Meta Liberation Army, Humarise, Wolfram’s crew, All For One’s empire, and so on. 

No evil lair is safe from my raiding sprees. If these big bads aren’t going to properly use their shit, then why shouldn’t I commandeer it?

 

So while this does involve a ludicrous amount of money, time, and effort, I have the quirks and sources to make such a thing as efficient and renewable as possible. 

This is pretty much all I have the Shie Hassaikai working on after Kamino. Unlike canon Kai, I have no interest in taking over the underworld. Especially with the apocalypse so close by.

I’m basically creating hundreds of bomb shelters that double as evil lairs right now, and soon enough, those will all become a part of the Shie Hassaikai’s final home. The home that will let my entire organization withstand the apocalypse with no issues at all.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Completely clearing out the demon lord’s empire and transporting his stuff along with my own to my various outposts is going to take a while, even with thousands of people working on it and numerous warping quirks, among many other useful quirks, aiding the process. 

Now it almost sounds like I’m gradually abandoning Osaka and the Hassaikai HQ, and you’re somewhat right.

I’m still going to use that place and all my other old facilities on the mainland for now, but there is a very high chance that the heroes will at least discover some of the Shie Hassaikai’s secrets and launch raids as a response before my Endgame begins. 

My organization is going to completely disappear off the face of the Earth in a few months as the singularity draws closer, and the heroes will have no time to track me down, not that they even could if they wanted to. 

And even if they somehow did find every single outpost of mine before Endgame, with me having a monopoly on warpers, they would have to complete the equivalent of several hundred hardmode water levels to topple a solid chunk of my empire. Not even Nezu can strategize a win with the pitiful assets he has left.

Once Endgame is complete and our safety is assured, then I can have some fun as the world descends into anarchy. We could do whatever we want since the heroes will have no way to counterattack, and even if they could, they would get completely demolished by my own forces.

So that’s pretty much where things are at right now. I’m in a great spot, all things considered. The only issue now is buying enough time for final preparations to be made.

But the heroes and villains are a different story. 

 

UA’s reputation is still tarnished, All Might and the HPSC still keeping it open out of desperation, but even they can only delay the inevitable for so long. 

While All Might hasn’t retired yet, he probably will soon now that he can barely go buff-mode for thirty minutes a day without Star’s aid. That’s assuming I don’t further speed up the process, which I most certainly will.

While far fewer Pro-Heroes died at Kamino than in Hosu, that lack of quantity was more than made up for through quality. Combine both and society has a serious problem on its hands.

Endeavor’s reputation has also been tarnished thanks to Hosu, Best Jeanist is dead, Gang Orca is dead, Wash is dead, and the HPSC is not too thrilled about Star showing up to Japan without their permission since it ruined their scheme to get Endeavor back towards the top.

I mean, it’s not like they have any rising stars in Japan who are actually threatening besides their pet bird, and I’m not talking about hero students here, but full on Pro-Heroes. Which Pro-Heroes rose to top positions in the canon rankings post-Kamino again?

Kamui Woods? Please, a lit match could bury that walking tree back wherever it sprouted from.

Mt. Lady? The day that building-sized bimbo becomes even the slightest bit threatening is the day I enroll myself into UA High. Not. Happening. Oh, and she also died at Kamino.

Raw power isn’t the only factor in hero rankings, I know, but the top heroes of an entire country should at least be capable of standing a chance against some higher-ranked villains. Those two and Wash should’ve never gotten that far in the Hero Billboard Chart. 

Speaking of hero society problems, the World Heroes Association is being useless as usual, but America is in a bit of a bind despite the second recent instance of a top American hero coming to Japan actually ending in success.

I’ve never been too interested in politics, but I do know that Japan’s HPSC are being a bunch of self-centered morons at the moment. However, Star is still sticking around and Nezu is desperately trying to find intel on my organization or the MLA before the former is forced to go back to America.

I’ve hid my tracks extremely well all this time, but I’m not perfect, and at the very least, the MLA may end up exposed much earlier than normal at this rate. 

So the question then becomes whether or not I should throw the HPSC under the bus or not.

Star would stay in Japan if that’s the case, but if Nezu finds out about the Shie Hassaikai after she leaves, then Star will just fly right back over in a matter of hours, not giving a flying fuck about whatever mountains of paperwork and permission slips are required for her to do so.

Perhaps it would be best to get rid of the HPSC now. Hero society would further destabilize, and while that would push Japan’s lifespan even lower, that would also preoccupy Nezu and the others for a good while.

…But should I play such a card so early on, or should I get a bit more creative?

When it comes to the canon timeline, after Kamino, the License Exam Arc begins with UA students moving into dorms at the beginning, something Nezu still plans to do.

I would be surprised if he didn’t considering how much worse these attacks have been on UA compared to canon.

 

Anyway, as for the canon timeline I’m working with, the ‘Rise of Villains Saga’ has begun now that Kamino ended. 

The current date is August 20th, the day that UA Students move into the brand new dorms. Despite All Might still (barely) being capable of hero work, just like in canon, UA turned into a boarding school due to the massive rise in villainous activity.

It was also a way to try and appease the masses of angry protestors, and even then, quite a few students have already dropped out of the Hero Courses, if not UA entirely. Izuku was almost one of them, him and All Might having to go Plus Ultra convincing Inko Midoriya to give UA just one more chance. 

Moving forward on the canon timeline, the Provisional Hero License Exam takes place in the beginning of September, or a few weeks from now. 

Twice meets Kai Chisaki right after that with All Might confronting All For One in Tartarus, trying to get the LOV’s new location out of his archenemy, but failing miserably at doing so.

The Hero Work-Studies are then announced with that and the Shie Hassaikai raid happening by the end of September.

Interns then return to UA during the last few days of September while the Remedial Course training happens for those who didn’t get their hero licenses (Katsuki, Shoto, Inasa, and Camie to name a few).

After that is the UA School Festival with preparations for that starting at the beginning of October. Later that month, the LOV become bootleg bandits and fight a remnant of the Creature Rejection Clan, butchering every last one of them.

Shortly after that, they encounter both Gigantomachia and Dr. Garaki with their own training arc beginning.

November begins a bit later and UA’s festival happens during either the first week or start of the second week of that month. Izuku fights Gentle and La Brava, Class 1-A sings a song, and all's right with the world.

Then comes the end of November with the Japanese Hero Billboard Chart happening and the High-End Nomu Hood taking on both Endeavor and Hawks right after. 

The Joint Training Arc also happens during the month, with it taking place some time after the prior events but still in November. It’s just a sparring match between Classes 1-A and 1-B with Shinso joining in to audition for UA’s hero course.

December then rolls around with the LOV and MLA having their clash and the PLF forming right after.

Katsuki and Shoto also get their hero licenses, the Interview Practice happens, and the second round of Work Studies are announced and planned.

The Heroes Rising movie takes place after that with canon Nine getting his time to shine.

After that is the Endeavor Agency Arc with the Christmas and New Years stuff also happening. 

 

January is when the second round of Work Studies starts in earnest and Tomura starts his AFO procedure. Aizawa and Hizashi learn about Kurogiri’s identity and Izuku learns more about OFA thanks to All Might finally doing some proper research about the history of his own damn superquirk.

The rest of January, all of February, and a good chunk of March are pretty much a massive timeskip with the only things of note being the MHA Team-Up Missions and World Heroes’ Mission movie in that order. 

I have no idea when they take place during this timeskip, only that they do and that the Team-Up Missions come first.

Then comes the Paranormal Liberation War Arc at the end of March, the Final War a few months later in May, and the Dark Hero Arc in between where Izuku somehow becomes even more self-destructive as a de facto vigilante.

As for ‘bonus’ content like stuff in the games and spinoffs, none of that is really important to the main plot. Well, not unless I allow it to be. Just look at what I did with the Wild Villains for example.

Honestly, things are probably gonna go to shit a whole lot faster than they did in canon with World Heroes’ Mission being my latest deadline (and best time) for Endgame.

How ironic…

But I still have a solid six or so months until my ideal Endgame time, and as early as three months or as late a year for much less ideal Endgame times.

I also have quite a few cards to play when it comes to the distraction and destabilization of my enemies. They won’t have any space to breathe or time to recover, not on my watch.

In fact, let’s do a quick recap on the state of my enemies post-Kamino, shall we?

 

On the heroes’ side, All Might is still in play, albeit barely. However, several other top ten heroes are dead. Best Jeanist, Gang Orca, and Wash are out, although only the first two can be considered a proper threat to most people.

Endeavor is also in a much worse position, being broken in more ways than one, but Star and Stripe is present far earlier than in canon. 

Many, many more Pro-Heroes are dead thanks to massively-increased villain activity. The Villain War and Hosu were especially bad for Japanese pros, the Naruhata War mainly claiming the lives of vigilantes and foreign heroes instead. This has led to more quitting out of fear, the domino effect canon's Paranormal Liberation War caused already starting here.

All in all, the post-Kamino board has been shuffled quite a bit for heroes. 

As for the villains’ side, the League of Villains and All For One are done for. The Shie Hassaikai is obviously unrecognizable from its canon counterpart as well, the organization long since truly becoming my own.

The Creature Rejection Clan and Wild Villains have been decimated too, but only the former had a tiny role in canon and that was a small cell getting slaughtered by the LOV who were basically a group of homeless people looking for spare change at that point. 

Giran is far more successful than in canon. Even better, he’s a solid ally on my side again now that AFO is out of the picture.

Both the Meta Liberation Army and Humarise have had their fair share of changes too, mostly due to getting involved in events they didn’t touch in canon.

Pushing one or both of those groups to act early could be very beneficial, but only if done at the optimal time, whenever that turns out to be.

So should I throw another organization under the bus right now?

The HPSC? The MLA? Humarise? Maybe pretend the LOV is still around? 

Or perhaps I should take my own route once again. Nobody knows about what the Shie Hassaikai has grown into at this point, and there are plenty of options capable of keeping things that way for the foreseeable future.

Now which card to play first? 

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Reveal (Artificial^2), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Warp Gate (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Erasure, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver, Cell Activation, Incite, Love, Erasure
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial^2), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, ?????

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Q-Ray (Artificial), Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Despot, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Gigantification, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Eruption, Hellflame, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption, Heat-Resistance
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Bloodcurdle, Chronostasis, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Shock Absorption
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Incite, Despot
• Kaina Tsutsumi (Head Assassin) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Rifle, Homing, Slice, Chronostasis, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Rei (Head-Starters’ Babysitter) - Ice Ply (Awakened), Frost, Hellflame, Cremation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Water Gun, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Heat-Resistance x2, Frost Resistance x2

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Mimicry, Softening, Earth Flow, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, ?????, ?????
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Manifest, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (395) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (15) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Muscle Augmentation

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 3100 Personnel 
• 20 Commanders - Q-Ray (Artificial), Incite, Despot
• 230 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 230 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 230 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 170 Battle Tanks
• 85 Attack Helicopters
• 25 X-66 Fighter Jets
• 95 Small Boats
• 7 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 630
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 475
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 5

Nomus (Complete/Combat Ready):

• High-Ends - 0
• Near High-Ends - 0
• Upper-Tier - 9
• Middle-Tier - 21
• Lower-Tier - 68

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 75
• Mad Science Branch - 60
• Creation Crew - 170
• Klonogiris - 108
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 37
• Thugs and Goons - 7840

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 120

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 77: The Symbol’s Last Stand

NEW LORD IS THE BEST!!!

He actually cares about Machia! He gave him brand new quirks and even modifications to his body to make him feel better than ever!

He treats Machia like a friend! He lets Machia have fun and play around and help out!

He even let Machia tear that stupid doctor into pieces once he finished gaining his memories and quirk. New lord is even better at giving and taking quirks than the awful old one.

Machia wishes he can return the favor. He helps train his new master’s subordinates pretty often and bodyguards him or his daughter during the occasional mission, but he wants to do more than that.

He wants to let loose and tear this country apart like the powerhouse his master says he is!

And now, he’ll finally get that chance. His new master even gave him yet another quirk just for the occasion, and it makes him even stronger while covering his main potential weakness!

He’s both motivated to get this task done for his new master, and stressed about the possibility of failing his new master despite all the trust and care said master gave him.

Both feelings give him power. Both will let him destroy this stupid tower and the so-called symbol inside of it with ease.

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐ 1 Month 3 Weeks Until The Final Festival

“You’re sending HIM out?!” Kuin gawks at me.

Most other members of my top brass have similar expressions on their faces. 

“Yup. If you want to go to All Might’s funeral in my stead, start picking your suits now. He is done for this time.”

 

Assisted with the power of friendship, encouraged by the fiery spirit of underage school-sanctioned vigilantism, and injected with a shitload of drugs, All Might emerged victorious during the USJ attack.

Arriving during the climax yet still getting humiliated by yours truly, All Might did still technically win during Hosu, saving Endeavor from Stain and Izuku from himself. I may have let him win by retreating with Stain, but a win is still a win.

I-Island, the Training Camp Attack, and the Kamino Raid were technically victories on his end too. Most villains were caught or killed and the few that didn’t retreated thanks to All Might and all the increasing amounts of aid he got.

His victories have been becoming less and less like victories as time went on. Compared to the utter decimation he single-handedly gave both the Creature Rejection Clan and Wild Villains during their war in one fell swoop a few months before UA started, these last few battles were complete and utter failures on his end.

But this time, it will truly be a failure for him. This time, he will well and truly lose.

“And if any other heroes try to interfere?”

“Oh, I’d love to see them try.” I bark out a delighted laugh.

 

Clones and vestiges alike came together to decide which of our post-Kamino cards to play first, and it wasn’t an easy decision to make.

I was originally planning on targeting the HPSC, but it seems that the MLA is slyly encouraging them to hurry up and boot Star out of the country to save face or whatever. 

My cyberwarfare branch can recognize Skeptic’s handiwork easily enough by now, so I’ll let them convince the HPSC to shoot themselves in the foot for me.

My next thought was the League of Villains before I murdered what was left of them, my spy excluded. Nothing stopping me from making brainwashed Double clones of them, right?

But would that really be enough? They have way less left then they did in canon, and while heroes still want them to pay for what they did, they clearly weren’t that much of a priority for the heroes in canon.

All they had left upon retreating from Kamino was Tomura, Kurogiri, Mr. Compress, Magne, and Toga. There isn’t a whole lot those five can do in the grand scheme of things. 

Well, if they weren’t under me, that is. Toga can become the ultimate spy/assassin, Kurogiri is a misty cheat, and when paired with Tomura, they can get away with toppling key structures around the country left and right.

But they are far from smart enough to realize that. Also, this is a shounen. 

 

So then what about Nine and I as well as the Praetorians pretending to be part of Wolfram’s crew? We pretended to be working for AFO at I-Island, right? Wouldn’t the heroes in Japan be looking for us?

Well, no. We never made an appearance after I-Island, and Wolfram’s crew wasn’t even from Japan to begin with.

In other words, the heroes will conclude that we are international assets of All For One, and while we haven’t been caught yet, there isn’t really a whole lot the heroes of Japan can do if we’re hiding somewhere in China or Europe or literally anywhere outside their own country, which they assume we are. 

The WHA slapped both Nine and I with S-Rank villain labels after I-Island (and made up some random villain names for us to boot since they have no clue who we really are), but they have no idea what we truly look like, what our names are, or where we even are to begin with, so that doesn’t help them at all.

And while Nine and I could use our I-Island attack alter-egos to cause problems here, that would risk leading back to the Shie Hassaikai, and I refuse to chance that.

So AFO’s non-nomu remnants wouldn’t be able to distract Nezu and his crew… or could they?

The inspiration for this latest plan of mine actually came from a little pre-quirk movie night the Hassaikai had a few days ago. Not a whole lot was recovered from back then, but there were some things.

And watching a certain iconic movie from the early 1930s where a giant monkey climbed the Empire State Building reminded me about a certain bodyguard I have who can easily be connected with AFO, seeing as how he was that guy’s bodyguard for so many years.

 

All Might still being around as a hero is a massive problem. Most of the world still sees him as an unstoppable force of nature. A Symbol of Peace. 

Don’t get me wrong, this is definitely better for me than All For One being the victor at Kamino. If Star and Stripe wasn’t present, All Might would be screwed due to him having far less OFA remnants left then he did in canon.

What could the heroes do after that? In terms of power, there’s a world between even the current All Might and Endeavor. 

Yes, a weakened All For One was taken down during the canon Final War by Endeavor, a weakened Hawks, and some of Class 1-A, but that All For One was nothing but a cocky LARPing troll.

If All For One went into that battle with the same attitude and resolve he did during the Naruhata War here, the heroes would’ve been screwed. He wouldn’t even need the bullshit trump card that was his synthesized Rewind sample.

Hell, having the remaining top 10 trap and engage AFO at once would just be delivering nine of Japan’s most powerful quirks to him. I’d rather not see what the demon lord can do with Hellflame or an undamaged Fierce Wings. 

I would no doubt have to end him myself, likely revealing myself in earnest to society as a result, and that is less than ideal for my plans.

Star and Stripe’s early interference helped me in that regard, but in doing so, several new problems arose. 

Even now, despite massive increases in street-level crime, entire cities being destroyed by villainous armies and powerhouses, and multiple top heroes being killed for one reason or another during the last few months, the public wasn’t recoiling in horror because there was still All Might.

Even now, groups like the MLA and Humarise won’t take advantage of this vulnerable state All For One and I formed because of All Might, the living deterrent for crime worldwide.

Things are awful now, but All Might will totally deal with it! Don’t freak out. Don’t make the legislative push out knee-jerk bills. Don’t make the HPSC or Prime Minister announce Martial Law. We have All Might and he’ll deal with this.

People aren’t afraid with him around. They’ll still go out and do their jobs, pumping money into the economy which can then be used to train more Pro Heroes and repair infrastructure, making fewer people pick up villainy. 

It doesn’t matter that he’s hardly seen out in public anymore. People know he’s in Japan and they don’t know how weakened he is; that’s enough for everyone.

By shattering that belief, I can encourage far more villains to act then all my previous endeavors combined, and the heroes will have nothing to counter this with.

 

Those fools at the top were complacent. The entire first world averaged a crime rate of about 20%, and those are considered good numbers now in the age of quirks. 

Just because All Might was personally lowering Japan’s crime rate to an outlandish 6% (before I started making my moves, anyway) didn’t mean that the suits had any right to be so dismissive of preventative measures like international aid or reforms to their system, and most of the general public doesn't really give a rat's ass either.

Events like the Villain War, Naruhata War, Black Market epidemics, Hosu, and Kamino should have been a wake-up call for them, but their faith in All Might is stronger than their sense of logic. 

Even if he never got injured or gave away One For All, the guy is still ancient by hero standards. He’s in his mid-50s while most heroes tend to retire around their early 30s. He won’t be around forever, but since society sees him as a god, they probably think he can just Detroit Smash the concept of aging away.

As the old expression goes, the bigger they are, the harder they fall, and All Might’s fall will be apocalyptic for society, especially when groups like the MLA and Humarise start taking advantage.

I can make them distract the heroes (especially those directly working with the rat) for me, but for now, I need to get my hands dirty.

Even if Toshinori Yagi survives, that won’t mean a damn thing as long as the hero All Might retires, as canon so clearly showed. Not even Star and Stripe sticking around here will prevent that; she may be more powerful than All Might (not that most realize that), but she doesn’t have his sheer prestige.

So why not solve two problems at once? Give the heroes a new thing to target until other villains enter the spotlight and deal with what’s left of All Might at the same time?

And that’s what I did, or rather, what I’m having Gigantomachia do.

It’s about time I put him to proper use against Japan.

 

 

 

Might Tower… the Hero Office belonging to All Might himself.

It’s located in the Roppongi district of Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Not an easy place to launch an attack on due to how populated the area is, not to mention how close it is to Japan’s main governmental districts.

But when the invading force is made up of only one person, and the invaders have a warping quirk at their disposal, such things don’t really matter. Not even Tartarus can prevent Machia from warping in and tearing it apart from the inside out.

The tower is a massive, luxurious skyscraper with a statue of some large planet-like thing with two rings around it. Not really sure what it’s supposed to be, but I guess it looks impressive enough for Japan’s Number 1.

Its security is mostly just gates keeping people out. There aren’t any turrets or combat robots or anything like that. After all, is the Symbol of Peace not deterrent enough for any who dare think about attacking it?

Well not for me, it isn’t.

 

A few Praetorians hung around the area until All Might himself finally came back to the thing, having plenty of paperwork to fill out regarding his heroic interventions. 

It’s something he’s legally obligated to do, and while the Symbol of Peace won’t really be bothered over some missing paperwork, a person like him has to set an example for the lesser heroes to follow.

Even then, he probably won’t be there for long seeing as how he’s mostly living at UA now. Nothing stopping him from moving his less action-packed parts of hero work there.

But that’s okay. He is here and Star is still at UA with her bros, probably giving some special lessons to the hero courses or something before she’s forced to leave.

Now why wait for All Might, you may be thinking. Wouldn’t taking down his tower be easier without him?

Well, the whole point of this is to take town All Might. Destroying his tower alongside the hero himself is meant to be the final nail in the coffin. 

After confirming the Symbol of Peace is present through Reveal, I wish the cloaked Machia good luck and open a warp gate for him that’ll take him close by. 

Once that’s done, I order my Praetorians around the area to get the hell out of there and head into the massive Home Theater I had built in Hassaikai HQ a while back.

Zi and Eri are already there with a few more of the head-starters present too, ready to watch the carnage through either cameras my cyberwarfare guys hacked into or live news coverage of the soon to be massacre. 

Most of the other Shie Hassaikai members are also preparing to watch the brawl. They earned a bit of a break after all the packing and transporting they’ve done recently.

‘Go for it, Machia. And remember, you’re trying to avenge All For One’s loss/incarceration as his loyal bodyguard.’ I sent a mental message his way through a mind link.

((“YES, MY LORD!”))

Gigantomachia does not disappoint. 

 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

A 30+ meter tall giant with massive claws on his hands appears out of nowhere and starts tearing apart the tower like it’s made of cardboard. 

Thousands flee in terror as the kaiju roars, and All Might himself soon emerges, diving towards the beast as its claws help him scale the building.

“CALIFORNIAAAAA…”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Machia doesn’t let the symbol finish, his embedded claws tearing a massive chunk of the building out and slamming it into All Might’s side before he can even reach the giant.

The Number 1 Hero goes flying across the street and slams into a much smaller skyscraper. The explosion is still massive and Machia is still tearing Toshinori’s tower apart. 

‘Star should be on her way, but even with her jets, it’ll take at least 15 minutes to both prepare for takeoff and travel over.’

“I AM GIGANTOMACHIA!!! BODYGUARD OF ALL FOR ONE AND THE ONE WHO SHALL AVENGE HIM!!!” Machia roars, playing his part as the tower starts to collapse in on itself.

A little choppy, but Machia isn’t all there in the head to begin with, even after the various modifications I did to him. Besides, his declaration had the intended effect.

Gigantomachia, named after ‘Gigantomachy’, the battle between the Giants and Greek gods and goddesses of legends past according to the data I got from Garaki’s lab.

A fitting name indeed.

“WE’LL SEE ABOUT THAT, VILLAIN!!!” The Symbol of Peace roars back, launching out of the rubble he was embedded in and preparing the strongest smash he can.

Inky black spots start to cover Machia’s hide as the stress of the situation builds up. He was going up against the person who defeated his old master twice, and he won’t fail like the washed-up demon lord did.

Endurance relies on the user being motivated, so if you aren’t motivated, you’ll lose the power and energy needed to keep going. Well this lovely little quirk can fill the gap for Machia.

Stress makes the user more powerful the more stressed they are, so even if Machia isn’t motivated at all, he’ll still be able to kick ass. 

That’s not even mentioning how terrifying he’ll become if he’s both motivated and stressed, which he is right now.

30 meters… 35 meters… 40 meters…

 

I wonder what Re-Destro will think? Perhaps he’ll conclude that AFO stole the quirk of someone in his family tree, or perhaps, maybe even the quirk of Destro himself in secret.

Well, it’s not like that matters. Machia will be grouped in with AFO and strike fear to those across the world after defeating their precious Symbol of Peace.

‘It’s time, Machia. Hold nothing back.’

((“UNDERSTOOD, MY LORD!”))

Dark black wings sprout next to the spikes on his back. His claws become larger and stronger than ever as both they and the tremendous tail that sprouted out of his backside rapidly darken. 

A copy of Dragon from Ryukyu and a copy of Stress from Re-Destro; those are the newest two quirks in his arsenal. Looking past the visor shielding his face, Machia looks somewhat similar to Ancalagon The Black from Lord of the Rings right now.

This guy is supposed to be my ultimate physical powerhouse, an alpha among alpha predators, someone who can engage the countless All Mights and Dekus that the Quirk Singularity produces when it comes to raw power, and in that role, he has no equal.

I don’t care if it’s developing a new quirk, or perfecting the old. I had him push every little step until it became instinct, because that’s the greatest strength of Gigantomachia. He isn’t really capable of forming any complex strategy, not with his intelligence, and I don’t need him to. 

He’s the perfect mix of an unstoppable force and an immovable object, diametrically opposed but working in tandem.

But in the face of this nightmarish behemoth, despite him now reaching past 50 meters in height, despite his black energy-filled muscles bulging out of and wrapping around his darkened skin, despite his reinforced wings, claws, and tail primed to tear this country apart… the Symbol of Peace doesn’t back down.

All Might prepares a United States of Smash while Gigantomachia readies an Endurance-amplified Stress Output Burden.

The resulting collision creates an impact that can be seen and felt all throughout Japan’s capital.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

A dark mushroom cloud blots out the sun. A chunk of Tokyo is practically obliterated by the collision with destructive force most would compare to nuclear bombs.

Gigantomachia stands proud as what little is left of Might Tower collapses.

All Might is several miles away, de-powered and defeated. 

The news cameras pick up both, and most of Japan collectively loses their minds.

((‘Roughly speaking, he’s in far worse shape than he was after his ‘canon’ Kamino fight with AFO. That right arm of his has gone completely limp, and the rest of his mangled body isn’t much better off. 

As for the embers of One For All, he has maybe one or two punches worth of them left, if even. The fact that he can even stand on his own two feet right now is nothing short of a miracle.’)) VestigeHaul concludes through Reveal as we all watch the sight.

Eri and the other kids are going nuts right now as they cheer Machia on, and Zi is making sure they don’t make a mess with their movie snacks. 

Most of the vestiges in me are also going nuts if VestigeHaul’s commentary is anything to go by. 

And don’t even get me started on the live news reporters right now. 

It was impossible for All Might to lose, right? That just doesn’t happen, right? 

Just what kind of reality-defying bullshit was this?

Yeah, hi. Hello. Reality-crossing, shounen-ruining transmigrator here.

But in all seriousness…

 

“All Might is finished. This isn’t All For One he’s fighting; I made sure Machia wouldn’t get cocky.” I grin before contacting the giant.

‘Send a full-power Burden Blast his way; that should get rid of what few embers remain.’

((“YES, MY LORD! SHALL I KILL HIM AFTERWARDS?”))

‘That’s up to you. It’s fine if you don’t; just make sure to retreat before Star and Stripe shows up. Her ETA is 5 minutes 30 seconds.’

((“UNDERSTOOD, MASTER!”))

Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Dragon, Stress, and Q-Ray, one of my Artificial Quirk creations.

This will be enough. Even if he was in his prime via New Order rule, All Might’s chances of victory wouldn’t be great.

A black energy ball the size of a skyscraper hurls towards the fallen symbol, annihilating everything its path.

Despite imminent death staring him in the face, All Might stands back up like the true hero and shounen protagonist he is, and with his remaining arm, gives one last smash with everything he has left.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

((‘The weak embers inside of him are resisting, trying to rekindle some of his former strength.’)) My bird ghost points out as we both see his true condition through Reveal.

‘Just like in canon… but Machia isn’t engaging in a head-on clash with him; I made sure he wouldn’t during this final stage of the fight. The biggest miracle All Might can pull off is redirecting the blast with what little is left inside of him.’ I conclude.

And that’s exactly what ends up happening.

Protagonists like him are so annoying, and yet so incredibly easy to predict.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

The black energy ball is launched up high into the sky before exploding. One last heroic act from the Symbol of Peace...

But that’s it. 

 

VestigeHaul and I both feel it. One For All is gone from him; just three blows from Machia was all it took.

Sometimes, a will to succeed just isn’t enough. Enough power and planning can overturn anything, even the Symbol of Peace.

‘Bury him, Machia. Then retreat.’

((“UNDERSTOOD, MASTER!”))

The Number 1 Hero can’t resist as giant chunks of his own tower are thrown at him. They don’t directly hit him, but the nearby impact alone sends him flying back as he’s buried alive under tons upon tons of rubble.

The Symbol of Peace is barely holding on to life by a thread as Gigantomachia gives one last roar in victory before jumping off. The cloud of rubble that forms as he lands gives him the perfect cover to shrink back down and enter through the warp gate I just opened up for him.

‘Of course he’s still alive… should I finish the job myself? Or maybe have Machia do it?’ I mentally ponder.

Anything outside of death means nothing to these people, and even then, it’s not like death stopped Bakugou during the Final War. 

Not only that, but Star should still be able to power All Might back to his prime, even if that will cost half of her own power. All Might wouldn’t resort to that unless it’s absolutely necessary; he’ll be forced to retire at the very least.

Even then, knowing he can come back for a last-second save so long as Star is around… should I snuff out that possibility? This isn’t like the USJ; All For One is down and his empire is finished. Heroes in Japan are severely on the backfoot now despite that, even with Star still around, and Izuku is becoming less relevant by the day.

That’s the reason I was able to take down the remains of AFO’s empire so easily; I severely weakened that organization beforehand, mostly by helping the heroes hit it harder while reaping all the rewards I could. If I give one side too much of an advantage, then they’ll crush their opposition and become more troublesome for me to take down later on.

Either villains will trample the heroes, or heroes will become more desperate, gaining an unexpected edge. As much as All Might helps the heroes, he also holds people like Star and even Izuku back with his mindset. Permanently taking that symbol away from them… who knows what they would turn into.

“These laws can be bent with enough force, but the methods that allow such have their limits and they will snap back if too much force is applied.”

Future Eri told me such during our meeting, and I’ve got a gut feeling that I’m getting dangerously close to that point. Further testing my luck by further screwing over canon probably isn’t a good idea at the moment.

Decisions, decisions. Should I continue pushing, or should I back off a bit? I’ve done plenty of direct damage to both sides already, bending the canon story beyond belief and killing plenty of key characters in the process, so perhaps I should build off that in a different, more indirect way. 

That should buy me more time, right? Hold back on forcing their hand? Leave not just All Might, but All For One around too, weakened, broken, and forced to mostly sit on the sidelines, but not quite out. Their very existence is holding the world back, and I can take advantage of that.

Maybe it’s efficiency. Maybe it’s hubris. Maybe it’s pragmatism. 

Maybe it’s all the above and more, but I decide to leave the defeated symbol be. I decide to leave both defeated symbols be, at least for now.

 

Star and Stripe arrives less then two minutes later, personally digging through the rubble and getting her master’s half-dead body to the nearest hospital. I wouldn’t be surprised if she used some New Order rule to stabilize him until then.

The Shie Hassaikai ends up throwing a party for Machia. He deserves it after ending the Symbol of Peace for good.

Sure, Star could still potentially help him out at the cost of one of her rules, but there’s no way that All Might would place such a burden on her. The AFO fight was an exception as All Might had the best chance of taking him down thanks to his prior experience and lack of quirk to steal.

I still have the upper hand here, and that lead will only continue to increase as time passes and I better my position.

((‘Just remember that things won’t always go your way no matter how much you plan ahead.’))

‘I’m well aware, VestigeHaul, and I still know what I’m doing. I always know what I'm doing, so have a little faith, will you?'

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Reveal (Artificial^2), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Warp Gate (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Double, Weather Manipulation, Creation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Whirlwind, IQ, Erasure, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver, Cell Activation, Incite, Love, Erasure
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial^2), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, ?????

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Q-Ray (Artificial), Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Despot, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Gigantification, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Eruption, Hellflame, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption, Heat-Resistance
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Bloodcurdle, Chronostasis, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Shock Absorption
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Incite, Despot
• Kaina Tsutsumi (Head Assassin) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Rifle, Homing, Slice, Chronostasis, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Rei (Head-Starters’ Babysitter) - Ice Ply (Awakened), Frost, Hellflame, Cremation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Water Gun, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Heat-Resistance x2, Frost Resistance x2

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Mimicry, Softening, Earth Flow, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Dragon, Stress
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Larceny, Compress, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Manifest, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (395) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Pseudo Getens (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (15) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Muscle Augmentation

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 3300 Personnel 
• 20 Commanders - Q-Ray (Artificial), Incite, Despot
• 240 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 240 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 240 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 170 Battle Tanks
• 90 Attack Helicopters
• 25 X-66 Fighter Jets
• 105 Small Boats
• 7 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 630
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 475
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 5

Nomus (Complete/Combat Ready):

• High-Ends - 0
• Near High-Ends - 0
• Upper-Tier - 9
• Middle-Tier - 21
• Lower-Tier - 68

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 75
• Mad Science Branch - 60
• Creation Crew - 170
• Klonogiris - 108
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 37
• Thugs and Goons - 8005

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 120

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 78: Optimization

“Well, this is certainly a surprise. I assumed All Might would be the one to interrogate me. How may I help you, Star and Stripe?” All For One inquires as America’s Number 1 Hero walks into the visiting chamber.

“I’d like to have a chat about your bodyguard and the rest of your little league.” The world’s most powerful heroine growls back.

“Oh? Did Gigantomachia decide to act on his own? How nice of him to finish what I started.”

“Don’t get your hopes up, ‘demon lord’. My master isn’t dead.”

“But he was defeated, no? His broken form exposed to the world and the final embers of One For All finally snuffed out. Oh, did he ever tell you about what exactly his quirk was, and the true connection between him and his latest student, Izuku Midoriya?”

“As a matter of fact, he did. And before you even bother trying to form a wedge, I’m just fine with Izuku being given that power rather than getting it myself. My own quirk is enough for me, thanks.”

He didn’t expect that response; she must have activated some New Order rule in advance to alter what was picked up by guards and cameras alike, but that’s okay. 

If anything, it means the former Symbol of Peace and his remaining cohorts are getting more desperate.

 

“Oh, and I’ll make sure your brown and black goliath doesn’t launch any more potshots UA’s way.” Star adds on.

He didn’t expect that response either. Brown and black? Launching potshots? A ranged quirk?

Did Dr. Garaki finally find Machia and grant him a few more quirks after his defeat? But it’s barely been over a week since that battle!

Perhaps Endurance allowed Machia to accept the quirks from Garaki’s own surgical methods of quirk transplanting much easier than the Nomus?

Yes, a stronger Machia will help push Tomura and the others to their limits and cause the heroes even more problems. 

“I’m afraid I have no idea where Gigantomachia currently is, nor do I know where Tomura and the League of Villains currently are. Unlike All Might’s bird, mine left the nest and now makes his own decisions.”

“And the other multiple quirk users you sent to watch over Wolfram at I-Island? You had Kurogiri warp them out after All Might and I defeated Wolfram and forced them to retreat, and they haven’t been spotted since. 

They’re much more human-looking and intelligent then your Nomus and Gigantomachia too; I doubt you would just throw away such powerful pawns, and they weren’t with the League during Kamino, so where are they?”

He definitely didn’t expect that response. 

 

He heard rumors, yes, but dismissed them as nothing more than that. There was no footage or anything like that he could obtain, and he assumed that Wolfram simply caused plenty of damage with the Quirk Amplification Device before being defeated.

But with Star and Stripe directly asking him to his face…

Did the doctor finish up their Pseudo-AFO project? No, it couldn’t be. 

There was only one test subject for that, and there’s no way the doctor would keep details of such a thing from him.

But what other reason could there be? Surely there aren’t other people with a quirk like his or his brother’s out there… right?

“What’s with that look on your face?” Star asks, noticing the demon lord suddenly go silent. 

“I genuinely have no idea what you’re talking about.” All For One admits, surprising the heroine. 

[You have three minutes left, Star and Stripe.] One of the guards suddenly broadcasts over the speaker system.

“Oh, come now. Don’t put a damper on things. I’m honestly curious about this little mystery. Would you mind telling me a bit more about these multiple-quirk users?”

“You’re serious right now?”

“Very serious.”

 

So the Number 1 Hero obliges and gives a brief summary of what she and All Might knew about the disguised Sekan and Nine. Same goes for the Praetorian whose legs got severed by a closing warp gate.

“How strange. I’m almost certain that the person you fought has both the Weather Manipulation quirk from Nine and Flight quirk from Captain Celebrity, but I didn’t collect either of those quirks when I slaughtered them at Naruhata.”

That gets Star dangerously close to shattering the glass between them and tearing the quirk-thief's head off with her bare hands.

But All For One pays no mind to this and continues to deduce.

“The other quirks those two wielded sound quite powerful, not to mention how many each of them seemed to have. Likely as many, if not more then the third one with all those enhancers.

I was only able to just barely give Wolfram one extra quirk without having him go through the nomufication process, but it sounds like these villains had at least half a dozen quirks each. Very strange indeed.”

“I don’t know if you’re bullshitting about your ignorance or not, but frankly, I don’t care. All Might and I will put a stop to them and whatever you have left.”

“And leave your home country of America defenseless? How heartless of you.”

“America is doing just fine, and I’ll save whoever needs saving no matter where in the world they are.”

[Time’s up, ma’am. Please exit.] Both monoliths hear over the loudspeaker as the exit gate opens behind Star.

“Have fun watching the rest of your plans fall apart while you rot in here, All For One.”

The demon lord laughs at this, but stops when Star and Stripe exits.

 

He genuinely has no idea who these other multiple quirk users are, but they almost seem to have similar talents to himself and Dr. Garaki. Not only that, but the heroes managed to find his hideout in Kamino rather quickly, and their counterattack in both Hosu and the Training Camp was much larger than expected.

Could the doctor have not only sold him out to the heroes, but also truly made a Pseudo-AFO behind his back? One he can’t simply possess like he intends to with Tomura? 

Or is there a major force at play that even he himself didn’t know about?

The Creature Rejection Clan? The Wild Villains? Impossible, the demon lord wouldn’t have been had by those groups of fools.

Follows of Destro or Oji Harmia? He knows that Atsuhiro Sako or ‘Mr. Compress’ is one of the latter’s descendants. He’s also fairly certain the head of Detnerat, Rikiya Yotsubashi, is a descendant of Chikara Yotsubashi. Could the latter have restarted the Meta Liberation Army in his ancestor’s place?

But neither of his so-called rivals from back in the day could do what he could with quirks. Had another like himself been born and raised as a trump card for those two lineages or had Garaki decided to do dealings with them on the side?

No matter what, someone was out-playing him at this key juncture. All For One had been playing chess with an enemy he didn’t even know was at the board, and he did not like that one bit.

Tomura still wasn’t ready and Garaki may potentially be a traitor along with who knows how many others in what remains of his empire… he can only hope Machia would deal with this issue accordingly, even get he himself out of here if need be, or he’ll have to break out of this mythological cosplay of a prison on his own.

And he would rather not risk resorting to such, because he’s well aware how weak he’s become.

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐ 1 Month 2 Weeks Until The Final Festival

“How’s it looking so far?” I question LabHaul as we walk through rows upon rows of massive, monster-filled pods.

“Well there’s nothing in your basic textbooks for reanimating a broken corpse, but fortunately for us, at this point in my career, I’ve already developed experience far beyond such limited tools of education. When working in such a career, it comes with the territory.”

“No kidding. We turned the taboos here into a goddamn checklist to cross off.”

“And covered our actions with NDAs so airtight that our respective balls would drop clean off if anyone dared to speak of it outside this room.” My clone snarks. “In all seriousness, the Nomu are much easier to create than Praetorians, but combining both avenues of body modifications together isn’t easy. 

Keeping the Praetorians and Nomu concepts separate would be better for our troops, as combining it all together for just you is hard enough.”

 

“That’s fine, our pet projects are strong enough already. So what can I expect in terms of production?”

Garaki’s quirk storage, while not housing anything too useful, does save me a lot of Quirk Farming. I’m still doing it from time to time; just a few days ago, I got a copy of Tenko Tejina’s Conjure quirk for Toya, the MHA Vigilantes character being able to target any relatively small object and warp it into their hand, a step above his Larceny quirk. 

It pairs especially well with Compress as Toya can marble something up and immediately warp said marble into his hand.

Soramitsu Tabu also got some more upgrades, the old Eight Bullet member getting both Mad Gluttony from Tartarus prisoner Ginji Kurau and Stock from MHA Vigilantes villain Garvey. 

The former lets the user devour anything from the giant mouth in their stomach and the latter lets the user absorb attacks and release them whenever they want, turning the user into a bootleg Kirby. Both come with mutations that I made much less visible with Overhaul, but they’re still pretty dangerous together, especially when combined with the other quirks Soramitsu currently has.

Those are just examples from my top brass. Plenty of my subordinates are gaining quirks at all times, whether it’s a uniform combination that comes from joining certain branches like the Creation Crew or Cyberwarfare Branch or other quirks/combinations that we’re hoping turn into Artificial Quirks at some point.

And then there’s our other projects like Praetorians and Nomu.

 

“I can create Nomu faster. They don’t require the training Praetorians do; they’re simply puppets that follow orders. Even the High-Ends, despite being capable of independent thinking, will do whatever their handlers order to the letter.

All Nomu are 'aware' in a sense, that awareness growing the higher their tier is, but none care enough to object or act unless told. Slightly unsettling, but I can understand the design choice.

I plan to keep producing both, as we have both the resources and funding for such. All For One has some very deep bank accounts and Garaki had decades to amass resources for his trademark mad science, so with all that under our control, that’s two problems we no longer have to worry about.

However, even with all the assistance I have, production itself is still a bit tough. Garaki’s quirk collection is large, but not that large. I’m thinking of creating a few more clones of Eri to help us for the time being, letting us duplicate quirks and modified bodies more often.”

“...You know how I feel about that.” I point out.

“Of course I know. I’m literally you, only more eccentric about mad science. These clones will be clones of our family, and they’ll support us without a problem. It’ll only be until Endgame and help me rapidly increase our production levels. Just trust me on this.”

I eventually relent and give him the go-ahead to make more clones, but made it extremely clear to not get carried away. 

“Great! We’re going to have an entire army of Nomus in no time thanks to how much we mastered our quirk arsenal! Overhaul, Endurance, IQ, Energy Saver, Rewind, and so on are absolute godsends for this kind of work. 

Not only that, but some of our own body modification discoveries can make the process go even faster. We also have more than enough bodies and quirks to work with for the time being thanks to taking down thousands of AFO spies, so no need to worry about a lack of materials.

The demon lord’s remains of an empire, our other prisoners like some of Wolfram’s crew, and our body/quirk duplication cheats combined with Garaki’s quirk storage and Kuin collecting blood samples from all over the country will let us pump out dozens of Nomu a week, if not more! And that’s before we further optimize the process!”

“Doesn’t duplicating tiny blood samples with our trademark Overhaul-Rewind trick take a while? Unless you got a liquid duplication quirk or something.”

“Well Himiko Toga’s quirk helps speed up the initial duplication by a lot. Transform allows the user to copy the blood of whoever they transform into, and it doesn’t turn into goop like the rest of their disguise when time’s up. That’s why Ochaco was just fine after Toga gave her that blood transplant during the Final War.

So through this method, you can turn ten milliliters of blood into several liters, and that’s before using quirks like Cell Activation, Super Regeneration, Overhaul, and Rewind to fix or reset the user’s condition. Duplication from then on is much more efficient.

And before you ask, no, I don’t have Toga herself do this. I mostly rely on any Pseudo-Togas we don’t have out on the field to quickly stock up on blood. 

Toga’s much too busy being a menace with Kuin to stick around the lab all day anyway. Also, I’m pretty sure Kuin de facto adopted the yandere vampire shortly after her LOV-infiltration mission ended.”

“Oh god, the chaos those two can cause together…” I can’t help but groan. 

“It’s going to be glorious… when directed towards our enemies, anyway. Kuin actually came to me with a pretty good idea yesterday. Nezu’s crew knows all about her bees, right? Why not use other insects then?

Her copy of Anivoice does let her control other animals, but not from such large distances away. It doesn’t let the user form a hivemind with them either, so only the Queen Bee quirk will work, and she hasn’t managed to merge it with other quirks just yet. 

So that option was out, but what if we were to Overhaul her bees into different insects instead? Do a little merging and alteration without compromising the hivemind aspect?

Doing just a few hundred is gonna take a while, especially with variety being key, but we only need these altered spies for the few in the know. Even better, Kuin’s non-altered bees can act as a feint for Nezu’s crew. Purposefully have the bees at certain areas, causing the rat to move somewhere else for his strategy meetings, and place our altered insects wherever he relocates.”

 

“Huh, not bad.” I give my approval after some thought. “Did she come up with that on her own, or did Toga help?”

“Toga. Disguise is her specialty while general infiltration is Kuin’s. Those two have been bouncing all kinds of ideas off each other, and the few that are actually productive for our own goals are pretty good.”

“Good to know. So what about the Creation quirk? Can’t you create blood or even Quirk Factors through that?” I then question. 

“That’s a tad bit trickier. For starters, we’re still investigating the exact genetic makeup of Quirk Factors. It’s parascientific bullshit that we’re getting better at manipulating, but haven’t completely reverse-engineered yet. 

As for simply pumping out a person’s blood through Creation, that’s a lot more feasible so long as it isn’t part of the person’s quirk. It’s just that replicating blood through Transform is both easier and less messy, and the Overhaul-Rewind duplication trick can handle the rest.

And as for a liquid duplication quirk, I currently have our cyberwarfare guys looking through Japan’s quirk registry to find one because of course All For One wouldn’t know a powerful, convenient quirk if it hit him in the face. And no, One For All doesn’t count. It’s powerful, but as far from convenient as you can get.”

“You’re getting off track again.” I cut my clone’s rant short.

“Huh? Oh, right. So naturally, I’ll try and create the best Nomus possible, but most people simply aren’t suited to be High-Ends, Near High-Ends, or even Upper-Tier Nomu. The ratio should get better as time passes and we get better at the process, and I should be able to complete Hood within the week.

That guy will serve as a nice blueprint to use for other High-Ends and his sheer destructive power rivals some of our Sinister Six and Four Horsemen, making for a very effective training dummy.

As for the other eleven or so Garaki is at least somewhat close to finishing, those should be done within the next month or so. After that, I’ll be able to pump out a lot more High-Ends and Upper-Tiers.”

Fast. Very fast. 

 

Dr. Garaki finished Hood by the end of November in canon. It’s the beginning of September right now. Most of the work on that High-End was already done before Kamino, but losing access to All For One slowed Garaki’s process significantly.

Only a few other High-Ends were ready during the Paranormal Liberation War next March, and LabHaul will be done with twice as many by the middle of October at the latest. 

Just goes to show how much of a difference quirks like Overhaul can make, especially when the user has enough knowledge to back it up.

“We’ll also be able to ramp up Praetorian production. 20-30 every half a month or so, and that’s not even counting Special Praetorians! I’ll be able to gradually make their quirkless bodies more powerful too thanks to the new manpower from the Hassaikai and special equipment from Garaki.”

“That’s great and all, but don’t forget our top priority project right now.” I remind the eccentric clone.

“I know, I know. Garaki hasn’t quite finished his plans for AFO’s Perfect Body yet, but he was mostly done already and finishing the rest won’t take very long. Then there’s combining that with all our own research… which is going to take a lot longer.

The procedure itself won’t take nearly as long based on my calculations. A month, if not less mainly thanks to Overhaul. Way better than the four months it took in canon. But making the procedure feasible is going to take a while despite Overhaul letting us do plenty of things that wouldn’t be possible even for AFO and Garaki.”

“And that’s despite already having experience with creating our Semi-Perfect Form?”

“That form was created with a combination of our own discoveries up until that point and Garaki’s pre-Nomu research. He pretty much threw most of that aside when he began creating his latest supersoldiers and we’ve discovered a whole lot more ourselves since then. There’s a reason why we never saw Nomus utilizing Trigger in canon or here.

In other words, your Perfect Form is going to be a combination of Garaki’s post-Nomu research, pre-Nomu research, and all our own up-to-date research when it comes to quirks and body modifications. That’s well beyond what Garaki did in canon and wouldn’t be anywhere close to possible without both our quirk arsenal and our expertise.”

 

His explanation makes sense, but I was hoping we could get that done a little sooner.

An army of High-End Nomus is nice and all, as are even stronger Praetorians, but only by ascending the singularity can I hope to defeat Star and Stripe.

“Any chance you could just focus entirely on this? We could always just create more Praetorians and Nomu later, but getting my perfect form will at least ensure we can’t lose, and it’s not like we’re in desperate need of them right now.”

“I don’t need all hands on deck to optimize progress for your eventual singularity ascension, so I would just have a few dozen assistants standing around doing nothing if I went that route. Not to mention, creating and improving Nomu will only help our expertise with body modifications grow. 

We may even make a few accidental discoveries here and there that can further improve your Perfect or Singularity Form when the time comes. In fact, we’re already starting to see some Artificial Quirks pop up among the many subordinates we’ve given multiple quirks to.

One example is a combination of Cementoss’ Cement and Wolfram’s Metal Manipulation. Copies of that Artificial Quirk are a godsend for our construction and demolition workers. Another is little Tamashiro succeeding in combining Dark Shadow, Shadow Puppet, and Clones into the most powerful summoning quirk I’ve ever seen bar Double and Queen Bee.

He can create entire armies of sentient shadows whenever he wishes, molding them into whatever form he wants, and either give them orders to automatically carry out or directly control them like a hivemind. He can also create several dozen copies of himself which are controlled like a hivemind to massively ramp up the amount of shadow summons he can create.

The more time and energy he’s willing to put into summons, the more powerful they can become. He can summon hundreds of shadows the size of himself or one Godzilla-sized shadow to wreak absolute havoc. Oh, and like with Dark Shadow, all of these shadow summons become more powerful the darker it is around them.

He can also turn these shadows into weapons or armor for himself, ensuring he isn’t his own weak point. He’s even taken inspiration from Power Rangers lately, trying to form a giant shadow mechazoid for himself around himself.

Controlling a hivemind like that is taking some time to adjust to, even with Kuin genuinely trying to walk him through it, but he’s quickly becoming one of the most dangerous Head-Starters. And yes, I intend to make a new batch of Special Praetorians with that Artificial Quirk, which he named Shadow Armada. Pretty badass name if I do say so myself.”

 

I was wondering when this would happen. It was only a matter of time before we really started getting a good grasp on Artificial Quirks.

The potential they have is practically endless. Even singularity-level quirks like Decay during the Final War can quickly become outmatched if good enough combinations are made. 

Of course, we’re still far from perfecting the process. It gets more difficult to create them the more quirks go into them and the less similarities said quirks share, and creating Artificial Quirks out of Artificial Quirks (Or Artificial^2 quirks like Reveal) is even tougher.

That being said, the process could become much, much easier with a certain helping hand.

“Good to know, but have you found the severed hand of you know who yet?”

“...We have Nana Shimura’s hand. Like in canon, Tomura’s costume had-”

“I’m not talking about Nana Shimura, LabHaul.”

Oh, we could certainly put that hand to good use if we wanted. Even One For All could be duplicated through our Rewind + Overhaul combination, and Rewind can undo the hand to a point where it still had that quirk.

But we won’t do that, because One For All at that point is still too developed, too dangerous, and yet too mutilated at the same time, too much of its potential being robbed. Trying to take the current One For All from Izuku would be a better use of my time, and I’ve already gone over all the problems with that.

No, I’m talking about the severed hand of Yoichi Shigaraki. Not only did he have One For All in its earliest, purest form, but he also originally had Quirk Bestowal before that, a power that appears useless at first glance, but might just be even more dangerous then All For One itself in the right hands.

In my hands.

 

“No, we don’t have it.” LabHaul admits. “We checked literally everywhere in the guy’s empire, every last facility and hideout belonging to All For One, and couldn’t find it. Neither Garaki nor Machia know where he kept it either, and those two were his closest confidants. 

Yes, I even made a Double clone of Garaki just to comb through his memories again to double check. I did everything I could, original, but I can’t find that stupid fucking hand.”

So there’s either some super secret compartment we missed in one of his properties or there’s some super secret facility or storage area the demon lord didn’t tell a single soul about.

Of course he couldn’t make things simple for me. First the issues with his literal possessive vestige and now this. Even now, having been defeated and robbed of pretty much everything he’s amassed, that potato-faced fuck can’t help but cause problems for everyone else.

“Have the Shie Hassaikai keep looking for it. We both know how much of a game changer Quirk Bestowal could become in our hands.”

“BossHaul is working on it; go complain to him about it. Besides, while that quirk would most likely make our Artificial Quirk research go by much faster, it isn’t a requirement. We don’t even need it for Awakened For All.

Speaking of, that particular project has been developing nicely too. The final product is likely going to be a heavily squared Artificial Quirk like Reveal, if not a cubed Artificial Quirk, if we can’t manage to find Yoichi’s hand before completion.

Not surprising considering its capabilities, being able to rapidly build a malleable energy stockpile that blows even One For All out of the water. We’ve still got a while before it’s complete, assuming we don’t find Yoichi’s remains, but we are making good progress.”

Continuing on with the good news, my own improvements in the Artificial Quirk department go unsaid. I’ve never stopped training, perfecting my powers and bringing them beyond what most can imagine. In fact, I personally formed a new one pretty recently after a particularly intense sparring match with Gigantomachia.

Weather Manipulation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, and Whirlwind have merged within me to form what may be the most powerful elemental quirk in the world, and seeing how much it leans into my ‘transformation’, I decided to name this new quirk Ultra Phosphor.

All in all, plenty of Shie Hassaikai personnel have been achieving breakthroughs in their power lately. A Quirk Awakening here, an Artificial Quirk there, and the occasional new quirk that complements their current abilities let them continuously push their power to new heights.

 

“That’s nice to hear, but I hope the ‘biological improvement’ part you mentioned earlier involves dealing with the complete atrocity that is the open, exposed brain that serves as a weak point for like 99% of these guys. Seriously, what was Garaki thinking? If it’s not a weak point, then why does Johnny wear a fucking helmet?” I deadpan.

“Well in Garaki’s defense, the nomufication process and the brain modifications that come with it increase its size too much to be contained by regular means. I won’t bother going into details, but trying to keep these big brains cramped in their heads wouldn’t work out very well.”

“Then just cover it up with something larger! Give them appropriate animal-themed mutation quirk or just use Overhaul to body-fuse protection around their brains!”

“Well, there is a mutation quirk I’ve had my eyes on that makes the user resemble the extinct species of Dunkleosteus. It’s basically a large fish with armor plating all across its face. I could also just take pieces of other bodies and quirks and do body-fusion to make something similar.

Well whatever I go with, rest assured that every Nomu we both currently have and pump out will not have the glaring weak point of the canon ones by the time our Endgame starts. The only question now is how well we’ll be able to cover it up. That’s the kind of thing I mean by working on improvements and getting accidental discoveries.” LabHaul informs me.

“So an extra trial and error that grants us a nigh-unbeatable army?”

“Bingo. Don’t get me wrong, once you get your Perfect Form, you’ll basically be unstoppable, but even you can’t be everywhere and do everything at once without spamming Double.

On the bright side, it’s not like we have to worry about heroes hunting us down. Star and Stripe being present would make any operations like the Naruhata War infinitely more difficult, but we have no reason to pull something like that again.

Besides, the heroes are way too distracted dealing with all the small-time villains growing bolder. It’s much worse than in canon thanks to our pre-canon endeavors and the Butterfly Effect they caused.

The Villain War and Naruhata War showed people that villains can cause some serious damage even with All Might around, and all the products we pumped into the Black Market give these new villains all the supplies they need so long as they have the cash for it, and they will get that cash by doing petty crime.

Not just All Might’s defeat to Gigantomachia, but also our little anti-AFO operation after the showdown at Kamino really sealed the deal. The main purpose of the latter was to handle what remained of the potato’s empire, but everyone else just saw thousands of villains celebrating All Might’s fall and most of them getting away with it. 

Endeavor is still recovering too; while not as bad as All Might’s initial injury, having a chunk of your chest nommed off isn’t something you can heal from lickedy split via smooch from Recovery Girl. And let's not forget the deaths of Best Jeanist and Gang Orca, among other powerful heroes, at Kamino.

And even if every top hero I just mentioned besides All Might was not only alive, but in tip top shape, that wouldn’t stop Gigantomachia from burying them himself as he levels the entire country. We won’t have him do that, but Japan and its remaining heroes don’t know that.”

((“He has a point.”)) NightHaul chimes in via mind link. ((“That first crime wave has been followed by several more, and the remaining heroes are having some serious trouble containing this new influx of villains. 

These numerous independent villains, small gangs, and small syndicates aren’t working together. They all have their own agendas and their own approaches, so there is no big plan to guess and stop. Well, besides ours.”))

“And the heroes will stop that the day Hell freezes over. Fair enough.”

Star and Stripe is the only true problem still in Japan, and she won’t be able to stay there forever. Oh she’ll certainly travel back over if I make enough of a mess, but that still gives me at least a two hour head start. 

Even if she could stay here permanently, she’s just one person. All Might couldn’t be everywhere in his peak, and neither could she. 

Besides, she still isn’t held to the same regard as All Might. Most still believe she’s weaker than All Might because, well, All Might is All Might. Stupid reasoning, I know, but that’s just the effect the Symbol of Peace had on society over the decades.

 

His oldest student is the real problem; our battle on I-Island confirmed it. Her control over this reality is much more powerful and all-encompassing than my own, from overriding my attacks to countering anything I throw at her.

Two crucial factors allow that to be possible. First, experience and general competency. She’s no quirk expert like me, but she has been the Number 1 Hero of a country with a crime rate higher than 20% for decades on end. 

She’s encountered countless villains across her long career, and had to come up with plenty of rules to stop them. She also likely got more than a few suggestions for rules from people in the know about her power like her bros, Commander Agpar, and the higher-ups of the US Government. 

I doubt I’m the first person who tried roasting or freezing her alive, or crushing her with telekinesis or taking the oxygen away with wind manipulation or turned other parts of the surrounding environments against her and so on. She was on the lookout for telltale signs of those kinds of quirk usage, and drew on her experience and instincts to properly counter them.

However, what good is experience when plenty of my attacks are insta-kills? She has to speak a rule to employ it, doesn’t she? It should take a couple seconds to speak even a short sentence, right? There’s only so much she can do to prepare in advance against my various, versatile attacks.

Well this is where the second factor comes into play, something most anime are absolutely terrible at portraying: talking speeds.

You know how characters who are supposed to move faster than sound or even light tend to yap away during battles against opponents of similar speed and power? They seem to talk at normal speed while throwing thousands of attacks a second, which makes no sense whatsoever.

Obviously, it’s for the convenience of the viewer. It allows them to follow what’s going on, lets us see the action with our own eyes and hear it with our own ears when we really shouldn’t be able to. 

Well it doesn’t quite work like that in ‘real life’, or at least in this reality. People here can move really damn fast, and they can talk just as fast. Guys like All Might can go far faster than sound, and so can Star when she’s got her strength rule up, powering up her body. Well, her mouth is a part of her body, isn’t it? Same with the vocal cords and everything else that goes into talking. 

What I’m getting at here is Cathleen doesn’t need a few seconds to declare a new rule like a ‘normal’ person would, at least not while she has some sort of strength rule up (which she usually does). Instead, she can throw out new rules in fractions of a second, if not much less, thereby giving her much more wiggle room when it comes to countering my onslaughts. 

But wait, didn’t she use her strength rule less and less towards the end of our own fight? Yes, and that’s where factor one came into play. She had already experienced a good chunk of my arsenal, picked up on a few of my patterns, and had plenty of others to compare it to. 

This allowed her to more accurately predict and counter my attacks, even without a strength rule to help her talk way faster. 

My wariness of her wasn’t misplaced, but I shouldn’t have to worry about another direct confrontation for a while. Ideally, our next battle will be when I’ve already ascended the singularity and became perfect, and she’ll be completely screwed, reality-warping quirk or not.

Oh, and while we're on the subject of quirks…

 

“And what about all our other quirk research?” I question my clone.

“Oh we’re still doing that too; Awakened Quirks, Artificial Quirks, Quirk Awakenings, Sentient Quirks, Quirk-Erasers, even further optimizing OverTrigger and the QAD just to name a few avenues we’re currently going down.

I actually plan to combine the latter with your carbon polymer skeletal system so you can get the boost full-time without having to worry about losing it the second some helmet gets knocked off your head. And if your body itself somehow gets damaged enough to break it, then you can just use Creation to instantly make replacement parts.”

“So my body and brain will be able to handle all of that?”

“Overhaul body-fusion is just ridiculous. It lets people bypass so many different problems when body modifications and extra quirks are involved. Trust me, even without the All For One quirk, you’ll be able to handle hundreds of super-enhanced, Awakened, and Artificial Quirks without a problem. And don’t forget how much your body will naturally evolve as you transcend the singularity.

This Perfect Form, our magnum opus… it will be greater than Garaki and AFO’s own perfect body by several orders of magnitude. You’ll be able to take on the greatest heroes and villains ever seen simultaneously while quirkless thanks to having base strength beyond even All Might in his prime.

And that’s not even mentioning what will happen once we stack all our quirk discoveries, Trigger discoveries, and the QAD on top of that. AFO and All Might in their primes will be nothing but ants. The completed OFA and New Order will be powerless against what you’re going to become. 

In short, you’ll become unbeatable. Completely and utterly. No amount of centuries-old buildup and plot armor will be able to hold a candle to you once this is over. You’ll become the closest thing to a quirked god this world has ever witnessed, Future Eri excluded.”

I like the sound of that. 

The only real issue is AFO’s vestige, but a few dozen willpower-boosting quirks along with Reveal, Endurance, and Overhaul should let me turn that potato into a punching bag within my mind easily enough. And that’s if none of our other research into avoiding that bears fruit.

Like hell I’m going to let that bastard bodyjack me after all the time and effort I put into this second life of mine! If anything, All For One will be bending to my will as I mess around with his quirk to my liking.

There are probably plenty of optimizations that can be made to one of My Hero Academia’s most broken quirks, and I intend to find as many as I can while torturing the potato ghost. 

Doesn’t that sound like fun?

It sure as hell won’t be for All For One, but that just makes it even better.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Reveal (Artificial^2), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Ultra Phosphor (Artificial), Warp Gate (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Creation, Double, IQ, Erasure, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver, Cell Activation, Incite, Love, Erasure
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial^2), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, ?????

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Q-Ray (Artificial), Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Slice, Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Despot, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Gigantification, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Eruption, Hellflame, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption, Heat-Resistance
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Bloodcurdle, Chronostasis, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Shock Absorption
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Incite, Despot
• Kaina Tsutsumi (Head Assassin) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Rifle, Homing, Slice, Chronostasis, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Rei (Head-Starters’ Babysitter) - Ice Ply (Awakened), Frost, Hellflame, Cremation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Water Gun, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Heat-Resistance x2, Frost Resistance x2

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Mimicry, Softening, Earth Flow, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Dragon, Stress
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Larceny, Compress, Conjure, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Manifest, Mad Gluttony, Stock, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (395) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Praetorian Summoners (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Shadow Armada (Artificial)
• Pseudo Getens (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (15) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Muscle Augmentation

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 3300 Personnel 
• 25 Commanders - Q-Ray (Artificial), Incite, Despot
• 250 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 250 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 250 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 170 Battle Tanks
• 90 Attack Helicopters
• 30 X-66 Fighter Jets
• 105 Small Boats
• 7 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 700
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 500
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 5

Nomus (Complete/Combat Ready):

• High-Ends - 0
• Near High-Ends - 0
• Upper-Tier - 16
• Middle-Tier - 31
• Lower-Tier - 75

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 80
• Mad Science Branch - 70
• Creation Crew - 170
• Klonogiris - 112
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 37
• Thugs and Goons - 8080

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 120

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 79: Quirk Cheats 101 - Modified Quirks

Anti-AFO Alliance:

Mr. Principal: By any chance would you happen to know about the… thing that demolished Might Tower and defeated the Symbol of Peace?

Long Haul: Did Star and Stripe not learn enough about it from its master during her visit to Tartarus?

Mr. Principal: Any extra information you may have on its recent whereabouts would be helpful.

Long Haul: All I know are a few rumors surrounding the existence of a fabled bodyguard for the demon lord. I take it that mountain with wings was said bodyguard?

Mr. Principal: You have to know more than that. 

Long Haul: And I am under no obligation to tell you such. Perks of being a cryptid. No wonder All For One embraced the role for centuries on end.

Mr. Principal: Was our performance in Kamino not satisfactory? The demon lord has finally been taken down.

Long Haul: More like the weakened husk of a demon lord was barely defeated despite you having three of the world’s most powerful heroes at your disposal. Oh, and several of Japan’s top 10 also died during the first few seconds of your sneak attack. 

Mr. Principal: Did your other options manage to accomplish more? How do we compare to them?

Long Haul: You’re not getting more from me that easily.

Mr. Principal: Well, it was worth a try. 

Long Haul: Tell you what, find and take down Gigantomachia and I may just tell you the location of a different secret villain organization’s home base. Spoilers: it’s a ‘liberated district’ where tens of thousands of its members happen to reside and secretly train for their upcoming coup against Japan.

Long Haul: If you wish to get the drop on them rather than the other way around, then I suggest you start that hunt sooner rather than later.

 

 

“Damnit, he’s obviously weakening us by directing the heroes towards his competition!” Gran Torino growls as Nezu displays the group chat. “And he’s feeding us breadcrumbs to make sure we don’t divert all our attention towards him! Crafty little bastard.”

“Ask him about I-Island.” ‘Sir Nighteye’ chimes in.

“He’ll just deny knowing anything about it!” Gran argues back. “Anything else would easily give him away!”

“Could he really have a power like All For One? It shouldn’t be possible, right?” Toshinori weakly mutters from his hospital bed before getting into a bloody coughing fit. 

Even with Recovery Girl’s help, healing from the injuries he got against Machia is gonna take a while, and that full recovery won’t be coming with a single ember of One For All.

Star and Stripe could fix that, help him return to his prime once again, but he refuses to cut his student’s own power in half at all times just to keep an old fool like him going.

“The chances of such a quirk going under the radar from heroes and villains alike is extremely miniscule. Being able to keep that power a secret, keeping a growing organization capable of taking over the country a secret, and playing all other major hero and villain organizations for fools under their noses for so long just shouldn’t be possible based on my calculations.

Unless there’s some factor I have failed to consider, it’s simply impossible to do all this undetected. The power and knowledge that would require… it almost feels like a Foresight quirk is at use.” Nezu theorizes.

“I don’t think so.” Nighteye chimes in. “If the multi-quirked villains at I-Island really were a part of his group, then why did their plan go so awry? Why did we catch them so off-guard? 

The QAD was destroyed during their fight with Star and both of the main combatants on Long Haul’s side barely made it out alive. They failed to gain anything while losing the element of surprise.”

“So then what exactly are we missing here, because there’s obviously some piece of the puzzle we haven’t even found yet, much less put into place.” Star chimes in. “Also, the HPSC is really pushing me to leave the country. If those idiots think that Endeavor and Hawks could take on a monster like that…”

“They want the top heroes under their pocket to step up and appear as unbeatable as All Might in an attempt to both stop the underworld from stirring and gain more influence themselves, and you being here shattered that narrative.” Nezu easily concludes. 

“It’s risky and has a very high chance of failure, but their pride and customs make them refuse to let another country ‘supposedly’ step all over them for being incompetent.”

“Well the incompetent part is right, and they’re even more corrupt.” America’s Number 1 Hero grumbles back. 

 

“And our solution to this is…” Eraserhead chimes in.

“I’m already making numerous upgrades to UA’s security. Long Haul’s belief that the country will soon fall apart is looking more likely by the day, so I might as well spend all my savings on making this campus a stronghold before Yen as a currency becomes worthless.”

“That’s awfully pessimistic, sir.”

“I’m afraid such is warranted, Aizawa. All this time we saw All For One as the main threat, and for good reason, but the centuries-old quirk thief was merely the opening act. None of us could imagine someone even more dangerous plotting in shadows even deeper than the demon lord’s. 

We need to gather as many allies as we can and prepare our stronghold in Mustafu for when the inevitable happens. I said that war was declared back when Tomura Shigaraki destroyed the UA Gate, but I never could’ve imagined how big this war was and just who was truly declaring it.”

“All For One reduced to a puppet… I’d laugh if the situation wasn’t so grim.” Toshinori sighs.

“I would too, and probably will later.” Nezu smirks before going back to his serious expression. “Go and find all the trusted heroes you can; daylight or underground, it doesn’t matter. I would even be willing to ally with actual vigilantes at this point, not the vigilantes Long Haul claims his group to be.”

“The HPSC would have your head if they found out… most likely presented on a silver platter carried into the President’s office by a few of Hawks’ feathers.” Gran Torino snarks.

“Well what the HPSC doesn’t know won’t hurt them.” The chimera replies, showing just how much he’s grown when compared to his canon self.

“I’ll call some buddies of Christopher and I from the states. If I am kicked out of the country and Japan falls apart afterwards, then I’ll head back with them as soon as I can.” Star assures everyone.

“You don’t have to do that, Cassie. We can still-” 

“It’s alright, master. I’m only doing my job as a hero.”

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐ 1 Month 1 Week Until The Final Festival

It’s strange, I know. I claim to not care about this world and its doomed fate, yet here I am, obsessing over learning everything about its fundamentals. 

Not just stuff like geography, history, literacy, mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology, subjects I am currently forcing the Head-Starters to spend at least three hours a day studying, much to their horror. I’m also talking about superpowers in general.

Part of the reason why is simple curiosity amplified immensely by raw passion. Another part of it is a need to grow more powerful through these new discoveries.

But the fact of the matter is I want to discover every little thing I can about these ‘quirks’ or powers most of humanity has here. Not just quirks quirks, but other powers like actual willpower and certain body alterations like that buff-up trick, but actual quirks are my main focus.

Quirks can be pretty much anything. To give an example, the Idatens are known for their engine-like limbs, so you need to look up some engineering stuff to understand what’s going on. The same applies to just about any quirk.

Biology for enhancers and augmenters, Zoology for animalistic quirks, Physics and Chemistry for emitters and operatives, and so on. Some quirks like Overhaul have ridiculous skill ceilings, but most are simple enough to understand with the right bits of background knowledge. 

Not to mention the different parts of quirks. You have the part of people that allows quirks to be ‘held’ in the first place, the primary quirk power, the secondary characteristics or mutations, and so on.

 

LabHaul’s already made several new theories on top of Quirk Resonance, the latest one being ‘Quirk Magnetism Theory’. The basic idea is that if one parent has multiple secondary quirk characteristics, the ones that will be expressed in their child are more likely to be those similar and complementary to secondary quirk characteristics of the other parent.

Why does this matter? Well, whatever causes quirks to appear in humans is further streamlining evolution, adapting individuals to become specifically suitable for certain quirks. Upon secondary characteristics lining up with quirks, abilities and potential skyrocket. 

For example, Endeavor wouldn’t be anywhere near as dangerous as he is if his Hellflame quirk didn’t come with plenty of natural fire resistance as a secondary characteristic; he would turn out like Touya if he didn’t. 

Others for fire quirks can include making their users become more capable of handling poor air quality and oxygen or producing their own oxidizers and fuel. Other secondary traits in general are things like Tokoyami’s bird head or even Izuku’s green hair. Usually pretty minor, but they can aggregate together to appear like a weaker mutant-type quirk.

But I digress. The world is quickly coming to an end, so studying how it works may sound redundant (a point brought up by Eri and some of her minions the other day when I dropped another heap of textbooks at their feet and told them to start memorizing), but it isn’t ‘ending’ ending. Not for a while, anyway. 

Anarchy will probably reign for the next few decades once society collapses, quirk warlords becoming the new main authority figures. It’ll be like the Dawn of Quirks on steroids. Sure, someone may eventually be born with enough power to actually destroy the world, but that shouldn’t be for quite a while. 

Anyway, Horikoshi has a bit of a bad habit when it comes to introducing quirk-related, game-changing possibilities into his story for like one manga page or five seconds in the anime before never bothering to mention them again. 

Quirk-Duplication is one of them. Quirk-Modification is another.

So he and Garaki apparently reverse-engineered a copy of Overhaul to only have the destruction part, with AFO giving it to Tomura soon after.

Now when Garaki copies a quirk, there’s a good chance that said copy is going to be weaker than the original, but this is something different. He literally took half of a quirk’s functionality out, creating something brand new, albeit weaker than the previous product. 

So the question has to be asked: can quirks be engineered to become stronger?

I don’t mean through temporary enhancements like Trigger or the QAD. I don’t mean through quirk-boosting quirks like Endurance or Incite or Love. I don’t mean through combining other quirks into it to create Artificial Quirks. I don’t mean altering the body to get a better output from the quirk like I did with Overhaul.

I mean genetically altering the quirk itself, and only that quirk itself, to permanently become more powerful. 

 

Let’s take a look at Decay’s ridiculous evolution as an example. 

So the quirk was originally a copy of Overhaul that was also most likely weaker than the original due to the limits of Garaki’s methods, but it got modified to where half of its basic function, the repair function, was removed. It was then given to a young Tenko through AFO, resulting in his whole body itching and even a shock going through his arm before it first activated.

Tenko then wiped out his family along with their entire house through Decay, and he was then taken in by AFO with his ‘care’ resulting in the traumatic incident (and most of his early life) being repressed by his subconscious.

This caused him to forget quite a few things about his quirk, and hold himself back from causing more destruction with the quirk being at its weakest during the USJ attack when he could only sloooooowly chip at Aizawa’s elbow rather than dust him in an instant.

This doesn’t change until his training montage with Gigantomachia with his quirk’s speed increasing dramatically and the quirk even beginning to have a chain effect like it originally did. 

It then not only came back in full during his battle with Re-Destro, but even awakened which made its range and power grow massively (he literally turned half of Deika into an ash cloud) as well as allow Tomura to use it without all five fingers. 

However, just like with Nine’s Weather Manipulation, Decay became too powerful for Tomura’s body to handle and the backlash of that one massive usage severely injured him.

Then came his AFO implantation and body modifications, and once that was done, Decay became even more powerful. Gran Torino claimed that the heroes discovered Garaki was trying to improve Decay in the anime, but it’s known what exactly this meant.

Was it perhaps referring to Tomura’s modified body and new quirks like Super Regeneration allowing for Decay to be used more without harming him? Using the awakened quirk once back in Deika horrifically wrecked his body, and using Decay to destroy Jaku didn’t come with even a scratch of recoil for Tomura, so it’s the most likely explanation.

Maybe some extra quirks were used to further boost it too, but that’s never confirmed.

 

Point is, using the quirk no longer hurts him, and Decay has grown to the point where anything touched and disintegrated spreads the effect through touch even after parts of the crumbling matter break away.

Tomura also had at least some level of control over what gets explicitly affected by Decay, as he decayed X-Less while keeping his cape in perfect condition and avoided wiping out quite a few of Garaki’s remaining Nomu when spreading a destruction wave through Jaku (Tomura admits he couldn’t save all of them, so he doesn’t have perfect control over this).

Finally, there is the Final War. Whether it’s due to the AFO bonding procedure fully completing or Tomura going through the Quirk Singularity evolution, maybe even both, his Decay once again improved to ridiculous levels.

He could destroy a chunk of the Shizuoka Prefecture in the blink of an eye by decaying beneath the surface, letting the area get washed away by the ocean tides.

He could effortlessly activate it through his feet, unleashing a wave of destruction by simply walking.

He claimed that he can destroy all 378,000 square kilometers of Japan itself within just a week, and that’s with only Decay, not all the other quirks he had in his arsenal.

Then vestige AFO came back, took control over Tomura’s body back, ruined said body, Tomura’s pent-up hatred, and even destroyed the Decay quirk in the process because he’s a sore loser. 

So yeah, absolutely ridiculous. Decay possibly underwent THREE de facto Quirk Awakenings in canon, four if you count the initial re-awakening. Maybe because it was originally a mutilated version of Overhaul, it had more room to grow on its own? I'm not sure, but the feat is insane nonetheless.

 

Now what can I do with Overhaul?

The quirk already awakened and also gained a multi-stage contact effect. I also optimized my body to better utilize the quirk, allowing for it to be activated anywhere and generally increase its specs across the board.

It currently has up to a three-stage contact without any boosters to the quirk itself, but it can go up to four-stage contact if I have Endurance, OverTrigger, and the QAD all equipped. 

The range is also pretty ridiculous at this point. With Endurance and OverTrigger boosting the already powerful, heavily-trained, and awakened quirk, I can destroy and alter entire islands, albeit ones on the smaller side, with a mere touch. 

That’s multiple square kilometers that I can instantly destroy and/or constantly alter however I wish. 

So an initial awakening was acquired and my body was also directly modified to perfectly optimize the quirk. 

I don’t know if something similar to the latter is what Garaki did to Tomura during the AFO procedure (he wasn’t that far along with the project when I took him down after Kamino, but I can finish what he started using what he already had) or if it was part of my own branch of mad science, but I suppose that doesn’t really matter.

Anyway, if I added on the QAD, chunks of entire cities like Deika and everyone in it could potentially be destroyed or altered in an instant, but my body can’t handle that level of power for too long yet. 

Now then, how to improve it further? 

 

Turning Overhaul into an Artificial Quirk is one option. I could potentially merge a bunch of other manipulation-type quirks into it to make it grow even stronger. That could even potentially let me affect liquids, gasses, and energy which would take away the quirk’s biggest weakness.

Awakened For All’s stockpile is another option. While we haven’t finished that project yet, we are getting closer. LabHaul also already has, among many other things, a team of subordinates with powerful electric quirks like Electrification, Amplivolt, and Weather Manipulation ready to rapidly feed the stockpile.

And to make things better, we should have no issues with duplicating the stockpile through Rewind. LabHaul already confirmed that AFA most likely won’t be able to absorb Eri’s ‘time energy’, so using our Overhaul + Rewind duplication trick should work like a charm.

With endless amounts of stockpiled energy at our disposal as well as the power to give and take quirks, we’ll pretty much be able to awaken any quirk we want.

So the Artificial Quirk process is going great so far. Regular Quirk-Modification… is going not so great.

It feels like the only thing you can do with that method is make quirks weaker. Just look at what the stupid LARPer did with Overhaul in canon for proof!

Maybe, and this is a big maybe, with enough genetics knowledge on quirks in general and mastery over Overhaul, I could permanently alter their functions. For example, I could alter Dabi/Touya’s Cremation quirk to have less of an output in exchange for greater fire resistance.

That could be extremely useful for some quirks (Overhaul not being one of them; it’s already optimized), but even with both Reveal and Overhaul helping me out, the chances of being able to do such a thing are next to none.

Such a thing is about all quirk modification can do to actually make quirks ‘stronger’. If a fire quirk has 10 points in total with 5 going to output and 5 going to fire resistance, I can alter how many points go in to which (so 6 and 4, 7 and 3, and so on), but I can’t permanently add extra points to the quirk in general, so no going above 10. 

And even if I could do the latter, I still can’t alter the quirk after that.

 

However, there is a slight loophole I can continue to exploit, and it mainly involves both transformation quirks and mutation quirks.

Said quirk types usually, directly alter the body. Overhaul can also directly alter the body. 

So technically, I actually can alter those quirks to become stronger alongside the body.

Such is what I did with Overhaul during my Semi-Perfect form procedure. Such is also what LabHaul and I ended up doing for our head assassin, the lovely Lady Nagant, as a reward for all her hard work so far.

Her new, customized body modifications now allow her rifle arm to enter a ‘full-auto’ mode in which she can fire the gun more like an assault rifle (using specialized ammunition that she can craft from her hair beforehand). 

This is in addition to her traditional sniper rifle form with the reload time and rate of fire from both also being significantly increased. Her body is also much tougher in general, and the chances of her gun jamming now are nonexistent.

I even upgraded the tendril of flesh that she can curl up and have act as a rifle scope by merging it with an actual modified rifle scope mostly made from the same carbon nanopolymers our skeletal systems are made of (so her body accepts the foreign substance without issue).

Such is only possible thanks to both Creation and Overhaul (as well as the knowledge necessary to apply both quirks to this degree), but I have all those requirements checked out, so why shouldn’t I take advantage of it?

 

Now this isn’t permanently added to the quirk. In other words, transferring Kaina’s Rifle quirk to someone else wouldn’t automatically give that person all the body modifications I added on through Overhaul surgery. Those are two completely different things.

That being said, giving her some additional firepower should help her out if things on a mission ever go south. That and all her other quirks let her turn the High-End Nomu Hood into swiss cheese during their recent spar.

Hood was able to regenerate from all his injuries, albeit at a very slowed pace thanks to the Chronostasis quirk effect being stacked with her other hair-buffing quirks (and Endurance boosting all of those even further). Same goes for the other Nomu he had stored in his Storage quirk.

What they couldn’t do was stop Kaina from putting a few hair bullets into their brains once they were slowed down enough. My Nomus have that spot protected, but Kaina’s custom bullets are simply too powerful after all the extra quirks and body modifications done to her.

Hood is a multi-quirked monster that just barely lost to Endeavor, Hawks, and several other heroes all working together in canon. Extra modifications plus far better Nomus being kept in his Storage quirk make him an even greater threat.

And yet he still lost to Kaina, not because he’s weak, but because Kaina’s quirks and skills are simply that much more overpowered. 

Her hair bullets can even tear through Machia now (granted, his massive size and regeneration means they won’t do much, even if they pierce right through his head), and with the element of surprise on her side, she may very well be among the most dangerous of my top brass.

I returned all the Nomus back to normal with a simple touch of Overhaul afterwards, but any enemy targets I give her out on the field don’t have that same luxury.

I’ve had the former HPSC assassin take down quite a few people, heroes and villains alike, who were either starting to catch on to my plans or planned on betraying me. The Klonogiris then collected all the ‘evidence’ and warped the corpses to LabHaul where they would then become Nomu materials.

As for any support gear they happened to be wearing, those would either go into storage or divided among some thugs (after getting some slight alterations like a new paint job) to slightly boost their strength. Well, unless said gear is from Detnerat. Then it just got scrapped along with the idiot wearing them.

I try not to waste materials when I can. It helps a lot with both secrecy and efficiency. I may be a supervillain, but that doesn’t mean I can’t recycle!

Anyway, back to my original goal, using Overhaul on someone to suddenly make their quirk permanently weaker is an interesting idea and a broken attack, but why would I bother doing that when I could simply take their quirk instead?

 

There’s only one other use I can think of for this phenomenon, and it once again involves mutant quirks. 

If quirks can have certain properties stripped away, then perhaps some mutant quirks can be turned or overhauled into emitter quirks.

Take Koji Koda’s Anivoice quirk for example. The command/communication with animals through speech part and the physical mutation part seems to be separate from each other. 

Now while this did change during the Final War with his head cracking and horns growing, increasing the effective range of his voice, the emitter effect and the mutation effect were originally separate.

With that in mind, perhaps scraping out the mutation part of that quirk and leaving the voice-based emitter part of the quirk behind is possible. Gaining those extra horn mutations to increase the quirk’s range would no longer be possible, but you wouldn’t look like a deformed golem in exchange.

Sounds nice depending on your preferences, right? Well, there’s just one small thing to consider. 

I can already do that by modifying the body via Overhaul. It’s what I did to prevent Kuin from having those physical mutations Anivoice comes with, and I can do it with most other mutation quirks easily enough.

So yeah, this new possibility isn’t as new as it sounds.

Hell, I’ve been doing something rather similar since the very beginning, relying on body mutations through Overhaul for increased quirk output. 

Remember how I gave myself several extra pairs of hands like what AFO Tomura had to both increase output and ensure I wouldn’t lose access to Overhaul if my arms were cut off? 

That’s not even mentioning how my whole body was modified to help improve the sheer output of Overhaul, among other quirks.

Such a thing has plenty of uses (of which I have utilized for myself and my subordinates), but that’s modifying the body to better handle quirks rather than modifying the quirk to better handle the body. 

 

In short, I’ll let LabHaul continue to look into this branch of quirk experimentation/modification, because the more expertise we have on quirks, the better, but it doesn’t feel like this quirk cheat is going to be very useful.

Altering quirk factors to make them permanently weaker doesn’t accomplish much when I can’t also make them permanently stronger. Without the other side of that coin, there isn’t really much I can do.

The only real benefit I can see to doing this is erasing quirk vestiges. Going back to canon, Tomura never had a quirk vestige of Kai Chisaki around despite his quirk being a mutilated version of Overhaul.

However, in the copy of AFO All For One has in canon, his vestige seemed to be just fine during the Final War. As for the Pseudo-AFO Nine had, we never see within his vestigeworld, so I don’t know what the deal is there.

Maybe you have to mutilate a quirk a certain amount to destroy its vestige? I’m not sure.

However, what I can fairly assume is crippling a quirk enough can potentially destroy its vestige, and just that being possible opens up a potential avenue of erasing vestiges without affecting the quirk at all, something that will definitely be useful for my plans of implanting the original All For One quirk into myself.

Not having to deal with his vestige at all would be great, so we’ll continue to look into that phenomenon at the very least. 

Come to think of it, perhaps I could cripple the All For One quirk to create a dedicated storage quirk. Both the copy of AFO All For One the person currently has and the ‘Pseudo-AFO’ gifted to Nine in canon are just weaker versions of the quirk-stealing quirk, the former having less of a hold over vestiges and the latter having far less room for storage. 

With both the original AFO and Pseudo-AFO quirks at my disposal, not to mention Garaki’s notes on creating both AFO copies, maybe I could make a different kind of AFO copy, one that doesn’t give or take quirks but simply stores them. 

If duplicated and distributed amongst my subordinates, not only would it allow me to potentially give them hundreds of quirks, if not more, of my choosing, but it would also prevent them from going on any quirk-stealing rampages. 

 

The only issue is the vestige that comes with it, assuming it sticks around. Ideally it wouldn’t since I would be eliminating two-thirds of the quirk’s functionality, the giving part and taking part, leaving just the storage part. 

Overhaul’s copy lost its vestige after losing half of its functionality, Decay being the result, but All For One is a quirk that can mess around with the vestigeworld a whole lot more.

Same with One For All. Making a copy of that quirk using Nana Shimura’s severed hand and breaking off parts of that quirk like the extra quirk factors might work. Stealing those factors in particular might work too. Gearshift, Fa Jin, Danger Sense, Blackwhip, Smokescreen, and Float are all present by that point, and most are at least decent in their own right.

However, remember what happened when AFO Tomura stole those separate quirk factors during the canon Final War? I’m afraid that even if it does work out, the OFA quirk vestiges would simply destroy themselves and as much of the people I give copies of them to as they can out of spite, and those vestiges are far, far harder to completely destroy then other quirk vestiges.

Again, look at the canon Final War. They were supposedly destroyed after ramming into AFO Tomura, yet they magically come back to obliterate All For One’s vestige minutes later. Even without any extra OFA embers boosting them, vestige Nana could still keep Tomura going after vestige AFO took over.

Both the OFA and AFO vestiges are like fucking cockroaches, so what works for other quirks most likely won’t work for them, at least not entirely, and that opens up a whole new layer of complexity to what I’m attempting to pull off.

So many unknowns, but we’ve got both the time and resources to figure it out. 

And it’s not like we won’t ever have a way to permanently boost quirks either. Awakened For All combined with the power to give and take quirks should allow us to at least somewhat permanently boost whatever quirks we wish, giving Quirk Awakenings to any powers we want.

A shame there isn’t some magical, bullshit, extremely convenient canon quirk that can permanently amplify the quirk factors of others to a limitless degree, whether it's increasing their base abilities or granting new ones. 

Oh well. What I’ve already got in the works should be more than enough for what’s to come.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Reveal (Artificial^2), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Ultra Phosphor (Artificial), Warp Gate (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Creation, Double, IQ, Erasure, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver, Cell Activation, Incite, Love, Erasure
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial^2), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, ?????

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Q-Ray (Artificial), Weather Manipulation, Air Wall, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Chronokinetic Hair (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Despot, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Gigantification, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronostasis, Hair-Raiser, Slice, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Eruption, Hellflame, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption, Heat-Resistance
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Bloodcurdle (Awakened), Chronostasis, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Shock Absorption
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Incite, Despot
• Kaina Tsutsumi (Head Assassin) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Rifle, Homing, Slice, Chronostasis, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Rei (Head-Starters’ Babysitter) - Ice Ply (Awakened), Frost, Hellflame, Cremation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Water Gun, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Heat-Resistance x2, Frost Resistance x2

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Mimicry, Softening, Earth Flow, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Dragon, Stress
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Larceny, Compress, Conjure, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Manifest, Mad Gluttony, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (430) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Praetorian Summoners (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Shadow Armada (Artificial)
• Pseudo Getens (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (20) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Muscle Augmentation

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 3550 Personnel 
• 30 Commanders - Q-Ray (Artificial), Incite, Despot
• 260 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 260 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 260 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 170 Battle Tanks
• 90 Attack Helicopters
• 30 X-66 Fighter Jets
• 110 Small Boats
• 8 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 700
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 500
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 5

Nomus (Complete/Combat Ready):

• High-Ends - 1
• Near High-Ends - 5
• Upper-Tier - 25
• Middle-Tier - 39
• Lower-Tier - 97

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 85
• Mad Science Branch - 70
• Creation Crew - 175
• Klonogiris - 115
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 37
• Thugs and Goons - 8140

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 125

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 80: Council

Notes:

Quite a lot of you have been asking for some hero-focused chapters lately. Understandable, considering recent events and some priceless reactions to said events being missed out on. Well, this chapter is for you.

((‘This is just insulting.’)) VestigeHaul deadpans from within. ((‘For them.’))

“I know! Isn’t it great?” Sekan smiled back, the rhetorical question needing no answer.

They tried to block his sight, and they failed. They tried to keep him in the dark, and they failed.

While they’ve certainly gotten better at resisting him overtime, Sekan had prepared for much worse, in turn giving him much more leeway when it comes to ‘lesser’ opponents.

Even now, people like Nezu and All For One could not be underestimated, but even they can be considered lesser when compared to the upcoming singularity’s threat. Heroes and villains could never hope to compare, as the singularity represents the next stage of human evolution.

But that comes later. Right now, Sekan has Tsukauchi. He has Nighteye. He had hacked their security and infiltrated their sanctuary with insects.

He isn’t perfect and never will be, the meeting his enemies are currently having proves it, but he doesn’t have to be perfect to emerge victorious against them, far from it.

“A whole council dedicated to little ol’ me. I’m flattered, Nezu. I’m also impressed by how many of my small slip-ups overtime you managed to catch, but you’re still far from knowing the full truth, and even farther away from knowing just what’s coming for everyone.”

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐ 1 Month 3 Days Until The Final Festival

The vultures didn’t notice several top heroes gathering up at UA, a small silver lining for both the Kamino and Tokyo disasters. 

Way too many people died, protests popping up everywhere, a rise in already rampant crime, a fall in hero’s approval ratings, and so on. It hasn’t quite become a full-blown failed state after All Might’s defeat, but it is getting dangerously close.

Reporters had no shortage of scoops to chase after, and Nezu learned an extra thing or two about being sneaky these last few months.

But while the vultures didn’t catch on, the bees sure did. Even from far, far away.

Nezu negotiated with ‘Long Haul’ to remove the Queen Bee’s swarm from UA campus, and he agreed. Of course, if he happens to have a few other methods for spying on UA (which he does), well, it’s Nezu’s fault for not knowing about them.

 

Edgeshot is the first to arrive with the ninja hero being in his civilian ninja uniform (the very concept of Sekan finding hilarious). He’s one of the biggest heroes around and an even bigger ninja fanboy.

Mirko is surprisingly next, the rabbit heroine still being less than pleased about Gang Orca’s death at Kamino. Same with Ryukyu who arrives less than a minute later.

Crust comes after that, being his usual ‘manly’ self as Kirishima, TetsuTetsu, and probably Inasa would describe it.

Hawks and Endeavor weren’t invited or notified about this for obvious reasons. 

Yoroi Musha and Shishido also weren’t invited or notified, Sir Nighteye citing the former’s HPSC-aligned beliefs and the latter’s heavily increased violent streaks after Gang Orca’s death as reasons their involvement could jeopardize everything. 

As for non-top heroes, Emi Fukukado or Ms. Joke showed up, much to Aizawa’s displeasure (despite him being the one to invite her in the first place). Another three marriage requests are turned down before everyone else assembles.

Star and Stripe is here, Power Loader and Cementoss having already constructed a new dormitory and runway for both her and her bros on some of UA’s empty acres at Nezu’s orders. While she’s unlikely to stay for much longer no matter how much she fights it, chances are she’ll be forced to come back soon, so they might as well make the process easier for her.

All Might is here, albeit carted in via wheelchair while covered head to toe in casts and bandages. 

Nighteye, Tsukauchi, and Gran Torino are all here too. 

Izuku Midoriya isn’t here; Nezu, Star, and All Might agreeing to tell him a censored version of events afterwards.

He’s still young and naive, and he shouldn’t be forced to carry this burden of theirs. Not here. Not now.

 

Once the final few guests arrive, Nezu assembles everyone in a secret underground meeting room he had Cementoss make, triple checks for any bees that ‘just so happened’ to worm their way in here, and begins.

“I’m extremely sorry about gathering you all on such short notice, but I’m afraid the situation is grim.”

“Yeah, no kidding. Something straight out of a Godzilla movie just beat the All Might out of All Might, but what the hell is up with all this secrecy?” Mirko snarks back.

“Is it perhaps an information exchange regarding the investigation?” Edgeshot questions.

“I’m afraid the situation is much worse than most of you realize. We have been in the midst of a war for quite a while now, and are currently on the brink of losing it.”

“A WAR?!?” Ryukyu gawks. “Does this have to do with the villain that All Might, Endeavor, and Star recently took down? Him and the beast that defeated All Might are powerful, yes. Far beyond any villain I’ve ever seen, but-”

“They were merely part of the opening act, and trust me, that fact is going to get a lot scarier when you learn just who they are.” All Might sighs.

The strength of that titan was easily on par with the old symbol at his peak. And yet, that’s somehow the least of their worries at the moment.

“Hence me putting together the second rendition of UA’s War Council. If anyone still wishes to back out, now is the time. Otherwise, if anything you hear about after this is told to anyone outside this room without permission, you’ll lose more than just your hero careers.” The principal darkly threatens, but nobody backs down.

“Excellent!” He cheers, doing a complete 180. “Let us begin. We’ll start chronologically.”

 

He then begins his very, very long explanation. 

He talks about the quirk-stealing boogeyman that isn’t as make believe as most believed him to be. He talks about how himself, All Might, Nighteye, Gran Torino, and a few others formed what can be considered the first war council and fought him over the course of several decades.

He talks about One For All, its history, and its current wielder. He talks about how All For One returned, but not as the final boss he thought he was. He talks about the Nomus, the League of Villains, Wolfram’s crew, and the old demon lord’s role in all of that.

Then he talks about the person calling himself Long Haul. 

He talks about how the guy saved All Might’s life back at the USJ, but not for noble reasons. He talks about his own talk with the person, the deception he tried, and the temporary alliance they made.

He talks about his reasoning for doing such, with him having no other way to even try and stop All For One’s latest schemes. He talks about the three country-wide villain organizations Long Haul mentioned (with him still barely knowing anything about the two besides AFO’s).

He talks about his interference in Hosu, saving Stain and easily fending off All Might. He talks about his likely interference in AFO’s I-Island attack and how he can likely give and take quirks as well, either through another version of the AFO quirk or through some sort of advanced surgery… or both.

He talks about what he believes to be Long Haul’s main goal, getting the heroes and villains to wipe each other out for him before he rises up. He talks about Long Haul’s belief that society is doomed no matter what, and his potential connection to Humarise, if such isn’t simply another deception of his.

He even talks about Star’s interrogation of All For One, and the boogeyman’s genuine confusion and ignorance over what Long Haul has been up to.

 

“...Son of a bitch.” Mirko mutters in disbelief. Most others have a similar look of shock, but the rabbit hero has a different reason for it. “The Second Underground Masquerade. That was him.”

“Oh?” Nezu questions.

“I met up with an old buddy of mine who was supposedly running the thing, The Rapper or-”

“Kendo Rappa, yes. I take it you decided to hop around as Tiger Bunny again?”

“How in the fuck do you… never mind. Point is I had a little spar with him during our meeting, and while the guy was pretty strong before, he sure as hell wasn’t strong enough to KO me in less than a minute. Bastard seemed to be holding back too.”

“He knocked out YOU?! In such a short time, and holding back at that?” Crust gawks at the heroine.

“Rub it in some more, why don’t you? But yeah, I got my ass kicked good. Thing is, I briefly faded in and out of consciousness for a bit, and while I’ve got some damn good hearing, everything was still fuzzy during those couple seconds.

I remember briefly seeing some other guy in the room we were in. He was actually scolding Rappa, and the guy looked like a fuckin’ puppy being bitched at by its owner for fucking up. I’ve never seen the guy back down and take that shit from anyone, especially to that degree.”

“What did he look like? And did you hear what he was saying at all?” All Might questions.

“Everything was ringing and I felt like I just got hit by a stampede of busses, so I couldn’t make out much and dismissed what little I did hear ‘cause I figured it was way too batshit crazy to be real and I was just mentally making up shit, but if what you just spat out is true, then I guess my mind wasn’t playing some fucked-up trick on me after all.

The guy was a tall bastard, I remember that much. As for what he was saying, it was like something something somehow managed to accidentally murder another top ten hero something something Fast Fist and a bit of Muscle Augmentation something something neutral zone something something you go do that.”

“Wash.” Nezu instantly concludes. “I never did figure out just what happened to him; it was so out of the blue too. Oh dear. I wonder how that could’ve happened? It must’ve been quite the tall tale.”

 

“How does one even accidentally murder a top hero? And do you think he had multiple quirks too? I recognize Muscle Augmentation as the late A-Rank Villain Muscular’s quirk and Fast Fist sounds like the name of another quirk.” Ryukyu points out.

“The guy hits like a truck, and never cared too much about heroes unless they could give him a good fight. He probably saw an angry sentient washing machine rather than the Number 8 Hero. As for multiple quirks, it would definitely explain a few things, the fuckin’ cheater.” Mirko growls back.

“Funny you should mention Kendo Rappa. One of Nezu’s final guests speaks up. “He was present at Naruhata too during its destruction, and one of the people All For One killed that night.”

“You were there for that? Also, who the hell even are you?” The rabbit hero asks.

“Ah, yes. I suppose some introductions are in order. This is Soga Kugisaki, former vigilante, former ally to the Naruhata Vigilantes, and former Instant Villain. He was one of the few survivors of the Naruhata Disaster and kindly offered to inform us of what he knew about those events in exchange for protection.”

“Thanks. Anyway, both sides had plans for that night. Knuckleduster was investigating the SUM before, but he was apparently caught and had some of his memories altered before being let go. 

He figured that whoever was really behind the SUM would get some insurance this time around, so he assembled all the vigilantes he could and even invited Crawler back to Japan just to stop this guy. The latter brought along Captain Celebrity and a few dozen American heroes as reinforcements, so I figured they had this in the bag.

Next thing we knew, the S-Rank Villain Nine and his crew along with several hundred other, smaller villains marched into the city with the former claiming this to be some kind of fucked-up test to see who among them was worthy of officially joining him.

Everything went to shit and the vigilantes did their best to fend the hordes of villains off. While that was happening, some guy with a set of body armor on and a weapon arsenal to rival Stain’s came out of nowhere and tried to fucking kidnap me, but he was killed by a stray blast from either Nine or Captain Celebrity as they duked it out.”

 

“Kidnap? Not kill? Are you sure? And what do you think this person’s quirk was?”

“Yup. As for the quirk… it might have been multiple. He was way stronger, faster, and tougher than your average human. I barely held him off for half a minute, and that was only thanks to him not going for the kill and a dose of Trigger I had stored up for emergencies. 

Come to think of it, this version of Trigger was a lot better then the one I was forcefully injected with before. I got a lot more power and kept more control. Knuckleduster was also pretty sure that the Trigger I had was the same type as the one being sold in the SUM.

Anyway, the guy first got hit with a lightning blast as he was about to knock me out, but his hands started to glow green and his wounds were healing before he was blown across the ward by either a wind or telekinetic blast.”

“Various enhancers and a powerful healing quirk… the person who got their legs severed while escaping at I-Island.” All Might mumbles, connecting the dots. “And this is far different then All For One’s Nomus, as they retained human form and had no issues with thinking for themselves.

Not only that, but if his forces really were trying to kidnap the former Next Level Villains back at Naruhata, then that implies he needed them for something. Did he want to turn them into weapons again… no, he wanted to reverse-engineer them, didn’t he? They were genetically modified to better hold Trigger, so that kind of body plus his improved Trigger…”

“No wonder that guy’s quirks were so ridiculous, even before equipping the QAD.” Star adds on. “In terms of raw power, each one could hit top 10 hero status in most countries easily. Yet he had like a dozen to throw around? He and the guy who fought All Might there must have had their bodies heavily modified and used Long Haul’s own brand of Trigger before our battle.”

“My thoughts exactly. It seems like that’s another thing Long Haul managed to surpass the old demon lord in. Apologies for the interruption, Soga. Please, continue.” Nezu turns everyone’s attention back to the former vigilante.

“It’s fine. Anyway, Nine’s army was starting to get pushed back after a bit, but then what looked like several hundred other guys came in as reinforcements. Most were just more rank and file, but a couple of ‘em were capable of taking down heroes and vigilantes alike in seconds. 

Then the potato-headed prick himself decided to show up and further wreck everyone’s shit. Nine and Captain Celebrity actually worked together for a bit, but the former got a spike straight through his head and the latter was blown to bits after only a minute or so.

Then Knuckleduster tried and failed to stop him with Crawler and Rappa coming in right after. They died too and most of the city was destroyed in just a few strikes by the guy. I decided to get the hell out of there at this point, but before leaving, I saw the ground under Nine’s corpse open up and fucking swallow him before returning to normal.”

“He spoke what he believed to be the truth.” Tsukauchi confirms.

 

“Weather Manipulation. That was one of the quirks the guy who fought me at I-Island had.” Star and Stripe chimes in. “It sounds like All For One showing up back then wasn’t a part of Long Haul’s plan, but what about Nine? Could the guy have been working for him too?”

“Nine was a quirk supremacist through and through and he believed that only the strongest should be allowed to rule in this superhuman society, but for all we know, that could have all been an act he orchestrated under Long Haul’s orders.” Nezu guesses.

“Well, shit. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if he somehow caused the Creature Rejection Clan and Wild Villains to declare war on each other too.” Mirko grumbles. 

“So we have an unknown villainous mastermind that has a secret army containing many multiple-quirk users, the capability of creating modified weapons, modified bodies, and powerful Trigger for said army, the ability to give and take quirks, and is even capable of making other major organizations on both the heroes and villains’ sides unknowingly follow his every whim.” Edgeshot then summarizes. 

“He can probably make copies or duplicates of quirks too as Muscular clearly still had his quirk before being killed during the Training Camp attack. Ironic how that particular deed was done by Long Haul’s forces as an act of aid for us.” ‘Nighteye’ chimes in, making several others groan in response.

“It appears so. I agreed to an alliance with him because he was the only one I knew who could provide us information about All For One’s most recent plans, as well as the MLA, which I’m now almost certain still exists in some shape or form relating to the Hearts and Minds political party.

The information he sent regarding his operations was all genuine too. He was right about every warning and enemy location he sent, and his help with stopping All For One was invaluable. The demon lord would’ve crushed us if it wasn’t for him, assuming Star and Stripe never came to provide her own aid.

However, he also blamed events such as the Villain War and Naruhata on All For One, something he knew we would lean towards believing due to our bias, thereby ensuring we focused more on him.

I also wouldn’t be surprised if he struck some kind of secret agreement with All For One too and manipulated both sides into further weakening each other for him. It would certainly explain how he knew so much about the old demon lord, and I’d imagine a supervillain of his caliber would know how to multitask by now.

And let’s not forget the Queen Bee he has under his command. Long Haul is… dangerously competent, and is clearly capable of utilizing her abilities far better than her previous masters ever could. She was probably gifted several other quirks that synchronize with her main ability as well.

I’m confident that my fellow quirked animal has a hivemind relationship with her swarm, so simply spreading a few bees around can get her and Long Haul eyes and ears everywhere from HPSC Headquarters to All For One’s lair to Tartarus to UA itself. And that’s just one layer of his information network. Truly a sight to behold.”

 

Nezu would give Long Haul an SSS-Rank villain label if such a rank existed! 

As far as public knowledge goes, S-Rank is the highest label a villain can get. It’s officially gifted to villains who can engage top heroes in combat, but unofficially, they need to be well known by the public as well. 

The HPSC didn’t want to create more civil unrest even before All Might’s forced retirement, so if someone like Muscular were to fight someone from the top 10 to a standstill away from the public eye, his rank would remain A rather than get bumped up to S.

Then there’s SS-Rank, a villain ranking known to only a select few, most of which being the World Heroes Association top brass. 

All For One himself was the only villain ever given that ranking (he was publicly given an S-Rank after Kamino, once again to keep the public from panicking) until Gigantomachia came along and swatted the Symbol of Peace away like a fly.

Like All For One, his public rank is S and his secret, official rank is SS. 

As for getting Long Haul officially registered as a villain, the only other thing Nezu has is a copy of their group chat, but all those texts prove is that Nezu and the heroes collaborated with a vigilante group to take down the demon lord which is extremely illegal thanks to the HPSC’s reaction to that disaster at Naruhata.

Even if they were willing to overlook that, in terms of evidence, Nezu is merely grasping at straws. Nezu knows that, and he knows that Long Haul knows that. At this point, there doesn’t seem to be much Long Haul isn’t in the know about!

Forget being on par with the old demon lord, Long Haul makes All For One look like a schoolyard bully stealing your lunch money!

Any hero who isn’t Star and Stripe or All Might in his prime would be squashed like a bug, and his physical power isn’t even the scariest thing about him! The guy is like an orchestra conductor; the heroes and other villainous factions are like musicians playing their own instruments without understanding the greater picture.

Hell, Nezu is tempted to have Star request some Tiamat nukes from the states just to put him down the next time he emerges! 

Brutal, yes. Counterargument - Long Haul.

 

“Can we please stop admiring him and start being genuinely afraid of what he can do?” Eraserhead groans. “I’d rather not be forced to use whatever secret funds you amassed to organize our escape from the country when everything goes to hell, Nezu.”

“By any chance can I get in on that?” Soga questions, getting another groan out of Aizawa. 

“I’d suggest coming to America, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes everything go to hell there too once he’s done with Japan out of spite.” Star adds on.

“Oh, that reminds me. At this point, I’m almost certain that the person you fought at I-Island was Long Haul himself, Star.”

That gets a surprised look from a few people, Cathleen Bate included. 

“But that guy looked much different from the picture of Long Haul you showed us from UA’s security system and… he has a shapeshifting quirk too, doesn’t he? God damnit. Probably that quirk he used to recover from practically any injury. Body manipulation? Maybe even outright matter manipulation considering how easily he could alter everything around him.”

“He and the person I fought at I-Island were much different from what seems to be his own ‘normal’ multi-quirked supersoldiers like All For One’s Nomu. 

They were very powerful physically, but also had several destructive emitter quirks each. The modifications must have mostly been meant to better hold Trigger, among other benefits we don’t know about.” All Might adds on. 

“Someone in his organization’s command roster or even a right-hand man, perhaps. But going back to the quirks they have, based on you and Star’s descriptions, I can recognize at least some of them from Japanese Pro Heroes.” Nezu informs everyone before pulling up a hologram showing several Pro Heroes and their quirks.

“Bullet Laser. Air Wall. Hydra. I’m almost certain the person that All Might fought used these quirks, but the Pro Heroes who possess them still have them, just like, as Sir Nighteye previously mentioned, Muscular still had his quirk during the attack on UA’s Training Camp.

Oh, and I’m fairly certain that the quirk-erasure quirk Long Haul used is a copy of Eraserhead’s own, that offhand comment about the Gollini Family being yet another misdirection meant to throw us off. 

That mafia does have at least one quirk-erasing quirk user, hence me not being completely certain, but we know Kuin’s bees were present during the USJ attack so they could have gotten a sample of blood from him then. 

They likely got some of All Might’s DNA too, and while One For All was already passed on by then, even the embers present could become quite the threat in his hands.”

Despite appearing cheery on the outside, Nezu is feeling plenty of dread on the inside. Not only did he practically present some of the most overpowered quirks this planet has on a silver platter, but that platter also went to the guy who could bring every last drop of potential out of them before duplicating them en masse.

 

“So he really can somehow permanently duplicate quirks too? This is just getting ridiculous.” Mirko huffs.

“You should try fighting the guy.” Cathleen huffs back. “I’ve seen some crazy shit as America’s top hero; hell, I even went to Burning Man once and that festival gets so much weirder when you factor in free reign on quirk usage. But going up against him was something else.

His power is damn scary, and his knowledge may just be even scarier. He clearly knew the details and limitations of New Order despite how secretive the U.S. Government keeps said details, preparing quite a few counters like that mind trick to hide the names of himself and his cohorts. 

He also specifically targeted the scanners and data storages my bros’ jets have midway through the fight, preventing us from getting any data on him through those. No way were those just lucky shots on his end.

He’s either got the most powerful scanning quirk this world has ever seen in his arsenal or has spies at the top of America’s government, and frankly, I don’t know which is worse. All For One was tough, even as a potato-faced cripple, but Long Haul is much more of a threat.”

“While we’re on the subject, All For One or someone working for him can likely duplicate quirks as well. There’s no way he found so many powerful regeneration quirks to give his Nomus when they’re so rare.” All Might adds on. “And speaking of the Nomus, we know for certain that Long Haul and his allies used Warp Gate to escape back then, yet All For One was clearly in the dark about this.”

“Yes, I was getting to that.” Nezu adds on. “Warp Gate was used multiple times throughout the battle and not by Long Haul himself, so either the Queen Bee temporarily possessed Kurogiri without All For One noticing or Long Haul managed to somehow duplicate the quirk itself under the demon lord’s nose. 

He can then use whatever pharmacological methods he’s created to duplicate the duplicated quirk some more, giving him access to as many powerful warp quirks as he needs. Users of those quirks need to be sufficiently trained, sure, but such could only take weeks or even days depending on how much Long Haul optimized the regiment. 

Combine that with quirks like Nine’s Weather Manipulation, quirks that turn their users into walking nukes that can destroy cities and kill millions in minutes, maybe even seconds if they try hard enough, and you get the option to pump out and warp endless living bombs into major cities all over Japan or even the world.”

Erase one or two smaller cities and the rest would surrender to avoid the same fate. Americans proved that during the second World War.

 

“We’ve mainly been fighting All For One and the other villainous organizations present throughout Japan until now.” All Might slowly starts to realize. “While Long Haul was present during the battles at UA, Hosu, the Training Camp, I-Island, and so on, his active role in them was minimal.

He aided us during the USJ and Training Camp, he aided the other villains during Hosu and I-Island, but he was never truly at the center of those battles, merely playing a background support role. Even at I-Island, he and his subordinates mainly focused on defense when Star and I forced their hand.”

“In other words, we’ve never truly engaged his own organization until now. While it may not look that way, Long Haul is still holding back a LOT.” Nezu adds on, emphasizing that last part.

“How the hell does this keep getting worse?” Eraserhead sighs.

The terrifying implications of Nezu’s statement aren’t lost on the others. 

Everything he’s done until now was Long Haul holding back? THAT’S him holding back? 

He sowed more fear into heroes and the general population over these last few years then All For One managed in over a century! Even the demon lord’s final stand at Kamino was just another part of Long Haul’s plan!

What happens if he stops holding back then? What sort of apocalyptic disaster would he unleash upon Japan, if not the world, if he went all out now? Even the WHA in its entirety would be hard-pressed trying to stop that!

“So we have at least two people who could figure out way more about quirks than all the eggheads at I-Island put together. Greeeeaaaattttt.” Mirko grumbles, resting her head on the table.

“Well to be fair, nobody at I-Island can give and take quirks. Then again, we don’t know if Long Haul has a quirk like All For One or managed to figure out an alternative method for quirk transfering.” Nezu argues.

“Either way, that’s definitely a country-wide, if not worldwide threat.” Edgeshot concludes. “Hence my confusion over this secrecy. Keeping it from the public to avoid mass panic is one thing, but the HPSC? Endeavor? Hawks? Are they all compromised?”

“I would argue it’s worse. Much worse.” ‘Nighteye’ speaks up. “Shall I summarize my findings on that front, Nezu?”

“Go ahead.”

 

‘Nighteye’ then talks all about the HPSC and both presidents of the organization. What happened with Lady Nagant, Hawks, and Endeavor as well as numerous other crimes they committed throughout the years.

Then there’s the canon stunt they’re pulling now, strongarming hero schools into getting their students Provisional Licenses so they can fill the massive, deteriorating hole left behind by All Might and numerous other heroes retiring by choice or by force, if not dying outright.

From the Villain War and Naruhata War to the Trigger and modified weapons epidemics to the LOV’s attack on UA to Hosu and Kamino to All Might getting his heroic ass handed to him by Gigantomachia, Japan’s current situation is much worse than it was supposed to be thanks to Sekan’s actions.

Low and middle ranks of the Pro-Heroes are dwindling at a speed comparable to after the Paranormal Liberation War in canon. As for higher ranks, almost half of the original top ten is either dead or too injured to continue. 

And because of that, more heroes are quitting and the HPSC is growing more desperate. Desperate enough to turn hero schools into factories of expendable footsoldiers fighting and dying blindly for the Commission. They’re missing so many numbers that the HPSC has to force children into doing their work for them.

‘Nighteye’ also makes sure to provide plenty of evidence for these claims, the Hassaikai’s cyberwarfare branch and Pseudo-Togas getting everything he needed for this and more under everyone’s noses. 

Needless to say, the heroes are horrified.

 

The HPSC is supposed to be a surrogate for public interest and the Heroics industry. The people who regulate hero laws, run prisons like Tartarus, handle hero rankings, and so on. But Sir Nighteye was flat out stating the organization is more interested in politics and influence then the people.

It’s all about maintaining the status quo, and their unquestioned rule over Japan by extension. 

The government hasn’t stayed on top of its bureaucracy with the focus on quirks. They’ve been lax with corporate oversight, leading to situations like Detenerat being an MLA subsidiary, and identity checks for directors, leading to situations like the current HPSC President. 

“What do you want to bet that the HPSC is the third country-wide villain organization Long Haul referred to back then, rather than his own?” Ryukyu growls. 

“Our students aren’t ready, Nezu.” Aizawa softly speaks. “Mirio and the other Big 3 maybe, but the other third years, much less the first years? No. Just no. They are not heroes yet; they are unprepared children! You can count their corpses for proof!”

“You mind sending me a copy of that HPSC-damning report once we’re done here? It should make American interference in Japan a much more valid request for the WHA, not to mention giving me another valid reason to request the US Government let me stay here for a while.

You’d think that hunting down the villain who defeated All Might, an obvious global threat, would be enough to tear down the red tape, but nooooooo. Captain Celebrity recently died and we can’t possibly lose another top American hero right now, even if only for a few months. We need to better safeguard our interests despite still having countless capable heroes around the states.

Oh, and we’re also pissed off at Japan for getting Captain Celebrity killed in the first place so those guys can handle that symbol-stomping monster themselves. We’re just not saying that part out loud.” Star requests, mocking some particular annoying suits she has to deal with in the process, and ‘Nighteye’ chuckles while nodding back.

“So as you can see, calling the situation dire is a massive understatement. All Might has been defeated for good and forcefully retired, faith in hero society is at an all time low, Japan’s top two heroes in all but name are pawns of the corrupt commission controlling our country, and we still have several villainous organizations that could topple the entirety of said country even before All Might’s retirement, let alone now.” Nezu summarizes.

“This is why Nezu and I called you all here today. Ideally, we can prevent the county from falling into complete anarchy, but having a stronghold set up in Mustafu with many of Japan’s top heroes present should at least guarantee the safety of some citizens if the worst were to happen.” Nighteye adds on.

“Assuming Long Haul, the MLA, Gigantomachia, or whatever other big bads happen to be using Japan as a playground right now don’t just fucking steamroll through us.” Mirko deadpans. 

“I’ll be ready for him next time.” Star declares. “Next time he shows his face, I’ll take him down for good.”

“That would be ideal, yes, but do keep in mind how dangerous he would become if he managed to steal your quirk, or make copies of it in the worst case scenario.” Nezu reminds America’s Number 1 Hero.

“Oh, don’t you worry. I’ve already got a last resort planned in case he does do that to take the bastard out, one that will literally tear him apart from the inside out. I’ve also got quite a few other potential rules to try out now that I know that people having multiple quirks is a thing.” The heroine grins. 

 

“Until Izuku Midoriya is ready, you’re the only hero in the world who stands a chance at taking him down now, Star, but you will have help from other heroes next time. We can’t afford to take any chances here.” Nighteye states bluntly.

“I know. The guy’s a tricky one, and he clearly knew the details about my quirk despite how much of a secret the US Government’s been keeping it. My squadron and I could keep him on the backfoot even with the QAD being equipped, but he’ll probably be even stronger next time despite that device being destroyed during our fight. I won’t let cockiness be what does me in.”

“Good. That’s what cost All For One victory the first time around, and that’s what caused us all to get complacent these last few years.” All Might approves. 

“Peace brings prosperity, prosperity brings laziness, laziness brings division, and division brings conflict. I’ve given people too much for too long, and they now take it for granted. I can see that now, and just how ingrained it is in our society.

Now that I’m forced to retire, even if Long Haul and these other major villain organizations weren’t around, the country would likely crumble under mass hysteria and villains no longer scared by the one and only force they could supposedly never defeat. 

Society as a whole, especially the majority of Pro-Heroes, have grown conceited, fearful, and weak, and now we’re all paying for it. All I can do now is apologize and try to fix this mess however I can.”

“That being said, it’s about time we came up with some countermeasures and developed a game plan going forward.” Nezu declares. “Long Haul’s work is both the most beautiful and terrifying thing I have ever laid my eyes on, but it isn’t quite over for us yet.

We now KNOW that we’ve been checkmated, but Long Haul shouldn’t know that we know it, and we can use that to our advantage. Long Haul, the HPSC, and the MLA must be dealt with at minimum if we want any chance of Japan surviving these next few years or even months. As for how we can pull that off, here’s what I’m thinking…”

‘Nothing will help you now, rat.’ NightHaul mentally affirms. ‘Not one damn thing.’

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Reveal (Artificial^2), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Ultra Phosphor (Artificial), Warp Gate (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Creation, Double, IQ, Erasure, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver, Cell Activation, Incite, Love, Erasure
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial^2), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, ?????

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Q-Ray (Artificial), Weather Manipulation (Awakened), Air Wall, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Chronokinetic Hair (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Despot, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Animalistic Alpha (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronokinetic Hair (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Eruption, Hellflame, Blazing Hair, Cremation, Assault Dust, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption, Heat-Resistance
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Bloodcurdle (Awakened), Chronostasis, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Shock Absorption
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Incite, Despot
• Kaina Tsutsumi (Head Assassin) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Rifle, Homing, Slice, Chronostasis, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Rei (Head-Starters’ Babysitter) - Ice Ply (Awakened), Frost, Hellflame, Cremation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Water Gun, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Heat-Resistance x2, Frost Resistance x2

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Melting Mimic (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Dragon, Stress
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Barrier, Air Wall, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Larceny, Compress, Conjure, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Manifest, Mad Gluttony, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (430) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Praetorian Summoners (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Shadow Armada (Artificial)
• Pseudo Getens (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (20) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Muscle Augmentation

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 3600 Personnel 
• 30 Commanders - Q-Ray (Artificial), Incite, Despot
• 265 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 265 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 265 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 170 Battle Tanks
• 90 Attack Helicopters
• 30 X-66 Fighter Jets
• 110 Small Boats
• 8 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 700
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 500
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 5

Nomus (Complete/Combat Ready):

• High-Ends - 1
• Near High-Ends - 6
• Upper-Tier - 27
• Middle-Tier - 42
• Lower-Tier - 99

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 85
• Mad Science Branch - 70
• Creation Crew - 175
• Klonogiris - 115
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 37
• Thugs and Goons - 8156

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 125

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 81: Animal House

“It’s clear that, while you did some snooping around, you didn’t really learn about me. Then again, there’s so much to know about me that you can fill an entire bookcase with notes on it, and at least half of that intel is meant to distract and mislead you from the truly important parts.

You must have felt sooooo clever when you found out I can take or copy other people’s quirks, but did you know… I can also take or copy their skills and memories?” 

Sekan’s grin spreads to his ears as his latest captive reaches a terrifying realization.

“I know, I know. Me constantly creating and taking from you is basically cheating in this little game of ours.” Sekan then admits to the terrified Double clone. “But then again, I am a villain. It’s in our nature to cheat.”

“...We never did stand a chance, did we?” The clone of Nezu whispers in defeat, being restrained the instant he was formed. 

He already knew the situation was dire. He had actually debated mirroring what All Might had been forced to do upon the final defeat of his own mentor, sending Izuku Midoriya over to the United States.

Star and Stripe would be forced to return to her home country eventually; she could take Izuku with her, help him perfect One For All over the next few years, and come back ready to be the next Symbol of Peace. 

All Might had considered the idea too. While Japan would most likely fall without Star and Stripe around, he had managed to gradually free the entire country from the villain’s tyranny after his own trip to the states. Izuku could potentially do the same.

But no. Nezu figured that unlike All For One, ‘Long Haul’ had no issues traveling internationally if I-Island was anything to go by. In fact, for all he knew, Japan might not even be where the bulk of his forces are.

Japan actually is where Sekan has most of his organization, but that doesn’t much matter now considering what he just revealed to the clone.

 

Sekan didn’t know Nezu could noticeably pale, but he can’t say he doesn’t enjoy the sight. His reaction to Sekan’s own Villain Academia was especially priceless, and this bundle of memories will help plenty with further improving the concept.

“Eh, I wouldn’t say you had no chance. Had you caught on before I became Semi-Perfect and sent the heroes of Japan to Osaka, I probably would’ve died, or been forced to flee the country at the very least. 

Even now, I’m not confident in an open assault against Japan. Not with Star and Stripe firmly in your corner and the WHA not far behind, because while this country would no doubt burn down upon my onslaught, the rest of this world would pester me to no end afterwards and my goals are far more sophisticated than Tomura’s mindless craving for destruction.

Now then, as for why I had NightHaul or ‘Sir Nighteye’ clone you with Double, besides getting up to date information from your memories, I’m also quite interested in both your intelligence quirk and your chimeric body.

I never did manage to find out who experimented with you before, turning your original body into what it is now, but what they’ve done happens to fit in well with one of my newer projects. 

Also, intelligence-boosting quirks are quite rare and how they affect the brain is quite interesting, so I’ll gladly take the chance to study such a powerful one. 

There isn’t too much we can do considering the durability limit of Double clones, but we can at least get all the DNA we need by using healing quirks to repair any slight damage done. 

I can’t take quirks from Double clones either… well, not in the All For One way, that is. Body-fusing you with some other test subjects should help us get some more insights into your body and quirk.

Now then, shall we begin?”

“Oh… dear…”

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐ 1 Month Until The Final Festival

“And here we have it, folks! The official lab results of Nezu’s genetic makeup! Is he a mouse? Is he a bear? Is he a dog? Is he an eldritch deity? You’ll be finding out all that and more!” I announce, getting a cheering ovation from thousands of my subordinates.

I know it’s a pretty big joke in the MHA fandom, but here, that debate has been going on for ages and the pot for this betting poll nearly gave me an aneurysm the last time I checked, but I won’t say no to recreational activities so long as they don’t screw over my plans.

Top animal picks include stoat, marten, yapok, and arctic ferret. Many more have chosen various combinations of animals or simply put down ‘chimera’ for what they believe should be easy winnings. People who do that have to be exactly correct on the animals present to win; no cheating by listing every name in the animal kingdom.

Also, ‘chimera’ is technically defined as a fire-breathing female monster with a lion’s head, goat’s body, and serpent’s tail, so those guys who thought they were being cheeky just shot themselves in the foot… probably. You can never be sure with Nezu.

Some people put their bets on other mythical animals. Some people bet on him being various degrees of eldritch or alien. Some particularly daring people even bet on Nezu being a naturally genius human with an animal quirk.

Our final results revealed Nezu was a mix of… well… I think I’ll keep that particular intel a secret. Just know that a riot nearly took place and several subordinates walked away many, many Yen richer.

 

Getting back to business, when it comes to genetically altering the human body, there isn’t a whole lot I haven’t done at this point.

My knowledge, outside perspective, and general work ethic has created a combination more powerful than quirks will ever be, and a severe lack of morals and empathy has resulted in this path of mine encountering minimal roadblocks.

Just look at what Kuin is capable of. Look at what my regular and Special Praetorians are capable of. Look at what my upgraded Nomus are capable of. Look at my quirk research and biological warfare capabilities. I’ve accomplished a lot since showing up here.

I’ll soon have a body that surpasses All Might in his prime and naturally replicates enough quirks to make All For One sweat, and that’s all while quirkless. This is a post-singularity body that will become more than human, so with that being the case, why stop at being human before that?

I’m already a DNA cocktail of MHA’s most powerful beings (well, most of them), so why not add some more ingredients into the mix?

“I sure as hell hope your latest project produces results, LabHaul. Do you have any idea how much power this place is gobbling up? We have lots of quirks in storage, but a power that can magically stop nuclear meltdowns isn’t one of them.”

“Just create more atomic reactors or have the Pseudo-Nines fill up a few backup batteries with some summoned storms, original! The slightest reduction of power to my lab could put LIVES at risk!”

“Lives of what, Dr. Krieger? A few lab rats?”

“Very funny. Also yes in the literal sense if you’re willing to count Nezu clones.”

One long, drawn out sigh later and we both get down to business.

“Our goal here is to try and apply the genetic capabilities of animals to our own human bodies, such as faster healing and heightened senses.” LabHaul explains while walking me to the newest wing of our main laboratory.

“Animals may not have the same brain power and higher function as us homosapians… well, without quirks that is, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t genetically gifted in their own way.”

Splicing human and animal DNA on a molecular and chemical level, ideally without any physical mutations in most cases. That’s what Project Chimera, a branch of our Perfection Project, is trying to accomplish.

 

This relatively recent idea came to LabHaul while he was experimenting on the Nomus. With our small army of Medical Units being capable enough of treating/healing the various nonsense that come into our infirmaries on a regular basis, my clone could devote much more time to innovative mad science.

It isn’t just multiple extra quirks that make them strong. What about things that aren’t exactly quirks, like denser muscle mass and bones or heightened senses?

That’s what Garaki also managed to do with the Nomus, and I took that a step further with my own mad science, improving the human body in all kinds of ways without rendering the test subjects brain-dead.

But what about taking another step further? What about engineering the human body to have claws like a bear or scales like an alligator or other things like that? It was worth looking into as Overhaul allows for plenty of precision gene editing, so we decided to do just that.

The first step was creating a solid foundation from the progress of others to work with, or in other words, get some solid inspiration. Luckily for us, that foundation was extremely easy to find. It wasn’t much, but it was definitely a start.

This foundation was none other than the rat-bear-dog-principal thing named Nezu. He was experimented on by human beings in the past, resulting in his canon appearance. 

While it’s never said exactly what human beings did this, I can get past that info gap by taking memories directly from the source.

NightHaul already has more than enough data to make clones of everyone on the heroes’ anti-me council due to being a part of it himself and Double clones inherit the memories of the original bodies, so all I needed to do was read a clone’s mind to find out what I needed to know.

That didn’t stop me from tearing clones of him down with words alone, watching Nezu clones squirm as I revealed just how screwed the original rat is.

Is it petty? Yes.

It’s also hilarious and I just couldn’t resist. 

But that lost its charm after a while. A lot of this world has lost its charm if I’m being honest, especially after I’ve discovered so much about it both pre and post-transmigration.

Good thing I still have endeavors like this to keep me entertained while preparing for the imminent worldwide doomsday.

 

Now the one behind Nezu becoming Nezu wasn’t Dr. Garaki or All For One, surprisingly enough (looks like the dollar-store demon lord isn’t behind everything bad in this world after all). I was already 99% sure that was the case due to Dr. Garaki himself having no memories related to experimenting on Nezu, but it doesn’t hurt to double check.

As for the guys that were responsible, I couldn’t get much from Nezu’s memories besides the experiments they did to him and some whispers he happened to overhear from his captors, but based off of that, I’m pretty sure they were connected to the old CRC or some other mutant-hating group.

They already hated the fact that humans were turning into animals. Maybe they wanted to see if they could turn animals into humans? I don’t know.

I was able to find the secret facility used after cross-referencing memories of Nezu’s escape with data my cyberwarfare branch already obtained from servers of remnant CRC branches and discovered it to be long-abandoned after arriving.

Unfortunately, the trip through this abandoned facility wasn’t nearly as exciting as my trip through those ancient ruins at Oku Island. 

At least Giran’s reaction to me handing him heaps of ancient treasure to sell (I had the Creation Crew make exact duplicates of what we found in that ancient temple) was as priceless as I imagined it would be. Looks like focusing on the demon lord for so long made him forget the kind of antics my organization brings to the table.

Now there wasn’t much left, but I did find some documents and recordings of these guys and their experiments. Their goal seemed to be discovering what kinds of animals were compatible with Quirk Factors, with the chimeric combination of animals Nezu is being the result.

Again, there wasn’t much to work with, but it should be enough of a boost to get my idea off the ground.

 

The next step was gathering materials and test subjects.

As far as animals go, Megalo Safari gave me plenty of variety to work with. 

Being one of the top zoos in Japan, there were plenty of exotic and native creatures gathered up in one convenient space, many of which had powerful senses, bodies, or unique traits. 

Any animals I took could be replaced with clones easily enough, and I’ve taken plenty these last few weeks.

My current list of animal captives includes a western gorilla, eurasian lynx, sumatran tiger, bighorn sheep, fennec fox, giraffe, bush dog, jaguar, six-banded armadillo, hippopotamus, macaque, flying fox bat, california sea lion, mongolian brown bear, and an asian elephant.

For birds and reptiles, I got a peregrine falcon, eagle owl, humboldt penguin, a couple different kinds of cockatoo and cockatiel, various lizards, steller's sea-eagle, secretary bird, alligator snapping turtle, tokay gecko, saltwater crocodile, burmese rock python, emerald tree boa, and a komodo dragon.

None of them had quirks of their own. As for memories, they were more like instincts than anything else. Urges driven by basic survival needs, so it was less a recollection of their lives and more of how they lived and what they felt.

Picture feeling curious excitement of waking up and wondering who would peer at them from behind the glass or over the wall of their home. That’s pretty much what I picked up from their heads; it was more like association. 

These ones in particular all had suppressed instincts; bred and born in either this zoo or some other zoo, they have only known captivity their entire lives. That’s a slight pain in the ass, but nothing we can’t deal with.

As for other perks, I already have far more to work with than Nezu’s creators do like all of Garaki’s data and many extremely useful quirks.

Overhaul is obviously one of them. Manifest is another.

Remember Tamaki Amajiki from UA’s Big 3? Remember how I got a copy of his quirk a while back to see if it can copy other quirks through ingesting human DNA?

Well, it turns out that you can… with a catch.

 

In order for a user of Manifest to gain copies of other quirks, they need to specifically ingest the DNA of other Quirk Factors and then manifest those Quirk Factors, unlike quirks like Queen Bee or an awakened Transform where the user just needs the target’s blood to replicate their quirk.

Using Overhaul as an example, Tamaki would have to ingest DNA from Kai’s hands as that is where the Overhaul quirk factor is located. It can be skin, muscles, bones, or blood, but they have to be located at his hands for it to work.

After that, Tamaki would then need to manifest a new hand or hands on his body through that DNA, and only then can he use the Overhaul quirk, but only on those hands.

That’s for most Emitter Quirks like Overhaul, but what about Transformation and Mutant quirks?

Well, the requirements for those are more lax, as are ‘full-body’ emitter quirks, which can be copied through any bit of DNA. Transformation quirks require the Manifest user to gain DNA from the transformed parts to work. For example, some DNA from Ryukyu’s wings will let the user manifest parts of that dragon transformation quirk.

Mutant quirks are the same, only easier since those alterations are permanent unless there’s another transformation-like stage to the quirk such as Chimera’s quirk. You would have to get DNA from areas of that transformed state to manifest areas of that transformed state, but other than that, simply getting DNA from the mutated areas is enough to replicate them.

So to summarize, as far as copying quirks are involved, it’s pretty much a combination of Neito Monoma’s Copy quirk and Himiko Toga’s Transform quirk.

But that’s only considering the quirk-copy aspect of it. The original function of that quirk is what I’m interested in.

It allows the user to enhance their body parts with the characteristics of anything they consume and this latest project of mine is basically trying to achieve a permanent version of that with minimal mutations. 

In other words, I want my body to do that without any obvious physical mutations, have the various traits be permanent, and not require the Manifest quirk as a medium.

Well, there are some physical mutations I wouldn’t mind having. Take most lizards for example. They have a transparent third eyelid called a nictitating membrane which can move across their eye to protect and moisten it while still maintaining vision, essentially letting them blink without actually blinking.

Can you think of any quirk that function might benefit? Here’s a hint, its original owner is a scarf-wielding hobo who has booted plenty of hero hopefuls out of UA High.

If Erasure can still work when this transparent eyelid does its thing, then I can essentially keep Erasure on forever if I want. I can still blink normally or be forced to blink, but this alone would still be massive, nevermind all the beneficial traits from other animals I could potentially get.

 

Having Manifest is a very good start as LabHaul can study exactly how traits from various plants and animals manifest through that quirk through Overhaul and Reveal. Add in some extra research and spamming Overhaul and the number of potential biological upgrades we can get skyrockets.

Combining these various traits with my own body modifications is another major hurdle, but Manifest helps out a lot with that too. By taking in some of my DNA, LabHaul can see how users of Manifest can combine that with traits from other plants and animals, observing what genetic combinations are best.

Yeah, we’re looking at plants too because why not. I-Island gave us a decent starting point and we’ve even managed to recover a few quirked plants overtime, so we’ve been doing some cross pollination, gene editing, and playing around with Overhaul on that subject.

Genetic traits like disease resistance, increased yield, and improved quality can already be isolated and transferred between different plant species easily enough.

Creating hybrid plants with those traits is a good indicator of the effects and shortcomings of our scientific knowledge and gene editing skills, and more importantly, some of these skills can transfer over to our work on animals and humans.

There are plenty of people out there with plant-themed mutant quirks, so incorporating abilities plants have into people is definitely possible in this world. I intend to take advantage of that.

And the self DNA-alteration of Manifest is going to make everything so, so much easier to figure out. 

Some progress was already made, and I’ve already had a few useful animal traits overhauled into me, but there’s still plenty of discoveries to be made and mergers to optimize.

“I should have enough to work with now thanks to that deformed polar bear mouse creature running UA; not to mention all the people with copies of Manifest and Nomu I can test our DNA-editing ideas out on.” LabHaul lets me know.

“Good to know. When do you think you’ll be done?” I question back.

“I’m the most accomplished geneticist to ever walk on both this planet and our old one, and the notes I throw away as unhelpful contain more useful information than the entire scientific academia has managed to muster since quirks turned them into a stagnant bloating corpse of complacency.

I understand the coding language you were built on and can bend life itself to my whims. I am never ‘done’ until I choose to be!”

“Dramatic much?” I deadpan once he finishes his tangent.

“Oh, shut up. I should finish what you need by the time we enact Endgame if that’s what you’re wondering. Johnny?” My clone scoffs before snapping his fingers.

 

Next thing I know, a wave of sludge erupts out of my mouth and I find myself suddenly appearing at a lovely tropical beach in Morocco. Cross-referencing Reveal with my subordinates’ locations and basic knowledge of a world map made that easy to figure out, but it was still quite a shock.

At least he didn’t portal me off a cliff or into an active volcano again. It’s more annoying than lethal to me, but that doesn’t mean I like it. 

I briefly stood there, taking in everything through my altered senses, adjusting to the clearness and abundance of information I processed all around me. 

My Semi-Perfect Form already provides something like this, as does IQ, Reveal, and Overhaul to various extents, but this latest round of animal-based improvements take this concept even further when stacked with everything else at my disposal.

Having gained the useful traits of several animals already, everything was experienced through a new filter, or rather no filter at all, as though everything was clearer than ever before.

Even how the air felt on my skin was different, like an instinctive thought that connected me to the very environment. 

The sun was long gone, but it still looked like daytime. The bombardment of smells around me was distinct, but undeterminable before. Now, while it does hit me harder, I can now tell what the smells belong to and can track them.

So this is what Gigantomachia’s Dog quirk is like, or at least somewhat like. Interesting.

 

But back to my current situation… Note to self: train to resist Gloop Warp like Tomura could during the Final War whenever I get the chance.

“...When the hell did he teach Garaki’s chibi-Nomu intercontinental warping? Did he modify the guy to handle OverTrigger? Does that helmet of his have a QAD built in? Is it both… wait a second, who the hell did I even warp to?”

“Uhhhh, hi boss.” I hear a timid voice behind me and turn around to see two dozen or so Shie Hassaikai scientists sunbathing across the beach.

I also see some volleyball nets, surfboards, and a Hawaiian bar set up slightly further away. Looks like this is where LabHaul’s assistants both take the occasional break.

“Haruto.” I nod back, using Reveal to comb through my memory and figure out who I’m looking at right now. “Nice spot for a private beach.”

“Indeed, the reservoir of quirked coral we discovered nearby is just a bonus. A pity that I-Island only bothered researching quirks’ effects on plants rather than actual quirked plants, but exploring new avenues of quirk science is par for the course.”

Expanding my reach with Reveal confirms that yes, there are some quirked aquatic plants a mile or so away. Patches of coral seem to be functioning as natural air conditioners, being able to produce their own version of refrigerant within, among other alterations. 

“You can say that again, but don’t feel the need to personally monitor it 24/7. Even quirks like Endurance and Energy Saver can’t keep you going forever, and you guys deserve to have at least the occasional break.”

Well, you can’t say they don’t deserve it. These guys are some of my hardest workers in the Shie Hassaikai, and I tend to be very generous when rewarding dedication, perseverance, and the willingness to sign some utterly monstrous non-disclosure agreements that would bring most to tears from the length alone.

The sunlight should also be good for their skin; being holed up in a bunker thousands of feet below the Earth 24/7 can’t be healthy for them, even with Endurance and Energy Saver keeping them going.

Same goes for their sleep schedules. Quirks let them handle it physically and Endurance helps them mentally too, but even those powers have their limits, especially when you’re solely focused on a task for so long without being distracted by anything. 

Even when your dedication borders on insanity, there will always be a limit no matter how Plus Ultra you go.

Dedication… Come to think of it…

 

“Is this what you enjoy doing? All this mad science stuff?” I question. “Same goes for the rest of you. Is this more like ‘work’ work or ‘hobby’ work for you?”

“Work-type work at first, but it gradually grew into a hobby.” One Mad-Science Branch member speaks up.

“We were all at least somewhat interested to begin with. We wouldn’t have signed those iron-tight NDAs if we weren’t.” Another one adds on. “Morality in general became less of an issue overtime.”

“Tearing apart all these taboos has been fun, but that kind of thing isn’t for everyone if that’s what you’re curious about.” A third one throws in his two cents. “We all have different reasons for being here. Some wanted to become something more, others just wanted new companionship and experiences, and others were just plain desperate or fanatical.”

An interesting thought, something I should really consider more of if I don’t want to become like All For One.

I want my subordinates to maintain free will. Those who can decide for themselves have much more potential than the ones who simply obey rules. And while your classic fear tactic can act as a good motivator, that also builds resentment and hatred.

For those under me to go Plus Ultra, they have to truly, willingly, be devoted to my cause. They want to achieve their dreams, whether they perfectly match up with my own or deviate a little, the latter being inevitable for at least some of my subordinates. 

“Fair enough.” I acknowledge. “Now answer me this. By the time Quirk Singularity Doomsday begins in earnest, I will have a way out, a way to ride out the storm. Do you think everyone would want that? Do you think they would be satisfied hiding like that, even if not doing so means death or worse?”

“The Queen Bee definitely wouldn’t.” One of my subordinates immediately responds. 

“Survival isn’t the top priority of everyone, and we’ve got plenty of oddballs around here- er, no offense.” Another one speaks up.

“None taken.”

 

Have I been going about this wrong? What I want hasn’t changed, but to force that option upon everyone under me would only build up resentment and anger, leading to total collapse from within.

I had previously promised plenty of them the chance to go wild once society falls, once my preparations are complete and we no longer need to hide in the shadows. I intended for them to see things more my way by the time that happens, but… well…

Considering how many advantages I set up for myself, how much wiggle room I’ve gained, maybe I should allow for more of them to go out and about. 

Nezu already amassed quite a bit about me; my slight mistakes here and there have been piling up, so more direct confrontations in the future are inevitable. How do I take advantage of that?

No way will my subordinates give up anything about me willingly, especially after I give them this extra freedom. Star forcing a truth-telling rule upon them would be a problem, not necessarily because they would be forced to spill the beans, but rather, they know about that particular risk and would probably kill themselves before Star even gets the chance. 

And chances are I wouldn’t be able to resurrect them in time. I would lose them like how I lost so many in Naruhata… is such a thing unavoidable? Is it unrealistic? 

Trying to ‘save everyone’ like Izuku attempts in canon is foolishly naive at best, impossible without heaps of shounen protagonist plot armor, but I’ve only been trying to save all those I care for, a much more realistic goal. However, not everyone has the same definition of ‘save’ as me.

Not everyone is as against dying as I am, so with that being the case, should I stop them if they know the risks and are willing to go through with it regardless?

Should I stop them from achieving their own dreams, even if they would make sure they don’t ruin my own?

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Reveal (Artificial^2), Overhaul (Awakened), Ice Ply (Awakened), Ultra Phosphor (Artificial), Warp Gate (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Creation, Double, IQ, Erasure, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver, Cell Activation, Incite, Love, Erasure
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial^2), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, ?????

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Q-Ray (Artificial), Weather Manipulation (Awakened), Air Wall, Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Chronokinetic Hair (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Despot, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Animalistic Alpha (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronokinetic Hair (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Super Volcano (Artificial), Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Bloodcurdle (Awakened), Chronostasis, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Shock Absorption
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Incite, Despot
• Kaina Tsutsumi (Head Assassin) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Rifle, Homing, Slice, Chronostasis, Extend-o-Hair, Vines, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Rei (Head-Starters’ Babysitter) - Ice Ply (Awakened), Frost, Hellflame, Cremation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Water Gun, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Heat-Resistance x2, Frost Resistance x2

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Melting Mimic (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Dragon, Stress
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Multi-Layer Barrier (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Larceny, Compress, Conjure, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Food, Fat Absorption, Manifest, Mad Gluttony, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (430) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Praetorian Summoners (10) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Shadow Armada (Artificial)
• Pseudo Getens (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (20) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Muscle Augmentation

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 3650 Personnel 
• 30 Commanders - Q-Ray (Artificial), Incite, Despot
• 270 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 270 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 270 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 175 Battle Tanks
• 90 Attack Helicopters
• 30 X-66 Fighter Jets
• 115 Small Boats
• 8 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 720
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 520
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 5

Nomus (Complete/Combat Ready):

• High-Ends - 1
• Near High-Ends - 8
• Upper-Tier - 30
• Middle-Tier - 45
• Lower-Tier - 101

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 85
• Mad Science Branch - 70
• Creation Crew - 175
• Klonogiris - 117
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 37
• Thugs and Goons - 8172

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 125

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 82: United They Stand, Divided They Fall

“Young Midoriya, if this is about what happened with Mirio, then-” 

“Please take it back, All Might.” Izuku pleads with tears in his eyes. “I… I’m not worthy of this, of One For All. Give it to Star and Stripe or use it yourself again or just… just anyone else. Anyone else is better than me.”

Toshinori Yagi prepares to speak up, to deny such a ridiculous request, but Cathleen Bate beats him to it.

“What makes you think that?” America’s Number 1 Hero questions. “You’re a hero now. The license you have proves it.”

“A HERO WHO FAILED!” Izuku cries out. “I couldn’t stop Tomura Shigaraki at the USJ! I couldn’t stop Stain at Hosu! I couldn’t stop those villains at I-Island! I couldn’t stop the villains at the Training Camp! I-”

“Sounds like you need another trip to Recovery Girl, my fellow All Might protege, ‘cause that’s certainly not what our mentor and I saw, and some concussions can become a real pain if you let them linger. 

You saved several of your classmates’ lives at the USJ, you saved Endeavor’s life at Hosu, you saved All Might’s life at I-Island. Even I couldn’t do a thing about the latter, but you did.”

“...You could do so much more with this power than I can. Even Recovery Girl can’t keep healing my injuries for much longer, and I’ve barely got a small fraction of this power under control.

New Order bringing out its full potential showed me just how far I still have to go, how awful I am at mastering it. You or All Might or Mirio Togata or you can do way better than me.”

“Practice makes perfect.” Star counters before kneeling down to the bush-haired teenager. “You’re still a first-year, Izuku, a child. Even the greatest and most experienced heroes can’t save everyone, people make mistakes.

That’s what makes us human, and contrary to popular belief, heroes aren’t beyond human. They aren’t gods walking amongst mere mortals. You should never have had to experience what you did, but while there is no changing the past, the future is a very different story.

Keep your memories of any fallen friends close, keep them alive within you and fight on in their honor. That’s what I do, and that’s the most we would ever ask of you.”

Izuku agrees to try his best, but all three of them know he can’t do that anymore.

All three of them know there’s no undoing the damage that’s been done.

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐ 3 Weeks Until The Final Festival

The Provisional License Exam Arc came and went a few weeks ago, and as the dominos continue to fall, the changes between this world and canon only become more apparent.

Now as I said before, my long-term plan results in My Hero Academia’s main plot becoming unrecognizable compared to canon after Kamino. I’ll also be more active when it comes to dealing with my enemies, like how I dealt with AFO’s empire and All Might himself.

I won’t be making any major moves like that for a bit, instead ‘merely’ fanning the flames I ignited overtime. Having my enemies handle each other is still the best way to go, as I really don’t have the time and resources to deal with them and rapidly advance my own organization. 

I’d rather just not deal with them in general, instead focusing on consolidation and research, but in a world like this one, conflict is inevitable. I’m just gonna redirect as much of that conflict away from myself and my organization as possible.

That being said, there are still a few canon events that are going to happen, albeit much differently, such as the Provisional License Exam.

 

With almost half of Class 1-A either too dead to continue, too injured to continue, or in both Momo and Koji’s case, too scared/traumatized to continue, said exam was obviously going to go differently.

Kuin had a few bees monitor the thing due to my sheer curiosity, and yeah, there were quite a few noticeable differences.

For starters, there were far fewer examinees actually taking the test. In the examination site Class 1-A went to in canon a total of 1540 people were taking the exam. 

Quick reminder, there are three different examination sites across the country and they do this exam twice a year, so multiply 1540 by 6 and you should get a decent estimate of the average number of hero hopefuls in this day and age… in canon, anyway.

Of course, the overwhelming majority of aspiring heroes will end up as C or D listers that never even crack the top thousand. It doesn’t help that top heroes tend to hold places in the double and single digits for years on end.

Unless Aizawa happens to be extra trigger-happy at the time, you can typically expect to see close to 40 hero graduates a year from UA alone, and even then most of them would be far from top ten material throughout their careers. 

In fact, if it wasn’t for the heaps of plot armor they have, the only ones in Class 1-A that would stand a chance at cracking the top 100 in their lifetimes are Shoto Todoroki, Katsuki Bakugou, Momo Yaoyorozu, and maybe Ejiro Kirishima. 

Moving from canon to this world altered by yours truly, you start to see some pretty major differences.

This time around, there were less than a thousand people participating in each examination site, so instead of more than 4500 hero hopefuls, there were less than three thousand.

Can I blame these teenagers for not wanting to throw their lives away in a collapsing country? Not really.

Look at what happened during this last year if you want an explanation.

 

All Might was forced to retire after losing to Machia (who is still at large), several other top heroes died, non-top heroes are dying in droves, Endeavor’s dirty laundry is slowly but surely getting revealed after Stain beat him down despite the HPSC’s best efforts, several villain wars took place, villains are more powerful and better equipped than ever, and now Japan’s underworld is more active than ever.

Gigantomachia has become something akin to a global boogeyman because of that fight, more so than his old master since the public actually knows about him. 

AFO must be seething under that smile of his right now, even if this supposedly helps out his own (completely ruined, unknown to him) plans.

After the Kamino Arc in canon, rumors were intentionally spread around Japan regarding Nomu sightings to help stir up unease. I’ve been having my guys and Giran’s criminal empire do something similar with Machia being the main focus, but the Nomus are still brought up as something to fear. Like I said before, I’m mainly further fanning the flames right now.

Just another helpful smokescreen to help keep the heroes off my trail and encourage the remaining larger villain organizations to act. I didn’t even have to pay Giran anything since this fear brings in more business. It’s a win-win.

To make matters worse for the heroes, various foreign crime syndicates smell blood in the water and are slowly trickling their way into Japan, a country that is quickly turning into the wild fucking west with more instances of crime and general villainy appearing with each passing day.

Star and Stripe can’t stick around Japan forever, and once she’s forced to leave, it’ll really be complete pandemonium across the country. 

Giran informed me of that recent development too, and I decided to add fuel to that fire as well by taking advantage of the feelers I sent out way back when. 

Small groups of them are still present in dozens of other countries, and I can have them spread this intel around with plenty of rumors, drumming up interest from foreign crime syndicates to give the remaining heroes here even more headaches. 

Now that AFO is finally dealt with, I can chat and collaborate with my favorite broker in peace, and he had so many interesting things to report.

He also had quite a lot of yen to give me since I had left him with mountains of products to sell. I also have mountains more stocked up over the last few months to ensure common villains stay stocked up, causing even more problems for the heroes.

But going back to the Provisional License Exam, the changes to Class 1-A had quite the substantial butterfly effect on this event.

Unlike in canon, the UA Crush was much more of an actual crush. Class 1-A had half their numbers to start, and while those remaining students were slightly stronger on average than their canon counterparts, any extra motivation and determination was overshadowed by exhaustion and fear.

Did I mention that two of the remaining students are spies for villain organizations? Yuga Aoyama hasn’t been exposed as AFO’s mole just yet and Mina Ashido sided with the MLA shortly after her internship. 

She’s probably the most high-spirited member of Class 1-A now, although whether it’s the crap her class has been through so far, simply putting on an act, or both, she’s still rather downtrodden. 

She’s also subtly trying to recruit Kirishima too, so that’ll make a solid third of the remaining protagonist class traitors if she succeeds.

Good god, does the counterintelligence of this hero society suck!

Going back to the exam, there was no Shoto around to piss Inasa off (he ended up passing), no Momo to ruin Saiko’s plans (she ended up passing), and no Toga to replace Camie and attack Izuku (I saw no reason to have her do that; Camie still failed). 

 

Speaking of, Izuku still ended up passing… barely.

His smile was strained. His eyes were weary. His heart wasn’t completely in it. 

What was meant to be the endlessly optimistic main protagonist surrounded and supported by both friends and foes he saved is practically alone and nearing the end of his rope. He got two out of three of his targets hit in the first round instead of one, and his strained smile and lack of reassurance cost him quite a few points in the second round. 

Nevertheless, he still made it through. Fumikage Tokoyami, Eijiro Kirishima, and Mina Ashido did too, but that’s it. Everyone else in 1-A failed. 

As bad as that sounds (and despite what canon makes people think most of the time), there is more to Japan’s heroes than UA High’s Class 1-A.

Hundreds of hero students obtained their Provisional Hero Licenses across all three examination sights, and many more are taking the Remedial Course to pass the retake in several months.

But wait, there’s more! Despite their little show of force at Kamino backfiring tremendously and their Symbol of Peace being beaten for good by an even stronger monster, the HPSC isn’t letting their heroes and grip on society go down without a fight.

So regular Work Studies have been thrown out the window in exchange for a new program, none other than the Team-Up Missions!

Not very surprising considering that I’ve seen plenty from the MHA spinoffs here already, but this was supposed to happen after the Work Studies (and Overhaul Arc by extension), not replace it.

Another quick reminder, the Team-Up Missions is a program designed specifically for educational hero institutions in which students from different hero schools collaborate with Hero Offices/Agencies on missions to maintain order and peace on the streets while raising the next generation of heroes.

Groups of hero students get to work with Pro Heroes across the country, learning plenty from a variety of different mentors in the process, and Pro Heroes themselves have to communicate and collaborate with each other to help build each other up.

Basically, it’s meant to both increase the quality of and collaboration between heroes. 

Not a bad strategy, all things considered. Not trying to boot out Star and Stripe or reject foreign aid in general would be better, but on top of plain old national pride, the HPSC doesn’t want any foreign governments snooping around and discovering just how corrupt they are.

Oh, and they’re also ordering customized hero support gear in bulk from Detnerat, who is currently taking this golden opportunity to sabotage most of it. That’s karma for you.

That being said, the Overhaul Arc is supposed to be happening now. No League of Villains and Kai Chisaki being replaced with a transmigrator who has a working brain means that part of canon is out the window.

Well, I suppose there is one exception to that claim.

 

Mirio, Nejire, and Tamaki still came by Class 1-A, but they talked about the Team-Up Missions rather than Hero Work Studies. 

The hero student has really been making a name for himself during this past year. His contributions during the CRC-WV War earned him a solid reputation among the heroes and absolutely dominating this year’s Sports Festival brought the general public’s attention to him.

Some of his biggest flaws in canon were fixed too. ‘Sir Nighteye’ had a friend (subordinate) of his with a hair growth quirk get enough material to create several regular and hero outfits for him. Nezu even greenlit the creation of a UA outfit made from his hair to avoid any more nudity issues.

He was also a bit of a dunce in canon. Charismatic, but kind of dumb. Can’t read the room at all, cracks unfunny jokes constantly, even in the worst moments, and so on. We made sure those issues were either fixed or never formed to begin with. 

The CRC-WV War got him plenty of practical experience too, more in a single month then most heroes get in years. Considering all his victories there, and to also further help his overall image, NightHaul even got him to change names from the ‘Comedy Hero: Lemillion’ to the ‘Victorious Hero: Lemillion’. 

Mirio has taken that as a personal challenge to remain undefeated as far as villain fights go. He has yet to fail in that regard.

Combine his skills with his overall personality and charisma and you get some people already hyping him up as the next Symbol of Peace. It likely won’t be long before the HPSC reaches out to ‘Nighteye’ to push that narrative and lobby his student into being an icon in a desperate bid to save themselves. 

How funny would that be, the next Symbol of Peace directly mentored by one of, if not the greatest villain this world has ever seen, for that role?

((‘At this rate, he’s gonna become the All Might to your All For One.’))

‘I won’t be handing him any extra quirks, VestigeHaul. My generosity and leniency with this pet project has its limits, even with all the benefits it provides us. Besides, we both know that Star and Stripe has been given the role of my main opposition.’

Mirio also challenged what remains of Class 1-A to a fight, even those who didn’t get their Provisional Licenses unlike in canon because only four students would be qualified then.

Needless to say, it was an absolute ass-kicking. Way, way worse than it was in canon.

Not a very good idea on Mirio’s part considering Class 1-A’s practically nonexistent morale, but Mirio at least got some of their spirits up by explaining how he only got this good due to Hero Work Studies, and the Team-Up Missions hero students will have should get them even better results.

 

Turns out that wasn’t enough to turn Izuku’s frown upside down. In fact, getting so effortlessly beaten by Mirio was apparently the straw that broke Izuku’s back, because after that class ended, he asked All Might to take One For All back. 

Yeah, you heard me right. Izuku has always been self-deprecating, but it’s gotten to the point where he was ready to give up completely, far before the stupid timeskip ending in canon. 

Real talk, I knew something like this was bound to happen eventually, because Izuku Midoriya is simply incompatible with the direction this world is heading. He’s incompatible with the changes I made to this world.

It’s not an issue of power, per-se. Rather, it’s his ideals, his goals, and his dreams that are just begging to be shattered.

When looking at what he’s managed to accomplish so far, it’s actually pretty impressive, more so than even his canon self at this point. He saved Endeavor from being killed by Stain at Hosu. He saved All Might from being held hostage by Nine at I-Island. He still saved Tsuyu and Mineta at USJ, he saved a bunch of people at the Training Camp Attack, and so on.

Despite only being a fifteen year-old kid who got his quirk not even a year ago, he managed to inconvenience me on more than one occasion and stop quite a few other villains, something very few other hero students in general can claim.

He should be proud of himself, so what’s the issue here? Why isn’t he proud of himself, instead choosing to give up?

The reason for that is simple, Izuku Midoriya just has to be like All Might and save everybody with a smile on his face. Only All Might never managed such a feat; Nana Shimura would still be alive otherwise. 

Sure he saved Endeavor at Hosu, but dozens of other heroes and plenty of innocents still died. Sure he saved All Might at I-Island, but plenty of people still died and the villains holding him hostage still got away. Sure he saved his fellow classmates before, but most still got severely injured at USJ and quite a few died during the Training Camp Attack, including some of his closest friends.

He completely lost his shit when Bakugou was captured in canon during the latter. Nobody else died. Nobody came close to being as injured as him. He still saved Kota from Muscular and a bunch of other people from other villains, but he didn’t save everyone. And that's just one example. 

 

That right there is why Izuku Midoriya will never, EVER be able to stop me. I can handle partial victories and even the occasional loss. He can’t. My goals and ideals have always been realistic. His weren’t. 

He refuses to accept anything other than godlike perfection, as that’s supposedly what his idol, All Might, managed to do, so he was naturally bound to fail here.

Every civilian has to be okay. Every villain has to be stopped or redeemed, accepting his ideals no matter how naive or ridiculous they are. The world originally revolved around this optimistic plot, around Izuku Midoriya, and his Plus Ultra perseverance allowed him to eventually win against every challenge he came across no matter how impossible it should've been.

But then I came into the picture, and now Izuku has to confront the futility of his efforts, the weight of his failures, and the inevitability of his loss. He’s forced to acknowledge the harshness of life and the fragility of human effort in the face of overwhelming adversity. 

These unrealistic, inflexible expectations Izuku built up for himself were bound to fail. The world around him is changing while this static character remains the same. He could only refuse to give up and push on for so long before giving out. He could only break himself so many times before being unable to put himself back together.

So now what, because his post-Kamino canon solution of ‘wait a second, I have legs!’ isn’t gonna cut it here.

Will he finally accept that he can’t, in fact, save everyone with a smile? Will he build himself anew, looking for new goals to reach and new ways to solve problems? 

Or will he refuse to change until the bitter end, instead deciding that his dream can still be achieved through someone else, someone he believes to be better than him? 

Right now, Izuku seems to be shifting towards the latter direction.

 

Both All Might and Star were against this, of course. According to NightHaul, Star gave Izuku a pretty decent pep talk to get his spirits back up, but I seriously doubt the sentient bush will be mentally recovering from this string of horrific failures so easily.

Nezu wasn’t thrilled about this either, so after getting permission from the HPSC, he requested ‘Sir Nighteye’ take Izuku in for the first round of Team-Up Missions.

Both Nezu and the HPSC are well aware of Mirio’s phenomenal improvement over the last few years under ‘Sir Nighteye’, and their many contributions during the CRC-WV War also got my main hero spy some serious clout with the suits in charge.

The chimera thinks that Izuku can obtain similar levels of improvement despite having a difficult quirk, and the HPSC liked the sound of that, so they greenlighted the request, and both then turned their attention to my clone/spy.

My clones and I decided to have ‘Nighteye’ accept this request, as it doesn’t hurt my hero spy to rack up a few favors from the HPSC for a rainy day. Our only condition was allowing Mirio to spend his first Team-up Mission here too, as he could also help out Izuku’s development. Such was the reason we gave, but in reality, NightHaul just likes having Mirio around.

Izuku isn’t a threat anymore, plain and simple. He isn’t taking up my focus anymore, and his recent request to give back One For All proves he and his ridiculous, shounen-like ideals are already fading away into obscurity.

So I’ll humor the bush and ensure he doesn’t stumble onto any Shie Hassaikai operations while I’m at it. Just because I’m dismissing the crumbling protagonist doesn’t mean I won’t continue to be cautious.

Our final reason for accepting this request is simple curiosity. Will Izuku offer up One For All to Mirio too, or perhaps even force the quirk upon him? That would be interesting to see, even if such is practically a signed death warrant for Mirio.

Hikage died at old age by forty, and he was the fourth OFA user. A hypothetical, quirked tenth user probably wouldn’t last a month. Hell, they may even die within the day!

NightHaul is still rather fond of the blond hero student, so if that does happen, we might just have Eri ‘accidentally’ bump into him and activate her quirk, rewinding Mirio a couple days and erasing One For All in the process.

An anticlimactic end to the centuries-old quirk, I know, but fitting considering how those fools are wielding it. Hundreds of years worth of buildup, and a simple Shock Absorption or Reflection/Recoil quirk is enough to counter it. That’s just sad.

Even the bonus quirks it collected and improved aren’t anything too groundbreaking. 

Fa Jin and Gearshift multiply its power output, but Shock Nullification renders that null and void. Danger Sense and Blackwhip are alright, but there are numerous, far more powerful support quirks out there in this day and age. 

New Order is a far greater threat, and One For All enhancing it would be absolutely terrifying, but the current, canon One For All alone just isn’t impressive to me anymore. Even its ability to awaken quirks is being improved upon by me through my Awakened For All experiment.

Hell, one of my newest quirks, a copy of Valdo Gollini’s Alchemy, can produce (or transmute, I suppose) attacks that can rival prime All Might’s power when boosted enough, and between Endurance, OverTrigger, and the QAD, it is definitely boosted enough. And that’s just one effect; the power is practically a mix of Overhaul and Creation.

The other new quirk I got was a copy of Super Regeneration, Zi all but demanding I take one despite already having Overhaul as a superior healing method as an extra just in case, especially since I recently got rid of Ice Ply as Ultra Phsophor can do what it does and much more. 

I can understand where she’s coming from, especially after my loss at I-Island. With how much I had to spam healing and other uses of Overhaul during my fight with Star, quirk exhaustion creeped up on me real quick. With this extra space, I can now leave most healing to Super Regeneration and focus mainly on offense with Overhaul. 

 

Back to my main point, One For All could have become so much more if handled better over the last few centuries, that much I can acknowledge, but as it is now, that power is nothing special, so I’ll let Izuku trudge on as a shell of his former self. 

His OFA development has gone pretty much exactly like canon so far. Having more adult heroes in the know means having more teachers who can at least help a little with specialized training, but at the same time, a loss of several key friends and companions as well as increased losses and decreased morale balances out that advantage. 

The only true difference so far was Star and Stripe using New Order to temporarily allow Izuku full access to OFA as a little experiment, inadvertently letting the heroes know about all the bonus quirks that power has way earlier than normal, but he has yet to unlock any of them himself. 

That hasn’t helped with his morale either, knowing he’s lagging behind even more than he thought.

Even if Izuku can replicate that without being carried by New Order, even if he somehow magically unlocks and completely masters every single extra OFA quirk as well as 100% of OFA itself without any strain or drawbacks or extra help (something he couldn’t even do during the Final War in canon which is almost a year from now; he had only 45% of the stockpile mastered by then) for some bullshit plot-related reason, I’ll still be able to effortlessly crush him.

I won’t try to kill him personally right now; I won’t give him that attention so the world won’t give him any attention again. Either he dies in the background and takes One For All with him or he gives away One For All and then dies.

Whatever happens, happens.

In that case, what is NightHaul (and myself by extension) doing with him now?

Combat training with Mirio is a given, and continuously losing to someone without a strength or enhancement quirk of any kind despite having One For All’s power only makes his plummeting morale worse despite Mirio’s constant encouragement. 

It got to the point where Mirio suggested scrapping those spars completely and have Izuku focus purely on harnessing his supposed talent in analysis instead. 

Like in canon, Izuku was the only one in Class 1-A who even bothered trying to analyse Mirio’s quirk mid-fight (even if anyone with half a brain should be able to pick up on what Izuku pointed out).

So Mirio suggested helping Izuku improve with that to get his confidence back up, and my clone accepted this, being proud of Mirio’s improvement when it comes to reading people.

 

That being the case, their focus shifted to helping develop Izuku’s investigative and analysis skills, something NightHaul has already been doing with Mirio since the very beginning, among many other things.

Over his last two Internships and one Work Study, NightHaul has been giving Mirio lessons in computer science, teaching him how to better access, compile, and analyze information. He was taught how to read the behaviors of different people and apply that to his analysis, how to read heroes and villains and analyze them, their quirks, their equipment, and so on. 

My clones and I have taught tons of people over these last few years, as while copy-pasting memories of others into their minds can help speed up the learning process by a lot, that alone isn’t enough. 

We couldn’t use that cheat-like method on Mirio for obvious reasons. We also had to cross out quite a few of our ‘normal’ learning exercises and lesson plans for the hero student’s custom curriculum, most of which involving various degrees of political terrorism.

For example, calculating the best angle to fire a Prominence Burn at HPSC Headquarters to cause as much damage as possible. Something tells me Mirio wouldn’t be as receptive to solving that math/quirk-analysis problem as Eri and the other Head-Starters were. 

Nevertheless, there was still plenty we could cram into the hero student since he first began interning with ‘Sir Nighteye’.

If the canon scenario with Eri and Kai Chisaki happened, instead of letting the terrified, clearly abused little girl go, this Mirio wouldn’t hesitate to take the yakuza leader down in seconds and save her. We made sure he wouldn’t be a stickler for the rules rather than do the right thing.

Naturally, Izuku’s famed ‘analysis’ being so crappy in comparison to NightHaul and Mirio doesn’t help his morale either. He’s better at it then most others here, that much is certain, but I have far higher standards for most subjects than the world I was transmigrated into. Seriously, quirk analysis in general here is complete shit. 

Unfortunately for Izuku, being better than most others at something doesn’t automatically make you good at that thing, it just means that most others suck at it more than you. 

I could go on all day about how shit this world’s basic standards are. Really, I could. On top of my modified body’s blood being far better at holding oxygen then regular humans, I can easily use Reveal’s telekinesis to bring air in and out of my lungs while I talk, meaning I don’t need to interrupt my ranting to breathe.

But the real issue for Izuku lies in application, not understanding. Even if he knows how a quirk works, he will still inevitably struggle with the practical management of something that was never originally his, as his handling of One For All clearly shows. 

Also, choosing to focus on simply hitting people harder as a strategy didn’t do him any favors. Like with so many other heroes and villains, he put his idol’s quirk on a pedestal, letting his own wits dull when he received it. He was bad at it before, and he’s only getting worse as time passes.

 

Despite how I’m making this sound, we’re genuinely not trying to further beat Izuku down on purpose, even if it’s because we simply don’t need to do that. Hell, canon Nighteye was going much more out of his way to make Izuku give up then we are!

Everything NightHaul is having Izuku do is what he had Mirio do from sparring to analysis training. Hell, Mirio was doing a whole lot more during his previous Work Study than Izuku is doing now thanks to the Villain War going on at the time!

Mirio took to the challenge and improved by leaps and bounds, quickly rising to meet my standards which are nothing less than completely absurd in this world. Excluding Star and Stripe, he’s probably the most dangerous hero in Japan right now. 

Eraserhead claimed that Mirio was the person closest to the Number 1 Hero spot in canon, Pro-Heroes included, and this Mirio is far greater then his canon counterpart. Even Endeavor would be taken down in a 1v1 with Mirio only getting some minor burns in return. We tested that deathmatch already with brainwashed Double clones for fun.

Speaking of Endeavor, he is the person ‘Nighteye’ is mainly investigating alongside Mirio and Izuku rather than Kai Chisaki and the Shie Hassaikai.

Funnily enough, I didn’t even have a hand in this! Neither did All For One. Shocking, I know.

Nezu is the one who made this request, wanting to slowly ease Izuku and Mirio into this hero corruption conspiracy because the full truth will likely come out soon and those two should at least be somewhat prepared for it. 

Mirio is already well aware of society’s faults thanks to NightHaul’s teachings, but Izuku is a very different story.

Needless to say, once again, the bush is in for a bad time.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Reveal (Artificial^2), Overhaul (Awakened), Ultra Phosphor (Artificial), Warp Gate (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Creation, Alchemy, Double, IQ, Erasure, Super Regeneration, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver, Cell Activation, Incite, Love, Erasure
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial^2), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, ?????

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Q-Ray (Artificial), Weather Manipulation (Awakened), Multi-Layer Barrier (Artificial), Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Chronokinetic Hair (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Despot, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Animalistic Alpha (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronokinetic Hair (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Super Volcano (Artificial), Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Bloodcurdle (Awakened), Chronostasis, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Shock Absorption
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Queen Bee (Awakened), Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Incite, Despot
• Kaina Tsutsumi (Head Assassin) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronokinetic Hair (Artificial), Deluxe Rifle (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Rei (Head-Starters’ Babysitter) - Ice Ply (Awakened), Frost, Hellflame, Cremation, Half-Cold Half-Hot, Water Gun, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Heat-Resistance x2, Frost Resistance x2

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Melting Mimic (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Dragon, Stress
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Multi-Layer Barrier (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Steal and Store (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Carbon Counter (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (430) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Praetorian Summoners (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Shadow Armada (Artificial)
• Pseudo Getens (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (20) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Muscle Augmentation

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 3750 Personnel 
• 30 Commanders - Q-Ray (Artificial), Incite, Despot
• 280 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 280 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 280 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 180 Battle Tanks
• 95 Attack Helicopters
• 35 X-66 Fighter Jets
• 125 Small Boats
• 10 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 750
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 550
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 5

Nomus (Complete/Combat Ready):

• High-Ends - 1
• Near High-Ends - 11
• Upper-Tier - 33
• Middle-Tier - 54
• Lower-Tier - 108

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 85
• Mad Science Branch - 70
• Creation Crew - 175
• Klonogiris - 120
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 37
• Thugs and Goons - 8255

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 125

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 83: Keeping up with the Todorokis

“C’mon, Kiri!” Mina Ashido begs her childhood friend after ensuring no people or cameras are around. “This is our chance to be actual heroes for a change!”

“By siding with VILLAINS?! How can I side with villains? That’s about as unmanly as it gets!”

“They aren’t villains, Kirishima. The League of Villains are villains; The Meta Liberation Army is several hundred thousand citizens across the country looking to liberate Japan from its corrupt government! It’s happened plenty of times throughout history, and most of them end pretty well.

Unfair rules and regulations are stopping us from doing the right thing. Heroes are stuck being a part of the problem rather than fixing it! I can’t live with that, and I know you can’t either.”

“But betraying our friends?!”

“What friends? Sero quit, Denki is dead, and Bakugou is even worse than Endeavor! You know it, I know it, everyone knows it and nobody in this society is doing anything to fix it, not even All Might!”

“...I don’t know if I can. So much has happened this year. I never thought-”

“That being a hero sucked so much? Well we can fix that together. Please, join us, Kiri. We can save this society together. We can stop the monster we met back then, the one that beat the supposedly unbeatable symbol together.”

“Gigantomachia. I thought he looked familiar… but how can we ever hope to stand against that?”

“Like I said. Together.”

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐ 2 Weeks Until The Final Festival

So Japan’s Number 2 (and de facto Number 1 at this point, but the Hero Billboard Chart is still over a month away) isn’t doing so hot right now, pun intended. 

He was a legitimately talented hero, don’t get me wrong. He’s solved even more cases than All Might for crying out loud! But he just doesn’t have the same presence, the ability to make people feel safe simply because he was there.

This was before his loss to Stain in Hosu, the waves of controversy about his family, and his less than satisfactory contribution in Kamino.

 

Star and Stripe being much better at replicating All Might’s presence doesn’t help him either, not to mention the tremendous power gap between those two. Same goes for Gigantomachia; nobody believed Endeavor stood the slightest chance against that monster. 

Citizens and netizens alike have spotted him wandering around what remains of Tokyo as well as the surrounding cities and prefectures, looking desolate and lost. And when responding to crime or villain attacks, Endeavor acts with much more recklessness and violence than usual. Not great considering his normal track record as far as collateral goes. 

Reports of increased collateral damage are coming in fast, more than a few outraged civilians complaining about how they or their property got caught up in Endeavor’s attacks despite not even being near the scene of whatever crime was going on.

Considering what’s been happening with him these last few months, he can’t really be blamed for being so out of it. 

His oldest son who was assumed dead turned out to be alive thanks to an ancient, potato-faced prick who tore a chunk of his chest off. 

Said oldest son then murdered his youngest son or ‘masterpiece’ alongside himself. 

Then the potato-faced prick then revealed his big bad plan and taunted him about it just days later at what was supposed to be his moment of triumph over All Might.

Frankly, he should be in a therapist’s office rather than patrolling the streets, but the HPSC refuses to rely on Star and Stripe or foreign aid in general and he’s the best they have at the moment now that All Might’s been defeated for good.

The guy may be a flame-covered brute, but he’s an effective enforcer that doesn’t strongly question the HPSC’s policies, a good pairing when you consider their habitual suppression tactics. As for using Hawks, he’s too busy handling the HPSC’s really secretive, illegal activities to be the new face of Japan.

Now Nezu sees Izuku and Mirio as the best this next generation of heroes has to offer, so while this lesson is a tough one, it’s necessary for them nonetheless. They’ll be exposed to the darker side of this crumbling hero society one way or another, such is inevitable.

Better to debate over politics and philosophy now then when anarchy spreads across Japan, right?

So over the course of a few days, NightHaul, Mirio, and Izuku go about this hero/detective mission which basically turns into a reality TV show.

Keeping up with the Todorokis, everybody!

 

First up is Shoto, and while he may be dead now, his spirit still continues to screw over Endeavor from beyond the grave. To be specific, his vestige within me (before merging with other quirks into Ultra Phosphor) had suggested that NightHaul subtly nudges Izuku to admit the tragic backstory his real self spilled at the Sports Festival.

Then comes Natsuo and Fuyumi, Izuku participating in a de facto interrogation NightHaul sets up with them at the Todoroki household. Cue an extremely awkward dinner scene filled with plenty of sob stories and even more mental muttering from Izuku.

After that is something of an intermission, NightHaul and his two interns looking into various cases and documents about Endeavor’s cases and arrests over the years, leading to more HPSC corruption discoveries for Team Nezu/All Might/UA.

Finally, there is looking more into Rei. NightHaul had ‘accidentally’ stumbled into the HPSC’s coverup of her incarceration at a modern-day looney bin and her recent disappearance from said looney bin, so the three went off to investigate that. 

Rei herself had caught wind of this, and had requested to visit the trio as her villain persona to set the record straight for them and the rest of Hero Society, revealing the villain Morana to be the wife of Endeavor.

And while I would usually be against such a thing, this request made me remember that internal debate I had with myself a few weeks ago, the one about my dreams getting in the way of others no matter what their own are.

My own plans are still top priority, everyone knows that… but so long as my subordinates ensure that isn’t the case, not giving up anything about me and my plans even if it means committing suicide before Star and Stripe forces a truth-telling rule on them, then why should I stop them?

Besides, it’s not like this idea of hers doesn’t benefit me too. This would further destabilize hero society, encouraging other villain factions like the MLA to act while not putting the Shie Hassaikai at risk. 

Hell, I could even have the High-End Nomu Hood go with her, letting Rei take the place of Dabi at my own take on Season 4 climactic final battle. Endeavor would get his ass kicked again while his wife finishes what Stain started at Hosu. 

So I agreed to her request, but then Kota wanted to get in on the action, and things suddenly became a lot more complicated.

 

After joining us, Kota has had his physical appearance altered via Overhaul; I couldn’t have the Wild Wild Pussycats or any other hero investigate the Shie Hassaikai or Osaka after seeing the kid walking around there, now could I? 

Naturally, Rei and most others get the same treatment when wandering around Osaka as civilians for obvious safety reasons.

Using Overhaul to alter Kota back into his original appearance and have him cause trouble alongside Rei would be disastrous for the heroes’ PR. Two family members of well known heroes (Endeavor and Water Hose, and I suppose the late Pussycats too) rampaging around as villains? That wouldn’t be good.

Puppy eyes from both Kota and Eri sealed the deal, and the next day was spent putting together a betting pool of what villain ranking Kota would get, if any. 

I personally bet on B-Rank, since that’s usually where stupidly powerful elementals like Geten usually end up despite them being capable of demolishing most top ten heroes. 

And for those who think the HPSC wouldn’t give villain rankings to children, considering how often the term ‘villain’ is thrown around in this society and their ridiculous treatment of civilians forced into becoming villains against their will like the Instant Villains, I seriously doubt they would look past someone as dangerous as Kota for his age.

So off Rei and Kota went to totally coincidentally run into NightHaul’s posse during their little adventure. 

The former Todoroki/Himura didn’t look nearly as different physically in her villain persona, just physically younger than her original look with slightly longer hair, so Mirio and Izuku were able to recognize her upon seeing the villain face to face.

Izuku, being the Hero Society otaku that he is, also connected the dots and recognized Rei as Rei Todoroki. 

He asked Rei if she really became a villain and how could she ever do such a thing. Rei, in turn, asked Izuku if he wanted to see a masterpiece better than anything Endeavor forced her into helping him create.

Unfortunately for Rei, this is where her plan fell apart. Not because of Izuku, mind you, but because of Mirio.

Mirio recognized her too, and Mirio was trained to not hesitate in situations like these. He was trained to not stand by as villains monologue or power-up. Mirio was trained to get shit done, and his quirk can be an absolute pain in the ass to deal with.

 

A barrage of summoned ice spikes go right through the permeation user, and despite the modifications done to her body alongside the boost from Endurance, Rei is knocked out by a single uppercut to the jaw.

Now Rei is absurdly overpowered at the moment, but she had quite a lot going against her in this matchup.

For starters, she obviously has to hide the fact that she has multiple quirks, a condition of mine to ensure Nezu’s crew didn’t immediately connect her to me. That way, Star and Stripe won’t feel tempted to get involved.

While quirks like Ice Ply can be disguised as her original quirk getting much more powerful, quirks like Hellflame and Cremation are a completely different story.

Rei is also a long-ranged combatant who needs time to accumulate her arsenal. Half-Cold Half-Hot lets her create a mountain of ice in a second, but Mirio can act faster than that.

Then there’s strength to consider. Rei has plenty of body modifications and Endurance to toughen her up, but Mirio can overpower goddamn High-End Nomus when it comes to physical strength in canon, and he’s even stronger here thanks to receiving much better training. 

Combine all those factors with simple, classic underestimation of your opponent on Rei’s end and you get a quick and easy knockout. 

Unfortunately for the heroes, this is where things start going horrifically wrong for them.

Kota was flung from his surrogate mother’s arms as she was knocked out, and then caught by Mirio before he could hit the ground, but he was not thankful for the save. Not one bit.

Unlike in canon, a punch to Izuku’s nuts wasn’t going to satisfy him. Not this time around.

Not after the heroes beat up his new mom right in front of him.

 

After processing what just happened, my daughter’s bodyguard goes absolutely ballistic and freezes the entire district he’s in with the flick of a finger, killing hundreds in an instant and injuring many more. Geten did the same trick in Deika using water from the underground pipelines, and Kota is far beyond the MLA executive at this point.

And that was just his opening salvo. The next few minutes were much more of a mess.

Mirio nearly died from permeation asphyxiation as Kota was far too high up for him to reach and trying to calm him down didn’t do any favors for his very limited supply of oxygen. The little elemental basically played whack-a-mole with the guy.

Izuku shattered both of his arms again while punching away giant ice glaciers Sports Festival-style. Unlike Shoto, Kota can instantly reform them or just throw the hundreds of small ice spikes back as they are, so the bush was completely screwed in this matchup, failing miserably to ‘save’ the crying child.

NightHaul was stuck trying to figure out how to salvage this shitshow, eventually having to literally drag Izuku and Mirio away while calling in backup to keep the act up. 

And Endeavor himself, the HPSC still not even bothering to hide him from hero work anymore despite complaints and protests across the country along with his questionable mental state, charges in a few minutes later, ready to reclaim the broodmare he bought and burn a six year old to death.

…Okay, so maybe that last statement had a bit of bias in it, but I’m just really fucking annoyed right now. 

So is NightHaul, his rants to me and the other clones not helping any of our moods.

((“Did I not tell him what people do to limbs when they’re paralyzed? Because I’m pretty sure I told him what people do to limbs when they’re paralyzed. Same with Recovery Girl and several other doctors, yet he continues pulling this shit!

His limbs are gonna become dead weight, useless. Then pressure sores develop. Ulcers follow on, becoming infected due to the exposed flesh. Then they remove the infected dead weight entirely. They would have to amputate your arms after a fruitless attempt to maintain them. 

Then what, Izuku? Your life would be functionally over with no plot armor or Eri to bring ‘em back! And all that for what? For who? For a worthless society that turns on people at the slightest opportunity? Plot armor isn't gonna save you this time, you braindead- just… ugh. I know I shouldn’t be complaining, but holy shit is this kid stupid!”))

 

Kota and Rei had already been secretly warped out before that, but it was still a fucking mess, even if it resulted in the heroes getting humiliated again. 

Forget Gigantomachia, they couldn’t even stop an angry six year old! Oh, and the hero the HPSC is trying to hype up as society’s new Number 1 had both his wife and oldest son turn into mass-murdering villains after abusing them one too many times.

Mirio isn’t taking the loss well. Izuku is taking it much worse.

Kota is still angry, Rei even more so. The latter just does a good job at hiding it… at least in public.

The absolute rampage she went on against clones of Mirio to ‘simmer down a bit’ was horrifying and quickly spun out of control, what little sanity she had left snapping as her powers became Awakened and Artificial alike at a rapid pace. It was like Dabi during the Final War, only much, much worse.

Special Praetorians failed, some of the Four Horsemen and Sinister Six failed, and even Gigantomachia couldn’t subdue her with the ocean itself becoming her weapon!

Their flesh sizzled as heat rushed to fill every pore. The life within their cells stilled, never to rise again, as a deathly chill entered every part of them. And as the two met in-between, a harmony of fire and ice, the union caused grievous damage across their entire bodies.

Cells were disintegrated and frozen in equal measure, Rei’s subconscious skill not being lost to her rage. Fire prevented them from being completely frozen while ice prevented them from being completely burnt. 

And that was before Awakenings and quirk-mergers started to occur. 

I had to personally step in after that, because in terms of destructive output, she went from resembling Dabi to resembling AFO Tomura.

 

When she tried creating ice, what came out of her wasn’t ice. The air itself collapsed in a vacuum as the nitrogen turned into soup, splashing onto the floor and flowing out in a steaming, crackling mess.

The clothes I was wearing at the time literally shattered when she threw some of it my way. The full-body armor I had beneath it actually warped despite how durable it was designed to be.

Far beyond even absolute zero… just ridiculous. Pretty hard to control too, according to Rei later on, but she’s already working on it and improving quickly. 

And when she tried creating fire, a flash as bright as the sun shot out of her arm in a tight beam that sent electricity crackling through even the most durable composite metal-filled walls I could make with Overhaul and Alchemy. 

My own right arm was then completely severed and several giant holes were made in clouds, all from the same blast. I could heal from the damage done easily enough, but even All Might in his prime would get holes blown through him if hit with this.

Magnetically-propelled plasma. Her power and range just increased dramatically… she may even be able to shoot down satellites with this! 

If it wasn’t for her fire-resistance and frost-resistance quirks forming another Artificial Quirk within her, a general yet extremely effective temperature-resistance quirk, she likely would’ve melted or froze herself to death just minutes after it manifested in her, even without activating it and Super Regeneration backing her up. 

While a combination of Overhaul and Alchemy could turn the elements she wielded against her, she still put up one hell of a fight, especially after her powers’ evolution completed.

 

Singularity-level for sure. A quirk that can match the destructive power and potential of AFO Tomura’s Decay during the PLF War or even the Final War. 

Rei can even ‘feel’ the regular fire and ice she creates, because she can still create those. Coats of flames or frost pretty much function as a sixth sense, letting her keep track of whatever they come across, whether it’s objects or the air itself.

She calls the monstrous quirk in question Ginnungagap, the name in Norse mythology representing a dark, violent abyss where two opposing forces met, hissing, sizzling, and releasing huge clouds of steam-fire and ice.

How appropriate. Seriously, my subordinates are turning into absolute monsters. I seem to be the only one surprised by this anymore, since my other top brass barely batted an eye. 

I suppose it’s to be expected at this point. They’ve all been personally exposed to my ridiculousness, so why would they be overly surprised knowing my experiments had led to something ludicrous once again? 

My entire existence was ludicrous in the first place, so whenever my subordinates heard that I’ve done something else insane, their initial reaction tends to be ‘Yeah, that tracks.’

As for getting a copy of the quirk myself, and maybe a few other Awakened Quirks or Artificial Quirks my subordinates have been creating lately, I decided to hold off on that for a while.

These new quirks are frighteningly powerful and even more complex, so I’m going to let the people who formed them practice with them, squeeze out every last drop of potential from them, and then reap whatever they sowed in both copied quirks and memories. 

Why take copies of their new, custom quirks now and figure it out myself on top of my regular hardcore training when I can have them do all that work for me? It shouldn’t take long, probably a few months at most for them to get good enough results in my eyes, and I’m plenty powerful already.

It’s not like Star and Stripe will be busting down Hassaikai HQ’s front door anytime soon. There’s no rush, so I’ll focus on my current arsenal. Alchemy in particular has plenty of potential, so I’ll mainly be focused on mastering that. 

Simply put, my mood had rapidly improved after that little scare, and it only got better a few days later.

 

“You finally found Mr. Smiley? Where the hell was he? I haven’t heard a peep from him since the Halloween party last year; I was starting to wonder if he died in some back alley or something.” I questioned BossHaul a bit later.

“Turns out the rapid increase in crime we caused made him flee the country for his own safety. He actually got into an American art school like a month ago and is doing rather well for himself.

I only found out about this thanks to one of our international feelers in the states coincidentally running into him at some art exhibit a few hours ago. Shinjiro Hohoemi has no interest in villainy, but we were able to acquire a blood sample from him, so that comically overpowered quirk has become another trump card of outs.”

“About time, but better late than never, I guess.”

Now where was I? Oh, right. Endeavor’s latest humiliation.

Welp, I suppose things could’ve gone much worse, all things considered. 

Rei still got the overall message she wanted out, and Endeavor’s probably wondering if she cheated on him with the Water Hose duo after he threw her into a mental asylum. The ecstatic media vultures are also probably gonna tear Japan’s Number 2 a new one… again.

And for those who are curious, Kota did in fact break the ranking curse of Japan’s overpowered elemental villains by getting himself an A-Rank designation. And get this, the HPSC is attempting to claim he’s actually a young adult who just so happens to be child-sized like La Brava. 

I doubt that many are buying it at this point, but the HPSC can still be rather spiteful when they want to be.

Kota was hoping to jump straight into S-Rank and was rather disappointed that he didn’t, but a congratulations from Eri on a wonderful debut pacified him. 

I myself got him a giant portrait of Endeavor as a reward… one that came with a plate over it and some scoring marks on it for darts. Rei had a really nice one decaled already, so I figured he would like his own. 

But the biggest takeaway from this event is it got a lot more people talking about the possibility of Quirk Singularity Doomsday being real. Newer generations are clearly getting stronger quirks on average, and Kota’s display showed just how dangerous these powers can get.

((‘Funny you should mention that. We need to talk.’)) VestigeHaul suddenly butts in, and next thing I know, I’m forcefully pulled into my vestigeworld.

 

“When could you-”

“Did you forget the experimentation I’m doing here nearly 24/7? I’m not a cryptic, useless asshole like those repulsive tinders.” VestigeHaul scoffs as he walks up to me alongside my own vestige. 

“HEY!” A few of the other ghosts in my mental world cry out.

“I wasn’t talking about you lot; I was talking about the ones in All For One and One For All!” He yells back to the other vestiges in here. “At least some of you help me sometimes.”

“So what’s this about?” I then question, getting straight to the point.

“We’re getting stronger. The more we develop this world and the more experiments you succeed in… I think we’re getting close to the singularity. Some of us, anyway.” My vestige self answers. 

“Like AFO Tomura?”

“Perhaps. Or perhaps it’s something beyond the rapid physical mutations he underwent.” VestigeHaul hypothesizes. “Point is, you should be cautious. It would be best if you underwent it during the Perfection Procedure, do it all in one go unlike AFO Tomura, as at least then you would be in a controlled setting.”

I’ve continued heavily training my quirks, Overhaul especially, ever since I obtained them. Even now, they continue to grow stronger. That quirk has already awakened, much like Tomura’s Decay has awakened. And that’s not even mentioning the multiple other separate quirk-boosters I have.

I have plenty of other quirks within me too, much like what Tomura had at the time (only with me having quality while he had quantity), and with Decay literally being a crippled version of Overhaul…

“And what happens after? What do you think we’ll become?” I question, genuinely curious to hear their thoughts.

Both ghosts just shrug in return.

“Neither of those foolish brothers thought twice about the opportunities they had. They were too caught up in their own childish comic book fantasies to realize how limited they were. 

Their quirks have limitless potential, and their bodies could eventually catch up through pure human evolution, but their minds are a different story.” VestigeHaul reflects. 

“As AFO Tomura said during the Final War, the more the AFO quirk took root within him, the more his body adapted to the legion of stockpiled quirks in his body, along with various environmental factors.

His body was searching… groping around for its ideal form. He believed that with this body and power, all would come to rest in the palm of his hand, and that would give rise to a world of his own, or one beyond him entirely.

He likely meant the real world during this little monologue, but the possibility of the vestigeworld, and our quirks in general transforming into something greater… we saw that with our grown-up daughter, didn’t we?” Vestige me adds on. 

 

“What Garaki said back then…” I mutter. “The Singularity. Everyone will become equal, he said. Everyone will become gods. The guy was a complete nutjob, but I feel like there was a bit of truth to that, especially when considering what Future Eri became.”

“We can see glimpses of the Quirk Singularity’s effect on the general public during the World Heroes Mission Movie. People without AFO or OFA or other powerful quirks like Nine’s Weather Manipulation.

Some with mutation quirks fully transformed into the animals they were based off of while others had their animalistic features grow to tremendous heights. Those with emitter quirks faced a similar issue as Nine once did. None of them could handle this sudden change in body and mind, and they died as a result.” VestigeHaul reminds us both.

“The singularity will no doubt destroy humanity, but perhaps it will be in a different way than we initially expected. Maybe people will die, that’s for certain, but perhaps quirks will make those who remain something… new. You especially, as you’re far better at unleashing a quirk’s true potential then anyone else in this world.”

“Y’know, I think you might be onto something there.” I admit as the gears start to turn. “Humanity isn’t the pinnacle of evolution; anyone who thinks that is either arrogant, stupid, or both. Humans are just one step in a long journey that’s still ongoing, and perhaps mutant quirk wielders are just ahead of the curve.”

This world suddenly feels a whole lot smaller to me. The Incursions and those gods’ other games are one thing, but this…

“I’ll be prepared for that, but I’ll also have far more quirks than even All For One within me by then. Artificial Quirks can even go beyond the singularity.” I recall. 

So just what the hell am I going to become?

And just what the hell is this world going to become?

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Reveal (Artificial^2), Overhaul (Awakened), Ultra Phosphor (Artificial), Warp Gate (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Creation, Alchemy, Double, IQ, Erasure, Super Regeneration, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver, Cell Activation, Incite, Love, Erasure
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial^2), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, ?????

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Q-Ray (Artificial), Weather Manipulation (Awakened), Multi-Layer Barrier (Artificial), Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Chronokinetic Hair (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Mummification, Fiber Master, Despot, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Animalistic Alpha (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronokinetic Hair (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Super Volcano (Artificial), Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Bloodcurdle (Awakened), Chronostasis, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Shock Absorption
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Queen Bee (Awakened), Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Incite, Despot
• Kaina Tsutsumi (Head Assassin) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronokinetic Hair (Artificial), Deluxe Rifle (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Rei (Head-Starters’ Babysitter) - Ginnungagap (Awakened/Artificial), Temperature Resistance (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Melting Mimic (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Dragon, Stress
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Ice Ply (Awakened), Octopus, Whale, Chimera, Dupli-Arms, Gigantification, Electric Eel, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Multi-Layer Barrier (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Steal and Store (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Carbon Counter (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (430) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Praetorian Summoners (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Shadow Armada (Artificial)
• Pseudo Getens (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (25) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (20) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Muscle Augmentation

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 3750 Personnel 
• 30 Commanders - Q-Ray (Artificial), Incite, Despot
• 285 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 285 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 285 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 180 Battle Tanks
• 95 Attack Helicopters
• 35 X-66 Fighter Jets
• 125 Small Boats
• 10 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 770
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 575
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 5

Nomus (Complete/Combat Ready):

• High-Ends - 1
• Near High-Ends - 11
• Upper-Tier - 33
• Middle-Tier - 54
• Lower-Tier - 108

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 85
• Mad Science Branch - 70
• Creation Crew - 175
• Klonogiris - 120
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt and/or Body-fused Heroes - 37
• Thugs and Goons - 8280

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 125

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 84: I Spy With My Multi-Quirked Eye

“Our forces continue to trickle in and integrate themselves; they are doing well to atone for being born with powers.” The High Priestess reports. 

“The United Nations and World Heroes Association are quite thorough with their background checks, but it matters not when our supporters are the ones administering them where it matters.” Flect Turn replies. 

Everything is going as planned. No… even better than what they anticipated.

“How goes your own projects?” He then asks.

“I would be able to do more with the people behind Japan’s recent Trigger epidemic under me. Their products are superior to anything else I’ve seen.” 

“That investigation is ongoing. With the vulnerable state Japan is in now, more templars can be sent and more ground can be gained. You shall be provided with that variant’s creator soon.”

“Much appreciated, sir.” Melissa Shield bows back, having become far more devoted to the cause over these last few months. “But even without the one responsible, I should have a final design and compound for the Trigger Bombs in a matter of weeks.”

Her intelligence, contributions, and quirklessness quickly propelled her to the rank of a Humarise executive, a High Priestess to aid their sacred mission. 

 

“Excellent. And what of your armament project?”

“The Hercules Armor is also nearing completion, allowing for its wielder to match most top heroes and villains in combat with enough mastery, but the final product is rather expensive.”

“Such can be worked around with the diseased who can produce or transmute any necessary materials. I look forward to hearing of your success.”

“Thank you, sir. However, regarding this armor, I would like to make a request.”

“Speak your mind, High Priestess.”

“Both the World Heroes Association and United Nations will expect this product to be used, as I am not hiding its creation like I am with my part of the Trigger Bombs. I-Island’s security systems can only be altered so much without drawing suspicion after all, especially after the recent upgrades. 

I would like to provide this armor to All Might, as he is functionally quirkless after his loss to Gigantomachia. His success with this support gear could serve as a rallying cry for pure humans across the globe and give me more leeway with its creation and optimization.”

Flect Turn thinks it over for a while. All Might practically embodies the Quirk Singularity Doomsday, possessing unfathomable amounts of power that ended up burning him out, destroying both his body and quirk. 

Could he potentially aid their cause? Could he advocate for their cause, being a victim of it himself?

“Very well, and while you’re at it, see if the Symbol of Peace really does wish to save humanity.”

Her eyes widened at this extra request. She still cares for her ‘uncle’, so the thought of him joining their crusade is incredibly appealing.

“I shall do my best, sir. For humanity’s salvation.”

“For humanity’s salvation.”

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐ 10 Days Until The Final Festival

“That smurf-like son of a bitch.” I growl after my cyberwarfare branch informs me of recent developments with Humarise. “Think you can target me, huh? Just you fucking try.”

So turns out Flect Turn is no longer satisfied with just buying my Trigger; he wants to gatekeep the source, as does this world’s take on the stereotypical Villain Deku, who is also quickly becoming a major pain in the ass.

Not happening, especially with how much control I’ve taken over the cult’s Japanese branch. 

 

Like with most important things in this world, the knowledge canon provides is painfully little. My vacation to Otheon shortly before the Entrance Exam fixed that problem, getting me hidden access to their online networks and most of their logistics by extension. 

Having plenty of spies infiltrate the anti-quirk cult filled most remaining gaps, and any new ones caused by their expansion to I-Island were instantly filled in as I had infiltrated the place before them. 

I had a lot of questions to ask about their international supply channels, Trigger production methods, and recruitment tactics, and I got plenty of answers while dipping into all those pools under their collective nose. 

Melissa Shield is leading both the kidnapped and willing scientists and engineers across the globe, and Humarise has better samples of both Trigger and technology to work with. In layman’s terms, their Trigger Bombs are gonna be a whole lot more dangerous.

And the chemical compound within? It’s turning out to be a stronger, more volatile version of OverTrigger, and they’re probably going to finish the product earlier than they did in canon too. 

Certain canon events relating to that organization are already happening far faster. For example, events from the anime’s World Heroes’ Mission movie tie-in took place a few days ago.

It’s supposed to happen at the start of next January. It’s not even the end of October yet!

 

Basically, one of Humarise’s Trigger production factories in the country of Kaflin was destroyed as a cover-up to destroy evidence and move the materials out.

Fun fact about Kaflin, it was invaded by Afghanistan in the late 19th century but the anime describes the place as its own country, meaning it must have regained independence during the Dawn of Quirks.

Quite a few smaller countries did that, and quite a few new countries were created too, Otheon being one of them. Not really important to this current issue, I just find the implied lore to be interesting. 

Anyway, the independent smugglers hired to transport those products to Otheon happened to pass close by Japan where Pro-Hero Selkie was patrolling. He calls in Ryukyu’s agency for backup, the female interns and sidekicks have a fanservice beach day, and they stop the smugglers soon after despite those guys using Trigger themselves.

Selkie’s agency is sunk here and there’s no way Ryukyu was finding out about this on her own, so I had Innsmouth and his crew intercept the shipment. Even if the smuggler’s path deviated from canon, which it didn’t, my backdoors into Humarise’s systems gave me more than enough background information.

And if those guys couldn’t stop Selkie and Ryukyu’s agencies, then they certainly wouldn’t be able to stop the current Innsmouth and Cider House. 

They couldn’t, and that shipment of both Humarise’s Trigger and the materials used to make them became mine. Nothing much in the grand scheme of things, but altering canon events to favor me never stops being satisfying.

Quick reminder; OverTrigger doesn’t overload my body because said body has been specifically modified to handle it. Regular humans would be easily overwhelmed from that massive quirk power boost.

However, OverTrigger isn’t as strong of a quirk-booster as Ideo Trigger. 

Not only that, but their focus is more on increasing raw power rather than control; the latter is counterintuitive to their genocidal goals after all. If anything, their new finished product will likely be even stronger then their canon Ideo Trigger in exchange for far less control.

Even so, the irony isn’t lost on me. 

Despite going in a completely different direction than Kai Chisaki, I still heavily contributed to wiping out quirks through quirk-altering drugs. And despite my goals, I ended up speeding up the apocalypse rather than slowing it down.

Ugh, such a pain. 

 

That’s not even mentioning their necessary involvement for my long-term plans to succeed. 

Like with All For One, I intend to use Humarise until they aren’t useful anymore, and ensure they aren’t aware of such until it’s far too late for them to do anything about it. Flect Turn, the female Villain Deku he won over, and their cronies will get their due one day, just not today or tomorrow.

I should still be ready to enact my Endgame by then, but it’s still a real pain in the ass.

While we’re on the subject of Humarise, my efforts in regards to slowly corrupting their Japanese branch have been working quite well. Quite a few members of that cult (mostly the quirked ones) joined out of fear, and many members who do want to ‘repent’ would rather not die in the process.

As Creed Bratton from The Office once said, “I’ve been involved in a number of different cults throughout the years. You make more money as a leader, but have more fun as a follower.” Well these guys aren’t having a whole lot of fun right now.

So I decided to have Starservant join up with them and slowly alter their ideals to still fear the incoming doomsday, but not have to give their lives for repenting among other benefits.

It got pretty popular pretty quickly, and my cyberwarfare branch helped prevent the main body from discovering the corruption of one of its cells. GuildHaul also took part and confirmed every new recruit’s genuine loyalty through Confession. 

What’s even better is that with the gradual descent into anarchy Japan is undergoing, requesting more supplies for members of this country’s branch is perfectly reasonable. No need to rely solely on the occasional smuggling-stealing session, especially as doing too much of that would tip off Flect Turn.

Their Japanese branch gaining an influx of new recruits (aka, my spies) that need to be geared up also helps out with this. Same goes for all the international members sent over who will gradually become turncoats. 

Another steady supply of free resources? Yes please. 

Said resources include military-grade tactical gear and weaponry, something I will gladly stock up on. 

We’re even getting some replicated, state of the art support gear and various other pieces of new tech from I-Island thanks to Melissa leaking the blueprints and Humarise having comical amounts of funding. I have access to both of those things, but I won’t say no to my enemies creating extra weapons for me.

Yes, groups of Humarise members with assault rifles did fail to defeat a fifteen year-old girl with nothing but a staff in close range combat, but those are Humarise members, not Shie Hassaikai members. 

Momo would be headshot the moment she gets within a hundred feet of even my rank and file, much less my soldiers.

Point is, my Humarise spies do a whole lot more than just spying for me, whether directly or as a side effect of their work. Same goes with all our other spies. Besides police and heroes, we also have quite a few spies within the MLA and HPSC.

While I already have access to their networks, not all information is electronic information. There’s plenty of physical information too, and for someone who thrives off of his enemy’s intel, having as few knowledge gaps as possible is crucial.

 

That being said, my spies fall into four basic categories.

Category #1 is rank and file originating from the Shie Hassaikai posing as average grunts. Both organizations have been recruiting like crazy lately, making it so much easier to slip in your regular old spies with fake identities and credentials.

But I don’t just do ‘regular’. That’s not how I roll. This is where the next two categories come in.

Category #2 is members possessed by Kuin’s bees. Said bees can act independently for a while as long as they have clear enough orders thanks to their queen’s training, making long-term spy missions much easier for the insect monarch to do en masse.

Category #3 is members who I had body-fused with my own grunts. These members tend to be veterans or higher up on the chain of command, but they are mainly compromised through the previous category as it’s much easier to organize. Even so, it’s a viable option that has its advantages.

Category #4, or the final category, is the people in those organizations who just want to go AWOL. People in the first three categories will take notice of this group and offer them a way out. Once they’re confirmed to be legit through the Confessional, we have them collaborate with my other spies and bide their time until the opportune moment comes.

That’s not even mentioning Kuin’s vesselless bees (or bess overhauled to resemble other insects) buzzing around areas of interest or the control I have over their online systems or using Double to make up to date clones of my enemies before reading their minds.

I know the theories Nezu has on me and countermeasures he’s prepared for me. The rat has grown a lot from his canon counterpart, but not nearly enough to truly threaten me.

I know that the HPSC is taking a closer look at certain ‘projects’ All For One worked on that they managed to lock up, seeing if they may be replicable for their own usage. Unlike in canon, they aren’t stupid enough to believe Endeavor and Hawks can solve all their problems.

I know that the MLA had started looking into creating or reforming potential subsidiary organizations to aid them in their eventual coup against Japan. Instead of trying to destroy competition like the LOV, they’re taking a more unifying approach in the wake of more major threats being revealed.

I know that Humarise is also ramping up their recruitment and rearmament projects thanks to their new ‘High Priestess’. They’re also attempting to capture Giran as he’s the one acting as a middleman in this Trigger epidemic I created, but I already tipped him off about that.

In short, nothing escapes my sight. That includes the HPSC’s own attempt at spying via their pet bird like in canon.

 

Only here, the League of Villains is dead. Of course, nobody outside my own organization knows that, so Hawks is still fruitlessly searching for any leads. It’s nothing but a waste of time for him and his handlers, exactly what I intended.

Now as for the Pseudo-Togas, keeping them as spies full-time is a bit tricky due to the amount of blood that requires. They’re best used for short but important missions where they disguise themselves as the top brass of an organization. 

And then there’s NightHaul, who is currently keeping an eye on the former main character, among others.

((“So I told him that if he breaks one more bone, I’m gonna break the rest of ‘em. He thought it was a joke. It was most certainly not a joke; I’m really starting to lose my patience with the sentient bush and his constant influx of hospital bills. 

The kid had zero self-preservation instincts! Zero! I’m seriously gonna dedicate a day to teaching him how medical insurance works, because this is just getting ridiculous.

It’s bad enough that I’m more overworked than ever before, just like every hero who decided to stay and help this dying system. The stupid Team-Up Mission stunt gets hero students more experience, sure, but do you know what else that comes with? Phone calls to make, emails to read, schedules to create, and lots of stupid teenagers to look after!

Not to mention this country’s meager and underfunded police force barely keeping up with demand. And of course, this leads to civilians complaining even more and being even more uncooperative with heroes and police, making our jobs EVEN HARDER!”))

‘That’s it, buddy. Let it out.’

((“Don’t you fucking patronize me, you little-”))

Moving on, being a secret villain organization that manipulates other villain and hero organizations naturally requires some good investigational and observational skills.

 

For example, with the Wild Wild Pussycats all being dead, that means the wrecked forest training camp is now abandoned.

Well, mostly wrecked. 

The Vanguard Action Squad didn’t touch the hot springs during their assault, a very welcome discovery indeed.

Several weeks and various quirk use later, the Shie Hassaikai became owners of an intricate system of hot springs designed purely for relaxation.

The springs were a marvel of engineering and quirk application, seamlessly blending luxury with practicality. 

Nowadays, I often find myself marveling at my organization’s latest creation, the warm waters providing my subordinates and I a perfect respite from our hard work.

((‘And you call All For One a drama queen.’))

‘Nobody asked for your opinion, VestigeHa-’

“MACHIA, SPLASH!!!”

“OH, NONONO WAIT-”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Kota, Katsuma, and Tamashiro have a blast riding the mini tidal wave Machia made upon entry via cannonball. 

Maguma just laughs alongside Chimera while Nine gives the most deadpan expression he can manage. 

I sigh before chuckling a bit and making sure the wooden barriers are still stable. I wouldn’t want them falling over on the girls’ side; that’s how I get a group of angry subordinates with comically-sized bumps on their foreheads.

Zi, Kuin, Konako, Kaina, Kiruka, Rei, Mahoro, and Eri are over there, all of them giggling at the mess that the guys’ side seems to be from their point of view.

Kuin, using the sudden distraction, also tries to sneakily send a few bees over for some fanservice, but I turn them all into ashes the moment they cross over.

“Awwww, dangit.”

“Double standard can kiss my a- uh, butt.” I quickly sensor myself, remembering the five kids present and the icy glares mothers two of the five would give me if I didn’t.

We may be separated by a big wooden wall, but Zi and Rei can make you feel theirs from halfway across Japan if you piss them off enough. 

Good thing I just saved myself from such a fate.

Now I can just relax in some hot springs and laugh at my daughter and Mahoro sending Kuin to, and I quote, ‘Horny Jail’. 

And yes, considering my current transmigration situation, the fact that I went to a hot spring with some close friends and beautiful women was not lost on me.

What’s the next generic trope? A quest from a deity to slay a demon lord?

…Oh, right. 

“Aaaaaaahhhhhhh… We reeeeaaaaally need to get more of these for the Shie Hassaikai.” I sigh in bliss. “I wonder if Innsmouth found any more while island-hopping?”

“Can’t you just make some with Creation, Alchemy, and Overhaul?” Chimera questions while taking out a cigar from… somewhere. “And you mind lighting me up, Nine?”

His team leader grunts in response and a tiny purple lightning bolt strikes the tip of Chojuro’s cigar a few seconds later.

“Thanks.”

“Keep smoking over here to a minimum please, Chojuro.”

“But we’re outdoors, boss!”

“Which is why I’m even letting you smoke at all. Also, to answer your question, permanently replicating that natural event at such a large scale would be way more trouble than it’s worth, so finding natural ones is our best bet. Besides, it's not like they're that rare to begin with.

Overhaul can make any slight adjustments needed, and Warp Gate lets us arrive in an instant, so setting up a few of those shouldn’t be a problem.”

This statement gets a cheer from pretty much everyone in the late Pussycats’ turf.

Hooray for natural hot tubs!

 

And hooray for having people to enjoy it with. We are a hilariously overpowered group of friends, and we absolutely love it. 

But in all seriousness, taking the occasional break is crucial, especially when you’ve been working particularly hard recently. The last thing you want is to get burnout and run yourself dry. 

To truly thrive, one must understand the value of repose. Overexertion or too much Plus Ultra has never yielded positive outcomes for anyone who isn’t a plot-armored shounen protagonist; it merely saps your strength, causing performance to wane significantly.

Life’s simple joys can really have a profound impact on your psyche. They’re a better balm to a hard worker’s weary soul than any quirk out there.

Endurance? Energy Saver? Cell Activation? Rewind? Love? Incite? They can certainly keep you going for far longer than what should be possible, but you still shouldn’t rely on them 24/7. I like to think I have a wonderful imagination, but even I don’t have some insane, abstract solution better than this laughably simple one.

And I will NOT let a certain plot-fucking bath scene during the Dark Hero Arc completely ruin my opinion of baths in general in the world of My Hero Academia.

No, not every problem can be solved with a goddamn bath. 

This one can, but not every problem can.

“As nice as this is, I can’t wait for the day we can finally let loose.” Chimera sighs.

“Don’t expect much from the system currently running this show and the heroes helping it stay afloat. The current incompetence of the government that we like to joke so much about is actually a long-term plan for weakening the public belief in the current system, and it wasn’t even our own group that was responsible. Credit for that goes to the HPSC and MLA.” I point out.

“Taking down Gigantomachia alone would require amassing such a fighting force that Japan would be left critically vulnerable everywhere else. It would be, to put it bluntly, an absolute slaughter without One For All and New Order standing in our way.” Nine adds on.

And he’s right.

 

Even if my main goal was to simply conquer Japan rather than prioritize preparations for the Quirk Singularity Doomsday, I still wouldn’t launch an all out attack at this stage as that would either get me far too many casualties on my end or destroy far too much infrastructure for my liking. 

I have Star and Stripe’s personal spite and relentless lobbying to thank for that. No point in fighting for a burning wasteland, right?

No point moving to an open war with the closest thing I have to an archenemy around. It’s not like I’m in a rush to deal with her either. Some abstract assassination attempt might work, but chances are it’ll blow up in my face and turn the heroes’ attention towards me, the exact thing I don’t want.

So why bother trying to deal with my main heroic opposition when she and the other heroes are too busy dealing with my villainous competition? It simply makes no sense strategic-wise.

By the time she’s done dealing with them and turns her full attention towards me, I should have ascended the singularity and would be able to finish her off no matter how powerful she’s become. In short, I have no reason to change what I’m doing right now.

Especially not while the closest thing to my archenemy is so close to One For All, because Izuku handing over that quirk to her would be an absolute disaster.

((‘Closest thing to your archenemy?’))

‘Well who else could my archenemy be, VestigeHaul? All Might or All For One? Not while those two have each other. Nezu? I’ve been ahead of that rat every step of the way. Izuku Midoriya? Oh, please. 

With how shit he is at using One For All and how easily I can counter that quirk now, the only threatening thing that shounen protagonist has is plot armor, and even that is probably gone now that Star is stealing the spotlight and he’s trying to give the quirk away to someone more capable.

The world will choose someone else as its main protagonist, and if I really am forced to lose in the end, I would much rather lose to the world’s true most powerful hero and certified badass, Star and Stripe, than the moronic, incompetent, blubbering fool of a shounen teenager who’s hero name is literally ‘Worthless’. It’s just a personal preference.’

((‘Okay, how about ‘unforeseen complications’ or ‘the consequences of your own actions’?’))

‘Very funny.’

 

Like I said before, I’m throwing distractions and smokescreens Star’s (and Japan’s heroes by extension) way, one after another, until victory in a direct confrontation is assured. That has a far better chance at succeeding then attempting an ambush; I may not have too much time, but for a step as crucial as this, I’m willing to be patient.

Even All For One feared the users of One For All and New Order being united against him, and I can’t blame the guy. That’s not a pair of quirks I want to personally face off against at this point.

New Order could be used to prevent any backlash from One For All by removing that aspect or simply making Izuku or whoever the user may be invulnerable to any recoil from quirks. Something simple like ‘New Order: Izuku Midoriya’s power will not hurt him’ would probably do the trick.

Assuming that affects the bonus quirks like Danger Sense and Gearshift on top of the massive stockpile, the OFA user in question would become an absolute monster.

Izuku was matching a weakened AFO Tomura (his earlier fight with Star having cost him plenty of quirks) while using just 45% of the stockpile and the bonus quirks, facing severe backlash from Gearshift as the fight progressed. Imagine 100% without any backlash and New Order assisting him. 

And that’s not even mentioning the nightmare scenario of One For All and New Order being united in a single user, whether that’s Cathleen, Izuku, All Might, or anyone, really.

New Order can modify quirks, so making OFA safe to use alongside other quirks should be possible, especially with that quirk empowering and awakening New Order like it did with every quirk its previous users had possessed.

Any dangerous side effects or instabilities of the ever-growing One For All could be curbed with New Order. Either that or a rule could be made allowing the user’s body to handle both quirks. And with OFA being transferable and New Order being incorporated into it, any future successors could use that power safely too.

One For All’s stockpiled power can probably awaken New Order too, so… yeah.

Those two quirks combined can create something that could no doubt survive well into the singularity, and said singularity is another major concern of mine. It always has. 

Just look at how much damage the Dawn of Quirks did. So much was lost back then, whether it be human lives or human progress, and that was when quirks just started appearing. 

Even today, the best Mankind can do is deploy satellites into orbit, and that won’t be changing anytime soon.

Humanity won’t recover from what’s coming, not this time, not as they are now. It'll either evolve into something completely new or be wiped out.

 

Quirks are truly terrifying. The figurative (or perhaps literal) explosion that would signal the singularity’s arrival could happen any day as the changes I made continue to pile up and quirks continue to be mixed together to form new, stronger generations of superhumans.

You could even argue that the singularity has already begun, what with people like Twice and Star being born. 

I can only imagine what kinds of overpowered monsters will rise up in the future alongside myself. A potential OFA + New Order wielder might not even be the scariest opponent around in the next decade, and my own Perfect Form would likely have some trouble defeating a competent heroic protagonist with that monstrous combination.

Especially with fate being on their side, aiding them succeed against impossible odds by providing miracles, allowing others to conveniently show up and help in situations they can’t handle by themself, causing investments in luck or chance to always pay off in their favor. Fate, plot armor, whatever you want to call it will be a thorn in my side until the end. 

In order to kill the main protagonist and ensure another one doesn’t take their place, I need to either become powerful enough to overcome that fate or find a loophole around it. In case the former doesn’t work out after getting my Perfect Form, I’ll have to come up with something for the latter.

Simply paying the hero no mind is a mere stopgap measure, as the world will simply choose another, stronger hero as its champion, just like what happened to Izuku and Star. Joining them is out of the question as I reject this world and everything it stands for, and I won’t even bother trying to make them turn.

So I’ll continue picking and prodding at this stupid ethereal system, finding some way to destroy it for good if the Quirk Singularity Doomsday doesn’t do that job for me, or if my own brute force isn’t enough. 

 

For now, I need to make sure the heroes don’t become too much of a problem. I need to make sure Izuku doesn’t hand OFA over to Star, and I’ll do that by staying back and NOT forcing their hand until I'm ready for such a thing to happen, because it probably will happen no matter what I try. The world will make sure of it.

Being the way they are, I doubt the heroes will attempt such unless absolutely necessary (and who else but me could push them to that point before the Quirk Singularity Doomsday starts in earnest?), but better to be prepared for the worst, right?

Oh, if only the HPSC or MLA could deport Star back to the states and be done with it. All Might is fighting against that request to the World Heroes Association tooth and nail, so I doubt it’ll happen anytime soon, but a guy can hope.

Too bad villains don’t usually have their hopes and dreams come true.

Society may not have much time left, but a lot can go wrong in a very short amount of time, especially when there are so many factors at play, when there are so many different people and factions with their own agendas running around, trying to get the best out of the situation they possibly could.

To further complicate things, add on top of that people who thought they were allies suddenly no longer being in agreement. 

Oh yeah, and to really fuck things up, have not only Japan be in quite a state of change and turmoil, but have most other countries in the world also reach a boiling point.

If the Naruhata War was the climax in this first act of my play, and I-Island was the second, then we’re rapidly approaching the third.

And even now, I don’t think I’m ready for such a thing just yet.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Reveal (Artificial^2), Overhaul (Awakened), Ultra Phosphor (Artificial), Warp Gate (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Creation, Alchemy, Double, IQ, Erasure, Super Regeneration, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver, Cell Activation, Incite, Love, Erasure
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial^2), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, ?????

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Q-Ray (Artificial), Weather Manipulation (Awakened), Multi-Layer Barrier (Artificial), Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Chronokinetic Hair (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Fiber Mummification (Awakened/Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Animalistic Alpha (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronokinetic Hair (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Super Volcano (Artificial), Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Bloodcurdle (Awakened), Chronostasis, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Shock Absorption
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Queen Bee (Awakened), Anivoice, Brainwashing, Flight, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Incite, Despot
• Kaina Tsutsumi (Head Assassin) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronokinetic Hair (Artificial), Deluxe Rifle (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Rei (Head-Starters’ Babysitter) - Ginnungagap (Awakened/Artificial), Temperature Resistance (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Melting Mimic (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Dragon, Stress
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Cyrokenetic Cthulhu (Awakened/Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Multi-Layer Barrier (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Steal and Store (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Carbon Counter (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (465) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Praetorian Summoners (20) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Shadow Armada (Artificial)
• Pseudo Getens (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (20) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Muscle Augmentation

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 3750 Personnel 
• 30 Commanders - Q-Ray (Artificial), Incite, Despot
• 290 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 290 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 290 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 180 Battle Tanks
• 95 Attack Helicopters
• 35 X-66 Fighter Jets
• 130 Small Boats
• 10 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 800
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 600
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 6

Nomus (Complete/Combat Ready):

• High-Ends - 1
• Near High-Ends - 17
• Upper-Tier - 41
• Middle-Tier - 66
• Lower-Tier - 118

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 85
• Mad Science Branch - 70
• Creation Crew - 175
• Klonogiris - 120
• Thugs and Goons - 8305

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 125

Spies:

• Detective Tsukauchi (Nezu; Under Kuin’s Control)
• Other Corrupt, Possessed, and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt, Possessed, and/or Body-fused Heroes - 37
• Corrupt, Possessed, and/or Body-fused Humarise members - 356
• Corrupt, Possessed, and/or Body-fused MLA members - 145

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 85: Bonus Chapter - Eri’s Survival Training

“Welcome to Da Zurt Island, the place that traumatized All Might during his hero training and your new home for the next week!”

Eri was surprised at her dad’s suggestion to do survival training, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.

Once the Quirk Singularity Doomsday began, society would descend into complete anarchy. Knowing how to live off the land and having survival skills in general would be crucial.

 

Everyone in her organization needs to learn these skills, and everyone in her organization is here now, even Himiko Toga.

“You mean Desert Island?” Kota asks as everyone emerges from the Warp Gates.

“Either that or Isle Twixt. My only real source of intel comes from a senile old man who doubled as All Might’s old mentor.” Her dad shrugs back as the final few Head-Starters head through.

“Now then, as I said before, this’ll be your home for the next week. It’ll just be you and the island’s wildlife here, so build some huts, pick some plants, and survive until I come back to get you. Good luck!”

And just like that, Eri and her organization are stranded on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere.

“Well, you heard him!” She speaks up, snapping everyone else to attention. “Let’s set up shop!”

First thing’s first, they need to do some reconnaissance. Eri would be shocked if her dad didn’t set up some surprises across the island, and figuring out what those surprises are is a top priority.

Then comes finding the best place to build houses. If All Might went through this too, then maybe whatever shellder he built is still around. 

Sources of drinkable water and edible food also need to be found, among other things. 

Lots of other things, and these things need to be found fast.

While going the Scooby Doo route is usually a bad idea, Eri knows a few quirks that can make splitting up and searching for clues much safer.

“Everyone, strap one horn from me and one horn or feather from Ikkaku onto yourselves!” She commands while starting to mass-produce the energy-filled appendages. “My power can be used as an emergency heal or a grenade against enemies while Ikkaku’s serves as a de facto Danger Sense.”

This’ll also let them keep track of the others’ locations and situations, so if they end up needing help, reinforcements will be fast approaching. 

A pity none of her minions have a telepathy quirk, but she can make due with this. They all know Morse Code already, so all it takes is a few taps on their severed horns to get a message across.

 

It’s not that she doesn’t have faith in her subordinates; she knows they’re strong.  Several of her subordinates have even already awoken their quirks or made artificial ones. 

For example, Kota can not only control the viscosity and density of his water, letting him make it as thick as adhesive or thin as oil, but also completely control its temperature whether it’s boiling hot, subzero ice, or steam through manipulation at the molecular level. Geten’s quirk, quirks from top members of Cider House, and quite a few other powers reinforce his own wonderfully.

Tamashiro managed to make an Artificial summoning quirk that her dad found impressive enough to create a new batch of Special Praetorians with! He can pretty much become an endless malleable shadow hivemind! The only reason she isn’t having his summons do the scouting is she wants everyone to get a basic feel for the island before the difficulty inevitably ramps up.

Ikkaku got a recent upgrade as well, acquiring both a quirk copy of and appropriate memories from Hawks. It won’t be long before he surpasses the bird in skill as well as power. 

Eri is practically poaching the next generation of top heroes and molding them into the next generation of supervillains, something she finds ironic and extremely hilarious. And the current top heroes won’t intervene if she has anything to say about it.

And their training… it takes more than just wanting to do it to get the results they did. One needs extreme discipline, concentration, and willpower to keep training like that every day and not slack off. 

Even when they have nothing to do, they push themselves, as does she. Eri has no doubt that they will one day reach the top, but they all still have a lot to learn.

They wouldn’t be doing this training otherwise.

“Now group up and scatter. Ensure at least one person in each group can fly when needed for a quick escape, and if you come across something major, tap your horns and/or feathers three times so Ikkaku and I know to send reinforcements over.”

“Yes, Mistress Eri!” The others cry out before getting to work.

 

As for Eri herself, she stays by the island’s edge with Ikkaku. Officially, they’re on monitoring duty and standby in case any emergencies pop up, but in reality… she knows she can sit back and enjoy herself for a while.

Such is the perk of delegating; you can get others to do all the stuff you don’t want to.

“D-Do you think they’ll be okay, Mistress Eri?” Ikkaku stutters as they sit together on the sand, but some headpats quickly calm him down.

“We both know what they’re capable of, Ika. What we are capable of.” She coos back, snugly holding her subordinate like a favorite plushie. “My father won’t make this easy, but you trust me, don’t you?”

“O-Of course!” Her minion pipes up before getting dragged back into her grasp.

“Then leave the worrying to me, okay? You just relax and-”

*ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR*

“As. I. Was. Saying…” Eri growls, glaring towards the newest arrival.

What appears to be a green sea serpent taller than a dozen of her put together glares right back at her.

‘Seriously, what is my luck with quirked animals? This has to be the- wait a second… really, dad?’

 

Golden spirals of energy swirl across her arms as she slowly ascends into the air.

“Leave it all to ME!” The demon princess finishes her thought, blasting a wave of energy at the beast before he dives back into the ocean. 

A burst of Rewind undoes any water that threatens to soak her and her precious subordinate, and it isn’t long before she goes on the attack.

Several seconds later, she manages to just barely dodge several rows of jagged fangs before getting swatted away by a thick, scale-covered tail. 

The creature then slashes back down into the ocean, only to get dragged right back out by a lasso of pure energy.

“I’d rewind you to the size of a guppy, but my precious subordinates deserve to have a nice meal for all their hard work today.” Eri snarls, now holding this oversized piranha by its seaweed-like mane. “So enjoy becoming sashimi, bastard.”

Death is all that follows for the creature, but Eri knows she can’t rest yet.

Not with all the roaring, shaking, and explosions she can hear coming from the island itself.

No way her dad found this many quirked animals to throw at them, which means he likely made these himself. 

She knows he’s been taking a deeper dive into quirked animals lately, achieving breakthrough after breakthrough in genome mapping and genetic engineering for all kinds of organisms, and it seems like this survival training is doubling as a test run for his latest creations.

Fine then! She and her organization won’t back down without a fight!

 

“Ikkaku, send out the order to regroup here! Make sure everyone gets it! This island is crawling with my father’s new projects; expect to encounter animals with one, if not several quirks on top of enhanced base traits!”

The message is sent and her minions begin returning. Some more quirked animals follow closely behind.

A sudden shift in weather makes the situation worse; wind starts to pick up and lightning begins to strike down. 

“Uncle Nine, you traitor.” She mutters under her breath before issuing new orders. 

Now the island itself is vast with the majority being covered in forests and grasslands, but there is a large mountain towards the center. A mountain that the right quirks can quickly create a cave in.

“Kota, create the largest ice dragon you can and carry the rest of us over to that mountain! Tamashiro, send out your summons to cover us! We’ll burrow in and work from there!”

“Yes, mistress!”

If the rain didn’t already supply enough water, the literal ocean right next to them definitely would. They would need it; being so far up in the air wouldn’t protect them from everything.

Sure enough, despite the journey only taking a few minutes, a combination of fierce winds, lighting barrages, and a variety of creatures that resemble winged dinosaurs more than birds pushed her minions to their limits.

‘It’s like something out of a nightmare… is this what dad expects the Quirk Singularity Doomsday to be like? Not just humans evolving, but animals and nature itself too?’ Eri ponders as Tamashiro, Ikkaku, and a few others begin carving out a cave atop the island’s mountain.

Barricading themselves in their makeshift shelter saps what little strength most of her subordinates have left. They’re soaked, exhausted, scared.

She won’t allow that fear to grow.

 

The power of Rewind seeps into them all. Injuries revert and stamina replenishes as her followers gaze up in awe, gaze at her like a goddess.

“You all did great. Now get some rest; I shall watch over you for the night.” Eri gently commands.

“I can help too!” Kota, ever the go-getter, pipes up. “My strength and stamina are back at full-”

“But your mental fatigue is a different story.” She reminds one of her best bodyguards while bringing him into her warm embrace. “Now rest, Kota. You can get some payback on those overgrown insects tomorrow.”

“...Okay.” He relents, and all the others follow suit. 

“What about me? My summons can-”

“Your summons take energy and concentration to fully utilize, Tamashiro. They’ll come in handy later, but you’re resting now.”

He follows her orders, and all the others follow suit.

 

It isn’t long before everyone outside of Eri is asleep. Good, now she can properly plan out their trip through this preview of the singularity.

Her dad had learned plenty about warfare overtime, and he made sure to teach Eri plenty about those kinds of tactics for when she took up his mantle.

When it comes to strategy, there is plenty she can exploit here if she plays her cards right.

Weather and terrain are just one potential force multiplier, so long as the needed conditions and usage of such are good enough. Kota can turn most of Nine’s storms against him and their other enemies, and he isn’t the only subordinate of Eri’s with an object manipulation type quirk.

Force concentration is another. As the name mostly implies, it's the practice of concentrating a military force against a portion of an enemy force; this is mostly done to take out high profile targets or important bases.

More reconnaissance will have to be done before they employ that. Her minions made some progress on the first day, but they needed a lot more. 

First and foremost, Eri needs to figure out if these creatures are being controlled by Kuin or even her dad, or if they are free to act according to their own instincts.

If these modified, quirked animals fight each other over things like food and territory, then that can easily be exploited in Eri’s favor. But that’s far from the only thing Eri wants to find out.

Their activities and resources, their routes, their potential, and even the meteorological, hydrographic, and geographical characteristics of their location. Oh, and her organization needs to avoid being caught while doing this for obvious reasons.

Her subordinates can do this. They were taught various different warfare maneuvers like penetration of the enemy center, defensive attack, single and double envelopment, feigned retreat, and delayed approach just to name a few.

They know plenty of shortcuts too, patterns in behavior and location to look out for. That research paper her dad made them do about geographic quirk divides arising due to certain quirk types congregating together would finally come in handy! 

They are ready for this. Her dad wouldn’t have set this up for them otherwise.

 

Once the sun rises, Eri’s organization is ready for round two. 

A reconnaissance team led by Mahoro is first to exit their cave. Her main quirk has also evolved overtime, and several support quirks make her illusions more convincing than ever.

Even the incredible senses of these superpowered animals should be fooled by her.

Mahoro’s group only surveys the mountain and its borders for now. They aren’t looking to take over the island right now, merely gain a foothold. 

Tamashiro will help with this, his multiple summoning quirks providing the expendable foot soldiers needed to deal with any initial enemies close by so everyone else can save their strength for later.

His Binging Balls are practically a sentient quirk on their own at this point, and his Monster Summon quirk from one of the Gollini Family’s higher-ups is also a rather powerful, nearly endless supply of powerful summons. Deck them out in customized sentient shadow armor from his Shadow Armada and you get an absolute nightmare.

His real summons will be mixed with Mahoro’s fake summons, and their enemies shouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Not until it’s far too late.

This limited expansion on their end won’t be the case forever. Her dad made it clear that this was survival training, but Eri wants to go Plus Ultra with this mission, and she’ll go that extra mile right!

No rushing in head-first; it didn’t work yesterday and it won’t work now. Caution is needed if they want to succeed.

Anyway, Tamashiro, Mahoro and the others were able to confirm that these animals do fight each other. However, they couldn’t confirm if this was truly natural or if Kuin or her dad is making it appear that way.

Is this just a trick to lower their guard? No, she’s overthinking this. 

The post-singularity world is supposed to be filled with overpowered, uncontrollable monsters, so these creatures all being controlled and coordinated would defeat the purpose of this mock scenario. 

Her organization has the advantage of superior intelligence, and that leads to superior strategy. 

She knows what she needs to do.

 

Most of the second day was spent doing more reconnaissance and building a larger, better-defended shelter. A few quirked animals tried to screw up construction, but they were turned into lunch and dinner pretty quickly thanks to the shadowy outline she had Tamashiro leave behind, a literal wall of summons just waiting to jump out and ambush you.

Day 3 is when they started going more on the offensive, as Eri now knew a lot more about the monsters inhabiting this place.

“Isolate, harass, kite, confuse, and wear down. If a target can’t be killed quickly, kill them slowly in a dragged-out assassination where you control as many factors as possible. Never give them time to recover or call reinforcements. Do this, and these creatures will fall no matter how powerful they are.”

“Yes, Mistress Eri!”

This island isn’t completely natural, not anymore. Her dad no doubt added in a few extra terrains so he could increase the variety of quirked animals that could reside here. 

Swarms of bloodthirsty bats in dark caves, wild saber tooth cats, wolves, and bisons in grasslands, various birds and spiders in trees, crocodiles living in depths of the nearby lake; her subordinates had encountered various creatures living in different terrains and successfully killed them during their rematch, slowly expanding their own territory.

Sometimes it was through sneak attacks, other times they baited different animals towards each other and let them weaken each other before securing the kill, and sometimes they were forced into longer, drawn out battles.

Not everything went according to plan. Tamashiro almost died upon learning that a swarm of giant bats possessed, among other powers, Uncle Stain’s Bloodcurdle. Ikkaku and a few others were luckily with him, and helped his shadow summons get him out of there before the bats could drain him dry.

Katsuma and Eri herself were ambushed back at their base by a multi-quirked mole who dug right underneath their defenses. The former got his leg broken before Eri sent a Time Pike through its skull, and with them both having such powerful healing quirks, Katsuma’s injury didn’t remain for long.

 

Days 4 and 5 had the difficulty cracked up a notch, as they were quickly improving against these opponents. It wasn’t a staggering difference, even with Cell Activation helping tremendously with pushing past their bodies’ limits, but it was definitely noticeable.

Dexterity, muscle movements, and even mental clarity grew in them all. Finding and targeting the weak points of these monsters was getting easier, as was evading their own attacks, and this improved efficiency let them tire a lot slower. 

Not every monster on this island was unique; many shared at least some similar builds and traits, and her organization could use that to their advantage.

But Eri knew her dad wouldn’t make this test so easy, and she was right. 

The bad weather returned with rain no longer accompanying the heavy winds and lighting. Kota tried to get in range of the clouds, but he was nearly torn apart by a flock of de facto dinosaurs flying around the area.

He limited himself to only using weaponizing water he found or created after that disaster. 

Sidenote, Katsuma had brought up the idea of getting fresh, drinkable water from Kota’s original quirk instead of trying to use an only somewhat pure river that they managed to find a decent distance away from camp.

Kota’s quirk was the much better option and Eri cursed herself for not thinking of such sooner, but better late than never. Combine that creativity with the extra lessons on biology, microbiology, and pharmacology he’s been taking and Katsuma is quickly becoming the best overpowered medic Eri can ask for.

At the very least, she can confirm that he and her other subordinates can still think for themselves rather than only hanging on every word of hers. While they aren’t as intelligent as her (mainly due to her enhanced intelligence stacked with IQ), they are by no means stupid and can do plenty without her input, much like her dad’s elites and Praetorians can.

Her subordinates being capable of such was crucial in Eri’s opinion. After all, no matter how much of a tactical genius one claims to be, they will never get far without good henchmen and competent subordinates.

The ability to delegate his various plans and hire the correct people for the correct jobs is just one more reason why her dad is so terrifying. His Villain Resources Department is leagues better then the HPSC will ever be!

But getting back on track, the next few days came with constant assaults at their base from quirked animals. Eri suspected that Kuin was starting to pull a few strings, but she couldn’t confirm such.

Maybe they were naturally smart enough to notice the new group taking over this entire territory? Eri doesn’t know, but she won’t back down no matter what the case may be.

Of course, despite their determination, this challenge was still far from easy for the Head-Starters.

‘No other human inhabitants, unforgiving weather, countless monsters, endless threats. A perfect place for 5-7 year olds to thrive in their youth. Great thinking, dad.’

Most were injured several times a day, but persevered and kept at it. They always kept cautious, waiting for all injuries to be healed and stamina to be at full before engaging in enemy contact. Rewind even allowed her to keep any food and water they got, warding off any possibilities of rot and decay and keeping them nigh-perpetually fresh.

 

Some notable moments happened during this period. 

One highlight was Katsuma going completely ballistic at the giant venus flytrap that ate his sister in one bite (turns out her dad experimented with quirked plants too), carving out the Earth until he could drag Mahoro out from its now mutilated stomach bare-handed. 

Their base was quickly being covered with overgrown moss and vines throughout the week too, so Eri had her minions spend some time getting that under control in case any more plant monsters would spawn from those.

Another highlight was the clone of the quirked Kraken she took down with Innsmouth coming back for a rematch with her. That was pretty fun, even when some other aquatic quirked creatures joined in to gang up on her.

Eri also experimented a bit with night combat, but quickly learned that it was a terrible idea in this situation.

As the name suggests, it’s combat that takes place during the night when visibility is low. This can have both advantages and disadvantages to both attacker and defender, so you need to have proper information on the enemy to best utilize it. 

This style of combat requires more preparation than combat during the day, and while Eri’s organization can definitely strategize better, their opponents definitely had the better power set going into this.

Echolocation, thermal vision, super-enhanced senses… yeah, most of these things were way better suited for nighttime attacks. 

At least powers like that can’t really help them break through the super dense ice dome Kota made around their camp and sentient shadow dome Tamashiro made around the ice dome. Mahoro can block out noise from outside the ice/shadow dome too, so loud stuff like roars and attempts to break through won’t mess with their sleeping schedules.

Yes, they all have Endurance and Energy Saver. However, those quirks don’t help people recover from mental strain.

She sleeps well that night, dreaming of her coronation, of her dad retiring and handing her the entire planet on a silver platter. She picks up right where he left off and further expands the family empire throughout the cosmos, throughout all of space and time. 

Every world will one day bow to her. Every timeline will one day bow to her.

And when that day comes, she knows her dad will be so very proud of her.

 

Day 6 started out well enough. 

A good chunk of the island’s inhabitants have already been cleared out, and the remaining groups are scattered near the edges. Today and tomorrow were meant to be dedicated to mopping up the remains.

But of course, there’s no way it would be that easy.

She didn’t even realize she was in danger until it was way too late, until she lost complete control over her body. 

“Feel free to go wild, everyone. You’ve earned it.” Eri announces against her will.

“Are you sure, mistress? After what happened when we first got here…” Kota trails off and Eri tries to agree with her bodyguard, but she can’t.

“I’m sure, Kota. We’ve cleared out the vast majority already with superior strategy; that should be enough for my dad to pass us. Consider this your reward; split up and hunt what little remains down. Even you, Ikkaku; no need to stay cooped up here any longer.”

She tries to activate Rewind on herself, but her body won’t allow it.

She tries to signal that something is wrong, but her face continues to grin deviously as her organization scatters.

What’s going on? Who’s doing this?!

 

“How unfortunate. You guys were on such a roll too.” 

‘That freaking BEE!’ Eri mentally growls as Kuin flutters down next to her. ‘But how?! I never heard any buzzing! Nobody did!’

“Wondering how I pulled it off? You can thank Himiko Toga for the idea; you guys and Nezu’s crew already knew plenty about my swarm, meaning I could no longer surprise you with it… so why not use animals other than bees?

Anivoice doesn’t let me make a hivemind with animals I control, but what if my bees were made to resemble other insects instead? Such a thing is simple when your boss has a quirk like Overhaul at his disposal. 

Well… that was the original plan, as despite my recent Quirk Awakening, I could still only control bees. But then I went ahead and made an Artificial Quirk with my original, Awakened quirk just a few days ago. 

It wasn’t just you tiny tykes training here; I was all doing my damndest to expand my influence on this island full of monsters, subsuming them, strengthening them. A merger between Queen Bee, Anivoice, Brainwashing, Despot, and Incite was the result. ‘Apex Predator’, I call it, and for very good reason. 

All feel the urge to bow down to the queen, unless I remove the effect on selected people. The more animal-like you are, the harder it is to resist, with regular animals, quirked or otherwise, having next to no hope of resisting my call. And whoever is under my command can be further fortified in both body and mind whenever I wish, no speaking required like Incite. 

I can still bee-jack people too as extra insurance, and that’s what I did with you, as exceptionally strong wills can still resist, using their minds and quirks to free the rest of their bodies. That’s what I did with you, since I know all too well the kind of willpower you need to recover from months of horrific, forced experimentation and mutilation. 

Kyudai Garaki was to me what Kai Chisaki was to you, and I can respect you for bouncing back from such an experience. That’s why I won’t underestimate you; that and you’re the boss’s kid.

And yes, I also learned how to keep those possessed by my swarm conscious, reduced to aware puppets in their own body for, shall we say, psychological reasons.” The monarch smiles before crouching down to meet Eri eye to eye. 

“You really impressed dear old dad if it’s any consolation. Seriously, your growth is just ridiculous, on par with shounen protagonists! It’s to be expected, I suppose. Times are about to change and you rugrats want to get ahead of the curve. It’s literally in the name of your villain organization, Head-Starters! 

However, that just means you need to be challenged more. So with me fitting into the whole ‘overpowered nightmare animal’ theme, your dad gave me permission to spice these final few days up however I wish, and I’m gonna see just how your minions fare when their boss is actively sabotaging them!”

 

Several other quirked animals slowly saunter up next to the two as Kuin continues her monologue, all while Eri is getting madder and madder.

“You’ll be going with these guys here to hunt your minions down one by one. Don’t worry, they won’t be sharing your fate. They’ll be warped away once they’re unconscious and injured enough, having sufficiently ‘lost’ this challenge after you beat the tar out of them.

Now then, which of your subordinates would you like to betray first, Eri? The Shimano siblings, perhaps? They were the first people you recruited, right? Or maybe one of your main bodyguards. I turned Kota against you during our first spar, so why not go full circle?”

She has to do something! ANYTHING! 

She can’t fail them like this!

She’s Eri Doraifu, the daughter and successor of the greatest villain this world has ever seen!

She’s Eri Doraifu, the soon to be strongest god of all time!

Maybe she should just use the gift she gave herself, and show this insect a taste of just what she’ll become when-

“LET! HER! GO!!!”

 

A wave of extreme coldness explodes from up above, an arctic cold far beyond anything Eri had ever seen before.

What looked like a frozen tidal wave covered the sky, and on top of the tremendous construct was a little boy determined to return the favor of being saved so long ago.

“ULTIMATE MOVE - HAILSTORM!!!”

Eri is forcefully puppeted in front of Kuin, her Rewind quirk ready to block the attack, but said attack swirls around them rather than directly hitting them.

The amount of speed and control Kota displayed was creating a cold wind, a funnel that almost resembled a tornado filled with frozen vapor. The temperature around them continued to plummet, and Eri began to realize just what Kota’s plan was as she started regaining control.

‘Bees are weak to cold weather; they become inactive and can’t fly. Even with the modifications Kuin’s swarm has, at temperatures like this…’

Kuin quickly realized it too, immediately summoning more bees to enter Eri and maintain control, but a surge of willpower lets the little villainess break free and blast into the sky before more bees could reach her.

“NOW, KOTA!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

The tornado of ice collapses inward and the frozen vapor explodes as Kota rapidly melts part of the arctic attack, creating a tremendous steam explosion that shakes the entire island.

Several seconds pass as the two look on at the aftermath, Eri having hit herself with Rewind to erase the bee within her before it could regain control.

Nearly 50 meters of the forested area had been frozen solid. The once vibrant greenery had become a frozen graveyard. Icicles held from the crystalline trees, the soil was white and shiny, and some unlucky birds were even frozen midair.

And in the middle of a massive crater where their home once stood is Kuin, the barrier around her now covered with cracks.

 

“Jeez, what a bunch of monstrous brats you’ve become.” The monarch sighs. “Not even in your double digits and you can already turn forests into tundras. You supercooled the air around me, pushing the warm air up above and unfroze your stored storm, melting it. 

The bee I had in Eri couldn’t handle the temperature drop and let her get away so you could use the strongest steam explosion you could make. If Captain Celebrity’s Flight quirk wasn’t stupidly durable and resistant to temperatures, I would’ve been done for then and there.”

“What can I say, that thebo- thermbo- turbodynamics book was pretty useful.” Kota smirks back down before quickly switching to a growl. “But I’ll make sure the next one hurts a whole lot more for what you did to her.”

“Thermodynamics, and I’d love to see you try, little squirt. A shame my initial plan of siccing your mistress on you didn’t work, and I would’ve gotten away with it too if it weren’t for you meddling kids, but Sekan has long since taught me the value of having backup plans.”

A massive, snarling black tiger surges towards the two kids. Along with its sleek fur being replaced by a coat of scales, this creature is equipped with a plated tail, leathery wings, quilled arms, and an armored jaw. 

Kota summons a wall of ice to block it, but that wall is shattered and all three of them tumble into the frozen forest below.

“Sekan held back a few of the stronger ones just in case. They’ll be joining me in this boss fight.” Kuin announces as thousands of bees are produced and ejected from all over her body. 

“You weren’t the only one holding back.” Kota grins as the draconic feline charging towards them is suddenly knocked away, dozens of horns piercing it and dragging it across the island.

“We’re sorry we didn’t notice before, mistress.” Ikkaku mumbles, having arrived with the Shimano siblings in tow. “Please let us make it up to you.”

“It wasn’t your fault; that goes for all of you. If anyone should’ve noticed, it was me since I was her target.” Eri corrects her minion. “I’ll be the one making up for this mistake, so please, let me lead you.”

More and more of her subordinates arrive, making their support and determination clear.

They all have her back despite her screw-up. They’re all ready to go get some serious payback.

Kuin brings all the remaining quirked animals to her side, her own army ready for one last stand.

“HEAD-STARTERS, LET’S TAKE HER DOWN!!!” The Daughter of Evil cries out and the final battle begins.

 

 

 

“Well, did you take care of it?” Sekan questions his cast-covered subordinate once she wakes up.

“Of course!” Kuin muffles back, giving a thumbs up while doing so. “Though I may have overdone it a tad… hehe.”

“Your cortisol and oxytocin levels are increasing, Kuin. That’s a proven signal of telling lies.” 

“S-Stop being freaky with Reveal! It really was just a tad!”

“A tad? You nearly sank the entire island, and it was one of the larger ones we claimed too.” The transmigrator deadpans after that brief bit of intimidation. “Japan’s got a long, bloody history of tsunamis wrecking the mainland. It has a five-digit number of small, uninhabited islands too.

Coast guard is also nonexistent and society is too busy obsessing over heroes and villains to pay much attention to the ocean, but somebody’s gonna eventually notice something at this rate.”

What was once a flourishing island is now nothing but cracked and broken land, most of which having already been reclaimed by the surrounding sea. The trees were all dead, the grass had receded, leaving behind barren patches everywhere. 

Eri had rewound a small patch of it so her minions had somewhere nice to stay until Sekan picked them up, but everywhere else was practically devoid of color and life.

“Like that’s anything new.”

 

Despite shaking his head at the bee queen’s snarky response, Sekan can’t find it in himself to disagree, having seen the ruined misery of many islands he turned into training grounds firsthand. 

But he’s mostly satisfied with the results. 

His biggest gripe would be how for a solid chunk of that mission, the kids were having FUN. 

He spent so much time trying to make them understand how dangerous the world will become and how grueling simple survival would be, but they grew so strong so fast that they were having FUN.

And he can’t just tell them to stop either, because besides sounding like a massive hypocrite if he did, it’s not like they’re underestimating their opponents. They are simply strong enough to not have to care about most of them, and bulldoze through every bit of resistance thrown their way while throwing banter and cracking jokes.

“The beasts hiding under that human skin are way scarier than the creations we threw onto that island.” Kuin suddenly speaks up, catching her boss’s attention. “They’re six and seven year olds, yet they are crammed with more power and battle experience than most seasoned heroes. Their growing curves are just straight, upward arrows.

Even before any extra quirks or training, most of these kids were already more powerful than some heroes due to quirks blending and evolving with each new generation. Quirk Singularity Doomsday is real fucking scary, but that’s not all there is to it.

Their lack of hesitation, decision making on the fly, constant positioning, placement and timing of skills and attacks, and overall teamwork is not something kids should have. And the sharp, determined looks in their eyes, looks lacking any fear… Stain would be proud at the imitation of his aura.”

“Perfect. Those sharp eyes are exactly what they need.” Sekan smiles. “In the darkness of this era to come, ambition will serve as their greatest guide.”

((‘Drama queen.’))

‘Shut up, VestigeHaul.’

“Mission success then! Yay!... by the way, where are we? And why am I locked up in a prison cell?” Kuin then questions, looking at the dark, cold, gloomy atmosphere around the two.

“Oku Island, specifically the ancient temple Eri’s crew turned into their evil lair. The kids wanted a bonus reward for the extra crap you put them through, so I obliged.” Sekan cheerfully adds while opening a warp gate for himself. “Good luck breaking out, by the way. They had the dungeons remodeled last week.”

“Huh? This is a joke, right?... Boss?... Hello?...”

Chapter 86: Embers

Notes:

Here's another chapter where Sekan isn't the star. This time around, we'll be looking a bit deeper into his own little world.

In hindsight, I probably should’ve seen it coming.

Plans were progressing nicely, Eri’s survival training was going well, we were still running circles around heroes and other villains alike.

So of course, something just had to come in completely out of left field. Well, several things.

NightHaul’s newest forced intern in the Team-Up Mission program is one such surprise, Saiko Intelli having passed the Provisional License Exam unlike canon with no Momo Yaoyorozu being around to stop her.

Probably shouldn’t have been too surprised considering her personality and quirks, and it’s not like this was the worst deal in the world, as being a logical person doesn’t automatically make Saiko Intelli a stickler for the rules. 

If anything, people using their quirks to help out a bit with business allows the commercial center to thrive. Simply walking through the city and observing how its civilians went about their lives was meant to be a lesson in both authority and creativity.

When it comes to lessons for this new, lawful student, Saiko’s main weakness is being unable to predict or even comprehend emotion-driven actions. She’s all about IQ rather than EQ. 

As for my yakuza’s actions, the front as a local charity service that looked out for its fellow civilians looks to have fooled even her, at least for the moment. It was a chance to observe just how good this disguise was, and in the worst case scenario, Saiko would just have her memory altered.

But that wasn’t necessary. Saiko was arrogant upon arrival, but both NightHaul and Mirio managing to constantly throw off her calculations and predictions through spontaneous or emotion-driven actions tore that ego apart.

Once that was done, she was willing to listen. She was willing to learn, so NightHaul taught her.

Considering how much experience we have using her quirk, it really wasn’t difficult teaching her a few new analysis tricks. Hindsight was on my side that time around.

My fellow clone plans to have Mirio spar with her too from time to time. She can’t always rely on others to carry out plans for her; knowing how to actually fight back on your own is crucial unless she wants to become some damsel in distress. 

NightHaul is having fun with that. I’m having much less fun with my own tasks, not to mention some other nasty surprises which just popped up.

Stupid shounens. VestigeHaul is never gonna let me hear the end of this, is he?

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐ 1 Week Until The Final Festival

As he walks through the endless void littered with lights, his grasp on time still marginal at best, the being Sekan jokingly dubbed 'VestigeHaul' can only sigh at the irony of it all.

Here he is, a literal manifestation of what he once hated in a world of what he once hated.

Quirks. Meta-abilities. Superpowers. Whatever you want to call them.

 

He thought they were nothing but a disease originating from filthy rats, but such was only a biased theory thought up by a fool from long ago. A rushed, foolish claim that helped contribute to society falling during what would become known as the Dawn of Quirks. 

Quirks were never the problem… humanity was. Their biased, self-destructive nature will contribute to their destruction; he’s witnessing such himself.

He may be stubborn, but Kai Chisaki, or what’s left of him, is no fool. 

Humanity’s history is full of people screwing up; needless, petty, foolish acts resulting in wars stemming and civilizations falling. 

It’s sad, really, but at least the yakuza his old man once led will live on so long as Sekan succeeds.

And as for quirks… they are so much more than he could have ever imagined.

His very existence and this very world proves it, but once again, humanity never learns their lesson. Those two foolish brothers are merely one example of humanity’s problems.

They fall victim to their own biases. Their own foolishness. Their own quirks.

Quirks keep growing stronger and stronger with every generation as different factors mix together. Quirk Singularity is real and the only question is whether an apocalypse is waiting at the end of the line.

With how humanity is behaving, it most certainly is.

 

Before All Might appeared, Japan was suffering due to every subsequent generation ever since the Dawn of Quirks having more villains and heroes, All For One himself playing a big part in this.

The HPSC wanted to, among many other things, ensure this trend didn’t stay that way. All Might was the ultimate villain deterrent, especially after he supposedly killed his archrival, but the Hero Commission wanted to ensure that heroes would always outnumber the villains.

Even if that meant inflating their ranks by keeping complacent, corrupt cowards among them. By keeping villains among them. 

And they still failed horribly. Even without factoring in the MLA and Humarise, the heroes are still wildly outnumbered by the villains. It’s just that most villains are working under people smart enough to reveal themselves and strike at the perfect moment. 

That’s not even mentioning the new influx of villains appearing after All Might’s defeat, the massive spike of politically-charged crime all throughout Japan.

The traveling circus/fan club of hero murderers dedicated to Stain and his teachings has rapidly grown since his unintended call to arms atop the defeated Number 2 Hero in Hosu, especially now with All Might being gone. These guys want to ensure other heroes will pick up the pace and slaughter as many as needed to get the message across.

Mutant quirk users everywhere are rising up too, Gigantomachia pummeling the former Symbol of Peace and a chunk of Tokyo acting as a rallying cry for them. 

Simply taking down All Might for good while conveniently pinning the blame on AFO wasn’t the only reason Sekan threw Gigantomachia towards the remaining symbol. This act was also meant to create a massive smokescreen, as unlike All For One, Machia is still at large.

Such was planned by Sekan all the way back during the Villain War he had orchestrated. Said war caused anti-mutant racism to be on the rise once more, especially with Sekan’s other endeavors causing further chaos in the country, and with the person who permanently defeated All Might obviously being a mutant quirk wielder, well…

For many living in Japan (and other countries to a lesser extent), this was the final nail in the coffin. 

With the police and pro-heroes now heavily weakened overall, some people will let fear and/or fanaticism cloud their judgment attempt to launch preemptive pogroms on the local mutant populations with the purpose of stopping another Gigantomachia or Wild Villains group from rising up. 

This, in turn, will cause mutant quirk wielders to consider violence themselves before they are targeted, and that will cause more anti-mutant extremists to radicalize and the cycle will continue growing in an endless feedback loop.

In simple terms, Sekan got Gigantomachia to inflame the already severe racial issues of Japan tenfold, just to divide the police and heroes’ attention even further. And this was just a bonus to taking down All Might.

While Sekan could help himself to that buffet of recruitable mutant villains, he sees no reason to. They have a variety of reasons to do their best to fuck up Japan, but sifting through the mountains of garbage just to find a few gems in the rough isn’t worth the risk, time, and effort. 

Same goes for the CRC-aligned villains born from hatred and paranoia against mutant quirk wielders, especially Gigantomachia. Many want that monster taken down, and that desire turns into a general hatred of mutant quirks for many.

That doesn’t mean they won’t support his goals, it will just be done unintentionally on their end. Whether it’s joining another major organization or lashing out on their own, the distraction both sides will cause will aid Sekan immensely.

Not to mention all the business Giran will get for those looking to arm themselves, resulting in more funding for Sekan himself.

 

And speaking of his competition turned distractions, the MLA is doing their best to recruit in Sekan’s stead.

Re-Destro is already forming a new Wild Villains under the Meta Liberation Army banner, where followers of Destro, Curator, and Gigantomachia alike can unite and fight for the shared goal of liberation. 

He’s been rounding up vigilantes too, the fallout from Sekan’s Naruhata Gambit making them much more anti-government on average. The reformed New Vigilante Alliance will become another key subsidiary for them, both for their combat strength and PR potential. 

That’s on top of their ‘canon’ stunt of mass-publishing the Meta Liberation War book, getting more finatics in the making to embrace their ideals and cause chaos or join up with the main army.

In other words, like with what happened in Hosu, there was going to be a large follow-up of established villains after All Might’s fall. They wouldn’t just pop up the following day though; decisions, preparations, training, planning, and so on all took time.

Those that tried right off the bat were either politically unaligned but taking advantage of the chaos or overzealous amateurs. They would serve as an excellent smokescreen for those with greater intelligence, and greater potential in general. The MLA knew that, and the results are already starting to show now that quite some time has passed.

It’s a rather intelligent plan on their end, VestigeHaul will admit that much. He’s learned a thing or two about strategy and tactics just by observing the transmigrator he lies within. However, this doesn’t change the fact that Re-Destro is but a distraction for the true mastermind of this plan.

Now he and his army can be a slightly better distraction, all according to Sekan’s own plans, and those are far more impressive than anything the Doofenshmirtz lookalike could ever hope to come up with or pull off.

Support for the heroes, HPSC, and Japanese government in general was rapidly eroding. Morale among the heroes and police was skydiving.

An unprecedented amount of new villains were popping up. New riots, protests, and attacks came every single day as crime rates skyrocketed.

 

Sekan had long since produced and smuggled heaps of equipment, weapons, and Trigger among other things with Giran and his own empire then selling them to anyone who was interested in either rampaging now or stocking up for when the time was right.

The entire country was slowly turning into a powderkeg, ready to explode with several centuries worth of pent-up frustration. It would fully erupt in Japan after the MLA made their move, and it would fully erupt for the rest of the world once Humarise made their move.

Sekan knew that, because such was his plan. He got the profits and smokescreen of political terrorism needed while all his enemies destroyed each other for him. 

He had gathered up quite a collection of talents overtime, ones with nearly endless amounts of untapped potential, both in the current generation and the next generation with Eri and those other brats. 

Society has no idea what’s cooking in Osaka, in the little, harmless yakuza Sekan portrayed the Shie Hassaikai as to Japan, and they won’t know until it’s far too late.

And this is just one part of his endgame plans. Even All For One would likely be amazed at the transmigrator’s scheming, and unlike that childish LARPer, Sekan’s goals are far more logical.

If only the motives of these other villainous leaders weren’t so foolish. If only they didn’t fall victim to this way of thinking..

Not Sekan. For him… for them… it will be the other way around.

It’s sad, really. Most never study life, they never study themselves and their weaknesses.

That’s why it’s so easy to control them.

 

He stares up at the dozens of lights around him. They’re like snowflakes; no two are the same.

His own is far larger than most, the Quirk Awakening that Overhaul underwent pushing the light to new heights. The Artificial Quirk dubbed Ultra Phosphor is even bigger, bursting with pride and power.

Reveal is the largest of all, a rainbow-colored light that almost resembles One For All in a way.

But both quirks are very, very different.

Warp Gate is also quite large, but nowhere near as large and grand as its fellow Artificial Quirk. It resembles more of a black hole than a star, but it still burns brightly.

Most of the others are far smaller, but they still have their own shine to them. 

A surge of both Endurance and IQ empowers him as he gets back to work, tinkering around with the lights for what feels like eternity, trying to discover the trick.

All the data Sekan, and him by extension, get from LabHaul helps tremendously. He provides Sekan and his clones with his own findings in return.

They’re all working together for this goal. Not just utilizing these powers to their fullest potential, but truly understanding just what these ‘quirks’ are. 

 

He can feel himself getting close to something. A barrier, if you will.

Another Quirk Awakening, perhaps?

Maybe a precursor to an Artificial Quirk merger? He can understand Sekan’s desire to merge Overhaul with both Creation and Alchemy, and his will is far greater than that insecure mob boss and Class 1-A disappointment. 

Or is this potential improvement something else? Something greater?

The Quirk Singularity. Overhaul’s Singularity.

Sekan and himself will be able to handle it. He knows they will; he knows they’ll ascend. 

But there’s still an issue. There’s still something holding him back from this evolution.

A missing piece of the puzzle. 

He knows it isn’t Reveal. He’s already using that quirk to aid him.

He knows boosters like Endurance, OverTrigger, and the QAD won’t help either. This is something different than a mere boost.

This is something special.

…Perhaps he requires some more outside assistance. Perhaps obtaining and personally analyzing that quirk in here will be enough.

Yes, he just needs to be patient. There are still some things he can do to prepare himself for that upcoming day.

“Kai Chisaki, some of the other vestiges have requested your presence.” The vestige of Kurogiri appears next to him.

“Tell them I’m busy actually being useful.” He deadpans back.

“They insisted on it. Come on, give them some back behind that beak.” The dark cloud goads him, slipping into his Oboro Shirakumo persona a bit.

 

AFO and Garaki’s artificial methods were much more… forceful than Sekan’s. Rushed too.

It’s what led to the nomu/nanny falling apart at the end of their ‘show’ and betraying his master despite all the brainwashing done.

Its vestige is less problematic and his very being is great research material for him, but he and Sekan’s vestige still keep a close eye on the cloud in case anything strange were to occur. 

Aizawa’s vestige too. The two have become close for obvious reasons, and the other responsible adult ghosts need to make sure that those two don’t try anything funny.

Sekan gave them no authority in this place, but with quirks like the ones they have, it’s better not to chance it. As for locking them up, Kai recommended that, but Sekan (after calling him a hypocrite) insisted it would just make a sudden betrayal more likely.

He can understand not wanting a repeat of AFO’s final battle, but that LARPer didn’t have nearly as much control over the vestiges haunting him as Sekan does, and the demon lord’s main quirk already served as a massive crutch for him!

Anyway, VestigeHaul eventually relents and heads back to their little town hall with Kurogiri. Most of the other vestiges are waiting for them.

The Artificial Quirk vestige of Ultra Phosphor is present, loud and prideful like Nine and Inasa, but also reserved and curious at times like Shoto. A conspiracy theorist too, considering how many cork boards and red string he summons on a regular basis.

He’s taken to going by the name ‘Ultra’, and among the current bunch of vestiges, he’s definitely one of the most annoying in VestigeHaul’s opinion.

“Not this again… did merging with Nine and Inasa do nothing to curb that ridiculous conspiracy tendency?”

“Let’s agree to disagree.” The ghost whose hair mostly resembles a candy cane replies as he walks over, opening his hands up to reveal… dolphin-shaped ice cubes?

“I can make camels too. Cousin Geten taught me how to better manipulate my ice before being taken out, and this merger made the process way easier. Would you like a camel-cube?”

“...You know what? Yes, Ultra. I would like a camel-cube.” VestigeHaul relents.

He supposes this is better than being stuck in the vestigeworlds of people like Kuin and Rei. Compared to them, even All For One’s vestigeworld is a paradise.

 

Saiko Intelli is here, pitching in to the latest conspiracy. Jin is here too, contradicting himself while being loud and goofing around. 

Machia is there, being the oversized guard dog he is.

Aizawa is there, lying around in a sleeping bag Sekan’s vestige made for him as a peace offering.

Zookeeper is there, making sure the more childish vestiges don’t do anything stupid.

There aren’t any ‘guests’ present at the moment, guests in this case meaning other quirks, and vestiges by extension, that Sekan temporarily gifts himself for the sake of experimentation.

Chimera and Innsmouth are common guests as Sekan attempts to replicate the same suppression of mutant quirks the All For One quirk can accomplish, turning them into de facto transformation quirks. That’s still a work in progress.

La Brava, Trumpet, and even Re-Destro are also frequent guests as Sekan attempts to better understand body-boosting quirks, particularly their effects on a person’s quirk factor.

Endurance is a general, all-around enhancer based on morale, allowing for the body to contain more quirks among many other things. Stress functions in a similar way, only the transformation aspect it has makes such rather inconvenient for most. You would have to remain a giant, stressed, juggernaut in order for your body to safely contain extra quirks. Boosts from quirks like Love and Incite have the issue of strict time limits as a roadblock. 

An Artificial Quirk merger between them all could potentially fix the issue, but achieving that is much easier said than done. Nevertheless, it is possible, and in a reality where the impossible is regularly overcome by a select few plot-armored fools… he gives this project a solid 50/50 shot of finishing within the next year. 

“What is it?” VestigeHaul questions Zookeeper’s vestige, one of the only adults in this place who actually acts like an adult… besides him, of course.

“Well, as I’m sure you know, we’re going to be getting a lot more guests eventually. We’re discussing just how Sekan’s vestigeworld should be altered to accommodate them.” The white-haired woman answers.

 

Ah, so that’s what this is about. 

Yet another way to spite the brothers who refuse to fuck off and die already.

One For All… several centuries of stockpiled power and the best those vestiges could do when All For One unintentionally stabilized them was make a ruined conference room with a couple chairs.

Speaking of the dumber twin (and that’s saying something), he clearly didn’t give a crap about what his vestige slaves did and left his own vestigeworld as a barren landscape surrounded by darkness. 

That about sums him up, now that he thinks about it. So evil yet so empty.

A mindless fool who acts like a spoiled brat looking for whatever attention he can get. That sure came back to bite him when the vestiges he took finally rebelled and cost him everything.

At least the Kudo and Bruce vestiges kept their temper tantrums silent, choosing to stand and face the wall rather than interact with Izuku despite him being OFA’s last hope. 

What a mess those two are…

Sekan isn’t like that, but home decorating isn’t VestigeHaul’s expertise. He would rather handle the actual quirk-experimentation parts.

 

“Just turn this small town into a city and be done with it.” The bird-masked ghost shrugs before walking off. 

“No, an amusement park!” One of the others cries out, but VestigeHaul couldn’t care less about arguing back. 

“I assume you want your own area to carry out quirk and vestige experiments?” Sekan’s vestige asks, suddenly appearing next to him.

“That would be helpful, yes. Ideally on the outskirts of the main settlement. I prefer a quiet, distraction-less work environment.”

“Being a little more social wouldn’t hurt…”

“Do you want results or not? I can’t do that if Ultra keeps hounding me with conspiracies about Best Jeanist being a human-giraffe chimera created at the secret lab where Nezu was made. The long neck is a vestigial mutation, most likely from a mutant-quirked ancestor of his and… great, now he’s got me doing it!”

“I’m just thinking long-term like always. Do you really want to spend the rest of eternity doing nothing but work?” Sekan’s vestige questions the fuming bird ghost.

“To quote a certain pre-quirk saying, ‘Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life’. I have no issues working with you on this because I know that you’re competent with the subject and can be a genuine help to me, but being dragged to less movie nights would help me finish this faster.”

“Really? Because seeing how the vestiges behave in certain situations can also help your research or give you inspiration for new avenues. Especially with Artificial Quirks.”

“And I have you to do that for me.” 

“Alright, fine.” Vestige Sekan sighs. “But seriously, at least take a break every once in a while. It’s important for your character development.”

“Even if I said no, the others would just drag me back.”

“Glad we’re on the same page!” The Artificial Quirk vestige cheers while patting his fellow vestige on the back. “But on a more serious note, how goes your side of the AFO vestige preparations? We’ve still got a while before the singularity ascension, but better to be overprepared than underprepared.”

So be it, he supposes.

 

“I should be ready on my end. You?”

“We’ll have plenty of artificial willpower-boosting quirks aiding us and my control over this place is greater than ever, but you can never be too overprepared for something like this.”

“I agree. Being as thorough as possible is a necessity. Simply suppressing him isn’t nearly enough; we need to go further. Getting some more practice on that front would be helpful.”

“...So torturing and dissecting more random vestiges of cloned quirks before throwing them away, and that’s if the quirk and vestige is still left over.”

“We don’t want to accidentally destroy the All For One quirk by going too far with its vestige, now do we?” The beaked ghost argues.

“I see your point. Alright, we’ll ask the real me for some more of those.” Vestige Sekan agrees before getting lost in thought.

“It’s strange, now that I think about it. The AFO quirk can’t destroy other quirks, as shown when New Order was tearing AFO Tomura’s own vestigeworld apart. And yet the Decay quirk was completely destroyed along with Tomura’s anger and hatred by AFO’s vestige once Izuku made him unstable enough.

Not only that, but the OFA vestiges all destroyed themselves to help take down Tomura when he was in control of AFO.”

“Both ridiculous quirks resonate with each other and can just do ridiculous things in general without their users and vestiges even knowing how. We will master this phenomenon among many others, and show just how dangerous it can be in the hands of someone who’s actually competent.” VestigeHaul declares. 

And when that day comes, the Shie Hassaikai will surely survive the world’s destruction.

They will become gods in human form soon enough, so something as simple as that won’t be a problem.

“That’s oddly brash of you.”

Not this guy again.

 

“What do you want?”

“Just looking around. Rather impressive mindscape; better than most other Sekans by a longshot.”

Seeing the deity sightsee, VestigeHaul just groans before dragging his ‘host’ back in.

“What is it now, VestigeHa- YOU?! Why are YOU here? It hasn’t been six months yet!”

“Blame yourself and your organization for getting too strong too fast. We need to keep things at least somewhat challenging for competitors, mostly because the matches that were one-sided slaughters got boring after a while.

Speaking of keeping things interesting,  these next few rounds are gonna be a little different then your first two, just to spice things up a bit. No more basic battlefields and regular objectives; both sides have some special quests in store.”

“WHAT?!?”

“Now then, without further ado, it’s time for Round 3 of the Incursions! Good luck!”

…Fuck.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Reveal (Artificial^2), Overhaul (Awakened), Ultra Phosphor (Artificial), Warp Gate (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Creation, Alchemy, Double, IQ, Erasure, Super Regeneration, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver, Cell Activation, Incite, Love, Erasure
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial^2), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, ??????? (Artificial/Awakened/Post-Singularity)

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Q-Ray (Artificial), Weather Manipulation (Awakened), Multi-Layer Barrier (Artificial), Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Chronokinetic Hair (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Fiber Mummification (Awakened/Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Animalistic Alpha (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronokinetic Hair (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Super Volcano (Artificial), Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Bloodcurdle (Awakened), Chronostasis, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Shock Absorption
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Apex Predator (Awakened/Artificial), Q-Ray (Artificial), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Kaina Tsutsumi (Head Assassin) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronokinetic Hair (Artificial), Deluxe Rifle (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Rei (Head-Starters’ Babysitter) - Ginnungagap (Awakened/Artificial), Temperature Resistance (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Melting Mimic (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Dragon, Stress
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Cyrokenetic Cthulhu (Awakened/Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Multi-Layer Barrier (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Steal and Store (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Carbon Counter (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (465) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Praetorian Summoners (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Shadow Armada (Artificial)
• Pseudo Getens (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (20) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Muscle Augmentation

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 3800 Personnel 
• 35 Commanders - Q-Ray (Artificial), Incite, Despot
• 300 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 300 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 300 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 180 Battle Tanks
• 95 Attack Helicopters
• 40 X-66 Fighter Jets
• 135 Small Boats
• 10 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 800
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 600
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 6

Nomus (Complete/Combat Ready):

• High-Ends - 4
• Near High-Ends - 20
• Upper-Tier - 45
• Middle-Tier - 66
• Lower-Tier - 118

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 85
• Mad Science Branch - 70
• Creation Crew - 175
• Klonogiris - 120
• Thugs and Goons - 8350

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 125

Spies:

• Detective Tsukauchi (Nezu; Under Kuin’s Control)
• Other Corrupt, Possessed, and/or Body-fused Police - 790
• Corrupt, Possessed, and/or Body-fused Heroes - 37
• Corrupt, Possessed, and/or Body-fused Humarise members - 356
• Corrupt, Possessed, and/or Body-fused MLA members - 145

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 87: Side Story Incursions - Round 3 Part 1

Countdown to Canon:  ?̷̧͕̱̼͉̩̹̭̲̾͜?̵̧̡̝̹̞̭͕̝̍͑̄̋̏͐́̌̂̉̆͊̅͜?̴̨̽̏͋͂͛̈̄̽?̵̠͎̖͑̐̇̈?̶̟̦̩͈̒̄̈́͊̊́̆̊̎̊̇̍̽̓͝?̵̫̝̯̺͙̩̝̤͉̘̟̊̃̄͆̽́̎̕?̵͚̼̜͙̟̭͔̮͉͉̩̙͇̱͕͐̊͒̂̋̿͌͠͠ͅ?̶̧̩͍͓̗̰͚͕͓̺̎͜͝%̸̡̘̟͈͔̤̞̰̹̮̟̼̹̑͊͌̏̏̈́̚̚͜͜$̶̢̛̬̩̝̹̟̣̥͚̣̫̹̙̈́͐̀̒̽͒́͘#̸̨̧̜̮̺̳̠͚͔̜̤̿͒̇̃̊̍̌̋͛̎̿̊̓͋͠&̵̡̥̺̪̯̯̞̯̼̰̦̞̞͔̬́͆͛̓̆͌͗͒͆̓͗͊̾̓͘̚^̶̨̧̧̤̣̹͚̫̫̯̯̲̗̬̲̠̐͆(̷̗͖̖̫̻̎$̸̡͓͇̞̥͚͂̂͜ͅ#̴̧̛͎̰̮͔͕͉̟̺̣̗͉̻̮̭͚̲̉̈̍̃̈́͒̈͒͂%̵͚̰̬̘̻̞̳̮̤̃͛͑̅̇͂̆̄̂̆̊͋̔̕^̸̢̡̥͈̜͖̘̫̥̰͉̩̔̑͜͝&̸̺͇̲̩͓̮͕͇̟̟̞̤͎̭͑̌̆͛͠ͅͅ

“It’s that time of your second life again… the Incursions!” The devil cosplayer announces to an irate Sekan Doraifu. “God and I will be spicing these matches up a bit going forward, just to keep things interesting.”

“Oh. Goody.” Sekan deadpans back. “You could’ve at least knocked before barging into my office.”

“Hmmmmm, no. Now then, unlike prior rounds, this will be more of a siege than a regular battle.”

“A siege?” The transmigrator raises an eyebrow.

“Yup. 24 hours from now, one of the cities in your country-wide regime will be replaced by a variation of said city which just so happens to be your opponent’s main base.”

“It’s not a-”  

“We both know it is, mister Hero Public Safety Commission president. Or should I call you Japan’s Prime Minister? Dictator? Maybe even God-Emperor?”

“Very funny.”

“Thank you, I try. Now then, I suggest evacuating everyone useful in there beforehand ‘cause they’ll be taken out too if you don’t. The bones I’m willing to throw aren’t that big.

So once that happens, you’ll have another 24 hours to invade and conquer said city. It’ll be defended by your opponent’s forces, so arrest them or kill them or make them retreat if you want, so long as you manage to take it over. No innocents will be sent over with them, if that makes your heroes feel better.”

“That’s awfully generous of you. What’s the catch?”

“Besides organizing an entire heavily-militarized country’s worth of forces to invade a city in a day?”

“Depending on the location, I can get most of my armies there before the deadline, and you know that. So again, what’s the catch?”

“Your opponent. A real nasty piece of work, that one. I won’t give too many details as you have a large enough advantage already, but I will say that the city being replaced is Osaka. And just like before, if you win, everything will return to normal with only you remembering this. Good luck!”

 

The deity then teleports away, leaving Sekan to begin preparations. 

While nobody bar his right-hand man has the balls to question him at this point, he does hope that divine pain in his ass made his employees a bit more suggestable for this to work out. 

First up is delegating this gargantuan task. Yokumiru Mera and Keigo Takami can spread the word, get everyone else important in here for a meeting once he lights another fire under their lazy asses.

Military generals, police commissioners, most of his top heroes… perhaps he should get his little Paragons involved too. Reveri should take a personal offense if there’s a chance Kai Chisaki is involved, and his living Fountain of Youth will drag the rest of her posse into battle.

They’ll most certainly die if this latest variant of his pulled off what Sekan thinks he did, but that’s alright. Any collateral will be undone once this ends, so he might as well get some good combat data for future reference. Besides, watching that fight will make it even easier for his right-hand man to finish the job.

With the power he’s wielding, it’ll be a slaughter no matter who his society’s symbol is up against.

Now what else could make this opponent so dangerous? 

 

Quirk-Erasing Bullets? He’s got plenty of those stocked up alongside the antidote, the latter’s existence only known to a select few. With a liquid-duplication quirk, all he needed was a drop of Eri’s blood and Kai Chisaki’s research data.

He enjoyed tearing the latter out of that yakuza’s head in Tartarus 2.0. 

A pity he couldn’t get more from the villains, but it was inevitable with how late he put his own plans into action. They worked out well enough considering his current position, but he’s not foolish or cocky enough to claim the last decade or so was perfect every step of the way.

Meetings and bureaucratic nonsense take up the next few hours, but that still leaves plenty of time to set everything up. Military divisions are moved, heroes and police are deployed en masse, skies are filled and seas are surrounded. 

The rearmament projects he puppeted Mera to enact before taking office himself paid off spectacularly. Citizens were fed up with the system and its guardians, its heroes. They wished to defend themselves after the Paranormal Liberation War, and Sekan leaned into that.

Military was an ancient term in most countries, Japan included, so he took to reinventing that using the MLA as inspiration. Soldiers trained not only through the normal methods, but in their quirks as well, and their salaries were rather generous as well. A fraction of what was dedicated to heroes was enough.

Police got plenty of benefits too, more funding and quirk training included. In this new society he crafted, civilians could rise up en mass and protect themselves along with the country. 

Heroes were still a thing. In fact, there are far more of them than ever before, but they are much more interconnected with other forms of law enforcement. Even now, they haven’t come close to recovering the prestige they once held in Japan.

No more red-carpet celebrity nonsense, no more pissing contests like the numbered ratings (he borrowed the fanon rating system to fix that, C-Rank to SSSS-Rank tiers replacing numbers), no more psychopathic nutjobs like Endeavor or Bakugou getting revered as gods. Those yearly mandatory mental examinations were definitely one of his better decisions.

People wanted change, and he gave them that. Society has never been safer under his heel, crime rates nearly matching pre-quirk times in scarcity. Even All Might’s ‘Golden Era of Peace’ came nowhere close to that!

Villains everywhere fear what Japan has become, fleeing the country if they wish to pursue a life of crime. Even the overpowered monsters that the Quirk Singularity Doomsday is gradually producing more of don’t push their luck, becoming heroes or moving elsewhere to become villains. 

His right-hand man, his country’s symbol and sole SSSS-Rank Hero, made sure of that.

Said right-hand man confronts him once the meetings end and the country enters a state of emergency. 

 

“I take it this is the latest demon lord’s doing?” The new symbol questions, already knowing his partner’s true identity.

“Was it that obvious? The WHA could’ve finally lost their last few brain cells and sent a team of international top heroes led by Star and Stripe to infiltrate.” Sekan shrugs back.

“Please, they’re more lazy than Keigo and Mera. So what if we resemble pre-quirk North Korea? As long as we don’t start invading other countries like Destro did, they’ll leave us alone.”

“Even that’s debatable. Humarise had to attempt global genocide before they bothered stopping Flect Turn, the Gollini family is still conquering what’s left of Europe, and do I even need to mention All For One?”

“No, you don’t.” The hero growls.

His eyes and hair are naturally green. He has a lean, scared complexion. He has a centuries-old power cultivated to slaughter quirk-stealing demon lords, old and new.

He’s the most powerful hero this world currently has, being confident in blitzing through even Star and Stripe at this point, and he is not Izuku Midoriya.

“Hey now, no need to throw a hissy fit… Kudo.” Sekan puts his hands up in mock surrender. 

“I know how badly you wanted to beat the potato’s face in back then, but can’t you agree that blowing him, his pathetic excuse of an army, and his so-called ‘perfect body’ up in one fell swoop was both more hilarious for us and more humiliating for him?”

Operation Trojan had a decent enough start in Sekan’s opinion, but when you have a long-range warper, a hero student that can create practically anything, and the element of surprise, you can do so much more than split them up and hope for the best.

Even now, one of Sekan’s greatest regrets was putting his plan into motion as early as he did. With a brainwashed Mera still becoming the acting HPSC president (god did that take forever to pull off with such a weak mental quirk) and Nezu’s posse obeying them to the letter despite how corrupted they were revealed to be, Sekan made that plan happen months in advance.

It was possible, mostly because there was no need to turn UA High into a fucking flying coffin of shounen-esc doom. 

 

He was impatient. Anarchy had already been going on for a few weeks, and he wanted to get this show on the road. He should’ve waited until Star and Stripe got herself killed against AFO Tomura. Maybe then, the United States would’ve been willing to share the blueprints for Tiamat with them. 

Instead, he had to settle for ‘convincing’ Momo to make a mountain of smaller explosives over the course of a few weeks, making up for quality with quantity. After that, he just had Neito warp all the villain-filled cages to an abandoned island, detonated the payload before they realized what was going on, and just like that, the demon lords and their followers were dead. 

That victory helped jump-start the new HPSC/Government’s PR tremendously, and taking back control over Japan didn’t take long.

His rule was practically assured by that point, especially with One For All on his side, but he still regrets acting early. The AFO quirk was gone, Garaki committed suicide in his cell before Sekan could arrive and brainwash him so no more Nomus or quirk-transplants (even now, his best scientists have yet to replicate that feat). 

At least he could keep Kurogiri from completely falling apart thanks to his personal Fountain of Youth. Rings made from Oboro’s hair give his enthralled copy-quirk user a permanent, precise, long-range warping quirk. 

Phantom Thief, Creati, and a few other heroes with sufficient potential got the gradual Mind Web treatment, just as Mera and a few others did in the two or so years between Sekan’s arrival and shortly after the Paranormal Liberation War.

Everything up to that point (bar Sekan sowing his seeds) went like canon. Everything past that was entirely up to Sekan.

And the end result of that? Almost a decade of complete control over Japan?

Over a hundred thousand competent heroes (several thousand being at least S-Rank), almost half a million police officers, and six hundred thousand soldiers with another three hundred thousand in reserve, not to mention a hero that’s leagues above the old symbol in power.

Even the World Heroes Association at full force shouldn’t be able to stop him now!

So imagine Sekan’s surprise when the fighting starts and his armies aren’t able to trample even a single city.

No, they’re actually being pushed back!

 

“You can not be serious right now.” The current HPSC gawks from his command center once given some visuals.

Mountains of ice quickly formed a perimeter around the city, swallowing his vanguard whole in the process. 

Gigantomachias, squadrons of them, leaped over the makeshift barrier and led a counterattack that was reinforced by nature itself if all the tornadoes and lighting bolts targeting his troops are anything to go by.

Insectophobia also starts running rampant as billions of bees crawl through every crack formed in Osaka’s icy perimeter. His troops are brainwashed, blown up, or brutally murdered as the swarm covers every bit of their bodies. 

Tanks? Helicopters? Battleships? His variant had plenty of those too, plenty of those American fighter jets Star’s bros use, and an impossible number of powerful quirk wielders backing them all up. Not to mention the city itself pulling out enough defenses to fill Tartarus several times over. 

But it’s not like Sekan has to rely on the traditional way. Being the HPSC President doesn’t mean he has to be a good person, the previous few presidents already proved that.

“Should we enact Plan B, sir?” Creati questions, her, Phantom Thief, and Kudo being present as both bodyguards and backup plans. 

“Yes. We may yet to procure Tiamat or other nuclear explosives, but the Trigger Bombs may arguably be an even better solution. How many do we currently possess?”

“Twenty-four, sir.”

Just one should be enough to cover the city. The losses on their own side will be horrific, part of Japan may even sink, but any damage done will be removed once this battle ends.

So after determining the best place to warp in a bomb and setting it to automatically detonate right after transport, Sekan orders Neito to do so.

Yet despite all odds, it fails. What looks like a larger, buffer, far more intimidating Kai Chisaki appeared out of nowhere and warped the bomb away less than half a second after it was initially warped in, a second or so before it was set to detonate.

Reveal gave yakuza Sekan a heads up the instant it appeared. He was not amused at the insta-kill attempt.

 

The HPSC President tries again, but the second bomb is also warped away. The third one is hit by a technopathic quirk, thrown over the icy barrier, and then detonated where a solid chunk of his own armies are.

Sekan got the message after that, and he was absolutely livid about it. 

Reports of enemy heavy-hitters turning into dark goop worsens his mood. Of course his variant has Double. 

Hawks disposing of Twice’s remains felt like one last ‘fuck you’ from the old HPSC President, even though she never even knew of Sekan’s existence. 

He had hoped there were some bits of it that could be copied and turned into a weapon for Phantom Thief since trying to separate Toga from the other villains during the final battle was way too risky. His hopes were all for naught. 

“Plan C then.” Sekan growls. “Kudo? Would you be so kind as to deal with the big bad boss? That should cripple enemy morale.”

“You mean I actually get to fight the demon lord cosplayer for once?” He snarks back. “About time.”

“Just be careful. For all your raw power and durability, Overhaul can still insta-kill you.”

“Do you take me for a naive himbo like the eighth or a pathetic waste of space like the ninth?”

“Sorry for showing some concern. Break a leg, buddy.”

 

While spinning a web of country-controlling connections was helpful and all, Sekan knew he would need something more, something that could ensure his eventual takeover was met with no resistance now or ever. 

Someone who could take down any who stood in his way, an unbeatable symbol like All Might once was.

And that’s when it hit him, why not get an unbeatable symbol for himself?

Trying to brainwash Izuku Midoriya would never work. He would just go Plus Ultra and win like always… but what if he was taken down from within? What if the very vestiges residing in his own quirk rebelled against him, quelling his naivety and stupidity before it doomed One For All?

So Sekan waited, making sure to not change a thing in canon’s narrative all the way up to the Dark Hero Arc.

Izuku had over half a dozen quirks and looked like Guts from Berserk. He was also more foolish and self-destructive than ever, and two of OFA’s vestiges refused to support such a person. Sekan appealed to this, using Mind Web to bring out the vestiges like Shinso did with Brainwashing. 

He showed them all what was to come, what they would be forced to do, and made an offer to Kudo and Bruce in particular to create a better ending for Japan, for One For All. 

Beat All For One at his own game, get that pathetic excuse of a shounen protagonist out of the way and create a better society upon the old one’s ashes.

A civil war was sparked within One For All. Toshinori and Nana were in Izuku’s corner, Kudo and Bruce were in Sekan’s, and the others were either neutral or undecided until the end.

Things quickly escalated, and with Sekan’s help (the transmigrator using Trigger alongside Mind Web to further shift the tides in his favor), the broken spirit of Izuku was obliterated and Kudo took over the empty vessel that was now Izuku’s body.

It’s like what All For One did to Tomura during the Final War’s climax, only more thoroughly. Not a single speck of Izuku Midoriya remained. Kudo would be the pilot, and both Nana and Ghost Might would be kept in check by Bruce and the more reluctant other prior users. 

What about the real All Might? Well he too tried interfering in the OFA civil war though the connection he still had and ended up going brain-dead because of it, his vestige fully forming and being restrained within his old quirk. 

Several attempts by a desperate Nana and All Might were made to take over or even destroy One For All, but they all failed, years having passed since the last one. Those two had truly given up, and the other vestiges lacked the will to stand up to Kudo and Bruce. 

 

One For All was completely mastered in the following years, quirks like Rewind and Cell Activation helping to heal any permanent damage done to Izuku’s (now Kudo’s) body.

Quirks helped him regain his former appearance, his green eyes becoming red and his bushy green hair becoming a short, spiky, ginger-colored resemblance of his old self. Even his size and shape were altered.

He would not be Izuku Midoriya, that was the whole point. He had lived through cruel times, to say the least. When up against the wall, he had to make plenty of callous judgment calls while he was alive, and the same went for when his vestige took a true life of its own. He would gladly help Sekan do what needed to be done.

And as for the other, former main characters, most simply faded away into obscurity now that their story was finished. 

Some quit, others like Katsuki and Mineta were barred from entry the moment mental health became a factor in hero work, and only a few with sufficiently powerful quirks like Shoto and Fumikage saw some success in the hero business. 

Those in the latter category would reach out to ‘Izuku’ once his original identity was discovered, but after building up a legend for himself over the last few years, taking down remaining villains left and right in intimidating silence, the best they could hope to get was a professional relationship. 

Inko had died from a heart-attack after Izuku’s ‘disappearance’. Nezu and the remaining UA staff were fired and replaced for their constant failures and public scrutiny mere months after Sekan took over. 

Even if they could reach Kudo, there was nothing left of Izuku in him. They would’ve just been arrested for standing in the hero’s way.

Nothing could stop Sekan’s right-hand man, his greatest weapon, his own personal symbol (although Kudo HATED being called a symbol like All Might, as he loathed the very concept of it). 

Variant of himself with Overhaul and some obvious body modifications or not, Kudo would win. Izuku could beat around AFO Tomura with 45% of OFA and the other quirks, and that guy had a body rivaling prime All Might in power while quirkless! 

Kudo has long since mastered One For All’s full power and only continued growing the stockpile over the years, bringing Japan back to prosperity in the process. Kudo would go straight for the kill, not holding back one bit in strength, skill, and strategy. Doesn’t matter what tricks the other Sekan had up his sleeve, Kudo would smash through them all.

 

Now Kudo wasn’t the first to challenge yakuza Sekan, mind you. Reveri, HydroHose, CellSpark, Dylusion, and several other Paragons stepped up to challenge the Kai Chisaki lookalike, but they were met by Eri, Kota Izumi, Katsuma Shimano, Mahoro Shimano, and other counterparts of his young superstars.

Child counterparts of them. And yet his Paragons were actually losing against their variants. Extra quirks? Body modifications? Some bullshit training? All the above? Sekan doesn’t know, but he certainly isn’t happy about the 17-19 year olds losing to their 5-7 year old doppelgangers. 

Many other heroes tried their luck against the big bad after that, Kudo commanding them to try their best so as to gather some combat data of his main opponent, but it was an absolute slaughter. 

Overhaul was somehow spreading to things that guy wasn’t even touching, instantly killing heroes by the dozens. Some of the new top heroes put up a better fight, but they never lasted long.

Fumikage Tokoyami managed to match those Gigantomachia clones with Dark Shadow at full power, but he was blown to bits the moment he got close to his variant. Shoto Todoroki and Inasa Yorashi had their own elemental quirks turned against them, being burnt to a crisp and torn apart in a tornado respectively. 

The old Class 1-A wasn’t going to perform any plot-armored miracles this time. Most of those wallflowers haven’t even gotten above B-Rank because they’re just way too limited and niche, not great when the chips are down and something more than a big smile is needed. 

Bar the bush his partner was puppeteering, every member of that class S-Rank and beyond was already killed by this big bad.

It was an absolute slaughter on his variant’s side, any challenges who step up, powerhouses in their own right, looking like quirkless children in comparison.

Then again, something similar was happening on Kudo’s side. 

Quite a few challengers were sent his way too, Sekan’s variant also desiring to see what the opposing side’s champion can do, people who could withstand an aura of death worse than anything All For One could ever produce. 

Not the kind of thing you would expect to radiate from a hero. Kudo couldn’t care less. 

 

Nine’s head, chest, and strengthened storm were all obliterated with a single punch. 

Gigantomachia had both his arms severed by Blackwhip tendrils enhanced with Fa Jin and Gearshift before he could even launch a single attack.

Chimera let loose a bone-chilling roar and charged in before Kudo could finish his comrade off, but he was torn to shreds by dark tendrils before he himself could turn giant.

Rei attempted to fire what resembled a Prominence Burn at him from behind, but the elements around her dissipated before they could be fired, Rei herself being vertically sliced in half before she could fire it.

Having regenerated his arms by now, Gigantomachia goes in for another barrage of strikes and Burden Blasts. Kudo dodges every single strike with ease before grabbing Machia’s foot and slamming him down nearly a dozen times a second.

The wind storm that forms from it blows most of Slice’s projectiles away, and the few that get through are caught mid-air by Kudo before they can land, a thin layer of Blackwhip ensuring their slowness effect can’t reach him as he shatters the strengthened strands of hair.

Mummy protects her, using dozens of soldiers and Pro-Heroes he ensnared as a wall of hostages in front of them, forcing them all to fire their weapons and/or quirks against their wills. 

Kudo shows no mercy and no remorse as he blitzes through them all, the top half of their puppeteer’s head being obliterated before he can gather any more. He’s far from the only one who died during that charge.

An arm goes right through Slice’s chest less than a second later, the sole surviving Four Horsemen member vomiting blood as more Blackwhip tendrils enter her body, tearing her apart from the inside out. 

Gigantomachia goes in for one last swipe, but his claws shatter upon impact. He’s then beheaded less than ten seconds later, Kudo making sure the titan won’t be coming back from that one.

Others in the Shie Hassaikai should have been scared shitless, their strongest so easily slaughtered by a single man in intimidating silence, and yet, they don’t seem all that bothered.

The faith they have in their leader is far stronger, and for good reason.

 

“Well done, Symbol.” Sekan’s variant applauds, stepping up to the plate himself as his opponent’s eyebrow twitches in annoyance.

Danger Sense then blares and Kudo rockets above the ground, Overhaul not just altering the terrain, but resurrecting his fallen heavy-hitters as well. 

“S-Sorry, boss.” Chimera mumbles. “His raw power was-”

“Inhuman, I’m well aware. This is what One For All is truly capable of, being in the hands of someone as monstrous as the power itself. Leave him to me.”

“You want to face him ALONE?! But Sekan-”

“We’ll be more of a hindrance than a help in a battle like this.” Nine stops Slice before she can needlessly throw her life away again. 

“So focus on the other enemies, and don’t let this discourage you, as you still have your own parts to play.”

“Don’t bother going far. I’ll be back to permanently put you down once I’m finished with your leader.” Kudo declares.

“So stern.” Sekan’s variant snarks back. “You’re not doing yourself any favors by being all grumpy and serious all the time. Have a laugh now and then.”

Kudo closes his eyes instead, air pressure from his latest precise punch shattering every last tooth in Sekan’s open mouth. Both of the transmigrator’s eyes follow before Erasure’s effects can reach his opponent.

The Smile quirk he had given himself in advance and the Erasure quirk he had given himself long before are thus rendered useless… until a boosted Super Regeneration quirk fixes the damage not even a second later, Sekan’s eyes widening and mouth smiling once again.

“So be it. I do not need my eyes to see you, villain.”

“What, no comment on the Joker reference? Just what has my variant been teaching you?”

“All I needed to know…” The most powerful One For All wielder to ever exist ominously replies, unleashing every last drop of latent energy from within.

“Clearly not.” The transmigrator challenges, responding in kind.

 

Blackwhip covers every last inch of Kudo’s body from both the outside and inside, a perfected version of Izuku’s Overlay ability. Both Fa Jin and Gearshift reinforce the layer of energy armor. 

One For All enhancing his senses on top of the Danger Sense quirk will be more than enough for him to ‘see’ everything he needs to.

He will not be rendered powerless so easily. All For One had countless quirks and even more tricks back in the day, but Kudo was never daunted. 

And with this power, he will have no trouble doing what must be done ever again.

Chapter 88: Side Story Incursions - Round 3 Part 2

Countdown to Canon:  ?̷̧͕̱̼͉̩̹̭̲̾͜?̵̧̡̝̹̞̭͕̝̍͑̄̋̏͐́̌̂̉̆͊̅͜?̴̨̽̏͋͂͛̈̄̽?̵̠͎̖͑̐̇̈?̶̟̦̩͈̒̄̈́͊̊́̆̊̎̊̇̍̽̓͝?̵̫̝̯̺͙̩̝̤͉̘̟̊̃̄͆̽́̎̕?̵͚̼̜͙̟̭͔̮͉͉̩̙͇̱͕͐̊͒̂̋̿͌͠͠ͅ?̶̧̩͍͓̗̰͚͕͓̺̎͜͝%̸̡̘̟͈͔̤̞̰̹̮̟̼̹̑͊͌̏̏̈́̚̚͜͜$̶̢̛̬̩̝̹̟̣̥͚̣̫̹̙̈́͐̀̒̽͒́͘#̸̨̧̜̮̺̳̠͚͔̜̤̿͒̇̃̊̍̌̋͛̎̿̊̓͋͠&̵̡̥̺̪̯̯̞̯̼̰̦̞̞͔̬́͆͛̓̆͌͗͒͆̓͗͊̾̓͘̚^̶̨̧̧̤̣̹͚̫̫̯̯̲̗̬̲̠̐͆(̷̗͖̖̫̻̎$̸̡͓͇̞̥͚͂̂͜ͅ#̴̧̛͎̰̮͔͕͉̟̺̣̗͉̻̮̭͚̲̉̈̍̃̈́͒̈͒͂%̵͚̰̬̘̻̞̳̮̤̃͛͑̅̇͂̆̄̂̆̊͋̔̕^̸̢̡̥͈̜͖̘̫̥̰͉̩̔̑͜͝&̸̺͇̲̩͓̮͕͇̟̟̞̤͎̭͑̌̆͛͠ͅͅ

The HPSC’s latest and greatest president can’t help but be shocked as the main event begins.

While his variant seems to possess enough power to rival AFO at his peak, if not go slightly above that despite not having the All For One quirk himself, Kudo is far, far beyond that point.

Entire prefectures can be leveled with his full-power punches! Skies can be cleared and tectonic plates can be shattered! All Might at his peak shouldn’t be able to make Kudo even flinch!

Yet despite the tremendous gap in raw power, the battle turns into a stalemate. 

 

Kudo can most certainly handle most of his opponent’s arsenal. Energy-covered tornadoes with purple-flamed Prominence Burns can be slapped away. Any surroundings that his opponent bends to his will can be obliterated with air pressure alone. 

The hero is far faster. The hero is far stronger. Even if his variant can instantly heal from pretty much any injury outside of instant kills, he should not be doing this well.

It takes a while to figure out why, and figuring it out does little to improve Sekan’s mood.

Simply put, his variant clearly took One For All into consideration when min-maxing his quirk arsenal. 

Overhaul can somehow activate across his entire body rather than just his hands (an awakening? Or some ridiculous body modifications?), preventing Kudo from landing any physical attacks. It can instantly heal him too, and that’s if he doesn’t let Super Regeneration do the work for him. 

Several powerful wind-manipulation quirks (Whirlwind and Weather Manipulation from the looks of it) can redirect or undo any air pressure attacks.

Weather Manipulation or some energy-absorbing quirk can not only counter Blackwhip, but let him grow stronger if it makes physical contact. That’s if he doesn’t simply transmute it with what he assumes to be Alchemy from Valdo Gollini.

Float? He can fly too. Smokescreen? He seems to have Search or a similar quirk to keep track of him. Danger Sense? It and his raw power prevents his variant from landing any counterattacks, but that’s about it.

He even has a goddamn Quirk Amplification Device equipped, as do most of his human-sized subordinates, and his variant can simply recreate it with Creation or Alchemy if it ever gets damaged.

 

Unbelievable. He’ll give his variant credit, the guy prepared well. Especially if this Sekan only had a year or two compared to his ten. Even AFO Tomura at his peak would lose to this, him only being able to gradually destroy while Sekan’s variant can obliterate and alter in an instant.

But Kudo doesn’t have to defeat this variant Sekan to win. The objective here is to destroy Osaka.

‘So break off and DESTROY OSAKA, KUDO! I DON’T CARE WHO GETS IN THE WAY, JUST DO IT!’

Now did assimilating the memories of so many HPSC operatives and other shady characters change him? A little.

He’s certainly become more serious and ruthless overtime. He puts up with a lot less bullshit then he would’ve otherwise, but it was all for the best. 

Just look at what he accomplished, he actually made Japan safe! That bullshit timeskip canon ending was doomed to fail the moment Quirk Singularity Doomsday started in earnest, but here? With all that he’s built? With all that he’s achieved? His society will NEVER-

“You really shouldn’t have tried that shit, puppeteer.” His variant growls, warping in Kudo’s way once again. “Infinite Doubles - Sad Man’s Parade.”

‘No… KILL EVERY CLONE! RIGHT NOW!’

His symbol’s attention is once again taken, obliterating every last drop of goop that exits his variant. While he’s preventing that ultimate move from being unleashed, his full attention is once again taken up.

“As is yours, Sekan.”

 

A warp gate opens in the middle of his command center, but not by Phantom Thief.

Instead, his variant walks through. His variant, which should still be fighting Kudo if the monitors are anything to go by. 

“Surprise! I’m a Sekan clone too; the original created several of us the moment he got his hands on Double. We’ve been duplicating ourselves since the start, and with Warp Gate at our disposal, well… we decided to leave this country a little goodbye present before it’s erased, mainly to test out our own nuclear contingencies.”

Reports soon start flooding in. Some cities and even prefectures across the country have tsunamis of dark goop that quickly consume them. Others are wiped off the map entirely, his variant not only having made Rods From God viable, but also prepared them en masse from the very start of their battle.

To his variant, this wasn’t a life or death battle. No, this was a chance to test out his nuclear contingencies without lasting consequences outside of victory here.

“Behold! On top of our trick to rival the nuclear ICBMs that are Tiamat, here’s what would’ve happened if AFO had even a single working brain cell when Twice was alive.”

He can’t access his quirk. His variant has Erasure too… he’s been toying with them this entire time.

Several quirk-erasing bullets are shot, both from Sekan himself and the hidden turrets he placed here, yet a barrier of wind redirects them all towards his own forces. 

Kudo should realize something’s wrong by now, especially with the mind link Sekan had with him being cut. He should be going Plus Ultra to destroy that city.

Sekan has to hope it’s enough, because there’s no way he’s walking out of this alive. 

“Not too shabby, other me. Definitely a step above our previous challengers, but we really went Plus Ultra with the cheats and exploits on our end.”

‘So this is what the divine asshole meant.’ Sekan realizes, those being his final thoughts before he and his command center are obliterated by a Rod From God, his variant not taking any chances.

 

While that’s going on, yakuza Sekan continues his clash with a centuries-old spirit.

Ultra Phosphor, OverTrigger, Endurance, the QAD, and even Love and Incite from Zi before he confronted the new symbol. New modifications from Overhaul, Creation, and Alchemy optimize his body even further as the battle progresses.

Despite his arsenal hard-countering One For All and all these boosts being equipped, he can’t afford to give anything less than his absolute best at the moment. Even then, he’s still mostly on the backfoot.

Yet he can’t help but dedicate a bit of attention to what’s going on within, as the picture Reveal is painting fascinates him to no end.

‘His body is durable, unnaturally durable. The way it channels One For All’s tremendous power is also inhuman, but it doesn’t resemble any body modifications I’ve ever seen. I don’t think I could even replicate this with Overhaul if I tried.’

((“I believe you’re wrong… regarding the resemblance, anyway.”)) VestigeHaul chimes in. ((“We’ve seen something similar to this once before, albeit on a far, far smaller scale. The Izuku Midoriya of our world.”))

That helps click everything into place. Throughout MHA, Izuku’s body gradually adapts to the power of One For All, undergoing a very, very slow version of the Quirk Singularity evolution AFO Tomura underwent. 

His body was taken over by Kudo here, and not only did he fully master OFA’s power, but he pushed it to levels far beyond canon Izuku ever did, his body naturally adapting to handle it. 

‘Seriously, this Kudo is a fucking monster. Even Final War Izuku would get one-shotted!’

In terms of quirkless strength, Kudo’s body rivals Sekan’s own despite never going through any artificial modifications. In terms of handling energy, Kudo’s body actually edges Sekan out, even when accounting for Ultra Phosphor. 

His body is far better at holding oxygen, making Gearshift far easier to spam for longer periods of time. Even his brain appears to have undergone some natural alterations to better handle Danger Sense and its drawbacks. 

In fact, mental attacks in general seem to have next to no effect on him, even with a boosted Reveal. 

Is it because Kudo relentlessly trained to resist them with Sekan for years on end, his singularity evolution supporting this development? Is it because of his own immense willpower? Is it because he isn’t technically a person, but a quirk vestige? Or maybe it’s all the above and more.

Sekan still has far more perks and alterations in his own body, but the fact that Kudo underwent this much naturally both shocks and excites the transmigrator.

‘Quirk Singularity Doomsday… it’s as fascinating as it is terrifying.’ 

 

“News flash, Deku. Energy like this doesn’t hinder me; it only makes me STRONGER!” Sekan Doraifu cries out in elation as he slowly gets the upper hand.

Destroying any duplicates is taking the majority of Kudo’s attention, maintaining a full-body Blackwhip shield to block Erasure’s affect is taking up most of what’s left, and his opponent’s arsenal, while much smaller, is still several leagues above the original demon lord’s own.

“For the last time, AFO 2.0, my name is KUDO!” He roars back, launching hundreds of punches a second towards the liquid tidal wave.

His emotionless facade is starting to crack. He can feel the Mind Link’s severance, so his Sekan is most likely dead. 

He didn’t want to use this as the drug is still far from perfected despite all the research they’ve done, and losing control means destroying far too much, but right now, he needs every last tool in his arsenal if he wishes to preserve all he’s done to fix his shithole of a society.

“You fuck up my name, puppeteer, I’ll fuck up yours! Besides, if anyone’s a copy of AFO, it’s you! Look at you, wearing that poor little shounen protagonist like a meatpuppet while ruling Japan.”

Warp Gates constantly open up around the duo too, Sekan’s top brass like the Four Horsemen and Sinister Six launching potshots through well-positioned portals to help their leader.

That assistance doesn’t last long, Kudo either destroying the portals (and the Klonogiris creating them by extension) or dragging the villains themselves through them with Blackwhip, turning them into his own meatshields which get torn apart soon after.

“If you really are another Sekan, then you know just what that ‘poor little shounen protagonist’ achieves in the end. Fuck all NOTHING! Once he threw away what little natural intelligence he possessed, there was nothing within him that’s inherently his own, nothing that can inspire others to be saved.”

Sekan merges with plenty of his Double clones too, but most are blown back into goop as soon as they’re formed, Kudo’s attacks being far too powerful for them to withstand even with all the defenses the transmigrator set up around him.

Even so, he can occasionally get out an extra attack or two with his duplicated subordinates’ powers. A Prominence Burn boosted by Rei’s quirks, a Burden Blast from Machia’s Stress copy reinforced with his own powers, and other attacks that pose a danger even to Kudo.

“Something we can agree on.” Sekan admits. “Izuku Midoriya is a plain, boring, empty little vessel that serves any purpose or idea somebody else plants into him. 

He can be a precious little cinnamon roll and a mascot for systemic abusers, but he could never be the hero this society truly needed… and neither can you.”

 

The transmigrator’s range is truly terrifying, forming barriers resembling mountain chains out of entire cities and the fleeing masses caught up within them. His opponent shows no mercy as he smashes through them all.

“Clearly someone wasn’t paying attention to their surroundings before destroying them. Here? Now? Every last trace of All For One is gone and the level of peace and stability present makes All Might’s Golden Era look like the Dawn of Quirks in comparison.” Kudo declares.

“Under your heel, I take it?” Sekan rhetorically asks as he’s blasted back.

“Hypocritical much?” Kudo barks back as he presses the advantage.

“I’m a villain, and unlike you, I have no problem admitting such.”

Warp Gate could get Sekan away, but he needs to make sure Kudo doesn’t reach Osaka. Even with a wall of Pseudo-Machias blocking the way, that stockpile has simply become too powerful for them to withstand it.

Not to mention most of that wall is made up of Double clones. Sekan has amassed many Special Praetorians overtime, but not that many. And he can’t use a Rod From God either as half of Osaka will get destroyed in the blast with how close they’re getting to the city, assuming it lands successfully.

With how powerful he’s become, Kudo may even be able to withstand nuclear-level attacks from point-blank range.

“I don’t need All For One to see your quirk’s inner working, Kudo. One For All has become a raging volcano that doubles as a prison, both Nana Shimura and Toshinori Yagi being beaten and subdued in ethereal cages. It’s practically a trademark evil lair from old comic books!”

“Trying to make me waver in my morals won’t work. I’m not some naive child like the ninth; I know what needs to be done and can accept that without any issues.”

Kudo chucks his last few Quirk-Erasing Bullets at Sekan, but like all the others, they either get blocked by parts of clones, redirected through raging winds, or sent right back through warp gates.

“Says the one who could only go in a self-imposed timeout until my variant came along, offering you a way out.” Sekan retorts, having already been sent all the context he needed through his clones. 

 

Their latest round begins, Blackwhip sharpened into spikes enhanced by Fa Jin and Gearshift dig deep into Sekan, his energy absorption having its limits.

But his regeneration is far superior, being able to heal from anything outside of instant death in an instant, or rather, reset his condition thanks to Overhaul. 

Kudo has no such perk; he’s being gradually worn down and injured, a slow death by a thousand cuts.

He knows this, and he’s long since come up with contingencies for it. 

“Using Gearshift to slow down the spread of your injuries and Blackwhip to act as makeshift stitches and tourniquets while reinforcing your muscles and tendons. Clever, but those are stopgaps, very painful stopgaps.” Sekan taunts.

“You think I can’t handle a little pain? You think I can’t handle a little fear? Opposing All For One during the Dawn of Quirks was a far greater challenge than anything you’ve ever done, transmigrator.” Kudo bites back.

“Really now? Well let’s see what your old friend has to say about that, shall we?” The remaining transmigrator grins, unleashing a wave of Double clones that Kudo instantly obliterates with air pressure alone.

All except for one, as he had more than enough power and quirks to block what managed to get through.

Double to create the body, Overhaul to repair it, and Reveal to provide a memory package for context.

 

“Oh, Kudo.” All For One sighs, his piercing red eyes matching Kudo’s green. “You spiteful little roach. Let’s see how you like it when someone dedicates themselves to destroying you, no matter how futile it might be.”

“You… ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE?!?” The second and current OFA wielder roars Sekan’s way.

“In a no holds barred matchup like this, why not try it out? I don’t even need to try brainwashing him, as his hatred for you far eclipses any dislike for me, and if I lose here, his ‘real’ self won’t have a chance to make a comeback.” The transmigrator shrugs back.

He definitely needs to take it now, and Sekan just left him the perfect opening to do so.

Trigger is injected into Kudo’s system, and the effects are both immediate and apparent. Sekan sought to improve the quirk-boosting drug as much as possible, seeing the potential it holds.

While nowhere near the level of yakuza Sekan’s progress was made in that regard, some improvements were made. The effect lasts longer, blood flow isn’t messed up as much, emotions go less out of control.

But the downsides are still present, even if reduced, and the emotional state Kudo is in now doesn’t improve the situation. 

 

“Double. Such an incredible power; a shame I never realized its true potential until it was too late.” The Symbol of Evil monologues as he floats down next to Sekan.

He goes out of his way to protect both himself and Sekan from the raging storm of red, green, and black energy Kudo has become, the transmigrator being surprised at this genuine act of teamwork on All For One’s end.

A purple cloud from Smokescreen erupts out too, complementing Blackwhip, Fa Jin, and Gearshift’s power. Float becomes capable of affecting more than just its user and Danger Sense has its detection range increased immensely.

The original stockpile receives a boost as well, further strengthening its supporting quirks to form a feedback loop of sorts, but All For One isn’t deterred. 

In fact, he looks to be having a blast. Perhaps it’s due to living out a comic book fantasy or two of his? Or maybe he just finds being the hero to Kudo’s villain funny.

“At least Sekan here is putting it to good use… I wonder what you would’ve done had Double been made part of One For All? Or if you had All For One for that matter? What would you do with power like that, Kudo?”

Despite being a Double clone, he’s even more powerful then his canon counterpart, having given himself quirks like Shock Absorption and Super Regeneration. He’s quite a bit more competent too, not to mention having an even more powerful partner backing him up.

Kudo wouldn’t be deterred even if he knew this. He’s not afraid of the two demon lords standing side by side, attempting to push back his energy field with their own, and he never will be.

“Nothing different to what I’m doing now. I saved my country, and if the rest of the world doesn’t want my aid, so be it. I won’t conquer it for shits and giggles like you did, whether it opposes me or not; I wouldn’t use Double or All For One like you or this Sekan do. Nobody should wield that much power.”

“That’s what they all say…” Sekan sighs.

“Until you’ve FELT IT FOR YOURSELF!!!” All For One laughs.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

All three activate every quirk in their arsenal, giving it all they’ve got for this final round.

Kudo’s Fa Jin and Gearshift clashes head-on with All For One’s Omni-Factor Unleash, Sekan leaping off the massive comet of flesh and quirks to fire his own arsenal the hero’s way. 

Explosions and shockwaves erupt out as the three multi-quirked monoliths let loose, the copy of All For One quickly being dissipated due to Double’s durability limitation, but a new clone of the demon lord restored to his prime forms just as fast alongside a horde of other clones.

The cycle goes on and the clone casualties continue piling up, Kudo gradually getting more cuts and bruises as time goes on, even with Danger Sense. There was simply too much going on to completely avoid. He had to prioritize stopping Double from spreading too much and quirk-erasing effects from reaching him. 

All the taunts and mockery from All For One clones isn’t helping matters either, getting him angrier on top of Trigger’s emotional effects, making him slip up more in turn. 

And even now, the demon lord’s power is nothing to scoff at. All Might got lucky back then, catching the fool off guard. 

Now though? Not only is he more powerful then his canon counterpart, but he also isn’t holding anything back one bit, Omni-Factor Unleash being activated at all times. 

Sekan is injured plenty too, but nothing is ever fatal enough to finish the job. He has too many counters, too many ways to quickly heal and reinforce himself. 

Forget prioritizing control, he can’t hesitate in this boosted state anymore. Even if this destroys him, he needs to at least take down Sekan first!

 

One For All is pushed far beyond its limits, and the barrage of raw power that follows is enough to easily wipe entire prefectures off the map. 

Clones are destroyed, portals are bottlenecked, and Sekan was now without support as Kudo throws any remaining restraint out the window. Kudo couldn’t make physical contact as his Blackwhip energy could be siphoned or transmuted, leaving his body defenseless in front of Overhaul.

However, he could still get very, very close, and air pressure would ensure his surgical strikes hurt.

Punch after vicious punch was thrown, his strikes acting as a middle man to the air itself that drilled onto his opponent’s body. Wind manipulation, telekinesis, and whatever other abilities he had just weren’t enough to defend against such pressure and power. 

A punch to the head to disorient, to the throat to cut off breathing, to the chest to collapse the heart and lungs, over and over again in a careful rhythm, allowing Kudo to observe just how much each injury healed between strikes.

Sekan was choking on his own blood from repeated hits to his chest. His neck repeatedly shaped at each strike to the throat. His eyes popped and his skull deformed from each devastating blow to the head.

He was blind and drowning in his own liquified guts, even a heavily-boosted Super Regeneration being overwhelmed by this onslaught… only for Overhaul to undo all that process in an instant.

But then the cycle would repeat itself, over and over again at truly inhuman speeds, and Sekan could not keep this up forever. He still has limits himself, especially when it comes to stacking so many boosters together for prolonged periods of time. 

His limits have improved since Star, but his battle with Kudo has also lasted far longer, and that’s not to mention quirk exhaustion in general. Even his mind, his most valuable tool, was descending into a fog as Super Regeneration wasn’t able to heal his concussions as fast as he was getting them, and coherency is absolutely essential when using quirks like Overhaul and Double.

Kudo wasn’t doing well either, his bones starting to fracture and his muscles starting to fray from the power of his punches as the energy fed into Blackwhip began to wane. 

Repeated movements helped charge Fa Jin, but he was spending that power far faster than he was building it, especially as his volatile state was leading to less practicality and more needless brutality in his barrage.

Sekan was much worse off, his Super Regeneration starting to slow. Every strike was a death blow, and that pushed the quirk to its absolute limits just to keep its host alive, even with Overhaul assistance, and Overhaul couldn’t be used to assist now.

His healing wasn’t nearly as instantaneous as it was at the start, and his current cognitive state meant he couldn’t properly use most of his arsenal, but it wasn’t enough just yet. Kudo needed to seal the deal.

 

“Like I said, I’m not like the ninth. I won’t be showing a shred of mercy, villain.” Kudo growls, finally cornering the transmigrator despite all the damage he himself has taken.

((“What about the other vestiges then?”))

‘What? He made a Mind Link with me? But in the sorry state he’s in, how can he-’

((“You’re using their quirks so they’re obviously still around. Can you hear me in there, Yoichi? Nana? Toshinori? You gonna let this grumpy edgelord reign over you for all eternity as he body-hops from host to host?”)) 

Unknown to Kudo, it was BossHaul speaking to him through Reveal. He was the one who made a Mind Link with Kudo, a combination of the vestige’s current, volatile state and having long since gotten used to having one with his own Sekan letting the clone slip by his mental defenses, even if only for a bit.

It was meant to ever so slightly surprise him, to stop his assault on the original for just a moment. This wasn’t Sekan’s last resort; that has already been put into action, and the new symbol is screwed. But BossHaul would rather not have Sekan die too, as that means his own death even if the original is resurrected through Zookeeper’s copy of Overhaul.

“Please, I silenced their foolishness long ag- what?”

((‘Greetings, tinders.’))

((‘KUDO, HE’S DESTROYING THE SINGULARITY!!!’))

((‘It’s called the vestigeworld, you cretin. The singularity is something else entirely.’))

 

Sekan has been heavily injured throughout this battle. However, this ended up benefiting him as it allowed for this final contingency plan to be made.

He could peer into the vestigeworld of others through his heavily-boosted Reveal, as could his vestiges, but they could not actually enter it without physical contact. 

So using his knowledge and capability of quirk transfering, he loaded up Overhaul’s vestige onto a few drops of his blood and ensured they would end up on Kudo’s body mid-way through their fight, VestigeHaul waiting for the perfect moment to strike from there. 

It’s the same trick Izuku used against AFO Tomura, ironically enough. Sekan found it to be quite fitting, especially with Izuku himself transferring Kudo to AFO Tomura through the same general method in canon.

A strategy he decided to put his own spin on after their defeat to Star and Stripe, meant to serve as a way to take her down from the inside. Of course, New Order’s vestige may be too much for VestigeHaul to handle, but a fractured One For All is a different story, especially with no plot armor protecting it. 

This last-ditch effort makes Sekan lose Overhaul, but merging with a Double clone of himself lets him quickly get it back. Super Regeneration could still heal his current, mutilated state, even if at a slowed pace, and he could work around the quirk exhaustion by giving himself copies of his quirks.

Kudo is much less lucky, his vestigeworld being torn apart by a very smug VestigeHaul. 

An absolutely livid Nana Shimura and Toshinori Yagi are freed from their confines and attack the other vestiges alongside the bird ghost out of anger and spite, Trigger’s effects aiding in their emotions overriding logic. This gives VestigeHaul a chance to truly let loose.

 

Forget stopping Sekan from using Double or Erasure, Kudo can barely keep himself from falling apart. He drops out of the sky, rendered temporarily quirkless through Erasure and then permanently quirkless through Sekan’s own quirk-erasing drugs.

Being the vestige of a quirk himself, this obliterates him and every other lingering ghost within that body, leaving nothing but an empty shell behind.

“I’ll admit, you put up a real good fight, better than Izuku Midoriya ever could. Not even Star and Stripe managed to push me this far in my Semi-Perfect state, and I’ve improved plenty since that battle. Thank you, Kudo, for showing me what One For All is truly capable of under its canon wielders.” The transmigrator pays his respect.

“Save the monologuing for when this latest farce is over.” The shell lying below him sighs as it slowly gets back up.

“VestigeHaul?” Sekan confirms, double-checking with Reveal.

“Who else would it be?” The bird ghost snarks back. “I used the other vestiges as a shield while the quirk-erasing solution spread, giving me enough control to Overhaul it off of me before I too was erased. Some embers of One For All remain in this shell, but the other vestiges are gone.

As for possessing this empty body afterwards, even All For One’s vestige could do something similar. This variant of Kudo too, as he clearly displayed. Observing and replicating the phenomenon he forced was a simple task.” 

Sekan makes a mental note to ask more about when this round concludes. Using vestiges from quirks of his like Overhaul and Reveal to possess opponents AFO-style could be a very useful trump card in the future.

“Good work. Wanna get some exercise while you have the chance? Having their precious symbol supposedly turn against them would be a disaster for enemy morale.”

“I suppose so, even if the Hassaikai already has most of the remains handled.”

Sure enough, morale plummeted as the two ventured off, slaughtering heroes, police, and soldiers alike in droves. 

The surviving Sekan so casually checking up on most of his top brass alongside VestigeHaul didn’t help matters. Laughing, joking, not taking his remaining enemies seriously at all. 

 

Hope was hanging on by a thread as Sekan reunited with his daughter and her minions, having already killed most of their counterparts. 

“Wow, do you suck! My MLA variant was way better than this, and she was also still a little kid!” Eri Doraifu laughs, tearing her variant’s horn right out of her head and crushing it in her grasp.

“Eri, no swearing.” Her father chastises back, trying to remember when he mentioned the other rounds to her during this one. Or did the two gamemasters tell her for whatever reason?

“Like you’re one to judge.” VestigeHaul points out.

“Are you kidding me?” The mutilated, white-haired hero growls. “WHAT KIND OF SICK FUCKING JOKE IS THIS?!?”

“No swearing, stupid hero me!” Her younger self chastises as her father just did. “Stupid isn’t a swear, right?”

“Does it really matter?” VestigeHaul argues. “Either way, you’re still a little shit.”

“No swearing, bird ghost!”

“I’m an adult.”

“You’re a ghost.”

“You will be too if you keep this up.”

“I can erase you from existence before you can blink.”

“That would bring back the most dangerous enemy combatant. Translated into terms you’ll understand: that no help daddy.”

“Not if I time it right.” 

As much as Sekan loves seeing his daughter so easily standing up to what remains of her tormentor, they still have a war to wrap up.

“Okay, that’s enough. Both of you are acting like children, and while you still are a child, Eri, you’re also supposed to be a responsible leader right now. Where are your own subordinates?”

“Finishing up their hero counterparts, just like I’m about to.” Eri responds, turning towards the disappointment below her. “A shame you were saved by the wrong people, remaining as nothing but a tool for your entire life.”

“YOU’RE THE ONE STILL FOLLOWING THAT BEAK-FACED MONSTER!”

“Am I?” The Daughter of Evil grins back, activating Rewind on her counterpart. “He’s not calling the shots here, not anymore. My dad is, and I will be soon enough, and you? 

While I would love to take you under my wing, undo all those years of pain and lies both physically and mentally, give you a chance to restart, grow up, and thrive under my rule, this game we’re all stuck playing won’t allow it, so I’ll simply end your suffering instead.”

One flash of Rewind later and the hero is gone, erased from existence. 

 

“...Did you really mean that, fledgling? What you said to your counterpart?” Sekan cautiously asks his daughter as the latest multiversal war concludes.

“Of course, dad! It’s like you said before, sometimes you have to be the bad guy to be the good guy. If they won’t make the right choice, I’ll make it for them for their own good.

My power lets me wipe the slate clean, so whether it’s friends or foes, I’ll keep trying and trying, making sure they have the best lives they can under me, and they will naturally repay me for it!” His successor beams back.

“Just remember that nobody is always right. Everyone makes mistakes, and if you gain complete control over other’s lives, any mistakes you make will become their mistakes too.”

“And that’s where my minions and mentors come in.” The Daughter of Evil defends herself. “It won’t just be me, but all of us. Two heads are better than one, and an entire organization of heads is way better than two.”

Still childish and simplistic, but she clearly put some thought into it. That’s all Sekan can expect from his young daughter at the moment, and he knows that.

So he’ll just have to refine that belief as she continues growing up.

Despite the enemy routing, Sekan doesn’t let up on the slaughter for even a moment. He refuses to take any chances with what’s on the line.

 

“Going Plus Ultra, are you?” The demonic cosplayer snarks, descending down in person to observe the apocalyptic scene.

“Something like that… but it hasn’t even been twenty hours yet. Thinking of ending the round early?”

“Depends. Are you surrendering?”

The deadpan expression he gets back makes the deity laugh out loud.

“I kid, I kid. You’ve won. Congratulations. I’ll be sending you back now, and erasing this timeline right after.”

Sekan doesn’t put up a fight or even react. Instead, he carefully monitors the deity’s own reaction, particular towards the little white-haired girl nearby.

He’s careful not to even think of Future Eri, and it’s never brought up as he himself is brought back.

“Do neither of them know? Or do they just not care?” The transmigrator ponders when he’s finally alone again. “Where even is she? She said she would visit me again soon, but how soon is her own definition of soon?”

Something isn’t adding up here, and Sekan hates how little he can do about it at the moment. 

He’ll just have to remain patient, keep a close eye out in future rounds, and most importantly, continue adapting as best as he can.

Chapter 89: The Calm And The Storm

Notes:

I’ll be taking a brief hiatus to avoid burnout and finalize my plans for the next few story arcs. Expect chapters to start getting posted again next Sunday, so around a week and a half after this chapter is posted. Until then, enjoy the latest chapter of How to Survive a Shounen!

“How soon until the Perfection Procedure is ready?” His ‘real self’ asks.

“Wha- you’re bugging me about that already? It’s been what, two months since Kamino? Garaki wasn’t ready until the start of next year! We’re still in October!”

“Garaki only had a single Double clone to handle his civilian stuff and no extra quirks helping him out. You have the equivalent of nearly a hundred Dr. Garakis with an arsenal of quirks perfect for their line of work.”

“True, and we are making progress far faster than Garaki in canon, but you’re forgetting one key detail. We are also including much, MUCH more in this procedure than Garaki ever did in canon.

Awakened Quirks, Artificial Quirks, our own body modifications, researching the Quirk Singularity ascension itself, gathering all the extra quirks we want to include, and much more. Not to mention how difficult combining all that together is gonna be. 

We’re still at least a few months away from being ready for that, original. Improving the Nomu and Praetorians is easy enough, but the task that is perfecting your eventual ascension is a completely different beast.”

That is… not the news Sekan wanted to hear.

 

His battle against Kudo during the Third Round unnerved him, as did some recent discoveries Star and Stripe made in regards to New Order. He hasn’t forgone his take on Image Training within the vestigeworld, apparitions of those two titans being regularly sparred against.

And without spamming Infinite Doubles, he easily loses to both. Even with Double being used to its fullest potential, taking those two on is far from easy for him. He may have even outright lost against Kudo originally if he didn’t force a quirk transfer which ravaged the hero’s vestigeworld.

Heroes here are gonna continue getting more desperate, and Incursion Rounds are gonna continue getting more difficult, so he needs that extra bit of insurance. He needs to become as powerful as he possibly can.

Sekan has continued his planning, continued his optimizing, continued growing his organization to new heights, but ascending beyond the singularity himself will ensure victory.

“If it’s any consolation, the procedure itself should only take about a month instead of the four it took for Tomura. Also unlike Tomura’s procedure, which was described as ‘four months of hellish agony’, yours shouldn’t hurt you a bit physically or spiritually.

And once you’re complete, the heroes might as well commit group seppuku because all of them combined won’t be able to even scratch you. Yes, this includes Deku and Star.”

“Good to know, but that doesn’t help me now. That stupid side story is getting tougher every round, and this little alliance Nezu put together is making far more progress then I’m comfortable with. Not just with me, but the MLA and HPSC too, not to mention Humarise’s new additions.

Canon’s Paranormal Liberation War didn’t even last a day, the element of surprise being a major contributing factor for the heroes. I can’t let them have that; I need the villains to take advantage of that, ensuring they can buy me more time. 

Yes, Gigantomachia and the Nomu have sown fear all across Japan. Yes, Endeavor has become Japan’s punching bag again. Yes, more villains and vigilantes alike are coming out of the woodwork, but none of those are truly major threats. None of those will completely distract that little council from their main mission, stopping us.

While they’ve been hit hard, they’re also progressing faster than we are, and I don’t like that. I think it’s time we did something about it. I think it’s time we really tore canon to shreds. It’s our turn, and it will continue to be our turn.

The UA Culture Festival is going on tomorrow and I was thinking about both checking it out with our family and playing another big move in my 5-D chess match with Nezu. No, I’ll throw a fucking grenade on the board and watch the rat burn when it bursts.”

 

“Wait, the festival is happening already? It’s not even November yet!” LabHaul points out. 

“Yeah, the rat clearly realized that even if they get the opening move in against their enemies, everything is really gonna go to shit soon and probably wants to cram in one last motivation-booster for UA and its supporters beforehand. 

The hero classes are too busy with their Team-Up Missions or Remedial Exam Training to participate, but this yearly UA event was never about them anyway.”

“Ah, a PR booster. Nezu could really use it, what with his school getting a much worse beating then it did in canon up to this point. Let me guess, you’re using the HPSC card in your deck now? No way will the rat be able to ignore that.”

“Yeah, but not before I scare him a bit more. NightHaul is also like… 90% sure that Nezu suspects I have a spy in his little war council, so I’m thinking of throwing Tsukauchi under the bus to get any suspicion away from your fellow clone. He doesn’t have one of Kuin’s Bomb Bees buried in his head, now does he?

Oh, and I’ll also have to properly secure all the intel Giran has saved in his laptops on us in case the MLA butts in earlier than planned without my say so. They will only be looking for the LOV, but I’d rather not chance it.”

“Throwing away a few more cards, huh? Well, Endgame is coming up soon and we might as well use them to secure our position. We have plenty to spare and they’ll become worthless once we’re finished.” The clone immediately understands.

“We prepared this much for a reason; better safe than sorry, right?”

“Right.”

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐ Final Festival Today!

With our access to UA’s security and some decent enough disguises, getting into the UA School Festival is a cinch. No wonder Gentle and La Brava could’ve done it if a certain plot-armored protagonist didn’t happen to conveniently stumble upon them.

But I have Reveal in my quirk arsenal, and while me and the people I’m with aren’t known as villains by anyone (excluding Nezu’s crew), I’d still rather not be anywhere near that bush-haired bastard.

Oh, and I made sure Gentle and La Brava wouldn’t show up to UA today. I don’t want one of my best thieves and one of my best hackers getting a Talk-no-Jutsu from the main protagonist and betraying me five seconds later.

Izuku Midoriya isn’t even here right now. He’s still doing work studies with NightHaul, but I refuse to take any chances.

 

The security system also let us previously see Nezu begging the Police Commissioner General to proceed with this festival just like in canon, so as to not let the future look any bleaker than it already does.

The moment he sincerely bowed his head to those glorified jailers like he did in canon, I knew that Nezu would never be able to turn this around and outplay me. Star and Stripe eventually might, but certainly not Nezu.

He’s definitely changed from his canon self thanks to me, but he is far from being the feared rat god that he is in fanon. If he was the latter, then he would have blackmailed those suits into following his every whim… for the greater good, of course. The rat god knows better than those stupid humans. If any progress is to be made, then he has to get them under some proper leadership. 

Some of those fan stories were so enjoyable to read, but this world is canon besides the changes I made.

And that’s why I’m going to win. Completely and utterly. 

I’ve basically become the new Symbol of Evil at this point. Well, a Symbol of Evil. Kuin had said it best, even if her comment was meant to be a joke; whereas I’m the Symbol of Smart Evil, All For One is the Symbol of Stupid Evil.

I can already crush all of Japan in a regular civil war, even if I don’t force the MLA to bow down to me. Star and Stripe is just one person, and who else stands even a slight chance at overpowering me? 

Luckily, or perhaps unluckily for the heroes, I want more than that. Far more.

However, that comes later. For now, once Zi, Eri, and I get to the festival, we find a corner with no people and a combination of Creation and Overhaul lets us almost instantly change into the appearances we want for my next move.

I currently resemble my Long Haul civilian appearance, Eri resembles her I-Island appearance, and Zi looks somewhat similar to her old brainwashed villain self, only with a much more casual outfit on.

Now let's see how long it takes Nezu to react…

 

We first head on over to the Obstacle Course that was set up like in canon, so Eri can have some fun.

While she played around with that, I took a quick look around with Reveal and confirmed my suspicions. Pretty much everything seems to be the same as in canon besides the hero course attractions being absent.

Sorry MHA music fans, but no ‘Hero Too’ in this timeline. 

Eri wouldn’t have enjoyed it anyway. Kuin’s latest hit song among the Hassaikai, ‘Villain Too’, is more to her liking.

Now did I recently give Kuin a copy of Hero Too lyrics and requested she remix it into something more villainous for the sole purpose of having it serve as an extra big ‘fuck you’ to a certain canon protagonist class of hero students? Maybe. 

In my defense, I thought it would be funny, and Kuin certainly didn’t disappoint. She got Chimera’s garage band in on it too, that crossover working wonders for this latest hit.

Hero Too wasn’t even created here, so no need to worry about plagiarism… not that I would worry about it regardless. I’m a villain, remember?

Even if it was made and performed here, Eri probably would have laughed at both the stupidity of the students performing it and anyone else who's stupid enough to become a Pro Hero in this screwed-up society.

Oh, and more than half of said students are currently either dead, villainous traitors, or abandoned heroics entirely, so even if the hero courses did participate in this event, that canon performance still wouldn’t have happened.

My daughter kicks ass in the obstacle course like I knew she would, and after going on it a few more times (thank Energy Saver and Endurance for that), the three of us head on over to the food stands.

Nezu, Toshinori Yagi, and Cathleen Bate meet up with us halfway there, the latter two being in their civilian outfits as they had no time to change.

Even so, they aren’t going to try and arrest me. Not here, not now. Not at Nezu’s school where countless innocents are wandering around. Besides, I’ve seen the file on me. When it comes to engaging me up close, Nezu’s advice can best be summarized as ‘Don’t’.

 

“Hey, Nezu! Toshinori. Cathleen. Long time no see!” I greet the trio with a smile on my face while Eri runs up to America’s top hero.

“Long Haul. May I ask what you’re doing here?” Nezu politely responds back as Cathleen seems to slowly realize who the little white-haired girl with horns is. “If you wish for a rematch against Star and Stripe, I could provide one of UA’s mock cities to fight in.”

The change in demeanor I have is obvious, and it’s pretty clear how on-guard the three heroes are.

“Tempting, but no. Just going on a little family outing is all. The woman next to me is my fiancee, although you probably recognize her as the C-Rank Villain Zookeeper with longer hair and a pretty good disguise outfit. And over there is my adopted daughter who Star should be familiar with. She still has that picture they took together at the heroes’ island-sized science fair.”

“The Villain War… and I-Island! You caused… You framed… Why would you admit…” Nezu mutters with All Might giving a small gasp by his side. 

Someone certainly didn’t expect me to confirm so many suspicions of his, suspicions pretty much confirmed by his council already, but that’s just one layer to this.

Remember my first in-person talk with Nezu (right after the USJ attack) and how complicated that secretly was? Well this one is gonna be… slightly less complex, but still filled to the brim with confusion and deception.

“Come now, it’s pretty obvious that you at least suspected it before. I simply see no reason to bother hiding it anymore. I mean, it’s not like we’re publicly-known villains or anything.” I smile at the trio.

“I still have that picture we took at I-Island hung up in my room, Miss Star.” Eri mentions to the surprised American hero. “You hurt my new, way better dad a lot back then, but he respects you and you’re one of the few really good heroes out there. 

You also helped take down my potato-headed sperm donor and you’re really super cool with your squad of fighter jets, so you can count the future Empress of Villainy as one of your biggest fans. Don’t worry, I won’t take your super awesome quirk; I have plenty of others to make up for it.”

That declaration from the six year old girl pretending to be All For One’s biological daughter (and currently, slightly showing off a few random quirks I temporarily gave her as well as the fake hole-shaped organs in her hands just for this massive feint) gets America’s Number 1 Hero to bluescreen for a bit.

And don’t even get me started on All Might’s reaction.

 

Eri is in her I-Island ‘Jikan’ disguise right now, but I wanted to make sure her true identity isn’t potentially traced back by Nezu as Eri Chisaki, so taking some inspiration from all the ‘Dad For One’ fan stories out there in my old world, I decided to create a different fake identity for my daughter.

Her similar hair and eye color to the guy gave me the idea a while back, and it would also be a solid red herring for how my organization can give and take quirks, thereby killing two birds with one stone.

She agreed to play the part for now, and is doing a great job if how much blood All Might just vomited is anything to go by.

All For One, the quirk-stealing boogeyman and ancient Emperor of the Underworld, had reproduced? Someone actually decided to have a kid with him, and someone as vicious and evil as him actually produced something so adorable?!

The former symbol’s reaction alone made this particular deception well worth it.

“So, you guys wanna head over to the food stalls? I wasn’t kidding about showing up for a family outing. There won’t be any acts of villainy by me or my empire on UA property today unless you heroes do something stupid again. 

Just remember where we are right now, yeah? I’ve got plenty of friends wandering around the festival too, each and every one capable of tossing most top ten-tier heroes around like ragdolls. They’re here to have fun, to enjoy a day off from their rather busy schedules, but they wouldn’t mind going on a rampage too if I give the go-ahead. 

What few surviving UA students are left would be screwed along with everyone else in the surrounding prefecture, so do put some thought into any future, hostile actions of yours, capiche?”

“I swear to god.” All Might growls back. “If you-”

“If I hurt them, you’re gonna do this and that. Blah blah blah- yes, I’ve heard this all before.” I interrupt, rolling my eyes at one of the most cliche threats out there.

UA’s resident mascot calms the former symbol down after that, ensuring that he does not, in fact, do anything stupid.

“Oh, and your security system won’t be saving anything regarding myself or my family, but you probably figured that out by now. 

Nobody around us is going to remember overhearing our conversation either; I got a lot better at it after Knuckleduster rained on my parade a while back.” I clarify, somewhat revealing my part in the Naruhata War as my family starts to walk over.

The three stupefied heroes follow closely behind.

 

“Any preferences, you three? Consider it my thanks for squashing that potato for me, even if you fumbled your way through that fight and got demolished by his bodyguard a bit later.” I question as the six of us approach the stalls.

“I’ll, uh… get the tomato and cheese takoyaki.” The school principal mutters, probably running High Specs to the max to try and figure out what the hell is going on.

I match him with my copy of IQ alongside Endurance and OverTrigger.

The two Number 1 Heroes also order with the six of us then sitting down to eat as the festival goes on all around us.

“This is good stuff, Nezu. My compliments to Lunch Rush or whatever students he decided to train a bit for this.” 

“I’ll pass that on to him, but I doubt you stopped by in person just for my employee’s cooking.” The rat responds.

“Hey, everyone could use a vacation from time to time, and I say we’ve earned it. The old demon lord is dealt with, the HPSC dug its own grave, the underworld is stirring like never before, and the other major players, myself ideally excluded, are about to truly emerge.

I wasn’t kidding about what I said back then; there are at least three other major villainous organizations out there ready to topple Japan, and you’ve clearly figured at least that much out considering how much you're putting into improving your personal fortress recently. The end is coming, and I just want to enjoy stuff like this while I still can.”

“You aren’t with Humarise.” Nezu states bluntly.

“Heh, you’d wish I was under that smurf.” I chuckle back. “They are planning something big though; I wasn’t lying about that. If the MLA doesn’t end Japan, Humarise most certainly will along with the rest of the world. Yes Cathleen, that includes America.”

“Why not stop it then?” All Might questions, being genuinely curious. “You have so much power and even more knowledge. You say the end is coming, so why not stop it?”

 

“Oh, Toshi, Toshi, Toshi.” I shake my head. “It seems that even now, you still don’t get it. The MLA, Humarise, the Wild Villains, the CRC, the HPSC, even All For One and One For All. They aren’t the problem here; they’re merely… symptoms of it. The results of it.

The biological inequality of quirks, the unfair biases within the hero system, the resulting systematic abandonment, and so on. These aren’t problems you can simply punch away; they require societal action and awareness.

The era of peace you created didn’t solve that; it only made things worse. Heroes became seen as gods that can solve all problems and do no wrong by the public, while most got lazy and complacent in reality. Society sees only black and while, when things are really various shades of gray. 

Whether you knew it or not, the so-called ‘peace’ you helped to usher in was broken and rotten. You fed into a system that was beyond saving, and you single-handedly carried it on your shoulders for far too long, leading to a total collapse once you finally wore out. 

You all did this to yourselves. I merely prepared for the inevitable, because it is far too late to change people’s minds. It was far too late even before All Might’s time, Doctor Kyudai Garaki being shunned worldwide for his singularity doomsday theory despite all the evidence backing it up and he himself practically being gifted to All For One on a silver platter by this society, resulting in creations like the Nomu coming to be.

My breakthroughs on quirks alone would be demonized alongside myself, painted as a horror story to tell rebellious children. Oh, you better behave or the big mean bad guy will steal what makes you special and replicate it en masse like a lifeless factory line. 

No mention of the endless benefits, no mentioning all the good it could do, none of that. Society would outlaw the study itself just as it outlawed David Shield’s QAD, terrified of the status quo being broken and those leading it losing their place atop the social pyramid. There’s no fixing this with how far the rot has spread, and there’s no stopping its inevitable decline. 

Even if you somehow manage to stop me and all other villains throughout the planet, these problems woven into the fabric of society will cause more like us to appear, stronger than ever before thanks to the singularity approaching and quirks naturally evolving.

Simply put, this world is doomed. Screwed. Finished. Fucked. And by your hands at that. All For One did a crappy job showing such, as expected. That pathetic LARPer was never going to get far with his childish, attention-seeking, world-dominating dreams, but as people like Gigantomachia showed, his empire’s remnants are still a major pain to deal with for us all, especially now that they’re no longer limited by his stupidity. 

But that’s not what you have to worry about right now. No, your focus on the demon lord left you blind to everything else that’s wrong with the world, and now you’re going to pay for that mistake. 

However, you’ll find me to be much more merciful than the old quirk-thief. I’m not looking to destroy or conquer Japan as some tyrant god-king. No, I’m just a man offering sanctuary to those who suffered at this system’s hand. So I’m going to give you guys a choice. By the end of the day, one of three things is going to happen. 

Option A, every single bit of dirty laundry the HPSC has piled up over the many, many years they’ve been in power for will be broadcasted for the world to see. Since they won’t willingly step down for their crimes, they will instead be forced to take accountability for their actions.

Option B, well over a hundred thousand warriors of the new Meta Liberation Army are going to rise up from all across the county for their coup d'etat and crush what remains of this crumbling country by force. 

Or Option C, we settle things right here, right now. You attempt to delay the inevitable, and I turn this shithole you call a school into an even bigger hole, and a radioactive one at that. 

And even if you somehow managed to stop all my nearby friends and I without slightest bit of collateral damage being caused, I too have forces hidden all across this country and many others, forces who would no longer be stopped from getting their revenge on the society that hurt them so much. Choose that option, and at the very least, today will be the last day in the history of Japan.”

 

Not a half-bad villainous monologue if I do say so myself. Getting not one, but two Number 1 Heroes from different countries and one of the smartest beings in the world to shit themselves in sheer terror is something even the potato couldn’t ever hope to accomplish.

And yeah, I’m completely bluffing when it comes to Option B, but I know they won’t pick that.

They’re heroes, after all. 

“...Are you really okay with this?” Nezu whispers in desperation to Zi.

“Seriously? That’s the best you can do, pray that I’m the weak link in this chain? And my fiance said you were a genius.” The love of my life snickers at UA’s mascot. 

“Heroes didn’t do shit besides slap a villain label on me while I was brainwashed and enslaved by Curator. Heroes didn’t do shit while our adopted daughter was tortured for years on end by her own biological father and would’ve slapped a villain label on her the moment they learned what her so-called ‘villainous quirk’ was. 

So as far as I’m concerned, this country can burn to the ground while my family and I sit back and eat some popcorn as we laugh at your stupid faces.”

“Good luck with that, heroes! I’ll enjoy playing in the apocalyptic sandbox you leave over once I’m older!” Eri cutely chimes in. “Mommy? Daddy? Can we check out more of the festival now?”

“Of course, sweetheart.” I warmly answer back before turning to the three heroes. “We’ll be here until three, so when you come to a decision, just come and find us before then. Have fun with that.” I wave goodbye as my family leaves.

((‘...That was brutal, even for me.’)) VestigeHaul pipes up while I’m holding back my laughter.

‘Yup. And they’ll once again play right into my hands.’

 

Exposing my secret backdoor into the UA security system doesn’t affect me at all, especially with what I have planned for right after this festival ends. 

Nezu made sure said system didn’t pick up on their secret council room to begin with, and I don’t give a crap about anything else on campus besides the people I have tracked already under Reveal.

This very festival also helped me renew my UA roster, which includes all the top heroes Nezu secretly recruited. Thanks for making my life easier, rat!

Nezu will also be able to confirm there’s a traitor present with how much of his council conversations I seem to know, and with the hobo he hired as a teacher having experience dealing with Queen Bee already, he’ll check everyone present for bees in their brains eventually.

That will lead him to Tsukauchi… and away from NightHaul. And a lack of a reliable lie detector will make the heroes even more fearful and paranoid, which will not only lead to doubt regarding earlier discoveries that were ‘fact-checked’ by Tsukauchi, but also lead to more mistakes being made in the future.

All without me losing my main source of intel on their operations, one of my own Double clones taking up the character of Sir Nighteye. They won’t be able to free the possessed detective either, the Bomb Bee taking refuge in him capable of exploding his whole head in an instant. Won’t that be traumatizing for the heroes to witness.

And as for the possibility of Nezu suspecting any other spies afterwards, he won’t. He’ll think that I got too cocky (and rightfully so, but that’s just an act), so a combination of that and ensuring that nobody else has bees in them will make him let his guard down in regards to that.

With the chaos Re-Destro and the HPSC will soon cause redirecting his focus on top of everything else, he won’t notice my main spy within his ranks until it’s far too late.

Nezu has also realized just how much of a threat I am, truly being able to launch a coup against Japan with a serious chance of success at my leisure, but he can’t do anything about it since he and the heroes will be too busy dealing with the HPSC, MLA, Humarise, and all their other problems.

So essentially, I just practically guaranteed myself a victory at the cost of a few cards that won’t mean anything after I finish my singularity ascension and enact my Endgame. 

I went overboard with my preparations, and it paid off spectacularly. I have plenty of wiggle room and decided to use some of it. That’s all there is to it.

Well, that and intimidation tends to solve problems easier than throwing a punch. That and gathering enough evidence. I just did plenty of both.

The rest of the festival was nice. We went through 1-C’s Haunted Mansion, checked out the Support Course’s Development Studio Exhibition, got some more food, watched the beauty concert (Nejire won like in canon), and had a great time throughout.

 

The three heroes met up with us again as we were about to leave.

“...Is there any way to convince you not to do this, or at least delay this heavy-handed approach?” Nezu questions and I give a sad sigh in return.

I knew they would say that, but it’s still so disappointing.

All Might and Star going that route is one thing, but Nezu? I swear, sometimes it feels as if he uses his genius to just rationalize the repetition of his own mistakes. Or maybe those native to this world have an IQ cap without me there to modify them.

“You guys really don’t learn, do you? Forget it, I’ll just choose for you. Have fun with the fallout.”

My family and I then leave UA Campus, and I warp us all out of there the second I’m out of Nezu’s reach. Best not to take any chances, even if Nezu should be smart enough to know that ambushing me here is a terrible idea despite Star and Stripe being around.

Our battle at I-Island caused horrifying amounts of collateral damage and quite a few casualties, and I wasn’t going out of my way to cause such back then. I would most certainly do that now, and I’ve only gotten more powerful since that last fight.

Even if the heroes targeted Zi and Eri instead of me and tried using them as leverage to have me surrender, Overhaul would let me undo any damage done to those two and make everyone responsible for their discomfort and/or death suffer unending amounts of pure agony.

You do not harm, capture, or kill a supervillain’s loved ones while the supervillain in question is still alive.

We tend to take that personally.

But these guys only behaved like idiots rather then suicidal idiots, so I’ll stick to just Option A. 

Operation VPSC. Operation Villain Public Safety Commission. 

A way to force the HPSC’s hand, putting all eyes on them for a while.

 

“Why not go all the way though?” Kuin had asked once we returned. “We can brainwash the HPSC, MLA, Giran’s empire, and any other competitors by force. Even if you don’t want to bring them along for your endgame, we could at least make sure the fodder does what we want.”

“So forceful and overcomplicated, the definition of Plus Ultra.” I sigh back, turning to face one of my most powerful subordinates and creations to date. “Do you know why I hate that phrase so much?”

“Because… well… of the one-track mind it causes?” The monarch cautiously answers.

“Yes and no. This central message revolves around the idea of brute-forcing yourself past your own limits to achieve your goals, training yourself to the point of breaking yourself to imitate All Might, an unrealistic expectation for the vast majority.  

Instead of encouraging creativity or thinking outside the box, it’s all about power this and power that, not realizing that taking a more technical approach can provide far greater strength then simply upping a quirk’s raw power can. I’m not saying that you should avoid taking this bare bones approach entirely, just that it shouldn’t be your one and only focus.

This unhealthy mindset will eventually break you both physically and mentally no matter how strong your willpower is or what quirk you have. Such should be a last resort, not a constant occurrence. Heroes are not unbreakable gods but flawed mortals. They can bleed, they can break, and they can die just like everyone else.

Now let's circle back to your suggestion, trying to encompass everything and everyone in our grasp. You can’t control everyone, Kuin, no matter how many Double clones of you help out. Even if you stick to just the higher-ups, someone may eventually notice and you’ll have to kill or possess them too, then others may notice even the slightest and you’ll be trapped in an endless cycle.

The tighter your grip becomes, the more likely something will spill out of it. There’s no need for you to go this far; remember how we’ve been slowly chipping away at heroes and villains alike all this time. We only gave our enemies some subtle pushes towards each other, having them do all the hard work for us, thereby giving us plenty of time to complete our other plans.”

Since the beginning, the heroes have been horribly outmatched. There may have been an oversaturation of them before I started making my moves, but the villains had much, much more to offer.

My machinations up until now let them reduce the Creature Rejection Clan, Wild Villains, and New Vigilante Alliance to scraps, remnants. All For One’s empire was subsumed completely into my own, and all this came at a heavy cost for Japan’s heroes.

Both the MLA and Humarise have also benefited from this, and despite going as Plus Ultra as they could, the remaining heroes of Japan have hit their limit. They need help, not just from Star and Stripe, but from other heroes across the world.

The HPSC being ousted for their corruption will spur them into action, and the Meta Liberation Army will be forced to act themselves before the United Nations and World Heroes Association take action, because one way or another, they will eventually take action.

 

“So Villain War mark 2 basically?” Kuin confirms.

“Exactly. Why go through the trouble of dealing with such bothersome opponents when you can have them destroy each other, and by their own free will at that? Nothing is forcing our hand; we have leeway, so we might as well use it.”

“...May I make another suggestion?” She then asks.

“Go on.”

“So the MLA is massive, easily enough to crush Japan, but there’s no way they’re winning once the UN and WHA get their act together, right?”

“That is most likely the case, yes. They’ll give heroes across the world a good beating, and international organizations like Humarise, the Gollini family, and All For One’s supporters will cause further damage once the MLA spurs them on.”

“And for that to happen, the MLA will at least have to last a while. Probably longer than it’ll take for your ascension operation to be ready, assuming this civil war prelude lasts just a couple weeks.”

“What’s your point?”

“My point is that while people like Re-Destro and Geten are strong, they don’t stand the slightest chance against Star and Stripe. If she cripples their leadership on Day 1, then their coup won’t last much longer. 

The HPSC is one thing, basically being the official government already, but the MLA is a villainous organization with little to no international politics protecting it.”

“A reasonable concern, one more interference on our end would solve, but how would you go about that?”

“Well I was talking to Kiruka the other day, and she brought up how her crew’s ideals were pretty similar to the MLA’s.”

 

I think I know where she’s going with this, and while Nezu will know I’m behind it, my little monologue to him earlier did reveal I have a good grip around the MLA too. 

He, All Might, and Star have nothing but their own words as evidence. Nothing about my actual organization, no proof that I wasn’t a lackey of AFO at I-Island or part of a small vigilante group helping him deal with the demon lord beforehand. 

Like I said, I still have plenty of leeway, and it wouldn’t hurt to take advantage of that, especially with the preparations for my final procedure taking a lot longer than I had initially hoped.

Even so, things should be alright. Everything will be okay until then, and once I go from Semi-Perfect to Perfect, then the question won’t be whether or not I win, but how easily I’ll win. I’ll have gone beyond the age of heroes and demon lords, and taken an early step into the age of gods.

((“Nice to know you continue to have so much faith in us, but you are aware that something, if not several things in the final few portions of this plan will likely go horribly wrong, and shit is bound to hit the fan, right?”)) NightHaul confirms as I prepare for my final ascension.

((“What he said. There are too many factors to just expect everything to go according to plan.”)) BossHaul adds on.

‘Nothing ever goes fully according to plan, which is why the best plans are those that aren’t overly strict and can be adapted on the fly. Usually, that is. This part of our plan is a bit more robust though as we don’t truly rely on tricking Nezu and the other heroes in every aspect.

Even if the rat was fully aware of our plans, he would still act according to our whims as the HPSC and MLA, while less dangerous than us, are much more immediate threats. Simply put, he and his posse have no choice.’ I elaborate.

We’ve still got them all in Checkmate, and even if Nezu’s crew somehow finds a way to defy impossible odds and weasel out of it, they will still be far, far too late.

 

 

 

Current Shie Hassaikai Forces:

Leader:

Sekan Doraifu (Semi-Perfect Form) - Reveal (Artificial^2), Overhaul (Awakened), Ultra Phosphor (Artificial), Warp Gate (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Cleaning, Creation, Alchemy, Double, IQ, Erasure, Super Regeneration, Willpower Enhancer x3

Main Family (+ Quirks):

• NightHaul - Original’s Arsenal, Foresight
• BossHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• GuildHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• LabHaul - Original’s Arsenal
• Zookeeper/Zi - Cleaning, Overhaul (Awakened), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver, Cell Activation, Incite, Love, Erasure
• Eri - Rewind (Artificial^2), IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver, ??????? (Artificial/Awakened/Post-Singularity)

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (+ Current Quirks):

• Nine - Q-Ray (Artificial), Weather Manipulation (Awakened), Multi-Layer Barrier (Artificial), Bullet Laser, Hydra, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Kiruka Hasaki (Slice) - Chronokinetic Hair (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Hoyo Makihara (Mummy) - Fiber Mummification (Awakened/Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Chojuro Kon (Chimera) - Animalistic Alpha (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption

The Sinister Six (+ Bonus Positions and Current Quirks):

• Hari Kurono (Leader of Sinister Six/Personal Assistant of Sekan) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronokinetic Hair (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Maguma Iwata (Leader of Volcano Thieves) - Super Volcano (Artificial), Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Shock Absorption
• Stain (Head of Hero-Killing) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Bloodcurdle (Awakened), Chronostasis, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Cell Activation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Physical Enhancement, Shock Absorption
• Kuin Kazuho (Queen of Spy Stuff) - Apex Predator (Awakened/Artificial), Q-Ray (Artificial), Flight, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration
• Kaina Tsutsumi (Head Assassin) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Chronokinetic Hair (Artificial), Deluxe Rifle (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Rei (Head-Starters’ Babysitter) - Ginnungagap (Awakened/Artificial), Temperature Resistance (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Other Top Brass (+ Current Position and Quirks):

• Joi Irinaka (Main Manager) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Melting Mimic (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Gigantomachia (Sekan’s Personal Bodyguard) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Muscle Augmentation, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Dragon, Stress
• Innsmouth (Head of illegal Smuggling Branch) - Cyrokenetic Cthulhu (Awakened/Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Hekiji Tengai (Chief of Security) - Multi-Layer Barrier (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Toya Setsuno (Head of Thievery Division) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Steal and Store (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration
• Yu Hojo (Head of Creation Crew) - Q-Ray (Artificial), Crystalize, Creation, Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption
• Soramitsu Tabe (Head of Evidence Disposition) - Carbon Counter (Artificial), Endurance, Energy Saver, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration

Special Forces (+ Quirks):

• Praetorian Guard (465) - Strength Enhancer, Speed Enhancer, Durability Enhancer, Sense Enhancer, Cell Activation, IQ, Endurance, Energy Saver
• Praetorian Summoners (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Shadow Armada (Artificial)
• Pseudo Getens (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Ice Ply
• Pseudo Inasas (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Whirlwind
• Pseudo Shotos (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Half-Cold Half Hot
• Pseudo Nines (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Weather Manipulation
• Pseudo Togas (30) - Original Praetorian’s Arsenal + Transform
• Pseudo Machias (20) - Endurance, Gigantification, Dog, Energy Saver, Fierce Gains, Mole, Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Muscle Augmentation

Military Forces (+ Bonus Quirks):

• 3800 Personnel 
• 35 Commanders - Q-Ray (Artificial), Incite, Despot
• 300 Heavy Units - Muscle Augmentation, Fierce Gains, Shock Absorption
• 300 Defender Units - Barrier, Air Wall
• 300 Medical Units - Cell Activation
• 180 Battle Tanks
• 95 Attack Helicopters
• 40 X-66 Fighter Jets
• 135 Small Boats
• 10 Battleships

Metallic Forces:

• Ground Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 800
• Air Combat Robots (Tartarus) - 600
• Executors/Zero-Pointers (UA) - 6

Nomus (Complete/Combat Ready):

• High-Ends - 4
• Near High-Ends - 20
• Upper-Tier - 45
• Middle-Tier - 66
• Lower-Tier - 118

Rank and File:

• Cyber Warfare Branch - 85
• Mad Science Branch - 70
• Creation Crew - 175
• Klonogiris - 120
• Thugs and Goons - 8350

Subsidiaries:

• Head-Starters (Eri’s Villainous Organization)
• Gentle Criminal and La Brava
• Volcano Thieves
• Innsmouth’s Crew
• Cider House
• Total People from other Small Gangs and Independent Villains - 125

Spies:

• Detective Tsukauchi (Nezu; Under Kuin’s Control)
• Other Corrupt, Possessed, and/or Body-fused Police - 805
• Corrupt, Possessed, and/or Body-fused Heroes - 37
• Corrupt, Possessed, and/or Body-fused Humarise members - 356
• Corrupt, Possessed, and/or Body-fused MLA members - 170

Outside Allies:

• Giran

Chapter 90: Star and Stripe - Return

Notes:

Consider this next arc my take on canon's My Villain Academia arc. My story already stars the bad guys, but that doesn't stop its main character from having his own archnemesis to focus on.

While it'll be on the shorter side compared to other countdowns, Star and Stripe will be the main focus this time around.

“Permission to speak freely, Madam President.” Yokumiru Mera requests.

“Permission granted.” The HPSC’s President allows, remaining calm despite the complete pandemonium popping up across Japan.

“We’re screwed.”

…How many hours a week has he been working again? Drowsy has become Mera’s default state over the years, but he must be more sleep-deprived than ever if he’s willing to be this blunt.

But in his defense, it’s not like he’s wrong.

From epidemics of Black Market products to Villain Wars to top heroes and entire cities being destroyed what feels like every other week, these last few years have been one continuous nightmare for Japan.

Yet there was light at the end of this tunnel. The quirk-stealing boogeyman had been defeated yet again, and he would stay down this time. Not even he could hope to escape from Tartarus, especially in his crippled state.

Victory for Hero Society! The worst was finally behind them; now Hawks could infiltrate and deal with the remaining League of Villains members, hopefully Stain too if he was really with them, and peace would finally be restored.

Only for that sense of victory to shatter not even half a month later when All For One’s bodyguard finished his master’s job, turning the Symbol of Peace into a crippled skeleton and his Hero Agency into burning rubble. 

 

Just like that, everything fell apart. Endeavor may be firmly under their control, but his constant string of humiliations combined with more villains than ever coming out of the woodwork was tearing this country apart.

Star and Stripe was probably the only reason things were still somewhat stable, but she needed that American hero gone before the WHA discovered some of the Commission’s more dirty practices. 

It’s not like they would need her to hunt down Gigantomachia soon anyway. Not with the newest major project she had planned.

Their jobs, their lives were supposed to get easier. The status quo was supposed to be restored. That damn demon lord would’ve finally done something useful for once in his very long life.

She never did like the sordid methods of her old boss, the previous president. Hawks has dirtied his wings quite a bit over the years, but not nearly as much as Lady Nagant had before blasting her handler’s head to bits.

If this worked out, then there would no longer be a need to groom Pro-Hero agents. Society’s most dangerous villains, monsters who were already dead to the world, would be turned into hidden distributors of justice. 

They could handle any dirty work that needed to be done, and they would do so without the slightest hint of resistance. There would be no internal moral debates or hesitation; they would do what needed to be done whenever ordered to, and the public and heroes alike would no longer have to worry about the kinds of problems these creations dealt with.

Few would accept this despite all the benefits, few would understand this was for the greater good, so the project would have to remain buried in the deepest, darkest parts of Hero Society.

And then someone decided to broadcast that and every other dirty secret the Hero Public Safety Commission had amassed since its inception right after the Dawn of Quirks.

Not even a few hours later and the situation has already reached a crisis point.

 

“Would you mind elaborating, Agent Mera?” She questions, remaining calm and composed. 

Someone had to be reassuring during these dark times. Someone had to pretend everything would be okay in All Might’s place. 

“Hardly anyone is buying our ‘villain slander’ excuse, that includes the United Nations and World Heroes Association. We can’t take the leaked evidence down either; the hackers involved are either much more skilled than ours or have technopathic quirks… or both.”

“I see.” She replies. “Begin final preparations for Operation Revamp, and spread the word to all who are involved in it.”

“M-Madam President?”

“We have little choice, Mera. Japan’s WHA membership will most likely be stripped, and villains across the country will have more momentum than ever before. Japan is teetering on the edge of a failed state; if you wish to avoid a second Dawn of Quirks in this country, then we need to nip this in the bud and we need to do it now!”

She hates resorting to this, but she came up with it for a reason. Hero Society has been hit again and again like a country-sized punching bag, and it’s about time they started hitting back. 

Mera, Hawks, and the others will go through with it. They all understand why such drastic measures are necessary.

Japan will be restored to its golden age and beyond, with or without All Might. She will make sure of it.

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐ 1 Month 3 Weeks Until The Second Meta Liberation War

“You alright up there, Star?” 

Despite soaring across the skies right now, she’s never felt so down in the dumps. 

“I’m being forced to abandon my master in a goddamn dictatorship, Ethan.” Cathleen Bate deadpans back. “What do you think?”

“I think that even depowered, he’s still the Symbol of Peace. That old bag of bones is tough as they come; he can handle himself until we find some way to fix this mess.”

If only it was that simple…

 

Not even a week after the UA Festival and things have gone from ‘bad’ to ‘absolute fucking nightmare’ because Long Haul decided to become the human embodiment of a middle finger.

He kept to his word and chose for the heroes, going with Option A. Probably the least damaging option out of the bunch, and boy if that isn’t a kick in the teeth.

She was able to conduct a secret, off the books investigation into the HPSC’s more nefarious activities through her contacts in groups like the FBI and CIA. Sir Nighteye’s own investigations were able to provide even more data.

They had slightly opened that door over the last few months… and then Long Haul went and blew the goddamn hinges off. He decided to fucking dox Japan’s Hero Public Safety Commission.

Internal security systems had been breached, documents had been collected and copied, and every little thing on HPSC archives, files, and databases alike were simultaneously leaked out onto the internet.

Heroes sometimes have to kill, she gets that, but there has to be transparency to it. What Japan’s HPSC did, covering up that stuff, pretending that the country operated off perfect justice… that just won’t work in the long run. Not to mention all the other shit they did over the years.

Extrajudicial killings and assassinations of individuals or groups who stood in their way, siphoning of funds meant for emergency services into their own pockets, purchasing of children to become de facto slaves who doubled as their idealized image of heroes, blackmail, bribery, illegal influence over government figures, covering up crimes and excessive damage done by numerous heroes in exchange for favors or complete servitude, the list goes on and on.

All For One himself would be impressed at the sheer scale and versatility of these crimes. He would also be pissed off beyond belief regarding the HPSC’s efforts to repurpose and even build their own Nomus through inmates at Tartarus.

Turns out Japan’s HPSC President didn’t have faith in Endeavor and Hawks to defeat Gigantomachia after all, instead looking into some of All For One's projects that they managed to obtain. 

Production of these haven’t started yet as they have yet to fully understand the manufacturing process, but ideally, inmates from Tartarus would be shipped over to hidden laboratories after their deaths were faked and transformed into these mindless creatures.

Gigantomachia and any other threats would be hunted down by this small, hidden army in the HPSC’s pocket. An ultimate trump card to replace the Symbol of Peace, one that could do a better job at maintaining the status quo then Hawks and Lady Nagant ever could. 

Pragmatic and efficient, she’ll admit, but wrong on so many fucking levels.

 

Oh, and it wasn’t just the HPSC itself getting exposed either, but any and all heroes who had backdoor deals with them or just did illegal, messed-up shit in general.

All those accusations Stain threw Endeavor’s way back at Hosu, from forcing his wife into a Quirk Marriage to repeatedly abusing his offspring? All true, all done just give birth to a hero stronger than All Might out of spite. How insecure can that guy be?

Hawks, Lady Nagant, and countless other heroes, both former and current, had the darker sides of their stories heard. Stories of fraud, abuse, blackmail, neglect, even collaboration with other villains on occasion among other examples. 

Over a third of the remaining heroes in Japan were revealed to have had some sort of scandal swept under the rug. That’s not even mentioning all the heroes who retired or died in the line of duty.

So what happened when the rug was swept out from under them and they were forced into the spotlight? Well those assholes shirked responsibility, obviously, claiming all their exposed secrets to be nothing but slander and that this was part of a villain insurgency.

The actual government, which was already mostly under the HPSC’s thumb, has also directly handed over dictatorial powers for the duration of this ‘emergency’. Japan’s Prime Minister pulled back some horrifically-outdated law from the Dawn of Quirks Era to give it some legal framework. 

HPSC basically performed a self-coup, the president rising to power through technically legal means, and after putting her trusted subordinates in the right positions, overthrowing the political system of the government by, for example, assuming a dictatorial position, dissolving the constitution, arresting her enemies, and so on.

And what was the WHA and UN doing while all this bullshit was going on? 

Well, they did launch a joint investigation into the matter several hours after the century’s largest cyber attack. Cathleen gladly handed over the data she and Sir Nighteye amassed before ensuring the WHA investigators sent over would remain safe as they built their own case, speeding up the process considerably.

Ironic how that turned out to be the worst thing she could’ve done.

 

Oh, the investigation didn’t even take a week thanks to her efforts. It’s the results of that investigation which completely screwed everyone over.

Japan’s WHA membership was stripped in its entirety. They were basically booted out of the global hero club… and that’s about it. No actually fixing the fucking problem over there, just leaving the country to its own affairs.

Meaning the HPSC could take over and turn the country into a modern-day military state without any international interference. 

And Cathleen herself along with her bros? They were ordered to return home by the US President the moment the verdict was given; she’d lose her license if she didn’t, and she and her bros would get kicked out of the US Military if they didn’t. Even Commander Agpar would face some pretty nasty consequences for conspiring with them.

Cathleen Bate was pissed off beyond belief. Those HPSC assholes wanted to launch a coup? Fuck ‘em, she and All Might would launch a coup right back! They’d rally the heroes who were actually heroes and save Japan from those corrupt bastards!

But her master stopped her. He didn’t want her to suffer anymore from his problems, from Japan’s problems. America still needs her, he said. The rest of the world still needs her, he said.

This is probably what Long Haul wanted, he said. Heroes across Japan or even the world tearing each other apart in a bloody civil war, destroying each other for him. They couldn’t make their situation even worse right now; they needed a peaceful solution to this problem to preserve as much of their firepower as possible. 

So extremely reluctantly, she followed their orders. She hopped on her bros’ jets and they all took off back to the United States. She promised she would come back and fix this, stop the HPSC and MLA and Long Haul and anyone else trying to fuck over Japan.

Somehow, someway, she’ll find a way to stop them.

And she’ll start by meeting up with her own country’s president. He already requested she report to the Pentagon for a debriefing, so she’ll make her case there.

 

“Before we start, let’s address the country-sized elephant in the room.” Said president begins several hours later, Cathleen and her bros all standing in attendance. 

“With all due respect, sir, we can’t just abandon Japan.” She immediately starts. “The Hero Public Safety Commissions of countries are supposed to be subordinate organizations of the World Heroes Association.”

“I’m afraid the current situation is rather complicated, but there is some hope. Do you remember the exact policies regarding a country’s forced departure from the World Heroes’ Association and how this would affect said country?”

Cathleen may be impulsive and reckless at times, but she’s still been the Number 1 Hero of America for decades on end. She has the experience and she knows the rules… how else would she know how to break the latter on occasion?

“When the actions of a country’s government, or Hero Public Safety Commission by proxy in some cases, is deemed unacceptable by the World Heroes’ Association, they can either have their license suspended or stripped entirely.

Besides their image being ruined as far as the global stage goes, losing this membership meant that the heroes of that country aren’t allowed to act outside said country. 

Their hero system is seen as being akin to one run by a third-world dictatorship like North Korea before quirks came to be, and other countries fear that the heroes present there would act as foreign assassins or kidnappers, if not villains in the normal sense.

Now suspension is temporary as the name implies, but if the country’s situation hasn’t improved by the time this suspension ends, or their actions are deemed as truly monstrous right off the bat, then the country in question has their membership completely stripped. 

Considering how the process to regain membership takes years worth of paperwork and bureaucracy merely to reach candidate status, it practically forces a country to either remain completely self-reliant or completely change its governing structure to have a shot at entering the international stage again.”

“A good summary, but you’re missing a key aspect.” The president points out.

“And that’s exactly what I’m after, making the WHA and UN form a consensus that Japan has been taken over by villains that threaten peace on a global scale. 

I get it, I don’t want to set the precedent that the WHA has the authority to invade sovereign nations on a whim. Nobody does, but a country which was not only taken over by genuine villains, but villains who intend to expand their reach across borders is a very different story.”

 

“It would be the first time since Destro enacted the Meta Liberation War that such a classification would be given. Are you aware of the consequences of that?”

“A full-scale circulation by heroes and military forces, whether by land or sea depending on the country’s location, to besiege the country and eradicate any forces that try to get in or out without direct permission from the UN and/or WHA. 

No civilians are allowed to head out either, because they might be terrorists disguised as civilians to ask villain organizations around the world for help. They’ll get one warning to turn back and failure to do so is on them.

That’s Step 1. Step 2 is maintaining that and sending in either top heroes from various nations, soldiers from nations who still have them, or usually both to detain the villainous head honchos acting as the current government body of that country.

Step 3 would be forcing any non-villain remnants of the country’s government to take a step back and let a neutral-aligned coalition of United Nations member states govern said country. Foreign heroes and UN soldiers would also step in to both help police the country and protect its remaining infrastructure as they attempt to rebuild. 

It tends to be a last resort, the equivalent of DEFCON 2, because locking down civilians from fleeing and forcefully taking over entire countries would look pretty awful for the WHA and UN’s image.”

“Exactly. And regarding Japan in particular, most civilians wouldn’t exactly be thrilled about foreign occupation. Having foreign troops patrol their streets would feel far too reminiscent of the US occupation following Japan’s defeat in the second World War. 

Requiring outside help simply to police their own country, especially in the wake of so many corruption scandals and renouncing their WHA membership, would be another serious blow to the country’s pride.”

“And that would lead to mass protests, if not outright riots despite these foreign troops only being here to help.” Cathleen groans.

It’s honestly shocking to see how many Japanese citizens are apathetic about the HPSC’s crimes, if not actually support them. 

Some claim tradition, others simply benefit more from the status quo, and many just want to feel safe and pretend everything’s still okay no matter how delusional it sounds. If an outside force comes in trying to fix things, many would resent it.

“Even if all the corruption was extinguished by foreign forces, drastically improving their situation, many civilians won’t see this aid as such out of nationalism and pride. Most countries would, our own included, if they were in Japan’s shoes. And again, this is only if Japan receives that classification.”

“Considering the many, many crimes the current ruling body has committed, why exactly is that not the case?” 

“I’m afraid that has to do with the recent rise in villains everywhere else. Other countries can’t dedicate their forces to getting Japan back under control because we’re overwhelmed enough as is.”

 

“...That bad?” Cathleen mumbles in disbelief.

“That bad. The Gollini Family is continuing to tear through Europe. Humarise is becoming more active meaning INTERPOL has to ramp up their monitoring in hopes of finally gaining enough evidence to designate them as an international villain organization. That’s not even mentioning how difficult taking down that cult is going to be once they are declared villains.

And our own country is in a particularly bad spot due to your extended leave, Captain Celebrity’s death, and the New Island Defense Act. Several top heroes, our Number 1 Hero included, along with many more being drafted to help protect I-Island? What villain here wouldn’t take advantage of that?”

A country’s power is primarily determined by the strength of its heroes, their military also playing a part, albeit a much lesser one, in the few countries that still have them. Deploying them abroad upsets the equilibrium and invites all manner of attack on a nation. Whenever a wealth of heroes are dispatched, crime syndicates jump into overdrive.

Naturally, the same goes for if a wealth of heroes or a top hero were to suddenly retire or die. America had both happen in short succession, and it paid the price for it. A near five percent increase in overall crime rates according to the data given, and it was already above twenty percent.

Villains have been going on a rampage across the country, and plenty of lives were lost as a result.

“...I’m sorry.” She sheepishly apologies. “I figured that the United States could manage for a while without me, and I couldn’t just ignore my master’s cry for help.” 

“I get it, Star. I’m an All Might fan too, and I know how much you’ve been wanting a team-up mission with the Symbol of Peace himself. And it’s not like you’ve been doing nothing over these last few months. 

You helped protect I-Island from the one and only villain attack it's ever faced, and it was a major one at that. You helped stop the quirk-stealing boogeyman himself for crying out loud! Your reputation on the international stage has skyrocketed, and many already see you as the next All Might. 

You did good, Star, but right now, your home country needs you. The United States needs its Number 1 Hero now more than ever.”

“Alright. I’ll handle all the domestic threats I can; it should be a whole lot easier with what I learned during my little vacation. Just please try to push for saving Japan. All Might needs us.” Cathleen begs.

“I promise to do my best.” The president agrees. “Take the rest of today to get settled. I already had intel on plenty of domestic threats delivered to Commander Agpar; if you could take care of those starting tomorrow, that would be well appreciated.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll show those bastards that I AM HERE!!!”

 

In hindsight, the All Might imitation was way less epic then she thought it would be. And way more cringe.

Her bros sure busted her balls for that one, all the way from Washington DC to the Arlington Air Base in Illinois.

It’s no I-Island, but this is where a decent chunk of the country’s aviation research goes, most of it not even being for strictly military purposes. Weather monitoring, wireless communications, computer technology, stuff like that.

Many from other countries see it as one big waste, and the same goes for militaries in general. Why bother with them when you have heroes, right? As for clean-up crews once said heroes finish up, well, that’s what the police are for, right?

Not at the ‘Home of Heroes’, they aren’t. 

Regular guns were often seen as ineffective against Quirks in this day and age (modified guns and other weapons like the ones Long Haul distributed proving to be a very different story back in Japan), but she has been around enough military hardware to know how stupid that idea was.

Some quirks could let their users resist them. Others let them be fast enough to dodge or simply redirect them. Heroes, villains, and vigilantes who don’t have those kinds of quirks can be killed with guns just as easily as your regular old civilian.

“So should we start calling you ‘Star Might’ or what?”

“What about All Star?”

“Lady Might?”

“Laugh it up, why don’t you?” She rolls her eyes as they park their jets and hop on out. 

“Ah, don’t be like that, Star. Your imitation was almost as good as Mini-Might back in Japan, and you didn’t even have his quirk to help out!”

“Pretty sure that was just natural talent.”

“Would that even be a talent?”

“Sure looked like a talent to me.”

“Maybe that was his quirk and he was misdiagnosed as a kid?”

“He was definitely misdiagnosed, no way can any quirkless human cry waterfalls worth of tears like that.”

“Welcome back, everyone.” Commander Agpar ends the bickering, walking out onto the runway they just parked at. “Your rooms have already been cleaned up; try to keep them that way this time.”

“No promises, old man.” Ethan smirks back. “You get the files yet?”

“I did, and you all certainly have your work cut out for you tomorrow, so be sure to get a good night’s rest.”

“Got it. Thanks, commander.” Cathleen smiles in appreciation before looking back towards her bros. “We turning in for the night or what?”

“After we just got back home? I say we celebrate a little at least. I’ll even take the grill; nothing gets you guys smiling more than Papa Wedge’s old classic Wedge BBQ Ribs! HOORAH!!!”

“HOORAH!!!”

Texas BBQ Ribs and Baby Back Ribs were just the appetizer that night. The crew also split brisket, pulled pork, an entire roasted chicken, jalapeno cheese sausage, coleslaw, some baked beans, cajun fries, cornbread muffins, white cheddar bacon Mac & Cheese…

They’ll work off the extra calories tomorrow. 

 

She had a blast with her bros over the next few hours, but that lingering feeling never went away. She isn’t even sure what that feeling is. 

Anger? Regret? Doubt? Fear?

Long Haul’s speech still weighs heavily on her mind. 

It would be easy to dismiss his claims as the ramblings of a madman, but that villain is no fool.

Entire countries would fall to his power if he so desired, yet he doesn’t do that, instead relying on those not truly with him, completely separate groups, to do his dirty work most of the time. 

It’s not just to conserve and hide his own forces, she realizes that now. Long Haul is also doing this to prove a point. 

He isn’t trying to fix or even conquer society… because he gave up on society. 

Despite having so much power, so much influence, so much control, he well and truly believes that trying to fully insert himself into their society would be nothing but a waste of time, a lost cause. He thinks he would drown like the rest of them if he boarded this sinking ship.

This isn’t just the hero society in Japan either, but everywhere. All across the world, these flaws are festering.

Cathleen isn’t naive. She isn’t the same starstruck child she was when All Might saved her so many years ago. She’s been the top hero of America for decades on end, and a part of the military on top of that.

She knows that hero societies everywhere are far from being squeaky clean, that they aren’t all sunshine and rainbows. The crime rates of most countries don’t reach above 20% without some sort of corruption on the lawful side of this equation.

It’s not like she doesn’t do anything about it either. She’s made her hatred of discrimination known. She donates plenty of her absurd salary to various charities across the country. She does what she can do to help fix these issues, yet isn’t nearly enough to truly solve it.

“Don’t worry, Star. When the going gets tough, we’ll be here.” Another of her bros declares, doing his own imitation of All Might. “Whether it’s Long Haul, the MLA, that monster who took down your master, or any other villains we’re put up against.”

“Appreciate it, bros. But that’s not what I’m down in the dumps about. Stopping the villains is all well and good, but temporary at best. Like a cycle that’ll keep repeating until the good guys give out.”

“There’s always gonna be bad people out there, Star. Trying to stop villainy for good is impossible no matter how much power you have.” 

“I know that, but stopping at least some of the root causes sounds a lot more reasonable, right? Look at all the shit this country’s HPSC did, how much corruption there was on a fundamental level. 

Why were quirk restrictions so severe? Why were poorer areas not revitalized? Why not raise minimum wages and provide more services for people with heteromorphic quirks? Wouldn’t that reduce the number of villains?

It totally would, and that’s the problem. Fewer villains means fewer heroes, and if Japan’s citizens weren’t so dependent on heroes, would they need their HPSC so much? Would people still be clamoring to be heroes, and thus under their thumbs, if they could use their quirks more freely?

 

Just… ugh. My master put a lifetime’s worth of blood, sweat, and tears to clean up villainy in Japan. He gave everything to make that country peaceful for once, and this is how the fucking government thanks him. 

Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely not like that everywhere. Nowhere else in the world had the same leeway Japan did during the ‘Golden Era of Peace’ All Might created, but in turn, desperation causes similar issues to sprout up. 

Many of these problems are still present in all other hero systems, just to a lesser extent. Long Haul put the writing on the wall; at this rate, the whole world’s gonna go to shit before we know it, and I don’t have a clue how to fucking fix it!”

“Do you believe such can be done, or would it be better to start back from square one?” Commander Agpar speaks up.

Cathleen glances over, not remembering the commander coming over to celebrate with the rest of them, only to spot one of her bros holding his phone out.

“What? You looked like you could use some sagely advice.” Said bro smirks, getting a light punch to the shoulder in return as Star grabs the phone.

“Tough to say.” She then admits. “Long Haul gave up hope, and that guy could potentially bring the entire world under his heel if he wanted to. From the sound of it, he would rather hide out until the dust settles and start up a new society from scratch over the ashes of our current one.”

“Long Haul thinks that, but what about you?” The commander questions. “It’s correct to say that when looking at the way things are, heroes will never truly win in the end. 

The creation of ‘villains’ is inherent in this Hero System. Villains feed on this Hero System. Heroes can only try to keep the villains at bay, preserve the peace, or risk everything collapsing.

Such is how it’s been since the Dawn of Quirks ended, and such is what remains to this day. Children observe adults as they grow. Adults, in turn, support the children as they pass it forward and so on, to the next generation. That’s why heroes wield their power, in the name of this cause.” Timothy Agpar reflects.

 

Heroes are a massive business, a centerpiece of the system that nobody wants to change, and if you try… you’re clearly a villain supporter, aren’t you? Who else would try to suggest that heroes aren’t perfect if not a villain or someone supporting them? 

It’s easier to fight those opposing it than to try to change anything, especially if you were among those benefiting from it. Especially if the whole show business made people see everything in white and black. 

Japan’s HPSC especially was one big villain-enabling scheme. It was the quintessence of their system, one dedicated to keeping it in its present form. The same form that, through support companies, advertisement, merchandise, and so on, was a massive generator of money and clout.

Marrying show business with law enforcement wouldn’t end well, especially when most of the audience now hates the performers. Not to mention what happens when more villains are created then what the heroes can handle.

“Everything’s falling apart…” The world’s strongest hero mumbles, staring at the screens. “The system is broken, but it’s the only one we have. And while there are plenty of guilty people scattered around, there are still plenty of innocents around too. 

I won’t run. I won’t hide. But if the end really is inevitable, I will survive while saving as many people as possible. I’ll learn what I can, and make sure that those lessons aren’t forgotten, that whatever rises up in this society’s place won’t make the same mistakes it made!”

“Hell yeah! We’ll face Armageddon head-on and come out the other side better than ever!” Ethan hollers, starting a round of cheers and battle cries from her bros. 

Even Cathleen joins in, feeling a whole lot better than she did several minutes ago. 

She’ll give it her best shot, as that’s all she can do. 

 

 

 

Bonus: Star and Stripe’s P̶e̶r̶s̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶S̶h̶i̶t̶l̶i̶s̶t̶ Villain Rankings + Commentary

(each tier ranked in order from most to least threatening, at least for her)

SSSS-Rank Villains (Worldwide Threats):

• Long Haul - no shit
• Flect Turn/Humarise - touch-starved smurf is gonna wish she was Gargamel
• Valdo Gollini/Gollini Family - two-bit mafia is lucky the WHA is still so lazy
• HPSC President/Japan’s HPSC - mainly her personal spite talking

SSS-Rank Villains (Country-Wide Threats):

• Unknown Meta Liberation Army Leader(s)/MLA - they won’t go down like Destro did way back when; it’ll be a whole lot worse
• Gigantomachia - the bigger he gets, the more ass she can kick
• Nine - she’ll be sure to hold him hostage in front of Long Haul next time
• All For One - old news

SS-Rank Villains (Prefecture/State-Wide Threats):

• Queen Bee - don’t you just hate insects?
• League of Villains - still at large, ideally not for long
• Endeavor - a goddamn disgrace to Number 1 Heroes everywhere

S-Rank Villains (City-Wide/Typical Top 10 Hero Threats):

• Japan’s other current Top 10 Heroes - some are double-agents, the others can go fuck themselves

Chapter 91: Star and Stripe - Rampage

“Hey, hey! I saw you on the news today!” Nejire Hado chirps as her fellow Big 3 member walks into their dormitory. 

“You took down those fire guys before they knew what hit them! And saved almost fifty people from the buildings they were burning too! Way to go, Mirio! Were those guys really thieves though? They mostly burned stuff instead of stealing stuff.”

“Weird as it is, the Volcano Thieves lived up to the second half of their name. First half too, at least in terms of temper.” Mirio shrugs back. “How did your latest Team-Up Missions go?”

“Majestic was great! I still prefer Ryukyu, but with how similar his quirk was to part of mine, I could still learn a bunch about mid-air combat… and he doesn’t support the regime, but we were forced to hunt down some former heroes.” The energy-wielder explains, subconsciously whispering that last part.

They learned to hide their dislike while in public, changing topics when it popped up in live interviews and calmly defusing any angry civilians to the best of their ability. They do what they’re ordered to, but bend the rules however they can to help more people.

 

“I had to deal with protests again…” The final Big 3 member mumbles. “I don’t like it. Heroes were like drops in an ocean of angry people, and I can’t blame them for being angry.

A few vigilantes then showed up, riling people up more. Some heroes trying to get in the Commission’s good books let loose right after, taking them down… hurting several dozen civilians in the process. I’m pretty sure one of the vigilantes died too, and I’m pretty sure the Pro-Heroes’ attempt worked.

Some civilians panicked and accidently activated their quirks right after, and they were beaten down too. Situation turned into a horrific scuffle between angry mobs and bloodthirsty heroes. I had to personally arrest over two dozen civilians even though only a few used their quirks, and out of subconscious fear at that.”

Both his best friends come over to support him. They don’t like it either, but they also don’t have much of a choice.

“Trust me, I hate it too. I know the Commission is purposefully sticking me with larger missions against unquestionably evil villains to further prop me up as the next All Might. 

While it gives me the chance to save plenty of people, it still feels like I’m doing more harm than good, supporting such a system. Sir told me he’s working on a way to fix this, to have the World Heroes Association step in and stop the HPSC, but politics can be tricky at the best of times.” Mirio sighs.

The fact that the trio of thieves were broken out of their transports to Tartarus doesn’t help his already somber mood, but he remains hopeful. 

Not overly, naively hopeful. Instead, it’s more of a determined kind of hopeful from the bigger picture he’s been given. He knows the way forward. He knows what to expect. He knows what to do.

Both Nejire and Tamaki can see how their friend has changed overtime. Had this been his first-year self, he would’ve been cracking a lot more jokes and remained naively confident of Japan’s heroes fixing things. Perhaps he would’ve even immediately resisted actively, being branded a vigilante and taken down in days at most.

Now? Mirio knows better. He’s more mature, more aware. Sir Nighteye didn’t teach him how to be like All Might; he taught Mirio how to be the best version of himself he could possibly be. 

He long since prepared Mirio for hero society getting exposed for what it is, investigating all the dirty little secrets being kept behind the scenes and coming up with ways to eventually fix these societal problems.

He’ll continue doing his best, as that’s all he can do. Whether the country is (very temporarily, he hopes) being led by a corrupt regime or falling apart in civil war, his main priority will always be saving people. 

If he himself could directly stop the HPSC, he would, but he isn’t an idiot. He knows what trying that would get him, Sir made that very clear. 

 

Instead, he’ll be patient. He knows that despite there being more heroes in Japan than ever before, the HPSC is desperate. They desperately desire to return to the status quo, or to form a new one that they have even greater power and control in.

Sir had told him most HPSC members both loved and hated All Might in the same breath. His actions kept villains at bay and created more heroes that they could influence. Furthermore, he never did anything to outright thwart any of their agendas.

But they couldn’t control him. There was nothing they could do to coerce him or force him to follow any of their plans. They had to work around him, and that rankled them.

This regime they created is their last-ditch effort to achieve that. They have Endeavor as a new Number 1, but he’s one of the most hated heroes in Japan right now. They have Hawks, but even if he wasn’t exposed as their secret assassin, putting him in that role has its own host of issues.

So they’re now attempting to make Mirio himself dependent on the Commission, attempting to mold him to their will. They’re doing the same with Sir Nighteye considering his role as Mirio’s mentor, and he can only imagine what his mentor is being forced to do to keep up the act.

The least Mirio can do is play along for the time being, give his mentor and allies enough time to find a new way forward and save Japan from its own corruption.

“Don’t worry, you guys. The situation isn’t completely hopeless yet; All Might, Sir, and the others haven’t given up yet!”

And if they ever need help, the Victorious Hero: Lemillion will be more than happy to provide it!

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐ 1 Month 20 Days Until The Second Meta Liberation War

As the old saying goes, if you love what you do, you’ll never have to work a day in your life.

Cathleen Bate had plenty of hobbies, most of which being shared with her bros. Whether it’s watching or playing various sports with them, going out for a beer with them, having the occasional movie night with them, or even having the occasional prank war with each other, New Order being very useful in those.

But she certainly loved being a hero. Bringing hope to people, the power that her quirk gave her, the rush of launching herself through the air, she loves it all.

She also loved figuring out new ways to utilize her quirk, although that hobby has waned over the years as she and her bros gradually ran out of ideas. Rules like ‘Cathleen Bate has a complete understanding of the fundamental laws of reality’ didn’t work either, this being too much for her power to accomplish.

Well her time away has both taught and inspired her a lot. All Might, Nezu, and as much as she hates to admit it, especially Long Haul.

“New Order. I, Cathleen Bate, am in possession of two quirks: New Order and Foresight.”

 

That fun little trick was one she got a good grasp over before returning to the states, being able to provide herself or a target of her choosing copies of quirks.

It has plenty of limits, the main one being the human body not being able to naturally handle multiple quirks. Without a quirk like All For One’s or whatever mad science he and Long Haul do, getting around that limit is impossible without dedicating a second rule to temporarily increasing the quirk factor of a person or people.

Without that, she can only provide a second quirk for herself or someone else for a couple hours at most before they go brain-dead, and it’s not like there aren’t any negative side effects before that either. None before brain-death are permanent, but it still gets bad for most after an hour or so. 

Back to the quirk-stealing quirk, another limitation is not being able to replicate absurdly powerful quirks like All For One, One For All, or New Order.

What she doesn’t know is that she specifically can’t copy any kind of Artificial Quirk, as like All For One and New Order, they are simply too powerful for her quirk to replicate as it currently is. 

She won’t be replicating her own quirk anytime soon; whether through technology or actually making duplicates of the quirk, the ability to artificially reprogram reality itself is out of her reach… well unless she gets Long Haul’s help, but she’d do that when hell freezes over.

Another limit is that effects from quirks like Nezu’s High Specs are too much for humans to naturally handle without a second rule being used to prevent any backlash from quirks. That rule also allows easier usage of multiple quirks, but specifically increasing the quirk factor with a rule has better results when it comes to quirk quantity. 

She also has to have a good understanding of the quirk in question, this being a requirement for pretty much anything she does with New Order. 

Both a name and knowledge on what it does is required, so for example, she can’t just copy Endeavor’s quirk after hearing the name Hellflame. She has to see the quirk in action or at least get a basic understanding about its functions before being able to replicate it herself.

She can’t copy-paste quirks into an infinite number of people, just one quirk or set of quirks per rule. She can’t permanently provide others with extra quirks or an increased quirk factor through roundabout wording either. The extra quirks and/or increased quirk factor only last as long as the rule that provided them does. 

Even so, despite all these limitations, this alone increases her threat level by an order of magnitude, and she has no intention of stopping here. 

But first, she has a home country to save. 

 

Using a New Order rule to speed up her own processing power, she tore through the massive stack of documents in no time flat. She has her work cut out for her, but she and her bros can handle it.

A campaign across the entire country, a reminder that the Home of Heroes wasn’t a villains’ playground. Using a copy of Sir Nighteye’s quirk on Ethan Drive helped both iron out the details of the next week or so and most likely providing an even better outcome then she would’ve gotten otherwise. 

She knows she can’t blindly rely on this quirk. Any attempted usage to peer far into the future came out as a blurry, garbled mess, just as it did for Sir Nighteye himself. If Long Haul isn’t somehow at fault for that, she’ll eat her cape. 

“Alright, bros.” She grins, jumping atop Ethan’s jet. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve got some serious shit to work through and a country full of bastardized targets to take it out on. Let’s get this party started! 

First major stop, Maine! We’ll comb through the country east to west, but we’ll be stopping at Pennsylvania first, got a group of A-Rank terrorists planning to destroy a dam.”

“Lead the way, Star!”

The United States is about 1,650 miles from north to south and 2,800 miles from east to west. With the X-66 Fighter Jets being able to travel at well over 5,000 miles per hour, and a strength rule also letting her travel at absurd speeds, taking down various villains across the country in a week becomes much more feasible.

She’ll relay her game plan to Commander Agpar on the way there, and he’ll alert everyone else who needs the heads up. Heroes, police, and soldiers alike will be ready for clean-up and transport once she’s done, letting her focus purely on blitzing villains.

As much as she wants to stay behind and continue helping after these battles, there’s simply no time with the statement she’s trying to make. The goal is to scare villains across the country shitless now that she’s back.

Cathleen will still do her best to help victims and keep collateral to a minimum while subduing any villains, but when it comes to the aftermath, police, soldiers, and heroes across the other country will be able to do more, especially when given time to prepare for specifically that.

No point trying to tackle this all herself. This needs to be a massive team effort if it’s gonna work out. 

First up, wiping the floor with some particularly bold S-Rank Villains behaving like the Quirk Warlords of old and a few groups of A-Rank Villains on the way.

In missions like these ones, Cathleen normally wouldn’t be in costume as Star and Stripe, instead opting for a black tactical uniform. The presence of this country’s Number 1 Hero would immediately tip them off and lead to them fleeing, if not instigating a confrontation and putting thousands of people living in the areas these villains have taken over at risk.

But she had a message to send out, a message that she was here and more powerful than ever before. She’ll take these villains down before they can even try running or gathering hostages.

“New Order! The lasers are homing!”

A favorite rule of hers when going around with her bros. Sniping villains from thousands upon thousands of feet in the air never gets old, and Foresight lets her know where they need to aim well in advance. 

The group of A-Ranks are pretty tough so they only get knocked out with severe burns from the brief contact rather than killed, but that’s still a takedown in literal seconds. 

A rural town in Northwest Maine is next, several hundred villains with mutant quirks having taken it over, vying for bigoted supremacy. 

The S-Rank leading them is a real nasty piece of work, and most of these guys have vastly enhanced senses, but a strength rule combined with a rule that prevents others from picking up on her presence lets her blitz through them all in minutes. 

Police and some more heroes arrive on the scene soon after, and she leaves the rest to them, hopping on one of her jets and taking off. 

 

Similar scenarios happen as she and her bros go from state to state, knowing when and where her many targets for the day are and how to take them down thanks to Foresight. The quirk itself may not stick around when she cancels the rule, but the information she got from its usage is a very different story.

And that’s far from the only quirk she temporarily gives herself and her bros that day. Having access to America’s quirk registry gave her plenty of options for certain situations, and knowing about some of Japan’s most powerful quirks from her time at UA High helped plenty too.

Creation came in handy from time to time; the original quirk’s owner horrifically underutilized it before dropping out of her school’s hero course, but Cathleen can put it to much better use.

Weather Manipulation was another good one, pouring rain and fierce hurricanes helping to quickly put out a massive fire in Kentucky by an A-Rank Villain who doubled as an insane pyromaniac. Suck on that, Nine.

She was writing a new chapter in her legend, taking down villains left and right, scoring openly outlandish amounts of villain captures per day over the next week, and all across the country at that.

Nobody could hope to stop her; even the most dangerous S-Rank Villains she came across barely managed to hinder her. 

An infamous S-Rank thief who somehow got stronger the more money he stole held her back a bit with the collective strength of over ten million dollars. 

An S-Rank crime boss who could control animals made a mess at New York’s Central Park Zoo with his gang; she gave herself a copy of Anivoice to counter any orders he tried to give before knocking him out.  

An S-Rank Villain (unknown originally, given the rank post-mortem) with a hydra transformation quirk boosted by Trigger went on a rampage across Florida… for about five minutes. Her bros tore holes through its wings and she bashed in all three of its golden heads after it crash-landed on a cleared beach. Godzillo probably would’ve gotten a kick out of that guy.

Their first day at this was pretty successful, as was their first night, second day, second night…

Some quirks that let people recover stamina and mental fatigue faster helped them all keep going. That and tuning in on the occasional news story regarding Japan worked wonders at keeping their motivation up.

Spite really is a powerful motivator. 

From maniacs with powerful quirks causing chaos for the hell of it to more religious and political villain factions like quirk supremacists and modern day Anti-Meta organizations (Flect Turn can go suck his blue balls; he’s not recruiting shit in the states if she has anything to say about it), Cathleen goes on an absolute rampage over the next week, taking down every villain in sight.

Whether it’s mere F-Rank Villains or even Unranked Villains she just so happened to pass by while they caused chaos to organizations rivaling that of the Wild Villains and Creature Rejection Clan at their peak in Japan in terms of size and firepower, she took down whoever she could whenever she could.

And the results of this rampage speak for themselves.

 

“Almost five thousand villains, a hundred and forty of them being A-Ranked and eighteen of them being S-Ranked. In one week.” Commander Agpar repeats at the debriefing. “And that’s just the apprehensions you were directly responsible for.”

“Most were in a few pretty large groups and temporary copies of Foresight carried us bigtime, but yeah, that sounds about right.”

“...What the actual fuck, Cassie?”

“Woah, did the commander just swear?! You really did it this time, Star.” Ethan snickers. 

“Hey, it was a team effort.” She smirks back, lightly punching his shoulder. 

“Is this some kind of record? It has to be some kind of record, right?”

“I would assume so.” The commander sighs. “I’d be shocked if you didn’t get a medal of honor soon, if not for this, then for your actions at I-Island and Japan.”

“Well tell whoever’s in charge of setting that up to take their time. Even with New Order and the temporary quirks it can create, we’re all running on fumes right now.” Cathleen admits.

“Did any of you get even a lick of sleep over the last week?”

“Sleep? What’s that, another S-Rank Villain? Looks like we missed one, boys. Let’s move out!” Another one of her bros jokes before yawning.

“Get some rest. All of you. That’s an order.”

“Alright, alright. If you insist, old man.”

Collapsing onto her bed, Cathleen is out before her head even hits the pillow. 

 

Last week was a lot, even for her. Being stuck guarding UA for a while did get a bit boring, even if she got to help train some hero course classes in the meantime, but she’d take boring peace over villain-infested action any day. She’d be a pretty selfish prick not to.

What’s more is she wasn’t just taking down villains left and right. Like she claimed before, if the world really is gonna eventually end, she’ll not only survive, but learn what she can before that happens.

Everyone has their own story. Their own hopes, dreams, views, morals, all that jazz. A lot of these are gonna be different, and a lot of these are gonna come into conflict with each other.

How the hell are you supposed to resolve something like that? Or in the worst case, how would you prevent such a thing from appearing again if you had to start from scratch?

Cathleen had absolutely no idea. She isn’t very smart with these sorts of things… but that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t try.

And she would start by searching for answers. Not just one type of answer, but all sorts of answers from all sorts of people. She wanted to learn their stories, because wouldn’t that be the best first step to do?

Now she couldn’t just ask every villain she came across what their origin story was as she’s arresting them. In fact, most people wouldn’t be very open with sharing information like that.

So as much as she didn’t like the idea, she had to be a bit more slippery and a bit more forceful. 

A New Order rule could allow her to read the minds of others without they themselves noticing. It’s not like she could pick up every single memory they had in the brief window she usually had, but she could get the key details.

She would only do this to villains, not heroes or innocent civilians. This doesn’t harm the villains in any way either; they don’t even know it’s happening, so no harm no foul, right? 

Well, so long as she doesn’t get carried away with it, and her bros will make sure she doesn’t.

This helped her learn a lot. She could start seeing things from various perspectives, understanding why these people did what they did.

It’s not that she’s trying to redeem these villains as they’re causing chaos all around them, trying to do that takes a special brand of stupid. Whatever reasons they have, their faults are still legit.

Which are more important, the past lives that can’t be helped, or the innocent lives the former are endangering? The answer is obvious, right?

But by doing this, she would be able to hopefully save a lot more people down the line by preventing more villains from emerging. If not in this society, then in the next one.

One sixteen-hour long nap later and she wakes up in a panic, only to learn that she and her bros were given the day off. They really did need it.

It gave her some time to both reflect and check up on Japan’s 'situation' again. 

 

Starting with the latter, the HPSC turned official Japanese government was set on a downward spiral towards total dictatorship, and they were determined to maintain that power the only way they knew how: heroes, heroes, and more heroes under their heel.

Being on track to trample various personal rights and upend decades of legal precedent all in the name of safety, they needed to show that they could actually give that safety. They needed a crackdown on everything. Drug dealers, smuggling rings, Black Market traders, gangs, villain hideouts, all of it.

And this needed to be done fast, not just to appease the general public, but to catch the important players in Japan’s underworld before their scramble to get everything they have underground ends. If the HPSC is too slow, whatever leads they currently have will become useless.

The public was scared, concerned, and looking for solutions, and this was an opportunity to regain their trust and support. They needed to launch a killing blow that goes down in history as something the underworld would never fully recover from, just as All Might did against All For One over half a decade ago.

So the equivalent of a military draft was given, forcing any retired heroes aged fifty or under and any retired police officers aged sixty or under back into active service. 

For reference, most heroes tend to retire in their early 30s. Not everyone has access to a powerful healer, and even if they did, dying on the job can be pretty common depending on the country. What usually happens is injuries, both temporary and permanent, tend to rack up over years of service and heroes are thus forced to retire for their own safety. 

Not only that, but hero students who either have Provisional Licenses or currently undergoing Remedial Exams can’t transfer out of their schools’ hero courses, making it pretty much treason under the law. Anything and everything is being done to ensure that no hero students will have any choice besides standing up and fighting the unending waves of villains.

It also ensures no hero school will suddenly empty out of hero students. Extremely fucked up to put it lightly, and what’s more fucked up is how some hero schools are overjoyed at the idea of getting fame and affluence through their students, sacrificing children at the altar of their own reputation and greed.

Now some bonuses, perks, and alternative options were given to make the mandation more appealing. Heroes and police who were especially old and/or physically damaged could instead become lower-level HPSC employees in charge of logistics, handling hordes of paperwork and phone calls rather than hordes of villains.

Many Pro-Heroes exposed for HPSC-related corruption got the backing they needed to defend against public lynching, becoming more of a paramilitary force for the HPSC rather then your regular street-level heroes.

And plenty of propaganda about gaining more fame and glory by ‘saving’ the country and becoming the next All Might (or in the case of hero schools, becoming the new UA High) also encouraged people, but ultimately, many hated this decision for obvious reasons.

Hero students with Provisional Hero Licenses were also given similar responsibilities to fully-fledged adult Pro-Heroes, the Team-Up Mission program continuing onward to net them more experience and keep villains on their toes.

Remedial Exams were also rushed, everyone taking part in them likely to be passed by the end of November instead of late December, even if they aren’t ready for it.

This immediately multiplied the HPSC’s forces severalfold, propelling them into a better spot quantity-wise then even the Golden Age of Peace. There were now more heroes and police than ever before, but that massive increase in quantity came at a major cost in quality.

Ideally, hunting down the hordes of villains wrecking havoc across the archipelago would shake rust off bones and turn green Hero Students into experienced pros in record time, the elderly heroes forced back into service guiding them to further improve the next generation.

Unfortunately for them, not everything was quite so simple.

 

For starters, as mentioned before, many retired heroes and police weren’t very big fans of this draft despite the extra benefits they would get, not to mention hero students.

The country was just as, if not more dangerous now than it was before All Might came onto the scene, and while some of them would thrive, many more would die against this growing wave of villainy. The HPSC was essentially throwing bodies at their long list of problems, and not all of the cannon fodder was fond of being forced in that position.

Both Pro-Heroes and Police Officers, whether currently in active service or forced back in due to the draft, had issues with this. Many, many issues. As a result, many chose to become vigilantes instead or simply join the masses of protestors and rioters, not wanting to become or remain part of that corrupted cesspool. 

Doing that had them automatically branded as villains and usually made examples of by Endeavor or Hawks, the new Number 1 and 2 Heroes of Japan respectively.

Number 1 and 2 Commission Cronies, more like it. 

Despite that, like with heroes and police, there were far more vigilantes than ever before, those guys more often than not targeting heroes instead of villains. It was practically a civil war at this point, the term ‘Vigilante War’ being thrown around more and more. 

It’s barely been half a month since Long Haul’s latest move and the results are already horrific for the heroes. He himself hasn’t stepped out into the open yet, but the Meta Liberation Army has been making some more moves.

How could they not with the golden opportunity placed in front of them? From Vigilantes needing support and a cause to rally behind to Pro-Heroes and Police looking for a way out to regular civilians fed up with the corruption and restrictions to other villains serving as a massive smokescreen for their own operations.

Parts regarding the MLA weren’t covered by international news channels. Instead, she has Sir Nighteye to thank for that intel.

Nezu, Nighteye, and All Might were put in a really tough spot thanks to Long Haul. They could definitely rally plenty of heroes behind their own cause, most of Japan’s old top 10 included (most of the new top ten were just HPSC sycophants), and have a solid shot at winning the resulting civil war.

But said civil war would cause horrific amounts of casualties among Pro-Heroes, police, and general infrastructure. Whether they won or lost, the Meta Liberation Army would easily steamroll through what little remains if they really do have well beyond 100,000 members. 

And then Long Haul himself would either steamroll through or subsume the MLA into his own forces, if he hasn’t already done that.

So yeah, no way can the heroes win like that. 

 

If there was any solace to all of this, the HPSC still has no idea that Nezu, Nighteye, All Might, and most of the old, surviving top heroes were conspiring against them. The HPSC President still sees Nezu as a school principal, not an actual threat. 

They could take advantage of this, as much as they all hated the idea. They wouldn’t take any direct action for now, instead keeping their heads low and going along with the HPSC’s demands. 

Sneaking out of the country may be possible, even with all the new restrictions with international travel put in place, but they don’t want to just abandon Japan. They still want to save whoever they can because they’re heroes. True heroes, not whatever bullshit the HPSC classifies the label as.

Ideally, the HPSC’s rapid aggression would spur the MLA into revealing themselves and those two would duke it out, causing the WHA and UN to step in and finish them both off. Pretty similar to Long Haul’s usual strategy of getting multiple enemies to take each other down instead of dealing with them himself, but if it works, it works. 

Another positive is that Sir Nighteye was in the HPSC’s good books well before their self-coup. 

His work during the CRC-WV Villain War was pretty impressive, his oversight over Osaka has allowed the small trading city to thrive with minimal heroes, and his oldest student, Mirio Togata, is seen as a genuine contender for the next Symbol of Peace. 

Not to mention the actual successor of All Might being there too, not that the HPSC knows about One For All or All Might himself having chosen a successor. Izuku Midoriya still has a lot to learn, but she’s sure he’ll become a great hero someday too. 

So Nighteye offered to take advantage of this, become a close confidant of the HPSC who doubled as an agent for Nezu, All Might, and the others. He would be in a position to both keep the HPSC off their backs and know a good chunk of what they were up to behind closed doors.

What none of them know is this also ensures the HPSC will steer clear of Osaka and Sekan’s other assets on the Japanese mainland. Some more heroes and other law enforcement will be inevitably sent, but that little is easy for Kuin to secretly take control over.

 

It’s been working so far… mostly. Mirio Togata was willing to play along too for the time being, continuing to work towards his goal of saving a million people while waiting for an opportune moment to strike back against the HPSC. 

As for Izuku Midoriya, he hasn’t taken things nearly as well. He has a good heart and plenty of determination, but he’s still young. He’s still inexperienced and naive. You’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger hero otaku than him.

Hero worship that borders on blind fanaticism, it was a flaw of his that they tried to iron out by putting him under Nighteye and having him help in the investigation against Endeavor. It helped a little, but the corruption was still far more widespread than they could’ve ever imagined.

Poor kid, having your whole world shatter like that. He practically went catatonic at the discovery after they tore through most of the self-delusion he still had, and he wanted to stop this injustice no matter what afterwards. Unfortunately, things just weren’t that simple. This wasn’t a problem you could simply punch your way through.

Having a Provisional Hero License, he has to continue doing the Team-Up Mission program, and while Nighteye has bits of influence in the HPSC, Izuku is still getting exposed to some rather unsavory Pro-Heroes as he isn’t nearly as important to the HPSC’s plans as Mirio. He can’t just ignore the order or quit, because he would then be branded as a villain and a traitor.

To make matters worse, these heroes can’t really help much with training his own quirk. He’s still hovering around five percent of that stockpiled power with no extra quirks being brought out on his own yet. 

Nighteye is doing his best, but it just isn’t enough to help the kid.

When (not if, WHEN) the WHA and UN finally take action against Japan, she’ll make sure that Sir Nighteye is seen as an undercover agent rather than a genuine higher-up of that regime. 

For now, all she can do is prepare for her return. She’ll continue getting stronger and discovering more about New Order, all while saving her own country in the process, and she’ll-

*bzzzzzzzzt* *bzzzzzzzzt* *bzzzzzzzzt*

‘Who’s calling now?... All Might?’ She gives a slight gasp before answering.

“Hey, master. What’s wro-”

“ALL FOR ONE IS BREAKING OUT OF TARTARUS!!!”

Oh… shit. 

 

“How can I help?” Cathleen questions, barely holding herself back from flying straight to Japan again.

“Nighteye’s keeping me updated; HPSC is completely lost at what they’re seeing and they know he has plenty of experience dealing with the demon lord… and unlike me, he supposedly isn’t morally against this regime of theirs. 

He hasn’t managed to breach the prison from inside yet, but if he does and tries to flee the country…”

“I’ll handle him, and I doubt the WHA and UN will oppose that. How close is he?”

“Um, well… it’s rather strange, if I’m being honest.” The former symbol mutters. 

“Strange how?”

“From what Nighteye has told me, it doesn’t even appear to be a conscious effort. To give some context, among other things, Tartarus monitors the brain waves of their captors to ensure they are made aware if they even think about using their quirks. 

Ideally, they would be gunned down before even activating their powers. Of course, this system is far from foolproof, especially considering the countless quirks All For One has taken over the years, so he could no doubt at least partially fool the monitors.

However, several seconds before his breakout attempt began, his brain waves started going all over the place. I’m no neuroscientist, but I can at least compare a ‘normal’ chart to his own. 

I would claim this was done on purpose, but seconds after these anomalistic patterns began showing, All For One started screaming in what almost sounds like agony, firing off quirks at random as he rolled around.”

 

“Seriously? Is he even trying to escape right now?” Cathleen raises an eyebrow.

“It doesn’t appear so. He’s already killed several captives on his floor and damaged much of its infrastructure despite the wardens completely sealing off that level. The other villains present are fighting back for their lives, but to no avail.”

“And he’s on the lowest floor, right?”

“Yes. Section B-10, the deepest layer of Tartarus that is 500 meters below sea level. If the walls are completely punctured, the water pressure is likely to kill him.”

“Or he could have some bullshit quirk to bypass that and swim to safety.”

“That too, which is why I’m calling you. As I said before, if All For One does wish to flee the country and succeeds in doing so, giving him the opportunity to recover would make our already dire situation even worse.”

“Leave it to me, master!” Cathleen declares. “I’ll have Commander Agpar pass on your message to the US President, and have him alert the WHA and UN. They should get me clearance to engage by the end of the day; if anyone can threaten them into getting their asses in gear, it’s the quirk-stealing boogeyman.”

“Thank you, Cassie.”

“Of course!... do you think Long Haul is somehow behind this?”

“It certainly crossed my mind. The League of Villains hasn’t made any moves since Kamino, excluding Gigantomachia’s debut, and he hasn’t been spotted either since defeating me. 

According to Nighteye, the HPSC even planned to have Hawks infiltrate the LOV, but he hasn’t heard a peep from any of them since that mission started right after Kamino.”

“Fucking snakes… so you think Long Haul did something to them? Maybe even killed them?”

“Considering his assumed prior relations to them, the fact he adopted All For One’s biological daughter, and the fact that both father and daughter seem to hate the man, it wouldn’t surprise me if he did. Tomura Shigaraki… my master’s grandson… if Long Haul really did kill him and Gigantomachia, I can only imagine what he’s doing now.”

“Making copies of their quirks, probably. God forbid he actually starts making an endless army of those things out of his own subordinates.”

It’s a possibility she doesn’t even want to begin to imagine, but she can’t just ignore said possibility just because she hates it. She has to get stronger, fast. She needs to learn more, to get more support… and she knows just the place to obtain it.

 

 

 

Status of Main Forces in Japan

HPSC/Government:

• Pro-Heroes - 85,391
• Hero Students (Provisional License) - 6,742
• Police Officers/Other Law Enforcement - 146,190

Meta Liberation Army:

• Regular Warriors - 139,027
• New Wild Villains - 4,291
• New Vigilante Alliance - 3,772
• Hero Spies/Turncoats - 580

Humarise:

• Templars/Grunts - 5,194
• Higher-Ups (Starservant, Beros, Leviathan, etc) - 1

Other International Villain Organizations:

• ??????????

Shie Hassaikai:

• ??????????

Chapter 92: Interlude - Gathering

“What do you mean…” Sekan slowly responds, doing his best to remain calm. “By ‘All For One is going completely and utterly apeshit’?”

The last few weeks had their ups and downs. Mostly downs.

HPSC putting up a much better fight than he anticipated buys him more time, but it also threatens to reveal the MLA and his own empire (even if most of his stuff is either safe in Osaka or far off the mainland already, and the HPSC has no interest in expanding its territory yet). 

Mirio just so happening to come across and arrest one subordinate of Sekan’s after another definitely wasn’t planned by him. Turns out Rei was just the start, and while that encounter was planned, the follow-up ones certainly weren’t. 

Volcano Thieves got nabbed, Innsmouth lost a few of his top guys and some boats full of product, and Nine’s crew would’ve been discovered too if Sekan didn’t specifically instruct them to avoid the hero student during their latest mission.

Bailing out any subordinates of his who got arrested isn’t hard, but it is starting to become a nuisance. And he can’t have NightHaul constantly redirecting the guy either since besides maintaining his cover, Mirio is still taking part in Team-Up Missions, meaning he’s been given different top hero mentors all across the country who are mostly doing their own thing.

Star and Stripe getting one massive power-boost after another also wasn’t part of the plan. She’s broken enough already, damnit!

And now All For One is causing more trouble, because of course he is.

((“Just that.”)) NightHaul elaborates through a mind link. ((“Can you get LabHaul on the line? Something tells me the Pseudo-AFO procedure we recently gave some of our top brass has something to do with this.”))

((“Ah, so he did notice.”)) The clone in question mentally mumbles. 

“Notice what?” The transmigrator hisses, already feeling a headache coming along.

 

((“Okay, so you know one of our top priorities regarding All For One was ensuring both the person and the quirk couldn’t take you over once we implanted the latter into you, right? Willpower-Enhancers and your general expertise regarding the vestigeworld should help a lot, but better safe than sorry, right?”))

“Get to the point.”

((“Well, with a little help from a boosted Reveal, I was able to preemptively dig deep into the quirk itself, uncovering several different resonance effects with other quirks among other things. 

One was with One For All, another was with the AFO duplicate All For One the person currently has, and a few smaller ones were present for each and every Pseudo-AFO quirk we either made or duplicated. 

Yeah, turns out canon Nine wasn’t as free from AFO’s influence as he assumed. The whole ‘compatibility’ requirement the Pseudo-AFO project has also makes a lot more sense now. 

The copies of AFO I created myself in an attempt to make a quirk-storing quirk have this resonance too, it being to various degrees depending on how much weaker the copies are when compared to the original. The weaker the copy, the weaker the resonance.”))

“You know, none of this would be necessary if we just found-”

((“Yoichi’s hand, I know. And for the hundredth time, WE DON’T KNOW WHERE IT FUCKING IS! We can’t just walk around Japan with Reveal active and hope to stumble upon it by chance!

It could have rotted away over the centuries it’s been stored god knows where for all we know! It’s not like we ever saw it outside of super old flashbacks in canon!”)) BossHaul complains. 

“With how possessive All For One can be? I doubt it was left to rot away, forgotten.”

((“While we’re on the subject, remember our copy of Nana Shimura’s hand from Tomura’s old costume and the, uh… incident that happened when we played around with it?”)) LabHaul redirects the conversation.

Sekan and his other clones collectively groan at the mere mention of the recent but infamous ‘Triple N’ incident. 

((“I know, I know. That was primarily my fuckup and we swore to never speak of it again, but this is important!”))

“Nothing is important enough to remind any of us about the ‘Naked Nana Nightmare’, you fucking lunatic.” Sekan growls. 

 

To make a very long story short, LabHaul had convinced Sekan and his other clones to use a Rewind + Overhaul combination on the severed hand of Nana Shimura present in Tomura’s costume. This was after making a duplicate of the hand, once again through Overhaul, as a just in case.

The purpose was to bring back and observe a weaker seventh-gen copy of One For All and compare it to the current, original, ninth-gen version. Naturally, this came with quite a few risks, the main one being the vestiges of both One For Alls managing to contact each other. 

Sekan had a new secret lab built far away from his other ones as a just in case, minimizing the amount of intel the vestiges could get in the worst case scenario. It should be nearly impossible with OFA being nowhere near its singularity state, but Sekan has learned not to chance things with that bullshit quirk.

So once the lab was built and the Sekans were ready to go, the hand was rewound to a point in time where it still had OFA. As a side effect of this process, the rest of the body was reformed.

Now Nana herself didn’t and couldn’t come back to life. Not even Overhaul’s return to factory settings function could pull it off after Rewind was used to restore the body to pristine condition.

However, the seven quirk vestiges within were a different story, and just like what AFO’s vestige did to Tomura in canon after mostly destroying him (plus what Kudo did to Izuku during the Third Round), the vestige’s combined willpower allowed them to possess the restored corpse and go on an absolute rampage within the laboratory.

With a massive memory gap being present, they most likely assumed that Sekan was a cohort of All For One who managed to get the drop on Nana and was currently experimenting with OFA. They could only assume since the puppeted corpse was screaming nonsense the entire time.

A screaming, rampaging, very nude corpse of Nana Shimura with raw power nearing the strength of a weakened All Might. It didn’t take long for Sekan to obliterate the thing once the shock factor wore off, but that period was long enough to obliterate the entire laboratory, most of the island it was on, and quite a few personnel stationed in it. 

Physical injuries were fixed with Overhaul and mental trauma was wiped away with Reveal, at least for their subordinates. Sekan and his clones couldn’t forget about it, or they would just make the same mistake again, so they instead swore to never bring it up…

Only for LabHaul to break that oath not even a week later. 

 

((“The first time was a disaster, I know. But from what I observed with Reveal back then and during the next few-”))

“FIRST TIME?! NEXT FEW?! YOU FUCKING DID IT AGAIN?!?”

((“Don’t worry, it’s fine. Because now, we’re moving on to step two.”))

“THERE’S STEPS TO THIS SHIT?!?”

((“Relax, I made sure to immediately destroy most of the body from now on so the OFA vestiges had nothing to puppet. Anyway, the resonance effect was there, but weaker than the original One For All quirk. 

I suspect that both how much the quirk has grown and any attempts made by All For One to steal it can increase the resonance effect. Close contact between users of those quirks too, if canon is anything to go by.

Yes, I had test subjects with copies of Pseudo-AFO try to take the seventh-gen OFA copies from the corpses in question. No, it never worked out. The test subjects described it as ramming into an unbreakable wall or trying to pull a giant object through a tiny tube.

Overhaul bodyfusion can most likely bypass that barrier, but I haven’t tested it out yet since the vestiges would probably tear me apart from within out of spite like they did to AFO Tomura in canon.”))

“And did users of All For One and One For All notice these extra, temporary additions to the spiderweb of resonance effects already present?” Sekan groans, resisting the urge to strangle his clone.

((“Maybe? There was a sort of ‘ping’ every time it came into being, but they were rather faint, and I never kept these seventh-gen OFA copies around for long. Completely destroying the body they’re currently inhabiting destroys the quirk too. No magically hopping back to All Might or Izuku or AFO the person.”))

 

“So besides observing resonance effects, that ‘generation’ of One For All duplicates is useless.”

((“Oh don’t be like that, original. Awakened For All is nearing completion, and with it being our own separate creation to OFA and AFO, there’s no resonance effects with any of those quirks. Getting both the first-gen OFA and Quirk Bestowal would be a major boon, sure, but we can live without them.

Yes, I also tried further rewinding the quirk back to its original state, and it didn’t work. Even if only the quirk was targeted instead of the entire corpse, said corpse would be erased from existence long before the quirk reached its first-gen self. I’m not sure if it’s the quirk itself doing that or an issue with Rewind, but we can’t cheat the process like that.

Anyway, considering our plans to both give you the original and give our own Pseudo-AFO duplicates to some of our top brass, I decided to completely sever every resonance effect the original AFO had bar the one with One For All through Reveal.

Yup, I figured out how to do that little trick with a little experimentation and some quirk-boosters. It should prevent any AFO and OFA quirks and their wielders from peering into each other’s inner workings no matter how close by they are. 

Apparently, All For One the person picked up on that particular severance. He probably picked up the creation and severance of our weaker OFA and AFO duplicates too, now that I think about it.

I doubt both he and the original OFA vestiges will understand what these sudden resonances and severances are. Maybe they’ll think their quirks are just bugging out, or maybe AFO will blame OFA and vice versa.

But even if they knew exactly what was going on, it’s not like they would be able to do much to stop it with that stream of intel abruptly severed.”))

“And now All For One the person is going, as NightHaul so elegantly put it, completely apeshit. If suddenly picking up on several more duplicates of his quirk and One For All didn’t tip him off, then severing most of his quirk’s resonance effects did. Why didn’t you sever the original AFO quirk’s connection to the original OFA quirk too while you were at it?”

((“I theorized keeping that resonance going would prevent both AFO and the OFA vestiges from being tipped off about our handiwork. Apparently, I was only half-right. 

I didn’t account for a potential backlash on All For One’s end, as unlike what happened with AFO Tomura, the original AFO quirk itself wasn’t currently in anyone, and the resonance effects with AFO and OFA copies are far weaker. None of the test subjects I gave Pseudo-AFO copies to ever suffered any backlashes either. 

They didn’t even notice it as a matter of fact; maybe AFO the person noticed due to having a more powerful copy or simply naturally resonating with AFO quirks more, being the original wielder of the original one? Maybe it’s both those factors? There are still quite a few unknowns… I’ll have to look into it more. Hey, NightHaul?”))

((“No, Izuku hasn’t shown any reaction to these duplicates and severances as far as I know. Then again, that idiot is always getting himself injured so maybe he just doesn’t realize it? He can’t freely talk with the OFA vestiges either so it’s not like they can give him a heads-up. I’ll let you know if he ever brings it up himself.”))

 

“God damnit.” Sekan groans. “Well, at least we cleared out Garaki’s lab ahead of time. He doesn’t even know who we are either, and the heroes should prioritize stopping him once again, assuming he does break out of Tartarus.”

((“See? This isn’t so bad. All these experiments are being done in a special laboratory far away from our other facilities and Tartarus, so he won’t be able to arrive there and stop us before we either move or kill him, assuming the heroes don’t kill him first.”))

“Yeah, yeah. Just keep working on the Perfection Procedure. Star and Stripe is skyrocketing in strength, Melissa Shield’s monstrosities are looking more dangerous by the day, and plenty of other factions seem to be increasing in power rather than decreasing. We need results ASAP!”

((“We are getting results.”))

“GOOD results! ENTIRELY good results!”

((“Alright, jeez! You’re gonna make us form a worker’s union at this rate.”))

The original just sighs, resisting the urge to facepalm.

“Hero Society is a cage. Look at what it’s forced everyone to do, all cramped up inside. Nobody can truly do any good here, not until we’re free. So whether it’s with heroes, villains, or anything in between, let’s continue helping each other get out. 

Canon may be done for, but the nature of this world is still holding everyone back. Let’s see what this reality can truly do.”

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐ 1 Month 2 Weeks Until The Second Meta Liberation War

“So you think Sekan planned all this out, or just makes it up as he goes along?” Mummy pipes us as his team saunters towards the city. 

“Beats me. You can’t get a read on that guy no matter what quirks you have.”

“Meta-abilities, Chimera. Remember where we’re headed.” Nine scolds his old friend.

“Yeah, yeah. Meta this, liberation that.” The mutant multi-quirk wielder rolls his eyes back. 

Deika City is in their sights, the quartet quickly being noticed as they approach… yet no action is taken on either end. 

This won’t go like the League of Villains own visit in canon.

 

A path is parted for the four, swarms of undercover meta liberation warriors not directly confronting them but slowly encircling them for the first few minutes.

“What’s with the long faces?” Slice coos towards the crowd. “We don’t bite.”

“I do.”

“Nobody asked you, Chimera.”

“You do too on your bad hair days.”

“Nobody asked you either, Mummy.”

The banter is genuine, yet it comes with a catch, a purpose. Not to create some sort of opening by lowering their guard. They aren’t here to add another city to their kill count. Instead it’s to ease the tension, lighten the mood before they make their offer. 

Slidin’ Go is the one to confront them, several other hero spies and vigilantes being close behind.

“Why hello there, friends! What brings you to this esteemed city of ours?” The turncoat questions, doing his best to hide the uneasiness welling up within him. 

He knows of this team’s reputation, as do most of the MLA’s more involved members. Having a similar ideology to his organization, Re-Destro wished to recruit the quartet, but they hid well and rarely got involved in Japan’s underworld.

The bait All For One provided got their attention first in canon, Nine being chosen for the Pseudo-AFO project. The bait Sekan provided got their attention first here, his own Underground Masquerade being a great opportunity for the crew to prove their strength. 

He also knows of Nine’s death at Naruhata, making his appearance here all the more unnerving.

“Don’t worry, we aren’t here to fight.” Nine assures the fake hero. “Instead, we have an offer that your Grand Commander should find quite beneficial.”

“...Are you really the villain known as Nine?” Slidin’ Go confirms.

“The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” He responds back with a smile, the pre-quirk reference being completely intentional.

Nine blames Sekan for the growing interest in that ancient media.

Several seconds pass as Slidin’ Go receives a message on his comm, being instructed to guide the quartet towards Central Tower. He relays this to the guests, and they agree to follow.

Re-Destro is waiting for him outside the building, all four of his executives flanking either side. 

“Chojuro Kon, Kiruka Hasaki, Hoyo Makihara. I welcome you three and your leader to the heart of my Meta Liberation Army.” Rikiya Yotsubayashi announces, his arms spread out.

“We appreciate the warm welcome, Re-Destro.” Nine nods back. “As I told your hero turncoats, we have an offer for you.”

“And what would that be?” 

“An alliance, of course. The details of which are rather sensitive, so I would recommend taking this inside away from prying eyes.”

“You dare attempt to order-” Geten growls, his leader interrupting that thought with the wave of his hand.

“Very well. Follow me.”

 

Nine understands why Sekan offered him this, offered a solid chunk of the Shie Hassaikai this.

On the surface, joining in on this coup is a rare chance to let loose, a chance to help directly tear Hero Society a new one. Overhaul can alter their physical appearances, Re-Destro can act as a scapegoat, and consequences bar the natural risk of death would be nonexistent.

Sekan promised them the chance to achieve their dreams, and not everyone in the Shie Hassaikai would be satisfied with hiding out in a bunker until the world is done going to shit. Even if it means dying or worse, many would much rather have a blast going out in a blaze of glory, and Sekan is respecting those wishes.

But more than that, Nine in particular was offered this to help guide Re-Destro. 

He was ambitious. He still is. Before he met Sekan, he had dreamed of a world ruled by the strong, and once claiming the mantle of strongest, he would forge an empire across this world. 

One that spanned from the frozen tundras of east Siberia down through the industrious lands of China to the agrarian fields of Vietnam and the resource-rich lands of Indonesia, with Japan as its beating heart and him as its head.

Spending so long with Sekan changed him, but he wouldn’t say his dreams were completely changed. Rather… sharpened. And he has no issues with fighting for the closest thing to his ideal society he can get, even if it’s destined to only be temporary.

Helping to establish this larger, united Meta Liberation Army would make the remnants of any villainous rivals round themselves up for execution… seriously weakening the heroes in the process, if not outright scoring a double-KO.

Whether that means going down in months from a direct response from the WHA or going down after several decades from the Quirk Singularity Doomsday making everything descend into total anarchy is up to him, and he’ll gladly take the chance to prolong this as much as possible.

Sekan is a villain, and he’s proud of it. But at the end of the day, he’s a villain fighting to survive doomsday and eventually create a better society on the ashes of the old one. 

That and he has a promise with one of his forsaken variants to keep, but Nine doesn’t know that.

A few minutes later, Nine and Re-Destro are sitting on opposite sides of an office overlooking the city, their subordinates gathered behind them.

“I take it you have quite the story to share.” Rikiya confirms.

“Like you wouldn’t believe.” Nine smiles back. “Where to even begin… I suppose Naruhata would be a good place. In a way, we inadvertently planned something similar to you, gathering an army of like-minded individuals to help spread our cause. Unfortunately, All For One had other plans.”

“The ancient, ability-stealing boogeyman himself, now rotting away in Tartarus, though his bodyguard poses a problem we can’t ignore, as are the League of Villains.” Re-Destro comments.

“Indeed, but the situation is more complicated than you realize. Tell me, what do you know about the I-Island attack?”

“David Shield arranged for a special project of his to be retrieved, a helmet that behaves like Trigger without the associated drawbacks. 

Wolfram answered the call with the goal of stealing this project for himself and All For One choosing to support him, providing an extra meta-ability and slipping some humanoid Nomus in as well to watch over him in secret.”

As expected, their intelligence network is rather expansive, but not privy to Nezu’s own group.

Time to start spinning this latest web of lies.

 

“Here’s the thing. Those humanoid Nomus were prototypes, much like Gigantomachia and even the Nomus themselves. All For One desired the perfect weapons, an modified army with multiple powers being unstoppable in strength and unshakable in loyalty. 

And the centerpiece of these weapons? None other than a weakened copy of his own meta-ability, All For One. The power to give and take other powers.”

As part of his developmental work on Sekan’s final ascension, LabHaul finished Dr. Garaki’s work on the Pseudo-AFO procedure. Once that was complete, he simply used Sekan’s trademark Overhaul + Rewind combo to create duplicates of both the body and quirk. 

He then further experimented on both the original and duplicate AFO quirks as well as the body gifted the duplicate AFO quirk, using those and the data Dr. Garaki had to begin creating some of his own ‘Pseudo-AFO’ quirks. 

His main goal was to create a quirk-storage quirk that, while no longer being able to give and take quirks, can allow the user to store countless other quirks in them and use them without any backlash whatsoever.

While he hasn’t succeeded in that particular goal yet, he has made plenty of progress in better understanding the All For One quirk, one part of that being the ‘resonance’ effect it has with body duplicates and One For All.

Not only could he sever these resonance links, making the risk of any users being puppeted by All For One the person much lower, but he could also make the quirk more compatible with other users by removing part of All For One’s influence. 

Of course, implanting this particular quirk and even its weaker duplicates into people was still quite risky, so on top of this initial batch being gifted to those with incredibly strong willpower like Nine’s crew, some Willpower-Enhancer quirks were also gifted to ensure they stayed themselves. No takeovers or fusions between user and foreign quirk vestige would be done on their watch.

Those four were told to think of it as a field test; if all goes well, then more of the Hassaikai’s top brass will be provided with this upgrade later on, or better-optimized Pseudo-AFO quirks depending on LabHaul’s progress with that project down the line.

Re-Destro doesn’t show it, but the mere thought of an All For One army terrifies him to no end. His executives are much less composed.

“Do you have a way of confirming this?” He cautiously questions.

“I like to think so, considering my crew and I were his closest attempt at success. He killed me himself at Naruhata, only to recover and resurrect my corpse, and capture my crew shortly after, subjecting us to that utter hell. 

All For One himself wasn’t doing these modifications, but rather, his right hand man slash mad scientist, Dr. Kyudai Garaki. Yes, the Kyudai Garaki who first came up with the Quirk Singularity Doomsday theory. He’s got a quirk that increases his lifespan.

We have the modifications, we have the extra powers, we even have weakened copies of All For One… but our wills were not so easily squashed. The remnants of his empire learned that the hard way after their lord’s defeat and our awakening.

His defeat was our greatest opportunity, a chance for those forced under his heel to rise up and rebel. Something of a civil war in the remains of his empire took place after Gigantomachia defeated the Symbol of Peace, that monster, Garaki, and Tomura leading one side and my own crew leading the other, neither side being loyal to All For One himself anymore.

All For One knew of your existence, he planned on making you all bow down, reducing you to nothing but throwaway pawns in his plans for world domination. We decided to use that information ourselves, coming to you with an offer of cooperation, to combine our forces and liberate Japan from both the heroes and the demon lord’s other followers.”

Re-Destro is sold on the idea, and the next few hours are spent discussing terms and conditions. Tedious, but necessary.

 

To summarize, Nine’s ‘faction’ will become another subsidiary of the Meta Liberation Army, but one that’s more of an ally than a direct subordinate, meaning much more freedom on Nine’s end. Both sides will work towards the same goals, providing support if the other was attacked and collaborating on projects.

Neither will be forced to directly obey the other’s orders, although they can strongly suggest and advise each other on certain topics. Nine himself will also become an honorary executive, and his forces will be well cared for if they directly join up with the MLA. 

However, there was a condition for these terms, a caveat.

It’s the reason he stares down Geten half an hour later, thousands upon thousands of MLA members surrounding the pair as they stand on training grounds several miles from the city. Many want Nine to prove his worth, to test his mettle.

“Shall I limit myself to my original meta-ability? Or use everything in my current arsenal?” Nine calls over to one of the few Himura clan survivors. 

“Everything. I refuse to win through pity.” Geten glares back.

“Despite there being so little ammunition around for your power? Or are you counting on my summoning a rainstorm for you? My original power is weather manipulation, not simple storm manipulation, but I too want a satisfying victory, so I’ll grant you this reprieve.”

Thunder booms as rain pours down, quickly freezing and encircling the MLA executive as he rises into the air. 

‘Just the rain, not the clouds.’ Nine notes in disappointment. ‘Ironic how the Pseudo-Getens rose far above the original.’

*ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Tornadoes, lightning, and ice dragons collide as two titans dart around the sky, the limitless ammo Geten had letting him not just withstand the onslaught, but power through it.

“Shock Absorption plus Air Wall.”

Icy teeth shatter on impact with Nine’s frame, Geten nearly being flung off his own creation at its sudden stop.

“Bullet Laser plus Hydra.”

Nine’s own serpentine constructs constrict Geten’s dragon as a barrage of lasers tear it apart from the inside. 

“DESTROY MY CONSTRUCTS AS MUCH AS YOU LIKE, BUT I CONTROL THE VERY MOLECULES THEY’RE MADE OF!!!” Geten roars, several new ice dragons escaping Nine’s hold and charging his way.

“Control, not create?” Nine confirms, blasting away one titanic construct after the next. 

He’s barely trying. Compared to his unhinged aunt, Geten falls painfully short.

“THAT DOESN’T MATTER! I’VE HONED MY ABILITY ENOUGH! I’VE EVEN UNDERGONE AN AWAKENING!”

“And you are powerful, powerful enough to slaughter most top heroes by yourself. I know how you feel, being so proud of your power and natural talent, but I’ve come to learn that the greatest factor in a fight is creativity.”

With a grunt and wave of his hand, every last bit of Geten’s ammunition is torn away, leaving the MLA member to plummet to his demise.

Nine doesn’t let that happen, catching him before his fate is sealed.

“What… did you do? Not even a single molecule remains in my reach.” Geten mutters. “Another meta ability?”

“No, my original one. I learned how to remove water and ice from the surrounding atmosphere, rendering any creators and manipulators of those two elements powerless.”

“I see… I concede. You are stronger than me, even without your extra meta-abilities.” The executive accepts as they both land. 

“Doesn’t have to stay that way. Like I said, creativity can easily become the greatest factor in a battle. I’ve seen powers like yours before, and I know how your raw power can be sharpened into something truly terrifying. We’re all on the same side here, so let's work together for liberation.”

“For liberation.” Geten smiles, his leader being even more satisfied with this sudden turn of events. 

Together, they will achieve Destro’s will… or so Nine’s crew would have them believe.

 

Now the quartet already knew all about the MLA’s current situation, but they still had to act surprised about some things. Right now, the current situation of Japan can be considered both a blessing and a curse for Re-Destro and his armies.

A blessing mostly because of suppression, leashes being tightened and restrictions becoming harsher. It was a golden opportunity for recruitment, and the MLA was smart enough to take advantage of that.

First were the swarms of vigilantes emerging ever since Hosu, most of whom were fanatics of Stain. Tomura dusting half a dozen of them out of anger and spite turned the rest away from joining All For One, but Re-Destro had little issue with his ideology as it too involved destroying the heroes, destroying the present.

He was hoping to make Stain the leader of his vigilante alliance subsidiary, but heroes and MLA members alike just couldn’t pin him down with the Shie Hassaikai’s support. He was slaughtering heroes ousted to be HPSC lapdogs left and right, many of his followers following suit, but only the latter could be found by MLA members.

They were all offered support, supplies, and numerous comrades who wished to make their quirk usage legal after destroying the corrupt commission. Many were swayed by this offer, and the few who weren’t were dealt with accordingly. 

Vigilante recruits were ordered to keep doing what they were doing, just with one extra step. Any civilians they saved who were sufficiently anti-hero or anti-government would be directed towards the MLA, further increasing the number of new recruits. 

Mutant and villainous quirk wielders made up the bulk of these new recruits, many of them being directed towards the Wild Villain remnants they managed to round up and unite under a new leader.

Said leader being the same spider-mutant quirk wielder leading the mutant-quirked mob to Central Hospital in canon’s Final War. 

Then there is Giran’s criminal empire, which already took a major hit thanks to HPSC crackdowns. His network was on fire, the majority of his safe houses had been stormed by police and heroes, most of his contacts failed to respond.

Re-Destro decided to finish the job.

 

Bits of the hidden army have actually been conducting business with Giran for a while now. While Detnerat can secretly provide them with more than enough support gear, meta liberation members have been purchasing Trigger, some safehouses, and even a bit of quirk analysis on certain heroes through the Black Market in preparation for their own coup.

And now that the big day was drawing closer, Re-Destro didn’t want to risk these brokers slipping secrets to any opposition, heroes or otherwise. That and he wanted to know where the League of Villains are, something he would expect Giran to know considering everything AFO had the guy do for them before Kamino.

So he came to them with an ultimatum, throw neutrality to the wayside and join the Meta Liberation Army as another subsidiary, guaranteeing their safety from the HPSC’s underworld purge, or be crushed under their might before the heroes can finish the job themselves.

Some were willing to join. Most weren’t.

Giran fought back fiercely and even tried alerting the heroes out of spite, but Skeptic and his own cyberwarfare team stopped any attempts. 

Resources were seized, entire warehouses full of fortunes and contraband being added to their own storage facilities. 

Intel was acquired, both on paper and online. However, anything relating to the Shie Hassaikai that wasn’t already automatically purged from Giran’s systems was completely deleted, made unrecoverable no matter what Skeptic tried. Any incriminating paper documents were also warped away at a moment’s notice.

With Giran himself being the only one in his empire to know of its existence, Sekan’s empire still remains a secret to the MLA. As for information on the League of Villains, there was also nothing of use. 

Giran was pretty sure what little remained of them after Kamino were finished off by Sekan, and he refused to let even a peep about them slip, if not because of his own ideology, then because of both the respect and fear he had for Sekan. 

Naturally, the Shie Hassaikai would covertly rescue Giran soon enough. It’s part of the reason Nine’s crew was sent in to form an alliance, it served as another method of infiltration.

Re-Destro also wanted to recruit whoever was responsible for the cyber attack on the HPSC, something Nine’s crew finds both ironic and hilarious. He would use the same methods used on Giran’s empire, but that won’t get him anywhere, not that Nine’s crew will give him the heads up about that.

They could’ve taken credit for it, but Sekan’s clones decided against it, just as those clones decided to not reveal the LOV’s demise and Gigantomachia’s new master. Keeping a few wildcards in play will help them down the line.

Finally, there’s all the other, smaller gangs and cartels the HPSC decided to crush. The power vacuum All For One’s arrest opened up in the underworld has been increased tenfold, and the MLA can fill that void. They can absorb the remnants of all these minor groups to become even more dangerous.

On top of recruitment, the massive rearmament project going on also helps the MLA a lot. This massive influx of Pro-Heroes need support gear for their quirks, and who better to request such tremendous orders from then Detnerat?

Not only can data on both the products themselves and the countless heroes wielding them be covertly collected, but they can also sabotage the gear to self-destruct, taking most enemies who are unfortunate to be wearing them out too in one fell swoop. 

That should help a lot the day they launch their own crusade against Japan.

And most importantly, Re-Destro knew that this self-coup was no second wind, but rather, a dying gasp. Even without the MLA making their own moves, it’ll likely be a year at most before this dictatorship collapses in on itself, far longer then it will take them to reverse-engineer and master the Nomu creation process.

Of course, the HPSC beating Re-Destro to the punch wasn’t all good. 

 

Heroes and police, while mostly dissatisfied, are more numerous than ever before, making up for a lack of All Might or Star and Stripe. HPSC acting hyper-aggressively was also taking down villains left and right, even if plenty of their own were falling in the process.

Other, independent villains and vigilantes created a massive smokescreen, but that smokescreen was rapidly dissipating. Quite a few MLA members were caught too, but they never said a word about their secret backing, even if it meant taking their own lives.

Then there’s political purge that followed, and it was ruthless, even by Re-Destro’s standards. Among other political parties, the Hearts and Minds party was disbanded, Koku Hanabata in particular being accused of conspiring with villains.

No, the HPSC didn’t find out about his double life as Trumpet, executive of the Meta Liberation Army. They falsified evidence of him being part of a different, completely fabricated villain group. Re-Destro found that both ironic and extremely irritating. 

Luckily, they were able to retrieve him and other MLA members of that political party before they were arrested, all of them now hiding out in Deika. Even luckier, a few of his many politicians have survived the purge, so they can still get bits and pieces of intel from their new greatest threat.

Speaking of their main liberated district, the massive increase of heroes naturally meant that more would be sent over there. Re-Destro knew this and had hundreds of MLA warriors apply to become Pro-Heroes in preparation. With the urgent need for them, acquiring a license became much easier, another thing the MLA would gladly take advantage of.

Either they would be assigned to monitor their home city (the preferred option) or be spread out amongst the country, giving them the chance to secretly amass more hero turncoats. Either way, it would benefit the MLA immensely.

 

The final main downside stemmed from all the upsides. The MLA was being bold, reckless, and Re-Destro knew that. The chances of at least part of this conspiracy being discovered within the next few months were high.

But the benefits were well worth it. The Meta Liberation Army would be associated with those fighting back against the horrific oppression Japan’s current ruling body was administering. It would be associated with vigilantes fighting for justice and civilians being provided safety and sanctuary.

It would represent a united front of all aspects of society, from heroes to villains to vigilantes to civilians, all fighting to end the status quo and create a new, far better one.

They would be the real heroes of this story, and at this point, Nine’s crew felt like they were practically drowning in irony.

With all that in mind, there was only one more major hurdle to consider, the wider world’s response. If they don’t move en masse to remove the HPSC from power, they most certainly will once the Meta Liberation Army takes command.

Both Nine himself and Trumpet made this known to their Grand Commander. Even if they succeed in completely conquering Japan, they can’t take on a direct assault from the rest of the world.

That’s if the WHA and UN bother waiting that long, which Nine doubts they will unless a major international player like Humarise decides to make their move, redirecting any global attention towards them.

Of course, there is some silver lining to the worldwide hero community hating them. Many of Japan’s citizens will be less than thrilled about the international occupation, as they will see this international occupation as a foreign invasion of sorts, resembling that of the US occupation following Japan’s defeat in World War 2.

What remains of the government would be forced to step back and let a neutral-aligned coalition of United Nations member states govern the country, another major blow to their national pride. 

Another thing Re-Destro can take advantage of with enough nationalist propaganda. The Meta Liberation Army could be seen as new, better peacekeepers that can boot out villains and foreign invaders alike. 

Japan is a sovereign nation, not a UN protectorate! They won’t let their country’s flags be lowered and replaced with the United Nations’ flag! Screw that! Most segments of the population could be pushed into having such views, if they don’t possess suspicion or outright hatred towards foreign invaders already.

But while that outside threat would further spur Japan to fight for Destro’s cause, they still wouldn’t be able to compete with a combined alliance of almost 200 other countries.

That is, if they were alone. 

 

Japan isn’t the only place with villains. Crime rates of over twenty percent plague all other countries, and several international villainous organizations exist.

All For One’s remaining allies and supporters, Humarise, the Gollini Family, and so on. World Wars never had just one single country on either side; it was an alliance of multiple countries. 

If Re-Destro is going to one day spread liberation across the globe, it wouldn’t hurt to find allies with similar ideologies in those areas, right?

“Do you think he has a chance?” Mummy asks his leader once the quartet is alone.

“Star and Stripe is gonna be a real pain until Sekan is finished ascending. Even that nuclear option of a combo attack I’ve got Geten perfecting will briefly stall her at best.” Nine reflects.

“If that is the case, then we’ll just bring in more Shie Hassaikai members to buy more time. Plenty of them are just itching for some action.” Slice points out.

“It’s like a game. Sekan cannot be stopped until his dreams come true.” Chimera grins before letting loose a roar. “WE’LL KEEP MOVING FORWARD ‘TILL THE END!” 

“‘Till the end!” Mummy cheers.

“‘Till the end!” Slice repeats.

“Until the very end.” Nine smiles.

 

Well over a hundred thousand regular Meta Liberation Warriors are ready to rise up, and that number only continues to skyrocket. Their non-combative supporters formed an even larger army.

A new Wild Villains and New Vigilante Alliance, each with far more personnel and firepower then the originals, also stand by their side. A solid chunk of Giran’s empire turned too.

Many more villains will be freed and recruited. Many more heroes will inevitably swap sides. 

And the Shie Hassaikai will provide whatever extra support is needed. 

“Let heroes from all across the globe come. We will be ready for them.”

 

 

 

Status of Main Forces in Japan

HPSC/Government:

• Pro-Heroes - 82,184
• Hero Students (Provisional License) - 6,801
• Police Officers/Other Law Enforcement - 144,653

Meta Liberation Army:

• Regular Warriors - 141,913
• New Wild Villains - 4,881
• New Vigilante Alliance - 3,472
• Giran’s Empire - 2,118
• Hero Spies/Turncoats - 929
• Nine’s (Sekan’s) Forces - ?????

Humarise:

• Templars/Grunts - 6,307
• Higher-Ups (Starservant, Beros, Leviathan, etc) - 2

Other International Villain Organizations:

• ??????????

Shie Hassaikai:

• ??????????

Chapter 93: Star and Stripe - Heist

“Something is definitely wrong here.” NightHaul explains to both the original and his fellow Sekan clones. “Foresight is telling me less and less. Doesn’t matter how many quirk-boosters I give it or who I use it or how far I go with it, although longer visions always become completely distorted and glitchy.”

“Probably due to all the new interference it’s getting.” BossHaul groans. “Star’s spamming it now too, and alongside New Order at that. Who did she get inspiration from for that, I wonder.”

“Oh, come on. You think Star and Stripe of all people is gonna become another me?! Sure, and I’m a goddamn UA Student.” The original Sekan Doraifu rolls his eyes.

“Technically, during the First Round-”

“Shut. the. Fuck. Up. BossHaul.”

“So what, is Foresight off the board for everyone now? Both sides using it cancelling the quirk out entirely? Can we even trust anything we get from it anymore? Nighteye’s usage in canon was never glitchy or distorted like yours, only wrong.” GuildHaul confirms.

“That’s another thing which has been gnawing away at me. I figured the distortions and glitches and garbled nonsense in general was like a second step of Foresight interference, where the visions that were clear but wrong were like a first step. 

Canon only had a few instances of Foresight and Rewind usage, serving as major plot points or even the climax to an arc, but here? We spam these time-bending things every day, and our enemies are now doing the same.”

“What’s your point, NightHaul?” Sekan speaks up.

“My point is that… well… we have been breaking fate a lot, haven’t we?”

“Yeah? What’s that got to do with your… oh. Ohhhh, you think we’re… oh shit.”

“Hey! Bar the cryptic shit and tell the rest of us already!” BossHaul demands.

 

“So this world already had its story written out, yeah? And the original Sekan came in like a one-man wrecking crew, opposing the world itself and the fate it's written out, and he’s been pretty damn successful with that mission so far.

Combine that with all the time-bending shenanigans we’ve done overtime, far more than canon has ever done, overwriting the various new fates carved out by Foresight again and again, and what do you get?” 

“You… think we’re permanently breaking fate itself? The future itself?” GuildHaul gawks.

“Us, Star and Stripe, probably Future Eri too but I can’t confirm that last bit without asking her for confirmation. But yes, I think we’ve all broke fate so fucking much overtime that divinating it through quirks like Foresight is becoming less and less feasible, even if we don't try altering what we see in the slightest. 

That would explain why all our long-term Foresight uses since the beginning always came out weird, glitchy, distorted. It was a premonition of what’s to come, just not the one we were expecting or even realized.” NightHaul finishes. 

“In short, Foresight is off the board. Permanently.” Sekan concludes. “Star using it herself and getting faulty data would help us, but she’ll probably realize that hidden fault quickly and stop using it herself, probably blaming me for it, and she’s at least partially right.

We’re breaking the world more and more… come to think of it, I’ve noticed how clothes are starting to get destroyed more often during high-intensity fights. Not even spots covering privates are spared.”

“A staple of shounens, and people have been gradually getting more competent overtime, more quote unquote 'realistic'.” BossHaul adds on. “We’re coming close to completely breaking the world’s natural, ethereal laws. Our continuous time-bending abuse was like throwing a sledgehammer at an already cracked window.”

“So would this be a good thing or a bad thing? On the one hand, we shouldn’t be destined to lose anymore. On the other hand, things are going to get a lot more difficult with more people having working brains. Not to mention losing Foresight.” LabHaul ponders.

 

“Hang on a second. Didn’t Sir Nighteye use it a ton before canon, when he was fighting AFO’s empire alongside All Might?” BossHaul brings up.

“Far from it. He would use it from time to time, but nowhere close to how often we use it. He never encountered any other time-bending quirks either, ensuring his premonitions stayed accurate until what was supposed to be the Overhaul Arc in canon.” NightHaul clarifies.

“God damnit. Better nobody having it then just our enemies, and this proves that our efforts to break the world’s overall fate haven’t been for nothing, but this is still incredibly annoying. 

We’re reaching our Endgame, or most crucial steps, and we won’t even get a slight sneak peek to confirm their success! I can’t look into the future and see what improvements I made anymore; it’s gonna take even longer to finish Perfect Form preparations now!” LabHaul complains.

“Could be worse. Quirks like Rewind and Chronostasis should still work just fine; it’s the future-seeing quirks in particular that are becoming ineffective overtime. 

And like you said, not only does this screw over our enemies too, but the world itself should be losing its ability to control fate. The original shouldn’t be destined to lose due to being declared the main antagonist anymore, not that he still isn't basically the main antagonist here.” NightHaul counters.

“Or Star and Stripe will just flip the bird towards any WHA operatives, fly back to Japan, and bust down the door to my main lab. Remember what happened in the Paranormal Liberation War Arc.” LabHaul counters the counter.

“She won’t. Even if she knew what we were doing, which she doesn’t, she can’t go anywhere near Japan without sparking international war and probably losing her license, if not straight-up getting arrested. 

Frankly, if she really has become the new main protagonist, then this would be her lowest point. That’s assuming the world can even support someone as a main protagonist anymore.”

“And while she will mope for a while, she’ll eventually get back up and return stronger than ever like any good shounen protagonist. You do realize that, right? Look at how much she’s improved already, and she’s showing no signs of stopping. Even with the little gifts we sent the HPSC and MLA to better fend her off-”

“We can handle ourselves, as can our subordinates.” Sekan ends his clones’ train of thought. “That’s what I trained them to do. They’ll manage, and while Star will eventually, inevitably return for her rematch, I will be ready for her this time. I’ll make sure of it.”

Sekan did say he wanted to free everyone from the world, from its predetermined fate and destiny… and he supposes this is just another part of his goal, even if he never knew it until now.

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐ 1 Month 1 Week Until The Second Meta Liberation War

“Approaching the island now.” Ethan warns over his comms. “Hopefully Long Haul and All For One actually let us enjoy the place this time.”

“Please don’t jinx it, bro.”

“I’m not! We even checked in advance with Foresight!”

“If anyone can somehow manage to bypass that quirk, it’s those two assholes.”

Even if they did, Cathleen is sure they would have a much harder time accomplishing anything the second time around. 

 

I-Island is a technological paradise for the research and development of quirks and support items. Literally every company in the world involved with the Pro-Hero business invests money into this place.

Villains didn’t dare attack it due to its mechanical security rivaling that of Tartarus, but Wolfram, Long Haul, and All For One decided to spit all over that taboo and corrupt its head scientists while they were at it.

Without both her and All Might being there, the mechanical island would’ve been doomed. The WHA and UN realized that, both international organizations being especially interested in safeguarding their global thinktank/science fair.

They couldn’t just keep their two most powerful heroes there at all times, especially with All Might burning away every last ember of One For All shortly after the incident in question.

So they decided to compensate. After plenty of meetings, even more voting sessions, and god only knows how many debates, the New Island Defense Act was signed into being.

Planes, helicopters, and plenty of drones blanket the skies. An international navy consisting of twelve destroyers, five cruisers, three aircraft carriers, and plenty of smaller boats patrolled the surrounding seas.

It’s a naval fleet that surpasses most individual countries thanks to the age of quirks rendering militaries either extinct or minimized across the globe. Even so, the amount of firepower from that alone is daunting for most, and that’s just one part of the new defenses.

Sonars constantly scan underwater for any signs of an attack. Ships themselves are armed to the teeth (with both conventional weaponry and water-oriented heroes). Aircraft, while not as advanced as her bros’ X-66 Fighter Jets, aren’t to be trifled with either.

The island itself has also undergone some changes, free quirk usage combined with plenty of great quirks for the job getting recruited across the globe speeding up the repair job and upgrades a ton. 

Entire armies of heroes and soldiers alike helping out with the heavy-lifting made the renovations go even faster. While the WHA mainly focuses on heroes, as its name implies, it is still the post-quirk version of NATO.

The New Island Defense Act required that, among many other things, all countries with UN and WHA memberships to send at least 250 of their heroes over, five of which needed to be at least in the top hundred of their respective country’s charts/leaderboards.

It was basically a draft, even if the heroes taking part (either volunteering or forced by their home countries) got plenty of personal perks for each term they took part in. Terms lasted a year each, and there was currently no limit to how many terms a hero could serve.

Background checks were also brutal, the main scientists of their island practically turning traitor being another kick in the ass for the bigwigs in charge. At least they won’t have to worry about internal sabotage anymore.

Little did she know at the time how ingrained both Humarise and the Shie Hassaikai were in this international collaboration. Examinations to weed out corruption are doomed to fail when those administering them are the corrupt ones.

With quite a few countries being permanently destroyed during the Dawn of Quirks, others being kicked out such as Japan, and a few new countries such as Otheon being created some time afterwards, the total count of countries in that alliance is now about 180.

Multiply 180 by 250 and you get 45,000 Pro-Heroes present as a bare minimum, more Pro-Heroes then most individual countries currently have. Countries can choose to send more heroes over for some extra bonuses with both quality and quantity being taken into account, quite a few choosing to do so. That brings the total number of heroes here to nearly 50,000.

A division of UN soldiers also have permanent residence here, and the few countries who still have militaries could also send some more their own soldiers to get a bonus. Factoring those bonus battalions and brigades, there are also about 30,000 ground soldiers present. That’s not even counting the troops controlling the planes, ships, and other vehicles.

Cathleen has to give them credit, the World Heroes Association and United Nations were not fucking around with this. Even if Long Haul himself were to warp in with a small army of multi-quirked S-Rank Villains, they’d be pinned down and crushed in no time.

Being one of the two main reasons I-Island wasn’t reduced to scraps already, Cathleen got quite the warm welcome alongside her bros. Nice as the ceremony was, she’s here on business.

 

All For One hasn’t escaped Tartarus yet, but he hasn’t been re-restrained yet either. 

He’s still going completely apeshit on the bottom layer, his floormates all being rendered both quirkless and deceased. All the defenses down there were obliterated too, and it’s something of a miracle that he hasn’t pierced through the actual walls either.

Not that he’s really trying to. According to Sir Nighteye, the guy is still screaming and frothing uncontrollably, firing countless quirks at random again and again. Even with Super Regeneration and who knows how many other overpowered quirks in his arsenal, keeping that shit up for almost a week straight is just ridiculous. 

On the bright side, Cathleen was given the clearance to head towards I-Island yesterday. While she hasn’t taken down villains with the same… ferocity she did during the first week, it’s not like she stopped either. 

Four days ago, she struck a crippling blow against the Gollini Family’s new American branch alongside hundreds of other American heroes and nearly five thousand soldiers; she even personally took down one of their executives, Ugo Gollini. Several thousand of the assholes were taken down, three being S-Rank and forty-two being A-Rank.

Two days ago, she ruined Flect Turn’s day by taking down a quirkless terrorist group she’s almost certain the smurf was trying to recruit, but any incriminating data on Humarise was deleted on their end before she could seize it. 

At least she managed to detain another S-Rank Villain and nineteen A-Rank Villains, among several hundred other villains. Yes, most of them were quirkless, but they were also mostly ex-military with pretty solid leadership skills and combat training.

And those were just highlights from the last few days. Being a hero in a country with crime rates around 25% tends to keep you busy, even if said country has the highest number of active Pro-Heroes in the world and a military that isn’t horribly outdated or reduced to clean-up crews.

Her country wasn’t like Japan during the Golden Age of Peace All Might forged (although that country is a total warzone now). There and then, Pro-Heroes competed instead of cooperated. There and then, they flew off on their own the second a villain sighting was reported. 

There and then, they were hungry for attention and credit, because it’s not like most villains were an actual threat, it’s not like villains were a common occurrence, it’s not like the heroes would ever lose. Worst case scenario, they pulled back and let All Might take care of it after he finished hopping across the country.

Everywhere else though? Every other country in the world? Teamwork is more often than not a requirement. Heroes getting badly hurt or even killed was far too common, let alone police and soldiers kicking the bucket. 

Villains were fucking everywhere, local heroes and police barely having enough time to stop a mugging before a fire, a break-in, and several assaults get announced. Gangs, mafias, syndicates, and even larger villainous organizations are also far more common.

But she is making progress. Her campaign across the country last week seemed to scare plenty of established villains shitless, and while those guys going into hiding makes them harder to catch, it also makes them commit far less crimes then they would otherwise.

Even if this is just a stopgap measure long-term, at least she’s saving plenty of people. If an anarchistic apocalypse really is inevitable, then she might as well try delaying it by a few years so people have more time to enjoy life, right?

 

“Welcome to I-Island, Ms Bate.” The daughter of David Shield welcomes her in front of Central Tower 2.0. Not the official name, but that’s basically what it is. After the damage done to it (thanks a fucking lot, Long Haul), they practically had to rebuild it from the ground up.

“Thanks, and no need to call me that. Just Cathleen or Cassie is fine.” She assures the young adult. 

Her master’s surrogate niece is already eighteen years old… jeez, time sure flies by. 

“Okay, Cathleen then.” Melissa gives a small smile… a fake smile. “I’m sorry my father can’t come out to greet you himself. While he wasn’t technically incarcerated, he did get put under the equivalent of really strict house arrest.”

Understandable, considering what he did. While she does have a slight bias for her master’s best friend, she also knows that what he did was idiotic at best and blindly fanatical at worst.

And Melissa herself… considering what she went through a few months ago, it would be weird if there wasn’t any lingering trauma. Fear, anger, maybe even a bit of hatred makes sense. Being both a soldier and hero for decades on end lets you get a good grasp on people, makes it pretty easy to read them unless the person is some master manipulator like Long Haul.

“So he can’t receive any visitors, period?” Cathleen confirms. “I already made it pretty clear to the UN and WHA what I needed. I barely took down the boogeyman last time, and that was with All Might and Endeavor assisting.”

A massive lie on her end. While she did make some pretty stupid mistakes during that fight, and was also limited to one rule thanks to supporting All Might, that guy wasn’t anywhere close to Long Haul’s level while weakened.

Even at his peak, Cathleen doubts that ancient chuunibyou would be more of a challenge then Long Haul in a 1v1… but if downplaying herself means getting past some of that bureaucratic red tape, then by all means she’ll play along. 

She couldn’t give a damn about her reputation if it meant saving the world from people like him. 

 

“No, you were given clearance to visit him. You can also request whatever support gear we have in stock or even request some custom-built gear if it’s within our ability to create… a certain helmet excluded.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” She gawks. “They STILL won’t greenlight renewed production of the thing?!”

Cathleen already knew that. Commander Agpar and the US President told her; she didn’t even request a new Quirk Amplification Device be made for her to them, or the WHA and UN by extension.

She already knew what their answers would be, but right now, she needs to play the part. 

There are hidden cameras watching her every move, and similar technology to what her bros’ jets have letting security systems pick up on and deeply analyze any quirk usage, and what she can do to them is… limited, even with her preparations.

“The attack a few months ago portrayed just how much damage that device could cause when wielded by a powerful villain.”

“I stopped said villain, didn’t I? And I’d like to see people try to tear it off my own head… sorry, I know it’s not your fault. Just annoying as hell when you’re trying to stop international villainous organizations and boogeymen straight out of children’s fairy tales.” Cathleen relents. “That’s fine, figured it was a stretch to begin with.”

“We have some other pieces of support gear that might help if you want to check them out.” Melissa then offers.

“Alright, have any decent helmets? I know I can’t get the helmet that must not be named, but having some protection above the neck would be nice, maybe a scanner or something too to accompany it? Would save me the trouble of swapping a rule or two to scan tough bastards myself, even if only briefly.”

“My father and I will see what we can do.”

One very long elevator ride later and she’s face to face with the old head of I-Island.

“David.”

“Ms. Star.”

He looks a lot worse off than his daughter, appearing to constantly look around every corner for some kind of stalker. The villains? Or the security doubling as wardens for him?

“How are you doing?” She asks in courtesy. 

“About as well as I could be.” He sighs back. “The Symbol of Peace is gone, his home country has turned into a corrupt dictatorship, villainous activity across the globe is rising rapidly, and my inventions aren’t enough to make a difference, especially with all these new restrictions on me…”

‘Wanna help me fix that?’

 

He jumps and slightly squeaks, something that can be blamed on paranoia.

‘Calm down, it’s me. Respond through your thoughts.’

((“S-Star? How are you-”))

‘What you did was real fucking stupid, but that helmet of yours could be what saves the world down the line, so I’ll blunt. Wanna help me get one of my own?’

((“The original was destroyed during your battle, and I couldn’t possibly make a new one with the UN and WHA breathing down my neck! I can’t even step foot off this island anymore! All Might’s influence or not, I’d be branded a traitor and given the death sentence so villains can’t force me to make more.”))

‘I don’t need you to make me a new one because I happen to know of a very useful quirk that can let me make it myself. All I need to know is the atomic configuration, and you can tell me that through this mind link of ours.’

((“The technology here can pick up quirk usage!”))

‘Well it's a good thing the other New Order rule I prepared in advance lets me control all technology up to a pretty sizable distance away. The sensors around us aren’t picking up a thing right now because I’m not allowing them to. 

Help me out with this heist, and not only will it succeed unlike your last one, but I’ll have a much better shot at taking down the true villainous mastermind behind everything, someone a league above even All For One.’

Call her overly paranoid, but she’s got the feeling that Long Haul hasn’t quite given up on the QAD just yet. If he had a scanning quirk of his own plus a copy of Creation or a similar quirk, he could pump out endless amounts of the things for his own forces. So an absolute fucking disaster.

If that is the case, then she’ll just fight fire with fire. If not, then this gives her a solid advantage over Long Haul, All For One, and any other major villains she comes across in the future. 

David eventually agrees, and they start mentally discussing details as they physically talk about other pieces of support gear that might come in handy. Juggling both conversations at once is a bit tricky at first, but they quickly get used to it. Neither of them are idiots in the IQ department.

Melissa being here helps too, her own tangents letting the two focus on their true objective.

But Cathleen does get distracted as Melissa shows them both around her personal lab, a particular suit of armor especially catching her attention.

 

“Hercules, a set of full-body armor which can replicate various quirks through support gear.” David’s daughter briefly explains. 

“I created it with the intention of helping Uncle Might after his own quirk gave out, allowing him to continue protecting Japan even while functionally quirkless, proving that quirkless doesn’t mean worthless… but with what’s happening in that country right now…”

“Even so, this is quite the cutting edge piece of tech. Some soldiers back in the states getting even a fraction of this suit would be a godsend.” Cathleen admits.

“That would be nice, but this armor is incredibly expensive. I’m even working on an AI for it to further support any users! Not a sentient one that could potentially turn into a Skynet or Ultron from pre-quirk fiction, but what’s classified as a Dumb AI. It’s barely a step above the artificial intelligence present in UA’s robots.

Still incredibly helpful for providing updates to the user and assisting them with certain functions. Ideally, this armor would let someone quirkless match even top heroes and villains alike in combat.”

“...While I don’t know much about the subject myself, and sorry in advance if this is overstepping my boundaries, was growing up without a quirk really that bad?”

She won’t secretly read Melissa’s mind. She refuses to do that to people who aren’t villains, even if they aren’t willing to willingly talk. There’s bending the rules a little and there’s becoming as much of a bastard as her main opposition.

“Most see you as subhuman, either fragile as can be or a flat-out waste of space. Some countries are worse than others, Japan in particular being absolutely terrible, but quirk discrimination is everywhere.” Melissa admits.

“I can attest to that. Quirk supremacists and anti-quirk terrorist organizations are way more common than they should be, not to mention subsets of those like mutant quirk supremacy and discrimination.” Cathleen adds on.

It’s a fundamental part of their current society, but neither of them say that out loud. 

Even with her New Order rule active and a solid understanding of this branch of tech, Cathleen can’t alter too much without it looking suspicious. And Melissa doesn’t know about her ongoing heist to begin with, she has no need to get involved.

Little did she know Melissa Shield was doing the same exact thing. 

Yeah, she won’t even reach out to Melissa mentally. She doesn’t deserve to be dragged into this mess. 

Cathleen won’t let her get incriminated if this somehow fails, but she’s pretty confident that she’ll succeed, and without any problems or collateral damage at that! Suck on that, Long Haul!

“Well, this conversation certainly got depressing fast. Mind telling me more about your sweet suit and other gear? That should help lighten the mood.” Cathleen suggests.

“Are you sure? I don’t mean to sound rude, but it may be pretty hard for you to understand most of the technical details.” Melissa warns.

“I’ll manage. You can’t be a member of the Air Force and be dumb, after all.”

“What about a Number 1 Hero?”

“Now that Endeavor is Japan’s number one? Turns out idiots can, in fact, take the top spot if their country’s government is shit enough.”

That gets a brief laugh out of them all, and they then get back to work.

 

From biology and chemistry to geography and history and even some literacy to come up with better-worded rules, Cathleen has been spending most of her free time cramming in study sessions to learn more about the world around her.

The more she knows, the more she can come up with in regards to New Order.

It’s not like she was completely clueless about most of these subjects until now. She was an expert in aeronautics and somewhat of a techie as well, being able to use all the gear and vehicles her bros can about as well as they can. 

But now, she needs a lot more than that. She needs to be more creative than that.

A New Order rule that increases her mental processing power or general intelligence helps a lot. She also used a New Order rule to give her Eidetic Memory sometimes, as it lets a person vividly recall a visual image in great detail.

However, this is only for a short time after seeing said image.

She thought that was the best she could do. Recently, she found out that she was wrong.

Hyperthymesia. An even rarer condition, one that less than a hundred people were diagnosed with before quirks came to be. The ability to remember most, if not all of her own life with incredible amounts of accuracy and detail whenever she wants.

Ethan had joked that she was becoming America’s Number 1 Bookworm too, and while she knows it was just a playful quip at her, it also served as a pretty big reminder of who she is.

Cathleen isn’t some supergenius like David or Melissa (or Long Haul, probably). She can increase her natural intelligence to a certain degree or give herself a copy of some intelligence quirk with New Order, but that takes up one of two rules. 

Cathleen isn’t the strongest either. In terms of raw power, All Might still has her beat at his best, even if only slightly. Gigantomachia is also likely to be above her strength-wise, even when a strength rule is used. 

But her master had told her that she doesn’t have to be the smartest or the strongest to be the best. Long Haul is proof of how far creativity and versatility can get a person. He used those traits to become the most powerful villain, so she’ll do the same to become the most powerful hero.

All Might specialized in brute force, and that was enough to bring about peace for decades on end, but things have changed since then. The world has evolved, villains have evolved, and brute strength just isn’t enough anymore no matter how much of it you have.

That’s why she’ll go Plus Ultra a different way.

 

Several days passed as her support gear was developed. She didn’t spend it all cooped up in Central Tower, instead touring the mechanical island.

Officially, this was for several reasons. She could look at other projects going on and request parts of them be incorporated into her own. She could work alongside the other heroes and soldiers, increasing their morale. She could help make sure there wasn’t any funny business going on.

Cathleen didn’t mind. While it was mostly business unlike the I-Expo event, she still had a nice time. 

And unofficially, she was chatting up heroes, soldiers, and scientists alike. She saw plenty from the villains’ perspective already, so now she was gonna focus on the other sides of society.

Most soldiers and scientists originally wanted to be heroes too. Pretty much everyone wants to be a hero at some point; such is what’s ingrained into society. Nothing wrong with having dreams, but the amount of hero worship going on in all corners of society is far too much in her opinion.

Police, soldiers, and other law enforcement are painfully overlooked… and looking back, she didn’t exactly help change that narrative during her week-long rampage, even if plenty of other heroes were assisting them with clean-up. 

It’s all so ingrained in society, entire centuries of the same status quo, and that’s a problem because society can never truly stay stagnant. It needs to adapt and evolve to handle new problems, accept new ideas, and that just isn’t happening.

The Quirk Amplification Device is a perfect example. It’s not even villains getting it that concerns governments and sponsors across the world; it’s how the status quo will be affected by this technology’s existence. 

Come to think of it, quirks themselves are hardly ever looked into. Even at I-Island, the most its eggheads bother researching is how quirks affect certain things, not how quirks themselves really work or how they can be improved.

David Shield was the sole exception, and society shut his research down.

If they started doing this as early as All For One and Long Haul did, would they be able to transfer or create copies of quirks? Would quirk usage be much more widespread? 

Most countries don’t even allow usage of quirks unless you’re a licensed Pro-Hero (with very few exceptions). America has always been good at allowing those kinds of freedoms, but there are still quite a few restrictions.

What would a society that allows complete free reign on quirks look like? What could be done to prevent such a society from falling into complete anarchy?

Maybe she should try getting a copy of Destro’s autobiography. The original one, not the heavily-edited propaganda piece that was being sold in Japan before the HPSC’s takeover.

She’ll have to keep that quest on the downlow too, especially with a new MLA about to make their move. She’d rather not get accused of supporting that conspiracy without at least knowing all the details first.

 

Close to a week was needed before her support gear was complete, the final design resembling a golden gladiator helmet. Something to portray her as a new champion of this global hero society.

While it’s somewhat similar to the aesthetically outlandish heroes embracing the theme nowadays wear, it’s also bulletproof and resists rusting plus extreme temperatures almost as well. Not to mention all the different electronics packed inside.

It would press her hair tufts down a bit, but she can go with the excuse that All Might’s age is over, and she’s aiming to surpass him, not imitate him, by going all in on the fight against villainy.

Of course, the item that was built for her and the item she’ll use will be different. David, being the tech genius that he is, was able to mentally put together a de facto second blueprint while working on this one, a blueprint that combined this helmet with the QAD.

You’d never be able to tell by looking, as both helmets are identical in size, shape, and even weight. 

Even if someone shattered it, there are numerous other pieces of tech hidden underneath, such as a holographing scanning system smaller and less advanced than the one her bros’ jets have, that can serve as a disguise. 

It would take a complete reverse-engineering to know the secret of this thing, and she’ll make sure nobody, heroes and villains alike, will ever get that far.

She knows that if she’s caught with this, she’ll lose more than just her Hero License, but she’s willing to take that chance. If she doesn’t change, if this society doesn’t change, then it’s going to completely collapse in on itself.

She’ll try her best, or survive its fall at the very least. She wants to be hopeful, but she also needs to be realistic. She needs to live for this to work out, live beyond this era and into the next one.

A combination of New Order rules can let her do this, ‘New Order: Cathleen Bate will age in reverse’ and ‘New Order: Cathleen Bate will age a thousand times faster’ lets her physically regress a few years every night. 

Less than a week was needed to turn her from a 42 year old into a 30 year old, the age of her physical prime. She plans to do the same thing for her bros, all of them willing to share this new immortality exploit with her. 

 

It’s almost like she’s turning into a way more benevolent All For One, what with the agelessness and passing around quirks like candy, even if they’re only temporary. But she has no intention of ruling society, whether it's the present one or a future one. 

She will remain a protector and advisor, simply trying to help wherever she can. No way can she completely fix everything; even Long Haul gave up on it, and for good reason, but this is a good enough compromise, right?

And she’ll have plenty of support by her side too. She has her bros, Commander Agpar, her master and his group once they finally get Japan back under control… god, she wishes she can do more for them.

Heroes are dying in droves over there, most being forced to return despite being old and weary. Same goes for police and even Hero Students have had quite a few casualties. 

Just as many are quitting out of protest, being declared villains and hunted down by their more loyal former compatriots. All that’s doing is getting more people angry and making the others who want to rebel more stealthy about it.

Long Haul, the Meta Liberation Army, Japan’s Humarise branch, and even the League of Villains (regardless of whether or not Gigantomachia is with them) should be swarming with new recruits right now. Many cities and prefectures have been turned into battlegrounds where waves of heroes and police are being thrown against angry mobs of rioters and villains.

People haven’t forgotten about all the corruption that was exposed, and they aren’t ignoring all the atrocities being done now. The only way this dictatorship is lasting more than a year is if the HPSC succeeds in producing state-manufactured Nomus. 

What a disaster that would be, but Cathleen doubts that Long Haul and the MLA will give them that much time. 

*bzzzzzzzzzt* *bzzzzzzzzzt* *bzzzzzzzzzt*

…She really hopes she didn’t just jinx things.

 

“Hello, Cassie. Have you obtained the support gear you wanted yet?” Commander Agpar begins, but she can tell by his tone of voice that this isn’t a normal check-up.

“It hasn’t even been a week since I left, commander. Please tell me things haven’t already gone to hell again.” Cathleen groans.

“Not in America, if it’s any consolation. The president just called me, and the director of the World Heroes’ Association just called him. You’re needed at their HQ as soon as possible.”

“Tell them my bros and I can leave by the next hour, and the trip there will take a few more… does this involve Japan at all?”

“I don’t know much, but while it appears to be unrelated, it may be just as threatening.”

Oh, great. As if there isn’t enough on her plate already.

 

 

 

Status of Main Forces in Japan

HPSC/Government:

• Pro-Heroes - 79,821
• Hero Students (Provisional License) - 7,159
• Police Officers/Other Law Enforcement - 138,104

Meta Liberation Army:

• Regular Warriors - 145,916
• New Wild Villains - 5,625
• New Vigilante Alliance - 5,001
• Giran’s Empire - 2,118
• Hero Spies/Secret Turncoats - 1,323
• Nine’s (Sekan’s) Forces - ?????

Humarise:

• Templars/Grunts - 7,263
• Higher-Ups (Starservant, Beros, Leviathan, etc) - 2

Other International Villain Organizations:

• ??????????

Shie Hassaikai:

• ??????????

Chapter 94: Star and Stripe - Premonition

“Project Premonitory has been mostly successful so far. While the Artificial Singularity in America was quickly stopped by Star and Stripe, the others were able to function until their natural collapse.” The Pro-Hero secretly doubling as a templar reports.

And Melissa Shield, High Priestess of Humarise, is less than pleased.

“Did I not warn you that they would lose against Star and Stripe? Did I not say she too was a singularity-level blight? We have limited specimens to let loose; quirked animals are quite rare and we’re not at the human testing stage just yet, so we must make the most of them.”

“A-Apologies, High Priestess. But our lord requested they be unleashed near top heroes, to show that even society’s champions can’t resist-”

“Most can’t. Star and Stripe can. All Might could before his fall. Flect Turn put me in charge of this project; I am well aware of his wishes, so from now on, you are to consult me before unleashing any more. Understand?”

“Y-Yes, High Priestess.” The diseased templar obeys. 

“Good. Now heed my orders, or be forced to repent through more direct sacrifice. Three more Artificial Singularities shall be released over the next week, and then… we shall stop. At least for the time being. 

The less we unleash, the harder it will be for others to connect them to Humarise and prepare for future attacks. More importantly, fear of the inevitable future will drive more pure and diseased alike towards our embrace. It will consume them from the inside out, and we shall relieve them of this burden.”

“As you wish, High Priestess.”

 

Unfortunately for them, the World Heroes Association has already begun mobilizing top heroes around the world against this threat. They already suspect Humarise too, so better to be cautious, not push too far for the time being. 

Besides, this will give them more time to stock up, so if the heroes did catch on and directly declare war on Humarise, they would have the means to fight back. 

Her Hercules armor is becoming more and more optimized, successfully replicating quirks of top heroes from all across the world through technology alone. However, she can only provide copies of this and her other innovations to so many, even with quirks aiding the production process, so this singularity project will be their key to victory.

Their latest experiment was a massive success, as while they can’t control these Artificial Singularities or prevent them from naturally perishing soon after their ascension, they can choose where and when said ascension takes place. 

Japan’s variants of Trigger helped immensely with stabilization, allowing for those injected with this liquid to survive much longer than they would otherwise. It still isn’t more than a day, but that’s much better for their current goals then a few minutes, if not seconds.

Their Trigger Bombs will be different, Ideo Trigger’s gaseous state prioritizing instability instead of stability. Humans afflicted with this other variant will last minutes at most, their quirks being boosted to truly terrifying levels as their wielders are consumed and killed.

Only one hero can stop the monstrosities Melissa makes, and she can’t be everywhere at once. Even with her new support gear (which she suspects her father added an extra quirk-boosting surprise into), even with the help of other heroes around the world, she won’t be able to stop their premonition.

She won’t stop them from saving Melissa’s fellow pure, and wiping away quirks as a phenomenon for good.

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐ 1 Month Until The Second Meta Liberation War

“Welcome, Star! Nice to see you again. You had good trip, lah?” Cathleen and her squad hear as they’re waved over, and they’d recognize that Singaporean accent anywhere.

Big Red Dot, the Number 1 Hero of Singapore, has a smile on his face upon seeing the familiar face.

“You too, BRD!” She yells back. “Any idea what’s going on this time?”

“Afraid not. Hopefully involves freeing Japan, lah?”

“Totally.” She grins as they shake hands. 

Either freeing Japan or stopping All For One for good, she hopes. 

 

As for what’s been going on with that disaster, after an almost two week-long temper tantrum, the walls on his floor finally gave out and flooded everything. 

The so-called demon lord was swept away, and while being hit with water pressure half a kilometer below sea-level should be enough to kill him, getting the top half of his head obliterated with a punch should’ve been enough to do the job too, and look what happened there.

No sign of him since then, and no tracking quirk she knows of is enough to find him, assuming he’s still alive. HPSC still had enough pragmatism or fear to officially declare that if All For One is spotted, he is to be taken down by any means necessary, murder included.

In fact, every villain ranked B and above was given a similar declaration, meaning Pro-Heroes and police won’t get any punishment no matter how badly these villains are beaten, or even if they’re killed. 

Most A-Rank and S-Rank Villains in particular were quietly given personal kill-on-sight declarations, the HPSC not even bothering to try and take those guys in alive. After all, Nomus are made from corpses, are they not?

As for the likely scenario where Hero Students are stuck facing top-grade villains, the HPSC at least had enough sense to not prosecute them for pulling out, instead instructing them to immediately retreat the moment they face any villain way beyond their weight class. 

At worst, they could either run the hell away or ideally lead the villain to adult Pro-Heroes who can actually deal with them.

Not because the HPSC cares about their country’s youth possibly dying for their mistakes, but because they’re aware that even Japanese people won’t stand idly by seeing children, their children, massacred by mass-murderers. Protests and riots are taking up too much attention from their law enforcement as is.

Nighteye also reported that Hawks will continue doing his wetwork, killing particularly annoying troublemakers of theirs left and right. Endeavor is also free to stop holding back and murder openly, doubling as extra deterrent for any would-be villains as nobody wants to become a charred corpse.

 

There's just one unspoken exception to this rule, villains involved with the production and distribution of Trigger. Japanese Heroes need every advantage they can get right now, so most are willing to turn a blind eye in exchange for getting a few vials of the drug themselves.

Either that or beat down the dealers and hoard their products, something most of the truly HPSC-loyalist heroes are doing on the organization’s orders. HPSC is also willing to turn a blind eye to other heroes getting some Trigger themselves, as it lets them hit above their weight class or even just survive a little longer, thereby doing more damage to villains before going down.

Well, it’s not like All For One is gonna feel threatened by Endeavor or Hawks, even if they’re doped up on Trigger. He would probably find their pursuit hilarious before brutally murdering them both in seconds, taking their quirks too while he’s at it.

“Probably went senile after few centuries, lah? Can you imagine someone being that old? I’d go mad.” The Singaporean contemplates.

“Long as you have your sights focused on something, it shouldn’t be all too bad. Losing sight of what gives you meaning though… now that might cause a person to go batshit insane."

Whatever the case may be, the moment he shows what’s left of his ugly mug outside Japan’s borders, Cathleen will be dropping everything to finish him off for good.

Long Haul too, so long as it doesn’t doom the world in the process. She really does hate villains like him the most, the ones who always do what you’re not expecting. 

He’s already done so much and Cathleen knows his basic strategies by now, yet she still has no idea in the slightest what he’ll do next and she hates it. The obvious answer is using the new Meta Liberation Army to steamroll through what’s left of Japan, but what if he doesn’t? 

What if he sends that six-digit army to raise hell in America or some other country for whatever reason? She foiled his plans before, something she doubts many others have succeeded in, so if he’s gonna direct his vengeance towards anyone, it’ll be her.

WHA employees soon guide both her and BRD inside, her bros being forced to wait around due to a lack of clearance or something stupid like that. They have to know she relays pretty much everything she hears to them and Commander Agpar by now; is it just for show or what?

“Mind giving us a preview?” She asks the employees guiding them inside.

“Sorry, Ms. Star, but we probably know less than you do.”

“It’s fine.” She waves it off, all of them arriving at some massive meeting room soon after.

The director is waiting there, his hair looking slightly whiter than usual. Not like she can really blame him for stressing out so much.

 

“Thank you both for coming on such short notice.” He begins. “The reason you two have been called here is due to your experience regarding an emerging threat.”

Japan? No, Big Red Dot wouldn’t be here if it was. The new MLA maybe? She did help quite a bit with the investigation into that before she was called back to the states.

“Would you mind elaborating?” Her fellow Number 1 requests.

“Do you remember the giant villain you encountered a week or so ago?” The director asks back. “The one which resembled a Sunda Pangolin?”

And now she’s even more confused. Great.

“Lah. Real nasty thing, that one. Practically impenetrable to most attacks and could control its near unbreakable scales like Hawks controls his feathers. 

Took my entire agency and several dozen other heroes just to contain it in one city, and it collapsed several hours later. What about it?”

“And do you, Star and Stripe, remember encountering a giant hydra villain several weeks ago?” The director follows up, turning his attention to her.

“Yeah, reminded me of King Ghidorah without the electricity and anti-gravity powers. Shame Godzillo wasn’t around for that fight; he would’ve loved it. Thing was real tough, especially with Trigger equipped, but my bros’ jets and my full-power punches were tougher.”

“Yours had Trigger as well?” Big Red Dot questions.

“Both had Trigger, the same kind of Trigger variant which is both never before seen and far more potent than anything we have seen. Not only that, but those villains weren’t humans. They were quirked animals.”

“You think they’re related.” Cathleen catches on.

 

“We’re pretty sure of it, especially as two more have been spotted in the last few days. One is a giant squid in Spain with a water manipulation quirk; he flooded five cities and killed two of the country’s top ten heroes before collapsing under a combined assault from three more, their Number 1 Hero included, but the latter sustained heavy injuries in the process.

The other resembles that of Olgoi-Khorkhoi or the Mongolian Death Worm legend, being both massive in size and capable of spewing poison that is fatal for most upon contact. It is currently rampaging around Egypt, and its Number 1 Hero, Salaam, is engaging it alongside several dozen other local heroes.”

“Did squid have Trigger too?” Big Red Dot confirms.

“It did, the same kind as the other ones, as a matter of fact. A retrieved sample of the worm’s blood confirmed it also possessed this drug… and what’s more concerning is the side effects of this Trigger. The boost it provides to quirks is immense, and it strengthens the rest of its user’s body too, but this comes at a lethal cost.

Not only does the user become completely uncontrollable, but their quirk will gradually consume them from the inside out, becoming too much for their body to bear in anywhere from 12-24 hours depending on how much other damage they take in the meantime.”

“Anything else of note?”

“They have all begun their rampages near densely-populated areas, causing horrific amounts of destruction no matter how many heroes attempt to stop them, almost like a natural disaster.

On that note, Humarise is offering much needed aid once the conflicts ended in all three areas, taking the chance to preach their Quirk Singularity Doomsday spiel to any victims, but with how overwhelmed most heroes across the world are, we have no choice but to accept.”

“Sounds deliberate, they take down tons of heroes and can recruit plenty who were harmed or become scared of future attacks to their cause. You think they’re behind this?”

Cathleen hasn’t said a word about Long Haul to the WHA, or anyone bar Nezu’s council outside of her bros and Commander Agpar. With how overwhelmed the heroes are already, forcing his hand would be apocalyptically disastrous.

Now does she think Long Haul has a hand in this? She honestly isn’t sure.

The guy did mention that Humarise was planning something big, something world-ending. A variant of Trigger that can create uncontrollable, country-trampling monsters sure sounds like a world-ending threat to her, especially if an army of them is being prepared.

But did he help them at all, even if Humarise doesn’t know it? Considering his expertise in Trigger, she’s willing to bet the answer is yes. And considering how his plans usually go, he likely wants her and the WHA to take down Humarise, seriously weakening themselves in the process.

“If they are, they’re very good at covering their tracks.” The director sighs. “INTERPOL is launching a full-scale investigation, but until we can confirm the source of these occurrences and figure out how to stop it, the WHA will need you two and other top heroes on standby in case more show up.”

 

“What about Salaam? Should we not go help him too?”

“I was getting to that. It’s been almost fifteen hours since the worm was spotted, so it should be going down soon. 

Nevertheless, you two will be heading over as reinforcements officially, but make sure to keep an eye on the aftermath too. Particularly Humarise agents if they start showing up.

We can’t take them in for questioning without concrete evidence of their involvement, and even if you could, most would likely know nothing important, but you never know when they might slip up.”

“Got it. Wanna ride with me, BRD?” Cathleen offers her fellow Number 1.

“Your brothers in arms wouldn’t be too cramped if I did, lah?” The Singaporean asks back in concern.

“Never said you would be riding in the jet.” 

“But G-forces, wind shear, wind flying in your face. I’m afraid I have no natural protection from such things; air would feel like belt sander on skin.”

“New Order: Anyone I touch can comfortably ride on the outside of a fighter jet.” Cathleen declares before touching both Big Red Dot and herself. “Problem solved. Let’s move out!”

“That quirk of yours really something else, lah.” He mumbles back, and Cathleen laughs loudly as they both start sprinting out, starting an unspoken race with each other. 

He doesn’t know the half of it, especially with the latest piece of support gear she acquired. 

Cathleen had made the switch on the way over, the new helmet she made through creation being one with a Quirk Amplification Device secretly stored inside. She owes David Shield big time for his part in the sort-of heist. 

The extra rush of power was incredible; it felt like reality itself had loosened its grip on her.

Her potential has increased. Her restrictions have been lessened. Best of all, she can now use up to three rules at once instead of two.

A major power-up, one she would gladly take. She’s gonna need it. 

 

The only potential issue was her ride, the squadron of jets her bros pilot. They record, analyze, and store whatever quirk action goes on around them, so they will notice the increased potency in her rules.

Luckily, she has two things going for her right now. First, the US Government knows about her rapid improvement with New Order throughout her brief stint in Japan. She hasn’t exactly kept it a secret during her rampages across the states.

However, even that excuse would be pushing it if she starts using three rules. Quirks are like muscles, and New Order is no different, but there’s usually a limit to how far they can be pushed.

Ironically enough, her situation in regards to quirk strength was similar to Endeavor, having seemingly approached an unbreakable bottleneck despite decades of relentless training.

With New Order, training essentially boils down to putting yourself in situations where you have to constantly think on your feet, pushing out and declaring new rules, all while pushing the orders themselves to the very limits it allows. 

Such improves critical thinking skills along with New Order itself due to the constant strain and quirk exhaustion it’s put under. She wasn’t always able to declare rules that let people rival All Might in raw power or affect areas up to miles away; she had to improve New Order to that level with tons of intense quirk training over the years.

But like what happened with Endeavor, the growth of her quirk eventually stopped. It reached its limit, and no amount of roundabout wording she tried let her pass it. Her greatest limit was creativity, but that can’t explain her gaining more rule slots when she’s always only had two available.

Yes, she tried declaring a rule that increases her number of available rules. No, it didn’t work, and the suits in charge know that. It was like wishing on a genie to have infinite wishes, not every loophole is guaranteed to succeed. 

However, that’s where her newfound inspiration and creativity comes into play, using a technopathy rule to alter the data collected a bit. After so many years, she knows these fighter jets like the back of her hand, so it wouldn’t be too difficult. 

Of course, that doesn’t mean a whole lot if other people see her doing it (not that many people know the details of New Order to begin with), so she’ll have to be careful. Maybe gradually reveal more of her new power overtime instead of showing one massive jump from the QAD’s boost.

Yeah, that should work well enough.

 

Several hours later, both Number 1 Heroes soar across Egypt atop the squadron of X-66s. 

It isn’t hard locating the latest monster, its trail of destruction not exactly being subtle. 

“New Order. I, Cathleen Bate, am in possession of two quirks: New Order and Search.”

Another helpful quirk Nezu told her about, it lets her observe up to a hundred people, knowing their location and weak points. It also permanently stores the information gained after its usage, those memories not going away after she cancels the quirk. 

Unfortunately, whatever targets decided to name their quirks isn’t automatically known to her through Search, so she needs to figure that out before she can replicate them. On that note, reading the minds of her targets with a different New Order rule can fill that knowledge gap.

A shame that doesn’t really help her against those with little cognitive function like animals. Well, unless there is an increased intelligence aspect to their quirk like Nezu’s High Specs.

But she can at least use Search’s other perks to her advantage. Swapping to a telepathic rule to transfer her findings, her bros and fellow hero opens fire at the worm’s weak point the moment they arrive.

“THE CALVARY IS HERE!!!” Cathleen announces as the worm shrieks in pain, the patches of flesh Egyptian heroes already carved away at now getting further blasted into. 

Salaam takes advantage of the winds generated, slipping through the cracks formed to deliver further damage.

His fighting style resembles that of Edgeshot in Japan, being paper-thin but incredibly sharp. His maneuverability is on another level and he can pierce through most enemies without a problem.

The main issue here is he didn’t know what parts of this titanic animal to target. That and he had several cities worth of people to help evacuate during its rampage. He’s tired, having fought for almost eight hours straight, but he didn’t become the top hero of his country for nothing. 

“Pepper it from a distance! Give our comrades time to break off!” Big Red Dot commands, and Star’s squad does just that, being too high up for any poison spit to reach them.

Geysers of water and volleys of lasers divert the worm deep into the desert, far away from any civilians. Good, she’s gonna need a lot of room for this next part.

“NEW ORDER: THE AIR HARDENS INTO MY FORM BUT A THOUSAND TIMES BIGGER!”

“NEW ORDER: THE LASERS WILL FORM INTO A SINGLE, HOLDABLE BEAM!”

After relaying their plan to Salaam, she creates a lance-wielding avatar that dwarfs the worm in size ten times over… or maybe closer to eight. Seriously, this thing is fucking huge. 

But as the old saying goes, the bigger they are, the harder they fall!

“UNITED HYPERMAX OUTPUT LASER - KERAUNOS!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

The worm attempts to flee, but America’s best is faster, piercing right through its head with a massive energy lance.

It doesn’t kill the thing, as its brain covers almost a third of its body, much less than what her laser lance is covering. This is where Salaam comes in, using this opportunity to pierce through other crucial parts of its brain to finish the thing off.

Dangerous is an understatement, but the worm’s toughness works to his advantage, protecting Egypt’s best from her laser’s heat and pressure. 

More poison is thrown around as the kaiju-sized worm thrashes about, making Salaam’s life a whole lot harder, but Big Red Dot then comes in for the assist.

“STAY STILL, LAH! ONLY FOR A SECOND, BEASTIE!” He growls, using both the water cannon he calls a mouth and his brute strength to hold its squirming tail in place. 

“KEEP IT UP, BRD! NOW’S YOUR CHANCE, SALAAM!” Cathleen yells over.

“MUCH APPRECIATED, MY FRIENDS! LET US CONCLUDE THIS CARNAGE!”

One final assault from the three Number 1 Heroes finally kills the monster, Salaam awkwardly requesting Big Red Dot blast the blood covering him right after. 

That gets a good laugh out of everyone, having ended yet another calamity.

Only for their mood to be ruined a little later by Humarise, arriving in droves to help pick up the pieces. 

All three top international heroes also stick around to help, both because it’s the right thing to do and to keep an eye on (plus one-up) Humarise agents. Despite their best efforts, they are unable to find any incriminating evidence on the group.

Their mood is further ruined several hours later when the WHA lets them know of a hundred-foot tall Siberian Husky tearing through Russia, its quirk now allowing for the subjugation of similar animals dozens of miles away upon unleashing its alpha’s call.

“Sorry to ask this of you, and we totally get it if you wanna stay here-” Cathleen apologies, but Egypt’s Number 1 Hero stops her midway.

“My country’s own crisis has ended, and I’ve already been forced to ignore both Japan and All Might’s catastrophe. If given the choice, I have no intention of abandoning other countries.”

“A pity Endeavor isn’t around to take notes on how top heroes should act, lah.” Big Red Dot quips, getting all three of them to laugh.

“You can say that again. Now who wants to ride on top of a fighter jet?” Cathleen grins.

“Apologies, but the fierce winds would make maintaining-”

“New Order.”

 

Less than two hours later, the big bad wolf is down and its remaining subordinates scatter, the trip over taking most of that time. 

Against three of the most dangerous Number 1 Heroes in the world, even kaiju-sized, Triggered-up monsters like them don’t stand a chance. 

Casualties were minimal before their arrival, but Russia’s Number 6 Hero sacrificed himself to ensure that.

With a hundred and eighty countries being members of the World Heroes’ Association, that naturally translates to 1,800 top ten heroes. Granted, not every country uses a number ranking system; some instead use the same system used to rank villains, going up to S-Rank.

But how they’re ranked doesn’t take away their capabilities, and even if there are some top heroes with less than ideal amounts of such for someone of their position (such as Wash in Japan before he died), the majority of them are rather powerful.

And with other factors determining ranking in most hero systems, there are likely plenty of other heroes with considerable amounts of power and skill scattered around, even if their ranking doesn’t make such immediately noticeable.

It’s as they say, don’t judge a book by its cover. 

Of course, quantity isn’t the sole deciding factor, After all, villains still massively outnumber heroes around the world. 

With enough raw power, power like these things, most heroes would be trampled. Sure, there are probably a few weak but niche or unorthodox quirks that could potentially be effective, but the vast majority of heroes stand no chance.

So if these monsters can really be mass-produced, then the world is in big, big trouble.

Cathleen can stop them easily enough. Cathleen is just one person. She can get injured, she can get tired, she can be overwhelmed. 

 

‘Things are only gonna get worse from here, aren’t they?’ She mentally sighs to herself upon returning to the states once again.

No more quirked, Triggered-up animals appeared during the next 24 hours, and the WHA couldn’t just have some of its top heroes standing around forever. They have their own countries to defend.

While her rampage across America scared villains across the country (and forced many connected to the detained to waste time recovering), they’re eventually gonna get bold again if she leaves for an extended period of time.

But her, Big Red Dot, Salaam, and other top heroes from all over the world are to be on standby as often as possible in case any more come. Contingencies are being put in place, the corpses and Trigger used are being studied at I-Island, and Cathleen herself can rocket across the world in half a day if she’s needed.

“Not enough. Definitely not enough.” She repeats, holding her helmet in her hands. “What else can I do? What else can I try?”

Gather more support? She’s got the United Nations and World Heroes’ Association on her side for crying out loud!

One For All? No, she won’t ruin the future of her fellow disciple like that. He’ll become a great hero one day, a great ally in the armageddon that’s to come. 

Trigger? The downsides like blood flow damage and volatile emotions make it stupidly risky, especially when she already has the QAD boosting her. That’s without mentioning the flood of controversy to come if it gets out she uses that stuff. 

He, their master, and plenty of other, powerful aid is still trapped in Japan. Countless innocents are still trapped in Japan under their HPSC’s rule. 

She’s really starting to get impatient with the lack of progress on that end. In fact, with these Triggered-up monsters entering the picture, aid to Japan is looking even less likely!

 

It eats away at her as her squad lands back at base, as she turns in for the night. 

“Most powerful person in the world, and here I am begging for more.” She sighs to herself. “Am I being too forceful? Too selfish?”

Long Haul managed to close the gap without any reality-warping quirks like New Order. Maybe she should go back to focusing on what she does have rather than what she doesn’t have.

She should focus on exploring her new limits, the power David’s Quirk Amplification Device provides her. While she already pieced together a basic overview in terms of improvements, there’s still plenty of details to iron out.

Slow and steady wins the race, right? She’ll first master this new boost in power, figure out just what can be done now. Then she’ll figure out ways to further improve, the former hopefully making this step easier.

Good thing she has no shortage of targets to practice on. Villainous activity in the states has started increasing again, so she’ll just have to remind them once again that she is here.

 

 

 

Status of Main Forces in Japan

HPSC/Government:

• Pro-Heroes - 77,431
• Hero Students (Provisional License) - 7,411
• Police Officers/Other Law Enforcement - 136,264

Meta Liberation Army:

• Regular Warriors - 150,372
• New Wild Villains - 7,785
• New Vigilante Alliance - 7,396
• Giran’s Empire - 2,118
• Hero Spies/Secret Turncoats - 1,552
• Nine’s (Sekan’s) Forces - ?????

Humarise:

• Templars/Grunts - 7,814
• Higher-Ups (Starservant, Beros, Leviathan, etc) - 2

Other International Villain Organizations:

• ??????????

Shie Hassaikai:

• ??????????

Chapter 95: Interlude - Goodbye, UA High

Notes:

Fair warning: this chapter gets pretty dark towards the end, as in darker then usual.

More is gradually revealed to her as the bond between present and future grows.

She continues connecting with herself, sometimes as a whisper in the back of her mind, other times as an apparition within her dreams.

Eri Doraifu has been having the same dream, and her tether keeps saying the same thing.

“They’re trying to deceive you. They don’t have your best interest. Think for yourself, ask yourself, what is true? What is real? Who is the real enemy here?

Keep asking yourself this over and over again. And remember, the truth, it needs no defense.”

And sometimes, she would be shown things, visions from distant worlds.

She saw herself turned into a replacement Tomura that rewound All For One back to his prime. 

She saw herself turned into a replacement Hawks that rewound All Might back to his prime. 

She saw herself turned into a catalyst for Kai Chisaki, allowing him to become the leader of Humarise and rewind the world into a desolate, barron state.

Yet what happened to her in the world her dad calls ‘canon’ might just be the worst fate of all, reduced to another naive fanatic rewinding Izuku Midoriya from the consequences of his actions time and time again, mutilating herself, her power, and her potential in the process. 

It wasn’t even others mutilating her; it was her being manipulated into directly mutilating herself for her so-called saviors!

It’s always rewind this and rewind that, these people desperately trying to bring back the past rather than face the future. Eri was always being used by someone. Her power was one of the strongest in existence, and everyone wanted it for themselves. They wanted her to be a piece on their side of the board.

Even her dad wanted this to an extent, but he also wanted to help her. The truth of this reality was laid bare in front of her, and he let her choose what she wanted to do with that knowledge, with her power. 

And when she wished to be like him, he did his best to make that happen.

“You know you can be whatever you want when you grow up, right? You’re the author of your own life.”

She never forgot what Sekan told her back then. She would become the main character; Sekan made sure of it. He set this all in motion. He helped make sure she would never be manipulated again. She would become the puppetmaster. She would be the one on top.

Even if that meant triumphing over herself.

 

“Listen to dad’s advice; he’s well on his way to ultimate success, as are we, but remember to think beyond that advice. Having role models is important, everyone should look up to people, want to emulate the greats.

However, you can’t achieve anything by chasing the shadow of another. So I’ll ask you again, what do you want to achieve?”

Honestly, she’s still trying to figure that out herself.

These gifts she gave herself, she knows it came with some strings attached. Some are new powers she can call her own, others are permanent boosts to aspects of her current abilities.

“Overmodification is the name of this precious little power. It originally caused far too many problems for my liking, so I made sure to take it off this game board early on and alter it into something more… controllable, compatible with others. 

And while we’re on the subject of pieces that need removal, there’s a little alteration I would like for you to make to dad’s latest scheme. Be sure to tell Himiko Toga-”

She has an inkling about all this, about the truth of her dad’s transmigration and those gods and their games and how she herself fits into all of this.

She knows she’ll come out on top; what’s important is ensuring she herself stays in control.

And this dream she keeps having, it would always end the same way. 

“Wait for me, little me. We’ll reunite and truly ascend soon enough.”

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  3 Weeks Until The Second Meta Liberation War

“So that’s your latest mission. We don’t have long before Re-Doofenshmirtz uses his MLA-inator to take over the tri-prefectural area and everyone’s attention goes to him. 

Now's the time to really make heroes on both sides look bad, so you think you can do it?” Eri Doraifu questions the (physically) oldest minion in her organization from her child-sized throne.

“Yes, Mistress!” Himiko Toga smiles back at who she considers to be the cutest girl in the whole wide world. “When do I leave?”

“My dad’s clones will send me a time soon. They want this extra attack I planned to line up with them exposing that French guy as AFO’s spy for maximum PR damage against UA. 

You can do whatever you want to the remaining students; just don’t get arrested and be back to the desagna- desi- desig… igna… be back to the warp spot we set up in time!”

Operation ‘Splat Goes The Rat’ is a go! 

 

As Eri continues to learn and grow, so too does her desire to help Sekan, especially now that her dad is working himself to the bone with other projects and preparations for his final ascension. So after eavesdropping on Sekan’s clones via more bribes to their cyberwarfare branch, she decided to try and add on to their latest plans.

She has some powerful subordinates too, and they can use the practice. 

Himiko Toga is one of them.

Ever since she got back from spying on the LOV, she’s been free to do as she pleases so long as it doesn’t compromise Shie Hassaikai safety or security.

And being her mood kindred, Kuin naturally took a liking to her. From there, it wasn’t long before the queen bee became a mentor and even somewhat of a mother figure to the teenage vampire girl.

Toga never slacked on her training either. She was in the same boat as the other Head-Starters despite being a good bit older physically. 

She loves it in Osaka. In the Shie Hassaikai. Nobody here judges her emotions or desires. Nobody here calls her a freak of nature because everybody here is a freak of nature, an outcast.

She was given all the blood she could ever want. She could be whoever she wanted, herself most of all.

And she wanted to pay her saviors back. Her friends back. Her new family back.

Unlike in canon, she never cared for the potato-head’s League of Meatpuppets and Assholes. She was given a far better option much earlier on, and she had no reason to refuse.

The League of Villains was supposed to be a place where she could do whatever she wanted, where she could be free. But how free was someone who had to live their life hunted, never knowing rest or peace?

Not even All For One had been able to change that.

 

She loved this all so much, and pushed herself to go Plus Ultra as a result. And with Sekan knowing exactly how to unleash her potential, it wasn’t long before she got the same Quirk Awakening she did in canon.

Being able to copy other people’s quirks beforehand certainly helped matters, the copy of Neito’s Copy quirk she was given allowed her to get used to the feeling of being more like others, quirks and all.

She also got copies of Wolfram’s Metal Manipulation quirk, Vlad King’s Blood Control quirk, and Kota’s Hydrokinesis quirk, meaning she can mentally move around weapons and blood like a symphony of slaughter. A copy of Stain’s Bloodcurdle quirk is just the cherry on top.

Her original, Awakened Quirk combined with Double turned her into a nigh-unstoppable force of nature in canon, so imagine what she can do with far more powerful friends and a few extra quirks of her own.

With the Shie Hassaikai having her back, Himiko Toga feels unstoppable.

With Sekan’s power, she is unstoppable.

Now that his singularity ascension or Perfect Form procedure is close to starting, Sekan had wanted to try out a little experiment. He wanted to gain a little extra insight on what he could expect if he was ever forced to use his final trump card.

Toga agreed, and was warped to one of many uninhabited islands far away from Japanese mainland to go all out with Sekan’s powers, Double included.

Transforming into multi-quirk users like AFO Tomura, AFO himself, and even Nomus aren’t a problem for her as the Final War displayed in canon. She was unable to use their quirks due to the bloodlust she possessed messing with her emotions during that confrontation.

But here and now? There’s nothing holding her back from accessing this power.

Using them to their fullest potential is a different story. She had next to no practice using most of the quirks in his arsenal, Warp Gate being a quirk she couldn’t use, period, so Sekan was free to observe the tidal waves of dark goop forming thousands of himself going completely bananas with no reason to worry about the world’s safety.

He only gave her enough of his blood for a ten minute transformation. The clones would all fade away after that, so until then, Toga was free to let loose. And she most certainly did. 

It helped reaffirm Sekan’s decision to not pull a Sad Man’s Parade unless absolutely necessary, the gods’ Incursion game being one such example of ‘absolutely necessary’.

But getting back on track…

Himiko Toga is soooooo excited!

 

She didn’t get to do a whole lot during the training camp attack. That Ochako girl was fun to play with (torment), but that also meant she had no time for anyone else.

Well, her adorable boss’s super scary villain emperor dad gave her just what she wanted! More time to play with them!

It’s a shame she can’t show off her new kickass katana, but she can at least keep on her new villain costume during this mission. It’s made entirely of her own sharpened hair like that costume NightHaul’s hero intern wears, and like him, she can use her original quirk seamlessly with it.

No more getting naked every time she has to transform into someone else! Hooray!

Their cyberwarfare team first breaks into UA’s security systems again.

In that glorified mascot’s defense, there isn’t really a whole lot he can do against dozens of skilled hackers with technopathic quirks no matter how good his intelligence-boosting quirk is. He won’t even notice the latest secret entry until it’s way too late.

Next up is a Klonogiri opening up a warp gate into 1-A student Toru Hakagure’s room, Reveal and the UA Festival allowing the up and coming demon lord’s clones to now know the location of pretty much every hero and hero student at UA.

Another thing Nezu can’t ever hope to counter.

It’s not that he’s incompetent (besides a few key personality flaws); it’s just that the big boss has prepared far too much for things like this.

 

Toga subdues the invisible girl in an instant, and gets more than enough blood to transform into her (should make the whole ‘sneaking around’ thing easier) for the whole day while having some bloody fun with her. 

She leaves the Klonogiri still hanging around to look after the evidence. They can’t have the heroes catching on until she’s finished up.

That leaves Izuku Modiriya, Katsuki Bakugou, Ejiro Kirishima, Kyoka Jiro, Fumikage Tokoyami, Mezo Shoji, Mina Ashido, and Yuga Aoyama.

Everyone else in Class 1-A either quit or died. Oh, and three of them are traitors now! And none of them are working for Sekan at that! 

Actually, the suicide-baiting boom boom boy of 1-A might as well be taken off the list too. It wasn’t just full-time pros getting their darker sides leaked; the big boss was more than happy to showcase what kinds of psychopaths (and that’s HER talking) this society was letting into hero schools too.

HPSC wasn’t deterred though, taking out the most problematic students for full-time ‘additional remedial lessons’ before they could get lynched, regardless of whether they had Provisional Licenses or still undertaking Remedial Courses (which practically all of them were), and announcing such to the public.

Basically, these bad eggs would be spending all their time in the Team-Up Mission program instead of only part time like other hero students, being given Provisional Licenses after taking a new License Exam heavily rigged in their favor and fully thrown into the frontlines as more disposable cannon fodder, destined to be killed and forgotten or turn into a prized lapdog like Endeavor or Hawks at best.

Not even UA was immune to this, and some teachers like Eraserhead and Midnight were thrown through the ringer for their less than savory actions too (along with UA as a whole for practically ignoring the fucked-up actions of some students like Bakugou attempting to murder Izuku during Battle Practice on literally the second day), but they’re just background noise when looking at hero society as a whole. 

The general public doesn’t really care about UA on its own anymore, their focus instead mainly going towards protesting the dictatorship allowing it to remain open and the current Hero Society to remain running. Probably a good thing for Nezu’s group considering what they’re planning, but the underlying issue remains.

From what she heard, Bakugou is having a field day blasting apart villains, vigilantes, and protestors alike with total impunity, acting as a rabid attack dog mentored by Pro-Heroes with similar quirks and attitudes like the Buster Union team. 

Good for him, but Endeavor Lite is still gonna die the moment he comes across someone actually threatening.

Anywho, time to lower the class count even further. 

 

Heights Alliance was not a loud and lively place. The remaining hero students still hung out and had fun and interacted whenever they weren’t forced to take part in Team-Up Missions, but it was always done more out of necessity instead of a genuine want. 

These teenagers knew that they should do everything they could to keep their spirits high, so as a result, all the fun and good times they had since they were forced here after Kamino felt as fake as All Might’s smile.

Even before that, Class 1-A’s mood tanked after Hosu thanks to Tsuyu’s death (which was completely unrelated to the Hosu attack, ironically enough). Then I-Island happened and two more classmates died. 

Then they tried going Plus Ultra with their summer training camp, only for villains to steamroll through them once again with more casualties on their side than ever before. That’s not even mentioning all the blows to society Sekan launched over the last few years.

Japanese Hero Society as a whole being revealed to be a corrupted shithole was just the icing on top, especially when they came across pieces on both current classmates like Bakugou and former classmates like Mineta. A fight probably would’ve broken out if the mini bomberman wasn’t permanently forced to the frontlines almost immediately after.

What remained of Class 1-A (and pretty much every other UA student for that matter) was doing all they could to stay afloat, but cinder blocks were tied to their feet and a mountain of failures loomed over their heads. 

The brightest moment for any of them during these last months was Mina finally convincing Kirishima to join her and the MLA, both of them being excited for the ‘new, better society’ that’s to come once their own coup succeeds. 

And Himiko Toga’s little adventure was just another nail on the world’s most depressing coffin.

‘Hmmmmm, who to go after first? Earphone girl could be a problem with her quirk… she isn’t very cute either…’

Unlike the LOV, these guys actually bothered to give Toga information about her opponents before having her face them. It makes things so much easier.

Pretending to be Toru was easy for the blond-haired villain. Both are extremely outgoing teenagers, after all. That’s when she had to pretend, as the invisible girl is, well, invisible. 

If anyone asks why she’s wandering around naked, she can just say she’s trying out a new hero suit that turns invisible with her, kind of like what that Mirio guy has for his quirk.

And with all the extra training she got after completing her first spy mission as well as a few extra quirks courtesy of her adorable boss’s super scary villain emperor dad, her next target never stood a chance.

 

“Villain too, I am a villain too. My trap is set, my trap is set, and they won’t back down.” Toga softly sings to herself. 

“Villain too, strength doesn’t make a villain. True heroes, true heroes, are suckers who stand up for the stupid crap they believe in. So wait and see… how futile their actions will be.”

Jiro didn’t even suspect anything until she was locked in her room with ‘Toru’ drinking blood from her freshly slit throat like it’s a fucking water fountain. 

A two-handed overhead slash, one with optimal adjustments to her fingers, wrist, and overall arm positioning. The Hero Student has been laying down and Mr. Stainy’s training was relentless, demanding Plus Ultra levels of perfection.

She can hear the de facto drill instructor now. Rotate both wrists slightly downward at the apex of your swing, Toga. The blade will cut deeper and have more precision, Toga.  Don’t let your wrists stay too stiff or move independently, Toga. The force of the strike would dissipate, leaving it weaker and less accurate, Toga.

Maintain a relaxed but firm grip, Toga. Tension slows your reaction time, Toga. Placing your feet too far apart limits your range of motion, Toga. Remember proper rotation of the hips, Toga. Position your back foot at a slight angle, Toga. Control your FUCKING BREATHING, TOGA!

While she can’t be mad at Mr. Stainy for helping her so much, and she knows what she signed up for, but that guy can be such a slave driver!

Anywho, it’s only been about five minutes since Himiko Toga was warped in and two 1-A students are already dead with a third one about to be exposed as a traitor. Not a great start for the heroes.

Kyoka Jiro went from somehow hindering All For One in canon to being slaughtered in moments by Toga here, and with her using a regular old knife at that. 

The girl being killed as Toga just so happened to be singing a warped, villainous version of her own canon hero song (that she never even made here) was both extremely ironic and extremely hilarious to Sekan, the transmigrator currently peering in via Reveal.

‘Now what? Or who, I guess. Mina’s the only girl left and she’s pretty cute, but Eri wants me to leave her and Kirishima alone since they’re both MLA spies now. None of the other boys are very cute either… well, except for Izuku. But Mistress Eri told me to save his torment for last.

Ummm… ugh, should I even bother with anyone else? Why do I even care about this stupid school so much? Handyman and potato-face were the ones with the hate-boners for it for god knows why.

I mean seriously, these are supposed to be the best the next generation of heroes has? These are the people who are supposed to protect Japan? What kind of sad, ugly joke is this? 

Whatever, I’ll just go for Deku now; that should be good enough, right? Make the rat waste his time looking for the long-dead league of idiots.’

Himiko Toga never ran into Izuku Midoriya during the Training Camp attack, so her first time learning about him was during the quick debriefing Eri gave her for this mission, and Kuin provided the parts of his backstory the big bad bird told her during the USJ attack.

She knows how dangerous he is, but she also knows how squeamish and meek he can be. He also looks like her old crush from Middle School! Yeah, this should be really fun depending on how far she can get, how much she can bring out of him.

 

Swapping to her Jiro disguise after ensuring nobody else was nearby, she knocks on the door to his dorm room.

“Hey, Deku. You in there, dude?” She asks, imitating the earlobe girl to the best of her acting ability.

“...I-Is there something you n-need, Jiro? If not, p-please come back later.” She gets a shaky, stuttery response back. 

Looks like someone’s on the verge of tears. Did he find out already? No, it can’t be.

Must be everything else then. His entire life is pretty much one big punchline. 

Forcing her way in with a bit of lockpicking, she confronts the sad shell of a successor.

“Jeez, someone’s sure down in the dumps. Where’s that Plus Ultra spirit? You run out of bones to break with it or what?”

“H-H-How did you g-get in here, Jiro? Did I not lock the door, or just do it wrong? A bad job again. I did it again IfailedagainwhydoIkeepfailing-”

Depressing, in Toga’s opinion. She can sort of relate, having a ‘normal’ that differed from most others, only Izuku was never willing to break free, instead breaking himself both physically and mentally, again and again, just to try and fit in. 

“Eh, don’t worry about it.” She nonchalantly responds, plopping herself down next to the bedridden hero student as she cuts off his mutter storm. “So you think you’re a failure, huh? What about other heroes, particularly the pros involved in a certain country-wide scandal? How do you compare yourself to them?”

“T-They’re trying their best, I’m sure. Even if some of those horrible claims are true, many are still fighting to preserve the peace… while I’m still here doing nothing…”

“Still in denial, huh? Hard to accept that so many heroes you had idolized all your life were no better than the villains they caught? That the leaders of this hero society are as corrupt as they come? That the society they forged was designed to destroy people like you?”

“I… t-that’s not…”

“It feels like your entire life is a lie, doesn’t it? Your hopes and dreams were as stupid as you were, all by design, and the delusions they fed you formed into a blinder so ironclad that even now you can’t hope to break free. 

Just look at yourself. You slave away, breaking yourself for their Plus Ultra cause, wanting everyone in this society who bullied and berated you to smile no matter how much pain you have to put yourself through to make that happen.

Suffering like that fulfills you, just as this society intended it to, and the worst part is your suffering will never satisfy anyone. They will always demand more, order the powerless freak to dance and serve them for their brief amusement, and you don’t care, because you’re just happy to help. 

You’re happy to achieve the dream they infected you with, the dream of being a so-called hero.”

“You… You’re… DETROIT-”

“Now now, remember where we are, Deku.” Toga smirks, not bothering to keep up the act as she catches a fist held back by hesitation. “Shattering another limb or two of yours is nothing to you, but shattering the building we’re in, when your remaining classmates are still inside? That’s… wait…”

 

She pauses, peering into the inside of his long sleeve shirt before rolling up one of said sleeves, revealing an arm littered with scars.

“H-Hey!” Izuku cries in protest, only to be shushed as her eyes scan the limb.

“These ones are different.” Toga bluntly states, pointing out several thin cuts across his arm. “Fresh too, based on the scabs. Were your other injuries not self-inflicted enough for your liking?”

“I… my body will get tougher from it! It’ll let me better handle One For- uh, my quirk!”

“We both know that’s a lie, Izuku. Even you aren’t that delusional. No need to hide it from me, I won’t judge; I won’t tell your remaining classmates or teachers. In fact, how about I help you out?”

Faster then he can react, a long, thick cut is formed across his entire arm, blood spurting out of the wound. Toga catches some of it with her mouth mid-air, swallowing the liquid and transforming into a carbon copy of her opponent.

No… she doesn’t even see him as that, really. He’s more like a lost puppy than a hero in training. 

Even when he bares his stubby little fangs, she’s not intimidated in the slightest. 

“One For All, eight percent! Detroit- GAH!” 

His charge is halted once again, this time by several dark tendrils of energy, each one wrapping around a limb.

“Ah, so that’s how it works. Cool!” Toga cheers, jumping up and down in joy which charges another newly-copied quirk in the process.

“B-BLACKWHIP?! B-But how? I can’t use any of those other powers without Star and Stripe allowing me to!”

“Maybe you just suck? It’s really not that hard.” Toga shrugs, willing her dark appendages to pull him closer as everything above her neck turns back into goop. 

Losing part of the disguise didn’t stop her from using Ochako’s quirk or Twice’s quirk in canon, and the same goes for Izuku’s power, every last bit of it. 

She was told all about One For All’s secrets prior to this mission. Both her mastery over her own emotions and experience with using multiple quirks along with her own modified body made bringing this power out in its entirety much easier. 

But Izuku doesn’t know that. All he sees is a villain using All Might’s quirk better than he ever could, and during her very first try at that.

 

“Kinky.” The villain smirks, taking in the scene around her. “But like I said before, I don’t judge. I know what it feels like to be seen as a freak of nature, so here’s some advice, from one freak to another.”

Her voice gradually dims as the two get closer and closer, Izuku’s struggles proving to be worthless as the built-up energy of Fa Jin overlaps with the dark prison she formed. 

Instead of crucifying him with his own gifted quirks on his own school’s flag post, she’ll leave him with this little mee-se-ji.

“Do whatever the hell you want, rather than blindly following the whims of others. Do it without a single shred of fear.” Toga whispers, her face being inches away from Izuku’s own. “Even if it means dying, because at least then you can die without regrets, right?”

A deep, long, forceful kiss prevents Izuku from even trying to respond. It also drew out plenty of blood from his mouth.

“Hmm… not like Saito’s, but my curiosity is satisfied.” She reflects, swishing the blood around her mouth before gulping it down. “And I don’t regret it one bit!

Take note of that, Izuku, and fulfill whatever internal desires you have no matter how freakish others see them to be, because it won’t be long before Tomura finishes the job for you.” She finishes, walking back out and towards an awaiting warp gate several rooms down.

It seems that society, that the world really has abandoned them. These naive, idealistic teenagers who had far too much forced upon their shoulders. Such a pity. Such a waste.

Alas, their happy ending was never meant to be.

 

 

 

Status of Main Forces in Japan

HPSC/Government:

• Pro-Heroes - 76,020
• Hero Students (Provisional License) - 7,599
• Police Officers/Other Law Enforcement - 133,582

Meta Liberation Army:

• Regular Warriors - 154,917
• New Wild Villains - 9,128
• New Vigilante Alliance - 8,862
• Giran’s Empire - 2,118
• Hero Spies/Secret Turncoats - 1,691
• Nine’s (Sekan’s) Forces - ?????

Humarise:

• Templars/Grunts - 8,274
• Higher-Ups (Starservant, Beros, Leviathan, etc) - 2

Other International Villain Organizations:

• ??????????

Shie Hassaikai:

• ??????????

Chapter 96: Star and Stripe - Counterstrike

“And you’re sure this can be done?” The World Heroes Association director confirms.

“We are confident in our plan’s success.” Nezu responds. “Even with Star and Stripe’s recent successes, the world is in dire need of extra aid, as are we.”

“This would provide a lot of power to those lucky enough to have this kind of quirk. Many would say… too much power, enough to lead towards corruption.”

“I agree that this is risky, but we both know how rare this kind of quirk is. The number of Pro-Heroes with this kind of quirk is even rarer, and at the very least, we are confident of the integrity in the one suitable candidate we do have. 

He alone is all we need for this plan to work, and he can serve as a trial run for this idea. We can worry about going further with it later on, ideally when peace and stability have been largely restored across the world.”

“Now isn’t the time to back down, to cower.” Toshinori Yagi speaks up, feeling more responsibility than anyone to make things right. “Heroes across the world are going to lose at this rate as more villains and monsters appear. We need to take a chance. We need to cling onto this last spark of hope!”

Plenty has been put into perspective for the former symbol these last few years, Long Haul’s speech at the UA Festival and the HPSC’s recent rulership being the hardest hits of all.

His easy victories over the course of his career, taking down countless villains, many being previously feared even by top heroes, and the resulting suppression of major underworld organizations created an atmosphere of lackadaisical complacency. 

 

Before his rise, there were entire prefectures where villains had more influence than the legal government and HPSC, not to mention the common occurrence of entire cities being demolished and abandoned. 

He remembers the day he revealed his desires, his dreams, to the woman who would become his master. They were both overlooking a demolished city with black spikes the size of skyscrapers sticking out. Such was common back then. Heroes were on the backfoot, civilians were barely getting by.

And then, as he began suppressing villainy throughout Japan, new and aspiring heroes were roughly divided into two categories.

There were those who wanted to aid him in his goal of cleaning up the country, and were putting plenty of effort into that… and there were those that felt they could obtain fame, recognition, and social status that way by ‘riding the wave’ so to speak.

The latter category became more popular overtime, put in less effort overtime. They were content staying among the lower-ranked heroes, as that ensured they had a smaller chance of facing truly dangerous villains.

Worst of all, the Hero Public Safety Commission warped his dream into a nightmare. 

He knows the blame shouldn’t fall entirely on himself. His reign as the Symbol of Peace immensely improved Japan's situation; he was the only reason why heroes could deal with villains from a position of advantage for the first time since the Dawn of Quirks. 

It isn’t his fault that the government and other heroes failed to capitalize on his crusade. 

Both All For One and Long Haul’s actions these last few years weeded out many of these ‘fake’ heroes, as Stain would say. A lot of glory hounds either died, resigned, or were shaken out of their complacency and began to put genuine effort into self-improvement. 

And the HPSC’s draft forced the second category, the largest category by far, back into the fray, forcing them to choose once again. They could either die, put in enough extra effort to survive and potentially thrive, or quit and become a vigilante or villain instead. 

These last two months have been an all out war across the archipelago, heroes, villains, vigilantes, and civilians alike taking part in this madness. Heroes and police were the main targets, thousands dying or deserting every week.

Even students, children with Provisional Licenses practically forced upon them, were dying out there. 

 

Just a few days ago, Mezu Shoji from Class 1-A and the latest Pro-Hero he was being taught by for Team-Up Missions were sent after what was believed to be a small Creature Rejection Clan gathering. Neither of them have been heard from since.

Then there’s the League of Villains, finally coming out of hiding only to infiltrate UA High once again and kill first-year students once again. This happened just as Nezu discovered Yuga Aoyama and his parents to be agents of All For One... as this information and more then enough proof to prove it were leaked to the public, most likely by Long Haul.

Looks like Tomura wanted to finish getting his money’s worth now that his own spy was ousted. At least this confirms that Long Haul and whatever remains of All For One’s empire are still enemies. Hopefully, Gigantomachia will hunt down that bastard next.

Both Toru Hagakure and Kyoka Jiro were killed, and Izuku Midoriya was further scared both physically and mentally by Himiko Toga when she perfectly copied One For All. 

According to the Quirk Registry, she could only copy the appearances and voices of people she drank the blood of, not their quirks. Either she hid that ability from the beginning or unlocked it through honing her power, and the fact that she could so easily wield One For All, even if just a copy of it, is horrifying to say the least.

Not to mention Izuku’s confidence in himself being shattered even further. He was given the occasional, mandatory appointment with Hound Dog whenever he wasn’t forced to do traumatizing Team-Up Missions or continue his studies, but little progress has been made.

At the very least, Toga’s latest crimes helped inspire an idea Nezu came up with, one that may finally turn the tables against villainy, one that they desperately need.

“...Very well. I suppose we don’t have much of a choice, as the writing on the wall is clear.” The WHA director relents. “We’ll begin planning the finer details of this operation now, and gather anyone who wishes to help. 

It will take a few weeks for everything to get settled, and some compromises will inevitably have to be made. This may very well turn into an extraction operation to get you and your allies out of the country.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Toshinori declares. “Because I’m still here.”

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  2 Weeks Until The Second Meta Liberation War

“YOU WON’T GET AWAY WITH THIS, HEROES! AS LIEUTENANT COLONEL OF THE HETEROMORPHIC SUPREMACY PARTY, I HAVE THE POWER TO-”

“Don’t you just hate it when villains rip off lawful designations?” Cathleen sighs to the heroes around her, ignoring the squirming, ranting villain she’s leading out in reinforced handcuffs.

“I’M AN AMERICAN! IT’S PATRIOTIC!” The A-Rank Villain screams as he’s shoved into a containment unit.

“It’s a dick move.” She deadpans back, shutting the metal coffin resembling Japan's own Iron Maiden transport.

 

When it comes to all things military-related, America is by far the most invested country in this day and age. As mentioned before, only a fraction of other countries even have militaries to begin with, and most of those are nothing but a glorified Honor Guard.

Not here. America may pale in comparison to its pre-quirk self in terms of military, but it also has the largest modern military force by far. Real ironic considering America is referred to as the ‘Home of Heroes’, but she’s not complaining. 

Truth be told, despite being the Number 1 Hero here, she doesn’t have her own distinct hero agency or sidekicks. Instead, Arlington Air Base can be considered her home base/Hero Agency and her bros can be considered her sidekicks.

Cathleen is America’s Number 1 Hero… but she’s also still a member of the United States Military. 

In this country, soldiers are given the option to take extra classes and essentially part-time as Pro-Heroes after a varying number of years in service (depending on whatever state you live in). The same goes for Pro-Heroes, being able to receive military training and act as an extra military reserve at the very least.

‘Pro-Soldier’ is the term typically used to describe this group, making up around a tenth of the military and fourth of the Pro-Heroes America currently has. 

For those willing to go Plus Ultra like that, plenty of benefits are given from bonus pay to a higher ranking on the country’s Hero Billboard Chart. It helps that unlike Japan, her own country’s hero system is actually open to change and modifications rather than ignoring or covering up any issues no matter how major they are.

Most military bases also double as joint hero agencies for any Pro-Soldiers stationed there, and receiving both sets of training generally helps people become a lot more dangerous than they would by only going down one path, further increasing your Hero Ranking. 

This makes the average Pro-Hero in America far above the average Pro-Hero in other countries. Combine that with America having the most amount of active Pro-Heroes in any country and you get the world’s foremost superpower, just like before quirks became a thing.

Of course, the death of Captain Celebrity and dozens of other higher-ranked American heroes at Naruhata was a nasty blow to the country’s combat power. 

Cathleen herself spending a few months overseas made things worse, but that increase has been mostly negated thanks to her efforts these last few months.

 

Even so, with a crime rate of over twenty percent, there are still so many villains in this country that some of the larger groups (usually ones with revolutionary/political inclinations) can form military structures in various parts of it. 

Having some ex-soldiers turned villains in their ranks certainly helps them with army organization and battle tactics. Too bad for them that the actual US Military is better equipped, better numbered, and better organized.

Regular soldiers and police being allowed to use their quirks in combat also helps, but any collateral they accidentally cause is still on them, so they know to be careful with that privilege. 

Quite a few of these larger crime syndicates have been further suppressed over the last few weeks, Cathleen patrolling across the country with her bros whenever she could. 

Foresight continues to be an absolute godsend in their crusade. She can see how her master was able to clean up Japan so well with Sir Nighteye on his side; seeing shortly into the future really does make things so much easier. 

But she’s begun noticing a pattern with that particular quirk.

It’s becoming less effective overtime, especially when used to peer longer distances into the future. More of it becomes a garbled mess, and little bits and pieces don’t go exactly as the vision foretold, even with the QAD strengthening its effects or New Order rules attempting to make the future clearer. 

Those strengthening effects only seemed to make the problem worse overtime.

She asked Nighteye about it, and he said he’s been getting similar results on his end. In fact, he theorizes that it’s only going to continue getting worse no matter what they do. 

He then recommended not using Foresight anymore entirely, as with these visions becoming more glitchy and/or incorrect, such a power may very well become more of a hindrance than a help. Can’t really argue with that; it’s like relying on a cheat sheet for a test only for said test to be completely different. You would be screwed.

Is Long Haul seriously blocking or messing with future-reading quirks somehow? Or Humarise or some other big bad? Well whatever the case may be, she’s managed to do just fine without it for decades, so she’ll manage now. 

Besides, she seriously doubts that whoever’s behind this can maintain exclusive access to future-seeing. The playing field has been evened in that regard, so she’ll just use her other advantages to win. 

Plenty of other temporary quirks help her out too, and the Quirk Amplification Device only makes them more effective.

 

Speaking of, she’s been able to get a much better sense of her new limits during these last few weeks. 

New Order rules now have less restrictions across the board. She could summon more strength for herself and others, affect larger distances, alter more characteristics or properties, affect more of the same object at once even if not directly connected, and so on.

For example, the longest range she could affect with a rule before was slightly over a mile, her Fist Bump to the Earth Ultimate allowing the hair to harden into her form but a thousand times bigger.

Cathleen is six foot four, and with a mile being 5,280 feet, her air avatar is larger than that. Of course, this is only possible because she views the air around her as continuous or one single object. 

Now, she can make air avatars over two miles in height. 

Another example is rules that affect her bros’ lasers. For her Keraunos ultimate, she uses a rule that forces her bros’ lasers to form into a single beam. For this to work before, while she only needed to touch a single laser, the other lasers had to be close together.

With the QAD equipped, she has a lot more wiggle room. 

Some rules that previously weren’t possible, even with roundabout wording, can also be done now. The temperature-altering rule she used on Long Haul during their fight in one such example. She could alter the temperature a mile in diameter around her, but she couldn’t move the area of effect, being forced to stay in place.

Now though? The effects will continue orbiting around her no matter where she moves to or how fast she goes. 

If the current her was what Long Haul faced back at I-Island, even with his own QAD equipped and her knowing nothing about him from quirks to personality, she’s confident she could take him down in less then a minute. 

God only knows how much he grew in power since their first battle, but with how confident he was back at the UA Festival, the answer is probably a lot, especially with an AFO-user on his side. 

Come to think of it, if Long Haul were to get his own copy of that quirk, the results would be apocalyptic. He’s more dangerous with a dozen quirks then All For One is with hundreds, so give Long Haul hundreds and you would get an absolute disaster.

Can All For One even be duplicated? Even with the QAD equipped, Cathleen can’t create a copy of quirks like that and New Order. 

And if Long Haul and/or All For One could copy that godlike quirk, wouldn’t they have done it by now?

Maybe they did and she just doesn’t know it? Jeez, wouldn’t that be terrifying. 

Luckily for her, the existential dread doesn’t last much longer. Not with the message Commander Agpar has for her.

 

“You mean it? We’re finally getting clearance to save Japan?!” She beams.

“Yes and no. Nezu and All Might made the World Heroes’ Association an offer that they were hard-pressed to refuse, one that may finally turn the tides of this growing global crisis in our favor. 

Whether this mission is detaining Japan’s Hero Public Safety Commission or evacuating the Symbol of Peace and other key allies from their home country depends on how much support is gathered.”

“Would you be able to-” 

“I already put in a request. The president hasn’t responded yet, but considering all the aid All Might provided America at the start of his hero career, not to mention your own crusade giving us some much needed leeway, chances are my airborne division will be allowed to take part in this operation.”

Being a Commander of the US Military, Timothy Agpar has control of around 15,000 soldiers in total, an entire division's worth of soldiers. Divisions can be airborne, armored, infantry, and mountain divisions with each being capable of conducting major tactical operations and sustained battlefield operations. 

Commander Agpar in particular has an airborne division, a military unit that is transported by aircraft and parachuted into battle zones. They can quickly appear behind enemy lines and are often used to establish an airhead, a base secured in enemy territory where supplies and troops can be received and evacuated by air.

The main weakness of this division is that they usually aren’t equipped for prolonged combat, but in that regard, Cathleen’s division is a little special.

Not only is she, America’s Number 1 Hero, a part of it, but this particular division also has one of the highest soldier/Pro-Soldier ratios in the entire US Military, over a third of the division doubling as Pro-Heroes.

Only a few are in the top hundred, but none can be considered weak, that’s for sure. 

And extra combat power isn’t the only benefit. More funding is also given to divisions with higher numbers of Pro-Soldiers, ensuring an increased effectiveness in both of their jobs. Donations from thankful civilians are another plus.

Cathleen herself having quite a bit of influence as America’s top hero also helps. Her special authority even grants her access to the country’s supply of nuclear ICBMs, not that she would ever use such unless it was an ‘end of the world’ type threat. 

Another helpful trump card against Long Haul if the worst were to happen, so long as their battlefield isn’t fucking I-Island again. Or UA High. Or anywhere with a ton of innocents nearby. 

Knowing him, Long Haul probably knows about them too, so she’ll have to get extra crafty if she wants her literal nuclear option to work. 

Bureaucracy can be considered her greatest weakness, the same going for pretty much everyone on the heroes’ side. All those rules and red tape, bosses and suits hovering over them pretty much 24/7, the risk of licenses being lost and funding being pulled away if they don’t toe the line.

Cathleen has managed to carve out a good deal of special authority for herself, and her rebellious streak for the rules is rarely contested, but she has to hide her modified QAD helmet for a reason. 

Long Haul had the UN and WHA hang themselves with their own red tape by forcing Japan’s HPSC into the spotlight. Hopefully now, they can finally cut that stupid rope.

 

Getting back on track, with the crusade she’s gone on these last few months increasing her popularity and prestige, extra funding from the government and civilians alike has been pouring in.

Commander Agpar put that to use, his division now practically drowning in weapons and support gear. Cathleen and the other Pro-Soldiers have also been giving more impromptu quirk training to regular soldiers who were interested.

Not everyone’s power can be considered useful in combat, but it never hurts to have an extra tool at your disposal, right?

And this is just what their own division has to offer. Cathleen is pretty confident that at least a few other countries will be happy to help out All Might, whether it’s through their heroes or soldiers.

Big Red Dot and Salaam will demand to be a part of this. Same goes for some other top heroes around the world. 

Endeavor, Hawks, and the HPSC won’t know what hit them. Neither will the MLA, Humarise, or even Long Haul. Even Cathleen herself was completely caught off guard by Nezu’s plan once she heard the details.

…Only to become absolutely giddy upon fully processing it. 

This is gonna change everything. 

She can hardly contain her excitement over the next few weeks, but this operation is meant to be top secret so she has to hide it as best as she can. 

More villains are stopped, more New Order experiments are done, more aid is gathered and logistics are handled. 

Commander Agpar gets permission to send his entire division over, Cathleen and her bros included, but that’s all the firepower America can afford to spare right now. 

Key word: America.

They will also be joined by an international alliance of nearly two hundred fifty heroes. Now this may not sound like much at first glance, but three fun facts about this little alliance change everything.

 

First, every single hero joining this extra alliance is AT LEAST in the top hundred of their country’s Hero Rankings. 

Second, over fifty of the Pro-Heroes in this alliance are in the top ten of their country’s Hero Rankings.

Third, fourteen of the heroes in this alliance are the Number 1 Heroes of their countries. This includes Big Red Dot, Salaam, and Cathleen herself.

 

In short, an all-star team of Pro-Heroes across the globe gathered together to save their idol, their friend, their symbol and his home country. 

It was glorious. It was beautiful. It was exactly what she’s been waiting for.

And while the firepower they’ve accumulated for this operation isn’t nearly enough to encircle the country, a quantity issue rather than a quality issue, such isn’t required for even their best case scenario to work out.

To summarize the plan, everyone traveling to Japan for this operation will be split into three groups. 

Group 1 will be capturing the National Diet and detaining any government officials present. If local heroes and other law enforcement oppose this, then they will be detained too. 

Group 2 will be doing the same thing to HPSC Headquarters. 

Both of these places being in Tokyo makes direct cooperation between groups easier, and Tokyo being pretty close to the eastern edge of the country will make any interference prior to arriving there extremely difficult on the HPSC’s end. 

As for Group 3, it’s made up of only Cathleen herself. She’ll be going to UA High where All Might and Nezu will be waiting with the main part of their contribution, the reason the WHA was willing to allow this attack in the first place. Then she’ll head over with her Japanese allies to reinforce the other two groups.

The council Nezu formed never technically disbanded, multiple of the country’s surviving top heroes still having quite a big bone to pick with the HPSC.

Mirko, Crust, Ryukyu, Edgeshot, all of them will be taking part in this, acting as reinforcements for their international aid. UA’s Big 3 will be taking part too, their own power and skills easily matching that of top heroes. 

Ideally, most potential opposition from Pro-Heroes and Hero Students to police and other law enforcement will be preoccupied dealing with the numerous other threats Japan currently has.

Everything from the Trigger and modified weapons epidemics to the riots, vigilantes, and villains those epidemics aid are keeping most lower-ranked heroes and police busy, heavily limiting their numbers.

Especially as, unlike their attackers, the HPSC has an entire country to try and garrison. 

A traitor high up in their ranks also helps, Sir Nighteye having provided everything from logistics to a backdoor into Japan’s HeroNet these last few weeks to help better coordinate the international assault. 

While Endeavor and Hawks are kept around Tokyo at all times, as are most of the new top ten heroes, they simply won’t be enough to stop this assault. Yoroi Musha, Shishido, and Kamui Woods may be able to hold a few back, but many of the Pro-Heroes taking part easily outclass them. 

Sir Nighteye providing detailed quirk analysis on each and every one of them tilted the odds even further in their favor. 

Once both areas in Tokyo are secure, All Might and the remaining top Japanese Pro-Heroes on their side will make an announcement to the country in front of the National Diet building, declaring the end of the HPSC’s rule and the formation of a new, temporary government under a neutral-aligned coalition of United Nations member states.

 

Hopefully the Symbol of Peace delivering this message (and the HPSC’s shit rule over Japan these last few months) will make most Japanese civilians more receptive to the idea. 

Pro-Heroes and police will be allowed to retire again, and most vigilantes will be given the chance to become Pro-Heroes under a new law enforcement system, essentially serving as penance for their wrongdoings.

Such should bolster Japan’s numbers enough to handle any remaining villains not under the MLA and Long Haul, and while there isn’t much they can do about Long Haul (not that the WHA even knows about him), this international alliance will be able to launch a critical blow against the other major threat.

With the Meta Liberation Army making more open moves, plenty of bits and pieces regarding their operations were discovered thanks to the HPSC’s efforts. They haven’t been able to discover the key players or locations just yet, but this alliance working together should hopefully be able to fill in any remaining gaps within days at most.

And they will then launch a decapitating strike against the MLA leadership as well, preventing Japan from being ravaged by yet another coup. 

Cathleen is willing to bet that just like the HPSC’s forces, most of the MLA’s members are more of a mob than anything, equivalent to Unranked Heroes in threat level. 

They more than likely have several powerhouses at their disposal, but again, just like the HPSC, that won’t mean a damn thing against this international dream team. Even if All For One were to show his face and side with the MLA, the villains should still be immensely outmatched.

Looking around at the heroes and soldiers finishing final preparation, pride and determination wells up inside of Cathleen. She’s living the dream right now. She’s paying her master back for all that he did for her. 

She’ll help him win this. Heroes across the world will help them win this. 

“Alright, everyone! Let’s go save the Symbol of Peace!” Cathleen cries out, and thousands from all over the world cheer as their transports take off. 

Their trip will be a few hours long at most. In just a few hours, the tides of this war will finally turn in their favor, and she’ll be DAMNED if anyone stops her this time!

Humarise, the MLA, Long Haul, All For One, doesn’t matter! She’s ready for anything, future sneak peek or not!

Cathleen ends up eating her words several hours later, just a few hundred miles away from the Japanese mainland.

 

Japan has a shitload of uninhabited islands surrounding it, she knows that much. 

Most are incredibly small, just a few square miles at most. Most have small hills or bits of nature around, maybe the occasional animal too. She knows that much.

But last she checked, none of these islands are supposed to have any mountain-sized beehives covering them.

 

 

 

Status of Main Forces in Japan

HPSC/Government:

• Pro-Heroes - 74,118
• Hero Students (Provisional License) - 7,630
• Police Officers/Other Law Enforcement - 130,575

Meta Liberation Army:

• Regular Warriors - 159,165
• New Wild Villains - 10,274
• New Vigilante Alliance - 9,391
• Giran’s Empire - 2,118
• Hero Spies/Secret Turncoats - 1,804
• Nine’s (Sekan’s) Forces - ?????

Humarise:

• Templars/Grunts - 8,511
• Higher-Ups (Starservant, Beros, Leviathan, etc) - 2

Other International Villain Organizations:

• ??????????

Shie Hassaikai:

• ??????????

Chapter 97: Star and Stripe - Swarm

“Oh, how exciting.” Kuin Kazuho monologues atop her throne. “While I still can’t participate in the chaos itself, I suppose a worldwide front-row seat will do for now.”

None of the humans or Double clones around her answer, mostly because they’ve all been bee-jacked. 

She’s been looking forward to the day everything well and truly collapses, and how much fun taking part in that will be. HPSC, MLA, Humarise, and even the UN and WHA. One after another they’ll bite off more than they can chew, and one after another, their own plans are gonna blow up in their faces.

As for the Shie Hassaikai, safety from the Quirk Singularity Doomsday will be assured for its members… if they want that. Not everyone wants to be cooped up in a hidey hole as the world burns down; some people revel in such an environment!

Kuin herself being one of them.

Sekan had promised a choice for everyone in his own organization. They could remain safe and sound with him or fuck around with what's left of society to their heart’s content when the time comes.

Naturally, the latter comes with a major risk of incarceration or death, and while Sekan won’t mind as it will be utterly impossible for anyone to disturb his paradise once Endgame is complete, that doesn’t mean he’ll go out of his way to rescue them.

They would be made aware of the risks, and whatever happened after was on them. Fair enough, in Kuin’s opinion. Not everyone in this fucked-up family is like her, she understands that.

But she won’t let those party poopers ruin the run time she and her gal pals will have once they can finally-

“KUIN!” Sekan screams as he emerges from a warp gate, pure panic being all over his face. “WE’VE BEEN COMPROMISED; CODE USA! THOSE WHA FUCKERS CHANGED THE ASSAULT TEAM’S FLIGHT PATH TO JAPAN LAST SECOND! 

HUNDREDS OF TOP INTERNATIONAL HEROES AND AN ENTIRE DIVISION OF U.S. SOLDIERS ARE GONNA FLY RIGHT OVER OUR FUCKING HEADS! WE’VE ONLY GOT A FEW HOURS TOPS, SO PACK UP, MAKE IT SNAPPY, AND BE READY TO GET EVERYTHING THROUGH A WARP! LEAVE NOTHING BEHIND FOR THE HEROES!”

Shit. 

 

With how many uninhabited islands the Shie Hassaikai has taken over, being spotted by boats and ships that get close enough or aerial vehicles that fly low enough was always a risk. 

Most of their spots could be camouflaged pretty well. Radar jamming and camouflage technology from I-Island worked wonders alongside the right combination of quirks, and the environment can also be used as a shield. That’s not even mentioning the convenient solution of mind-alteration.

Even the larger hideouts like Kuin’s own hive had defenses like this, but hiding such a massive structure from an army of top heroes (multiple of them having some manner of scanning/detection quirks) and top tier tech from the US Military is out of the question.

Of course, it’s not like they have no contingency for this outcome. Worst case scenario, they can hide or even transport a good chunk of these island bases through warp gates and object-manipulation quirks like Overhaul.

Two hours should be plenty of time… but Sekan had taught her plenty about making opportunities out of everything. That’s why she decides to suggest something else.

“If you don’t mind hearing me out, I think I just came up with a better plan.” She calmly responds. “It’ll cost this hive and a whole lotta bees, but I can make much more of both no problem. 

We won’t be staying on these islands much longer, and the heroes will have no time to do a thorough search of them all with what our villainous competitors are planning. Even if they did, it would takes years to comb through each and every one, and we can just warp any away before they show up to-”

“Summarize the sales pitch, Kuin. You packed a lot into this place, and more stuff takes more time to move if this plan has any glaring flaws.” Her boss allows.

Oh, this is gonna be fun.

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  Second Meta Liberation War Today!

“Is that… a beehive?” Ethan Drive mumbles in disbelief, he and Cathleen leading the aerial assault against Japan’s dictatorship. “Star, you don’t think…”

“Another quirked, Triggered animal, lah?” Big Red Dot yells over. “Not like rest though, extremely far from civilization. Humarise preparing more in advance this time?”

Singapore’s top hero misinterpreted the question. Ethan wasn’t wondering if this was a Humarise plan…

He was wondering if it was Long Haul’s. 

 

All that bravado she had fucking evaporates in the face of this ‘lucky’ find, and a lot of things start making much more sense.

Despite their best efforts, Nezu’s council couldn’t find a single trace of Long Haul in Japan. Strange, considering how many major events he took part in there. 

Copies of Kurogiri’s warping quirk can take his forces long distances, sure, but even so, they had to have some sort of facility here. A base, a lab, a manufacturing plant, something.

Long Haul must have all that and more, but not in any inhabited areas of Japan. He instead set up shop in areas he knew nobody would even consider looking because of how inconvenient it would be for settlers in most situations.

Sticking around some tiny, abandoned islands hundreds of miles away from civilization? Transportation logistics alone would be a nightmare… unless you have a small army of long-range warping quirk users like Kurogiri.

And even now, it’s not like this helps them a whole lot. Japan has thousands upon thousands of these tiny, uninhabited islands around. Carefully searching each and every one of them would take months, if not years. More than enough time for Long Haul to relocate using his warping quirk subordinates.

Japan is far from the only place with a boatload of tiny, uninhabited islands. In fact, there’s still plenty of land that has failed to be reclaimed since the Dawn of Quirks, land just asking to be settled on by villains with cheat-like transportation.

‘That sneaky son of a bitch…’ Cathleen mentally grumbles. ‘But karma’s an even bigger bitch.’

Now’s a better time than any to do some actual damage; she won’t let Long Haul continue acting with impunity. She won’t let him keep having his way with the world, because despite what he claimed, he very much controls a large part of the ongoing conflict.

If he wanted to avoid society as it collapsed, he could’ve just become a hermit with all his overpowered friends. But no, he had to go and make even All For One look like an amateur in terrorizing the world! 

“Change of plans, everyone! We’re destroying this hive and every last insect inside of it; consider it a warm-up for the den of snakes that is Japan’s HPSC!”

“Roger that! Battle Formation Beta!” 

Planes, helicopters, and aerial heroes alike move into position as what looks like billions of bees begin emerging, all of them coming from the hive taking up dozens of square miles.

Seriously, what the hell is Long Haul feeding his pet bee? Her swarm is large enough to cover entire clouds! The island itself has become a moldy, honey-scented hell!

“DON’T GIVE THEM THE CHANCE TO SPREAD OUT! FIRE EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT AT THE HIVE!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

An aerial bombardment begins, bullets, lasers, and quirks alike hammering into the hive and its inhabitants. The tiny terrors are small and fast, so a good chunk of them are able to evade, but most of the vanguard is obliterated over the next minute. 

 

Complications begin immediately, many of these bees having modifications completely foreign to anything seen by the Queen Bee before. 

Some could replace and shoot their stingers like machine guns. Others had several pairs of wings or other body parts like claws and mandibles. Many were much bigger than bees should be, ranging from the size of her hand to the size of your average housecat. 

Many could explode too, a staple of the Queen Bee her Japanese allies do know about, but these explosions were powerful, having enough force to send cars flying or tear through several feet of concrete. Not the kind of thing you want to take head-on without a quirk providing some solid defense.

Commander Agpar’s attack planes and copters were tough; they could take quite a few of these blasts head-on and still fly fine enough, but millions of these mini-bombs were way too much.

To make matters worse, they looked exactly like the regular mutant bees, so directly targeting them among the swarm was impossible.

“DON’T GET TOO CLOSE! KEEP YOUR DISTANCE AND LEAD THEM INTO KILLING ZONES!” Cathleen commands as a few of the more daring Pro-Heroes start getting stung across the frontlines.

And their quirks go completely out of control a few seconds later.

“T-TRIGGER! THEY INJECTED ME WITH TRIG- GAH!!!” One of the unfortunate victims screams as his electricity quirk goes haywire, destroying a fair bit of bees as his own body is fried.

Not good, especially with another wave of bees quickly emerging. Their level of teamwork and collaboration is what you would expect from a hivemind, they’ve got the home-field advantage, and their leader is clearly an expert tactician who can take advantage of both those perks.

Covering squadrons of Bomb Bees with regular variants, outflanking and surrounding any enemies that stray too far away from the main body, even covertly possessing several of the Pro-Heroes that initially got too close and having them attempt some sabotage, yet another way to turn the top heroes’ powerful quirks against them.

Cathleen stopped the latter before it was too late, expecting a dirty tactic or ten to be thrown in because when has Long Haul (or most villains in general) ever fought fair?

“THESE BEES CAN POSSESS PEOPLE TOO!” She yells, punching a possessed Pro-Hero into her bros’ laser fire. “BRACE YOURSELVES, I’M TURNING DOWN THE TEMP!”

If they spread out too much, it’ll be impossible to avoid getting swarmed on all sides. Good thing she read up on some zoology these last few months.

When it gets cold, bees huddle together for warmth, hibernate, or even straight-up die. Even with whatever modifications the Queen Bee quirk and/or Long Haul provided them, such an extreme change in temperature should be devastating.

“NEW ORDER: THE TEMPERATURE A MILE IN DIAMETER AROUND ME IS ZERO DEGREES FAHRENHEIT!”

 

Sure enough, the effect is disastrous for their enemies. Countless bees drop out of the sky as plenty of others huddle together, making them easy targets. 

She made sure the rule wouldn’t directly target the bodies of anyone too, meaning while the surrounding temperature would cause them to get pretty cold, it wouldn’t plummet their own body temperatures from 98.6 degrees to 0 degrees fahrenheit.

“FIRE NOW, LAH! DON’T LET THEM CARVE PATH BACK TO US!” Big Red Dot commands, unleashing his Tidal Bore at a large chunk of the swarm. “RESIST THE CALL AND DETHRONE THE QUEEN!”

Many other Pro-Heroes follow his lead, powering through the freezing temperatures around them. 

“Resist the call?” Cathleen questions her fellow Number 1 Hero, many of the other heroes around having similar reactions.

Come to think of it, she does feel a little something. A slight urge to hold back, not just for the safety of her allies.

“You don’t feel it? It’s taking everything I’ve got to resist bowing down here and now!” Another top hero calls over, this one having a dragon quirk similar to Ryukyu’s own. Several other animal-themed, mutant-quirked and transformation-quirked heroes agree with him.

‘A quirk that can extend influence onto people with animal-like quirks?’ Cathleen mentally ponders. ‘Like a much stronger version of Anivoice. It may even be a copy of that quirk boosted by Long Haul’s Trigger.’

Even more bees are starting to emerge, and she can feel the call emanating from that hive growing stronger. Several of her allies are even starting to turn without being possessed, the influence that quirked animal is emitting being enough on its own.

“Ethan, get me close! Everyone else, stay back and fire from afar, especially if your quirk is an animal-themed mutant or transformation type! I’ll bottleneck as many bees as I can!”

“Would you like assistance, Star? My paper-thin composition would make both possession and injection rather difficult for them, and I bear no resemblance to animals when using my quirk.” Salaam offers. 

“You lead a secondary vanguard with Big Red Dot right outside my quirk’s range if it isn’t too much trouble for the latter, handle any that try flying around the hive. Assuming this works even somewhat like a regular beehive, there’s gotta be a queen somewhere, and I’m gonna handle it.”

 

Using a second New Order rule to make her immune to any effects from Trigger (even the positive effects may have some unknown, nasty consequences later on and she would rather not risk it), Cathleen begins her two-man charge with Ethan towards the burning hive.

Their initial assault destroyed quite a few layers, but plenty of portions still remain. 

“STAR! Use a rule to increase my laser’s power!” Ethan calls out as more bees drop dead around them. “I’ll carve you a path in!”

“Thanks, bro. NEW ORDER!”

Her final available rule slot does just that, increasing the X-66’s firepower tenfold. It’s more than enough to drill right through honeycomb after honeycomb and any bee unfortunate enough to be in the way.

“Now break off! I’ll handle it from here.”

“Just let me know when you need a pick-up.”

“Got it!” Cathleen gives a thumbs-up back as she jumps in, sliding down dozens of layers as her temperature rule continues freezing any insects around.

Now to find the queen. She’ll replace the laser-enhancing rule with this.

“New Order! I, Cathleen Bate, have two quirks. New Order and Search!”

The order doesn’t work. 

Well, it does give her both quirks. It’s just that she can’t find the queen with all of these… quirks? Quirk factors? Do all the bees originating from Queen Bee’s quirk factor count as separate slots in Search?

Or are they carrying the DNA, the quirk factors of others, to throw quirk-scanning quirks like Search off?

Queen Bee should only be capable of temporarily providing quirks from others using stolen DNA, and even then, the copies should be much weaker than the originals.

Did Long Haul find a way around that? Is this another method to actually give, take, and copy quirks?

“Wow, all these international superstars for little ol’ me. I’m flattered.”

Cathleen prepares to speak up, but stops herself at the last second. 

She knows that voice, and she knows at least some of the quirks it has.

 

“New Order: all attacks on Cathleen Bate are reflected back onto whoever or whatever sent them.”

“Recognize me, huh? Welp, you can’t say I didn’t try.” The Queen Bee sighs, Cathleen spotting her sitting on a hive of honeycombs. “So, what brings you heroes to my humble abode?”

Spiky purple hair, petite with well-defined muscles… a carbon copy of the Quirk Amplification Device covering her head.

“Humble? Really?” Cathleen raises an eyebrow back.

“I’m not the one overcompensating here. You saw how large my swarm is.” The villain claps back. “But really, what’s the deal? Aren’t you supposed to be freeing Japan right now?”

“And you know about that how?”

“Just ask Nezu next time you see him, pretty sure he’s figured it out by now. But we can worry about that later. What matters now is the offer my boss has for you.”

“Offer?”  

“Offer. One regarding another major thorn in both of our sides. You’re aware of what Humarise is up to, aren’t you? Or at least some of it.”

This bullshit again. The diversions, the redirections, the delegations. All just a continuous stream of distractions from the true big bad.

“We are NOT doing this again!” Cathleen growls, lunging towards the queen.

Honeycombs are telekinetically torn up, surrounding her on all sides. Not only that, but this makeshift cage is reinforced with this telekinetic power. It almost reminds her of…

No…

“This… This is Flight, isn’t it?”

“Insane telekinesis and temperature resistance? How could the big boss resist getting such a top-tier power?”

Christopher Skyline… Captain Celebrity… bit of a jerk for sure, but still a good friend for decades on end. 

Trigger immunity is swapped for strength as an absolutely livid Cathleen barrels through the cage.

“All For One killed the user back in Naruhata, but my boss made sure to save the qui-” The bee bitch begins to monologue.

But her arm being grabbed and crushed stops that real quick.

“WELL CONSIDER THIS MY FUCKING THANKS!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Her old friend’s shield is shattered, and the insect queen is slammed straight through her throne, the entire hive shaking under such a powerful impact.

A cracked skull, a caved-in face, a bloody nose and mouth, a nasty concussion, a shattered QAD; she just caused all that and more with a single punch.

The fact that this villain didn’t straight-up die from that shows how resilient she is, but all things considered, that’s probably for the best. 

Cathleen wants answers, and she’s gonna fucking get them if it’s the last thing she does.

“New Order: Queen Bee will automatically answer any question asked truthfully. Now who is your boss, where is he hiding, and what is he planning?”

The quirked animal just lightly laughs in return, her injuries already healing at a rapid pace.

“Good- *cough* *cough* Good try, but I stopped seeing myself as just ‘Queen Bee’ a long time ago. I’ve become so much more than that, thanks to him. Everyone under the big boss has.” She smiles, coughing up blood.

“And if you try that preferred name rule again, well… I’ve got plenty of overpowered friends ready to help me out. Do you really want to start that, Star? My fellow quirked animal already pieced together some of what the big boss could do, couldn’t he?

Endless amounts of living nukes warped to all corners of the world. Not even you could hope to stop that, so I recommend not testing his patience, especially with all the other big bads causing problems right now. You don’t want to deal with all of us together, especially when we stop holding back.

Now then, are you ready to hear Long Haul’s mutually-beneficial proposition? Or do you want to start a war that, even if you somehow win, would result in the world burning down far earlier than it should with no chance of recovery?”

She knows the villain is right, and she absolutely hates that fact. 

Long Haul had too much time to prepare. His enemies weakened themselves too much by fighting each other. Even with so many top heroes gathered together, they still…

 

“Fine. What’s the deal with Humarise?” She growls.

“You were right, first and foremost. They are behind the capture and alteration of Nezu and I’s fellow quirked animals, something I myself am less than pleased about. I mean the big boss does it too, but the results are more like me and less like uncontrollable, drugged-up kaiju who are designed to die a day later.

But the real concern is… well… I suppose there’s two main concerns, one being absolutely awful and the other being absolutely awful and rather personal for you. Which do you wanna hear first?”

The asshole is enjoying every second of this, isn’t she?

“How is this personal for me?”

“Well, the person behind this project and pretty much every new project of theirs involving mad science, technology, or both is someone you’re rather familiar with. The most recent Humarise member to become an executive, one who can sympathize rather well with their cause considering her rather unfortunate quirk status.”

Rather unfortunate quirk… no… 

“Bullshit.” She growls.

“I’m afraid not. Just like her dear old dad, Melissa Shield is collaborating with villains, only she’s deeper in with Humarise then David ever was with Wolfram and All For One.”

“YOU AND LONG HAUL SERIOUSLY EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE THAT?!? HOW FUCKING STUPID DO YOU THING I AM?!” Cathleen roars, choking the life out of the villain below her.

“W-Want proof- ACK! A-Ask her y-yourself. R-Read her mind, force a t-truth rule on h-her. You’ve g-got the power to.”

Melissa… she couldn’t have actually joined those monster-making maniacs, right?

Loosening her grip, the Queen Bee starts up another coughing fit before the damage heals.

“Don’t kill the messenger, jeez. Anyway, you probably wanna know what they’re planning, right? Trust me, you really wanna hear this part. They are- drumroll please… fine, be that way.

Basically, they’re gonna start the Quirk Singularity Doomsday waaaaaaay earlier than what should happen naturally. 

That variant of Trigger those other quirked animals were given? Melissa is leading a team of scientists and engineers, some being insane fanatics like her and others forced against their will after getting kidnapped, that are developing a gaseous version of that stuff.

Said Trigger gas will then be loaded into doomsday devices that will spread it across entire cities, if not prefectures and states, making the quirks of everyone go out of control. Imagine hundreds, if not thousands of these gas bombs going off around the world. The gas will stick around, and wind will do the rest.”

No no no nononononono. That would mean…

 

“G-Global GENOCIDE?!?” Cathleen shrivels up in horror.

“Humarise wants to destroy the quirked to save the quirkless. How exactly the world’s remaining quirkless will survive when the quirked go nuclear all around them is anyone’s guess, but it’s not like those cultist guys are sane to begin with.”

“AND YOU?!?” She roars back. “You guys probably helped them, even if they don’t know it!”

“Hey, hey! Just because we’re also sure Quirk Singularity Doomsday is coming doesn’t mean we’re trying to kill everybody in a moronic gambit to prevent it. We take down major hero and villain threats to us, yeah, but we don’t trample entire countries for the hell of it, and trust me when I say we can if we want to.

Now did Humarise use some of our own Trigger in their experiments? Yes, my boss had plenty of his weaker Trigger variants sold in Japan’s Black Market to boost crime rates and gather funding. It isn’t our fault Humarise decided to buy and further modify a bunch of it! Besides, if we really wanted Humarise to win, why would I be telling you this?”

“If you guys want Humarise to lose, why doesn’t Long Haul stop them himself?”  

“Why bother when you heroes are around? You care way more about saving this crumbling society than we do, so you can handle the problem if it means so much to you. The big boss doesn’t like wasting resources and subordinates unless absolutely necessary, you see, even when he’s got plenty of both to spare.”

“What do you want then? What does Long Haul want? Surviving the Singularity Doomsday is obvious, but what about after? Do you guys want to rule the next society or something?”

“Eh, some of my fellow followers might want that, but our boss gets the final say, and he wants survival. Some may choose to live out their dreams, even if it means dying in the process. Others may stay cooped up with him, living happily ever after in their own corner of paradise.

As this world further descends into chaos and anarchy, the line between what this society calls ‘hero’ and ‘villain’ will become more and more blurry. Wars will start and end, organizations will rise and fall. What happened in Japan these last few years was just a taste of what’s to come on a global scale, and my boss is already prepared for much, much worse.

And just like before, whether he becomes your most dangerous foe or most valuable friend is up to you. He helped you heroes deal with All For One, and now he’s willing to do the same with Humarise, details regarding the compensation he gets for this aid being his own business. 

So let’s circle back once again to that offer. You may know the truth now, but your fellow heroes and the WHA don’t, tangible evidence being needed to convince the latter. We can provide you that; we even have some known Humarise members here, brainwashed by my bees and ready to reveal themselves outside the hive for all your friends to see. 

It wouldn’t be truthful, as they weren’t responsible for me, but are you willing to look past that and lie to finally gain footing against them? Will you accept our offer and collaborate to take down another common enemy, or will you try turning the WHA against us using this conversation of ours, hoping that Humarise conveniently waits until you’re done with us and ready for them?

Your choice, Star, but do keep in mind that my swarm continues to attack your friends, and reinforcements from other hives of mine are being warped in under their noses as we speak. No way am I beating you guys with just my swarm, but they will take quite a few of you down with them.”

 

She knows what they’re up to, trying to chip away at her morals. Making her lie like this, play along with their games more willingly, collaborate with them despite all the terrible things they’ve done. 

Whether Long Haul is doing this out of kindness, spite, or simply for the sake of his own pragmatic plans is something she’ll probably never know.

What she does know is that she can’t ignore this threat. She can’t ignore Humarise, the greater evil in this case. Long Haul isn’t trying to commit global genocide. Humarise is. 

One day, she’ll have a rematch with Long Haul. One day, she’ll make him pay for all that he’s done. Doesn’t matter if he dethroned All For One as the global boogeyman, a monster amongst monsters; she’ll still take him down.

But right now, if she wants to save the most people, if she wants this society to last even a little longer, then she needs to stop Flect Turn and Melissa Shield.

“Do what you need to do, but know this. Once the HPSC, MLA, and Humarise go down, I will come looking for Long Haul.”

“Go right ahead. While he didn’t show it back at the UA Festival, he really is looking forward to your inevitable rematch. That battle will be legendary, and I can’t wait to witness it.

Now go tell your friends that you obliterated me, the latest Triggered quirked animal crafted by Humarise, and I’ll have the remaining bees here buzz around aimlessly… well, besides the ones controlling Humarise members. Expect them to throw a total shitfit.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Coolio! Ah, one more piece of advice, on the house. When you arrive at Japan, well… as the old saying goes, you reap what you sow. I hope you’re prepared for the harvest; the chaotic era to come would be a lot less interesting without you.”

“Thanks, here’s my own tip. Long Haul can never always be right. One day soon, he’s gonna screw up, and you’re gonna fall with him back from wherever you guys crawled out of.”

 

After leaving the Queen Bee with that and calming herself down with a few deep breaths, Cathleen starts heading out the way she came in, calling Ethan to come pick her up. 

He does so, and sure enough, she can see a few dozen Humarise agents scattered around, Pro-Heroes and soldiers alike closing in to capture them.

They all kill themselves with guns and daggers before their enemies arrive, the bees possessing them either covertly flying out of their hosts or warping/teleporting away or something.

She doesn’t know the details, but she doesn’t really care either.

In the end, despite the battle lasting less than half an hour, twenty five Pro-Heroes (four being in the top 10s of their countries) and a hundred forty soldiers died. Even so, the WHA director is thrilled when he hears the news of Humarise finally being caught in the act.

Well, that and an Artificial Singularity was stopped before it could wreck any countries… supposedly. Telling the truth about Long Haul’s pet bee is gonna really sting if he ever lets her run wild, pun not intended.

Cathleen and the others will continue on with their original mission as planned, but they’ll probably be starting an all-out war against Humarise soon after, something the UN and WHA as a whole are immediately beginning preparations for.

And as for Melissa… she keeps that part a secret for now. She doesn’t have any evidence besides word of mouth, and even if she did, she doesn’t want to believe that Melissa is doing this willingly.

Flect Turn had to have done something to her, whether it was through a quirk or blackmail or something! And if not… if she really is trying to wipe out humanity now… then Cathleen feels a personal responsibility towards stopping her. 

But before confronting her master’s niece, she needs to save her master.

 

 

 

Status of Main Forces in Japan

HPSC/Government:

• Pro-Heroes - 72,335
• Hero Students (Provisional License) - 7,607
• Police Officers/Other Law Enforcement - 126,121

Meta Liberation Army:

• Regular Warriors - 168,593
• New Wild Villains - 13,004
• New Vigilante Alliance - 12,912
• Giran’s Empire - 2,118
• Hero Spies/Secret Turncoats - 2,344
• Nine’s (Sekan’s) Forces - ?????

Humarise:

• Templars/Grunts - 9,183
• Higher-Ups (Starservant, Beros, Leviathan, etc) - 3

Other International Villain Organizations:

• ??????????

Shie Hassaikai:

• ??????????

Chapter 98: End of Commission

Neito Monoma is many things, and an idiot isn’t one of them.

He knows he has insecurities. He knows he has an inferiority complex. He knows that with the quirk he has, he’s a side character in his own life.

And honestly, lately, that fact has relieved him a little. 

Truth be told, the envy and hatred for his sister class has long since disappeared. Ever since that frog girl died during internships, and then more died during their I-Island trip, and even more died during the Training Camp Attack… several of his own classmates dying there as well.

Since then, the people with quirks fit for heroism, those he considered to be main characters, have done nothing but suffer again and again, whether through the various villains, their own Commission, or both. 

He doesn’t want to give up, those stupid childhood dreams of his becoming bigger burdens than ever. He still wants to help, just not the traditional way, as he has no interest in becoming just another lamb for the slaughter.

That’s why he’s been delaying the inevitable for as long as he could, purposefully screwing up at the Provisional License Exam and doing terribly but not outright resisting during Remedial Courses. He wants to buy time for himself, figure out a way forward that works for him.

But the deadline is quickly approaching, and the few remaining students that have yet to get provisional licenses will be receiving them within days. If he purposefully half-assed any more, he may very well be declared a vigilante and arrested.

A way to support the main characters, that’s what he wants to do. Whether it’s through underhanded tactics or serving as an advisor or commander of sorts, he wants to be an unorthodox kind of hero, as the orthodox method clearly isn’t working for anyone anymore.

And now… he may finally have the chance to do just that.

 

He had approached Nezu a few weeks ago, shortly after the League of Villains attacked Class 1-A AGAIN, throwing any remaining bits of pride to the wayside and asking for help, to advise him and maybe even let him copy High Specs for a bit so he can maybe think of his own solution.

Nezu had applauded him for his goals, for his ingenuity. He didn’t judge Neito for being a coward or anything like that, but instead congratulated him on playing to his strengths, for trying to become the best version of himself, the most effective hero he could possibly be.

The principal’s plan was then revealed to him, a plan that would not only save Japan, but the entire world. And Neito himself would be the centerpiece, the lifeline holding it all together, the greatest background support this world would ever have.

Determination not just returning, but overflowing within him, he accepted.

And several weeks later, they put this plan into action. 

“Nice to meet ya, Phantom Thief.” Cathleen Bate smiles while raising her hand. “Up top!”

One of the few remaining Class 1-B students trembles with each step he takes, but he closes the distance between America’s best and takes one large leap, slapping his hand against Star’s own.

Just like that, power far beyond anything he’s ever felt fills his very being. It didn’t feel like the trace of another person as all other quirks he copied did; instead, it felt like a force of nature. 

“This… T-This is…”

“Looks like it worked out after all.” Star smiles. “You still want to be a hero, right? And an unconventional one at that?”

“More than anything.” Neito nods back, more determined than ever before.

New Order’s power isn’t all that’s flowing through him. A sense of purpose and heroism has finally returned in himself after such an arduous year of struggle and loss, of not being anywhere close to enough. 

“Then repeat after me. New Order: The time limit of Copy is removed.”

 

Neito gawks at the Number 1 Hero, and the Symbol of Peace standing right behind her, but that slowly turns to a smile as he activates his new quirk and recites the new rule, and he gets a fist bump from said hero in return.

“Just making sure it sticks. Consider it and your quirk upgrade as rewards for your help, but what we really need for this mission is your second rule.”

“That’s fine by me! The upgrade to Copy alone is way more than I could’ve ever asked for! I can still drop quirks I want to stop copying and replace them with others, but any quirk I copy now can be held forever! The possibilities of this… oh, sorry. Please continue.”

“It’s quite alright, Young Monoma.” The old symbol smiles, ruffling the first-year’s hair. “Now as for your second rule, please repeat after me. New Order: Toshinori Yagi will return to his prime.”

Rule number two works just as intended too. All Might is back and better than ever thanks to his new Hercules gear, some extra support straight from I-Island. 

“Now then, have you already packed your belongings and said your goodbyes?” Nezu confirms.

With how crucial he became to this plan, there’s no way he could stay in UA, not when it’s broken into practically every other week.

Instead, he’ll be heading straight for WHA headquarters, housing arrangements, an internship, and a future full-time job having already been arranged for him. He won’t just stand around and do nothing now; he’ll continue helping from behind the scenes.

He’ll continue being the ultimate side character, the ultimate support. He can learn how to help with logistics there, he can serve as another bodyguard there, and he can continue being the lifeline for All Might himself without worrying about being murdered for it. 

“All taken care of. Thank you, for helping my childish dreams come true.” Neito smiles.

“Thank you, young Monoma, for helping me get another chance.” All Might smiles back.

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  Second Meta Liberation War Today!

“This is… is America insane?!” The HPSC President (and acting Prime Minister of Japan) gasps, staring at the screens in front of her. “Do they want to start a fourth World War?!”

Whether the original Destro’s crusade counts as a World War is still up for debate even now, but she doesn’t much care for the details. A brand new Meta Liberation Army rising up, on the other hand, was a major cause for concern.

It’s been a bloody few months since they took direct control of Japan, but they have been gaining ground, having already arrested a six-digit number of villains and traitors. Infrastructure was starting to be rebuilt and more prisons were starting to be made to hold the sheer quantity of villains coming out of the woodwork.

And they were getting closer and closer to uncovering the new source of these problems, some Destro pretender, only for America- no, the World Heroes Association to throw any sense of caution and international image to the wind and invade a foreign country.

“Perhaps they believe such will save face in some way.” The newest member of her inner circle theorizes.

Sir Nighteye stares at the screens in front of them, watching as thousands of American soldiers parachute down around Tokyo with hundreds of international Pro-Heroes charging right alongside them.

While she was rather wary of All Might’s old sidekick not even a few years ago, their business relationship has grown by leaps and bounds since then, the two operating on a similar wavelength as the country went to hell.

All Might was done, so alternative, more desperate solutions needed to be made to combat this growing problem. 

 

“How soon can you get the word out about this?” She asks her entire winner circle.

“Across the country?” Mera elaborates. “Reinforcement orders were sent out already, but while many villains and former Pro-Heroes have been arrested, there are still plenty of vigilantes and civilian protests, if not riots, constantly occupying the attention of-”

“Not across Japan, across the entire world. If American soldiers are taking part, then Star and Stripe is likely coming as well, and neither Endeavor nor Hawks can hope to stop her. We’ll use their own public image against them, let civilians and their governments across the globe protest this invasion, and force their heroes to pull out.” Japan’s dictator calmly explains. 

Her attention is then directed towards several steam-filled screens, the gas in one gets blasted away a few seconds later from the force of two Number 1 Hero’s impacts.

Big Red Dot seems to have quite a few burn wounds around his body, but Endeavor isn’t looking so great either. 

Both have emitter quirks, but that doesn’t stop them from hitting like trucks. The top Singaporean hero has the strength advantage thanks to his secondary quirk mutations, but getting close enough to use that strength is tough when your opponent can simply bathe you in flames. 

Endeavor launches like a rocket into the air with Big Red Dot using Tidal Bore on the ground below him to propel himself upwards, quickly catching up. 

The Number 1 Hero uses the opening his fellow Number 1’s surprise gave him to hit him with a geyser, shooting him off across the street and blowing the Singaporean hero back enough to land on a building right behind him.

He then uses his own physical strength to jump across several more buildings, chasing after his fiery opponent who quickly recovers and goes in for another clash.

 

“Endeavor…” The president sighs. “You’ve done plenty of good over the years, but you have even more to make up for.”

“Are we not all in the same boat?” Sir Nighteye dares to question. “For the greater good, right?”

“Such is the burden we must bear to maintain the status quo, no matter how much it is shaken.” She replies, slightly surprising the Pro-Hero, but eventually getting a nod from him in return.

Turning her attention towards another live news report, her main ward is busy fending off another foreign Number 1.

His quirk, Papyrus, doesn’t seem all that great at first. It only allows the user to flatten their body like papyrus, hence the name. He can slip through narrow spaces and ride the wind to move at incredible speeds, but it’s still basically a much weaker version of Edgeshot’s Foldabody quirk, right?

Well, it certainly looks that way. Salaam just makes up for the quirks’ difference in ability with skill. Lots and lots of skill.

He’s dodging and weaving through dozens of Hawks’ feathers like nothing, using the wind they generate to move himself all over the place and landing shot after shot on Japan’s new Number 2 Hero.

She made sure to keep Endeavor, Hawks, and several other top Japanese heroes close to Tokyo at all times, among other contingencies, in case that abomination Gigantomachia decided to try flattening what was left of Japan’s capital. 

She was right to concentrate her forces around the area. She was wrong in assuming they would be enough to handle anything.

Gigantomachia is one thing. An army of top international heroes is another.

Big Red Dot is gaining ground. Salaam is doing a whole lot better than Edgeshot who has to be very careful about getting his body cut into pieces via razor sharp feathers while he’s as thin as a piece of string. Egypt’s Number 1 Hero is actually the one making openings for the Ninja Hero rather than the other way around.

…Wait, Edgeshot?

 

“What is he doing?!” She questions, getting the others’ attention. “Edgeshot!”

“Not just him, I’m afraid.” Sir Nighteye elaborates, switching to several other channels.

Mirko is breaking Kamui Woods like a twig. Crust is slamming his shields against Yoroi Musha’s swords. Ryukyu is barreling Shishido into a building. 

Japanese heroes are injecting themselves with Trigger left and right, but that goes for heroes on both sides, canceling out any advantage that quirk-boosting drug could’ve given.

Once again, the president’s composure starts to slip.

“Do you believe the top Pro-Heroes still loyal will last long enough?” Another of her advisors stutters. 

“You tell me.” She groans back. “Have any reinforcements on our end arrived yet?”

“Buster Union just entered the scene with the winner of UA’s latest first-year Sports Festival, Katsuki Bakugou.”

A battle-oriented hero team, and one of the hardest-hitting ones at that. Their current intern isn’t a pushover either, being more of a mini-Endeavor then the hero’s own kids ever were if the latest Sports Festival was anything to go by. 

America’s soldiers are forming perimeters around HPSC Headquarters and the National Diet building to keep their inhabitants from slipping away, she and her inner circle currently being in the former. Carving through those relics should be easy enough for them, so perhaps she won’t even need to release-

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

…Nevermind. So much for their hero reinforcements; it appears the Nomu in their possession need to be released after all. 

 

Unfortunately, reverse-engineering such abominations was set to take years at least, but there’s nothing stopping them from puppeteering the corpses with appropriate quirks, and she had a few loyal Pro-Heroes with such quirks hang around here just in case.

Most of their Nomu are also present here, the laboratory being used to study them being a new, secret section right under the building.

Those multi-quirked monsters should be able to buy enough time for the foreign heroes’ superiors to order an end to this nonsense, especially when forcefully injected with what’s left of the HPSC’s on-site Trigger reserves.

“Have them focus on defense. Don’t let a single foreign invader or traitor through the premises.” She coldly commands, and dozens of Nomu are released over the next few minutes.

Yes, most of them are lower tiers, but the few that aren’t should be able to give even this group some trouble, especially when Trigger is added to the equation.

Just the one from the USJ attack that nearly defeated All Might should be capable of beating most of them, its raw power and regeneration being overwhelming to all but a select few. 

And with their present, loyal Pro-Heroes and police reinforcing them, they should be able to… what?

 

Yet another wave of shock comes over the current president, this one being the largest occurrence so far.

“What in the… why are they turning into goop?” Mera pales as many of the lower-tiers quickly begin melting.

They barely took any damage! Was there some sort of special maintenance they needed or something? Even without regeneration, they should be able to handle the equivalent of a broken… bone…

“Twice…” She gasps, the gears starting to turn.

He disappeared several years ago, not leaving even a single trace behind. And only a little while later, All For One began throwing those pet projects of his at them. But many of them took far more damage than a mere broken bone! They couldn’t have been clones!

They couldn’t… they weren’t… but who’s to say they weren’t covertly replaced by clones after their incarceration, ensuring that they didn’t truly lose a single thing.

The All For One currently subdued in Tartarus might not even be the real one… they’ve all been played for fools since the very beginning, haven’t they?

Even now, the demon lord still has plenty of supporters, but were they truly infiltrated that much? 

“Yes, yes you were.” She hears from behind her.

And a split second later, every other person in the room explodes into a bloody, gory mess. Every other person except Sir Nighteye, who just used a quirk other than Foresight.

“I’ve gotta admit, I was impressed, Madam President. You did far better than I was expecting once your hand was forced; if it wasn’t for the WHA accepting Nezu and All Might’s desperate gamble, you might have been able to continue ruling Japan for years on end, or at least, however long it takes for the Meta Liberation Army to finally act.”

“All… For… One…” She whispers, stumbling back in fear.

When? How? Why? This can’t be-

“Not All For One.” The monster grins back. “Someone much, much worse.”

 

 

 

‘What an interesting little experiment this turned out to be.’ NightHaul mentally muses, staring at the restored, unconscious bodies below him. ‘Pretty fun too, to be honest.’

Camera footage was deleted, memories were altered, and any other bits of evidence were covered up. Now, he just needs to play the part of a different double agent, one in Nezu’s camp who just sabotaged the dictatorship he infiltrated.

((“But we won’t go down that path once we build our own society.”)) BossHaul declares through Reveal. ((“Maybe one or two small bits can serve as inspiration, but this was more of a lesson on what not to do.”))

‘Doesn’t mean I can’t have fun playing pretend.’ He rolls his eyes, throwing a few of his stamps around to dent the room and slightly cracking a few skulls to really sell the scene.

Once that’s done, he goes back to enjoying the show in front of him.

Most of the HPSC’s forces in Tokyo are down by now. Kamui Woods got torn into timber by Mirko. Hawks is barely staying afloat. Shishido and Yoroi Musha are fighting to survive rather than win. Endeavor is quickly losing steam.

Katsuki Bakugou decided to ignore any orders to stand down or surrender, instead flying right in front of a firing line alongside the Buster Union, the group figuring their powerful explosion quirks could blow up or melt any puny bullets fired their way.

They could… for the first few seconds or so. Then the ammunition from several dozen submachine guns wielded by veterans of the US Military turned them all into swiss cheese. 

Both the National Diet building and HPSC Headquarters have been breached, the Nomu puppeteers having been quickly backed into a corner. Many calls are made to the room he’s in, scattered HPSC employees and loyal Pro-Heroes asking for orders, and he ignores them all.

Instead, he makes his own call.

 

“HPSC command down, president included. Ready to end this, old friend?”

“Like you even have to ask.” The restored Symbol of Peace grins back as he flies into Tokyo, his prime, uninjured state being covered head to toe in the Hercules armor his niece made.

Trailing behind him are Mirio Togata, Nejire Hado, Tamaki Amajiki, and Star and Stripe.

And just one line from him seals the HPSC’s fate. 

“It’s fine now, everyone. Why? BECAUSE WE! ARE! HERE!!!”

Yoroi Musha has his sword and armor shattered.

Kamui Woods is snapped like a stick.

Hawks is permanently grounded.

And Endeavor…

“It’s sad, seeing how far you’ve fallen in your quest for some pointless title. I never cared about being Number One. None of the Number One Heroes around me have, and you shouldn’t have either. We should just care about being the heroes we’re supposed to be.”

“DON’T YOU JUDGE ME! YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO NEVER BE GOOD ENOUGH! TO LOSE EVERYTHING YOU ATTEMPT TO BUILD FOR YOURSELF! YOU-”

“As a matter of fact…” All Might interrupts, his fist now buried deep in Endeavor’s chest. “I do.”

Japan’s new Number 1 falls to a single blow from its old Number 1, ending the country-claiming battle.

 

‘Sir Nighteye’ emerges from what remains of HPSC Headquarters shortly after, forcing the dethroned dictator of Japan out with him in handcuffs. 

“...Armor, All Might? You really have ruined it all. Your image, the status quo, the Golden Era of Peace you worked so hard to build.” The former ruler of Japan mutters.

“Better to be rid of it entirely then leave it as a corrupted husk of its former self.” The restored symbol glares back.

The remaining Commission heroes around Tokyo have surrendered. Most of Tokyo has been secured. 

All that’s left is broadcasting a message to the rest of the country, one that denounces the HPSC’s actions and calls for an end to this dictatorship. The rest of the world is here to help; the citizens of Japan can smile again.

Whatever technology was needed already got brought in. Some of the soldiers are finishing its set-up now. And if anyone tries to stop them, hundreds of the greatest heroes this world has are standing guard.

Nobody could hope to stop such a thing… at least, not head-on. 

With a single command, from computers and cell phones to electronic billboards and news cameras, practically every screen in Japan began playing a message. But this message is not from All Might and the surrounding heroes.

Instead, it’s a pirated message featuring a single man overlooking a vast city... Deika City.

 

“Greetings, Japan. My name is Rikiya Yotsubashi, CEO of the Detnerat Lifestyle Support Company, and more importantly, just another Japanese civilian forced under the Hero Public Safety Commission’s rule. 

Corruption has led to division. Fear had led to suppression. The HPSC and their international overlords ensured this colony of theirs would remain in constant conflict with each other since quirks came to be, ensuring they would never rise against their new masters. Such is what gave birth to villains, vigilantes, and the idea of heroes controlling them. 

They corrupted heroism, just as they corrupted everything else, all to ensure they would remain in power. You have seen their crimes, witnessed their oppressive actions and the nonexistent punishment they receive. You have seen our country turn into a withered husk of its former self.”

His depressed, lamenting expression then slowly shifts into one of determination.

“I have a dream. That one day, every person in this nation will control their OWN destiny. A land of the free, of the liberated! A nation not ruled by those who fear natural progression, who fear what has been naturally gifted to humanity for centuries!

No, I wish for a nation where progression and innovation is encouraged, not shunned! A nation where the law changes to suit the individual, not the other way around. Where power and justice are not in the hands of a corrupt government and the attack dogs they call Pro-Heroes, but in the hands of the people! Where every man is free to think and act for themself!

Our country has become diseased, rotten to the core. There’s no saving it now, so we must pull it out by the roots, wipe the slate clean, burn it down, and from the ashes, a new Japan will be born. Evolved, but untamed by the so-called Hero Public Safety Commission and their masters, the World Heroes Association. 

The latter claims Japan’s membership was revoked, yet here they are, sending international attack dogs in to further secure our country’s capital, to ensure their status quo is kept while silencing anyone who dares resist.”

More and more people start filling up the city behind him as he continues his speech. Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands… no, much much more. Well-known heroes, villains, vigilantes, and plenty of civilians all stand together.

“Such a dream was designed to be buried under their rule, but no more. The people will no longer fight for reasons they don’t understand, for causes they don’t believe in. Me and many more of our fellow citizens will make sure of it.

Civilians, vigilantes, villains, and even heroes; we all have been forced to bend to this system the country’s Hero Commission, the world’s Hero Association has created. Well NO MORE! Cast aside the prejudices the government has tried so hard to instill in you, help liberate our country which has been shackled for so very long.

I know it may sound unrealistic. How could we possibly stand against those ruling us with an iron fist? The answer is simple, we fight together. Allow me and the army of fellow citizens behind me to lead you forward; over two hundred thousand of us are ready to fight for you.

Our strong country will thrive; we will be free to live as we see fit, we will be free to live and die for what we BELIEVE, not what what we’re told is right by those corrupt, delusional bureaucrats! The new liberation army shall ensure our country is reclaimed.

And if the foreign invaders who not only just armored up and completely corrupted the former Symbol of Peace, but also fully conquered our country’s capital alongside him don’t like that, then by all means, test our resolve as we reclaim our country. But be warned, it will be the last thing you ever do.”

‘From a Doctor Doofenshmirtz to a Senator Armstrong. Great job with the references, Nine.’ NightHaul mentally congratulates as Pro-Heroes, soldiers, and HPSC agents alike stare slack-jawed.

“Those… bastards.” Star and Stripe mumbles, being the first to speak. “We’ve been FUCKING HAD!  

The MLA, they didn’t just prepare for foreign intervention, but they twisted our desire to help into the exact opposite, turning the country we’re trying to save against us!”

“Surely not all of them will believe his words, lah?” Big Red Dot nervously confirms.

“Even if not a single person here does, if his claim of having so many supporters already is true…” Salaam trails off.

“We can’t let them get away with this.” All Might declares. “We need to show Japan that we are here to help, not harm. Hurry, we need to send out own message before-”

[All Might!] A shout from his comms interrupts him. 

“Nezu, what’s wrong?”

[UA is under attack! More traitorsz zzzzzzz - robots turned against- kssssshhhhhh- ]

“Nezu? NEZU!”

 

“They’re jamming comms!” Ryukyu growls. “HeroNet is down too! Can anyone get through to the WHA?”

“Ethan and my bros still have an open line with Commander Agpar and the WHA. They can relay what… no… It’s not just hero schools…” Star and Stripe trails off, receiving one horrifying report after the next.

“Police precincts, hero agencies, governmental offices, courthouses, other hero support facilities all across the country. Total number of attackers is estimated to be around 200,000… no, 250,000… no, 300,000! And it’s still going up!”

“What have you done…” The former HPSC President whispers in disbelief, getting more than a few glares sent her way.

‘You fell into our trap, hook, line, and sinker.’ NightHaul thinks to himself, suppressing a smirk. ‘In times of desperation, people will believe what they want to believe, and Re-Destro took advantage of that.

I wonder, heroes, what will you do now that your precious society has truly turned against you?’

 

 

 

Status of Main Forces in Tokyo

HPSC/Government:

• HPSC President - Arrested
• Top 10 Heroes - 10/10 Defeated
• Other Heroes - 370/452 Defeated or KIA

International Alliance:

• Commander Agpar’s Division - 472/15,000 Defeated or KIA
• Top 100 Heroes - 31/182 Defeated or KIA
• Top 10 Heroes - 8/54 Defeated or KIA
• Number 1 Heroes - 0/14 Defeated or KIA
• Japanese Heroes (All Might, Edgeshot, Mirko, Big 3, etc) - 0/15 Defeated or KIA

Meta Liberation Army:

• ???????????

Chapter 99: Modern-Day Meta Liberation War

“Damnit, what the hell is taking that brat so long?!”

“Be reasonable, Kudo. Toshinori being returned to his best buys us enough time to-”

“Excuse you? The only one not being reasonable here is you, Nana, and that's only thanks to your successor not being able to talk here yet! 

You and Toshinori distorted One For All into some stupid prophecy trophy, and each new successor is now more hopelessly naive than the last, the latest one being a goddamn poster child for Stockholm Syndrome.”

“He’s got a point, Nana. Izuku is practically the perfect pet All For One desired Yoichi to be personality-wise. You’d think he’d be happy that his childhood abuser is dead, but nope. A shame the cameras were cut before reality could finish beating his face in.”

“Not helping, Bruce.”

“I’m just saying what needs to be said. You all saw his memories; this kid is practically the worst One For All user we could ever ask for bar All For One, and even then, the difference in quality isn’t that large.”

“Last I checked, you two screaming that kind of stuff at Izuku when he last showed up here didn’t do him any favors, especially with it being after his ‘encounter’ with Himiko Toga. Kid’s depressed and-”

“Didn’t do him any favors? We got the message across, Daigoro! Throwing a pity party isn’t going to turn that teenage disaster around; he needs to hand us over to someone who's actually competent NOW!”

“What Kudo said, Kinkwhip.”

“FUCK YOU, BRUCE! THE YANDERE BASTARDIZED YOUR QUIRK TOO Y’KNOW, STRENGTHENING THE HOLD MY OWN HAD!”

“If you’re trying to restore your quirk’s image, you’re doing a pretty awful job at it.”

“Look, All Might at his peak is a massive asset, Star and Stripe even more so, but Long Haul is a threat worse then All For One by several orders of magnitude and the tides of this war will quickly turn if he starts contributing to the Meta Liberation Army or Hero Public Safety Commission en masse. 

We didn’t spend entire centuries building up this power for it to stay on the sidelines in moments like this! All For One is still alive, and that resonance effect One For All possesses has been going haywire for weeks! It almost feels like new One For Alls and All For Ones are popping up and disappearing every day!”

“Cathleen Bate refused. Mirio Togata refused. Even All Might refused. They all still hold hope for Izuku Midoriya.”

“Force the damn quirk onto one of them then! We should have plenty of time once they’re finished taking the HPSC down! Only the user has to consent to transfer the quirk!”

“Kudo, with all due respect, shut the fuck up. None of those heroes deserve to go out like Hikage did.” 

“Everyone. Please, stop.”

Six bickering vestiges all fall silent, and the oldest OFA spirit of all throws in his two cents.

 

“All Might gave Izuku One For All believing All For One to be gone. He believed Japan to be in a new age of peace, rather than a powder keg about to blow. He didn’t know what was still stirring in the shadows.”

“That himbo should’ve been more thorough with his search.”

“Kudo, quiet. As I was saying, he believed in Izuku’s heroic heart, but he didn’t know what experiences led to him gaining such selflessness.”

“Maybe if he spent more than five minutes talking to the kid before declaring him his successor-”

“Bruce, quiet.”

“Sorry. Shutting up now.”

“Izuku doesn’t deserve to have this burden placed upon him; that much we can all agree on. One For All needs to be transferred, preferably to someone who can ward off the deterioration it causes when the user has their own quirk as well.

Not All Might, even though he can handle the burden that One For All bears. Thanks to Neito’s New Order copy, he can be kept at his peak as far as the stockpile aspect goes. He doesn’t have his own copy of One For All, but he is still at the level of power he used to defeat my brother during their first fight, the armor he now wears pushing him even beyond that.

One For All would be wasted on him at this point, as while him being able to use the other quirks in here would make him stronger than ever, having someone else master One For All’s power and fight alongside the current All Might would give the heroes the greatest chance at victory.

We’ll try to visit Izuku in his dreams again, and NICELY explain the situation to him before discussing potential successors. If people like Mirio and Cathleen don’t want One For All, then we will respect their choice, but I’m sure there’s still someone who-”

“What the hell?”

“Hikage?”

“Would everyone please stop interrupting-”

“Danger Sense is going off. Did the HPSC catch onto Nezu’s betrayal ahead of time, sending some attack dogs to UA before they themselves got attacked? Is the Meta Liberation Army finally making their move? Is the League of Villains coming back to finish the job? Or has Long Haul decided to get his hands dirty again?”

“What’s Izuku doing right now? Can anyone see?”

“I’ll go check real quick. He’s… no. NO! DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT! NOT WITHOUT TRANSFERRING US FIRST! GET DOWN FROM THAT ROOF, YOU STUPID-”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  Second Meta Liberation War Today!

The declaration has been given. The trumpet has been blown.

Ordinarily, getting the majority support in a nation for such radical changes to outlooks, traits, and so on (America’s approach to individuality and freedom being one such example) would be nearly impossible, especially when they’ve been fundamental parts of said nation for so long. 

But just like what happened after the Paranormal Liberation War in canon, the status quo has been completely shattered. Only here, the series of events leading up to it had been far, far worse for Japan.

Japan’s society was ready for a complete overhaul, and Re-Destro ensured he would be the one to control this overhaul. 

 

The revolutionary message, the call to arms, was quickly spread across the remaining corners of Japan, gaining incredible amounts of momentum. 

Hundreds of thousands of MLA members led the charge, emerging from safehouses near government buildings, hero agencies, and other targets all around the country, these places already being stocked with whatever supplies and support gear they needed.

Countless fed-up civilians took up arms, joining the ongoing mass protests, riots, and demonstrations across the archipelago. 

Pro-Heroes and police were spurred on by their peers (MLA spies) to join civilian rioters in burning down their agencies. 

Villains freed from their prisons were swept up into MLA battalions and brigades. Even Tartarus was quickly cracked wide open.

Would-be Vigilantes became a part of the subsidiary alliance and aided the revolutionaries with toppling any who still dared to resist.

Sekan’s extra contributions sealed the deal. Thousands of his own subordinates joined in on the fun, and while this level of quantity paled in comparison to Re-Destro’s forces, their quality was a completely different story.

The heroes never expected almost three hundred Special Praetorians and twice as many regular Praetorians, only the Pseudo-Machias being excluded. The heroes never expected over a thousand Nomus marching alongside the MLA armies, over fifty of which being High-Ends. The heroes never expected dozens of trained warpers with copies of Kurogiri’s quirk teleporting MLA battalions around the country, reinforcing any allies who needed it at a breakneck pace. 

What’s left of Japan was burning to the ground, any Pro-Heroes who tried fighting back having their own support gear blown up in their faces. If they survived the sabotage, then they would be mobbed and torn apart shortly after. Police who attempted to resist were even worse off.

HeroNet was down thanks to Skeptic, the HPSC was already taken down for the revolutionaries, and UA High was undergoing its own revolution of a more mechanical kind, Mina Ashido and Ejiro Kirishima having allowed Skeptic access to the school’s security systems.

And worst of all…

“One For All…” All Might pales, nearly going catatonic. “Something’s wrong… it’s… the quirk is…”

“You mean Izuku- SHIT, LOOK OUT!” Star screams, tackling her master away right before a purple lightning bolt crashes down. 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Several more destroy the communications equipment meant to broadcast their own message against Japan. Many more target every hero in sight. HPSC heroes like Endeavor, rebelling heroes like All Might, and foreign heroes like Star and Stripe, nobody was spared from the rapidly-forming storm.

“DO SOMETHING, DAMNIT!” The former HPSC President screams as several nearly hit her.

“The soldiers are being targeted too! Anyone with energy or defense-oriented quirks, protect them the best you can!” Star adds, the perimeter formed around most of Tokyo having quickly collapsed.

Any infighting they once had is thrown to the wayside, united by the subconscious, primal desire to simply survive this nightmare. 

Crust and Yoroi Muusha take a few blows as Ryukyu, Nejire, and Salaam carry groups of soldiers to safety. Big Red Dot doubles as a living water cannon on the northern side and Endeavor forms a barrier of flames on the southern side, keeping hordes of rioters and MLA warriors back.

Edgeshot and Tamaki help foreign heroes restrain hundreds on the east and Hawks uses his few remaining feathers to help carry soldiers out of the west. 

Such only further fuels Re-Destro’s narrative, the makeshift alliance’s efforts to fight back only further weaponizing the public against them. 

“Way more are coming; they’re surrounding us from all sides!” Mirio reports, using Permeation to quickly launch himself around. “And I think I saw-”

“Who… Is… STRONGEST?!?”

The High-End Nomu Hood barrels through Lemillion and several foreign heroes, quickly setting his sights on the catatonic symbol. 

Star and Stripe intercepts the monster, but over a dozen other High-Ends soon approach the group from all other angles. Local Pro-Heroes, villains, vigilantes, and civilians alike stampede in alongside them, mob mentality and Re-Destro’s declaration uniting them all.

Even the USJ Nomu is here, proving its worth as the Anti-Symbol of Peace Tomura made it out to be and bringing up some very bad memories for the true Symbol of Peace.

He would’ve been killed by it way back when if it wasn’t for Long Haul, and only because Long Haul needed him alive at that moment to wage war against All For One. But now? Not only was Long Haul not here to assist his side, but he was unleashing so, so much more against them.

“It’s over… we… we can’t win…” All Might whispers, dropping to his knees. 

 

“Are you serious?” His Japanese replacement growls. “Damnit, All Might! I did everything I could to get ahead of you, but the harder I worked, the more obvious it became just how much of a widening gap separated the two of us. The stronger you got, the angrier I became. 

STAND UP AND SHOW THEM WHY YOU’RE BETTER!!!”

“Endeavor…”

“We can’t save this country.” Star admits, tossing Hood through a skyscraper. “Not now, but the heroes and soldiers who still have hope, who still believe in the dream you fought for, need your help, just as you need ours!”

“Cassie…”

“We have your back, lah!” Big Red Dot cheers.

“Allow our actions to inspire you, just have you inspired us!” Salaam requests.

“Everyone… thank you…” All Might smiles, slowly standing back up as the USJ Nomu approaches.

Five hits was enough to knock the monster out.

“Come on, we’re getting out of here.”

He knows from the HPSC’s rule that the longer this goes on for, the more dug-in the MLA will become, and the more difficult it’s gonna become to oust them. But better to have a chance at doing so later on the fruitlessly fall now.

He really hates fighting intelligent villains…

 

“Is that so?” A new combatant confirms as his purple energy wings flap in the wind. “Good on you for actually listening for once.”

“You…” Star growls, both her and All Might recognizing the villain in front of them. The one who fought Captain Celebrity in Naruhata… the one who defeated All Might at I-Island. 

They recognize him, but not the two former Himuras flanking him.

“Here’s a little going-away present, on the house.” He then grins, forming the largest, densest clouds his original, awakened quirk allows.

Once that’s done, his two partners complete this apocalyptic quirk combination, one that even Sekan himself is rather wary of.

“Total…” Geten begins.

“Downpour…” Rei finishes. 

In a heartbeat, the rain clouds above Tokyo stop existing, replaced by millions of tonnes worth of ice that begin their freefall towards the position still held by resisting heroes and soldiers alike... only for new clouds to form immediately after, Geten and Rei turning those into ice as well, repeating the cycle again and again.

An apocalypse that nobody was ready for, one made possible by three multi-quirked monsters boosted by some incredibly potent Trigger.

“RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

What’s left of Tokyo stops existing all around them. Countless meteors of ice fall from the skies, crushing buildings, piercing skyscrapers, flattening most unfortunate enough to be under them.

Star and Stripe acts the fastest, New Order letting her alter the temperature miles around her to turn the ice into water, if not steam. Good, but not nearly enough. 

All Might targets one of the largest meteors, a barrage of smashes blasting nearly a million tonnes worth of ice to bits, only some of those building-sized bits then being destroyed before reaching their destination.

Endeavor fires the most powerful Prominence Burns he can. Big Red Dot blasts away whatever he can. Many more top heroes join them, the ones with quirks not suitable instead saving soldiers or holding back the High-End Nomus and other enemies.

But despite every single one of them going Plus Ultra, the remaining heroes and soldiers were decimated. Many of those who didn’t die would be traumatized for the rest of their lives, having witnessed armageddon and found themselves unable to escape, surviving only thanks to luck.

[STAR!] Ethan Drive screams through his comm. [Most of our copters and planes are swinging back around! Get whoever you can ready for pickup; we’ll only get one shot at this!]

They’ll have to be picked up mid-air. No way can those guys land with the apocalypse going on around them.

“New Order: Cathleen Bate can control the gravity a mile in diameter around her!

EVERYONE WITH AN AERIAL QUIRK, GRAB WHOEVER YOU CAN AND GO AS HIGH AS YOU CAN! EVERYONE ELSE HEAD TOWARDS ME AND I’LL SEND YOU UP MYSELF! EVAC IS ON THE WAY!”

 

‘Good on you for keeping it together… mostly.’ NightHaul thinks to himself, eyeing the restrained, trembling former dictator next to him. 

“Quirk Singularity Doomsday…” She gasps.

“Powers get stronger and stronger every generation. Add in the lucky few who can give and take them, and you get this.” The clone in disguise openly reflects next to her.

“So much for keeping the status quo…”

“No status quo ever lasts. History has proven that time and time again.”

“...Do you think humanity will recover from this?”

Not even ‘society’, but ‘humanity’. The former HPSC President may be a corrupt ass, but she isn’t an idiot. 

“Who knows.” NightHaul shrugs back. “Maybe our species of self-destructive fools will wipe each other out, or perhaps humanity will cease to be as they evolve into a higher state of existence.”

Humanity can’t ignore what quirks are doing to them anymore. This world is no longer Horikoshi’s story; he can’t choose to conveniently ignore such a major, unsolved plot point at the conclusion.

No… this new story is just beginning. And the clone can’t help but wonder what kind of future this will bring.

But to see it, he first has to survive long enough to witness such.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

“HERE THEY COME! EVERYONE, HANG ON!” Star screams as thousands desperately soar through the skies, either through their own will or being guided by Star herself, getting forcefully pulled in various directions as they try to steady themselves.

Planes and copters have their doors all open and their weapons all active, providing whatever cover they can. 

Lightning and tornadoes continue to strike down. Much of the fallen ice rises again. Japanese heroes, villains, and vigilantes alike ensure their rout is as horrible as possible. 

Most of the surviving top heroes serve as a rearguard, pushing the endless onslaught back as best as they can. All Might’s smashes, Star’s rules, Big Red Dot’s blasts, Salaam’s precision.

Endeavor’s flames…

 

“They aren’t nearly enough, Enji Todoroki.” The frozen queen declares, sending several of her dragon constructs to maim and slaughter the retreating forces all around her.

“LEAVE THEM OUT OF THIS, REI! IT’S ME YOU WANT!!!” Endeavor screams back, firing Hell Spiders and Hell’s Curtains to counter.

But her ice just reforms. Again and again.

“And I can finish you whenever I please, just as I did with your spawn. Each and every one of them.”

Just like back in Kamino, a terrible secret that hits a little too close to home leaves him open.

But it isn’t Rei that takes advantage. Instead, the only member of her old clan who was spared comes to her aid.

Plenty of ice is present, something he can bend to his will, but Geten knows that even his current arsenal of quirks, both regular and awakened, can’t match up to the monster that his aunt became.

She put the fear of death into him when they met, the humiliation Nine gave him being nothing in comparison to the torture she put him through.

It was Nine who convinced her to spare him, citing his own rebellion by fleeing the Himura clan when it started selling members like her off, but there wasn’t much of him left after that.

He was rebuilt from the ground up, turned into an abomination of power much like Nine was… much like his aunt was… but even so, the fear of that day will forever traumatize him. 

The ice spike he forms goes straight through Endeavor’s chest, purposefully avoiding a fatal shot. He knows better than to take Rei’s revenge away from her.

“The UA Training Camp Attack? I was there.” She whispers as her ex-husband is brought right in front of her. “Your oldest and youngest were slaughtering each other, and I couldn’t help but finish the job myself. 

Natsuo and Fuyumi too, something the Commission clearly kept hidden if your reaction is anything to go by. The Himura family met a similar fate… well, besides the one survivor sensible enough to flee from their tyranny, from their slavery.”

“How truly ironic…” Enji hears from behind, right after he was stabbed through the chest. “That their desire for strength pushed their best chance at achieving it away. Would you agree, uncle?”

Geten pulls his ice blade back out, the Number 1 Hero crashing back down. 

“He is not family. Not anymore.” Rei sternly reminds her nephew, making him shiver in response.

“He won’t be anything in a few more seconds.” Geten then declares, preparing to land the finishing blow alongside his aunt.

“SMAAAAAAAAAAAASH!!!”

 

All Might saves him at the last second, knocking Geten away as Star blasts Rei out of the sky.

“You… why?”

“You wanted me to show why I’m better.” The symbol snarks back.

“Heh, I suppose I did.” Enji smiles, cauterizing his wound the best he can. “You proved your point. Now go. You too, Star and Stripe, and everyone else holding up the rear.”

“Enji?”

“Someone’s got to hold the MLA back while you guys escape.”

“Endeavor… do you intend to escape punishment for what you’ve done?”

“I can do nothing in a cell. This way… just maybe… I can apologize to her. Please, All Might!” Enji Todoroki begs, tears beginning to fall. “It’s why I sided with the Commission, for what little is left of my family.”

“The family you ruined.”

“The family I want to apologize to, either here or in the afterlife. I’m already a dead man walking, after all.” Enji clarifies, pulling out his own vial of high-quality Trigger and injecting himself with it. “Now GO!!!”

All Might prepares to argue back, but the look on Endeavor’s face makes it clear he’s going down fighting.

“...Thank you, old friend. I wish things could’ve gone differently, that I noticed the signs and reached out sooner.”

“Me too, All Might. Me too.”

 

Endeavor, for all his moral failings, is a very skilled and powerful combatant. 

With Trigger and a complete lack of self-preservation being added to the equation, a second sun is formed between the escapees and the country hunting them down. 

MLA-aligned heroes, villains, vigilantes, even High-End Nomu. All burn from his last stand.

“I knew he could be the next Number 1…” The former president whispers, ‘Nighteye’ having personally taken her to one of the open bay doors. 

“Did you have to bring her?” One of the saved soldiers snarks, and the dethroned dictator can’t even find it in herself to be upset at the comment.

“She’s got intel, Jackson.” His friend sighs back.

“Fat load of good that is now.”

Most of the surviving escapees have gotten aboard, some of the tougher top heroes even riding on the roofs to fend off any more attacks heading their way. Endeavor has most of it covered, but there are plenty of opponents who can fly up and around the de facto dying star.

All Might and Star do most of the heavy lifting there, punching away any tornadoes and blocking any lighting bolts or ice constructs that get too close. 

“FLY HIGHER, ABOVE THE CLOUDS, AND HEAD BACK TO THE OCEAN WE FLEW IN FROM!” Star commands, swapping between strength-boosting and environment-altering rules.

“UA High…” All Might trails off, himself flying around to help with what’s left of his Hercules gear.

“It’s too late for that, Toshinori!” ‘Nighteye’ calls over. “Even if there are still survivors over there, we’re barely managing as is, and the MLA will slaughter us if we attempt any more rescues! 

They can escape themselves, go into hiding for the time being. We can’t afford to deviate; we need to rest, we need to regroup somewhere safe! We can still save Japan, just not now.”

 

Clenching his fists hard enough to bleed, gritting his teeth hard enough to nearly shatter them… All Might relents, prioritizing the lives he knows he can still save right now. 

Many heroes and even more soldiers have fallen, and there were plenty of others who couldn’t escape in time, but there are still some who need his help. 

“ENDEAVOR!!!” They hear a restrained, featherless Hawks scream out. 

They can all see why. The fallen Number 1 is quickly turning into a similar state Dabi did during his own last stand, bright blue and even purple flames charing his body to a crisp. 

Everyone else who couldn’t escape, who is putting up a desperate last stand, isn’t looking much better. 

Mountains of ice form a malleable arena in Geten and Rei’s hands. Nine continues throwing around his own natural disasters. Tens of thousands of other warriors charge into the city, many being more than willing to throw their lives away to ensure victory.

Heroes and soldiers quickly fall, one after another. Shishido and several international heroes are trampled together, Mirko loses her remaining arm to take down another High-End, Endeavor loses a few of his own limbs against the onslaught of his few remaining family members.

Not to mention everyone else still resisting across the country, Nezu included. This is one maze the hyper-intelligent rat won’t be finding a way out of.

Those who managed to escape want to do something, anything… but the best they can do is ensure their sacrifices weren’t in vain. 

“ENJIIIII!!!” Rei roars as her ex-husband slams into her, the bright purple ball of fire letting loose one final time.

“PROMINENCE BUUUUURRRRRNNNNN!!!!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Even with Ginnungagap’s Phosphor state, she definitely felt that one… but it just wasn’t enough, and the charred skeleton still latched onto her was shattered as the eruption of flames ended.

From there, Tokyo’s remaining heroes fell after another, their final stand coming to a brutal conclusion.

They can grieve later. Right now, they need to make sure that they themselves can return alive.

*BOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOM*

And it isn’t easy, not with endless flight and ranged quirk-users determined to shoot them down. 

Many long-time MLA members are willing to sacrifice themselves for the cause, not caring about getting killed by the heroes or from falling back down. Their support gear and Trigger only make things even more difficult for the fleeing coalition.

Dozens of Nomu from Lower-Tiers to High-Ends joining in only make matters worse.

Soaring miles into the sky stops most of these efforts, but a few with powerful enough quirks manage to land lucky shots, bringing some more planes and copters down. Most of their passengers are saved. Those that aren’t are finished by their attackers, if not the fall itself.

That’s why…

“MIRIO, NO!!!”

 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

That’s why Mirio Togata moves without thinking, shoving the heroes and soldiers around him back as another High-End Nomu’s blast hits, thereby sending him and only him plummeting back down towards the country. 

All Might, Nejire, and some other heroes who can fly attempt to reach him, but their remaining pursuers are relentless, not only keeping the heroes at bay but also taking down a few more transports before finally dying out.

Before the remaining heroes and soldiers finally escape Japan…

 

 

 

Status of Main Forces in Tokyo

HPSC/Government:

• HPSC President - Arrested
• Top 10 Heroes - 9/10 KIA
• Other Heroes - 439/452 KIA 

International Alliance:

• Commander Agpar’s Division - 6,581/15,000 KIA
• Top 100 Heroes - 57/182 KIA
• Top 10 Heroes - 23/54 KIA
• Number 1 Heroes - 3/14 KIA
• Japanese Heroes (All Might, Edgeshot, Mirko, Big 3, etc) - 11/15 Severely Injured or KIA

Meta Liberation Army:

Victorious

Chapter 100: Lemillion

“Welp, it was nice knowing him. Sorry, NightHaul.” Sekan Doraifu shrugs, watching live footage of Mirio Togata plummet to his death from within his command center. 

Nobody’s around to help him down this time. He’s all alone, and Permeation doesn’t exactly give him wings to fly with.

((“God fucking damnit, Mirio. I had such high hopes for you on a global stage too.”)) His clone groans back via Reveal.

Plenty of other screens and subordinates surround him, receiving reports, managing resources, disseminating information, and responding to the ongoing crisis all in one.

Osaka is probably the city least affected by this latest country-wide coup, but he isn’t about to just twiddle his thumbs and hope for the best. He trusts his subordinates plenty, but his sheer paranoia has become legendary among the Shie Hassaikai.

They don’t have to do much either, even the attack on Kuin’s main hive required hardly any direct interference from them, but Sekan's plans have fallen apart before.

Luckily, this doesn’t seem to be one of those times. Heroes lost, completely and utterly. HPSC is down for good and a far more dangerous organization just took their place, resulting in Japan being overthrown a second time within mere months.

No Avengers Endgame-style portal scene happened. No last second turnaround when all was lost, because all really was lost, and the remaining heroes could only run.

And international heroes won’t even have a chance to immediately retaliate, not with Humarise becoming their top priority after the little show Kuin put on. MLA will have time to consolidate within the country as Flect Turn falls, making it that much harder for heroes to reclaim it.

He himself should be ready by the time that happens. He himself should have more than enough time to properly ascend.

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  Second Meta Liberation War Today!

He knows it was stupid of him. 

He knows that in the war that’s to come, he could’ve probably contributed far more than the people he just saved.

But he’s a hero, damnit! And it’s not like he was planning on sacrificing himself; he planned on getting out of the blast zone too.

Unfortunately, he just couldn’t save everyone in time… just everyone besides himself.

He wasn’t fast enough. He wasn’t strong enough. His instincts weren’t good enough.

"Looks like I’m not getting to a million lives saved after all…" Mirio Togata sighs as he plummets several miles down to the country below.

A literal fall from grace… how poetic… how ironic… how…

NO! He can’t give up yet! 

 

If he times his Permeation usage right, he can turn the ground below into a country-sized trampoline. Sir didn’t train him to give up when things get tough! Sir trained him to be ready for anything!

So right now, he needs to remain calm, analyze the situation, and figure out the best course of action. 

‘Okay, no big deal. Sir had me jump off skyscrapers before to practice this trick… even if there was more than enough cushioning below to keep me from going splat if I failed… and this fall is like a hundred times higher… you’ve got this!’

Assuming he does land okay, he’ll still be surrounded by MLA members. No way can he do anything alone; he needs backup. But where…

Wait, that’s it! Even if it was targeted at the start of this coup, there’s no way that place would fall so easily!

And it’s not that far off from where he is. His Phantom Menace ultimate can quickly propel him over using the speed and velocity this fall is giving him. He just needs to time it right.

“Come on, Lemillion. Focus! Japan is counting on you… the whole world is counting on you!” He talks himself up as the ground gets closer and closer.

“Steady…”

MLA warriors are here. MLA warriors are everywhere.

“Steeeaaady…”

Many start firing at him, and the speed he’s traveling at makes their projectiles reach him a whole lot faster, but perfectly-times bits of Permeation here and there let him go through it all.

“Aaaaaaaaand… NOW!!!”

He holds his breath, stays on target, and lets himself sink far deeper than he ever has before.

Enough to propel him farther out than he’s ever gone before. Like one giant game of LeapFrog.

*FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Much to the shock of every MLA member around him, the hero student rockets back out of the ground like a ballistic missile, going far faster than the speed of sound as he launches himself across a chunk of the country.

‘Is this what All Might feels every time he jumps? Heh, it’s actually kind of fun… no, focus! Remember what’s on the line, Lemillion!’

After leaping across the distance of an entire city, Mirio permeates back into the ground and launches himself back up again a bit later, repeating the process and preserving as much momentum as he can. 

Shouldn’t take too long at his current pace. Maybe ten minutes or so, and he gets into a good rhythm after the fifth jump or so, which means he can start diverting bits of attention towards a new game plan.

Once he reaches his destination… UA High.

Based on what he heard before Principal Nezu’s comms were cut, the MLA managed to turn the school’s own combat robots against it. There are apparently more traitors too…

Even with how much the already ridiculous security measures have been improved thanks to Nezu’s foresight and previously insane budget, most of UA’s online systems and mechanical combat units being turned against the school would be an absolute disaster, especially if armies of MLA warriors reinforce them.

He’ll save as many of his teachers and fellow students as possible, form a united front with them, and hopefully come up with some way to escape the country.

Shizuoka Prefecture borders the Pacific Ocean, so the main problem will be finding a mode of transportation off the archipelago. Hopefully Nezu has a secret cruise ship lying around, or he turned UA High itself into a flying battlestation when nobody was looking. 

Luckily for Mirio, he actually manages to arrive at UA earlier than he planned.

Unluckily for Mirio, even his early arrival was far too late.

Thousands of MLA warriors are scattered across the campus, combat robots and its other security measures aiding them instead of the students and teachers.

Students and teachers that are… no…

 

Plenty of corpses can be seen as he launches himself over the UA Barrier, ensuring nobody can escape the massacre happening across campus. Most appear to be MLA members. Just most.

Heroes, teachers he recognizes. Eraserhead, Midnight, Cementoss, and so on. Other Pro-Heroes helping around campus like Gran Torino. And worst of all…

‘Those monsters… even if they were hero students, they’re just teenagers! And only a fraction of those teenagers are hero students to begin with!’ Mirio growls, doing his best to remain calm.

He can’t let anger blind him. Reclaiming and then escaping Tokyo already took a lot out of him; he can’t waste anymore of his stamina throwing himself at a nearly endless army.

Right now, his top priority is saving whoever is left.

And he’ll start with the first years. Even if they faced several prior villain attacks, they’re still less experienced then most of their seniors. They’ll have a harder time handling themselves against this nightmare.

“Who the hell is that?”

“Another government lapdog?”

“Orders just came in from Sir Skeptic! He’s with All Might and the other traitors; SHOOT HIM DOWN!”

“FIRE!!!”

Many more projectiles come his way from humans and robots alike, but Mirio uses the scattered debris to his advantage, continuing to launch himself through the ruined campus.

‘Heights Alliance should be right up ahead! Have to hurry before… no….'

“IZUKU!”

 

Buried under the burning rubble of his former dormitory is the current wielder of One For All. His body is mangled, his spirit is shattered, and his face…

“Figures… I can’t even die right… useless…”

“Izuku, hey! It’s gonna be okay! I’m gonna get you out of here! I-”

“Please don’t… save someone else… anyone else… I only make things worse for everyone… I want to follow their advice… I want to die…”

Tears are streaming down his scared, burned, bloody, broken face. 

Mirio knew that things have been hard for him lately, but he never imagined it was this bad.

“I’m not about to ignore someone in need, Izuku. You need help, and as a hero, it’s my job to help innocents in need!” He declares.

“...Then help someone else. I ruin things… everything… even All Might’s power…”

“No you didn’t! The fact that you can use even part of that centuries-old quirk is-”

“All Might and the other prior users were better… even Toga was way better… I can’t use it, and nobody else wants it. I ruined it…”

“Is this about me rejecting your offer back then?” Mirio confirms, slowly starting to understand. “Izuku, I said no because that power is yours. All Might gave it to you, you earned it yourself. As cool as having All Might’s power sounds, I’m not about to take away your hard-earned gift.”

“So… you would… like it?”

“Izuku, it’s yours.” Mirio rejects once again… only to nearly choke as blood splatters across his face, some of it entering his open mouth and going down his throat.

Even more of it entered his open wounds, starting a particular process much earlier than it did the last time.

“And now it’s yours… you earned it…” Izuku smiles, having used the last of his strength to swing his blood-coated arm. “Thank you, Lemillion… I did it Kacchan… I did it, T… Toga…”

“Izuku? IZUKU?!?” 

His last breath is drawn as a teary smile forms across his face.

Closing his eyelids, Mirio gives his fellow student a moment of silence, only to be cut off by the sound of a stampede.

“THERE HE IS!”

“FINISH HIM FOR LIBERATION!!!”

[Weapons Systems online. Target acquired.]

As the army draws near, Mirio feels something well up inside of him, something worm his way all throughout him…

“You…” He whispers as his head ducks down.

 

Power brims across his body. Flashes of memories form in his mind. 

A story of two brothers… a story of running and hiding… a story of sadness, anger, and desperation… from Yoichi Shigaraki to Izuku Midoriya…

“Do whatever the hell you want, rather than blindly following the whims of others. Do it without a single shred of fear.” Toga whispers, her face being inches away from Izuku’s own. “Even if it means dying, because at least then you can die without regrets, right?”

“Whatever I want, huh?” Mirio reflects, veins glowing, bright orange energy crackling, cape flowing in the wind.

Because of all the training he’s done, having enough quirkless strength to match High-End Nomus in raw power, nearly half of One For All’s stockpile can already be safely used at the moment.

Several Executors soon arrive at the scene, the Zero-Pointers in UA’s Entrance Exam having their safety limiters removed like every other combat robot the executive he’s guessing is Skeptic gained authority over. 

The MLA executive sent them over as reinforcements, because despite several hundred MLA warriors and combat robots already surrounding the hero student… despite the two of them being separated by a screen and many, many miles…

This feeling… this pressure…

“What I want…” Mirio announces, now radiating a presence rivaling, if not surpassing that of All Might himself.

Many subconsciously take a few steps back. Many more charge their strongest attacks. Elements, constructs, the battlefield itself, all of this is and more is prepared as the weapons of UA’s former defenders are locked and loaded.

“What I want… is to live up to my name, my title as a hero. What I want is to be victorious, TO SAVE A MILLION PEOPLE!!!”

“DESTROY HIM!!!”

 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Over a dozen dark tendrils erupt out of his body, shielding him from every last bit of this barrage before beginning a counterattack of their own.

((‘Pull yourself together, kid! To control these powers, you gotta control your emotions!’))

The fifth…

Regaining his composure, the tendrils either retreat or dissipate entirely… purple smoke taking their place as it pours out of his body.

With a wave of his hand, the smoke swarms every last opponent, giving an eerie atmosphere to their current battlefield.

“M-Multiple meta-abilities?!” 

“Is that All For One in disguise?”

“Sir Skeptic! We need more reinforcements!”

((‘Don’t get overwhelmed. Picture these powers as tools in your arsenal.’))

The sixth…

Various attacks shoot through the smoke, each and every one of them being detectable ahead of time. 

((‘Trust your instincts. Believe in yourself, your skills, your training, and let this power handle the rest.’))

((‘Minimize your wasted movements, and repeat whatever necessary steps you can. This is how you can build up my power.’))

The fourth and the third…

Bright red overlaps black and orange, these combined energies allowing for a far fiercer counterattack on Mirio’s end. 

((‘Soar through the skies and show ‘em you’ve got this!’))

((‘It’s not these powers that should be revered or feared. Rather, it’s what they are used for. True power resides in an individual’s intent… this is why people call them Quirks.’))

The seventh and the second…

 

‘Smokescreen to provide cover, Blackwhip to form a slingshot, Float to better control my trajectory, Danger Sense to avoid any obstacles, Fa Jin to boost the power in my legs, and Gearshift to move faster than ever before!’

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

A Zero-Pointer’s head explodes from Mirio’s makeshift catapult before anyone else can react.

His current level of speed is disorienting to put it lightly, but the forced fall from that plane and the country-wide hopscotch that came from it helped him ease into this kind of thing.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Black tendrils stab into another one, letting the hero student swing himself around and blast through it not even a second later.

“STOP HIM NO MATTER WHAT!!! FIRE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE!!!” Skeptic screams through his comms, but most of his troops are far too afraid to act.

The two robots explode, hordes of giant debris raining down upon the surrounding warriors. Mirio takes advantage of this, using Blackwhip to reposition them and the other combat robots around the small army, forming a makeshift metal barrier.

He hasn’t forgotten his goal. Stopping these villains would do nothing, as the entire country is quickly falling under their control. 

Mirio flies off to the other dorms, trying to find any survivors who haven’t turned traitor. 

“Payback time, senpai!”

It doesn’t go well.

 

Dodging the acid from her hands and mechanical tail, Mirio quickly knocks Mina Ashido into Eijirou Kirishima, trapping them both to the side of what was once UA’s P.E. Grounds’ building. 

He remembers first training ultimate moves alongside his classmates. He remembers being a starstruck first-year student just like Mina.

What’s left of that student now?

“Cage me all you want, I’ll be freed soon enough. The entire country is being freed, and multi-quirked monsters like you and Gigantomachia are going DOWN!” She laughs after both students grunt in pain from the collision.

Several more blasts are launched his way before he can respond, dozens of MLA warriors and combat robots charging his way. 

“You can’t stop us all! Even All Might can’t stop us all! Why else would he be running for the hills?”

“He’s not running. He’s saving whoever he can, as am I!” Mirio declares, using Blackwhip and some air pressure from his punches to restrain or knock away any living enemies.

No mercy is shown for the purely mechanical enemies, their scrap metal becoming another weapon for him to use as he darts around what’s left of his school.

But for every warrior and combat robot he subdues, several more take their place. Several more with Support Gear, Trigger, or both. 

And as if things weren’t bad enough already…

((‘Run, tenth… he’s… coming…’))

The first…

 

“Such a shame. I was hoping that All Might and any remaining international opposition present would spring this trap… I suppose I’ll have to settle for snuffing out the old symbol’s meta ability.”

Rikiya Yotsubashi, Grand Commander of the new Meta Liberation Army, sighs as he arrives in a tremendous suit of reinforced, full-body armor. 

Chimera flanks his left, already transforming into his monster state.

Slice flanks his right, her hair elongating and sharpening in seconds.

Five more High-End Nomus bring up the rear, thousands more Meta Liberation Warriors following close behind. 

And last but not least, a bloodied, beaten Nezu is grasped by the throat, raised high above the Grand Commander’s head.

“The Victorious Hero: Lemillion, correct? Sir Nighteye’s prized pupil? If you wish to save a million people, then why resist the freeing of an entire country? Does that not accomplish the goal you strive for and then some?” Re-Destro inquires, staring down the One For All wielder.

“Not sure what you think ‘freedom’ means, but taking the HPSC’s place as overlords of Japan sure doesn’t fit my description!” Lemillion fiercely barks back.

“HAH! Kid’s got spunk! I like that!” Chimera barks.

“Perhaps that new power got to his head?” Slice raises an eyebrow. 

“What do you say we knock him down a peg or ten then? Pry that power right out of him?” 

It’s strange. While it’s slight, practically unnoticeable, he does feel a slight connection to those two. No… a resonation. 

“R-Run, Lemillion.” Nezu weakly calls out. “He’s finally taken the initiative… you aren’t ready… none of us are…”

“With all due respect, sir, I came here to save whoever I could.” Lemillion declares, fearlessly staring down some of Japan’s most powerful villains and thousands of their subordinates as he gets into a fighting stance.

“Stand and fight or run and hide. Either way, your victory streak ends here. STRESS OUTPUT: BURDEN!!!”

 

A massive ball of black and purple energy leads the onslaught, Mirio phasing right through, only to get pulled back into it upon deactivating his original quirk.

‘It’s like a tornado!’ Mirio mentally gawks as a dozen laser beams from Chimera’s many mouths and hundreds of hardened, sharpened, time-bending hair strands sandwich him.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Permeation saves him at the last second, letting him sink into the ground and spring towards the meta liberation leader, refreshing his oxygen supply the moment he rises back up.

Chimera attempts to intercept, but Mirio twists his body around and uppercuts the beast before continuing his charge. More warriors stand in his way, but Fa Jin and Float let him blow by that extra opposition.

Phasing through the dark black aura and full-body armor, Mirio unleashes a Fa Jin-boosted Blackwhip to tear his opponent’s armor apart from the inside out. Only Re-Destro is ready for it, unleashing more of his energy to counter Mirio’s own.

“Stress Output - 100 percent could likely match the weakened, crippled All Might who saved the USJ and Hosu.” The Grand Commander starts to monologue.

He only has a single arm available, but the horde of warriors behind him more than make up for it, peppering the hero student until he’s forced to breathe.

That’s when Re-Destro strikes, grabbing the back of his head with his free hand and slamming him into the dirt, his thrusters rocketing them both across the battlefield.

“Stress Output - 150 percent could go beyond that, Claustro pushing my power to its limits. It’s enough to toss around skyscrapers like javelins. It’s enough to destroy city blocks with the most basic of blasts.” 

Blackwhip helps shield Mirio, but giving him space to breathe is a completely different issue. 

It can’t pierce through his opponent’s own energy either, and he has yet to build up Fa Jin enough to add on its effects. 

So he uses the basic stockpile instead, repurposing All Might’s New Hampshire Smash in conjunction with Float to propel himself out of his opponent’s grasp. 

Both are sent flying back, Mirio regaining his composure as Re-Destro regroups with his warriors. 

“Such was my pinnacle for quite a while… but some extra abilities and a certain amplification device from I-Island allow me to match even the Symbol of Peace at his peak!” 

“Yet you remain as nothing more than a servant… how truly ironic…” Nezu mumbles, still being held in his grasp.

“A servant? I am the Grand Commander, Mr. Principle. I am leading this revolution across the country, across the entire world soon enough.”

“T-Tell that to Long Ha-”

“ENOUGH!!!” Chimera roars rapidly growing in size, becoming a winged titan that almost reminds Mirio of Gigantomachia.

But even so…

“You know what they say!” Mirio smiles as he phases through the giant’s punch and runs up his furry, webbed arm. “The bigger they are… THE HARDER THEY FALL!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Forty-five or so percent of One For All along with Fa Jin and Gearshift lets him blow past All Might’s peak, his punch nearly knocking Chimera’s head clean off.

A wave of his hand sends enough air pressure to knock away Slice’s counterattack, hundreds of other MLA warriors joining in not making a difference. 

“You want your principal so badly…” Re-Destro questions as the hand holding Nezu is quickly covered in energy, the quirked animal screaming in pain as he’s torn apart. “THEN HAVE WHAT LITTLE REMAINS!!!”

“PRINCIPAL NEZU!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Blackwhip gets him away from the blast, but his back is bloody and scorched. Combined with his other injuries…

“No… sir…”

“You- *cough* need to retreat, Mirio. You’ve done far more than what was expected; you’re UA’s best for good reason… but this power is too much for you. You’re- *cough* *cough* Y-You’re already beginning to break.”

And what’s when Mirio notices the cracks going up his neck, scaring his face.

((‘Just like what happened with me… to think it would occur so soon…’))

Fourth?

((‘Destro’s crotch-spawn… as annoying as the original…’))

Second?

((‘Mirio… you ne-... leave… hurry, he’s-’))

First again…

 

“One For All… it’s too much for those who already have a quirk.” Nezu weakly explains as Mirio carries him, hovering high in the sky.

Countless more quirks are sent their way, Danger Sense letting him avoid whatever Blackwhip can’t block.

“New Order can fix this, it can heal you. It can help you handle its burden. Please, it’s- *cough* too late for me and my school. It’s too late for Japan… but not for the rest of this world.

So go, fly out of here before it’s too late. Find the others, unite with the others, and fight for what you all believe is right. Just- *cough* *cough* J-Just beware of him… 

Beware of Long Haul… I’m certain Tsukauchi was made a spy against his will; Aoyama was All For One’s mole, and Long Haul’s feint… should’ve figured it all out sooner… I’m sorry…”

Re-Destro himself doesn’t interrupt the moment, mainly because he’s busy receiving a message of his own, a frantic message from Skeptic.

Their forces are being torn apart. Something… no, someone is heading their way like a bat out of hell.

And Mirio soon learns just who the first One For All user was warning him about this entire time.

“YOOOOOOIIIIIICCCCHHHHHIIIIII!!! DEEEEEESSSSSTTTTRRROOOOOO!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Chapter 101: Centuries in the Making

Notes:

It all comes to an end here... the latest arc, anyway. I'll be taking a week and a half long hiatus to avoid burnout and finalize plans for the next portion, chapters resuming on Tuesday the 17th, but until then, enjoy this latest chapter of How to Survive a Shounen!

“So what will you do now that there’s no more heroes to kill, because there’s no way the Meta Liberation Army is losing now.” Sekan questions one of the first big bads he ever recruited.

“Last I checked, Japan is not the only country on this planet. I shall continue my hunt of false heroes until Hero Society truly falls around the world, ensuring the next generation of protectors consist of as many true heroes as possible, even if they are not officially gifted such a title.” Stain declares back.

Past the mask of blood was a man who refused to rest, a man who had traveled all of Japan on foot and slaved himself to exhaustion, pushing himself to the limit against those far stronger than he. All for the sake of his ideals, twisted as they were.

Something Sekan could easily take advantage of, something Sekan already has been taking advantage of. 

“If that’s what floats your boat. You can work that out with BossHaul; I’m sure he’s got a long list of international targets for you to judge. Just don’t use our own international Warp-Railway too much or else people will associate you with the MLA. 

Oh, and don’t try fighting Star if she targets you to try and get to me. Should be pretty obvious, but it needs to be said after you threw yourself at both All Might and Endeavor at Hosu. Don’t hesitate to request a warp evac from me if you’re cornered, as Nezu’s crew already knows of our own connection. And most importantly, have fun!”

The Hero Killer grumbles a ‘thanks’ before walking off, and his leader turns his attention back to the many sights in front of him.

 

“And there he is, right on schedule.” Sekan Doraifu smiles, observing the battlefield with hacked cameras, quirked bees, and news media alike. “You know society’s really progressed when it thinks it’s appropriate to stream the downfall of a civilization.”

((‘As if society hasn’t been doing that since phones, cameras, and streaming had been invented.’))

‘Touche, VestigeHaul.’

Reveal also contributes plenty, ensuring no one escapes his sights, not even All For One. 

Things had mostly been going to plan these last few months… mostly. 

One For All clinging onto life through Mirio definitely wasn’t part of his plan. Sekan nearly punched the screen after that forced transfer happened.

Foresight becoming useless wasn’t good either, and Star and Stripe was growing way too quickly, as was Humarise.

Kuin’s suggestion to send America’s best after the doomsday cult was a good one, but Sekan originally had someone else in mind for that crusade, someone to continue doing a good chunk of the dirty work for him.

Both efficient and personally satisfying, a perfect combination.

((“Re-Destro is wondering why most of the HPSC’s Nomus turned into goop after a few hits.”)) Slice lets him know.

‘Like we discussed, tell him Tomura recruited Twice before breaking away from his ‘sensei’. The League of Villains supposedly still hiding around Japan should keep him vigilant once this is over. We’ll reintroduce that little club soon enough to back that claim up.’

((“Speaking of, the big bad boogeyman himself is here, boss. What now?”)) Chimera then questions him through a mind link he set up.

‘Most of the plan is still valid. You and Slice just do what I tell you to do and say what I tell you to say. AFO can pick up on lies and ill will, but if I can outplay mental New Order rules with Reveal, then his little quirk combos should be a breeze to bypass.’

The quirk-stealer versus the quirk-liberator… and if all goes to plan, the quirk-destroyer as well. 

“Oh, what fun this shakeup is turning out to be!”

“Just be careful, original.” GuildHaul warns him. “As good as our position is, and as much as we’ve planned ahead for Endgame, things won’t always go your way.”

‘It’s not the first time I’ve heard that little comment, and plenty of things have gone wrong overtime, but I’ve always managed to pull through. I’ve always had enough backup plans and trump cards available to prevent any true disasters.’ Sekan ponders to himself.

No way will he lose now, he’s sure of it. Heroes are defeated and on the run, most villains not under him aren’t much better, and he’s still maintaining control over what he needs to.

That has to be enough… right?

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  Second Meta Liberation War Today!

“NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UUUUUP! NEVER GONNA LET YOU DOOOOOWN! NEVER GONNA RUUUUUUN AROUND AND DESEEEERT YOOOOUUUU!!!”

As part of the personal image he tries so hard to convey, All For One always remains calm. Composed. Patient. He lacked empathy. He displayed notoriety. 

In short, almost nothing truly got on his nerves. He lacked a hatred in his heart that he spent decades cultivating in Tomura. Not even All Might and the users of One For All could make his emotions blind him.

That was the case up until a few months ago. Now though?

“NEVER GONNA MAKE YOU CRY! NEVER GONNA SAAAAAAAY GOODBYYYYYYYE! NEVER GONNA TEEEEEEEEEELL A LIIIIIIIIE AND HUUUUUURT YOOOOOOOU!”

A massive holographic screen appeared in front of him as loudspeakers all across his secret, empty laboratory under Jaku Hospital blare.

And on the hologram is a music video. A very, very old music video that few in this day and age should know… one of them being the right-hand man that had been betraying him for who knows how long.

He never detected any lies or ill will aimed towards himself from the man, but if anyone could piece together a Nomu or some other multi-quirked creation with abilities that let him counter such methods of detection, it’s that midget mad scientist.

 

CENTURIES OF FAILURES BECAUSE YOU’RE FAR WORSE AT YOUR SELF-PROCLAIMED JOB THEN THE HEROES ARE! WELL NO MORE! I’M DONE LETTING SOME SPOILED, BRATTY, LARPING CHUUNIBYOU HOLD ME BACK! I QUIT!

-Kyudai Garaki

 

Weeks spent scurrying around like a rat, barely clinging onto life after managing to escape the tides of Tartarus, only to find everything he had left taken from him.

His hideouts? Gone. His facilities? Gone. His spies and other subordinates? Either dead, traitors, or captured like the Aoyama family.

His apprentice and the League of Villains? They were supposedly still active, having attacked UA High again not too long ago, but they were likely swayed to that traitor’s side. 

Gigantomachia? Gone after defeating All Might with more quirks then he should have. He was also likely swayed to the side of the traitor.

The magnum opus of his efforts, the laboratory under Jaku Hospital? The place where countless quirks, quirk copies, and Nomu had been stockpiled alongside his original quirk? Gone along with the person running it.

And just to add insult to injury, the damn doctor had left a Rickroll behind for him. A fucking RICKROLL!!!

At the very least, he had the foresight to keep his most prized possession hidden. He never told anyone where he kept his little brother’s remnants outside of One For All. 

Yoichi’s hand was still preserved, still right where he left it. He took it with him, not wanting to chance anyone else stumbling upon it. It will serve as a reminder, and perhaps a good luck charm of shorts too.

Now then, if Garaki assumed he would escape by himself, then he must believe to be somewhere All For One would have a tough time reaching, somewhere that would not only take him and his mad science in, but provide the funding and resources needed to continue pursuing it.

How else would he not only create several more weakened duplicates of the All For One quirk, but also sever the connection he himself has with those duplicates?

Only one organization he knew of at the time fit the bill, and Flect Turn would pay dearly for opposing him.

But first, he needed to stabilize himself. He needed more subordinates, more power. Super Regeneration, a few other quirks he already had, and a few quirks he took before leaving Tartarus helped him survive without tubes, wires, or a life support mask, but he was still crippled.

He was still far from his prime… but so was All Might, and so was One For All.

All Might conveniently handed his brother’s power over to the most useless person he could find, so capturing that child and forcing him to hand over his brother shouldn’t be too difficult with Star and Stripe back in the states.

So what if the HPSC took drastic measures? Forcing a few more ants into the fold wouldn’t make a difference.

Without All Might or Star and Stripe around, who could possibly stop him? Endeavor?

Hilarious.

 

Unfortunately, on his trip over to that rat’s stronghold, Destro decided to screw him over one last time by setting up the framework for what would eventually become his distant descendant’s own attempt at domination.

Not only that, but Garaki clearly lent a helping hand to them too if the Nomus and other multi-quirked wielders are anything to go by. Was he hoping his old master would be crushed for good alongside the heroes?

Fat chance. He may be injured, but he’s far from helpless.

Throwing caution to the wayside, he rockets the remaining distance over as chaos reigns below. 

Pro-Heroes were now slaughtering each other? What madness was this? He didn’t even have a hand in this! Not like he’s angry about it. The heroes were helping him kill them all; it’s quite nice of them.

And then he felt it, his brother’s quirk crying out for help, the current wielder being on death’s door.

No…

NO…

“YOOOOOOIIIIIICCCCHHHHHIIIIII!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Using as much of his Omni-Factor Unleash as he can before facing instant death from the recoil, he rockets into the Shizuoka Prefecture in a blind fury. 

Heroes, villains, vigilantes, and particularly bold civilians alike try to stop him, but their efforts are useless. Combat robots from UA High joining in doesn’t change a thing; even several of those Zero-Pointers are blasted into bits.

Luckily for him, his brother’s quirk was transferred once again at the last second. Unluckily for him, it seems this new wielder can not only use a high percentage of its power right off the bat, but also access quirks from the previous wielders… or perhaps Garaki worked his mad science magic on him too.

Whatever the case may be, he’ll be retrieving his little brother here and now, and nobody will stop him.

“You… YOUR ERA IS OVER, BOOGEYMAN! STRESS OUTPUT 200 PERCENT!!!”

Nobody…

“This power doesn’t belong to you, AND IT NEVER WILL! PHANTOM MENACE!!!”

NOBODY!!!

 

Re-Destro roars, rocketing towards the quirk-thief with Stress Output Burden charging in both hands. Lemillion breaks off, only to start bouncing around the battlefield.

All For One doesn’t care. He’ll barrel through them both with more quirks then they can ever imagine.

Purple and black energy tanks everything from wind and fire blasts to energy and acid attacks to rivets and bone spikes, the Grand Commander soon colliding with the Demon Lord. Armor dents as the pretender is pushed back.

As for the other one… Permeation… he has no patience for attacks he can’t predict.

Red and black rivets erupt out of his body and wrap behind Yoichi’s latest vessel, but instead of piercing him from behind, the child wraps his own dark tendrils around them, using his extensions as a catapult to launch into him. 

The dropkick that follows sends the fleshy, quirk-covered comet he’s become into one of the fake cities on campus, several Nomu jumping at the chance to tear him apart as his powers recede.

“YOU THINK MY OWN MULTI-QUIRKED CREATIONS WILL STOP ME?” He roars in fury, another quirk combo already charging as Super Regeneration and sheer force of will let him shrug off the recoil.

“DESTRO WAS A FOOL! HIS EMPIRE PALED IN COMPARISON TO MY OWN, AND YOU WILL ACCOMPLISH EVEN LESS, PRETENDER!”

Radio Waves to forcefully regain control. Then Springlike Limbs and Air Cannon, Heavy Payload, and Kinetic Booster times four for increased distance and output.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

The waves of pressurized, electrified air send those multi-quirked monsters flying back… but he can’t command them. He can’t break through their programming.

It’s almost like… no, he’s certain there’s a quirk fending off his own. Did Garaki find a superior technopathic quirk to protect his new Nomus with?

Unknown to him, Reveal’s handiwork is what’s preventing a forceful takeover. 

Feedback from his own Danger Sense only angers him further. It’s not that the quirk isn’t working, but… it activated when Destro’s descendant came at him. It activated when Yoichi’s new vessel came at him. It activated when the Nomus came at him.

All these obstacles… all these pebbles in his path… they’re actual threats to him!

Not even his opposition at Naruhata was anywhere near this bad! And he’s gotten quite a few extra, powerful quirks since then. 

Speaking of that bitter memory…

 

“Aw, looks like someone’s upset about his pawn wising up. Those quirks of his really come in handy, y’know.” Chimera mocks as he grows in size and sprouts all kinds of appendages across his body.

A gigantification quirk and a body appendages quirk at the very least, and he’s detecting no lies from that statement.

“Where is he…” All For One growls as over a dozen massive, muscle-clad mouths fire laser blasts at him. “WHERE IS KYUDAI GARAKI?!?”

HEAVY PAYLOAD AND IMPURE BEAM!

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

“Hah! Like that’s gonna happen. Humarise has no intention of letting their new genius go. Willingly joining those guys was a shock to us all, but with what they’re cooking up, I suppose it really shouldn’t have been. 

Whether it’s by their hand, the MLA’s, or our own here and now, you’re going down. Your time’s up, boogeyman. My whole crew was made better than ever after Naruhata, as were so many more.”

No lies detected there either. So Garaki really has thrown his lots with both organizations. 

Reveal hasn’t even been needed so far, much to Sekan's amusement, simple wordplay being enough to fool that particular quirk of All For One’s.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

The laser beams burst as thousands of hair strands come at him from behind, Danger Sense going off once again. Even hair is enough to threaten him? Impossible! It must be some other quirk’s effect stacked with it.

Garaki…

 

Another strengthened Air Cannon + Springlike Limbs combo blasts the barrage away, the Nomu then taking their turn once again. They have to be some of the High-Ends Garaki was working on; how else could they be so powerful and persistent?

His telekinesis quirk gets them all off, his Rivets quirk pierces through their skin, and his Ooze quirk injects enough acid into their bodies to stall their regeneration, at least for the time being.

More hair strands come his way, and he quickly activates telekinesis once again, using his former Nomu as meatshields. 

They all slow to a crawl once they’re hit. A speed-altering quirk… or a time-altering quirk.

Either way, he wants it. He wants all these powerful quirks that are being used to pummel him.

Destro’s descendant and his dark energy. Chimera’s mutations and raw power. Slice’s ranged attacks and stacked debuffs. And so many more powers, all here for the taking.

And without One For All at their disposal…

“You have no way to defend against THIS!” He declares, bringing Slice to him with Gloop Warp and activating All For One the moment he makes contact.

Her own All For One cancels it out.

“Surprise!” She cackles as he’s tackled from behind by two High-Ends, one of them slicing his right arm off and the other biting his left arm off. “Not so special now, are you?”

Not… special?…

 

“Figured you might try that. It’s why I set the slowdown for a minute instead of an hour.” Slice grins as her hair sharpens. “You won’t be so lucky.”

Just how many copies of his power did Garaki make? Not only that, but he still has the original, and he knows how All For One planned on using it.

Could he sever the connection with his original quirk too? Could he grant someone all of his quirks, his perfect body, without he himself being able to puppet them?

He has to stop that traitor before it’s too late!

While he loathes admitting it, he’s badly outmatched right now. Super Regeneration can only ease the burden so much, and while none of these vermin would match up to his peak, he’s still crippled at the moment. 

So he’ll turn the tides here and now. 

Never did he imagine he would need this, even when crippled so much, but better to have it as a just in case. With how widespread Trigger has become across Japan, getting a few doses wasn’t difficult.

And the effect is almost instantaneous, all of his quirks reaching brand new heights. 

Yoichi’s vessel has no time to grieve for the quirked animal who just died on his watch, Gloop Warp forcing him right into his hands, and-

“You do know what the definition of insanity is, don’t you, big brother?”

This place again…

“It didn’t work with the fifth. It didn’t work with the sixth. And it won’t work with the tenth. Is this not why you were grooming the seventh’s grandson?”

“With what I’m feeling right now? And what I injected into myself? I don’t even need Tomura anymore, little brother!” All For One grins as Yoichi stands only a few dozen feet away, his latest vessel crawling on the floor like the worm he is.

“This anger… this hatred… even all your wills combined can’t match up to-”

“Potato-faced LARPer says what.”

“What?”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

“HAH! Told ya I could fool him!” The fifth laughs, his Blackwhip quirk being enhanced by the second’s Gearshift and launched right at him. 

But he holds his ground. He won’t lose here, not when he’s so close!

“Get it through what’s left of your head! Nobody likes you! Not your mad scientist, not your bodyguard, not your apprentice, not your followers, and especially not your little bro!” The seventh declares, flying above with the other lingering ghosts in her grasp.

The fourth’s quirk altered them to his counterattack, right in the nick of time.

“And you? After what you did to your family, Nana? After what you and the rest all did to poor little ninth? I can’t even feel a vestige of him here! Now who’s fault could that be, I wonder?”

“He was almost as stupidly naive as you are, demon.”

“You’re really doing this now, Kudo? Really?”

“Did we not reach a consensus, Nana?”

They’re all distracted, bickering with each other… just as planned.

Now all that’s left is-

“POWEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRR!!!”

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

He had distracted himself by distracting them, giving the newest vessel time to rise once again.

And with the eight others ending their argument, lending their support towards a common cause, his own power is punched right back out to the real world.

Bright, rainbow-colored light encompasses the entire campus as both him and the vessel go flying to opposite sides of it.

The latest vessel is cracked. His blond hair is graying. He won’t last much longer, not without someone like Star and Stripe who can protect him from the backlash of having multiple quirks.

Now’s his chance.

“NOW’S OUR CHANCE!”

*BOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOM*

“Perhaps in your prime, I would be wary, but you’re nothing but a shell of your former self after so many defeats... and I’ll be putting you down for good! I'll achieve what your brother and his successors never could!” Destro’s damn descendant declares.

“If centuries of my brother’s stockpiled power couldn’t stop me, then your meager decades worth is NOTHING!”

Slice, Chimera, the High-End Nomus, and hundreds of others join in on the combined assault.

They aren’t giving him any space to move. They’re letting Yoichi’s latest vessel get away! Do they think he’ll die on his own? Do they not know what Cathleen Bate can do?

He activates Gloop Warp once again, but the vessel is ready for it this time, quickly swallowing what little initially escaped from his mouth. He didn’t even know the quirk could be blocked!

And that’s the last chance he gets to activate that particular power.

“KEEP HIM PINNED DOWN UNTIL HE VANISHES!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Calling up combos has become nearly impossible with how much damage they’re constantly doing, and what little he can do just isn’t enough.

Impact Recoil, Shock Absorption, and Reflect are overwhelmed one after another.

Telekinesis, Dark Ball, Razor Blade, Ooze, Black Lightning, and his other ranged quirks are overshadowed by his opponents’ combined onslaught.

His suit is in tatters. His blood is splattering everywhere. His bones are breaking. 

He’s… dying!

To make him relive the fear of that day, the day All Might first achieved victory against him…

And this time, if he dies, Garaki has no intentions of bringing him back.

No. 

No! 

NO!!!

OMNI-FACTOR UNLEASH!!!

 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

This ultimate combination of his, the activation of every last quirk in his arsenal, it’s not the result of giving in to base emotion. 

Rather, this augmentation is him exercising control and authority over his myriad of powers as such… or at least, that’s what it’s supposed to be.

But right now? With all these different emotions building up inside of him, from anger and hatred to fear and awe? Trigger is only further intensifying these wild emotions.

He has to get out of here. He has to at least survive to fight another day. 

He can get One For All later! He can get revenge on the Meta Liberation Army and Humarise later! Right now, he just needs to escape.

It angers him to no end. Him, All For One, running away?! But he can’t let his hubris be the permanent death of him.

“SHOOT HIM DOWN!!!” Destro’s descendant commands, and hundreds of quirks are sent hurdling his way. 

The fleshy comet he’s become blasts most of them away, but stronger attacks like the Stress Output Burden blast and Chimera’s laser beams do manage to reach him.

And they hurt a lot, but the humiliation he’s been subjected to is far more painful. 

Spikes, rivets, and various ranged attacks of his intercept the few actually chasing him, their sheer quantity forcing his pursuers back before he himself runs out of steam.

Violent tremors erupt from within. Blood vessels burst and even Super Regeneration is overwhelmed.

 

But he makes it out to sea, his comet-like body crashing into the tides below. Activating some of his aquatic mutation quirks prevents him from drowning, but the damage inflicted is horrific.

He’ll need another few weeks of recovery time at least, and Japan… he can’t stay here anymore. Not when the Meta Liberation Army has gained complete control of the country. 

If he’s spotted again, then Garaki might just have Kurogiri warp Destro’s descendant, Nine’s crew, Gigantomachia, plenty of Nomu, and even more of his multi-quirked creations right on top of him!

No, he has to stop this at the source. Garaki and Flect Turn will be the first to fall.

Then he’ll get his brother back, destroy Destro’s dreams, and take down anyone else who stands in his way. 

At least he still has… has… 

Yoichi’s hand. It fell out of his grasp at some point during the battle. It may have even been destroyed.

They will pay for this. They will all pay dearly for this.

He SWEARS IT!!!

Chapter 102: Blasting Off

“New Order: Mirio Togata will recover from the backlash of his quirks.”

They could hardly believe it when he appeared. 

They thought All Might had lost himself to grief when he ordered them to turn their ride around.

They thought Mirio Togata was dead and buried, but against all odds, he not only survived the fall, but caught up to the others as they were halfway across the ocean.

Most were afraid when they saw him wielding multiple quirks. Most were afraid when they saw growing cracks across his entire body and gray hair on his head. All Might, Star and Stripe, and every other survivor who already knew the cause of that stood up for him.

And with her own enhanced quirk, Star and Stripe could heal him. Nezu, Gran Torino, and so many others were lost, but Mirio could still be saved.

Cracks patch up, vitality returns, and before those problems make a comeback…

 

“New Order: Mirio Togata won't get any backlash from his quirks.”

It should allow him to wield One For All’s true power. It should prevent him from falling apart.

Even if this will take up a rule of hers… no… they already have a backup New Order ready to do. Neito Monoma can only use two rules, one of which being to permanently keep a New Order copy.

But if she gives him a strand of hardened, preserved hair or something similar to maintain contact with, he can keep both rules! One for All Might and one for Lemillion! 

He’ll have to sacrifice his ‘permanent copy’ rule, but she’s sure he would be willing to do that, especially if other quirks can be permanently copied through that hardened hair trick.

So while they may have failed to save Japan, the number of world-shaking colossi they have at their disposal just increased from one to three.

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  2 Months 2 Weeks Until The Ascension

Well, that could’ve gone better.

It also could’ve gone a whole lot worse, so I suppose I shouldn’t complain too much.

((‘But you will anyway, won’t you?’))

‘Shut up, VestigeHaul.’

 

As mentioned before, Nezu and his council were making a little too much progress for my liking, and other major players like the Meta Liberation Army and Humarise, despite becoming much greater threats then their canon counterparts, still weren’t acting upon this momentum I so graciously set up for them.

Shaking up the board once again was my best bet if I wanted to maintain my unquestionable advantage. I would force the Hero Public Safety Commission, the Meta Liberation Army, and Humarise into the spotlight in that order. 

I would force the heroes to prioritize other big bads, taking them down while getting weaker in the process, making finishing the job easier than ever for me, if I even had to lift a finger against them to begin with. 

I could also allow some of my own subordinates like Nine’s crew to get in on the fun, making the heroes’ lives even harder. This was all meant to buy me more than enough time to finish up my Perfect/Singularity Body and effortlessly crush what few enemies of mine still remain.

Simple enough, right? And by all means, this has been working well so far. In fact, most of it is going better than I expected. 

HPSC decided to take over the country by force, performing a successful self-coup, and held out for months on end. It would’ve been a lot longer too if Nezu hadn’t come up with that absolutely busted New Order + Copy combo. 

While Copy can’t replicate the boosted part of boosted quirks if it’s by outside means (Trigger and the QAD being two such examples; so Neito can only use two rules when compared to Star’s three), it’s still capable of copying New Fucking Order.

Combine that with a New Order rule that can temporarily replicate a copy of Copy and you get a very, very big problem… if the World Heroes Association and United Nations utilized such a tool, or even got other users of copy quirks into the fold.

But they won’t. They won’t for the same reason they ordered the Quirk Amplification Device be buried and never spoken of again, both in canon and here.

 

Even now, they fear major changes to their status quo. They fear the potential such methods have. Despite the Meta Liberation Army conquering Japan, despite Humarise being able to regularly produce monsters that rival canon Gigantomachia, they still won’t go Plus Ultra because of that fear, especially because of the two new titans they have at their disposal, making their current situation a whole lot less desperate.

They were willing to let Neito Monoma have a copy, spending one rule on All Might and the other on Mirio Togata to keep them going, but the second she got back from Japan, they ordered Star and Stripe to never do that little trick with anyone else or else she would lose a whole lot more than her hero license.

Unfortunately for both them and me, Cathleen Bate is currently going through a rebellious phase of hers, pulling off her own I-Island heist a few weeks ago to get her own QAD hidden in some new support gear, one she can recreate whenever she wants by temporarily giving herself Creation.

Absolutely busted, both the QAD and being able to give others quirks. Her threat level increased by several orders of magnitude these last few months, moreso if she permanently dedicates one of her three rules to handing out copies of Copy under her superiors’ noses. 

I’m still confident in defeating her and taking New Order for myself once I ascend the singularity, but until then, there’s no way in hell I’m challenging her to a rematch. Even as I am now, I would be slaughtered if I didn’t constantly fire off localized armageddons like Nine, Geten, and Rei did back in Tokyo.

Which is why keeping her off my track was a top priority of mine, something the world itself feels insistent on preventing as her latest trip to Japan was coincidentally altered to pass by Kuin’s main hive last minute.

The bee queen’s suggestion to send her after Humarise, the other major threat growing far too fast for my liking, was a good one. Revealing Melissa’s descent into villainy also shook her quite a bit.

Who knows? Perhaps she’ll finally have enough of the UN and WHA’s cowardly bullshit and go through her own Villain Arc. Wouldn’t that be something?

 

On the one hand, she would stop holding back, probably replacing one of her bros’ quirks with Copy with one of her three rules and have them copy New Order, then having that bro do the same with another bro, rinse and repeat.

Her bros will have to have QADs of their own to carry on the chain, one rule being used to replace someone else’s quirk with Copy and the second rule being to make their own copy of Copy permanently copy quirks. That takes up both normal slots, so quirk-boosters would have to be used if they want to get some available reality-breaking slots.

Kind of confusing I know, but to summarise this ridiculous quirk combination: 

Star’s Rules: 1. [Person 1] has one quirk: Copy.

Person 1’s Rules: 1. Copy (their copied version of the quirk) can permanently copy quirks. 2. [Person 2] has one quirk: Copy

Person 2’s Rules: 1. Copy (their copied version of the quirk) can permanently copy quirks. 2. [Person 3] has one quirk: Copy

So on and so forth, allowing for everyone to have their own permanent copy of New Order. Like I said before, quirk-boosters like Trigger or the QAD will be required to open up another slot, and this chain will break the moment Star cancels her own rule (same goes for the others in this chain, only it’ll just affect those later in the chain then them), but this is still insane. 

On the other hand, her life would become a lot more difficult as both heroes and villains would be hunting her down, vainly attempting to get some of that reality-breaking power for themselves.

A shame I can’t spoil it with Foresight, or use future-seeing quirks at all anymore, but better nobody gets it then my enemies having exclusive access to it.

 

Anyway, Nezu’s Gambit was a success and Star was cleared to help take the country back. Couldn’t have that, so I had Nine encourage Re-Destro to launch his own takeover early, at least compared to canon, while government and Pro-Hero hate was at an all time high across Japan.

That worked too. In fact, that part also went better than I expected. The MLA beat the heroes here as quickly and easily as the heroes beat the MLA in canon. We even got some more major canon kills in! 

Nezu and UA’s other staff bar All Might? Dead. 

Izuku, Bakugou, and pretty much everyone else in Class 1-A bar the traitors like Mina and Ejiro? Dead. 

Endeavor is dead. Mirko is dead. Gran Torino is dead. Quite a few other former top heroes in Japan are dead, the rest having fled the country. Quite a few top international heroes are also dead. 

One For All and All For One still stubbornly cling on to life. I wasn’t expecting Izuku to take Bakugou’s (and Toga’s) advice. I wasn’t expecting OFA to send the equivalent of an SOS to All Might when that happened. I also wasn’t expecting Mirio to get OFA from what little remained of the former main protagonist and find a way around its lethal side effects, but I don’t care how sharp my knives are so long as they remember whose hands they belong to. 

I’m torn between satisfaction and apathy regarding Izuku’s downfall. Same with Bakugou, being nothing but a ‘background extra’, as he would say, to the grave, being slaughtered by who he would consider to be background extras with guns. But I shouldn’t waste any more time thinking about them. 

They may have mattered in canon, but here? No. Just no.

 

And as for the old demon lord, I can still track his every move and quirk arsenal through Reveal. He’ll be another suitable distraction for the heroes while helping to deal with Humarise for us.

He also generously revealed the location of Yoichi’s hand to us, and Slice managed to swipe it from his grasp with a little help from yours truly, so we finally have that at our disposal. Another massive win.

On top of that, he’ll be a great test subject for LabHaul’s continued AFO quirk experiments. We can see how creating more copies of his original quirk and messing with the resonance effects between them affect his body, once again with help from Reveal.

So by letting him wander around for a bit longer, he distracts our enemies, helps take down our enemies, helps us with our experiments, and suffers plenty more because of it. It’s a win-win-win-win!

Don’t get me wrong, he won’t be living for much longer. If Flect Turn or Star and Stripe doesn’t take him down soon, I will, and I won’t allow him to create another massive villain empire with his international allies and supporters. A little organization to help deal with Humarise maybe, but not a true global superpower.

Going back to Mirio, he can’t handle his new power, not without Neito Monoma’s New Order copy. All Might is in a similar boat, and I still have Neito under Reveal’s watch. If push comes to shove, I can warp over to him, kill him, and take down two of the heroes’ three colossi in one fell swoop.

That’s why I’m not too worried about this unexpected development. If anything, this might just be for the best. Even with Star and Stripe becoming more overpowered than ever, she’s just one person, and the major villainous players have grown a ton.

And if she does go through with that New Order chain, I can just throw a quirk-erasing bullet at the first bro she affected, turning the rest of them back to normal. So not as big of a deal as it looks at first glance.

We’ve well and truly moved onto an international stage now. No more limiting things to just Japan, and my position is still pretty good, even if my canon knowledge has pretty much become useless at this point.

Detective Tsukauchi was caught, just as I planned, and NightHaul has no bee in his brain so any countermeasures they make for Kuin’s bee-jacking are useless. 

Any quirk-scanning quirks and New Order truth rules are also rendered useless thanks to his copy of Reveal, any quirk-monitoring tech they bring in can be messed with via technopathic quirks, and Overhaul can ensure his DNA matches up to the original Sir Nighteye easily enough.

Nobody suspects my clone in the slightest, and he’s more trusted than ever by the main crew after, ironically enough, playing double-agent with the HPSC. 

 

Thanks to Nine’s handiwork, I also have a solid amount of control over the new Meta Liberation Army and can obtain full control at any time if truly necessary. Having that much extra combat power at my disposal should come in handy.

My backdoors into I-Island and Humarise are still present, I have All For One unknowingly doing my bidding once again, and I still have quite a few cards to play.

In short, things went mostly according to plan. Star and Stripe has quite a few big bads standing between her and me, giving me plenty of time to finish my own work, and I’m continuing to pull a Palpatine with the other major players.

On that note, the Shie Hassaikai has also made plenty of progress these last few months. With our enemies mostly dealing with each other for us, I could devote the majority of my organization towards completing my own plans.

My own ascension is still top priority. Even the current Star will get completely demolished by me once I undergo the Quirk Singularity, but despite the progress LabHaul and his assistants have been making with that, the procedure won’t be ready for another few months because of all the new discoveries we keep making, improving the process and the final product at the cost of pushing back its completion date.

I wouldn't say 'too much success' is necessarily a bad thing in this case because of all the time we bought ourselves through hordes of distractions. In other words, we're not exactly in a hurry due to how many other problems Star has to deal with before getting to us, but it is a little annoying how long this is taking to get done.

For reference, the current date is December 21st, around the time when Tomura began his own modification process in canon. It took him four months to undergo that, the heroes attacking him after three. For me, it should only be about a month thanks to cheats like Overhaul, Double, and Cell Activation.

Research into quirks has also been going well, as has quirk training in general. Quite a few quirks have been awakened even without our Awakened For All project being perfected just yet, and plenty of Artificial Quirks have been made too, making my top brass even more dangerous.

Another major project we’ve working on is also long-term, particularly my main solution for surviving the rapidly-approaching global apocalypse.

Something we’ve been working on for quite a while, something that’s more on the technological side of things while still involving plenty of parascientific, quirky bullshit.

A concept that this world almost entirely abandoned ever since quirks came to be. A concept that not only makes surviving the planetary apocalypse a whole lot easier, but also has practically limitless potential.

Something that will turn the genre of this story I’ve transmigrated into from a superhero one to a Sci-Fi one. 

Yup, I’m talking about space. Outer. Fucking. Space. 

 

Now humanity has managed to recover some of its satellites since the Dawn of Quirks. They even managed to put a few more up there, as Feel Good Inc has proven both in canon and here… and I’ve long since gotten myself access to those blueprints. No rockets or people traveling into space though.

I also have access to all of I-Island’s creations, or at least the blueprints for them, not to mention the head scientists of that international science fair. David Shield, Samuel Abraham, and Melissa Shield who is plenty capable herself.

Double clones of them can be made and brainwashed into doing my bidding. Some have been used to help LabHaul with the technical side of his mad science, others have been used to further improve our weapons and defenses, and the rest have been working on this goal of ours.

Propulsion technology, materials science, and general space infrastructure, just to name a few branches, needed to be further researched and developed. While I have a good chunk of knowledge regarding Sci-Fi concepts from my last life, I don’t have the slightest idea how to make them actually applicable, even through quirks.

Even now, technology continues to be my achilles heel, so I’ll leave these tasks up to the technological egghead clones at my disposal. Constructing space habitats, factories, orbital mining stations, and even space-based solar power stations, are their long-term goal, as is making fleets of spacecrafts capable of protecting them.

Step one was improving upon what is already present. Having some of our own custom satellites for extra help with communication, navigation, observation, various research, and so on would help a lot, so I had the Hassaikai get to work on producing those.

For the first time since the Dawn of Quirks, this world is seeing progress in a field that isn’t quirk-related… and only because someone from a different world got people’s asses in gear. Even then, it’s not like I'll be selling this stuff to the general public, or even revealing its existence to them.

 

Creating our own custom satellites to fit all our needs was the hard part, and we already had designs from Feel Good Inc and I-Island, among other examples, to work with. 

The main issue was figuring out how to improve the basic designs we do have with quirks, whether it be adding extra properties to certain parts or playing around with some technokinesis, but our R&D team recently managed to complete the project. 

My copies of Creation can pump out as many as I need them to, and I can make copies of every other quirk being used to upgrade the initial products via Double clones, so all that’s left is getting them into position.

Now not all satellites are deployed outside the Earth’s atmosphere. Most scientific and weather ones are located in Low Earth orbit, which sits in the upper layers of Earth’s exosphere. 

Meanwhile, most navigation and specialty satellites are located in Medium Earth orbit, and most communication and TV satellites are located in Geostationary orbit.

I planned to make all these satellites, placing them both in and outside the Earth’s atmosphere after ensuring they were cloaked from all means of detection, something made possible with both advanced technology and quirks.

This serves two purposes. First, there’s the actual data these satellites provide me. Second, well… remember that international Warp-Railway I had made with copies of Warp Gate a while back? 

That teleportation quirk does have a limit to how far it can go, so if I want to travel from Japan to the US, I’ll need to either warp several times myself, or rely on a several-stage connection with others who have that quirk to cross that distance.

My worldwide feelers helped this process a lot too, setting up more secret facilities that double as transit stations all over the world. That Warp-Railway of mine has been a godsend ever since, and also served as a prototype for this new project.

Now as far as size goes, satellites can range from being as big as a lunch box to as big as a school bus. Mine are even bigger than the latter, being the size of a small house so there’s plenty of room to warp in. Their movement is also kept to a minimum so Warp Gate users have an easier time actually warping into them.

To fully escape the gravitational clutches of Earth, I need to be traveling at a speed of at least 25,000 mph or 33 times the speed of sound, faster than even my Rods From God ultimate goes. I can’t comfortably travel at such speeds just yet.

Good thing Warp Gate lets me bypass that requirement, simply teleporting past that gravitational gate whenever necessary, so with this vertical Warp-Railway established, we could get high enough to teleport directly into space. 

Awesome, right? We can completely skip building rockets thanks to quirks, and moving massive amounts of supplies up there isn’t a problem either thanks to size-alteration quirks.

Of course, that’s far from the only hurdle. Getting to space doesn’t mean much when you’ll just die the moment you enter it.

 

Quirks once again solve a major portion of this problem. I may not have New Order at my disposal, but the right combination of powers can replicate a ‘survive in space’ rule easily enough. 

This led to the creation of a specialized High-End Nomu, one that could both survive and create a foothold for us in space. LabHaul had given it the nickname Space-End Nomu, and the rest of us rolled with it.

Heat Resistance, Cold Resistance, Radiation Resistance, Warp Gate, Flight, Creation, Alchemy, Endurance, Energy Saver, Super Regeneration, Size and some other object-alteration quirks, and a quirk that lets the user survive without oxygen were put into this thing. 

With a constant stream of commands being transferred into its head via our Cyberwarfare Branch, this Nomu and its many, many Double clones can begin colonizing space for us.

All that junk and debris scattered around the globe can be transmuted into materials to build more satellites and even space stations with Alchemy, and Creation can help fill any gaps with Size and some other object-alteration quirks allowing for much more to be done with them.

Pretty cool, right? It’s been a couple weeks since we first started sending Double clones of the Space-End Nomu through our vertical Warp-Railway and they’ve been making plenty of progress.

Brainwashed copies of David, Melissa, and Samuel had months to create some viable blueprints for space stations, quirks making many of the logistical issues much easier to handle, and they’ve also made plenty of progress. 

It was tough for even them with organizations like NASA being nonexistent in this age of quirks, but they could manage the feat eventually, especially when given quirks like IQ and Endurance to further boost their intelligence.

In fact, we’ve already begun the process of warping all our outposts and even parts of Hassaikai HQ into these new space bases, repurposing all those materials easily enough with matter-manipulation and transmutation quirks.

With Star and Stripe figuring out where I’ve been hiding most of my stuff, even with Japan now firmly under the MLA’s control, it won’t be long before she continues investigating the numerous islands around that country. I can’t have her figure out anything more about my top secret operations. 

 

Thanks to the power of warping and recycling, creating a fully-functioning space station, something that would ordinarily be a decades-long project, will take months at most. 

Creating a self-sustaining, closed-loop environment essentially functioning as a small, artificial world becomes so much easier when quirks can cut so many corners.

Hell, we might even begin constructing our own facility on the Moon! It would take a while to extend our vertical Warp-Railway there, but it can be done, and transmutation quirks like Alchemy would give me nigh-endless amounts of materials to work with over there. 

Theoretically, I could turn the entire Moon into something resembling the Death Star if I wanted! Or maybe I could use quirks to terraform the entire Moon into another Earth.

Of course, for transmutation and creation quirks to work, I have to actually know what the hell I’m creating. Like I said, the brainwashed eggheads and my organization in general is making some good progress, but this is still going to be a project that takes years, if not entire decades. 

Facilities of ours can be shrunk and warped easily enough. Space bases can be built and maintained easily enough. It’s going to be a logistical hell, but it can be done.

Creating the actual technology to make this work is what’s making this take so long, even with quirks to help blitz through the process. But I’ve got time. I’ve bought myself plenty of time, and have practically mastered the parascientific bullshit that is quirks.

There’s no dying of old age. Quirks like Overhaul, Super Regeneration, and Cell Activation, and Rewind will keep me in my prime forever; even completely destroying my head won’t be enough to kill me anymore.

We already surrounded the world with our own cloaked, self-sustaining, geostationary satellites. Several dozen of them. Troposphere… Stratosphere… Mesosphere… Thermosphere… Exosphere… they’ve all been crossed. 

Colonizing the Moon is possible, as I mentioned before, legions of quirks and the right technology being capable of creating a permanent, liveable domain on that oversized rock. 

I can do the same on Mars and other planets, or even take over a pocket of space if I wanted. Building a genuine space fleet or space megastructure straight out of a Sci-Fi movie would be pretty cool.

Just imaging venturing beyond the solar system, discovering new worlds with untapped resources, unique environments, and maybe even aliens! Replicating such things with quirks may even be possible!

We could also try mining the asteroid belt in our solar system, or simply transmute those space rocks into stuff we need through quirks like Alchemy. That could give us a steady, never ending stream of resources, and while I already have several of those already, adding one more to that total count wouldn’t hurt.

Quirks remove a whole lot of limits humanity in my old world had. 

 

Need advanced life support systems that recycle air, water, and waste to maintain a stable and habitable environment for your passengers? Just cherry-pick a few bullshit quirks that can transmute or create the necessary materials.

No need to rely on hydroponic or aeroponic farming systems to create food when quirks can let people sprout a forest out of thin air. 

No need to scout for super rare materials when quirks can transmute dirt or stone into them. 

No need to worry about making artificial gravity to counter long-term weightlessness effects on the human body; just find a quirk that can alter gravity for you.

Hell, with the right combination of powers, we could even begin construction on a Dyson Sphere or Dyson Swarm around our sun, catapulting the Shie Hassaikai into a Tier 2 Civilization on the Kardashev scale.

Heh, wouldn’t that be something?

Perhaps even the universe isn’t my limit. If New Order is boosted enough, then maybe it can break the barriers between dimensions, allowing me to interact with other versions of myself without relying on those dumbass deities and their stupid games. 

Maybe I could even travel back to my original reality. It’s not a task I’m obsessed over like many other transmigrators seem to be, but it would be pretty cool to accomplish.

“Damn… just take a look at this view.” I gawk at my clones via mind link, and they all have similar reactions.

They all look on as I enter a dark, starry void.

Outer space. I just flew (and mostly warped) to space. Outer. Fucking. Space.

I’m completely fine, having entered one of our space facilities, and the view is absolutely incredible both above and below.

Clouds swirl below and continents stretch out as far as my genetically modified, quirk-boosted eyes can see. 

Up here, there are no organizations to manage or enemies to worry about. Up here, I really can be at peace.

 

“Pat yourselves on the back, you guys. You all helped make this happen.” I smile. 

“A shame most of them can’t hear you.” Zookeeper chimes in from behind. “And that many won’t be around to see this project be completed.”

With pretty much everything being delegated, I had plenty of time to spend with her these last few months… plenty of time to check up on everyone else too.

“You’re really alright with this? Letting so many of our forces out like this, whether it’s fighting for the MLA or just crossing off stuff on their own bucket lists? You do have a tendency to get hung up on every little thing, to control it and prevent it from going wrong.

Even if they don’t reveal anything about the Shie Hassaikai if they were captured, likely killing themselves before they can even be interrogated, that’s still them dying. That means you can’t bring them back.” She reminds me.

“I know, Zi. Just goes to show how much I’ve grown overtime, that subconscious fear of losing everything again that formed after my Naruhata Gambit has finally, completely disappeared.” 

Back then, I couldn’t accept how I almost got my entire organization exposed and destroyed, even if it meant saving myself, giving me the chance to rise up again and get revenge.

However, I had no qualms in accepting that side of me now.

In the end, I would always be my top priority. My survival and my ultimate success would always be most important to me. 

This revelation made me doubt my love for my family and care for my subordinates in the past, but right now, it gave me a reason to cherish every moment I had with them more than ever. It taught me how to ‘live’.

No, that wasn’t all.

After I almost died at Star and Stripe’s hands back at I-Island, my outlook on ‘this’ life changed a lot. Everything I did, from research to spending time with others… I felt much more connected to it as time passed.

As weird as it sounded, the best words I could find to describe my change was that I had become more human.

“So what, is this your Redemption Arc or something?” Zookeeper chuckles after I finish my tangent, leaving out a few details like the whole ‘second life’ bit.

“What Redemption Arc? Don’t forgive my crimes; I worked hard on those…”

 

In all seriousness, just because my outlook on life changed doesn’t mean I became a better person. If anything, I changed for the worse. If anything, I’ve become an even bigger bastard.

Normally, I would be satisfied with options that brought about minimal risks; the incident with Star didn’t just change my outlook on life, it made me more invested in my research and experiments too.

From distributing weapons and Trigger across Japan for extra funding and practical testing to gathering up ‘supplies’ to create more Nomu and plenty of my other exploits and experiments to dictating the rise and fall of various organizations across the world, I had originally done those things simply because I had to. I needed to for my plans to work.

But now? These were things I wanted to do. I wanted to learn more about this world, even if it destroyed this world in the process, because this world is already doomed, right? I might as well get what I can out of it before it’s too late, and delay it where possible to give me more research time.

So even before Kuin had suggested it, I planned on giving Nine’s crew and anyone else interested in directly fighting the heroes a chance to go and fight, to show off, to achieve their dreams, whatever they may be.

I have a lot less qualms about stopping my subordinates from enacting their own ambitions, so long as they understand that the collective Shie Hassaikai’s dreams (aka, my own dreams) come first and that even death may be necessary to avoid spilling any secrets.

That and their desires benefit my own in some way, which they almost always do, even if it’s simply causing more problems for the heroes. 

Nine’s crew and every other subordinate joining up with the MLA will give my clones and I plenty of good combat data while further inconveniencing my enemies. We’ve grown powerful enough to act more openly. We have enough wiggle room to be slightly more risky.

As mentioned before, the only real risk is death with no chance of resurrection, and I’m okay with that. I won’t obsessively hoard my subordinates and projects anymore. I’ll still create a haven for them, but whether they want to ride out the apocalypse in that haven or go out and die happy in the middle of it is up to them.

I can accept that. I’m satisfied with all the good times we’ve had, and I’ll let them pursue whatever goals and dreams they have so long as they understand what must be done to preserve and achieve my own goals and dreams above all.

I’ll ensure my own safety and my family’s safety, and I’ll ensure that those in the Shie Hassaikai will be happy until the day they die no matter what they choose to do.

And in the worst case scenario, I’ll always, literally have a small part of them with me in the form of quirk vestiges. So even if everyone dies, they’ll still live on through me… or as close as vestiges can get to ‘living’, anyway.

My body and mind has become a source, a generator, an origin for them. And I’ll ensure it remains that way from now until the end of time. My ascension will guarantee that.

The world will still inevitably burn down, but at the very least, me and those I care for will get what they want. That’s all I ever wanted, and now, I’m closer to achieving it than ever before.

 

 

 

Star and Stripe’s P̶e̶r̶s̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶S̶h̶i̶t̶l̶i̶s̶t̶ Villain Rankings + Commentary

(each tier ranked in order from most to least threatening, at least for her)

SSSS-Rank Villains (Worldwide Threats):

• Long Haul - ‘most valuable friend’ her ass
• Flect Turn - diehard Monsterverse fan, apparently
• Re-Destro - he better stay in Japan if he knows what’s good for him

SSS-Rank Villains (Country-Wide Threats):

• Queen Bee - at least Long Haul is keeping her on a leash (helps that she’s probably into that sort of thing)
• Gigantomachia - still at large, both figuratively and probably literally
• Nine - she’ll be sure to throw a goddamn apocalypse his way next time
• Quirked Animals Turned Triggered Monstrosities - despite dying after a day, they still overstay their welcome
• Valdo Gollini - haven’t heard much of him lately, but he’s still going down
• All For One - still old news

SS-Rank Villains (Prefecture/State-Wide Threats):

• Rei - she hates Endeavor too, but isn’t causing a new ice age in retaliation a bit much?
• Geten - clearly scared shitless of his aunt; she’d feel bad for him if he didn’t help make that apocalypse in Tokyo

S-Rank Villains (City-Wide/Typical Top 10 Hero Threats):

• None that concern her

Chapter 103: Game On

“Sup, noobs? Remember me?” Tomura Shigaraki grins towards the camera with Twice on his left and Gigantomachia on his right.

Only one of the three isn’t in their villain outfit. Machia is just wearing stretchy pants rather than one of his DNA fabric-woven tuxedos Sekan gave him.

Only one of the three isn’t a brainwashed clone… the exception is once again Gigantomachia.

“Y’know, the guy who’s group attacked UA and Hosu and UA again and blew up most of Kamino? Yeah, him. Oh, and attacked UA a third time. 

Not sure if the stuffed animal in a business suit publicized this yet, at least before he died at the latest UA attack, but my party’s rogue slash spy slash assassin murdered another few UA hero students before getting down and dirty with a different one. Rest in pieces, you bush-haired lady-killer you.”

Over at World Heroes Association’s headquarters, Mirio Togata growls at the screen in front of him, as do All Might and Star.

“But that’s old news. Who gives a crap about schooling hero schools when a swole Dr. Doofenshmirtz and his army of red shirts just took over Japan, am I right? Can’t the so-called Symbol of Evil’s successor do anything besides terrorize a few first-year hero students?

As a matter of fact, I can! See, my good old ‘sensei’ decided to take me, the grandson of Nana Shimura, an old archenemy of his and mother figure of All Might's, and raise me to basically be a crusty emo meat puppet for him. He swapped my natural quirk with Decay, its activation killing my whole family when I was five, and then raised me on video games and spite just to stick it to All Might.

He would then bodyjack me when the time was right and use my pent-up anger at everything as a rage boost buff to take back his little brother’s quirk, a transferable stockpiling quirk that once belonged to both Nana Shimura and All Might, and now belongs to former UA student Mirio Togata, back. 

 

One For All, they call it. The irony isn’t lost on me. And fun fact about that quirk, it’s passed on by the user wanting to pass it on and then having the person eat their DNA. Anyone wondering why someone with an intangibility quirk gained insane super strength and like five other quirks now has their answer, and all that can be yours too if you go Plus Ultra enough.

So yeah, All Might was born quirkless and given a centuries-old stockpiling quirk that lets you change the weather with a punch, and with him now relying on Star and Stripe’s quirk for a fix, his sidekick’s only surviving student has both it and boosted quirks of all prior wielders because OFA stockpiles that too. Feel free to go fight for that, my fellow villains; I have no interest in it anymore due to reasons I'll explain in a bit.

News flash, All For One. I figured your shit plan out years ago, and I amassed my own little organization behind your back to take over after your ass was inevitably kicked again. We then subdued your old bodyguard, the guy who somewhat recently beat the All Might out of All Might better than you ever could, and convinced him to party up with me.”

Over in Taiwan, a certain demon lord ditches his current disguise and indiscriminately unleashes hundreds of quirks in complete and utter rage, the town he was hiding in quickly being reduced to rubble. 

Radio Waves let him continue listening when the TV he was watching inevitably broke, and his mood did not improve. At least the small group of top heroes sent to investigate a bit later served as decent enough punching bags for him.

“I intended to do the same with the rest of your empire’s remains, but your midget Frankenstein hated me by proxy and took his Pseudo-AFOs with him, all of the above being capable of giving and taking quirks just like you can. 

So how could I possibly match up to that once I rejoined this server-wide Battle Royale? Even those camera-friendly con artists you call heroes were too much for my league to handle, let alone them, so what could I do? Well, this is where my good friend Twice comes in.” 

The double of Twice then waves at the camera currently projecting a livestream of this across the world, the Cyberwarfare Branch doing a masterful hacking job to spread the word.

“Some of you may remember him as an S-Rank villain despite him never really doing a whole lot. Well, that’s because the corrupted asshats previously in charge of this country had at least some idea of what he can do once he got past his custom tutorial and stocked up on data. Show ‘em, bud.”

“Sir, yes sir! Don’t tell me what to do, crusty!”

The clone then makes two more clones that are instantly mind-controlled by Reveal. GuildHaul is currently holding the camera, so range isn’t an issue. Nobody sees him doing so either.

One clone is revealed to be Endeavor who surrounds himself with flames. The other is revealed to be Re-Destro who bulks up to 80% Liberation on the clone Sekan’s mental orders.

 

“Quick reminder about how Twice’s quirk works. He can make copies of whoever he wants, so long as he has enough data on them, and they can use all the originals’ quirks and skills and memories no problem. That includes copies of himself, which can then be used to make even more copies.

Pretty OP, right? Well on top of figuring out a few brand new, already present functions of his quirk, Twice also figured out, among other things, how to completely control said clones like a hivemind from any distance away during our little training montage against the symbol-slaughtering raid boss my former master left behind. 

You could say he went through a Quirk Awakening of sorts, and we renamed his quirk accordingly. As for what the quirk’s new name is and what exactly the other differences are, that’s a trade secret so America's female All Might can’t copy it herself.

And this extra lack of understanding on her end, when compared to Twice's own, aka, the original user of this quirk, means she now can’t copy the original Double quirk either. Too bad you didn’t try that sooner, Star and Stripe. Womp womp.

Anyway, these clones still have less durability then the originals, but defeating them takes quite a bit of Plus Ultra power. And that’s if you even know that they’re clones. They know everything the originals do, and can therefore blend in easily if my friend orders them to.

Twice here has quite the roster of top heroes, villains, vigilantes, and MLA guys alike to create clones of at a moment’s notice. We’ve already replaced quite a few of you thanks to Kurogiri warping in Machia on top of their faces when nobody else was looking. For any old Marvel fans out there, picture these clones as bootleg Skrulls. 

For any who doubt this claim, look no further than the HPSC’s downfall for an example. Those jackasses attempted to use my former master’s Nomu against the heroes, but I thought of it first, swapping the real deal for Double clones under everyone’s noses after their incarceration. I’ve got them all here with me, ready to wreck even more havoc, so be on the lookout for that. 

Oh, and on top of that, I’ll probably send the occasional OP clone or clones to wreak havoc across the globe too. Could be a top hero like All Might and Star, top villain like my former master and Machia, some leftover top tier Nomu my former master made, or maybe even some of those quirked animals Humarise triggered both figuratively and literally, sooooo… yeah.”

Flect Turn nearly has an aneurysm at that last part, demanding the message be ended, but neither they nor the WHA could beat Sekan’s cyberwarfare branch and their many boosted technopathic quirks.

“Using this opportunity, I would like to officially announce the League of Villain’s independent comeback! Have a nice day, everyone, and feel free to shit yourselves now.”

The video then cuts, and many across the globe, whether be hero, villain, or regular civilian, collectively, mostly figuratively shit themselves as per Tomura’s declaration. A completely new dimension to this on-going global conflict was just added and no side is prepared in the slightest for it.

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  2 Months 1 Week Until The Ascension

Looking at the narrative this world is pushing like the bootleg game it is, I’ve pretty much cemented myself as the Final Boss, your typical culmination of the entire hero’s journey. 

The main protagonists might encounter this person once or twice, maybe even fight a weaker version of them part way through, like what happened at I-Island in my case, and go up against this person in their ultimate/final form as the last boss, but that doesn’t change the position this person serves in the overall narrative.

Both my manipulation of the MLA and my framing of Tomura fit into another common trope present in games, the Boss Rush or Gauntlet before this final, ultimate confrontation. 

Essentially, the main protagonists have back to back rematches against the bosses they fought before, only just like the protagonists, these bosses are a whole lot tougher this time around… or they’re just stronger, recolored copies of the original bosses they faced.

The canon MLA was a major letdown for most, myself included. Another supposed supergenius leader that constantly did dumb stuff, a political movement that was also a villain organization with almost cult-like trappings, a kind of quirk supremacist group that only really had two people (Geten and Re-Destro himself) who weren’t pathetically weak. 

Even then, Geten got blitzed by Cementoss and Re-Destro was whacked off screen by goddamn Edgeshot. 

Destro himself would probably hate his descendant considering what his ideological platform was warped into. Just a bunch of DnD-like murderhobos when push comes to shove because MHA is a shounen where the solution to all problems is DETROIT SMASH!

 

Like so many others here, they did get some extra growth and developments thanks to my actions, but I both wanted and needed them to get more than that, both for my own personal plans to work better and my promise to Prophet. 

Japan wouldn’t have the leeway to just send its heroes in anymore, and have them prioritize apprehending enemies over killing them at that. They were stupid for doing that in canon, and I made sure they would be slaughtered even easier if they tried that shit here.

Only the heroes straight-up lost here, even with international aid. They were taken down by the MLA as easily as the heroes took down the MLA in canon. Not even a day later and all of Japan was theirs, most of the country actually supporting the change in governmental leadership.

And now, not only have most of Japan’s remaining Pro-Heroes and Police switched sides, but most vigilantes and villains have also joined this organization, whether they were still out and about or locked in prison.

Yes, that includes villains sent to Tartarus. The wardens over there had something of a civil war on their own after Re-Destro’s declaration, and with Nine, Geten, and Rei heading over with swarms of MLA warriors to help secure it, there was nothing the remaining HPSC loyalists could do. 

Big mistake putting that prison on its own little island. Powerful enough water and ice quirk users could become practically invincible in such an environment. 

Just like that, Tartarus went from being a nigh-inescapable maximum security prison to a buffet of powerful, recruitable villains, and that’s not even mentioning all the other villain prisons in Japan.

Most of these villains were offered a ‘second chance’ as a result of this change in leadership. They were offered everything from money to fame to power to territory and so on if they play ball, and were straight up told they would be used as parts for Nomu if they didn’t.

Needless to say, the vast majority of villains given this offer agreed, and this was presented to the public as imposing penance through public service, making the ruined country much safer.

There were a select few, such as Curator, who requested a trial by combat where the winner would bow down to the loser. Re-Destro was fine with this, and defeated every single challenger sent his way.

So now Curator is in charge of the new Wild Villains, a division of mutant-quirk wielders under the MLA, Bearhead being his right-hand man. I had offered Zookeeper the chance to kill him if she really wanted to, but she found her former tormentor bowing down to a non-mutant quirk-wielder amusing enough.

And Curator’s organization was just the start. Dictator, Wolfram, Kunieda, Gashly, and so on joined the fold. In fact, over 90 percent of incarcerated villains joined the Meta Liberation Army, most of the villains that didn’t not even being given the option as their ideologies directly clashed with the MLA, Creature Rejection Clan and Humarise members being two such examples.

 

Humarise in particular was in a pretty tough spot. I had my spies and turncoats in that particular organization either flee Japan to join other Humarise cells or fake their deaths, returning to me. Any actual members in Japan, whether arrested or free at that moment, were thrown to the wolves.

Flect Turn was not happy about that, or the Meta Liberation Army still existing at all for that matter. Hard to find more opposing ideologies than MLA and Humarise.

The smurf in charge of the latter was actually considering helping the Pro-Heroes retake Japan, both to deepen their grasp within the global hero society and destroy this obvious threat to their cause.

Only for the little livestream ‘Tomura’ just broadcasted to ruin that entirely, or at least, that’s what he thinks. Kuin pretending to be an Artificial Singularity herself gave WHA the evidence it needed to start preparing Humarise’s collapse in earnest a good bit before that message.

But imagine if it didn’t. World Heroes’ Association and Humarise actually working together against a common threat; wouldn’t that have been something? 

Alas, I can’t let the smurf rapidly accumulate power anymore if I want to avoid an early global genocide. If things get too out of hand, I won’t hesitate or rely on delegation. No, I will bury that global cult just as I did All For One’s empire right after Kamino.

Back to the MLA, this villain recruitment alone boosted the number of active combatants by several hundred thousand. The Pro-Heroes, Police, Vigilantes, and civilians who became actual combatants pushed their total numbers close to the seven-digit range.

Almost a million warriors now fight for the Meta Liberation Army, thousands of them (Nomus included) being capable of matching top heroes, and that number only continues to grow as they consolidate Japan. 

Considering how the Shie Hassaikai doesn’t even have 50,000 members at the moment, Kuin’s bees and Double clones excluded, this is a pretty sizable increase in firepower at my disposal. Best of all, they’re entirely disposable to me in the worst case scenario. 

Same goes for the ‘League of Villains’, allowing me to cause some chaos whenever I please without any consequences, since nobody suspects me to be behind them. I practically formed my own Paranormal Liberation Front as a mere side effect of my plans!

Re-Destro has enacted a tremendous remilitarization project too, free usage of quirks helping to pump out both regular weapons and support gear by the shitload.

Needless to say, in this day and age, this is an absolutely monstrous amount of combat power. Not even countries like America, Russia, and China can compare. 

And any chance of quickly reclaiming the country was gone after the literal heroes’ party led by Star and Stripe failed. The rapidly-growing MLA and Nomu armies serve as a barrier that prevent any outside countries from entering without Re-Destro’s say so.

The heroes’ attempts at turning Japan’s public against the MLA also backfired, All Might having broadcasted a counter-speech to Re-Destro’s own almost immediately after returning to WHA Headquarters.

He had called Japan’s new rulers sycophants of one of the most dangerous villains in history. Re-Destro did a counter counter-speech right after that, saying he would transform that ideology into something new and better, officially calling himself Re-Destro.

Not gonna lie, All Might kinda walked himself into that one. 

 

Most other countries across the world are currently in the post-quirk equivalent of DEFCON 3, if not DEFCON 2 in case this Meta Liberation Army is either actually on an international scale like the last one or just decides to invade them next once they’re done consolidating Japan.

Unfortunately for them, Trumpet had plenty of time to make connections with political parties in other countries, and the head of Detnerat did something similar with support companies across the globe. 

The original Destro didn’t just try to liberate Japan, far from it. There are people all over the world who support his ideals, and with the MLA not becoming AFO’s pawns like in canon, people were many more willing to move to Japan en masse to join the cause. 

World Heroes’ Association members are currently shitting themselves in terror at the moment. Not only was the Meta Liberation Army back, but Humarise and the League of Villains have become major international threats too. Even All For One is out and about again!

All Might is taking things especially hard, as any progress he made these last few years has just evaporated. 

Stopping the CRC-WV War? Wild Villains are more powerful than ever and Creature Rejection Clan members are currently being turned into Nomu. 

Taking down All For One at Kamino? The demon lord has returned once again.

Freeing Japan from the HPSC and its corrupt Pro-Heroes? MLA just took their place and the League of Villains can send duplicates of Endeavor and Hawks his way just to mess with him.

In fact, we did just that and more to commemorate the rebranded League of Villains. Our first wave of chaos clones includes a few Endeavors, two copies of Hawks, some Nines, a couple Getens, a Re-Destro, and even some Big Red Dots and Salaams. 

Twenty-three clones in total, each one sent to a different WHA-aligned country that was quite literally picked out of a hat. I’ve got the Creation Crew working on several different game show-style wheels right now. Might as well combine business and pleasure wherever I can.

Japan was the one exception to this randomness format. We had a role to play, and couldn’t let our MLA bias show, so a couple clones of that country’s old top ten were sent over. They didn’t last very long, but the message was still clear to what few WHA spies remained over there.

And to ensure no slip-ups are made, each clone is surgically brainwashed through Overhaul, that particular project having been practically perfected by now. Same with Reveal, its range not being a factor when it comes to permanent mind alterations.

I use both methods, and as an extra just in case, because you can never be too cautious with this sort of thing, each clone is sent over with one of Kuin’s Bomb Bees in their brains, ready to detonate the instant something goes wrong like my control via Reveal somehow being undone or people like Star trying to capture and interrogate rather than kill.

Those bees are further concealed through quite a few extra quirks, so nobody with scanning powers should be able to pick up on them. I ensured all my bases were covered when starting a plan this insane.

Three different methods to help sell this lie, each one on their own being practically impossible to notice and/or undo with all three needing to be disabled to uncover the truth. That should be overkill enough, right?

 

See what I mean by Boss Rush? With the MLA liberating Japan and Double being at my disposal, I can send waves upon waves of ‘bosses’ my enemies’ way with nonexistent consequences.

My existence is still known to barely anyone, the remnants of the late Nezu’s council keeping me a secret to suppress even more panic just as they originally did with All For One, and the people who do know don’t even suspect me for most of the things I’m currently doing!

Not to mention Humarise practically doing the same thing with Melissa’s experiments, the Villain Deku shoe-in making this world look less like My Hero Academia and more like Worm with her bootleg Endbringers.

Unlike me, Humarise recently got exposed, and because of my efforts at that. That’s another major hurdle the heroes have to overcome, because they’ll only ramp up production as the heroes challenge them directly. No need for them to hold back or pretend anymore.

Star and Stripe still has a long way to go before our final confrontation, and I have more than enough time to finish my ascension, to finish breaking this world’s warped sense of logic and reason.

Final Bosses are supposed to lose, right? That’s how these kinds of games tend to work, right?

Well not if I hack or mod or simply corrupt this game. The situation with Foresight is proof that I’m making some progress in breaking this world. Class 1-A’s demise could also be seen as proof, but I suppose the title of main protagonists has moved to Cathleen and maybe Mirio.

Speaking of One For All’s newest wielder, he and the other former Big 3 members recently got their Provisional Hero Licenses upgraded to fully-fledged Hero Licenses. They’re gonna need it with all the attention shining their way.

To say the surviving heroes from Japan were under scrutiny would be a massive understatement. 

Hawks is already undergoing a trial, and will probably end up spending the rest of his life in some supermax prison. He’s only now starting to truly understand what side of history he was on. 

All Might, Edgeshot, Ryukyu, the Big 3, and the other surviving Pro-Heroes/Sidekicks who helped dethrone the HPSC before Re-Destro came in are still free, now being under direct employment by the WHA. Neito too, but his very existence has become top secret.

While the old symbol is still loved worldwide, quite a few have been raising eyebrows his way. Many wondered what took so long for him to act since he clearly has his power back, Tomura’s broadcasted monologue answering that uncomfortable question for him. 

But Japan itself is still being treated like the black sheep of the international community, especially with the country willingly siding with the MLA, meaning it’s up to these heroes to prove they themselves aren’t quirk-supremacist pieces of shit as the propaganda portrays their home country as.

Mirio and his best buds were only a few months away from graduating UA High before Japan really went to shit, and being in dire need of more firepower, the WHA provided the trio with a special examination to determine whether or not they were already ready for the real deal.

Needless to say, they all passed easily. Nejire Hado and Tamaki Amajiki are easily top ten hero level, especially after the tips and training ‘Nighteye’ provided them. And Mirio himself has become an absolute monster in power, easily dwarfing even All Might at his peak, with everyone now knowing why. 

Might as well make the heroes’ lives a bit harder by revealing One For All’s existence.

 

This does actually contribute to the latest version of my master plan for reasons you’ll see soon. Let’s just say the MLA will be doing its main ally from overseas a favor by steering them clear of my newest, continent-sized trap.

And even without that, Mirio will have a chance to prove himself on a global stage soon enough thanks to the World Heroes’ Association currently preparing to launch an all-out attack on Humarise, much like they did in canon. 

Remember, even if ‘Tomura’ didn’t expose them for drugging those quirked animals with Ideo Trigger (of which Humarise is obviously claiming slander and defamation), the ‘proof’ Kuin handed them on a silver platter was enough for the WHA and UN to make a move.

And while this may be happening months earlier than in canon, Humarise is far more prepared this time, already knowing about the incoming international assault thanks to their spies and moving out much more in the targeted bases then they did originally.

In fact, they have quite a few gambits in the works already, gambits that spell trouble for everyone if they all succeed, gambits I won’t allow them to succeed in if the heroes and All For One fail at stopping them, because I’d rather not have the entire world be destroyed so early on.

Their initial experiments with Ideo Trigger are terrifying enough as is, Melissa Shield practically becoming Garaki 2.0 with her recent innovations in both technology and biology, boosting quirked animals to canon Gigantomachia levels of power, if not greater. 

They may be uncontrollable after injection and die after a day or so, but an army of Gigantomachias is still an army of goddamn Gigantomachias.

And this is just the start of her experiments. She’s already starting to develop ambitions outside of Flect Turn, digging deeper and deeper into the singularity and her own insanity; she may even launch an internal coup in Humarise if the smurf isn’t detained or killed soon.

My enemies are supposed to be weakening each other, damnit! Not strengthening each other!

Her own research on both biology and technology is helpful to me, as is the chaos she’s causing across the globe, but she’s growing to a point that even I’m starting to become somewhat wary of. That’s why I signed off sending both All For One and Star and Stripe towards Humarise.

Speaking of, something Humarise isn’t prepared for is an absolutely livid All For One targeting them. The old demon lord just entered China, and seems to be booking it across all of Asia, destroying any Humarise facility he comes across.

While I doubt he’ll be getting any useful quirks or subordinates during this little intercontinental road trip of his, considering most Humarise members are both quirkless and fanatical to their cause to begin with, he’s still starting to meet up with international allies and supporters of his, creating a little empire for himself.

One dedicated to wiping Humarise off the map, if not entirely subsuming it, the latter of which is never gonna happen. Not on my watch.

Ideally, Star and Stripe will take down both All For One and Flect Turn (and hopefully Melissa too) during these next few months, and start an international war with the MLA after that, leaving me as the Final Boss.

Chances of that going exactly as planned are pretty low, as I can only monitor and control so much from behind the scenes. My meta-knowledge regarding canon becoming practically useless at this point doesn’t help either. 

But that’s alright considering the favorable position I managed to carve for myself since arriving in this world. Worst case scenario, my forces abandon this Earth entirely ASAP and let it implode before coming back to sort through the remains. 

Anything I obtain from outside sources at this point, from data on new, improved organizations and societies to research on quirks and the human body, is just a bonus for me.

So go on and become Garaki 2.0, Melissa Shield! Try and conquer the entire world Re-Destro! Try to accomplish literally anything, All For One! And try to salvage whatever you can out of this shitshow, Star and Stripe! I’m eagerly awaiting the results.

 

 

 

Star and Stripe’s P̶e̶r̶s̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶S̶h̶i̶t̶l̶i̶s̶t̶ Villain Rankings + Commentary

(each tier ranked in order from most to least threatening, at least for her)

SSSS-Rank Villains (Worldwide Threats):

• Long Haul - ‘most valuable friend’ her ass
• Twice - why did he have to follow the NEET murderhobo? 
• Flect Turn -  diehard Monsterverse fan, apparently
• Re-Destro - he better stay in Japan if he knows what’s good for him

SSS-Rank Villains (Country-Wide Threats):

• Queen Bee - at least Long Haul is keeping her on a leash (helps that she’s probably into that sort of thing)
• Gigantomachia - what is so appealing about that NEET murderhobo? 
• Nine - she’ll be sure to throw a goddamn apocalypse his way next time
• Quirked Animals Turned Triggered Monstrosities - despite dying after a day, they still overstay their welcome
• Valdo Gollini - haven’t heard much of him lately, but he’s still going down
• All For One - still old news

SS-Rank Villains (Prefecture/State-Wide Threats):

• Rei - she hates Endeavor too, but isn’t causing a new ice age in retaliation a bit much?
• Geten - clearly scared shitless of his aunt; she’d feel bad for him if he didn’t help make that apocalypse in Tokyo

S-Rank Villains (City-Wide/Typical Top 10 Hero Threats):

• Tomura Shigaraki - absurdly powerful friends or not, he’s still just a NEET murderhobo

Chapter 104: Infamy

For Mirio Togata, things have been… stressful these last few weeks. 

Finally saving his home country from a villainous organization only for a different, larger villainous organization to take it over immediately after. 

Learning of an even more dangerous villain organization than the first two, one leading heroes and villains alike by the nose for ages. From what he’s heard so far, Long Haul makes even All For One look like a total amateur.

Receiving a centuries-old superpower from his late kohai, and the quirk-stealing boogeyman’s hatred with it. Oh, and it came with several other quirks and ghosts of previous wielders too. Still not sure what that’s about.

Having the latter issue be exposed by said boogeyman’s former apprentice, the entire world was now either judging him for being Japanese, wanting him to become All Might 2.0 and return everything back to the old status quo, or steal this power he was forcefully gifted.

That has been especially annoying, even with a complete Pro-Hero license and the WHA’s good graces. Him, All Might, and the other remaining heroes from Japan have essentially become agents working directly for the World Heroes’ Association.

Basically, if countries needed aid dealing with local crime syndicates, they would be deployed to assist for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. And with how much crimes have risen these last few years, there is no shortage of countries in need of assistance. 

 

Neito Monoma is the only exception, keeping both Mirio himself and All Might powered-up. He’s mainly learning how to further support from behind the scenes, helping with logistics and such.

As for everyone else, they’ve been split up, traveling all over the world, aiding various countries with stopping some particularly nasty villainous organizations, overpowered Double clones from Tomura, or just helping deal with the oversaturation of villains.

Good thing Sir had him learn a few other languages. He knows how badly that went for the late Skycrawler when he first moved to the states, and things would’ve been just as awkward for him. 

Both he and Sir taught Nejire and Tamaki a list of key phrases in various languages too. It isn’t much, but it’s a start, and his two best friends are doing great themselves, especially after the bits of quirk advice they received from Sir these last few years.

Tamaki always carried around a container of beetles with him now, even if eating them still grossed him out a bit. Eating a rhino beetle lets him bench press entire buildings with ease, eating a tiger beetle lets him reach speeds rivaling a Formula One race car, and those are just a few examples! 

His new Vast Hybrid state could rival All For One in his own weakened state, even if only temporarily, and that’s still leagues above your average Top 10 Hero.

As for Nejire, while her own quirk can’t make rapid jumps in power like Tamaki’s can, it does seem to share the perk of having no upper cap. In fact, its secondary quirk characteristics practically make Wave Motion a copy of One For All in disguise!

On paper, it seems basic enough, the user being able to convert stamina or vitality into energy that they can then discharge as blast waves. It’s a power that should be relatively weak because humans can only increase their stamina by so much even with the best training.

Yet after several years of growth and development, Nejire has blown far past any perceived human limits when it comes to stamina. She can run marathons without breaking a sweat, stay up for days without getting the slightest bit tired, and just do things that should be impossible for humans when it comes to energy consumption.

Not to mention how her strongest attacks can rival Endeavor’s Flashfire Fist nowadays, taking down titanic villains or even leveling entire city streets. Even if the conversion rate of her vitality to energy was a hundred to one, it shouldn’t be possible to create attacks at that level, so that must mean her own stamina or vitality works like a limitless stockpile quirk such as One For All. 

With constant hero work alongside intense quirk-training regiments put together by Sir and the OFA vestiges, Nejire will probably reach weakened All Might and All For One levels of power in a decade or two. Maybe even sooner if she ever manages to get a Quirk Awakening, something that should be pretty likely considering all the hard work she’s doing and danger she’s putting herself in.

So yeah, he’s confident his best friends will be alright. Both of them are already at or just below the Top 10 most powerful Pro-Heroes in the world right now, and limitless potential combined with the best mentors around and constant challenges leads to rapid growth, he should know.

Villain-hunting was also easier than ever, most targets choosing to come to him instead of running or hiding now that he has the world’s largest target on his back. 

Other Pro-Heroes and police are usually around too, so he doesn’t have to make a hundred trips to the nearest police station or hero agency every day. Sir even has most of the paperwork handled for him!

Even so, this target has become waaaaay too much of a good thing. 

 

Wherever he visited, villains would come flocking to him. Didn’t matter if he was patrolling or not, if he was alone or with other heroes, if he was sticking around or just passing by. The second anyone caught a whiff of his presence, practically every villain in whatever country he was currently in would come rushing his way.

Forget taking occasional breaks to see the sights, exploring various world wonders and just winding down after a hard day’s work. Forget taking some time to chat with civilians or hand out autographs. Villains would always get in the way.

They’d usually show up in groups, but he’d get a villain who was particularly confident in themself on occasion. Ranging from F-Rank to S-Rank, villains of all shapes, sizes, and quirks would show up trying to claim One For All themselves.

It wasn’t like he had no experience with busy work days. His first Work Studies involved putting a serious dent in both the Creature Rejection Clan and ‘old’ Wild Villains. Sir was also helping him every step of the way, as were his friends and mentors.

All Might and Star and Stripe may usually be elsewhere, traveling across the world to help put a damper on villains just like him, but they’re almost always available for a quick call to answer questions and provide advice. 

He could do plenty on his own too. Sir made sure he was ready for just about anything, and that was before getting One For All, but this was getting to be too much. 

Despite having the world’s most powerful energy stockpiling quirk by far, Mirio felt tired. Excluding the absolute disaster that was Japan’s latest coup, he’s kept his undefeated streak going, but he’s really starting to get tired of this song and dance. 

 

Kidnapping attempt after kidnapping attempt, declaration after declaration, he even had a few Stain wannabes come his way just to test his worth. None of them ever beat him, yet that didn’t help the underlying issue.

The outlandish amount of arrests he was making every single day, surpassing some of the records Star and Stripe set a few months ago in America, helped keep him motivated. 

Thinking of all the civilians he was saving by taking so many villains off the streets also kept him motivated, but for every one he put away, ten more seemed to take their place. 

At the rate he was going, he was gonna wear himself down mentally and slip up eventually. Not to mention the danger these constant encounters put surrounding civilians into. 

WHA allowed him to travel through the least populated areas in whatever countries he visited after a while to help prevent collateral damage when he was inevitably ambushed by every single local gang and criminal syndicate in a hundred-mile radius.

His legend as the world’s largest villain-magnet was already building, and that’s not what he wants his legacy to be. Nicknames like ‘the number man’ or ‘mini-might’ or ‘that intangible bastard’ were better, but not by much. 

He was supposed to be the Victorious Hero: Lemillion, not the Trouble Magnet: Lemillion!

Sir agreed with this sentiment before concocting a plan so crazy, it just might work. 

Getting the WHA to agree took ages, as they were more than happy to have Mirio whittle down smaller villain groups everywhere (at least when compared to the few global threats), ideally preventing their interference in the upcoming wars against Humarise and the Meta Liberation Army.

But Mirio himself getting burned out, dying, or losing One For All at worst so early on would be an absolute disaster (although if his own experience is anything to go by, then nobody can really wield One For All without a New Order rule backing them up). All Might accomplished a lot, but it took him decades to establish his legend.

Mirio needed to establish his own legend on a global scale, and Sir knew just how to do it. The WHA eventually agreed so long as Sir and Mirio himself took responsibility. 

Considering what they were about to do, it would be more than worth it.

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  2 Months Until The Ascension

“Hey, everyone! Lemillion here! As you probably know by now, I’m the current wielder of All Might’s transferable quirk, and there are a lot of people who want to take that title for themselves lately.

As you can probably imagine, that becomes pretty inconvenient and dangerous for the civilians that I’m trying to protect, so I’ve come up with a solution. Every day for the next week, I will be traveling to a different spot across Europe. Deserts, abandoned quarries, and other places where nobody, civilians and other heroes alike, will be.

I’ll be leaving this livestream running and already included a link to my planned destinations. No other Pro-Heroes will be around; it’ll just be me, a few drones or news helicopters to record the show, and anyone interested in trying to take All Might’s quirk. 

No, this isn’t a trap or has any catch. I’ll spend twelve hours each day at these spots, taking on any challengers. For me, doing this both helps prevent collateral damage and helps a ton with the reputation I’m trying to build for myself. 

Be warned that after I leave, Pro-Heroes and other law enforcement will be arriving on scene to arrest any defeated villains, and once you step in the ring, you won’t be getting back up before that deadline. 

So anyone interested is free to take this chance, as it’s the best shot you’ll ever get. Show up with all your villain friends, whether it’s before or after I arrive myself, and bring whatever tricks you’ve got; I’ll be waiting!”

‘Holy shit, NightHaul actually convinced Mirio and the WHA to go through with this!’ I can’t help but mentally gawk while watching the livestream of batshit insanity.

 

Public response to One For All was kind of tame, all things considered. 

Granted, guys like All For One, Gigantomachia, the Nomus, and several notable MLA members being known to have multiple quirks took away some of the shock. If anything, most people were glad that a new Symbol of Peace was all but guaranteed to rise up soon.

But while civilians got over it pretty quickly, it was a very different story for the villains, everyone wanting to get their hands on All Might’s unfathomable amounts of power no matter how unlikely it was. 

So why have Mirio do this, or reveal One For All at all, for that matter? Well like I said before, this is just another step in my big bad plan… the latest rendition of it, anyway.

Think of it like this. Villains are trying to capture someone with an intangibility quirk, the strength of All Might in his prime with interest, and several other quirks at his disposal. Then they would need to hold him long enough to break his will in order to make him give it up.

Not many people have the ability to do such a thing, but desperation and greed make people do crazy things. 

Might as well get this quirk-thieving trend over with, right? Mirio would prove that he will not be losing One For All to villains (or losing to villains, period) anytime soon, and cement himself as a hero who can surpass even All Might. 

Being the mentor of such a hero (not to mention close friends with Star, All Might, and so on) gets NightHaul in deep with the WHA, much like what he did with the HPSC before. And just like before, I would benefit immensely from having a spy be so high-up, so trusted.

He could constantly refresh all the main characters and WHA bigwigs with Reveal and send me the data, allowing me to make updated clones of them with Double and read their minds through Reveal, learning every little bit about their operations without a problem.

Those two quirks are probably my most overpowered combination outside of Overhaul + Rewind and I absolutely love it.

And it’s not like Reveal is required either. My other spies in the other major organizations can gather enough data for me to make Double clones too with good enough observation skills, something that’s kinda sorta required for good spies in the first place.

The MLA, Humarise, Gollini Family, so on and so forth. Oh, and this also makes stirring up trouble through my Tomura alias so much easier too. I’ve already replaced a few higher-ups in every major organization with Double clones, and quite a few have been caught already, but that’s exactly what I intended.

I don’t need those Double clones to act as spies, I need them to further sow fear and distrust among my enemies by purposefully, subtly fucking up as spies. 

My only truly important Double clone in the spying department is NightHaul, and with how his body has been restructured and enhanced, there’s no way anything outside of nigh-obliteration will reveal his true origins. 

He even offered to have all his limbs broken before being healed by Star to prove he wasn’t a Double clone. Instead, Star just used a truth-telling rule with New Order… which was rendered useless through Reveal. 

In fact, Reveal counters pretty much every mind-based rule Cathleen declares. 

The only real annoyance is her occasionally declaring a rule that removes any effects from tracking quirks on whoever she touches, suspecting that I’m using something similar to Search to constantly keep tabs on them all (which I am), but such doesn’t really help when NightHaul can reapply Reveal the moment that rule of her is switched off, which doesn’t take long.

It’s just like my strategy of having enemies beat each other up for me. Sure I do it a lot, but why shouldn’t I keep doing it when it works so well?

So that’s part of my reasoning behind this play, but there’s a few more details to consider.

Why Europe in particular then? Am I perhaps trying to bait out Humarise and the Gollini Family, among other potential problems, and have them destroy themselves trying to take One For All?

Well, yes and no. As for the Gollini Family in particular, let’s just say Re-Destro recently secretly met with their leader in person, creating their own alliance by the time their talk concluded.

Making every major supervillain in the world work together (or at least sway them into doing what I want without them realizing it) was like trying to herd cats. It only worked to a point, and it all depended on what the cats wanted to do right now. 

It was working for now, and that was good enough for me since I don’t need forever. It won’t be long before these big bads begin dropping like flies. 

Re-Destro warned Valdo to not get involved after Mirio’s message was sent, and the Meta Liberation Army won’t be taking part either. In other words, the villains organizations I consider to be direct assets to my own won’t be involved.

So when Mirio wins and countless other villains are arrested, those allies of mine will have a lot more room to grow with the massive hole opening up in the global underworld.

 

We had prepared well for this. My cyberwarfare branch had gotten deep enough into online police and hero networks across the continent these last few weeks, penetrating any electric defenses under their noses and copying the majority of that data with their skills and technopathic quirks.

Among other things, they were able to discover the names of informants within the European villain world and their reports, the status of many ongoing investigations, safehouses and the location of people under witness protection programs, and personal data of policemen and heroes throughout the continent.

There was a lot we could do with that intel, from rooting out spies and traitors in the Gollini Family and other overseas allies made to swaying countless low-ranked gangs and villain crews to their side. 

So much profit from such a bountiful harvest. It was as glorious as it was batshit insane and served as the backbone to one of our largest operations to date. 

Over the next week, Mirio would be visiting Belarus, Poland, Germany, Austria, Italy, France, Spain, building up his legend as the whole world watched.

And while that was going on, the MLA and Gollini Family would build up their own forces, inhabiting the empty voids left behind and subsuming any gangs and syndicates that remain into themselves. 

When I first investigated them shortly before the latest UA year started, they had about 20,000 members and several times as many affiliates. They were known as the largest mafia in Europe, having quite a few members who could match top heroes across the continent. 

Canon Shie Hassaikai, even at their peak, was nothing but a drop compared to their ocean. Impressive, but not quite at the level of firepower and overall capability groups like the canon MLA and Humarise have, let alone their current iterations here.

It’s as Star and Stripe said back on I-Island; if the World Heroes Association didn’t drag their feet so much, this organization that predated even All Might would’ve long since been taken down.

But instead, they became international, spreading far across Europe and even made some footholds on other continents. Star and Stripe stopped any attempts to build up in America, but other countries weren’t quite so lucky. 

The latter has already been recruiting like crazy these last few years, much like every other villain organization, but now they’ll really be going into overdrive. Even before Re-Destro came to them with this offer, their membership had ballooned to over 30,000.

Now though? Excluding their reinforcements from the MLA, I’m expecting them to have well over a hundred thousand members and far more resources than ever before by the time this week is over. 

It’s going to be a very productive week for heroes and villains alike, the ones I’m currently supporting anyway, and I’m all for it.

 

Each day started the same, Mirio charging his way through any traps and taking his place in the center of thousands, inviting everyone to test their mettle.

The first to charge in after that were those either new to villainy or would barely be considered villains at all. They didn’t know how to gauge the strength of an opponent or themselves and were probably severely overestimating their chances.

I could tell that a lot of people there weren't really after the quirk. They just wanted the chance to fight a legend in the making and maybe take some credit if someone actually succeeded.

Most weren’t real contenders or threats, but wanted to try anyway. It’s like gambling and knowing you wouldn’t win the jackpot yet being enticed regardless due to it technically being possible.

Larger criminal syndicates would come in a bit later, sending their own grunts and thugs down to probe the hero or maybe take the chance to rob other villains, settling scores or just doing it for profit. 

Quite a few others had this idea, more than a few internal battles breaking out each and every day. 

To make matters even more chaotic, a Double clone of ‘Tomura’ would show up each day with an assortment of top heroes, villains, and Nomu alike. He would whoop, holler, and cackle as he let his entourage loose, mostly at Mirio with at least a few attacking indiscriminately too for the hell of it.

Mirio would always target him and his posse the moment he saw them, and while the clones never lasted too long, they did their job well enough. More distractions, more chaos, and more fear towards the League of Villains.

Both the Meta Liberation Army and Gollini Family took advantage of this event, mobilizing their forces to raid or conquer their competitors’ territory while they were busy attacking Mirio. 

Slipping a good chunk of his forces through both his country-wide barrier and the WHA’s watch in secret would typically be pretty tricky, but the situation changed when I lent a few Klonogiris to Nine, graciously allowing the MLA to make their own intercontinental Warp-Railway. 

The Gollini Family had plenty of resources and manpower already, but tens of thousands of reinforcements from the MLA sealed the deal. They were rapidly, completely taking over what was left of Europe’s criminal underworld and the heroes didn’t notice a thing.

They were too busy dealing with other villains or watching Mirio’s monumental feat. Both Star and All Might being outside Europe also helped plenty, as without any of those three being around, nobody could stop the meteoric rise of this new alliance.

And Humarise wasn’t getting involved either, that organization currently preparing the first of their global gambits. 

I, through Nine, had the MLA and Gollini Family avoid declaring war on that cult for the time being, both because I already had the WHA and AFO on it and because with what trump cards Humarise has been amassing, those armies would be pretty badly countered.

 

Mirio was just as impressive himself, mowing through villains like a bolt of untouchable lightning, getting better and better at using One For All’s full power by the minute. 

Thanks to New Order, he doesn’t have to worry about the backlash any quirks cause. Not only does this mean his body won’t break down from the strain of using multiple quirks in general, but backlash effects from individual quirks like Gearshift won’t affect him either. 

He can spam that quirk all he likes without worrying about his oxygen reserves being forcefully depleted.

Combine all that with Permeation and all the training he got from NightHaul and you get an absolute monster. Permeation itself hasn’t awakened yet, but he’ll only become more ridiculously broken once it does.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still confident in defeating him. Rather easily, in fact. I know his moves, strategies, and thoughts better than he himself does, Reveal or not, because I’m the guy who trained him and will continue training him!

Not to mention how easily my own arsenal counters One For All’s powers, and Permeation can only help him dodge my insta-kill attacks for so long. 

But the biggest issue he has is also his greatest relief, New Order. It serves as a crutch for him, a way to ensure his body doesn’t fall apart from the strain of multiple quirks, plus letting him handle the power of One For All to begin with.

Mirio will never undergo the Quirk Singularity evolution, and if OFA’s stockpile continues to grow, even New Order will eventually be unable to prevent his body from facing recoil no matter how much Star manages to improve it.

New Order breaks can alter reality itself, but even canon Izuku could break the laws of physics using Gearshift during the Final War, and that was with OFA at just 45%. 

Not only is Mirio using far higher percentages, but the quirk itself has been utilized much more than it was in canon after Izuku got it, and Mirio is also the tenth wielder instead of the ninth, meaning the stockpile itself is even greater then its canon counterpart.

Star’s quirk is definitely an anomaly ahead of the curve, but with how much quirks on average are growing across generations, it’s not going to be very impressive in a few decades.

We could very well be seeing an equivalent to Toon Force plaguing the entire world as the Quirk Singularity starts in earnest, everyone well and truly breaking the laws of physics or even spacetime with minimal effort on a regular basis. Hell, you could argue the world is already like that with how ridiculous plenty of quirks seem to be.

But tangents aside, few villains, if any, could hope to stop the current Mirio in a 1v1. Few people in general could hope to stop the current Mirio in a 1v1!

Even now, when he’s taking thousands upon thousands of villains at once, he’s still winning.

He does start to tire out after a while, and he does take the occasional hit here and there, but he can take it. In fact, tiring out takes longer and longer each day he does this despite more and more villains showing up.

Of course, things get a lot harder for him at this point. The veteran villains are usually patient, waiting for him to take out the excitable newbies and wear himself down. 

Dozens of S-Ranks, Hundreds of A-Ranks, even more B-Ranks. Even All Might at his peak would struggle against such a fighting force, especially if he went into that battle injured and worn out.

But this wasn’t All Might they were facing. No, this was an even greater hero.

 

When he began struggling against the more powerful enemies, everyone else who had been waiting for others to weaken him moved in.

His smile never wavered, even when he was fully surrounded. Instead, a combination of Blackwhip, Fa Jin, and Gearshift surrounded whoever remained with a tsunami of dark energy, slamming most of them into the ground and each other while he quickly blitzed through the rest.

That was day one. Villains would adapt to his tactics as more days passed, bombarding him from afar, catching him off guard, or attempting to take him down with more unorthodox quirks.

Only Mirio adapted too, countering their new strategies with his own, and he would stand victorious each and every day thanks to his own combination of quirks.

Speaking of quirks, there were quite a few interesting ones scattered across the European Quirk Registries. We couldn’t go too far with the ‘collecting’ since the whole point of this is ensuring heroes don’t catch on, but the Gollini Family did take this time to pursue a few high value targets.

There was one target in particular Valdo himself apparently had his eyes on for quite a while. According to rumors and a very basic, uninformative Quirk Registry, some girl named Anna Scervino had a quirk that could boost the quirks of others.

Whether or not it was a quirk like Love or maybe a quirk like Endurance that only worked on others was unknown, but there was apparently some sort of ‘compatibility’ requirement to it. Didn’t hurt to check out with how rare quirk-boosting quirks are, so I gave them the go-ahead to retrieve her.

Only it turns out Anna was long-gone. The girl lived in isolation because of her quirk, but she was straight-up gone when the Gollini Family raided the place. Her family members and their servants were all gone too, the house looking to be completely abandoned.

Did some other villain gang beat us to it? Whatever, it’s not the biggest deal in the world. I already have a few quirk-boosting quirks of my own, ones without any compatibility limitations. 

Besides, if she does pop up again, it won’t be long before I find out about it. With how thorough my cyberwarfare branch is, quirks that were captured on television were as good as captured by me.

If no-name villains with abnormally powerful quirks ever popped up, I would see them. It’s truly wonderful when the media manages viewing logistics for enemies of their society like myself.

That was the only raid which didn’t go to plan. An operation as large as this is practically guaranteed to have a few small hiccups at least, but other than that, everything was going great.

As per usual, even if there were some bumps or detours here and there, things were all coming together for me.

 

“So this is the kind of thing you get up to in private, huh? I know I shouldn’t be surprised anymore, but I just can’t help it.” Giran comments next to me, having officially joined the Shie Hassaikai after I rescued him from the MLA a while back.

Re-Destro was less than pleased about getting duped by a Double clone, now taking the threat from ‘Tomura’ much more seriously and going through the higher-ups in his organization like a fine-tooth comb.

The broker turned syndicate leader is handling a solid chunk of my own organization’s logistics alongside Joi nowadays, having more manpower and resources to work with then he ever did in his own empire.

“So, have any more ancient treasures or super drugs for me to sell?” The villain smirks. “Or am I getting another twenty quirks from the old demon lord as bonus pay? 

Seriously Sekan, you rewrite my reality more than Star and Stripe ever could through that godlike quirk of hers, but I can’t say I haven’t enjoyed the wildest ride of my career.”

“Because you’re getting filthy rich from it?” I snark back.

“Not just that. Something I’ve picked up on while working with you, something I really should have learned sooner considering my career, is that while money is nice and all, knowledge is far better. You have to protect money, but knowledge protects you!”

“Amen.” 

The two of us spent some more time laughing and reminiscing, looking back at all the ways we managed to make money and irritate people in equal measure.

But we still have plenty of schemes to handle in the present.

“At the rate you’re going, I’m sure you’ll be ruling the world within a few weeks!”

“If I wanted to, then probably, but I have no interest in ruling a collapsing society. Right now, my main priority is making sure what I’ve built won’t collapse; let the MLA and Gollini Family handle rapid expansion and take up the heroes’ attention. They will eventually fall, but the Shie Hassaikai will last an eternity.”

And heroes will help pave the way for me. Truly ironic.

 

Mirio had come out on top, resulting in an absolutely insane number of villain arrests across Europe that even put Star and Stripe’s rampage through America after the UA Festival to shame. 

He had done what he set out (or was manipulated) to do, cementing himself as the Victorious Hero who saved a million people by proxy considering how many villains he just put away. 

While he’ll be taking the next few days off to recover both physically and mentally, you can’t say he didn’t earn it. His infamy among villains across the world had taken a massive leap, putting him on the same level as All Might and Star.

A brand new era, people across the world had begun calling it. An era of three symbols, an era that promised villainy like the MLA would be beaten back and unparalleled peace would be granted to the world, just just Japan like All Might did decades ago.

Their hopes will be crushed soon enough, and it won’t even be because of me.

Not All For One either; I was expecting him to show up, try to reclaim his little bro while the current wielder of his quirk was weakened again, but he was either even more determined to destroy Humarise or realized he stood absolutely no chance against the current Mirio.

Good. I don’t want that cockroach getting permanently squashed just yet.

As I just implied, All For One had entered Europe recently, and it seems like he’s gunning it straight for Otheon. He still attacks any Humarise facilities on the way while picking up some allies and supporters, but he clearly has a final destination in mind.

Technopathic quirks like Radio Waves do let him hack security systems easily enough, so I wonder if he discovered the location of Flect Turn’s true home base.

Well, it’s not like that will really matter if the first gambit of theirs is a success.

Yeah, this world is in for yet another really rude awakening.

 

 

 

Star and Stripe’s P̶e̶r̶s̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶S̶h̶i̶t̶l̶i̶s̶t̶ Villain Rankings + Commentary

(each tier ranked in order from most to least threatening, at least for her)

SSSS-Rank Villains (Worldwide Threats):

• Long Haul - ‘most valuable friend’ her ass
• Twice - why did he have to follow the NEET murderhobo? 
• Flect Turn -  diehard Monsterverse fan, apparently
• Re-Destro - he better stay in Japan if he knows what’s good for him

SSS-Rank Villains (Country-Wide Threats):

• Queen Bee - at least Long Haul is keeping her on a leash (helps that she’s probably into that sort of thing)
• Gigantomachia - what is so appealing about that NEET murderhobo? 
• Nine - she’ll be sure to throw a goddamn apocalypse his way next time
• Quirked Animals Turned Triggered Monstrosities - despite dying after a day, they still overstay their welcome
• Valdo Gollini - smart enough to not take Mirio’s bait; dumb enough to not take advantage of it
• All For One - still old news

SS-Rank Villains (Prefecture/State-Wide Threats):

• Rei - she hates Endeavor too, but isn’t causing a new ice age in retaliation a bit much?
• Geten - clearly scared shitless of his aunt; she’d feel bad for him if he didn’t help make that apocalypse in Tokyo

S-Rank Villains (City-Wide/Typical Top 10 Hero Threats):

• Tomura Shigaraki - absurdly powerful friends or not, he’s still a NEET murderhobo

Chapter 105: MLA Day

“It seems that you’ve forgotten your place in all of this, Flect Turn.” All For One growls towards the screen in front of him. 

“The one who doesn’t know his place is you, All For One.” The leader of Humarise growls back. “You let this disease fester. Your selfishness and petty desires jump-started the singularity that-”

“That MY subordinate theorized and published! Your little cult is only around because of ME! You only got this far because of ME! Quirks are for me, the power Quirk Singularity will grant them is for me, it is all for me. All. For. One!”

“Well from the looks of it, the world disagrees. You’ve lost everything to the heroes, and you will not regain any semblance of power by subjugating me. You and all others with quirks shall be purged soon enough.”

“The only one who will be purged is you, Flect Turn. Your followers will bow as I take their ‘diseases’ for myself, your bombs will be used to destroy any remaining heroes who stand against me, and your organization will be used to claim what is rightfully mine.”

“Then by all means, COME AND PROVE IT!” Flect Turn roars before ending the call.

“If he insists…” The demon lord declares before burying what is left of the Humarise sanctuary he’s in with his new army.

 

With so many pawns of his incapacitated or turned traitor, from Tomura and his band of misfits to Garaki, Kurogiri, and Gigantomachia, he has no choice but to rely on international aid to fix this mess.

He has allies and supporters across the globe just waiting to cause chaos. He will offer them that, and like what he does with everyone else, use them for his own benefit.

Not to mention the reputation he gained outside of the shadows. He may have lost at Kamino, but it took All Might, Endeavor, and Star and Stripe to take him down, and few outside Japan know about his part in the MLA’s successful insurrection. 

Taking interesting quirks from some of the local heroes and villain reinforced that fear. He would leave them to be found, putting existing villains and villains-to-be in fear. 

What if they were next? It wasn’t too big of a fear, but it would gnaw away at them. They wouldn’t be able to ignore it, and when he offered them an umbrella of black-market connections and protection from his empire, most would fall in line. 

He offered these selfish and short-sighted people a united front, and these kinds of people were easy to manipulate. 

Yet some still look down on him. Some think they can scam or fool or trick him.

Humarise will not bow down, and something tells him the Gollini Family will resist too once he reaches Europe. Yoichi’s latest vessel eliminating so many villains in that continent makes his situation even worse, but he won’t let small setbacks like that do him in.

He will emerge victorious. It is all for him. Not that quirk-ending cultist, not Destro’s descendant, and especially not that conniving bastard of a pretender. 

All For One didn’t like being treated like a fool. He really didn’t like it.

They will all pay dearly for what they’ve done.

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  1 Month 3 Weeks Until The Ascension

“Wow, barely a month in and you’ve already got most of the infrastructure back up.” I compliment one of my most successful subordinates.

“Not just back up, but rebuilt better than ever before. Seriously, the number of quirks out there which can enhance nonliving objects even a little is staggering.” Nine smiles back.

Both of us have our physical appearances altered once again. Both of us are currently wandering around the newly-crowned Free Republic of Japan.

Streets that were once ruined, desolate due to fear of even leaving their homes or filled to the brim with protestors, rioters, and plenty of villains, are now repaired.

Various vendors had been setting up, slowly morphing into small businesses that dotted the archipelago. 

Many chains that ran the country’s entertainment, fashion, and food industries had either gone out of business or were outright destroyed by the chaos going on. 

All traces of heroes had been erased too, right after the MLA’s takeover. The Pro-Heroes themselves, all their merchandise, the billboards, the hero stores, the average civilians wearing the latest paraphernalia, and so on.

The current system in Japan had truly been broken beyond repair, and the Meta Liberation Army was ready to rebuild it in their own image… in my own image. Mostly.

 

Nine’s suggestions combined with a little push here and there through Reveal gradually altered Re-Destro’s ideal society these last few months, and the end result was a combination of his original desires and the system I had implemented in Osaka. 

A new, more extreme solution, one Japan was ready for after its trust in the old system was shattered again and again. They were ready to change fundamentally, completely rebuild from the ground up, and such is exactly what happened.

Besides heroes no longer being a thing, Quirk Restriction Laws had been completely removed. Public quirk use was legalized. No licenses or anything like that was required.

While you obviously can’t go around doing illegal acts with quirks like assault, theft, murder, and so on, whether a quirk is used or not doesn’t make a difference in punishment. Self-defense via quirks isn’t an issue either. 

This led to a boom in small, privately owned businesses. Now, Japanese citizens could use their quirks for profit without any repercussions. 

HPSC mainly exerted control over Japan by ensuring only Pro-Heroes could use their quirks, meaning that organization essentially controlled quirks. 

‘Quirk Counseling’ was mandatory for people when they first got their quirk, so when they were 4-5 years old, and it can best be summed up as ‘Don’t use your quirk. Your quirk is part of you and you’re responsible for it. Using your quirk to get ahead in life is unfair and villainous, even if you think it’s fair.’

Stupid bullshit like that, the kind of thing that was preached but never really believed. Or at least, nobody treated it as truth when it came to their own quirk. It was all an attempt to get it into kids’ heads early that quirks were a destabilizing element of society and the only way they should be used was to stop other people from using them, so by being a ‘hero’.

Hammering those lessons home when they were so young that it would be a formative lesson made sense in theory. Children at that age aren’t usually old enough to question, old enough to recognize just how happily everyone else ignored the dogma whenever it was convenient for them. 

But anyone with half a brain can smell the heaping pile of hypocritical bullshit from across the country. 

There was none of that now. That part of society had taken a complete 180, and the vast majority were all for it at this point. To quote Curious from canon, liberation warriors train each day in preparation for the future, repeatedly drilling their bodies and minds in order to live their best and most authentic lives. 

It was a major rise in entrepreneurship and commercialism. These little stalls and start-ups could now get off the ground without worrying about the legal nightmare of paperwork, bureaucracy, and corruption, and they could extend an olive branch to countless others who had lost their jobs and livelihoods over the last few years.

Of course, such an extreme measure also has its fair share of issues. 

 

For starters, people would inevitably be drawn towards professions their quirks help them with, giving them a major advantage over others. Someone like Cementoss or Wolfram would be a much better fit for construction-type jobs than those without such powerful object manipulation quirks.

Such is inevitable, but one of the biggest changes we made to Re-Destro’s original ideology is that the world does not revolve around quirks. Besides most quirks out there being downright useless outside of the occasional novelty, there is more to a person then what power they were born with.

Actual skills and intelligence play major roles too, and discrimination against those with certain kinds of quirks or those without quirks would not be tolerated, laws even making the very act criminalized. 

If a new Izuku Midoriya was born and raised in this society, he would be praised for his natural intelligence despite lacking a quirk, likely entering some analysis profession or even a governmental position when he grows up. 

Power is still extremely important here, laws affecting people of greater power less and less. These were not the laws of a fair government, but instead, the laws of a smart government.

Unlike my old world, power in this world is tangible, similar to fantasy worlds with magic or cultivation. 

You can complain about fairness all you want, but if someone like All Might or Star and Stripe wanted you or your family dead, there was little the government could do about it. They could denounce the perpetrator and make a big mess, but too many people would die in the process. 

Laws, in the end, bend to the will of the strong. If the balance was disturbed, the table would be flipped and those too weak to hold onto the table end up falling off. Case in point, the Dark Hero Arc in canon. Most heroes died or quit, the country fell into anarchy, and civilians were forced to try and defend themselves for a change, most being too weak to manage much.

HPSC got as far as it did because All Might was a total boy scout. Even with Endeavor and Hawks firmly in their corner, everything came crashing down once Star and Stripe busted down their door, a pissed-off All Might restored to his prime not far behind.

This was the political reality. When personal strength outclassed the law, authority followed power. Most top heroes are either too good-natured or too ignorant to take advantage of that.

MLA doesn’t bother hiding this unspoken rule, but it also reduces it to an extent, ensuring this doesn’t lead to needless waste and discrimination. It’s meant to encourage people to improve their ‘power’ in various ways, whether it be their quirk, skills, intelligence, and so on. If you have a problem with that hierarchy, then Re-Destro would happily use his own personal power to convince you otherwise.

 

Unity was one of the main messages the MLA was dispersing. Everyone had their place in this new society. Everyone using their skills and natural powers together would bring their country to unheard of prosperity, a utopia of sorts.

And it was working. Cities were being rebuilt left and right, more food and other products were being produced, so on and so forth. The first few weeks resembled communist Russia in a way, ensuring everyone had access to the bare necessities at least.

But now the second phase of their rebuilding plan had begun, and people could use their talents, whether it’s skills, quirks, or both, to achieve much more. 

The other main issues with free reign on quirks are much more quirk accidents and plenty of vigilantism, but both those problems also have solutions.

As for quirk accidents, with how easily hordes of appropriate quirks can repair all kinds of damage, a bit of extra collateral is no big deal. In fact, with how little collateral damage is caused from villain attacks nowadays, there’s way less damage to repair in total.

Meaning new construction projects can be focused on with this unprecedented construction speed millions of helpful quirks across the country provide. Construction projects like new military bases and facilities for the backbone of their law enforcement.

Quirks enable the creation of a society that is less dependent on finite resources and more focused on sustainability and long-term well-being. 

As for vigilantism, Re-Destro had a solution for that too as vigilantes did make up a massive subsidiary of theirs during their coup. 

Vigilantes were rebranded in a sense to something resembling the State Defense Force the United States has, only with prefectures instead of states. Civic Defense Force was the official name given.

They would be their own body of law enforcement, acting as everything from what heroes and police used to be to firefighters and detectives, using their quirks and skills to their utmost advantage in a local setting.

And they would receive plenty of benefits and support from the main body of the country’s defense, the main Meta Liberation Army. Salaries, comprehensive medical benefits, access to MLA support teams and a direct line to their resources should they require them during patrols among others.

They would mostly handle any street-level crime, formalizing that level of support to both protect them and maintain the trust of the people, while the main MLA body mostly handled more dangerous villains and organizations. 

Civilians could join this program or the main army at any time, receiving both military-style training and general training for their quirks. The pay and insurance was excellent too, meaning nobody had to worry about unemployment.

Of course, the better quirks and skills you had, the more roles you could take, the more you would be paid, and the more freedom you would have. Risk of death was also inevitable, but compared to the benefits this brought, countless flocked to these positions to both make a living and defend their country.

There were still quite a few villains who didn’t get on board with the country’s new leadership, some protests and riots by the small minority who believed in the hero system, and even both the Creature Rejection Clan and Humarise was making a comeback in Japan, but they were so incredibly outnumbered and outgunned, it wasn’t even funny.

Not only were ‘Legal Vigilantes’ out and about, but the liberation army itself was also scattered all over Japan, both patrolling and aiding civilians where they could, assuming their quirks offered a quick solution.

With how massive the army has become, there was a good chance some nearby member had the appropriate quirk to fix whatever problem popped up. This helped immensely with their PR.

And unlike the Pro-Hero industry, there was no focus on showboating or image. The main focus now wasn’t being entertainers or celebrities, but keeping their country safe and prosperous.

There was an expectation that these new forces would work as a unit rather than attempt to take glory for themselves, and the way that they worked was expected to be done in a manner that minimized danger to themselves and bystanders, even if such problems could be fixed faster than ever with quirks. 

The MLA was mostly doing that already, and their new additions were quickly caught up to speed after the coup.

 

Most people no longer minded former heroes and villains defending them. Grudges were encouraged to be tossed aside; Re-Destro called for a completely fresh start for Japan in its entirety, and it was working. 

The results were showing, and people liked what they saw. They had many more options to make a living now, they were far better defended now then even during All Might’s ‘Golden Age of Peace’ where there was an ‘oversaturation of heroes’.

Japan didn’t even have a hundred thousand heroes back then, and barely twice as many police officers as they had heroes. Now, the Meta Liberation Army’s actual army has well over a million members and Legal Vigilantes make up another few hundred thousand, and their forces are only continuing to balloon in size.

Not to mention the massive rearmament projects currently going on. That was probably the only major HPSC policy the MLA kept going, Support Gear and various ‘regular’ weapons being produced more than ever.

The Meta Liberation Army was resembling a regular army more and more, various melee and ranged weapons now being used alongside quirks, vehicles like tanks, planes, and ships rolling off quirk-filled construction lines, and the chain of command becoming much more organized then ‘mob, several executives, and grand commander’.

Even Nomu production has increased by leaps and bounds. The MLA set up a donation program where people can offer their bodies for ‘research purposes’ after they die in exchange for a hefty sum for their loved ones. Confiscating all the random, unclaimed corpses lying around after the HPSC’s rule got them plenty more.

That was above ground. Underground networks extended all across the country, connecting the new or rebuilt hospitals and cemeteries to what has been dubbed ‘Nomu Farms’ by Nine, laboratories being built left and right with Nomu from Low-Tiers to High-Ends quickly dropping off the assembly lines.

He’s the one in charge of that particular project, ensuring details on the creation process itself are kept as hidden as possible. Not even Re-Destro was in the know about how Nomus are made or how to surgically transplant quirks as part of their agreement. 

He would just supply the materials and infrastructure and Nine would give an army of unquestionably loyal multi-quirked super soldiers back. Together, they finished what the HPSC started, state-mandated Nomus. 

These bioweapons aren’t deployed around public areas, but instead handle defending more critical structures from within or gradually form a more packed perimeter around the country itself along with regular meta liberation warriors. Thousands have already been made, and the rate of production is only going to increase more as time passes.

Needless to say, the World Heroes’ Association is scared shitless right now. The Meta Liberation Army is quickly amassing a fighting force capable of taking over all of Eurasia, and they can’t even stop it because Humarise poses an even greater global threat, not to mention the League of Villains messing with everyone for kicks.

Of course, that hasn’t stopped propaganda from flying on all sides, the general consensus being an international invasion revolving around Japan starting soon. The only question now is whether it’ll be the MLA invading the world or the world invading the MLA.

Unfortunately for the heroes, the international community hating Japan’s guts and doing little to hide it helped further draw said country’s population into Re-Destro’s clutches. 

They were a subject of scorn for years, from the deaths of Captain Celebrity and other American heroes in Naruhata to the HPSC’s self-coup and especially now, all of them being blamed for problems their former protectors/champions caused, and they didn’t like that one bit.

Nobody in Japan wanted foreign invaders installing themselves and their clearly flawed system as the new face of law and order, bowing to the authority of foreign powers, the propaganda Curious and other MLA reporters/publishers were churning out helping solidify this mindset.

Re-Destro wanted strength from unity, pushing and expanding upon Japan’s already collectivist culture, and nothing unites people like a common enemy. 

 

Hero, villain, vigilante, or civilian. For Japan, it didn’t matter what you were in the past. Right now, they were all citizens free to make their own choices and fight for what they believed in, and they believed in the Meta Liberation Army.

“So are you getting what you wanted from this? Will the society you create once the singularity ends resemble this at all?” Nine questions as we continue our stroll, checking out vendors and observing the general atmosphere.

“Why rush my final decision? Let’s see how Japan is doing in another few months… or years. Remember, I’m looking for something sustainable, because with the quirks I’ve got at my disposal, death by aging won’t be a concern anytime soon.”

Nine himself is doing incredibly well in this new society, becoming Re-Destro’s right hand man as well as one of the few commander-rank members of the Meta Liberation Army, the tremendous fighting force undergoing a restructuring like the rest of Japan. 

Paranormal Liberation Front underwent a restructuring too in canon, but most of it was an unclear mess, so we instead took inspiration from various militaries in my last life. Ranks from lowest to highest go like this:

Sergeant - leads 25-50 soldiers

Lieutenant - leads 200-300 soldiers and 4-5 Sergeants 

Captain - leads 1k soldiers and 4-5 Lieutenants

Colonel - leads 4k-5k soldiers and 4-5 Captains

General - leads 20k-30k soldiers and 4-5 Colonels

Commander - leads 100k+ soldiers and 4-5 Generals

Grand Commander - controls the entire army

 

Re-Destro maintains his rank as the latter while Trumpet acts as Prime Minister, but it’s still Re-Destro making the final say in most major decisions.

To advance in rank, you’ve either got to be a powerful combatant yourself, a skilled and experienced combatant, have enough achievements and prestige, or a combination of all three. Usually, it’s a combination of all three.

Quite a few corps exist in this new army too, each one having their own commander and all the ranks below. 

For example, Curator is the commander for the mutant-quirked member corps with Bearhead being a general of his. Joining that portion of the army isn’t required for mutant or transformation-quirk wielders, but with the unique training and benefits, it would definitely fit them best.

Geten is also a commander, leading what has been nicknamed the ‘Community Service’ department. Basically, his divisions are in charge of stamping out what little remains of major villainous organizations opposed to the MLA like the Creature Rejection Clan and Humarise.

People in the know thought it was funny and fit better then ‘deathsquads for racist cults’, and Geten himself has chilled out a lot (pun intended) since Nine humbled him and Rei scared him shitless, so he’s alright with it. 

In fact, with this major character development occurring before the MLA’s coup began, and no longer covering most of his head with that massive hoodie of his either, Geten has practically become the new Hawks pre-HPSC ousting and takeover in the public’s eye. 

In other words, he’s become Japan’s most sought-after bachelor, something I found to be hilarious when combined with his awkward, antisocial nature.

Nine himself is also well-known at this point, civilians mainly being thankful that he’s on their side for a change. As for me, I’m not worried, because despite all this new power and influence he has, he would never dream of betraying me.

The amount of trust and power I gave to my inner circle (once you got in, anyway) was mind-boggling, some practically deciding whether certain countries lived or died.

How many All For One goons could say the same?

 

And just in case that still isn’t enough firepower for the MLA, quite a few overseas alliances have also been made. It may sound strange considering the whole ‘us versus the world’ thing they’re advertising, but it’s a bit more complicated than that. 

It’s the World Heroes Association and other HPSCs they’re fighting against, not the civilians under their oppression. The MLA is calling for global liberation, pulling out hero society by the roots as they did in Japan.

Because of this, the Gollini Family is just one major international ally they’ve made. 

From warlords in China to groups of mercenaries like Wolfram’s, Re-Destro has been getting all the aid he could find, and all those new additions are looking forward to spoils and gathered influence, not to mention most of them being a varied degree of quirk supremacist.

There’s also the foreign governments and corporations secretly sending support, foreign bank accounts where money can flow in from outside supporters, and even masses of people directly being warped into the country via Warp-Railway. 

Not much the heroes can do about stopping the stream of resources, weapons, and combatants into Japan, since again, warp jammers/scramblers are a fan-made concept only, something even I don’t have the slightest idea how to start making feasible without New Order rules.

Besides New Order or erasing the warper’s quirk, the only viable method I can think of to stop warp gates from forming is by using a different spatial manipulation quirk to counter it, something like the spatial-manipulation quirk All For One has in canon. 

You could either lock down or alter the space portals appear in, protecting at least a small area from having holes in space torn up. No way can you cover larger distances with something like that though. Even a New Order rule can barely cover a couple miles. Protecting a country or even a city from warpers is out of the question, but I digress.

The heroes don’t even know about the alliance between the MLA and Gollini Family yet; the plan to take over the rest of Europe’s criminal underworld in one fell swoop also worked like a charm, any competition either bending the knee to this alliance or being taken out by Lemillion.

Frankly, it’s only a matter of time before the Gollini Family is subsumed entirely by the MLA. Their superiority in this alliance is an unspoken rule of sorts, and Valdo follows Re-Destro’s orders with minimal opposition after being easily beaten around in the spar they had during their first meeting. 

Like with Geten, Curator, Nine’s crew, and even Re-Destro, Valdo is quite powerful and will only follow those who are even more powerful, and the Meta Liberation Army’s Grand Commander fits that requirement. And in the worst case scenario, I easily fit that requirement.

Even if he didn’t, it wouldn’t be difficult for the current MLA to turn the Gollini Family upside down and shake it until all the goodies fell out.

Re-Destro’s international support framework, this secret empire of information, cash flow, and material support among other things, is absolutely massive, and just like his army, it’s only growing by the day. 

Even with a boosted Star and Stripe, OFA Mirio, and prime All Might, taking on this fighting force is going to be one hell of a challenge for the World Heroes Association, but as I said before, they first have Humarise to deal with.

The longer they take to bring down Flect Turn and Melissa Shield, the more time Re-Destro and Nine will have to consolidate their forces.

So where do the rest of my own forces fit into this? Well most of them have gone back to inhabiting Osaka, the outposts we had on uninhabited islands around Japan having served their purpose, so they’re being packed up, warped, and turned into parts of my space facilities.

Osaka continues to thrive, now more than ever before. Re-Destro gave Nine free reign with it at my subordinate’s request (not that he truly had a choice in the matter), so I could continue growing my own city-wide pet project.

 

We don’t even have to hide the ludicrous amounts of defenses there anymore, as such a sight is much less unique in this new Japan, especially with one of the top MLA members claiming direct ownership of the city.

The regular civilians were uneasy at first, but Nine and I had made a big show of the public Shie Hassaikai yakuza present collaborating with the MLA as a branch of the Civic Defense Force, and no changes were made to how Osaka was already being run. If anything, they were given extra support by the new government, so there was nothing to worry about.

It would continue being a massive market hub, now more than ever. It was well ahead of the reconstruction curve, and I ensured this advantage would be utilized to further encourage its growth. 

Ironically enough, Trigger is one of the city’s main selling points. To further boost his forces, Re-Destro made the quirk-boosting drug legal so long as manufacturers get a permit to produce it and make any potential risks or side effects known.

BossHaul, Joi, Giran, and plenty of my other subordinates can handle the logistics from there, collaborating with Nine to make it happen. I’ve got no issue with this as it’s another way to get funding and test out my products at the same time.

The Shie Hassaikai has plenty of experience scrambling to set up new distribution networks; it was doing that even before I came onto the scene. Even so, such networks don’t exactly grow on trees.

Since selling drugs deals directly with the public, that’s the place where heroes were most likely to get a hold of members for information. So that meant distributors needed to be loyal to a fault or find a way to get drugs to drug dealers without them knowing anything even slightly important.

I myself mainly did the latter, relying on Giran as a middleman, although I could do a bit of the former too. Now that Trigger is legal and I have a good enough control over the government, the production and distribution process becomes even easier. 

In fact, there isn’t really a whole lot I myself have to do nowadays.

LabHaul and his group are still working on our mad science, Nine and his group are handling the MLA and Japan as a whole, NightHaul and plenty of other spies are monitoring the other groups, GuildHaul is mainly handling our space expansion project now that we’re not really recruiting many people anymore.

Most people still have a good bit of work to do, but I’ve delegated my own tasks. I still check up on various branches from time to time and I still dedicate at least a few hours a day to training, but other than that, I really don’t have much to personally work on. 

I can just enjoy the boons of having built up such a massive, successful faction whenever it’s convenient.

That allows me to enjoy myself in this brief period of peace, at least for me. Everywhere outside of Japan is gradually going to shit instead of the other way around, a refreshing change of pace in my humble opinion.

We can finally take family trips again without having to worry about villain attacks! 

Excluding Osaka, there wasn’t really anywhere in mainland Japan worth taking a day trip to since the massive rise in villainy I caused made that a bit too dangerous for my ‘civilian’ persona for my liking, especially over the last year or so.

Such is why we usually took trips to places like Nabu Island or areas we gained complete control over like the former Wild Wild Pussycats’ forest camp, if not abusing Warp Gate to take international vacations.

But now? With a new society mostly built over the old one’s ashes, a society I myself have control over? There’s nothing wrong with going to an amusement park with Eri and her friends/minions or taking long walks with Zi around a national park. 

Maybe throw in a picnic too, like what we’re doing right now. Zi made an entrance course of Kabayaki and Squid Tempora with Uni Wafu Pasta as the main dish, Spicy Tofu and Yakimeshi as side dishes, and Daifuku as dessert.

I wasn’t just razing Japan to the ground these last few years; I managed to learn plenty about the local culture too. Yatta.

 

“Life in Japan is actually pretty good right now. Free and truly universal health care, free good education up to postgraduate levels, so on and so forth. Easy, inarguable wins to be sure, but expensive ones.” My fiance points out.

“Quirks fix that, and Re-Destro isn’t afraid of using quirks to his advantage.”

“So what, do you want to send Eri and the other Head-Starters to a private school here? Everything even remotely hero-related has been relegated to history textbooks and curriculum; no more high schools, middle schools, or elementary schools that double as hero-indoctrination centers.”

“Sure, and we’ll throw in Sunday School with the Creature Rejection Clan while we’re at it. But in all seriousness, regular schooling would just hold them back. While Japan has rebuilt itself stronger than ever, it too will eventually fall for good as Quirk Singularity Doomsday starts in earnest. Nowhere on this planet will be safe.”

“Good thing we have no plans on staying here, right?” My fiance smiles at me.

“Yeah. My villain career has been built on anticipation above all else, almost always being ten steps ahead of everyone else in the room. Like always, a boatload of preparations and paranoia has been paying off.”

“Just… don’t be in such a hurry.” She requests as her voice turns solemn. “You’ve been chasing power like a demon for years. Your body might be fine, but we both know your mind needs a break too. 

You’ve given yourself slight rests overtime, either through the occasional vacation like Nabu Island and Otheon, or even our weekly rests even if Energy Saver doesn’t require it, but I’m talking about a long-term break.”

“I know, and that’s pretty much what I’m trying to do now. Since the HPSC’s takeover, I’ve had much more time on my hands. That’s only increased after the MLA’s takeover.”

“And I appreciate you using this opportunity to give yourself a break. Greed and hunger were All For One’s undoing, and I don’t want you sharing the same fate.”

 

Truth be told, these last few months have been some of my favorites in this world. I should probably be more worried or stressed due to my canon knowledge becoming worthless, most of my enemies only growing in power, and the Quirk Singularity Doomsday drawing ever closer… but I’m not.

I enjoy throwing myself into these endless innovations, exploits, and battles, and I’ll continue enjoying them, but moments like these, moments where I don’t have to be some all-knowing mastermind or rising demon lord, tend to be truly special. These were times where I could just be me.

When special becomes the new normal, normal tends to become the new special. Moments where I don’t have to worry about making enemies dance to my tune or coming up with more society-shaking ideas are few and far between, and that’s made them special.

“Every story has an end, and it isn’t always a good one.” I reflect. “If you’re so focused on that end, you’ll miss all the beauty along the way. It took a while for me to realize that, but better late than never, right?”

“Better late than never.” Zi repeats. “We were born into the most hellish era since the Dawn of Quirks, one called the ‘Era of Peace’ when it was truly the exact opposite, an era of death and destruction ripe with clashing egos. 

Tragedy gave so many of us strength, but it also gave us scars, both physically and mentally. We need to carry that ambition carefully; it can guide us, but it can also consume us. Again, look at All For One for proof. He thought he could master it, but in the end, he became as much of a slave for it as I did for Curator.”

He actually wanted to look for her upon being freed from Tartarus, but Re-Destro made it clear that he wouldn’t tolerate him starting up slavery again. If he didn’t like that, then he could try beating Re-Destro again in combat, but the Grand Commander would leave him with more than a few bruises if he did.

Curator dropped it after that, instead trying to prove mutant supremacy through somewhat-friendly rivalries with the other MLA commanders. 

“Quirk Singularity Doomsday is close, but not that close.” I declare. “We’ll continue taking our time, see the world, treasure our friends. Live freely and love freely as Toga would say, and when the time comes, just like always… we’ll give hell to any who stand in our way.”

And you know, now that we’ve finally got a moment of peace in our chaotic lives, maybe we should take the chance and tie the knot already.

 

 

 

Star and Stripe’s P̶e̶r̶s̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶S̶h̶i̶t̶l̶i̶s̶t̶ Villain Rankings + Commentary

(each tier ranked in order from most to least threatening, at least for her)

SSSS-Rank Villains (Worldwide Threats):

• Long Haul - ‘most valuable friend’ her ass
• Twice - why did he have to follow the NEET murderhobo? 
• Flect Turn -  diehard Monsterverse fan, apparently
• Re-Destro - he better stay in Japan if he knows what’s good for him

SSS-Rank Villains (Country-Wide Threats):

• Queen Bee - at least Long Haul is keeping her on a leash (helps that she’s probably into that sort of thing)
• Gigantomachia - what is so appealing about that NEET murderhobo? 
• Nine - she’ll be sure to throw a goddamn apocalypse his way next time
• Quirked Animals Turned Triggered Monstrosities - despite dying after a day, they still overstay their welcome
• Valdo Gollini - haven’t heard much of him lately, but he’s still going down
• All For One - still old news

SS-Rank Villains (Prefecture/State-Wide Threats):

• Rei - she hates Endeavor too, but isn’t causing a new ice age in retaliation a bit much?
• Geten - first Hawks and now him; Japan has a terrible taste in biggest bachelors

S-Rank Villains (City-Wide/Typical Top 10 Hero Threats):

• Tomura Shigaraki - absurdly powerful friends or not, he’s still a NEET murderhobo

Chapter 106: Bonus Chapter - Eri’s Eavesdropping

“THAT JOB IS MINE!”

“IN YOUR DREAMS, WEENIE!”

“BOTH OF YOU ARE GOING DOWN- OMPH!”

“RAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Normally, she would never condone her subordinates so ruthlessly tearing each other apart, but this matter had to be settled quickly. It needed to be decided before the big day…

Who gets to be the Ring Bearer at her dad and new mom’s wedding!

 

It’s finally happening, and all it took was conquering Japan while building a powerful enough throwaway army to make the World Heroes Association pale. 

And making sure any remaining hero and villain organizations are too busy tearing each other or themselves apart to care about Japan, let alone the Shie Hassaikai, its true scale still being hidden.

And managing to reinvent space travel, creating a massive space station to host the wedding in while making sure nobody else even thinks about leaving the planet again because the center of an island country with a nigh-unbeatable defense force that’s basically under his complete control still isn’t enough to guarantee a wedding with no interruptions according to Sekan Doraifu.

Her dad will never not be overly-cautious. That mindset of his did get great results in the end though, so she can't really judge him for it. Nobody in this world can.

Now from what she found while researching, the average couple is engaged for about thirteen months, some opting for even two years, but since when has her dad ever been average?

As for the job of Flower Girl, that’s obviously going to Eri herself. Nobody would dare contest that unless they happened to be feeling incredibly suicidal that day.

Everyone in the Head-Starters has continued training hard, preparing for the day they truly make their mark on the world. Eri is still the most powerful, but a good chunk of her subordinates can humiliate most top ten heroes at this point.

They’ll dominate the opening stages of Quirk Singularity Doomsday, when society collapses worse than it did during the Dawn of Quirks, and become the undisputed rulers of whatever they wish, maybe even the world itself if her dad is okay with that.

But that comes later. For now, they have a wedding to work out.

‘Nothing goes wrong on the big day, right?’ She mentally asks again, just to be sure.

((‘It does not, no.’))

‘Even though things have already deviated a fair bit?’

((‘Won’t be long now before you become as cautious as him… or me.’))

‘Isn’t that a good thing?’

((‘So long as it doesn’t become too much of a good thing.’))

‘If dad still hasn’t reached that bar, I think I’ll be just fine.’

 

While it nearly, quite literally, cost him an arm and a leg, Kota ended up winning the little battle royale she set up between all her male subordinates. The others, boys and girls alike, will have roles too, just less important ones. 

Her dad’s wedding isn’t going to be very big or grand. It’s not like everyone in Osaka or even Japan is going to come together and celebrate, as besides still keeping their identities and power a secret, Sekan and Zi just don’t see a reason to go Plus Ultra like that.

They don’t need some lavish, country-spanning wedding to show their love for each other. They don’t need to acquire grand gifts or to turn the world upside down for each other. 

They, like the rest of the Shie Hassaikai, get into enough craziness already. If anything, it’s the ‘normal’ moments that are most special to them, because when crazy happens often enough, doesn’t that mean it becomes the new normal?

Dates for them don’t involve stealing or giving priceless artefacts or trampling upon top heroes and demon lords, they’re meant to serve as a break from that kind of thing. 

Instead, they’ll just go to animal cafes or maybe wander around a park, and that’s just fine. Everyone needs time to unwind, to just be themselves with no pressure or stress standing in their way.

((‘Indeed they do.’)) The goddess in her head agrees. ((‘On that note, there’s something I believe you should see.’))

A golden, ethereal light briefly surrounds her, and the next thing she knows, she’s looking at both her dad and Zi, the former walking up to the latter at Hassaikai HQ.

Neither of them can see her. Nobody knows she’s here or what’s really going on in her body or mind. Even her dad’s Reveal quirk can’t hope to unravel the goddess’s machinations.

At least, not yet.

 

“Hey, Zi? Mind if we talk in private for a second?” Her dad requests.

Zookeeper’s smile faltered as she heard him.

There it was again. Something about the way he spoke felt… calculated. 

But this was Sekan, after all. He was always curious, always thinking ahead. 

Nevertheless, she still found herself carefully choosing her words.

“Of course, love. Whatever you need.”

Her parents then warp far away, over to an empty, abandoned island off the mainland that even the Hassaikai hasn’t claimed. Nobody will be able to eavesdrop on them there.

Nobody except her, the goddess allowing her to follow close behind without anybody else noticing. 

“What’s wrong, Sekan?” Zi questions. 

“Well, with the big day coming up and all… there’s something I need to share with you.” Her dad slowly responded. “A secret about myself that my clones and I haven’t told anyone, and ensured any quirk vestiges that enter us and see our memories can’t either. 

Clones of me and vestiges in me excluded, nobody knows about what I’m about to tell you. Not our subordinates, not our friends, not even Eri.”

That alone tells her how serious this is, and her expression shows it.

‘Is he really going to…’ Eri thinks to herself, trailing off.

“I trust you more than anyone, Zi... well, you’re tied with Eri, and I already know all about your origins… so it’s about time I told you mine.”

“Your origins? So what you told me back then, regarding Kai and Eri… you’ve been lying to me all this time?” She confirms, looking much more upset than angry.

“Everything I told you was nothing but the truth, but I never said the whole truth.” Her dad elaborates.

((‘Lying by omission is not technically lying, despite what the phrase may have you believe.

The definition of ‘lie’ in its verb form is ‘to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive’. Key word: untrue. Leaving things out isn’t lying, it’s just not giving you all the information.

I omit things all the time. Is it wrong? Yeah. Is it manipulative? Yeah. It is controlling? Yeah. But it isn’t lying.’)) The goddess explains to Eri and Eri alone.

‘And at times, people may have to lie to others for their own good…’ Eri herself finishes the thought.

 

“Oh… so this is before you even met Kai Chisaki then?” Zookeeper questions.

“Yeah. The final, or rather, first piece of that complicated puzzle.” Sekan sighs back.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. Leaving the past behind isn’t exactly a foreign concept to me.” His soon to be wife assures him.

“No, you deserve to know after all this time. Besides, it’s not like this secret really matters much now.”

The white-haired woman leans in close, her interest peaked as her soon to be husband begins.

“So you know those isekai or transmigration anime shows Eri watches sometimes?” 

“Yes?” She raises an eyebrow. “What does that have to do with any- oh. This… isn’t a joke, is it? Just when I thought our lives couldn’t get any more insane.”

“My Hero Academia.” Her dad sighs. “A shounen anime and manga franchise with movies, spinoffs, and games that doesn’t exist in this world, but it is all about this world, and it is rather popular in my old world. 

The story follows Izuku Midoriya and the other students in UA’s latest Class 1-A as they go through hero school and get into all sorts of shenanigans before shit cranks up to eleven and they fight to stop that demon lord LARPer from taking over the world. It’s basically your classic superhero chosen one story with Izuku mastering One For All to eventually taking down All For One.

I myself was a fan of this franchise, and when I suddenly died one day to a stupid terrorist attack, I was whisked away by a stupid troll of a god who threw me into this world as a random teenager a bit over ten months before the latest UA Entrance Exams for a little experiment or ‘trial run’ as he called it.

For reference, my old world is basically like this one up to the Dawn of Quirks, which didn’t happen… or maybe just didn’t happen yet. I died in the year 2024, so… yeah.”

“I see… is this world real then? Are we real, or just a part of some simulation like the Matrix?” Zookeeper asks back.

“Oh this is all real, no doubt about that. This god created your world or timeline like he created my own, so at the very least, you’re as real as I am. His equally stupid frenemy, the guy acting as a devil to his god, also mentioned you guys all having souls and ending up in the same areas people like me would after a natural death, so take that as you will.”

“Good to know.” She smiles softly. “Would you mind telling me more about the story?”

 

And so he does. He gave a brief summary of pretty much everything he knew, and while she wasn’t very thrilled about being nothing more than a non-canon video game character, they both did get a good laugh over it.

He gave her context to many of his decisions over these last two or so years. Why he did certain things, took certain paths, and recruited certain people.

He told her why he knew the world would end despite the ‘canon’ ending being nothing but a hollow imitation of some pie in the sky fantasy that would inevitably fall apart, and how playing hero or villain was never a concern of his, only preparing for the unspoken ending of global annihilation. 

Going full-on hero would mean doing things Izuku’s way. Wish fulfillment is what Izuku is. His sheer plucky, stubborn, annoying, cringey determination makes just about anything seem possible. 

It’s why everybody wants to gift wrap their hopes and dreams onto him. It’s why it’s so easy for anybody to look up to him, even the people who hate him. But despite all that, despite the world itself pushing him along and making his delusions become reality, Sekan knew he could never truly fix a world that was this broken.

Going full-on villain, well, Sekan would have to do things his own way for that to work. All For One, the parasite that he is, would just hijack her dad’s story like he did to Tomura and make everything be about him. Tomura himself never stopped being a whiny manchild that destroyed for destruction’s sake, All For One made sure of that.

Humarise takes Tomura’s route with religious undertones, the Meta Liberation Army would just make Quirk Singularity Doomsday happen faster with their might makes right mentality, the Creature Rejection Clan and Wild Villains are nothing but jokes, and the Shie Hassaikai…

That was the easiest organization for Sekan to take over, to transform into something that’s truly his own, and he could do that while manipulating all the important heroes and villains, if not directly taking control of them to ensure they remain on the path he wants them in. If he wanted to survive, he had to do things his way, because society’s way was… inefficient.

Inefficiency was allowed to relentlessly endure, with nobody even lifting a finger to solve that problem. Nobody in this world, at least, not without a proper push from someone who came from a different world.

Despite this simply being a result rather than the root cause, despite this making his own job much easier, it was still so frustrating for him at times. 

There was an entire world of improvements that was just waiting for somebody to take the initiative, to say the right words, to enact the right change, and yet here they were, in an era of stalled scientific progress, corrupted political machines, and sensationalization of violence.

So Sekan completely ignored the status quo and did his own separate, unique thing. Yes, the series of tragedies meant to happen were magnified instead of stopped, with many new ones being added in too, but the world’s collapse was inevitable, so better to save some people in the end, people he cared for, then nobody at all, even if it meant making that bad ending for the world happen a bit faster.

He didn’t want to deal with those people, so he mostly tricked them into dealing with each other for him. And what do you know, they ended up doing pretty much exactly what he expected them to.

He even told her about the Incursion game he’s stuck playing as a sort of side story and the talk with Eri’s ‘other’ self. He didn’t hide a thing from her, not now, not anymore. 

The explanation takes quite a while, and at the end of it all…

 

“...Do you feel any remorse for what you’ve done?” Zookeeper finally asks Sekan.

“Remorse?” He gives a small smile back. “Have I ever once strayed from my path, Zookeeper? I’m someone with clear priorities and the drive needed to make them happen. My morals are practically nonexistent and my emotions can be disregarded or shut off like flicking a switch.

For me, there are only two types of people, the ones who are precious to me and the ones who can be disposed of for my good. Even if I didn’t do anything, they would’ve died eventually without accomplishing much, so they might as well ‘help’ me with my goals. 

I’ve seen it all, Zi. I’ve learned so much more than I could’ve ever imagined about this world and its characters, and honestly, it was interesting to me. I’ve pushed so many people into insanity and ruin, if not death itself, but when it’s all said and done, I can only regard that experience as fun. The more I learned, the harder it became to stop. 

Like I said aboard Hassaikai Haven, don’t forgive my crimes. I worked hard on those. I’ll do whatever I want and allow my subordinates, friends, and family, the people I care for, to do the same to the best of my ability as their desires almost always benefit my own, even if they rebel against the very world itself, destroying its precious plot bit by bit.

I know that Kai Chisaki’s life influenced my own, his upbringing and the ruthlessness it resulted in combined with my own creativity and curiosity to form the most dangerous being this world has ever seen and will ever see. I know how much I’ve changed when compared to my first life, but you know what?

If I were to relive my second life, I’d be the same no matter what, and without a single shred of remorse at that. This world was doomed, but also ripe with potential just begging to be exploited. Once I had Overhaul’s power, I was all set to learn the rules of this world. 

How far I could push them, how much I could bend them, how much I could break them, and eventually, I could test this power one step at a time until I was the ultimate victor, becoming the master of my own fate… do you hate me for that?”

 

After what feels like an eternity, Zi forms a smile resembling Sekan’s own.

“I’m a selfish villain too, remember? I know how cruel this world is thanks to Curator and yourself. I promised I would support you no matter what, and it would be one thing if you used everyone, Eri and I included, like nothing but disposable pawns for yourself, but you didn’t. 

Like you said, you gained people who are precious to you throughout your second life. Me, Eri, and so many others in your organization. You saved us all, and you’re allowing us to achieve our dreams no matter how difficult or outlandish they might be. Even if that costs everyone else in the process, I can think of worse deals.”

“Heheh, yeah. I can too. It’s probably for the best that I ensured this conversation is private; I wouldn't want anyone thinking we’re crazy.”

“If not crazy, then what would you call yourself?”

“Hmm, let’s see…” Sekan pondered for a couple seconds. “People simply refuse to believe the things I did can be done with a sane mind, one capable of intellectual thoughts. There’s being a psychopath or sociopath and then there’s doing what I did.

So to them, someone who doesn’t meet their criteria of normal is crazy or insane, but I’d say I’m just someone with different values. That’s all, really. What I see as the optimal course of action, people will regard as morally wrong. 

Killing a thousand incompetent people to save one useful person is something that can be done without any thought, at least in my books. So in the end, when I judge someone’s worth, everything comes down to what a person can contribute. 

Insane people don’t develop never-before known drugs and launch years-long operations on weakening the country or entire planet without any of their opposition catching on to their activities until the person themself purposefully betrays their own existence to further distract their opponents. 

Is it evil? Yes. Is it insane? No. There was always logic in my decisions; my opponents just failed to notice such. This world was lazy, ignorant, and selfish, and I only have the latter character trait.

Of course, there are always exceptions to my judgment like the people I grew to genuinely care about. Even I’m not above unfair emotional bias at times, but I try to keep my personal feelings on hold when judging others. It’s a fairly simple worldview, all things considered. In short, my D&D alignment would be Neutral Evil.

Neutral Evil is a person who has nothing against harming others to get what they want, no matter how small the thing is or how gruesome their actions are.

But they also won’t go out of their way to cause carnage or mayhem when they see no benefit for themselves. They will not commit a crime they’re not sure about getting away with unless the risk is worth it.

Such describes me to a tee, don’t you think? I always looked for a way to gain an advantage, regardless of the situation and what horrible actions had to be taken to achieve it. My main goal isn’t even necessarily good or evil; like I said before, more than anything, I just want to be the master of my own fate. I just want to survive.”

“Heh, no wonder you could get away with all of that.” Zookeeper chuckles. “You’ve been playing a completely different game all this time, facing the world itself and the laws that dictate you must lose because you’re a villain.”

“With enough dedication, nothing is impossible for humans. I proved that in what most would consider to be the worst way.” Sekan shrugs back.

“So, do you think you’re above the god or whoever created you then?”

“Not really, but a blacksmith creates swords sharper than his fingers, right? A child can surpass the parent, a hammer can hit harder than its creator’s fists. I can give more examples, but the point is I see no reason why I can’t one day surpass my ‘creator’.

Whether it's a god, a world, a timeline, or an entire multiverse, that doesn’t matter. Besides, Future Eri can likely contend with those dumbass deities, so I should be able to someday as well.”

“Of course. After all, you’re the type who feels insecure unless you’re at the top of the food chain or when your safety isn’t guaranteed.” Zi smirks at Sekan before turning serious. “But since you brought it up, when are you going to tell Eri this? Her future self clearly knows.”

‘Yeah, when are you going to tell me, dad?’ Eri thinks to herself, still silently observing the spectacle.

 

“...When she’s older.” Sekan resolutely answers. “She’s seven, Zi. If she’s willing, then I’m willing to start preparing her for the future, but she shouldn’t have to worry about things like this, like the literal world being against us every step of the way, not now. 

Meeting her future self only cemented this choice. While I don’t know what exactly went wrong for her, I’ll still do the best I can here and now so she hopefully never has to experience it. This is all for her, Zi. As much as it is for you and me. Fictional character from my previous life or not, she’s still my daughter, and she always will be.”

It helps Eri feel a little better, but she just can’t help it. She can’t help but want to learn more, to be more. It’s what her dad instilled in her, meaning the best for her.

((‘Careful now. You don’t want to fall into the same pitfall as Touya Todoroki.’)) The goddess advises.

‘Did… did dad and mom actually have another kid? A biological kid?’ Eri questions.

((‘Nope. I uh… I was enough of a handful for them already. Same with the other Head-Starters. And I really didn’t like the idea of them dividing their attention between me and other kids…’)) The goddess sheepishly responds after some time. ((‘Plus, they weren’t sure if a child with some mix of their godlike powers would just destroy them and the entire world before they’re even born, so yeah.’))

“There’s just one more thing I want to know.” Zookeeper speaks up, ending Eri’s own private conversation.

“Anything.” Sekan resolutely responds.

“Why me? I know us getting together was one of the few things you never even considered, let alone mapped out for your second life before it happened, but why choose me when you know of so many other incredible women out there, or created them through your changes to the world? 

I was never anything special. I was literally just a regular zookeeper before Curator came along and brainwashed me for whatever reason. It might have even been just done on a whim; he clearly didn’t care about my quirk too much considering how terribly he utilized it. Then you came along and I was more than happy just being some nobody servant in the background.

Yet you gave me the chance to do more. You’ve given me so many amazing opportunities and let me experience so many wonderful things, and knowing what I know now, it all feels wasted on me.”

“Hey now, none of that.” Sekan wipes away the tears forming on his soon to be wife’s face. 

 

“Don’t get me wrong, Kaina, Kiruka, Kuin, Konako, and Rei are all incredibly beautiful and even more badass, but that’s one anime trope I won’t be following. Strengthening my image as a criminal mastermind by having a harem of deadly women isn’t worth it.” He then chuckles a bit. “In all seriousness, that’s not what I’m looking for in a relationship.

I didn’t even want romantic relationships at all towards the start, as I simply felt like I didn't need it. Overly pragmatic, remember? But when you came into my life, much like with Eri, it was like a void within me that I never even knew I had was filled. Most of the things we’ve done as a couple weren’t extravagant or world-breaking insanity, and they don’t have to be.

And before the thought even forms, don’t mistake yourself as having the sole purpose of being some anchor of normalcy for my ridiculous second life. That’s a bonus perk, not the reason. 

At the end of the day, I’m not some all-seeing demon lord mastermind, only a guy pretending to be one, and it can get really tiring to maintain at times, but again, I’m not with you just to have some companionship during those breaks in my monotony.

I want to be with you because of who you are, Zi. I don’t care about power or status or relevance in some stupid shounen plot; I care about who you are as a person. I love being with you. I love talking with you. I love running this organization of psychopaths and fanatics with you. I well and truly love you, and don’t you forget it, okay?” Sekan clarifies, giving her a hug.

“...Okay. Thank you.” Zi sniffles back, giving a hug of her own.

((‘When forced to choose between ambition and family, he chose both.’)) The goddess explains to Eri in the background. 

((‘He has a habit of lighting sparks in people, igniting their ambitions and determination to achieve them, almost like a shounen protagonist himself… he’d probably throw a fit if he heard that comparison though.’))

‘Yeah, he totally would.’ Eri smirks back. ‘And while he manipulates the goals of most others to suit his own needs, for me… for us, he really did do what he thought was best, even if most would disagree with him on what that is.’

((‘And we became monsters in the process, ones that most would be horrified to see, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Would you?’))

‘...No. I guess I wouldn’t.’

Just like her dad isn’t telling her about his origins, Eri isn’t telling him about these talks, about the goddess she aligned with.

It’s not out of spite or anything. Like his reasoning for her, she’s doing this for his own good, for his own safety. They love each other enough to keep things from each other if it’s for the best.

 

“Oh, one more thing to note. I never told any of my clones we were having this conversation, so be sure to give as many of them heart attacks as you can, okay?” Her dad viciously grins.

“Finally getting some payback for all the scares they gave you, huh? Alright, since they really do deserve it.” Her mom grins back.

And the reaction of every single Sekan clone was priceless, they themselves hiding it from their fellow clones out of spite.

The wedding itself came a few days later, a relatively small event in Hassaikai Haven. 

Like she said before, they didn’t need any massive, extravagant parties where mountains of money were thrown around to express their love for each other. They didn’t need to go on some massive adventure or complete some nigh-impossible quest either.

If anything, following those stupid tropes would increase the chance of something going wrong. All they needed (besides going waaaaaay over the top to guarantee their safety) was a nice little party and all of their close friends to celebrate with. 

Uncle Nine and his crew, Aunties Rei and Kaina, Kuin, Gigantomachia, Innsmouth, Gentle and La Brava, the Volcano Thieves, Kurono and the surviving Eight Bullets, and so on showed up. Only a few dozen people in total.

Everyone else in the Shie Hassaikai, excluding those in active spy positions, would get the day off TOMORROW (the wedding also being revealed to them tomorrow) just to further throw off anyone dumb enough to try anything funny. 

“Don’t worry. Nobody will bother us unless the world is ending.” Sekan had assured Zookeeper.

“Isn’t the world always ending?” Zi raised an eyebrow back, getting more than a few chuckles across the room.

 

((‘Who would’ve thought someone like him would end up with someone like her? Can’t say I oppose it though.’))

‘Well who do you think someone like him would end up with? Kuin and Rei are still on the upper tier of insane, Kiruka is with Nine, Konako is with Maguma, and Kaina couldn’t care less about relationships.’

((‘Cathleen?’))

‘...You’re serious right now?’

((‘Nope, but the look on your face was priceless.’))

It takes everything Eri has to not let her pout show, and the banter ends as the main event begins.

Both her parents went up to the altar, made their vows, and swore to stay by each other’s side until death permanently did them part. With how much temporary dying and resurrecting the Shie Hassaikai does via quirks, that extra addition got a round of laughter from the audience.

Nothing went wrong. There were no sudden attacks or emergencies or people deciding to commit an elaborate suicide by objecting to their union. 

And just like that, Eri legally had a mother… not that the ‘legal’ part was a very big deal around here, but it’s the principle of the matter.

And she couldn’t be happier about it.

Chapter 107: Breaking, Entering, and Invading

Looking at all the bustling activity in front of her, Cathleen Bate can’t help but grin. 

While the UN and WHA were still being morons about producing more Quirk Amplification Devices (despite some of their enemies CLEARLY having their own) and New Order users through Copy (she would gladly give up one of her three rules slots to start that chain reaction), they were at least being way more proactive nowadays.

Something about a shitload of global threats coming out of the woodwork. Better late than never, she supposes.

It was the largest anti-terror task force ever created since the days of the first Meta Liberation War, well over a century ago. And its targets? The twenty-two known branches of Humarise all across the world.

Twenty-five, originally, but Re-Destro actually did them a favor by obliterating the doomsday cult’s Japanese branch, and All For One destroyed two others in Asia. Quite nice of them, she’ll be sure to thank those two for that while beating him into a bloody paste.

Since the nature of this entire operation is strictly off-books and clandestine, they had to refrain from asking for help from local law enforcement, but excluding that and avoiding certain society-shaking exploits, they really did go all-out otherwise. 

Pretty much every UN soldier, INTERPOL officer, and WHA employee was involved, and a truly massive number of heroes were taken. They even took a solid third of I-Island’s defending heroes and soldiers for this mission!

 

And there will be no lack of heavy-hitters either. All Might, Big Red Dot, Salaam, Lemillion and his best buds, pretty much every other Pro-Hero who tried to reclaim Japan with her, and many more.

Cathleen herself will be handling Otheon’s branch, as that’s where Flect Turn himself is believed to be. While All Might and Lemillion edge her out in raw power, trying to face a quirk like Reflect with nothing but physical brute force takes a special brand of stupid. 

She didn’t forget Queen Bee’s warning either, not this time. Some form of gasmask was provided to every person who couldn’t already filter gas out with their quirks, and each team had at least a few quirk users who could either control/manipulate wind or gas.

If Humarise decides to detonate any of their doomsday devices in retaliation, they won’t be turning any heroes or civilians into more of those monsters. Not on her watch. 

Flect Turn is going DOWN! WHA may even keep the momentum going if they do well enough here, finally dealing with other international threats like the Gollini Family, League of Villains, and Meta Liberation Army once they gather enough intel!

There’s just one more issue to consider besides Long Haul himself, Melissa Shield.

Once they got back from Japan, the remains of Nezu’s council got together to compile every bit of info they got. 

Mirio told them what he overheard during the three-way war between All For One, the Meta Liberation Army, and himself as well as Nezu’s conclusions. The fact that Detective Tsukauchi was possessed for so long under their noses both scared and infuriated them all.

Even with New Order, figuring out a good enough counterintelligence to prevent Long Haul’s spying feels impossible. At the very least, she was able to subtly confirm that no other higher-ups had bees in their brains. 

But knowing Long Haul, he probably has at least a dozen other outlandish methods to keep track of their every move. He may even have a quirk like Search, if not Search itself locked on them, meaning he can track their location and see their weaknesses 24/7!

Deploying a New Order rule that stops quirks from tracking anyone she touches a while back might have worked, but she can’t confirm. Even if it did work, who says Long Haul can’t just warp into WHA Headquarters for a split second and reapply the effect under their noses?

She’ll keep doing it once a day on what remains of the council just to be safe (or whenever they see each other again if they’re out on a multiple-day mission), but she can’t make the affect permanent without permanently dedicating one of her slots to it, and she can’t afford to give herself that handicap. The benefits just aren’t worth it. 

 

Cathleen relaying what the Queen Bee told her didn’t improve anyone’s mood. All Might in particular was absolutely livid, immediately calling the claim into question. They could only try to confirm the truth with New Order later on.

At the very least, if Melissa is working with Humarise, destroying a massive chunk of the cult in one fell swoop should severely limit her options. I-Island may have been compromised AGAIN, but it’s not too late to fix things.

The Hercules armor All Might made was likely compromised too, or at least bugged, so he won’t be wearing that anymore. He had told Melissa it needed some repairs after the battle for Japan and the WHA was handling it… but during that call, he had noticed something.

Melissa seemed… less then pleased about her surrogate uncle having his power back, and using that in tandem with the suit, even if she hid these feelings pretty well. 

He had pointed this out, and she revealed that him wearing the Hercules armor would ideally inspire quirkless people everywhere, and as great as him getting his power back is, that kinda ruined the message she was going for. 

All Might had apologized for this, carefully explaining that the heroes needed every bit of power and support they could get right now. Melissa claimed she understood, but a slight trace of anger and annoyance was still present. 

Wisely, he chose not to pry any further, fearing she would attempt something drastic, something they weren’t currently ready for, if confronted so soon. They’ll have to wait until the main body of Humarise is down before confronting her, backing her into a corner with nowhere to run.

Ideally, this will be done by the end of the day. They’ll finally get that story straight.

“Heroes, the success or failure of this task rests on our shoulders.” All Might declares right before the operation begins, right as heroes and soldiers from across the globe get into their positions. “Let's give smiles back to citizens who are frightened by terrorism.”

“You heard the Symbol!” Cathleen herself cries out, flying high above Otheon with her bros, dozens of other heroes, and hundreds of UN soldiers. 

[This is it, heroes!] The WHA Director declares. [Start your missions!]

“GO!!!”

Every last one of them rockets down to Humarise’s Otheon Headquarters, turrets and sentries popping up from all over the place to start a counterattack.

Figures they wouldn’t go down easily. 

 

“NEW ORDER! I, Cathleen Bate, can manipulate any energy two miles in diameter around me!”

Just like that, not only do most of Humarise’s attacks fall under her control, but she can manipulate her bros’ lasers too. 

She hangs back, an energy storm swirling and crackling around her before changing course to the enemy’s HQ. Cultists are hit and defenses are fried, but this is just the beginning.

“STAY BACK! WE WON’T LET YOU PAST US!”

“HOW DARE YOU VIOLATE OUR SANCTUARY!”

Most of their members are quirkless… most of their members are outfitted with heavy weaponry or support gear, some even having full-body sets of armor resembling the Hercules gear All Might was gifted. Not to mention all the new defenses and drones that keep popping up.

What’s worse is she recognizes quite a few of these security measures from I-Island, and plenty more that would fit right in. It’s one thing to have plenty of funding and access to quirks like Creation, even if much weaker, but there’s no way they could develop technology this advanced on their own.

At least, not without some help from I-Island. 

[We’re getting some heavy resistance on the west side!]

[Drones are outnumbering the teched-out cultists ten to one! Where the hell did they get all this stuff from?!]

[Reinforcements needed on the second level! Some electric, light-blue rope trap bound most of us and- ksssssshhhhhh]

Shit, they’re jamming all frequencies, comms included! Is this just happening here, or has every branch headquarters across the world been turned into one massive trap?

Well screw that! If they think they can one-up the heroes with their gizmos and gadgets, they’ve got another thing coming!

Ironically enough, she has All For One to thank for this impromptu plan of hers. How kind of him to call out pretty much every quirk he uses while he fights (although she’s probably a bit hypocritical for judging considering how often she yells out her New Order rules).

 

“New Order: I, Cathleen Bate, have a limitless quirk factor!”

This rule doesn’t actually make it limitless, but it does increase the number of quirks she can handle by a lot.

“New Order. I, Cathleen Bate, am in possession of two quirks: New Order and Telepathy!”

First, she needs to get a warning out to her bros and any nearby heroes. She doesn’t want accidental friendly fire blasting her own jets out of the sky.

Once she spreads the word, she alters her current quirk layout once again.

“New Order. I, Cathleen Bate, am in possession of six quirks: New Order, Radio Waves, Springlike Limbs, Air Cannon, Heavy Payload, and Kinetic Booster!”

Even if knowledge on how to use quirk copies isn’t automatically gifted to her, most of All For One’s arsenal is simple enough to understand. 

It also makes actually copying the quirks a whole lot easier, a New Order rule letting her read some of Mirio’s mind to see memories of that particular battle.

Compressing her arm back while activating every other new quirk she has, a tremendous wave of electrified air pressure is unleashed, encompassing the entire massive mansion and every last bit of technology within it. 

That combo was devastating enough on its own, but with the Quirk Amplification Device she has on, even I-Island’s best gadgets could be rendered helpless in one fell swoop. 

The regular air pressure also destroyed quite a bit of the mansion itself, but everyone on her side already got clear.

Good. Now this assault should turn back into a one-sided slaughter. Even if any Trigger-dispersing doomsday devices they had weren’t completely fucked over by her technopathic attack, the gasmasks they have on should-

[-AR! STAR AND STRIPE, CAN YOU HEAR ME?!?]

 

The WHA Director? Someone’s clearly scared shitless right now; comms must have been jammed everywhere after all.

“Yeah, I hear you. Cultists jammed our comms, but I got the situation back under-”

[HUMARISE IS INVADING I-ISLAND! BREAK OFF YOUR ASSAULT AND HEAD THERE, NOW!!!]

…Their trap wasn’t just meant to slaughter any attacking heroes, it was meant to distract the heroes as a whole, to prevent hero interference in their own attack.

And they all just fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

‘Melissa… what have you done?’

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  1 Month 2 Weeks Until The Ascension

“Melissa… what have you done?” Her father whispers in horror as the trap is sprung, and her worldwide sortie begins.

“Me?” She questions, a smile slowly blooming on her face as the blood of others streams down her armor. “I’m saving humanity better than even Uncle Might ever could.”

I-Island has always been something of a sanctuary. Scientific communities from all across the world send their brightest minds over, ensuring their safety and allowing them to continue innovating their various inventions, giving heroes a much-needed edge over the villains. 

I-Island has also undergone quite a few renovations lately, the first and only villain attack showing the world this place is far from unassailable. It was among the most guarded places in the world before that attack, but now?

Easily the most well-defended area in the world, no question. Supermax prisons like Tartarus that once rivaled it in defense don’t come anywhere close now. 

About 50,000 Pro-Heroes are stationed here, thousands being in the top 100 and over 150 being in the top 10 of their countries.

About 30,000 soldiers are stationed here, all of which being veterans rather than inexperienced recruits. 

The already absurd security systems have been improved several times over too, leaving no stone unturned.

Property-altering quirks have been used to further enhance the mechanical defenses present, whether it's making the massive metal walls surrounding this island more durable, making online security systems run more quickly and cleanly, or simply increasing the firepower of their creations.

Creations that Melissa herself and many other spies from Humarise had a hand in producing. 

 

The island’s Central Tower was also rebuilt, main control terminal and all… only this along with other head offices, central terminals for their mechanical units, and top floors of important buildings were now run on seperate power sources and security systems controlled from within.

Villains being able to so easily gain control over the entire island made the WHA and UN wise up. They wouldn’t be making the same mistake twice, so if that same attack on Central Tower were to repeat, only a fraction of the island’s defenses and other systems would fall under their control… and be quickly overwhelmed by the other defense mechanisms present.

Somewhat annoying, but manageable once enough spies and turncoats were amassed. They could still gain control over the entire island’s security system in minutes at most, far before the heroes and soldiers could hope to respond. They helped build and program the things, so they know how they work and even left a few unnoticed surprises inside for this eventual takeover.

Plenty of Pro-Heroes and soldiers also doubled as Humarise members, a solid fifth of each, in fact. But even with all the confusion and discourse that would follow, plus a fraction of the human defenses here being deployed right before (the ratio of enemies to spies still being about the same, but that's still less defenses they have to deal with), the number of loyal heroes and soldiers present is overwhelming. Not to mention all the defenses outside of I-Island. 

Surrounding waters are patrolled by a massive international conglomerate of a navy. Surrounding skies are filled with plenty of attack helicopters and planes alongside the island’s drones. 

And Pro-Heroes from all over the world would be sent en masse to assist, or reclaim the mechanical island before it can get away in the worst case scenario. Star and Stripe in particular would arrive in a matter of hours.

Simply put, I-Island was redesigned to withstand every imaginable assault. Unfortunately, the one that Melissa Shield and Flect Turn organized was anything but imaginable.

 

First came trapping the heroes in their own trap. Humarise had months to arm itself with the best defenses I-Island could produce, and along with jamming the comms of any assault teams they sent, their own raids would backfire spectacularly.

Even if the heroes still manage to come out on top, the time it will take and the forces they have left will ensure no outside help comes for quite a while. 

The WHA and UN deciding to send out a solid third of both the heroes and soldiers guarding this place only made things easier for them. 

Once the traps there were sprung, Step 2 followed immediately after.

Just outside the island’s detectable range were several ships Humarise hijacked, each one continuing the resources needed to create an aquatic-based Artificial Singularity.

Both their prior modifications and the brand of Ideo Trigger used have undergone their own developments over these last few months, Melissa putting quite a lot of time into those pet projects. They’re far beyond the first few she unleashed, the kind of creatures Star and Stripe can take down in mere minutes with lasers and enhanced strength alone.

Ten were created one after another, and the immediate response I-Island sent got the undivided attention of them all. Kind of hard to ignore a horde of nigh-unstoppable, building-sized monsters popping up out of nowhere. 

Even All Might at his peak would struggle to take down just one of these creatures, so a pack of them can only be delayed until they naturally give out and die after a day, even if one or more of the new symbols showed up. 

Alarms on the ships blared, aircraft were launched alongside surface-to-air missiles, and the mechanical island itself… has a crisis of its own going on at the moment. 

The remaining spies then revealed themselves before heroes and soldiers present knew what was going on. The island’s mechanical defenses were taken over one after another, further forcing them onto the backfoot. Command centers and main terminals alike were already theirs, and not a single one would be reclaimed on their watch.

Melissa herself was a part of this, equipping what can best be described as Hercules Mark 2. The set she gave All Might is ‘being repaired’, but it’s really been put into de facto lockdown. Was her double life in Humarise discovered by him?

Either way, it’s far too late to change anything. This actually works well for her, as the ‘Dumb AI’ she installed into his suit is a good bit smarter then both she and it has let on. It’s been slowly worming its way into the WHA’s systems for a while now despite its current, locked-up location, uncovering some rather important intel over the last few weeks.

Dozens more of these suits, or at least parts of them, have been distributed to the more combat-capable pure of Humarise, allowing them to even contend with top heroes. Copies of her Hercules AI were also installed in these suits.

And her own, current suit is the most advanced model yet. It has more firepower, more mockeries of quirks, a more capable artificial intelligence acting as a copilot, among other things. It also serves as a main hub for the other suits, allowing her to connect with the other minor AI’s and keep track of what’s going on.

A little secret she’s kept solely to herself. Not even Flect Turn knows how much her developments with artificial intelligence have gone, among other things. 

So when some heroes and soldiers arrive, attempting to reclaim the terminal, she’s more than ready for them. Slaughtering them all isn’t difficult, physically or mentally. She’s already gotten used to killing. 

None will stop this next step in the grand plan. 

 

Over a hundred thousand Humarise members arriving all across the island by both air and sea, outside aerial and aquatic defenses already having their hands full with the Artificial Singularities, only cements her victory.

She opens up dozens of entrances for their landing crafts, each one carrying thousands of templars ready to die for the cause. Empty runways are filled once again, planes full of more Humarise troops landing if they didn’t already parachute their way down. 

Reinforcements come from all over the place, heroes and soldiers being slaughtered. They have no time to properly organize or resist. They have no idea just what is happening.

Jammers these troops brought in are already being installed, ensuring the mechanical island permanently stays off any radars or detectors, even ones from satellites. She can’t have an army of top heroes led by Star and Stripe reclaiming their new home, after all.

It’s all going exactly as she planned, exactly as she hoped. Any remaining heroes will be mopped up once they begin activating Trigger Bombs, luring the fools towards their locations. Even gas masks won’t protect them from her gaseous creation!

From there, Japan can be bombarded from afar with ICBMs with fatal quirk-boosting warheads. The new Meta Liberation Army is dangerous without a doubt, but their powerful quirks will be their undoing.

Total victory is already within her grasp, and this is only the first of several gambits planned.

“Melissa… what have you done?” 

“Me?” She questions, a smile slowly blooming on her face as the blood of others streams down her armor. “I’m saving humanity better than even Uncle Might ever could.”

 

I-Island will remain a sanctuary for science. It will just double as a sanctuary for the pure now. 

A place completely separated from the regular world. A place capable of housing the remaining quirkless. A place that can survive the inevitable Singularity Doomsday. A place where she can guide her kind to prosperity.

Her father doesn’t understand, not that she expected him to. He doesn’t know what it’s like, so he’ll be restrained until he does. 

Her surrogate uncle, on the other hand… clearly he’s forgotten what it’s like, being gifted with such power. 

Now is she angry that he never told her about or even considered her for the role of One For All’s newest wielder, instead choosing a suicidal, pathetic little bush boy for god knows why? A little... a lot.

But she supposes she should be thankful for that. For all she knows, she could’ve ended up just like Izuku Midoriya, her naive, unrefined desire to help people tearing her apart from the inside out. She knows better now. She knows how to help the world now.

It’s all coming together now. So what if All Might and All For One are back? So what if the Meta Liberation Army has risen once again? With what she’s capable of creating now, if the singularity doesn’t destroy them, she can easily do it herself!

Comms were jammed. Surrounding security was distracted. Pandemonium ran rampant. Not an ounce of resistance came as she sat comfy in her own command center, watching the symphony of slaughter on holographic screens all around her.

And through it all… she found something else. No, she found someone else. 

Someone else had secretly hacked into the island’s systems. Someone else had been peering in this entire time. Someone elusive, from what she heard. Someone hidden, from what she heard.

Someone she herself only knows about thanks to All Might muttering about it a few times while wearing her armor. Someone who fits the bill for this sort of thing. 

Someone who just opened a dark purple portal right next to her, personally stepping through only a moment later.

 

He’s tall, rivaling All Might and All For One in height. Presence too, shivers going down her spine at the mere sight of him.

So he’s the main mastermind behind it all, the one having heroes and villains alike dance to his tune, the one who led the first villain attack here, fighting Star and Stripe to a standstill.

No doubt her old self would be both furious and scared shitless. He and All For One were behind I-Island’s first attack, leading her down this dark path. 

But now? She’s thankful. She’s excited. She already saw what the world’s true top hero was like, Star and Stripe having long since surpassed All Might.

Now let’s see what the world’s true top villain is like.

“Long Haul, I presume?” She smiles sweetly, her own inner madness seeping out. “Gracing little ol’ me with your presence? I’m flattered that you-”

“No.” He interrupts. “No more speeches, no more cop-outs, no more roundabout delegations, no more beating around the bush. Just. Die.”

Just like that, she’s killed. Exploded. Obliterated down to the very last atom, her suit of advanced armor not making a difference in the slightest.

And then…

 

 

 

 

 

She wakes up.

“So it finally happened, huh?” She sighs, checking herself out. “Didn’t expect it to be this soon, but oh well.”

Melissa may have a few screws loose, she’s willing to admit that much, but she is no fool. 

Her rapid rise to power and infamy among such a colossal force like Humarise was bound to attract plenty of negative attention. Her inventions are incredible, her biological creations more so, but for all her smarts and all her support, she herself would always remain a quirkless bug. 

Far too weak. Far too vulnerable. She may have been pure, but did that really matter when the diseased had become so powerful, when society had become so powerful?

This was something she needed to fix, and this needed to be done with utmost secrecy. Away from I-Island, away from Humarise, just in case Flect Turn started seeing her as a threat to his rule. 

So on the occasional trip taken outside, she would slip away and conduct her own experiments, make her own discoveries, her main priority being the shedding of her mortal coil.

The singularity would bring about the end, powers becoming uncontrollable by the masses… but what if the uncontrollable could be controlled? What if these diseases could be harnessed?

Melissa knew it was possible. Look at All For One and his Nomus. Look at All Might and Lemillion. Look at her own Artificial Singularity creations.

Living bodies can be modified. They can be made better, whether it’s through becoming capable of holding multiple quirks or superior in other functions. So what if they could be made to handle the singularity’s power?

She was determined to find out if that was possible, and she’s made great strides in her research these last few months, one experiment in particular being crucial to both her current survival and future plans.

 

Pro-Hero Nyikang. Quirk: Spirit Possession.

It allows the user to convert their consciousness into spiritual energy that can be sent towards a target to possess them. 

On its own, this quirk is rather weak. Limit of five minutes or so, user’s body left completely vulnerable during that time, and so on. The guy goes around with knight-like armor and weapons for more than aesthetics. 

…But what if it was boosted to Singularity levels of power? 

Naturally, this has its issues. Besides the requirement of actually giving and taking quirks, something Humarise has no clue how to do, boosting this quirk to fatal levels would be extremely dangerous for her. Even using her more stable liquid variant instead of the gas wouldn’t help.

Luckily, she had solutions to both those problems.

First, actually giving and taking quirks. She hasn’t been able to obtain any Nomu or other multi-quirk wielders, but there is a certain quirked animal out there who could temporarily copy quirks via DNA injection, among other things.

Queen Bee, a villain who made its debut a few years ago in Japan. A project of All For One’s that she’s now 99 percent sure Long Haul acquired for his own uses, one of which being to frame Humarise.

Ironic, she knows, but the heroes attacking only sped up both her and Flect Turn’s plans rather than stop them.

Some of the many fallen bees were recovered, and Flect Turn so graciously sent them to her to figure out what the hell happened since Humarise had nothing to do with this particular quirked animal becoming so powerful.

Multiple extra quirks, she assumes, but she hasn’t told Flect Turn that. Officially, that investigation was still ongoing prior to her ‘death’. Unofficially, she was studying their biology, figuring out the unique biological mechanism of theirs that allowed temporary quirk transfer through injection.

While she was cracking that code, she was also playing around with her Ideo Trigger a little bit more. She didn’t want to permanently die before pulling this contingency plan off, so she worked to both make Trigger easier on the body and the body more capable of handling Trigger.

Once again, prior shitshows in Japan helped her out immensely. The ‘Next-Level Villains’ which appeared in Naruhata a few years ago were genetically modified to better handle Trigger, and while all those villains are dead now, knowing it was possible and having test subjects of her own was enough.

Project Premonition doubled as a way to experiment with genetic modifications. She had to be careful not to alert Flect Turn to this as there’s no way he would be okay with singularity-level beings becoming stable. 

They would only grow more in the future and the fallout of them becoming unstable would be even worse, but making them last just a little bit longer to cause a little more chaos wouldn’t hurt, right?

 

So when all that research was put together, and some of Nyikang’s DNA was collected, she could begin the final stage of her contingency plan preparations. 

She could now inject temporary quirks into people, even multiple of them at a time, a groundbreaking discovery on its own. Less strain then permanent quirks, and various quirks can be mixed and matched into all kinds of combinations.

But right now, at this stage, she was only interested in playing around with one quirk. So during this latest trip off I-Island, she began doing human testing. 

At this point, quite a few quirkless members of Humarise (this would be a whole lot harder if the test subjects already had quirks of their own) were more fanatically loyal to her then Flect Turn, and she took advantage of that, having them serve as test dummies for her 'Spirit Possession + Somewhat Stabilized Ideo Trigger' combination. 

It took quite a few tries and many dead test subjects, but she got the data she needed. She had custom-built machines and loyal subordinates modify her body a little to ensure her own survival, and she injected herself with the DNA and drugs needed to transfer her own consciousness.

When boosted to singularity levels, she could permanently leave parts of her consciousness in others, swapping between bodies and overriding the consciousness of her target whenever she wished, even when the quirk itself faded away.

She could only do this to one other person, any more causing Multiple Personality Disorder at minimum and brain-death at worst, but this was enough for now. Just that brief, temporary dosage of a quirk and Ideo Trigger was enough to almost kill her, but she could recover.

And when she herself was actually killed just now, the part of her consciousness within another quirkless member of Humarise, one currently waiting around in the secret underground lab she built at Otheon, fully manifested.

Her target’s consciousness was destroyed, and Melissa gained full control. Melissa was reborn, far from any prying eyes, free to continue her own plans under everyone’s noses, Humarise included.

She may not have her body, and perhaps her soul too if such a thing exists, but that’s okay. All she needs is her mind. All she ever needed was her mind, as that can make up for everything else she was lacking and then some, quirk included.

 

“Even the true big bads are afraid of me now, huh?” She laughs to herself. “Good. They should be. They’ve been living their little power fantasy for far too long; now it’s time for their power reality check.”

Long Haul didn’t want her ruining whatever narrative he’s got going on. Him, All For One, the Meta Liberation Army and all other villains. All Might, Star and Stripe, the World Heroes’ Association, and all other heroes. They’re all self-destructive fools. They’re all contributing to the world’s ultimate downfall.

Not even Flect Turn is safe from this folly. Unless he plans to retrieve every quirkless person on Earth and hide them on I-Island (with any quirked person there being moved out by extension) before detonating HER Trigger Bombs, the pure will die alongside the diseased as the latter lose control.

Let the old Humarise fall. She’ll gladly repurpose whatever remains into something far better.

They’re all fools. They all need her guidance, and she will graciously give it to them soon enough. She will save the world from Quirk Singularity Doomsday by controlling Quirk Singularity Doomsday, by perfecting Quirk Singularity Doomsday. 

She will become something like the Mother of Quirks. No… she will become the goddess of quirks. She will ascend the singularity and guide the rest of humanity, diseased and pure alike, to the ultimate salvation. And nobody will stop her. Not heroes, not villains, not any singularity beings that naturally pop up.

It’s all clear to her now. She knows what she has to do now. She knows the path forward and she’ll travel it without any fear, for what she seeks…

She will gladly pay the price in full.

 

 

 

Star and Stripe’s P̶e̶r̶s̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶S̶h̶i̶t̶l̶i̶s̶t̶ Villain Rankings + Commentary

(each tier ranked in order from most to least threatening, at least for her)

SSSS-Rank Villains (Worldwide Threats):

• Long Haul - ‘most valuable friend’ her ass
• Twice - why did he have to follow the NEET murderhobo? 
• Flect Turn - fucker is going down even if it’s the last thing she does
• Re-Destro - he better stay in Japan if he knows what’s good for him
• Melissa Shield - personal attachments or not, her crimes are still legit

SSS-Rank Villains (Country-Wide Threats):

• Queen Bee - at least Long Haul is keeping her on a leash (helps that she’s probably into that sort of thing)
• Gigantomachia - what is so appealing about that NEET murderhobo? 
• Nine - she’ll be sure to throw a goddamn apocalypse his way next time
• Quirked Animals Turned Triggered Monstrosities - despite dying after a day, they still overstay their welcome
• Valdo Gollini - haven’t heard much of him lately, but he’s still going down
• All For One - still old news

SS-Rank Villains (Prefecture/State-Wide Threats):

• Rei - she hates Endeavor too, but isn’t causing a new ice age in retaliation a bit much?
• Geten - first Hawks and now him; Japan has a terrible taste in biggest bachelors

S-Rank Villains (City-Wide/Typical Top 10 Hero Threats):

• Tomura Shigaraki - absurdly powerful friends or not, he’s still a NEET murderhobo

Chapter 108: Insurrections

“You have got to be fucking kidding me.” Cathleen Bate gawks as she finally arrives on the scene.

It’s gone. I-Island is gone, already moved by Humarise to who knows where.

Where the largest manmade construct in the world once floated has dyed bright red in blood and littered with debris. Helicopters and planes were shot down, ships were sunk, and so, so many lives were lost.

Eight of those ten damnable THINGS were taken down, either through the late heroes and soldiers on the scene or by turning on each other, with the final two still tearing each other apart in front of her, their sheer power and ferocity being enough to even dwarf most Number 1 Heroes around the world.

Neither lasts much longer with how absolutely livid she is right now, and her mood only gets worse when her bros locate some lucky survivors. They are few in number, far too few. 

 

Cathleen made sure to interrogate every single one, using lie-detecting and mind-reading New Order rules to make sure they weren’t spies of Humarise or even Long Haul, and none of them were, yet what they revealed may be even worse.

Flect Turn won this battle. Melissa Shield and countless other members of his cult got taken down by heroes and soldiers in the process, but they still obtained I-Island and every last bit of cutting-edge tech on it, not to mention all the secret research Melissa did before her death. They’ll be able to continue making those monstrosities even without her oversight. 

She almost wishes this was just another Long Haul ploy; at least he isn’t trying to literally destroy the world. He’s a doomsday prepper at the end of the day, not the one actually enacting doomsday!

“They really just took I-Island… they really just declared war on the world.” Ethan Drive whispers from his cockpit below once Star finishes gathering up the survivors for evacuation. 

WHA should be arriving soon with some planes and boats that can carry them all back. They have little to spare right now, but they also have little to pick up here, so it all works out. What a shitty silver lining. 

“I should have done something sooner.” Cathleen laments. “If I had just paid more attention, if I had just read even a bit of her mind while visiting her-”

[Then you yourself would have begun going down a slippery slope, Star.] Commander Agpar interrupts the thought through his comm. [Regardless of what actions you took back then, Melissa Shield had already fallen into madness, and she died on that hill. For everyone’s sake, especially your own, don’t join her.]

“Right… thanks, commander.” She sighs back. “Let’s take a closer look around, bros, see if anything else can be salvaged.”

She’ll focus on what she can do right now rather than what she can’t do. She couldn’t make it to this battlefield on time, but she’ll at least save whoever and whatever she can in its aftermath. 

She wasn’t able to stop Melissa from taking this path, but she’ll at least try to prevent her creations from hurting anyone else.

Little did both she and Sekan know, Melissa Shield had not ended, but was only getting started.

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  1 Month 1 Week Until The Ascension

I wasn’t fucking kidding when I said I’d personally handle anyone who got too out of hand. These ‘bonus games’ of mine are convenient, not necessary. 

Star and Stripe is one thing, the new, designated main protagonist to my main antagonist. She’s become too powerful for me to stop before I finish my singularity ascension.

Melissa Shield is another. Her recent advancements with those singularity monstrosities of hers combined with her precarious mental state was just begging for trouble. At this point, she was even making people like Rei and Kuin look sane!

This eighteen year old quirkless supergenius was losing her fucking mind, and she needed to be put down before she did something apocalyptically stupid. Destroying hero society is one thing, and making humanity itself go extinct is another.

I figured sending not just a pissed-off All For One, but Star and Stripe her way would be enough at first. Those two weren’t fast enough for my liking, so this would be my latest occasion of personally handling a problem.

Humarise came prepared, setting up jammers and hightailing it out of there with their new mobile, mechanical island in tow before Star and Stripe or other hero reinforcements could make it to the scene or their own Artificial Singularities could tear apart their new mobile island.

Not to mention the traps set at every facility her and the other heroes raided. In canon, heroes had to worry about not being too rough since most of their members were quirkless. Here, most of their members were still quirkless, but the heroes’ main worry was they themselves actually surviving.

Casualties were horrific on both sides and less than a hundred people managed to escape the island-sized trap Humarise set up, but Humarise was still the undisputed winner, and it would only gain more ground if nothing was done. 

So I decided enough was enough and took some age-old advice to heart. If you want something done right, you do it yourself.

 

I didn’t need to destroy Humarise in its entirety. Flect Turn and his forces could still be stopped by heroes easily enough, further wearing them down to make taking on the new MLA much more difficult and time-consuming. It was their equivalent to Dr. Garaki, their mentally batshit ‘Head Priestess’ that needed to go. 

Maybe I could’ve brainwashed her. Maybe I could’ve convinced her to jump ship and join up with me instead. But no, because at that point, I was done with the games, done with the schemes, done with all that crap involving her.

Maybe it's the years of this crap wearing thin on me. Maybe it's the Quirk Singularity Doomsday being sped up immensely thanks to her meddling. Maybe it's me wanting to just settle down with my family already after finally marrying Zi and not wanting that lunatic to ruin it, but I'm reaching my breaking point with her, with all of this. Now was the time to act.

The situation needed to be handled, so I handled it. I already have all the research she did at both I-Island and Humarise facilities, and I can make further advancements on my own, so I don’t need her anymore.

David Shield was destroyed too, as I was just done with that family. The brainwashed Double clones of them I have now are enough for me. I probably won’t even make any new Double clones of them as an extra just in case, or at least any Double clones of the ‘current’ David and Melissa. The ones I already had made of those two are from when Two Heroes happened, back when they were at least somewhat sane. 

Even Reveal might not be able to perfectly keep such powerful, scatterbrained minds perfectly in check, and I have no reason to test it out. I already have their up to date research, so might as well stick to what works, right?

Any footage was altered with technopathic quirks, and several top ten heroes still fighting were brainwashed through Reveal, coming up and staging a fight where they managed to kill Melissa, David Shield and several of them dying in the process. I even partially reformed Melissa and David’s dead bodies before making them out to be burned, bloodied, and mutilated with Melissa’s armor in pieces.

Reasonable enough, especially since quite a few heroes already came up in a desperate attempt to stop Melissa, word getting out about her betrayal. Her armor was covered with blood when I arrived for a reason. 

Interestingly, Melissa’s body had similar modifications to the Next-Level Villains of MHA Vigilantes, meaning it can hold all kinds of Trigger better. She requested Humarise deliver some of Kuin’s bees to her as well, figuring out why there was a supposed Artificial Singularity they didn’t know about.

Did she actually go a bit behind Flect Turn’s back when the chance to obtain a quirk came up? Figures she would be insane and desperate enough to pull that, because Flect would absolutely hate the idea of granting others quirks; well joke’s on her, any DNA injections from Kuin’s bees only provide weakened, temporary versions of the quirks within. 

She didn’t have any actual quirks in her according to Reveal, and even if she did, there’s no quirk out there which can save you after being completely obliterated. I made sure she was dead, so there’s no need to worry about any secret quirk research she set-up outside Humarise’s and I-Island’s (my) surveillance. Besides, it’s not like giving others permanent quirks is anything new.

Melissa should have stuck to her lane instead of trying to play catch-up with people like me, Garaki, and AFO. Her Hercules armors are interesting, as are the Artificial Singularities. I should be able to get some good use out of them, and if she really was starting to branch away from Flect Turn, well, that’s just another good reason to put an end to this problem. She’s now permanently off the board, and both Flect Turn and AFO will soon join her in hell.

With the top heroes I mentally-altered being among the small percentage who managed to escape I-Island’s takeover (thanks to some secret guidance from yours truly), they can relay their story to the WHA, altered memories meaning lie-detection or mind-reading quirks won’t pick up anything that incriminates me, and I’ll be in the clear. 

This isn’t the first time I came in person to solve a problem, physically-altered appearance through Overhaul or not. The Naruhata Gambit, the subsumption of AFO’s empire, and so on. I know how to cover my tracks from heroes and villains alike.

Flect Turn will be pissed, but ultimately move on. He still has her up to date research data on top of I-Island itself, so he’ll be free to proceed with his global doomsday plan, something I will also stop if the heroes and other villains can’t do so themselves (after they hopefully cause even more damage to those other factions). It’s just that he won’t be able to make any more advancements.

He already has everything he needs for his plans and then some. He won’t go any further, unlike Garaki 2.0 who was stealing ideas from Garaki 1.0 and even me.

((‘Garaki 2.0 didn’t know those were your ideas, or that you even existed until recently.’)) 

‘Still pissed though, VestigeHaul.’

 

But more than anything, my abrupt interference and butchering was meant to serve as a reminder to myself.

Despite some setbacks and plenty of plot twists, I’m still in control here. I can rob the old and new Symbols of Peace of their powers whenever I wish. I can cancel the old demon lord’s comeback tour whenever I wish. I’m just trying to gain as much from them all as possible, taking advantage of my favorable position to gain an even bigger lead.

Even if my knowledge of the canon plot has become useless, the preparations I made when I did know are enough to keep me in control, or at least allow me to predict future events despite Foresight becoming useless.

So Melissa Shield is dead, as is her father. They were obliterated with Overhaul, and I confirmed their deaths with Reveal, putting the two Shields under its watch the moment I arrived, ensuring nothing slipped out of them. 

I had no reason to dedicate slots to them before since I already have both biological and mechanical eyes all over I-Island and Humarise, but I had to be absolutely sure here. No surprises, no asspulls, no chance to launch some stupid final contingency, no nothing. Melissa can’t start any new plans or finish any old ones if Melissa is dead. 

I already got what I need from I-Island, so after setting up the ideal crime scene that doesn’t incriminate me and reinforcing my secret backdoor into the island’s systems to ensure nobody else discovers it, I took my leave. I look forward to seeing what Flect Turn manages to do with it before his death, which won’t be very long from now, especially with his cult and the WHA starting an open war. 

Who knows. I may even take the mechanical island for myself later down the line, turn it into another space station or colony ship. If Nezu could turn UA High into an aerial mobile fortress, then I can certainly do something similar.

Now as mentioned before, Humarise was able to move the island away and jam any means of tracking it before Star and Stripe could arrive. Star actually did find the few dozen people who manages to escape, and a few New Order rules allowed her to see their memories as they were a bit too shell-shocked to take part in a debriefing at the moment. 

She saw the memories I altered, and she doesn’t suspect that I altered them. I’ve become a master at manipulating minds overtime, and with how powerful Reveal has become, she never suspected a thing. 

Things may have been troublesome if Star thought to apply a New Order rule like ‘any altered memories in so and so are restored to their original form’, even if that wouldn’t work due to how powerful Reveal is now, but that would at worst make her suspect either Humarise or I myself altered their minds before they left, and while she’s improved with quirk usage, she isn’t smart enough to think that far ahead just yet.

NightHaul is there to oversee or at least stay in the loop of every step she takes, and I can trust him because I trust myself. If Star did genuinely believe me to be behind Melissa’s death, she would let the others in her group know, and that includes Nighthaul. Even then, she would just be more angry with me at worst. It’s not like she can actually go after me with Humarise being on the forefront of everyone’s minds.

So Star now believes Melissa died fighting the heroes, fighting for Humarise, spouting lines that made her loyalty to the cult clear, and while she probably does suspect I had some direct part to play in Melissa’s descent towards villainy, she shouldn’t suspect me to be directly responsible for her death.

 

Now naturally, something of this attack’s scale, not to mention the battles going on at Humarise locations all over the world, couldn’t be hidden from the rest of the world, so the situation had to be publicly addressed.

Both the WHA and UN made an official statement on the matter, heroes like All Might and Star and Stripe being right next to those officials during reports to add on extra weight and validity.

To summarize all the press conferences and news reports, Humarise was declared as the greatest threat this world has ever seen, more so than even the new Meta Liberation Army (and All For One, although they never said his name outright, which must have pissed the old demon lord off to no end). 

They were blamed for the Triggered quirked animal attacks, among various other illegal activities and terrorist attacks, and genuine war was declared on them by every country in the United Nations.

It was the first time since the original Meta Liberation War against Destro that such actions were taken, no official statements declaring war on the new MLA being made just yet. Basically, World War 4 has just begun.

And with the new Meta Liberation Army confrontation being inevitable, I suppose World War 5 isn’t that far off either. Or maybe historians will group both these major conflicts together as a ‘World Villain War’ or something, assuming society survives long enough to properly document such a thing.

Now the average duration of a modern war in my old world was around 15 months, although this can vary significantly depending on the scale and complexity of the conflict. Some wars may only last for weeks while others can drag on for decades.

Canon MHA’s so-called wars were an absolute joke, each one consisting of a single battle (albeit on multiple fronts) that didn’t even last a day. Even the CRC-WV Villain War I caused way back when was way more of a war then canon’s two put together.

From the looks of things, there will be two major wars here too, one on Humarise and one on the Meta Liberation Army. Throwing my ‘League of Villains’ into the mix, I suppose that would make it a Paranormal Liberation War.

Or maybe it’ll be three if AFO lives long enough to make somewhat of a comeback. I doubt he’ll get very far before All Might, Lemillion, Star, or I myself put him down for good, but you never know. 

Point is, there’s going to be a lot of warfare going on for the foreseeable future, and even now, I continue to prepare my own organization for it. Just in case something goes horrifically wrong and we get dragged into it.

I’ve got Eri and the Head-Starters going through a war-themed history unit right now, reading books like ‘The Art of War’, ‘The Campaigns of Napoleon’, and even a few uncensored books on the first Meta Liberation War just to name a few. 

The kids are reading, analyzing, and writing a few essays on those works. I’ll mainly be teaching them more unorthodox forms of warfare, but for them to truly understand that, they first need to understand orthodox forms of warfare.

Chances are they’ll get involved in one way or another, so I’d rather have them be prepared if the worst were to happen or the little chaos gremlins feel like causing trouble again.

 

Back to the current war, censored details on the heroes’ opening strike was also given, citing that most of their main strongholds around the world had been taken down (albeit with numerous casualties on their end, not that they mentioned that little detail just yet).

I-Island was then attacked and taken hostage in a last ditch effort by Humarise to gain some sort of advantage, but they were totally on top of things and the crisis would end soon with heroes all across the world now united against them.

Next few days were eerily calm. The attacks ended, the casualties were tallied, and the deaths of Pro-Heroes were announced to their home countries. 

Combining both the losses at I-Island and the losses during this opening salvo, at least several hundred Pro-Heroes in every single WHA-aligned country had been killed.

I even canceled the plan for sending another wave of Double clones to cause chaos, at least for now. Maybe I’ll send some to both the heroes and Humarise later on, but I would rather have those two organizations focus on destroying each other for the time being. 

As for UN soldiers/field personnel, more than 40,000 were killed with the majority being due to I-Island’s takeover. That’s almost half of their total combat power, sitting at just under a hundred thousand members, a similar number to my old world.

Humarise didn’t bother taking hostages from the heroes and soldiers present, only the remaining scientists, who they began forcing to work for them. Flect Turn made that clear in part of his own public message shortly after, pissing the WHA and UN off even more.

This led to people asking questions like ‘why did the world governments mess up so much’ and ‘who can we blame for it’. Unlike the MLA’s takeover in Japan, this couldn’t be so easily pushed onto a few bad apples, but there was a silver lining.

Hunting season for any Humarise supporters was on, and spies were quickly found among all branches of society, providing the UN and WHA with many convenient targets to pin most of the blame on. While they themselves would be partially blamed for allowing so many spies to slip in, this was still better than the alternative.

All Might being back also helped their situation immensely, his mere presence being enough to give the world hope despite the truth about his power being revealed. He’s been quite busy himself ever since escaping from Japan and being returned to his prime by Neito. 

Like Mirio and Star, he’s been deployed all over the globe to help curb rising villainous activity, and to his credit, it has been working quite well so far. Speaking of, Mirio’s immense victories across Europe helped boost his own image by leaps and bounds.

So what if I-Island was taken by some psychotic cult? So what if the Meta Liberation Army conquered Japan? So what if All For One was still floundering around? Not only is the Symbol of Peace back, but his successor is even more powerful! Not to mention Star and Stripe who’s own prestige has increased a ton these last few months. 

Instead of one nigh-unbeatable symbol, the heroes now had three, and the WHA was heavily leaning into that fact to help reassure the general public. The trio served as a crime deterrent across the globe. They served as hope in a time where it was needed more then ever.

In short, despite the chaos, despite the massacre of heroes all across the globe and multiple global threats still running loose, the public didn’t go into full-blown panic mode as the symbols would soon fix the problem with sufficient support from other Pro-Heroes.

 

What about Humarise then? This may have been tremendous losses for the heroes, but things were even worse for them. 

Most of their strongholds were seized, most of their regular members were arrested or killed, and their top scientist/High Priestess was killed. Their remaining spies and supporters were also getting exposed at a rapid rate, dwindling their influence across the globe. 

There were still some things going in their favor. Heroes knew about their Trigger Bombs, but they couldn’t actually find any of them. 

They also still had quite a few Artificial Singularities ready to go, and while production of more would slow without Melissa, it wouldn’t be too terrible due to how many other scientists they had now. They would make up for her quality with their quantity.

And any members of that cult who weren’t completely on board before had no choice but to put all their eggs in the Humarise basket, because even those slightly associated with the group were getting lynched left and right. 

Flect Turn was angry beyond belief, and his overall game plan might be one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard, but the guy himself isn’t an idiot. He wouldn’t be able to create such a powerful international organization like this if he was.

He was evil, not stupid, and he knew how to annoy heroes to no end. 

Heroes knew this, and it didn’t take someone like Nezu to figure at least part of their future plans. They could’ve chosen to detonate their Trigger Bombs now, or even when the heroes attacked their strongholds, yet they didn’t.

They were likely relying on their teched-out traps to take on any Pro-Heroes and other law enforcement that came their way, which means the Trigger Bombs will be another trap to remove even more. 

Not all of them can be used against hero society, as the Meta Liberation Army is also a major threat to them. They wouldn’t want to just soften the heroes up for them; if anything, they would want to spur the MLA into making a move of their own.

Unknown to both them and the heroes, the MLA actually, partially did. 

Remember their recent takeover of Europe’s underworld and the Gollini Family’s massive rise? Yeah, we made sure to keep that low-profile outside the criminal underworld, unlike Humarise which will do the opposite.

First, Humarise needs to make sure the new centerpiece of their organization can’t be so easily recovered by the heroes. This means attacking both navies and air forces of countries who still have militaries, dismantling them as fighting forces for at least the foreseeable future.

Flect Turn had momentum, and he was determined to keep it going. He would blitz through all global resistance at record time, and while his own forces would be bled out in the process, he didn’t care. 

If anything, he wants all the quirked members of his organization to die, himself included. He sees it as their method of penance for having the gall to be born with powers. 

But most of the quirkless under him are as fanatical as him, meaning they have no issues dying in droves for their ultimate goal. Not good, especially when considering the trump cards and superweapons they still have at their disposal. 

Desperation and fanaticism make for a terrifying combination.

 

While they don’t have powerful warping quirks, they do have a new, mobile, island-sized command center and plenty of their own high-tech vehicles stocked up. They also don’t have to worry about hiding anymore. In fact, they planned to do the exact opposite.

This is how they intend to spur the MLA into making their own moves, thereby taking some of the heat off themselves. They’ll make large, flashy attacks and hope the prideful quirk supremacists don’t take a quirkless-supporting organization sticking it to them well.

Only Re-Destro isn’t stupid, Nine isn’t stupid, and I am definitely not stupid, so excluding our secret takeover of Europe’s underworld, the MLA won’t be doing jack shit outside of Japan until Humarise is torn apart by the heroes. 

World Heroes Association did station a small regiment of ships and an aircraft carrier nearby Japan, the idea being to get a heads up in advance if Re-Destro starts deploying landing crafts and Nomu en masse to Korea or China or something. 

Several hundred Pro-Heroes were present too, but considering how many of them wrote wills in advance, they clearly had no confidence surviving a head-on confrontation. We could’ve capitalized on the chaos to take those troops out, but remember, we want the heroes’ attention to be solely on Humarise right now. The benefits just aren’t worth the costs.

So that bonus objective of Flect Turn’s won’t be achieved, but they can still delay the global governments from tracking down I-Island for a while by ensuring ships and planes can’t be deployed en masse. 

Heroes most definitely planned to do that, but Humarise beat them to it, waiting until just before those launches were planned to happen before launching their second worldwide operation so they could kill as many personnel as possible while trashing as much infrastructure as possible.

Trigger Bombs made their official debut as several were secretly transported to and activated at major military installations across America, so communication centers, ammunition stores, radar stations, airfields and logistical hubs, and so on.

The Arlington Air Base in Illinois was one such target, and Star and Stripe was not happy about her own home base being completely destroyed by the out-of-control quirks of her own bros.

Commander Agpar wasn’t present there at the time, but between this and the massacre that was their attempted reclaiming of Japan, the 15,000 or soldiers in his division have been whittled down to just a few thousand.

Immense damage was done to the infrastructure at these unfortunate targets, and both injuries and casualties of soldiers (plus civilians who happened to be nearby) were horrific. 

Half a dozen Artificial Singularities attacked more top-priority targets, reducing them and whatever cities they were in to rubble at the very least. 

 

Most of the regular members in Humarise were also involved, as the WHA did miss quite a few of their main strongholds during their initial raid. Higher-ups of the cult like Beros, Sidero, Leviathan, the Serpenter twins, Rogone, and even my executive-level spy Starservant were leading these army-type attacks.

As for navies in countries who still have them, major logistical hubs like ports, ammunition, fuel storages, and so on were also attacked. Significant damage and plenty of casualties were caused there too, even if plenty more Humarise members were killed as well.

The United Nations and World Heroes Association were absolutely livid about this, but there was a silver lining to this catastrophe. Not every Humarise agent they took down was killed, both in this assault and the opening salvo, and that meant members who could be interrogated.

Most of those interrogations can best be compared to a lactose intolerant dog that ate a full tub of ice cream. The dog didn’t know any better, but there was still shit everywhere that needed janitors working overtime to clean up.

Basically, the amount that these members ‘knew’, which is a generous application of the word, was fuck all nothing. It went as well as Aoyama’s interrogation went after he was caught, the French kid and his parents not knowing jack. 

However, there were a few who knew more than nothing. Some even knew where other, hidden Humarise facilities were, and a counterattack was prepared the second heroes got that intel. Not even bureaucratic blocks would stop them this time.

They were ready for the cult’s technology traps this time, sending in Pro-Heroes and other law enforcement with appropriate quirks to help counter them. They also did a much better job catching their enemy off guard this time, meaning there were plenty more members just waiting to be taken down.

Those attacks went far better then most of the initial raids, but it still wasn’t easy as the frothing fanatics fought until their last breath to even slightly delay the inevitable. 

With such massive amounts of casualties, Humarise’s ability to mount more mass-raids across the world should be nonexistent. Even so, they achieved what they needed to. Most of the technology they built or stole wasn’t salvageable either, but the bits and pieces that were would help the heroes out a lot.

While Re-Destro and Valdo Gollini aren't falling for the bait, plenty of other villainous organizations are, using the new symbols’ focus on Humarise to gain whatever ground they can get before it’s too late. 

A severe lack of heroes and soldiers also contributed to this reckless decision, and heroes are struggling to contain this worldwide smokescreen Flect Turn set up. It doesn’t help that the WHA and UN top brass are still too cowardly or up their own asses to greenlight more Quirk Amplification Devices or a chain of New Order copies.

I’ve already figured out how the latter can work, and Star has too. 

 

Star knows that copying quirks through other methods is possible too, and letting someone like me get even a single drop of her blood or strand of her hair could potentially allow me to make my own copies of New Order, probably the biggest reason why she wouldn’t create a Copy/New Order chain if she wanted to.

Only she could counter that by making sure I don’t live long enough to make those copies, and dogpiling me with a few dozen other New Order users is pretty good way of doing that.

Sounds pretty terrifying, right? The moment Star becomes completely done with being subtle and delicate about things, the moment she stops caring about whatever the suits and politicians have to say, the moment her phrase for ‘overkill’ becomes ‘not enough firepower, please and thank you’, things are going to get much harder for villains, even with the top brass of hero society probably branding her as a traitor.

But Star is looking beyond that now. She’s determined to survive the collapse of society, and she knows how to do it. 

I should probably be scared or extremely annoyed about this, but oddly enough, I almost feel something akin to a sense of pride. Like whenever Eri discovers some new overpowered cheat with her own godlike quirk, taking after my own teachings.

Is it because I’m confident in my own singularity ascension crushing even this? Is it because she’s become a worthy archenemy in my eyes? Is it because she’s breaking free of hero society’s chain like I have, finally seeing the bigger picture?

Whatever the case may be, I’m still looking forward to our eventual rematch. It will be legendary, but more than that, just maybe… it’ll finally, actually put an end to all this. 

Unlike All For One, I don’t delude myself. I’m not some omniscient demon lord mastermind, just a man pretending to be for the sake of himself and those he cares for. 

I’ve been playing this stupid game for YEARS now, constantly planning, constantly scheming, constantly working to make this world full of fanatical morons at least somewhat behave the way I want them to, and adapting to or going around whatever I can’t bend myself.

And after all this time, I’m seriously starting to get burnt out. Oh, but Sekan Doraifu can’t burn out because that’s a pathetic human thing and the big boss is way beyond that, right? Wrong.

Modified humans are still humans. I’m sure as hell still a human. Maybe when I ascend the singularity, such human things will truly be beneath me because I’ll be truly beyond human, meaning I no longer have to worry about and just continue this forever if I feel like it, but I’ve got the gut feeling it isn’t that simple, especially after seeing Future Eri. 

It’s just like what canon attempts to show. Heroes aren’t unstoppable gods, and villains aren’t either… not even transmigrator ones. 

 

 

 

Star and Stripe’s P̶e̶r̶s̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶S̶h̶i̶t̶l̶i̶s̶t̶ Villain Rankings + Commentary

(each tier ranked in order from most to least threatening, at least for her)

SSSS-Rank Villains (Worldwide Threats):

• Long Haul - ‘most valuable friend’ her ass
• Twice - why did he have to follow the NEET murderhobo? 
• Flect Turn - fucker is going down even if it’s the last thing she does
• Re-Destro - he better stay in Japan if he knows what’s good for him

SSS-Rank Villains (Country-Wide Threats):

• Queen Bee - at least Long Haul is keeping her on a leash (helps that she’s probably into that sort of thing)
• Gigantomachia - what is so appealing about that NEET murderhobo? 
• Nine - she’ll be sure to throw a goddamn apocalypse his way next time
• Quirked Animals Turned Triggered Monstrosities - despite dying after a day, they still overstay their welcome
• Valdo Gollini - haven’t heard much of him lately, but he’s still going down
• All For One - still old news

SS-Rank Villains (Prefecture/State-Wide Threats):

• Rei - she hates Endeavor too, but isn’t causing a new ice age in retaliation a bit much?
• Geten - first Hawks and now him; Japan has a terrible taste in biggest bachelors

S-Rank Villains (City-Wide/Typical Top 10 Hero Threats):

• Tomura Shigaraki - absurdly powerful friends or not, he’s still a NEET murderhobo

Chapter 109: Call to Arms

“Why is Izuku not here?”

“...What?” Bruce asks, the others also having visible reactions.

“Why is Izuku not here?” Mirio Togata repeats.

It’s been on his mind ever since the first (and last) time he entered this place in his dreams… no, ever since All For One’s failed attempt at taking this quirk. All For One himself even mentioned it back during their last (and first) fight.

One For All at least partially stores echoes of the previous users’ consciousnesses, All For One’s efforts managing to further bring them out.

Doesn’t matter if they’re living or dead, although ones who are still living are only partially formed, as All Might’s ghost proves. While communicating while he’s still awake is difficult, doing so in his dreams has become easier.

Yoichi is the first. Kudo is the second. Bruce is the third. Hikage is the fourth. Diagoro is the fifth. En is the sixth. Nana is the seventh. Toshinori is the eighth. Izuku is the Ninth. And Mirio himself is the tenth. 

 

“Every user of this quirk has a part of themselves stored here, right? Quirk or no quirk before getting OFA, it makes no difference. So where is Izuku Midoriya?”

“Well…” Nana trails off. “We aren’t uh- not quite sure how exactly One For All works. All For One doesn’t have a vestige here, nor does the original owner of the stockpiling quirk that merged into Yoichi’s quirk. And Izuku didn’t have this power long before he-”

“Cut the crap, Nana. No need to hide it. We prevented that failure from forming so he wouldn’t drag the rest of us down with him.”

“KUDO?!”

“What? Now’s not the time to beat around the bush! Crippled or not, All For One is still out there-”

“And several threats who are arguably even worse. And his spawn. And all the weaker copies of his quirk. And people who don’t even need that particular power to give, take, and wield multiple quirks.”

“You had to remind me.”

The vestiges begin to bicker as their current host's own emotions build.

“Failure?” Mirio finally whispers. “FAILURE?!?”

“Yeah. Failure. All For One’s supposed death wasn’t an excuse for All Might to hand One For All to the new worst wielder in the world, but apparently he never got the memo, or common sense in general.” Kudo growls back, getting glares from Mirio, Toshinori, and Nana.

“All Might saw himself in Izuku.” Nana begins.

“He clearly didn’t look very hard.” Bruce retorts.

“Way too young and impressionable-”

“Meant well-”

“Suicidal from the start-”

“Not his fault the world went to shit-”

“QUIET!” Mirio yells as the vestiges begin arguing once again. “Everyone, just be quiet for a second! Was Izuku young and experienced? Yes, but did you really have to extinguish what little part of him remained in here after his death?”

 

“Suicide, and yes, we did. The only reason One For All can resist All For One’s efforts to take it is our collective wills, so what do you think will happen when a broken, empty little vessel like that brat materializes in here? 

He ruined this power enough already, and we made sure he wouldn’t further ruin it from beyond the grave.”

“Just for the record, I opposed this to the end.”

“Majority vote, Nana! Logic and fact beats emotional nonsense and stupidity!”

“Oh, THAT IS IT! YOU’VE HAD THIS COMING FOR CENTURIES, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!”

“I’m not the one who needs sense smacked into them, you hopeless bitch!”

“ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU!” Yoichi speaks up as Diagoro and En separate a livid Kudo and Nana. “I’m sorry how this decision was presented to you, Mirio, but for the good of everyone, Izuku Midoriya could never be allowed to become a permanent part of One For All.

He should never have been given One For All in the first place, his misplaced ideals and self-destructive nature harming both himself and those around him instead of the other way around. He meant well, but he could never be the hero this world needed, now or ever.”

“...And me? Sir Nighteye never groomed me for this role like Nana did to All Might.”

 

“One For All was never a ‘chosen one’ type of power. Most of its wielders were nothing special, even after receiving the power, and certainly never groomed for it. It’s just that Izuku was not a good match.”

“More like the worst possible ma-”

“Kudo. Shut it. Now Mirio, as you’re no doubt aware, this stockpiling power only continues to grow even after undergoing the singularity. You need to be careful, as it may soon reach a point where not even New Order can protect you from its backlash. 

Your body being as well-developed as it is no doubt contributes to safely wielding this power, New Order only reinforcing it. It is very likely that you’ll be the last wielder of One For All.”

“Unless some psychotic yandere copies it again. May god have mercy on the copied echoes of us if we materialize in Toga’s head too.”

“Bruce, quiet. Now as I was saying, while having both All Might and Star around helps a lot, we still have many problems and little time. Humarise, the League of Villains, All For One, the Meta Liberation Army, and Long Haul’s own organization. 

If it’s possible, I think the best option we currently have is seeing if the last two can help us against the first three. At the very least, Long Haul is enemies with both All For One and Humarise, and his aid in defeating them would be invaluable. He even sent my big brother Flect Turn’s way by spinning more lies during the new MLA’s coup.”

Mirio’s opinions on Long Haul are mixed at the moment. He helped the heroes as much as he hurt them, doing plenty of unforgivable acts while being the only reason they haven’t lost everything to other villains yet.

Just like the Queen Bee told Star and Stripe, whether he becomes their most dangerous foe or most valuable friend is up to them. 

“And what about after? There’s no way the WHA will ignore Re-Destro and the new Meta Liberation Army, and that group is obviously another pawn of Long Haul’s.” Hikage adds.

“Wouldn’t be the first time heroes had a temporary alliance with him. It’s the reason All For One was taken down the second time. He may have even secretly contributed to the initial war All Might had with him, and we just don’t know it.” Diagoro points out. 

 

“How would I even contact him?” Mirio questions. “He didn’t exactly leave us a phone number.”

“Yes, he did!”

“On Nezu’s phone, not ours, and Nezu is dead.”

“That guy always seems to be watching, puppeteering the planet better than All For One could even imagine, so maybe call out for him whenever you’re alone?”

“Sure, and let's have Mirio hand One For All to him while we’re at it.” Kudo rolls his eyes.

“With how much of an expert he seems to be on quirks, he would probably already have One For All if he wanted it, no-selling our combined resistance through that mad science of his. 

Hell, I was half-expecting Izuku to be another spy of his for the sole purpose of taking and sabotaging One For All. Kind of hard to believe anyone can be that naturally pathetic- OW! NANA!”

“...Do you think he knows about us?” Bruce then questions, getting everyone’s attention. 

“Like ‘us’ us, or whatever the hell we actually are in general?” Kudo follows up.

“Both? I mean, he does have copies of All For One to play around with, both weakened fakes and the natural copy that demon princess has. All For One and One For All are the only quirks we know of that have such a phenomenon, but then again, they’re also the only quirks we know of with transferring properties.”

“You think there are other quirks like it out there? That it’s not just mad science acting as a bridge between bodies?”

“Remember how Yoichi and his big brother came to be? And Quirk Singularity Doomsday is coming up…”

“Now you sound like Flect Turn.”

“Not my fault he disguised an inevitable natural phenomenon as some fucked-up, hosh posh religion.”

“I’ll try to reach out, okay?” Mirio declares, recognizing the feeling of waking up.

“Thank you, Mirio… for taking on this burden.” Yoichi smiles before the newest wielder of his quirk opens his eyes in the real world.

 

“Jeez, not even Sir could’ve prepared me for this.” He sighs to himself before getting himself ready for another day.

Another day of fighting against Humarise. Another day of tracking down All For One.

...Another day of wondering whether or not society is well and truly doomed.

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  1 Month Until The Ascension

Humarise is bleeding themselves dry right now, that much is obvious. 

Not much of a problem when their enemies are going to get completely obliterated. The World Heroes Association and United Nations have faced heavy losses too, both before and during this war. 

Pro-Heroes took immense amounts of casualties during the WHA’s initial attack, as did UN soldiers. Then remaining militaries were effectively gutted, losing the majority of their combat effectiveness for at least the next few weeks. 

Yet a few weeks should be all they need to wrap this war up. 

 

Even with Melissa Shield gone, they still stocked up on a ton of Trigger Bombs and can make even more, far more than in canon. The bombs have larger ranges too, covering nearly a prefecture’s worth of territory then a mere city’s worth, and the Ideo Trigger inside is much more potent. 

The few that were detonated during Humarise’s previous operation are still causing trouble, the green gas not simply, conveniently dissipating after a few minutes. When you factor in wind, you get a serious problem.

WHA already organized a cleanup effort, heroes with either wind or gas manipulation quirks being deployed en masse to contain and/or destroy the Ideo Trigger gas. That operation is still ongoing as they need to both ensure they themselves don’t get affected and cover a ton of ground, but they are making some good progress. 

Of course, this is because they only have a few detonated bombs to clean up. Change that to a few hundred bombs and the world is completely screwed. Practically the entire atmosphere would be covered in the stuff, and nowhere on the Earth’s surface would be safe. 

Some people started to realize that recently, so on top of underground bomb shelters being both built and bought beyond belief, the efforts to stop Humarise in its tracks have gone into overtime. I don’t want to say that every other villain or villainous organization is being completely ignored as a result; nevertheless, it’s pretty clear where the heroes’ priorities lie right now.

And that makes secret expansion so, so much easier. Europe’s entire underworld has been claimed by the MLA (Gollini Family has practically become a subsidiary of theirs at this point) by now; all that’s left is consolidating their forces and preparing to strike the continent once Humarise is handled. 

Picture Re-Destro’s own coup in Japan, just much larger. The guy is planning to conquer pretty much all of Europe in one fell swoop, and he’s got both the numbers and firepower to pull it off too! It’ll be like the German blitzkrieg of World War 2 on steroids. 

But that comes later. For now, the hunt for Humarise is on, and while not much has been found, that’s only because Flect Turn doesn’t have much left to begin with.

 

The majority of their remaining forces are on I-Island, slightly over 100,000 in number. Another 20,000-30,000 are scattered across the globe and dropping fast. Barely a fraction of their combat power at their peak, and their support network is even worse off.

Even if they only have around ten percent of their forces remaining at the end, their enemy having zero percent of their forces remaining is still technically a win, even if it’s a costly one. But unlike in canon, hero society isn’t their only enemy. There’s still the Meta Liberation Army to contend with.

Such is the basis behind the next step of Flect Turn’s revised grand plan, bolstering their severely-depleted numbers, because drones can only do so much and Artificial Singularities are in very short supply.

How will this be done? Simple, appeal to the twenty or so percent of this planet without quirks of their own. 

The WHA didn’t need a supergenius like Nezu to figure out this much. They expected mass riots and demonstrations in quirkless-heavy districts organized by remaining Humarise agents, appealing to the populations of those areas and getting them to march out en masse, joining the fight against society.

Humarise is hoping that the absence of both Pro-Heroes and military will make them overreact, and if police fire upon protestors, this will drive any quirkless who aren’t already listening to the cult into their robe-covered hands. 

Not to mention dealing another massive blow to the heroes’ international image. Dealing with intelligent villains is the worst, isn’t it? Even for fellow intelligent villains like myself.

Everyone’s on edge right now, and no easy solutions are in sight. What’s worse is how much this has been building up. In a shounen world like this one, mental health just doesn’t matter. Just deal with it off-screen or let it pile up until you snap and/or die, I guess.

These riots organized by Humarise are violent by design, and you can’t exactly tell local law enforcement that they can’t protect themselves if an enraged mob charges at them. All Humarise has to do is put a few gunners or quirked snipers like Boros in nearby buildings and fire at any police officers present, officers who won’t know what’s going on and will naturally suspect the crowd fired at them, and you get an absolute mess.

Even if they’re warned ahead of time, countering such a strategy won’t be easy. Whatever the heroes do, this will end badly for them in one way or another. Not enough manpower to ensure these protests remain safe, and even if there was, most protestors would only get even angrier with law enforcement being everywhere.

 

Sure enough, quite a few clashes began. From hurling insults to hurling rocks to a few Humarise goons hurling molotov cocktails and other incendiaries, tensions quickly rose and lines were quickly crossed.

One again, how easily people here can go completely fanatical immensely benefits the villains. Just another case of shounen logic being more beneficial than annoying, and it tends to be extremely annoying.

Further adding onto this, I decided to have ‘Tomura’ unleash another round of Double clones on the heroes and Humarise alike. Enough to be a major annoyance, but not enough for both factions to suddenly ignore the other and target the League of Villains. I want them to be an extra nuisance, not the next biggest bad.

So with clones of top international heroes, top brass of the MLA, two dozen different High-End Nomus, and even a few Artificial Singularity clones now rampaging around the world, things went from bad to worse. 

Five clones even went straight to All For One, making his life harder too. The demon lord is still rampaging through whatever bits and pieces of Humarise across Eurasia he and his growing mini-empire can find, and while that does help me, I have an act to play as Tomura and also just want to mess with that potato-faced asshole more. 

No way is he making a comeback on my watch. I’m just making his final few weeks as horrible as possible, both because it benefits my plans and out of spite.

All Might, Lemillion, and Star and Stripe were sent to wipe out most of the quirk clones as per usual, but even with X-66 Fighter Jets at their disposal, traveling across the world takes quite a long time. More than enough time to cause plenty of chaos.

Both the WHA and Humarise have tried tracking the League of Villains down, but have had no such luck for obvious reasons. 

They know copies of Kurogiri could let them jump between countries at their leisure, and they know that tracking the original villains through the clones they’re sending out is also impossible when they just detonate to prevent capture.

In short, they both know they can’t stop Tomura without going all-in on the effort, and while he is a tremendous threat, they have bigger fish to fry at the moment.

WHA sees Humarise as the biggest problem right now, more than Tomura, All For One, and Re-Destro combined. Flect Turn is confident his plan will wipe out the LOV along with everyone else, so while he is cursing the hand man for his interference, he hasn’t deviated to crush the guy yet.

And I’ll make sure it stays that way. 

 

Now Flect Turn wasn’t going to make any big moves with these new reserve forces. These new recruits would instead begin preparing for confronting both whatever remained of the heroes after this gamble’s main event and the new Meta Liberation Army. League of Villains too, assuming they supposedly survive what’s to come.

Humarise really is going all or nothing right now, these high-profile attacks around the world and uniting the quirkless population to their cause just reeking of desperation. 

Things would be so much easier for them if there was no new Meta Liberation Army to worry about, but alas, the heroes aren’t the only threat. Heroes may not even be the biggest threat to them anymore. 

In my personal opinion, Flect Turn’s plan will line back up with canon in a few weeks at most, subtly revealing the location of his remaining Trigger bombs in another public message and giving heroes a few hours to try and stop him.

With no bullshit Plot MacGuffin key to undo the process (Rody’s dad was caught almost immediately by Melissa; his execution was neither quick nor painless), most of the remaining heroes will inevitably scramble over to try and stop them, only to be covered in Ideo Trigger and lose complete control over their powers, dying shortly after.

Side note, not a single Trigger Bomb was successfully smuggled into Japan after the MLA took over. 

In fact, all the bombs that were already in Japan have long since been found, disarmed, and taken into LabHaul’s laboratory after we ensured they couldn’t be tracked by the cult that produced them.

Even so, Melissa had already been working on her own ICBMs modeled after Tiamat, these ones doubling as Trigger Bombs rather than nuclear bombs, and Flect Turn’s remaining scientists and engineers are quickly making progress with finishing those blueprints. 

They can still be shot down if Humarise ever finishes and fires some, either through technological missile defense systems or good enough quirks, yet it’s still another extremely annoying invention the late quirkless nutjob got going before I ended her.

Speaking of Humarise’s High Priestess, Flect decided to milk whatever he could out of her death, revealing to the world just how involved she was in their group and just how long she was a part of it along with my altered security footage of her fighting and killing heroes until her own end came. If I didn’t murder David Shield myself, the guy would’ve been lynched by the public the moment he was recovered. 

Flect Turn having his other scientists reveal their connections to Humarise also served as both a recruitment tactic and a way to make the WHA more paranoid. Humarise spies are everywhere, and more than a few innocents were accidentally swept up during the ongoing purge.

Such internal discourse will only benefit their enemies, giving Humarise enough time to finalize their canon plan, baiting in most remaining heroes and having their powers go completely berserk, killing them and everyone around them. 

Even if some Trigger Bombs fail, they could just finish the job with one of their ICBMs, although most of those will be dedicated to bombarding Japan. 

They won’t have the chance to launch a single one, Flect Turn’s plans falling apart and the smurf himself being slaughtered before he even gets the chance to wipe out the remaining heroes. 

I’ve long since gained control over his bombs’ Central Terminal, still lying around in his secret mountain base, so none of those chemical weapons, whether they're in a regular bomb or attached to a missile, will be going off unless I allow them to go off, and nobody else will have a clue about that until I start denying launches... and framing other factions for the sudden error, of course.

 

Doesn’t matter if Star and Stripe confiscates them with the WHA or All For One attempts to use them himself after raiding that main base of theirs; any technopathic quirks of theirs can be countered by the ones my Cyberwarfare Branch has. My clones and I already have a bet going on just who will arrive at that mountain base first, AFO or Star, and it doesn’t matter who gets there first, we’ll still be the only winners.

In short, I’ll come out on top once again. This war Humarise started won’t even last as long as the HPSC’s hold on Japan, and soon after the cult finally falls, the true final war will begin. What’s left of the World Heroes’ Association versus a stronger than ever Meta Liberation Army.

Both of those organizations have been steering towards recruitment too. I already went over the MLA’s expansion, but the hero-obsessed countries have been busy too, America especially. Their recruitment was all-encompassing. Support units, infantry, combat engineers, and so on. Everything was hiring and there was room for more everywhere.

They’ve also looked more into Trigger behind closed doors, having many of their top scientists attempt to alter the drug just like Humarise did, only with stability and safety being the focus instead of raw power.

In order to combat both the Artificial Singularities and the MLA’s heavy-hitters, they needed strong fighters and they needed them now. Their Number 1 Hero was powerful, indomitable, but she was only one person. 

And with the WHA and UN not budging on producing more QADs, they needed to work with what they had. A chance to both strengthen their heroes and learn more about the drug causing them so many problems was one America gladly took, quite a few other countries doing something similar. Having more options never hurts, right? 

While we’re on the subject of other options, there’s a certain nuclear solution I’ve been having my Cyberwarfare Branch look more into. How could I not? State-Of-The-Art Hypersonic Intercontinental Cruise Missiles serve as a pretty good deterrent for any countries or country-wide villain organizations thinking of invading the Home of Heroes.

They can travel around the world in mere minutes, unleashing enough firepower to take down even the most powerful heroes and villains with ease. I can match that trump card with my Rods From God ultimate, but that doesn’t mean I can survive getting hit by a nuclear bomb.

Not even AFO Tomura can survive getting directly hit with a nuclear bomb, having to bury deep underground before bombs like that land to just barely make it out alive.

Star and Stripe has special authority to call them in whenever she likes, America’s best calling in ten Tiamat missiles to take down AFO Tomura in canon, and here she sees me as a similar kind of threat to the world.

While my technopaths couldn’t find the specific blueprints for them yet, they and NightHaul did manage to find out plenty of other intel.

 

According to them, America is the only country with nuclear ICBMs here, or nuclear weapons in general at the moment, but some other countries like Russia and China are attempting to negotiate for Tiamat’s blueprints.

Can’t really blame them for that. After all, if the Meta Liberation Army decides to invade their country next or Humarise sends a horde of Artificial Singularities their way, nothing outside of the three symbols and nuclear bombs could quickly stop such threats.

The history of nuclear weapons post-quirks is also rather interesting, and it would explain why the pushback on any countries trying to regain access to such weapons and America for even entertaining the idea is so large across both the WHA and UN.

So back when the Dawn of Quirks first started, the world’s arsenal of nuclear weapons were decommissioned and dismantled as quickly as possible. 

They had humanity balanced on a knife’s edge, and the world falling apart could easily result in total annihilation via nukes if they were still around, so most people in positions of power did their best to take that card off the table.

Fast forward many years later to when the Dawn of Quirks ended and the world started to rebuild, and one of the first priorities of the newly reformed United Nations was to finish decommissioning and dismantling all remaining nuclear warheads and weapons.

In a world that had just come out of endless conflict, destruction, and death, countries were in no position to oppose. The Dawn of Quirks made both pre-quirk World Wars look like jokes in comparison, and people across the globe long since had enough of massive conflicts.

Both the weapons themselves and the means to produce them were disposed of under careful observation and supervision of the UN (and the WHA after it first came into existence), and the hope was that this eradication of nuclear weapons would help ensure global peace.

So then how did America develop their Tiamat missiles?

 

The memories and data I currently have don’t give me any concrete answers to that question, but my best guess is America either accidentally or purposefully missed a few blueprints and began work on them again much later down the line.

Knowledge on how to create weapons of mass destruction and death would always be desired by people all across the moral spectrum. Away from public and organizational scrutiny, at least a few individuals were bound to secretly stash away copies of plans to create nuclear warheads, hiding them under lock, key, and absolute secrecy.

As the saying goes, time heals all wounds, so when America completed a small arsenal of new nuclear missiles centuries later, the amount of pushback they got was minimal, especially with everyone’s attention now being on quirks.

However, with how unstable society has become even with multiple nigh-unstoppable symbols being around, quite a few countries have gotten rather antsy. It’s why they’re experimenting with Trigger and why they’re requesting America sell the specs to their nuclear weapons.

That demand will massively increase if their effectiveness is ever truly shown, but right now, both the WHA and UN (or at least the majority of those two groups) are keeping such requests at bay with the argument that the MLA and/or Humarise could potentially create their own if such secrets were spread.

A fair argument to make, especially when considering what happened with the Quirk Amplification Device, but they may not have a choice soon enough. 

As far as numbers go, America only has the ten Tiamat missiles shown in canon available, and creating more takes quite a while. However, Star secretly revealed to her fellow council members that she knows the design plans herself, and she can make more through giving herself a copy of Creation. 

Like she wasn’t powerful enough already. Now she can whip up a ‘State-Of-the-Art Hypersonic Intercontinental Cruise Punch’ whenever she damn well pleases, and while she won’t use it if anyone besides the worst of villains are around, she could always draw her battles away from public areas.

So now she has a way to match my Rods From God ultimate too… at least she can’t make a quirk copy of Double. That would be an absolute disaster for me. 

 

Back to the nukes, she can’t exactly create a secret stockpile of them in advance, so that limits her to two or maybe three extras at most, and she’ll be forced to make them close by to, if not in the middle of a battle at that. 

With how Creation works, a precise enough attack could detonate the thing as half of it is sticking out of her, and there’s no way she’s surviving a nuke to the face, so doing this would be incredibly risky.

Even if we ignore the risks, that’s still a total of 12-13 nuclear missiles the heroes can call up. It’s a far cry from the 12,000 or so from pre-quirk times, and none of these ones even reach a megaton worth of force, but I see no reason to complain about that. 

What’s more is that America still doesn’t intend to bring their nuclear arsenal out for usage, either for the war against Humarise or the war against the MLA. DEFCON 1 is still an absolute last resort, so that’s not surprising, but they’re almost guaranteed to be pushed to that point.

I wonder who they’ll end up targeting? I don’t have much to worry about since even with these ICBMs capable of reaching space, I’ll still have plenty of time to react if America ever does decide to try nuking me, assuming they figure out where my new home base is or Star reveals that I exist to begin with.

But any other target won’t be so lucky, so long as there isn’t a Warp Gate user nearby or Star isn’t locking down space.

Whatever the case may be, things only continue to ramp up in intensity. The war against Humarise is far more dangerous than in canon and the war against the new Meta Liberation Army should be even worse.

This war should last much longer than the last two combined, several years at the very least. Should be pretty interesting to watch play out as I gradually, completely move my personal forces to space, or at least the subordinates who are willing to seek shelter from the end of days.

And when the Quirk Singularity Doomsday starts in earnest, I’ll be ready to watch that too from a very safe, very far distance.

 

 

 

Star and Stripe’s P̶e̶r̶s̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶S̶h̶i̶t̶l̶i̶s̶t̶ Villain Rankings + Commentary

(each tier ranked in order from most to least threatening, at least for her)

SSSS-Rank Villains (Worldwide Threats):

• Long Haul - ‘most valuable friend’ her ass
• Twice - why did he have to follow the NEET murderhobo? 
• Flect Turn - fucker is going down even if it’s the last thing she does
• Re-Destro - he better stay in Japan if he knows what’s good for him

SSS-Rank Villains (Country-Wide Threats):

• Queen Bee - at least Long Haul is keeping her on a leash (helps that she’s probably into that sort of thing)
• Gigantomachia - what is so appealing about that NEET murderhobo? 
• Nine - she’ll be sure to throw a goddamn apocalypse his way next time
• Quirked Animals Turned Triggered Monstrosities - despite dying after a day, they still overstay their welcome
• Valdo Gollini - haven’t heard much of him lately, but he’s still going down
• All For One - still old news

SS-Rank Villains (Prefecture/State-Wide Threats):

• Rei - she hates Endeavor too, but isn’t causing a new ice age in retaliation a bit much?
• Geten - first Hawks and now him; Japan has a terrible taste in biggest bachelors

S-Rank Villains (City-Wide/Typical Top 10 Hero Threats):

• Tomura Shigaraki - absurdly powerful friends or not, he’s still a NEET murderhobo

Chapter 110: First and Foremost

Truth be told, this first phase of her plan was easier than she expected.

I-Island was known for having a wide variety of innovations that led to even more inventions. The vast majority were quirk-related, yes, but there were some intended for the betterment of humanity, especially as Humarise gradually wormed their way in.

So slipping a few innocent-looking personal projects of hers through the cracks wasn’t difficult. Hell, most of them weren’t even brought up by her, but instead others who she subtly influenced, others who wanted to make their mark with new products.

Pressure-resistant domes, geothermal reactors for energy, oxygen processing from the ocean itself, a new food supply handled with algae farms and aquaponic systems, and so on. 

She even got that new diving suit unveiled during the most recent I-Expo upgraded a bunch, letting it go far beyond its old maximum depth of 7,000 meters. 

I-Island is just that, an island in the middle of a vast, unforgiving ocean, so having a few inventions to help out in case the island was to get lost at sea or even sink doesn’t hurt, right?

Nope, but the main purpose was to have those sheeple handle some of the less important prep work for her. She could only do much in secret, even with aid from her growing collection of artificial intelligences. 

She’s already gone well beyond the basic Hercules models and the hardware supporting them, her latest model being just clever enough to pass for a human in trivial conversation, and she’s improving fast. 

Recreating and/or shipping all these inventions to her current location was more difficult, as absolute secrecy was a priority. At least that was all taken care of before her ‘death’, and considering the events leading up to it, she feels like that was a fair precaution to make.

At least finding a good, permanent spot to set up shop was already taken care of. Flat ground, minimal fault activity, and plenty of thermal vents nearby to power a colony could all be checked off. Not that she plans on making a colony, but her other creations are gonna need heaps of energy to function at maximum capacity.

Building it wasn’t an issue either, not with the arsenal of AI-controlled drones she built specifically to withstand even the worst water pressure could dish out. They could handle moving everything she needed down there too.

Construction should be mostly done by now, and definitely okay for her to transfer to. All she needs is to take her stolen boat out into the middle of the Pacific Ocean, equip her upgraded diving suit, and blast on down to her new hidden citadel where she can plot in peace.

It wasn’t supposed to happen nearly this early, and there are quite a few corners she had to cut as a result, but it’s nothing she can’t make up for later.

Probably for the best. Melissa Shield doesn’t want to be anywhere near the Earth’s surface now that her latest guinea pig took the bait.

Things are going to get very, very ugly when that sentient suicide bomb starts its timer, and she’ll be free to observe the extinction-level event’s fallout in peace. 

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  3 Weeks Until The Ascension

Quirk Bestowal. The quirk of Yoichi Shigaraki.

This quirk appears practically worthless at first glance, only having the ability to be transferred from one person to another, the user having to willingly pass it on through DNA.

According to All For One, Quirk Bestowal was an unformed speck, so weak that even his own quirk couldn’t detect or recognize it as a proper quirk factor. This is because of Yoichi’s weak constitution.

While both brothers were still in the womb, All For One had sapped away at their mother’s life force. Most of her nutrients were stolen by the older twin, leaving the younger twin small and frail.

As a result, Quirk Bestowal remained inactive for most of Yoichi’s life, never fully forming. That changed when All For One forced an energy-stockpiling quirk upon Yoichi, that and his own quirk merging into the quirk known as One For All.

But things aren’t quite so simple, because when is it ever simple with those two brothers?

 

You see, while Yoichi’s quirk only had the ability to be transferred, there were other aspects to the power. 

As Quirk Factor types tend to run in families, Yoichi’s Quirk Bestowal always had the secondary ability to assimilate with the quirks it came into contact with through transference, much like how All For One can take in multiple quirks by directly and consciously stealing them. 

Quirk Bestowal first directly absorbed the energy-stockpiling quirk into itself to make up for the strength it lacked, creating the Artificial Quirk known as One For All. 

One For All then assimilated with the quirks of other people it was transferred to, not completely stealing them like All For One, but instead creating copies of them. 

These copies were then bathed in the stockpile of energy the other half of that Artificial Quirk formed, forcing a Quirk Awakening to occur in each and every one. The original versions of these quirks were also strengthened in their users thanks to this well of power.

According to the official MHA Wiki, Quirk Bestowal supposedly evolved too, being able to not only transfer itself in its entirety, but also parts of itself as it reached the singularity.

This was theorized to be shown in two separate occasions, the first being when Izuku transferred OFA’s stockpiled power to Bakugou during their fight against Nine, the core essence of the quirk remaining within him, and the second instance being when Izuku transferred the additional quirks stored within to AFO Tomura during the Final War. 

However, this was never confirmed to be true, even on the MHA Wiki. OFA only being partially transferred to AFO Tomura could be a combination of Izuku’s desire to transfer it and AFO Tomura’s willpower to resist it, achieving a partial success. 

As for Bakugou getting OFA for the span of one battle, perhaps he subconsciously wanted to give the quirk back to Izuku as their bloodied bodies made contact right after the battle, OFA not having enough time to make a copy of his quirk and its vestige.

I have no way to confirm such theories, just as the Wiki doesn’t due to Horikoshi having a terrible track record of leaving plot holes around, but I feel like those are the most plausible explanations.

What I can confirm is that depending on the user’s and vestiges’ intent, the transfer can be more harmful than helpful to the recipient, as seen when the OFA vestiges were forcefully transferred to AFO Tomura and tore him apart from the inside out.

And from my own personal experiments, I’ve confirmed this to be one of the least dangerous parts of Quirk Bestowal.

 

Simply put, underneath its innocent, heroic surface lies a power that’s even greedier than its counterpart, All For One.

Have you ever wondered where the energy-stockpiling quirk’s vestige was? OFA contains all its users as separate vestiges, Yoichi included, but what about the other vestige?

Well, OFA is an Artificial Quirk, right? So the vestige of that quirk must be a combination of its users… only One For All isn’t that. Not even close.

After peering into copies of both the first-gen OFA and Quirk Bestowal, I can confirm that the vestige is a hundred percent Yoichi, not a trace of the Artificial Quirk’s other half remaining.

Quirk Bestowal absorbed the energy-stockpiling quirk to complete itself, not even leaving a trace of its vestige behind. All the power became Yoichi’s. All the influence and will became Yoichi’s. 

It was all for Yoichi, and therein lies the true potential of Quirk Bestowal, a quirk more greedy than even All For One. At least the latter can truly give as well as take whenever the user desires. At least the latter keeps the quirks and quirk vestiges separated from itself within its vestigerealm.

Quirk Bestowal does none of that, not when used to its true potential. Yoichi’s quirk should have been the quirk called All For One, not his brother’s quirk.

So what’s the deal with the other, separate quirks and vestiges then? They may all be part of One For All, but they aren’t truly merged into it like Energy Stockpile was.

From what I can tell, there are two main reasons for this.

Reason one is that Quirk Bestowal only fully took what it was missing, becoming One For All and therefore changing how the quirk functionally works. So when the quirk was transferred to other users, it didn’t fully take in and assimilate their quirks, only making copies of them and even keeping those copies separate from the true quirk core, vestiges and all.

Reason two is the will behind that change, none other than Yoichi’s vestige. He was the exact opposite of All For One; he never wanted to become like All For One, hating the very idea of even being gifted a stolen quirk.

Artificial Quirks form according to their user’s desires, so One For All is the way it is due to Yoichi’s will. As a result, Quirk Bestowal was technically strengthened, but also robbed of its true potential.

The potential to create the most powerful this world has ever seen, the ultimate Artificial Quirk.

In fact, I suspect that this power is the ‘ultimate quirk creation’ Future Eri managed to complete, at least in her time. 

 

See why this quirk can be such a game-changer? Pretty much every issue and complication with forming Artificial Quirks would disappear with Quirk Bestowal forcefully absorbing other powers into itself, vestige and all.

Theoretically, there isn’t even a limit to this. Most people can’t handle more than one quirk, but an Artificial Quirk is still one quirk no matter how many quirks have merged to make it. 

There would only be problems if the user had their own quirk, and even then, that quirk could be quickly absorbed into Quirk Bestowal, fixing the overflow. While All For One has limits based on its user’s body, its sibling quirk has no such problem.

Quirk Bestowal… a truly ironic name when it’s really the exact opposite. Quirk Absorption makes more sense. 

And remember, this quirk never fully formed due to Yoichi’s weak constitution. If allowed to grow into its full potential, who knows what this quirk could do.

Well, that’s exactly what I sought to figure out after acquiring Yoichi’s hand, using Rewind and Overhaul to make duplicates and return those duplicates back to a state where it still had One For All, and Quirk Bestowal before that.

It’s been over a month since we began those experiments, and we have learned a lot from them. Unfortunately, just like always, there have been some complications.

Even when able to fully manifest in a healthy body, Quirk Bestowal is pretty much useless on its own. Transferring the power between users isn’t an issue with Overhaul body-fusion, bypassing the ‘user must willingly pass it on’ requirement entirely.

However, the greediness of this quirk is truly something else, even with its own vestige desperately fighting back against its true nature. 

 

Every time we’ve given a copy of this quirk to a test subject via body-fusion, the other quirk or quirks of the user are almost immediately absorbed, creating a brand new Artificial Quirk. These quirks usually have at least some absorption aspect no matter what the other quirks going into Quirk Bestowal are.

And every single time, only Yoichi’s quirk vestige remains, not a single trace of the other quirk vestiges being present. Even with our test subjects being brainwashed to desire a certain outcome for the Artificial Quirks in question, Yoichi’s vestige always resists.

Yoichi’s vestige always fights back, attempting to destroy both itself and the user whether his current power is Quirk Bestowal or whatever Artificial Quirk it and other quirks turned into. 

Rewind can heal this damage done, and Overhaul body-fusion can take the Artificial Quirk out of our test subjects before vestige Yoichi tears them apart out of desperation, but these duplicated vestiges will always pick up where they left off the moment we bodyfuse them into another test subject.

One For All is a similar story despite Yoichi being the only vestige in these first-gen copies. That quirk doesn’t even try absorbing the quirks of others or building up energy, the vestige Yoichi within instead trying to destroy the quirk and its current wielder like what happened to AFO Tomura.

Annoying. Extremely fucking annoying. This one bottleneck has been holding us back for over a month now, vestige Yoichi not wanting to play ball no matter what I say or do. 

We tried combining our Artificial Quirk and Quirk Modification research together to bypass this, mutilating some Artificial Quirks made through Quirk Bestowal in an attempt to get rid of Yoichi’s vestige, but that stubborn ass always holds on no matter what we try. 

As for mutilating Quirk Bestowal itself, that doesn’t seem to work either. We tried getting rid of the transfer part, leaving the secondary absorption part behind, but Yoichi’s vestige still holds on.

The same goes for our All For One copies, as a matter of fact. No matter how much we ruin copies of that quirk, the vestige of All For One stubbornly holds on even if it’s just the tiniest fragment of itself.

Just like in canon, even when the AFO and OFA quirks are seemingly destroyed, parts of their vestiges still cling to their version of life. 

I don’t want a single bit of those brothers remaining when I take copies of their powers for myself. I don’t want to be destroyed from within or have my consciousness merged with either one of them to create an entirely new being. My mentality is what got me this far, and I refuse to give that up.

So how can I get around this hurdle? 

 

Quirk-Erasing Solutions targeted at vestiges, maybe? We have no idea how to implement that, even with the information Reveal gives us. 

Maybe use tons of Willpower-Enhancers to resist Yoichi’s influence? Nope, Quirk Bestowal just absorbs those too and grows an even more powerful will as a result.

Maybe have the vestiges of both OFA and AFO cannibalize each other? We’ve given weaker copies of AFO as well as copies of Quirk Bestowal and the first-gen OFA to test subjects a few times. Both those quirks would always tear each other apart, and the user inhabiting them along with it. 

Maybe pull an Endeavor to get a better, natural result of the power like he did through Rei and Shoto? Quirk Bestowal always destroys itself before that deed can be done.

I even considered asking Future Eri how she pulled it off, but I have no idea how to contact her outside of using Foresight, but that quirk has become practically useless after all the damage I’ve done to fate with it.

At the very least, Future Eri managing it means it’s possible. Maybe I figured it out myself or maybe she figured it out after whatever disaster ruined her future, but it’s possible.

((‘Who needs that Eri when you’ve got one right here?’)) VestigeHaul questions. 

‘How would my present daughter know what to do?’

((‘She doesn’t, but she’s still quite powerful in her own right. If you yourself were to give it a shot, and the result failed, Rewind can undo any damage done whether it’s physical, mental, or spiritual/vestige-related.

You should probably create duplicates of your current quirks as an extra just in case, and transfer your copy of Double out entirely so as to prevent your clones from dissipating if that quirk was destroyed. Losing LabHaul and NightHaul would be a disaster. But once that’s done, the risks are nonexistent. Would you agree?’))

He does have a good point. I can trust my daughter to save me if the worst were to happen, and this would be an invaluable experience. 

So I decide to take the risk, the quirks currently accompanying me being Reveal and Overhaul. Quirk-boosting quirks like Endurance would strengthen Quirk Bestowal with or without absorption, and the others would just get in the way.

Transferring Double doesn’t destroy any clones it was already used to create. I confirmed that during the Second Round and reconfirmed that soon after it ended. My current clones will be safe, and they’ll help me from the outside rather than the inside.

Reveal for analyzation and Overhaul for alteration, the vestiges of both being ironclad in terms of willpower and extremely capable in their own right. We’ll face down Yoichi as a trio, and hopefully figure out some way to curb the rebelliousness of this vestige.

“Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?” LabHaul questions one last time from his observation chamber. “We don’t need Quirk Bestowal’s power for our plans.”

“Quirk Bestowal, All For One, One For All, and New Order just to name a few. The only thing preventing me from wielding these overpowered abilities is their vestiges. 

We’ve spent so much time learning everything we could about the vestigeworld and its inhabitants, but we’re still missing something crucial. We can’t back down now. I refuse to back down in the face of this final hurdle.” I declare.

“Just… please be careful, dad.” Eri requests next to me, another copy of Yoichi’s preserved hand being in front of us.

“I will, fledgling.” I assure her. “But I know I’ll be okay no matter what, because you have my back.”

She gasps at this replay, her eyes sparkling for a bit at the praise, and her expression becomes as determined as my own soon after.

“Let’s do this.”

 

Rewind + Overhaul.

Centuries are gradually taken away from the hand, One For All eventually returning for a brief moment, Quirk Bestowal coming after that, Energy Stockpile being rewound out of the equation.

And the moment I feel that change through Reveal, I merge with the hand through Overhaul.

VestigeHaul and my own vestige drag me into the vestigeworld right after, and the three of us are forced to brace ourselves as what feels like a whirlpool pulls us towards the new addition.

Greed and desperation from the quirk. Fear and desperation from its vestige.

“Too much like big brother…” Yoichi mutters in fear, attempting to restrain the suction force of Quirk Bestowal himself. “No. You’re much, much more.”

“I appreciate the compliment, and I take it you’ve seen how your story is supposed to end. The world is misguided and needs help. At least I have a solution for it, so why don’t you let me take it from here?”

“It’s true that my belief is fragile, and the power it’s meant to become is imperfect, but if it doesn’t one day become the gem of hopes and dreams for everyone in this world, it will at least inspire someone who can take that role.

Someone like Star and Stripe or a singularity with even greater power. Even if One For All fails, something stronger will take its place!”

“How naive and oh so shounen-like.” I roll my eyes and grit my teeth, bracing myself against the fierce winds. 

Any attempts at suppression fail, whether it’s through me or the two vestiges helping me out. 

Extremely concerning, considering my expertise in the subject. Even with just Mind Web at the start, I could suppress VestigeHaul and the others from acting out and even using their quirks within my mindspace.

That control grew as I made breakthrough after breakthrough, my quirks increasing in both number and power. And right now?

I can suppress any mutant quirks I take from automatically manifesting on my body, much like what the All For One quirk can do. I can completely customize my own vestigeworld and its inhabitants, giving the latter various amounts of ‘access’ with a thought. I can detect, sever, and repair quirk resonances.

And those are just a few of my accomplishments, each and every one displaying a level of control over my body, mind, and quirks that stand head and shoulders above anyone else in this world.

Yet Quirk Bestowal can resist this overwhelming level of power and control. It’s a freak of quirk nature, much like All For One and New Order.

It’s not just Yoichi’s will, but the very nature of his quirk to consume. And Yoichi himself turns this into a three-way battle of sorts, trying to stop his quirk from taking me and the others in.

Neither of us want a merger between us like what happened with AFO Tomura in canon. Instead, we both want a complete victory. We both aren’t willing to settle for any less.

But how to achieve it…

 

“Stop… Don’t hurt… Don’t…”

The scene around us shifts into a very familiar flashback, one of Yoichi and All For One back when they were kids. 

All For One kicks his crying brother away without a care in the world, having just finished robbing the quirks of a few random thugs. 

“How the hell…” My own vestige mutters as the scene around us shifts again. “Wait, don’t tell me…”

“You kept this from me? What are you reading?” A pre-teen Zen Shigaraki questions his brother.

“Well, I’m still learning to read, so big fancy books are too hard, but… these comics are just… wow!” Yoichi responds with a smile on his face. “It’s like you read the pictures, and they tell you the hopes and dreams of the people in the drawings. Like this hero. Someday, I wanna be like him!”

“Unbelievable.” I laugh out loud as the young brothers sit down to read a comic book together. “Quirk Bestowal is actually forcing a resonance to form between us in an attempt to draw me in! Our memories are blending together as an accelerated response!

You really are as greedy as your brother, Yoichi, forcing your naive ideals upon others in body and soul again and again. Your power formed a pinnacle of the world, but I never limited myself to this world. 

No, I figured out how to break this world, and rebuild it, overhaul it into whatever I desire it to be. Whether it’s the tropes of these fucking shounens or the powers that its society revolves around, I won’t let any of that overhaul me. I’ll ensure it’s the other way around!” I growl, no longer resisting the pull through my own willpower.

Instead, I rely on a different, more logical and pragmatic solution. Instead, I shatter the resonance Quirk Bestowal is attempting to form, blasting us all back.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

None of us get much time to recuperate, Quirk Bestowal attempting to reform the bond between us as its pull gets even greater… but this is my world, and I decide who's in control here.

Reveal shows its inner workings and Overhaul helps alter them. With these powers, I can shatter the bond Quirk Bestowal attempts to form again and again as I draw ever closer.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

“No… Stop!” Yoichi begs, desperately backing away, holding the smallest quirk light I’ve ever seen close to his chest. The power is shaking, trying to break free as Yoichi fights his darkest instincts.

“YOU’RE THE ONLY ONE WHO NEEDS TO STOP!” I roar back, how his power works becoming more and more clear to me. “You and the rest of this fucking world! I won’t let any of you limit me anymore! I won’t let any of you cage me anymore!”

Cracks slowly begin to form deep within me. Reveal and its vestige, Overhaul and its vestige, and even the vestigeworld itself. It was cracking… it was changing.

“The Singularity Evolution…” VestigeHaul gasps. “Sekan, you’re starting it too soon! SEKAN!”

Quirk Bestowal thrashes around like a wild dog, eventually breaking free of its vestige and lunging towards me. It wants me. It wants my power, just as I want it. 

It can consume vestiges and quirks, but I am neither of those things. And yet… even now, I can’t fully consume it either.

We both know deep down what this will result in, a new being just like AFO Tomura in concept, a being that can undergo the singularity and evolve into something beyond human. 

This won’t be permanent. This can be altered to where I have full control again, just like how Tomura regained full control over All For One’s quirk and vestige.

“NO!!!”

“WAIT!!!”

“SEKAN, STOP!!!”

All three vestiges cry out to no avail, and just as I collide with Quirk Bestowal…

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

A bright, golden light brings an end to it all.

 

 

 

‘Wha… What just happened?’

I let loose a groan while slowly opening my eyes, only to nearly spring up in shock at the scene around me.

A completely trashed lab, piles of severed flesh everywhere, all four of my clones looking both worn out and frightened, Eri softly crying while clinging to my leg.

‘What the hell just… the experiment! I remember walking into the room with Yoichi’s hand, ready to merge with Quirk Bestowal, and then it’s all blank from there. 

So Eri was forced to Rewind me, huh? Stop me from doing something stupid again.’

“Hey, it’s alright. I’m alright.” I console my daughter. “I remember everything up to walking in here… what exactly happened?”

“You began undergoing the Quirk Singularity evolution, original.” LabHaul responds, an unnaturally serious expression covering his face. 

“Everything from your body and mind to the Reveal and Overhaul quirks began changing, and Quirk Bestowal tried dragging it all into itself. It even forced a resonance with you, multiple times as a matter of fact, but you shattered it every single time.” BossHaul adds on.

“Was the evolution similar to AFO Tomura? The piles of flesh everywhere-”

“Yes and no. It wasn’t just hands, even at the start. Quite a few extra heads sprouted too, those being for Reveal while the hands were for Overhaul. At least, that’s my current assumption.

It was sporadic at first. You collapsed like a puppet that got cut from its springs and the mutations began mere minutes later, way faster then what happened with Tomura when he got AFO. 

After that initial outburst is when things got a bit weird. The waves of flesh and parts began to get flung out, as if they were trying to escape. Likely a subconscious response avoiding the black hole Quirk Bestowal became.

But then all those parts began to loop around and converge towards you, your ‘main’ body growing like AFO Tomura did when his ‘Apex Form’ was created. 

We had Eri hit you with a boosted Rewind blast once that started, and while it did the job, undoing your mutations and erasing Quirk Bestowal… it almost felt like your body was resisting the time-bending attack. Do you feel okay? We can’t see any issues through Reveal, but this might go deeper than what we can currently observe.”

Taking a closer look within myself… I do feel a bit weird. Something’s different, but I can’t put my finger on what.

Some kind of instinct, maybe? A fundamental change to my vestige-filled mindscape or even my very existence? I can’t tell through Overhaul or Reveal, and VestigeHaul isn’t sure either. 

In fact, both he and my own vestige can’t remember what happened too, the power of Rewind even affecting their composition and memories. 

Is this my body playing tricks on me? No, I know my own body better than anyone. 

“Nothing feels wrong, though there is still something different deep within. Call it a gut feeling, but it’s there, and I don’t think it’s a bad thing.”

 

“We aren’t doing that again.” BossHaul declares, leaving no room for argument. “We’ve got discarded parts of you as you underwent the initial singularity evolution stages, and those will be immensely helpful. We also confirmed how close you are to naturally undergoing the singularity.

It was risky, and we got plenty of gains with minimal losses, but it’s best if we don’t continue testing our luck.”

“That’s fine, we’ll go back to using prisoners for test subjects. While we haven’t cracked the quirk code just yet, we are getting closer. Not only that, but I’ve reached the pinnacle of pre-singularity humanity without even undergoing the procedure done to AFO Tomura.

LabHaul, when will you be ready to begin my own procedure? My body has hit a bottleneck, and while Rewind should be able to prevent a natural evolution until we’re ready, I’d rather not chance it.”

“Just a few more weeks, original. I’ve got plenty prepared to optimize the process, these discarded pieces being an extra bonus, a partial map into your personal, potential metamorphosis if you will.

It’s just the vestiges of All For One and Yoichi causing trouble, but even without those quirks, you should be alright. Even Awakened For All is close to completion; we didn’t need Quirk Bestowal for that after all.”

Not perfect, but infinitely close. 

I suppose I shouldn’t get greedy, as my own ascension will be far, far better than AFO Tomura’s could ever be. Yet something deep within me isn’t satisfied with that. No amount of power is worth losing my very being, what makes me ‘me’, but I just know there’s a better solution, one that lets me keep all that I am and then some.

Guess all I can do now is continue doing what I’ve been doing. Attempt to uncover and break this world the best I can.

 

 

 

Star and Stripe’s P̶e̶r̶s̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶S̶h̶i̶t̶l̶i̶s̶t̶ Villain Rankings + Commentary

(each tier ranked in order from most to least threatening, at least for her)

SSSS-Rank Villains (Worldwide Threats):

• Long Haul - ‘most valuable friend’ her ass
• Twice - why did he have to follow the NEET murderhobo? 
• Flect Turn - fucker is going down even if it’s the last thing she does
• Re-Destro - he better stay in Japan if he knows what’s good for him

SSS-Rank Villains (Country-Wide Threats):

• Queen Bee - at least Long Haul is keeping her on a leash (helps that she’s probably into that sort of thing)
• Gigantomachia - what is so appealing about that NEET murderhobo? 
• Nine - she’ll be sure to throw a goddamn apocalypse his way next time
• Quirked Animals Turned Triggered Monstrosities - despite dying after a day, they still overstay their welcome
• Valdo Gollini - haven’t heard much of him lately, but he’s still going down
• All For One - still old news

SS-Rank Villains (Prefecture/State-Wide Threats):

• Rei - she hates Endeavor too, but isn’t causing a new ice age in retaliation a bit much?
• Geten - first Hawks and now him; Japan has a terrible taste in biggest bachelors

S-Rank Villains (City-Wide/Typical Top 10 Hero Threats):

• Tomura Shigaraki - absurdly powerful friends or not, he’s still a NEET murderhobo

Chapter 111: To Infinity and Beyond

Kori Tsukaite really wasn’t anything special just a few years ago. A quirkless fisherman at one of Osaka’s ports, barely making ends meet since not being born with something like rubber limbs or jaws like an anglerfish means he can’t get promoted.

Seriously, angler-mouth guy was caught siphoning funds twice. TWICE! And that guy was chosen for a promotion before him because at least he isn’t quirkless, right? Can’t mess up the little company’s image, right?

Not much he could do about it though, at least until the company and pretty much every company who owned a port here was secretly taken over by some yakuza clan. Protection fees, great. Like his salary wasn’t low enough already.

Only that’s when any sense of logic he had was thrown out the window, because the people in charge of this yakuza apparently liked his work ethic enough to offer a place in their special supersoldier program for him.

He’s heard the horror stories about the quirk-stealing boogeyman, and he figured that just going along with it was better than angering the guy who’s apparently, actually real. Yeah, turns out it wasn’t the quirk-stealing boogeyman after all, but someone a hundred times more ridiculous and even more powerful.

Sekan Doraifu was the boogeyman of boogeyman, and taking part in that guy’s Praetorian Program made him go from quirkless nobody to multi-quirked monster that makes most top heroes look like chumps in comparison in like a month.

Being one of the first ‘Pseudo-Getens’ ever made, he was honestly expecting to be thrown into a battlefield and wreck absolute havoc, but nope. He stayed at the same port, and the only thing that really changed in regards to his job was that he also had some bodyguarding duty. He was far less important then he thought he'd be afterwards, mostly due to the procedure done on him being capable of mass-production, and wasn't that a terrifying thought?

Not that he minded all that much. He wasn’t completely obsessed over revenge on this stupid society, though he certainly wouldn’t oppose it burning down, not that he really even had a choice in the matter. With the kinds of monsters roaming around here, society collapsing was never a matter of if, only when.

 

That moving mountain Machia, took down the Symbol of Peace himself yet tends to behave like an oversized garden gnome or hyperactive puppy depending on his current mission. Just make sure not to badmouth his master around him and you’re golden.

That natural disaster Nine, flying around and throwing armageddon at anyone below him. Try to avoid him unless you obtain plenty of power yourself by working hard for it, he can respect that sort of thing.

That immortal monarch Kuin, planning her latest hit song one moment and how to consume entire countries the next. She’s got eyes and ears almost everywhere, and while she won’t kill you over a bit of badmouthing, she knows how to be extremely petty. 

As for Sekan Doraifu himself, let’s just say he’s a monster amongst monsters. Don’t panic if he drops by; he isn’t some whiny, egotistical chuunibyou like All For One and can take some banter, but never cross him. 

Shit would horrifically hit the fan, and all these fun benefits you get for working for him would vanish just as quickly. Sekan ain’t that scary as long as you do your job and do it well.

Just do what he says and you’re golden, and there should be no reason why you can’t follow orders because that guy will never assign his subordinates impossible tasks. That’s his own department, and he is really damn good at it.

Kori hasn’t had to do much himself besides guard his fishing port. Help escort that eldritch pirate Innsmouth and his crew a few times, attack an All For One outpost with plenty of others after the demon lord cosplayer himself got wrecked at Kamino, help completely decimate remaining HPSC forces alongside the Meta Liberation Army which was also apparently still a thing, and so on.

Really wasn’t too difficult with how one-sided all those battles were. Besides being known to achieve the impossible on a regular basis, Sekan is known for being as cautious as he is powerful, and he is stupidly powerful. 

And how he probably won’t have to risk his life ever again with their cosmic-edition doomsday bunker being mostly complete. He knows plenty of fellow Shie Hassaikai members who are crazy or stupid enough to dive head-first into the incoming apocalypse, and he himself isn’t one of them.

He likes living. He enjoys a peaceful life. He’s started up a pretty serious relationship with a fellow Sekan subordinate these last few months and he’s thought about adopting a kid from that AFO orphanage his boss took over a while back. 

Just settle down and start a family while the rest of the world destroys itself. Simple enough, right? With Sekan in charge, it most definitely is, and while he really hopes it doesn’t come to this, he’s definitely willing to show his appreciation for all that Sekan has done for him if the boss requires it, even if it means dying in the process.

At the very least, he’s had a great last few years of his life…

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  2 Weeks Until The Ascension

‘It’s almost time.’ I remind myself while walking down one of the Shie Hassaikai’s new production halls.

Creation continues to be one of the most useful quirks I managed to obtain a copy of. It can be used to endlessly produce whatever rare materials and expensive products I need, solving whatever funding problems pop up.

The Creation Crew can be considered a prototype in that regard. LabHaul was able to make something a lot more efficient once we got Garaki’s research data.

A brand new specialized Nomu was created as a result, one that isn’t meant for combat, but rather miscellaneous tasks like what Garaki made Johnny and Mocha to do. My Space-End Nomu is one example, so I guess this would be called Creation-End? 

Maybe I should just batch these kinds together and call them Special-End Nomu. That would probably be easier for the poor saps stuck cataloguing my constantly-ballooning forces.

 

Anyway, some of the Creation Crew members finally managed to awaken their Creation quirk copies a while back, and they allowed for a much better lipid-material ratio, letting the user create more in terms of quantity. This was the first quirk given to the new Nomu. 

The Alchemy quirk from Valdo Gollini came next, this transmutation power serving a similar function as creation once awakened. This quirk directly lets the user transmute matter into nearly anything they desire, so no need for lipids as a middleman. Even so, having both powers available is better as it lets these Nomus create stuff faster.

After that came some size-altering and object minimization or gigantification quirks to ramp up material production even further. Examples of these quirks are Size from Class 1-B’s Yui Kodai and the Object Gigantification quirk used by the Seijin High School student in the red ninja gear during the canon Practical Exams arc.

Some object-strengthening quirks were also added alongside Endurance to further boost the quirks in use, Energy Saver to further increase production rate, and Super Regeneration to help recover after spamming Creation.

Speaking of the Nomu’s body, it was also specialized for this specific task. It was engineered to best use the Creation quirk with the end result being a rotund ball of fat with no limbs, precious few organs, and a primitive brain that only had the purpose of visualizing the atomic information my computers fed into it.

The creature itself was in a vat filled with green sludge. Nutrient and carbohydrate paste was pumped in through tubes at the top. Factory parts, machine pieces, some modified gear/weapons, and various raw materials rolled out on conveyor belts at the bottom. 

Double was already used to create hundreds of copies of this Nomu, and they all work as well as the original does. We plan on producing much, much more once we finish expanding this production line, which shouldn’t take long.

The constant usage of Creation and other quirks to augment most of the produced objects put on quite a nice lightshow in this room, the green sludge illuminating and the glass containing it reflecting the dazzling rainbow light.

Most of this stuff is being stored in preparation for the construction, or rather, modification of our final home… or homes, I suppose, since we’ll have far more than just a single facility in space. Graphene, carbon fibers, carbon nanotubes, and so on. 

 

Breaking reality by artificially producing exotic forms of matter like negative mass matter is still out of our reach, but we’re working on it. As nice as Warp Gate is, managing to make an actual Sci-Fi style warp drive would be much better for traveling across galaxies in the future.

The rest of it is being used to equip and bolster my own, personal army. Not the Meta Liberation Army forces or its allies, but the few tens of thousands of people that are well and truly my own. 

I could just rely on robots, Nomu, and Double clones when exploring the cosmos, but besides functioning as a quirk production factory, I genuinely want to try making my own society. It’ll be something to help stave off the boredom eternal life brings. 

These Nomu are mass producing tactical suits made of a polymer blend with ten layers of treated composite materials. It provides state-of-the-art ballistic protection, piercing protection, and even some temperature resistance on both sides of the spectrum, letting those who equip it tank most weaker quirks.

As for weapons, we’ve been using blueprints from Tartarus and I-Island as a base and improving it from there, letting our brainwashed Double clones of David and Melissa shield, among other top scientists at I-Island, take a crack at it.

Another nice thing about creation is that you can pump out stuff with whatever shape, density, and property you like, so long as you know the atomic composition. 

I can’t go making twelfth-dimensional objects with Creation or Alchemy because I have no clue what their composition is, and therefore can’t type the necessary instructions onto a computer, but I do know what most of the stuff I need is made of. It’s like Overhaul with slightly different overhauling, if that makes any sense. 

As long as I can imagine the final results, I can instantly turn pretty much anything into anything I desire, whether it’s an altered form of the original target or something completely new. 

Something that really, really helps with the next step of our space expansion project, once all the satellites we needed were placed and we move a good chunk of our outposts up here. The latter will all come together to help form this.

Hassaikai Haven.

 

Hassaikai Haven has replaced Hassaikai HQ in Osaka as my organization’s central hub for advanced industry and research. It’s not like we have to worry about being caught all the way up here, right?

This controlled environment far away from any interlopers make it an ideal location for manufacturing high-tech materials, pharmaceuticals, and other products that tend to be difficult producing on Earth.

From physics to biology to materials science, the unique conditions in space can help our research lead to new discoveries and innovations. It’s a self-sustaining cycle of growth and development, and it’ll help advance my organization to a level of social, economic, and scientific process faster than the Earth of both this life and my last life could ever imagine.

As I said before, quirks enable the creation of a society that is less dependent on finite resources and more focused on sustainability and long-term well-being.

There’s still so much to set up. So much has to be upgraded or replaced entirely for this colony starship, and every other structure we create out in space, to meet my absurd standards of defense, expansion, and maintenance.

“At this rate, we’re gonna have to change your name to BuildHaul.” I joke to my unamused clone as he pulls up several holograms.

With Shie Hassaikai recruitment being minimal nowadays, I had GuildHaul fully switch his focus to our more cosmic-themed projects, overseeing all the work being done there.

“I’ll pass, thanks.” He dryly responds. “Now then, one we get the space dock on Hassaikai Haven operational, we can start building this beauty. He’ll be the first bad boy in the Shie Hassaikai’s space fleet.”

Letting loose a whistle as the holographic starship design in front of me, I quickly get to studying.

“Mind giving me a tour?”

 

GuildHaul flicked his wrist in response, and the hologram shifted to display the ship’s outer hull. Despite appearing in a dark coat of paint, it shimmered under the stimulated light, giving the space vessel an almost predatory appearance.

“Dark design, not too dissimilar from a Star Wars Star Destroyer without the dumbass bridge. Layered, self-healing composites covering it are durable and even have some quirks strengthening it, both strong and light, so we won’t have to worry about sinking like a stone 

It’ll give us good resistance against kinetic impacts and small-scale energy weapons, but we’re also adding an adaptive energy-dissipation system underneath. Think of it like a flexible, reactive skin. It absorbs energy blasts and redistributes the force, reducing overall damage.”

“So a ship-wide Shock Absorption quirk?” I confirm.

“One that does a whole lot better against heat and energy then the one All For One stuck in his Nomus.” My clone grins. “And yes, this stuff and pretty much everything else I’ve got planned for these ships will be added onto Hassaikai Haven.”

“Impressive. Gonna take a while to mass-produce, even with the Creation Crew and transmutation quirks, and expensive doesn’t even begin to cover its value, but impressive. Also sounds like overkill.”

“There’s no such thing as overkill when you’re dealing with the wider universe. Who knows what other surprises those two dumbass deities slipped in.

And even if this universe is completely, utterly devoid of life excluding Earth, if quirks continue to grow and develop to no end, we could end up having to defend against wandering planet-busters in a few thousand years or so, maybe even a few hundred.”

Pumping out enough carbon nanotubes and other pieces of nanotech to completely fill this thing is going to take a while, even with the massive head start the Creaton Crew had and all the Special-End Creation Nomus we’ve got dedicated to the task.

But it’ll get done soon enough, even with all the other materials those guys have to produce alongside that stuff.

“It’s far from just that, original! Carbon-based nanocomposites. Thermosetting polymers. Graphene-based electronics. A special steel alloy I call ‘supersteel’ that offers the absolute best that one can get out of steel when durability is involved. Several forms of titanium like titanium nitride. 

Tungsten too, mostly for the thruster nozzles I’m adding due to that metal’s high heat resistance and it’ll also be in the form of tungsten steel for numerous magnets that are needed for inertia dampening diamagnetic generators scattered through the station and-”

Yeah, I doubt GuildHaul will be stopping anytime soon. 

 

And he isn’t the only clone of mine heavily-dedicated to this project either. While hurrying up with my ascension preparations is still his top priority, LabHaul has been creating these batches of Special-End Nomu to further his research.

The Creation-End and Space-End are just two of his latest Nomu products. Another one was what he nicknamed a Defender-End with a powerful combination of awakened barrier quirks and object strengthening quirks along with boosters like Endurance and Energy Saver to act as another layer of defense. 

Our current technology is good, but we won’t be ignoring the sheer convenience quirks provide in exchange.

Many clones of this Nomu have already been positioned around the edge of Hassaikai Haven, and this is just for purely defense. Hordes of combat robots, Nomu clones, and automatic defense systems for all kinds of ground, sea, and air attacks are also spread throughout the island to beat back any potential invaders or hostile environments.

“And other defenses? How close are we to making the equivalent of a planetary shield?”

“Depends on what threats we’re trying to counter. For asteroids, even the high-power energy weapons we have now can blast them to bits, and we’ve got the tech to pick up on them far before they hit us. 

For solar radiation, harmful solar flares, or coronal mass ejections, we’re thinking of creating either magnetic field generators or Nomus with quirks which can create similar effects placed in strategic locations around the station. 

This would create a powerful, artificial magnetic field similar to Earth’s magnetosphere which can deflect charged particles from stars, shielding our electronic systems from the damaging effects of intense solar radiation.

Moreover, the development of this technology drives significant advancements in technology and science. The research and engineering required to create such a shield, at least if we’re using technology instead of just quirks, would lead to breakthroughs in fields like material science, energy generation, and space-based sensors.”

 

Such was made clear as GuildHaul’s holographic tour continued, our conversation shifting seamlessly from shield harmonics to crew capacity and training programs. Us innovators could feed off each other’s energy, pushing ideas forward with every step.

There’s the life support systems needed, and if we want this place to grow and evolve, then these have to be far better then anything that existed before I showed up to this world.

Recycling air, water, and waste is a top priority of mine for these stations, and while certain quirk combinations gifted to specialized Nomu can certainly help, having the technological means to do so is also necessary as a backup in case the worst were to happen.

It’ll be a closed loop system. Hydroponics, aquaponics, and so on will all be included here.

Then there’s the amount of energy needed to power this floating fortress, and thanks to quirks, this is actually one of the easier problems to solve.

After making some palladium through Creation and playing around with some density-altering quirks in AFO’s quirk storage, we managed to make the metal absorb hydrogen and its isotopes, something long-believed to be impossible without considering the bullshit that is quirks.

By forcing the hydrogen atoms so close together, we were able to make them fuse and generate energy. In other words, we just used quirks to make the world’s first fully-functioning cold fusion reactor.

For any non-science nerds out there, cold fusion is (or was, I suppose) a hypothesized type of nuclear reaction that would occur at or close to room temperature. So by spamming the creation of these reactors, I can give this artificial island limitless amounts of clean energy, no fossil fuels needed.

Sure, Creation could be used to make said fossil fuels if I wanted, but now that slot can be directed towards producing other stuff I need. Oh, and it also solves my organization’s energy problem without relying on the far more dangerous nuclear reactors.

Oh, and we intend to harness plenty of solar energy too. This just serves as a convenient backup if no stars are nearby.

“Alright. You’ve sold me on the design. But I still think it’s premature to start training a crew when we haven’t even started building the damn thing.”

“Why? The ship’s core system is finalized. There may be a few minor tweaks made later on, sure, but the core systems won’t change. We know what the crew will need to learn, so why wait?”

“It just feels… off.” I admit. “Training people for a ship that doesn’t exist yet.”

Not to mention at the process we’re going at, the blueprints for this thing will have been upgraded a dozen times over.

“That’s what simulators and illusion quirks are for.” My clone shrugs back. “We’ll create virtual environments where they can run through scenarios, learn the ship’s layout, and get familiar with the controls. By the time the ship is built, they’ll be experts.”

“And you’re confident the simulators will be accurate?”

“Come on, original. I’m you, an overly paranoid bastard who doesn't do half-measures, remember?”

“Fine. But if this backfires and we have a crew that thinks they know what they’re doing but ends up crashing the ship, I’m holding you personally responsible.”

“Good thing I’m you then.” The cheeky little shit smirks back.

 

“True, true. Just one more thing… what about artificial intelligence? Stuff like I-Island drones and Nezu’s combat bots are one thing, but I’m talking about the-”

“No. Absolutely not. Even the ‘Hercules’ AI Melissa made both in canon and here is a Dumb AI at best, something that can be easily beaten by humans with good enough training and quirks.”

If we go any further than that, we could end up with a Skynet or Ultron or maybe even the quirk version of X-Men Sentinels on our hands. With so many technopathic quirks around, and quirks in general only getting more powerful, it doesn’t matter how ironclad our failsafes are or how advanced the AI itself is.

A powerful enough technopathic attack can make such things go completely haywire, and then we would all be fucked because we decided to be idiots and let artificial intelligence handle at least some of our game-breaking endeavors. So no. No artificial intelligence. We are not falling into that trope.”

“Alright, jeez! I see your point.” I relent. “We’ll just shatter human limits by undergoing the singularity evolution then. Not like we can’t already increase people’s processing power by a boatload through some Overhaul surgery.”

“Exactly. Anything AI can do, we can do better with the right quirks and some ingenuity.”

Looking back, Star and Stripe did manage to overwhelm Melissa’s technology en masse with just a single technopathic attack from multiple temporary quirks.

All For One is doing something similar in his own campaign against Humarise. He’s gotten himself quite a few new technopathic quirks, among others.

How do I know that? Well, besides Reveal continuing to keep an eye on him, we’ve been doing some tinkering with the original All For One quirk.

Remember how any quirks the original All For One quirk had were duplicated into All For One the person’s copy of All For One? And remember how All For One the person took Search right before Kamino in canon, only for Tomura to have it too when he was given the original All For One?

So this would imply that any quirk either All For One quirk gets is shared between users of both quirks. 

 

What about the Pseudo-AFO quirk Nine gets in canon then? Didn’t both AFO Tomura and AFO himself somehow get the Air Wall quirk too despite Tomura himself killing Nine at the end of Heroes Rising? What’s up with that?

At first glance, it’s plot holes galore. When taking a deeper dive, it has to do with that ‘resonance’ effect between All For One, copies of All For One, and One For All. Everything from quirks to consciousnesses seemed to be connected by this web of bullshit.

Pseudo-AFO had the weakest effect, being the weakest version of All For One by far. It required the user to be compatible enough with All For One to begin with, and the vestige within was far too weak to bodyjack its host like the original All For One quirk could.

Then there’s the copy of AFO All For One the person had. Much more powerful and a much stronger connection with the original AFO quirk, allowing both quirks to share the quirks stolen with each other. The only real weakness is a loosened grasp on the other quirks within. 

One For All shares a connection too with that connection growing as the two quirks resonate with each other more, either through All For One stealing part of it like during the Final War, All For One trying to steal it like during the Paranormal Liberation War, or users of both quirks being in close proximity to each other like also during the Final War. 

These ‘resonation’ effects were whatever the plot needed them to be in canon, but I’ve managed to find a clear enough pattern here. Not only that, but LabHaul and the others have been getting better and better at controlling these connections.

Reveal is unbelievably overpowered, especially when boosted several times over. Combined with strong enough willpower (or enough Willpower-Enhancing quirks), and you can start messing with these connections without even implanting any OFA or AFO quirks within you.

It’s how LabHaul was able to sever the resonance effects between AFO and every copy of AFO, purposefully leaving the one with OFA still active. While All For One the person did notice this (and suffered a major backlash for it), he couldn’t do anything to stop it.

He’s continued playing around with that power from the outside ever since. He’s duplicated more Pseudo-AFO quirks too through our Overhaul + Rewind combo, giving them to some of our prisoners/test subjects for various other experiments. 

Process has been steady, and quite a few more tricks have been discovered. We can now both sever and reconnect these resonance effects whenever we wish through Reveal, although the users of these quirks will notice. 

NightHaul reported Mirio and the OFA vestiges felt ‘like an invisible weight has been lifted and reattached’ when we tried severing and reattaching the AFO-OFA resonance, and the vestiges themselves still don’t have a clue about what exactly caused that feeling.

The best they can theorize is either All For One or I myself did something. What that ‘something’ is, they don’t know. 

And yes, Mirio has been able to at least talk with OFA’s vestiges. Not to the extent Izuku could during the Dark Hero Arc, as All For One’s attempt at taking OFA here was far less when AFO Tomura’s attempt in canon, but it still did help a little.

OFA vestiges can now occasionally talk to Mirio when he’s awake, although it does take a lot out of them, and having conversations in dreams is much easier. Interetsingly enough, Izuku was booted out entirely, not even having the chance to form a vestige here.

It isn’t impossible as Bakugou didn’t form any kind of vestige after temporarily getting the quirk in Heroes Rising. In fact, it was probably easier to prevent as Izuku himself was quirkless before, but it’s still a pretty interesting development.

Kudo, much like the one I fought during the Third Round, hates Izuku’s guts with Bruce and most other vestiges being not too far behind on the hate train. Excluding Mirio himself, only Nana and Toshinori came to Izuku’s defense (the latter as much as he could while being only half-formed, anyway). 

Good. I won’t complain about a less-united undead peanut gallery within One For All. Mirio is overpowered enough as is.

 

Back to my quirk experiments, All For One the person can only feel these effects going on when I reform his AFO copy’s resonance, something I only periodically do… as that allows the original All For One quirk to ‘update’ in a sense with all the new quirks he’s gotten for himself. 

Unfortunately, this does mean any quirk he decides to give away is lost to the original AFO quirk too whenever I periodically update, but it’s not like the guy is gonna give away anything good. I’m perfectly fine having this AFO bundle come with 995 weak mutant quirks instead of 1,000 weak mutant quirks. 

Oh, and these experiments also double as another way to screw with the guy. While he’s gradually been adapting to the backlashes messing around with the resonance causes, it still affects him even now, mostly by pissing him off beyond belief.

Watching him curse Garaki as he indiscriminately lets loose a few dozen quirks while trying not to collapse never gets old. I even make sure to time these reconnections at the worst possible moments like, say, whenever he’s hosting a meeting with some new minions of his.

Does this reveal that someone’s at least occasionally monitoring him? Yes, but remember, he thinks it’s Garaki doing this. 

If anything, this only further solidifies All For One’s proof of Garaki hiding somewhere at Humarise, because why else would he be making his conquest of the cult as difficult as possible?

He may even think Tomura is in on it too, as I’ve sent quite a few quirk clones his way over the last few weeks just to further hinder him, ensuring his new empire doesn’t grow too large. 

And no, AFO can’t steal any quirks from Double clones as the canon Final War proved. I can work around the limitation through Overhaul fusion, but the demon lord has no such quirk or skill in his arsenal.

Flect Turn can deny all he wants; All For One will never believe him, instead assuming Garaki gave the guy some way to work around his lie-detecting quirk. 

Don’t you just love it when your enemies do most of the work for you?

“The games they play are quite entertaining, aren’t they?”

…No. 

Fuck. No.

 

“Not you again.” I groan at the demon lord cosplayer who puts All For One to shame. “You’re even further off from six months than last time!”

“Really? Sure feels like it’s been six months with how much has occurred here. So, ready for Round 4? That last question was rhetorical, by the way.”

“Go figure.” I deadpan back. “So what, am I the one defending all of Japan this time, because I kinda took it over since the last round. A good chunk of Europe too.”

“As a matter of fact, you will have that territory. Japan with the Meta Liberation Army, Europe with the MLA and Gollini Family, I-Island with your Humarise spies and turncoats, even your little space bases. Everything you’ve amassed will be sent over, as per the rules. Well, besides heroes like Mirio and Star since they aren't truly on your side.”

Generous. Way too fucking generous.

“...What’s the catch?”

“No catch, and the special objective this time around is simple. The ‘Sekan’ or enemy leader who bows down first loses; get the opponent to submit by any means necessary. No time limit this time, though I doubt it’ll take too long.”

“And I get absolutely everything I’ve amassed? My armies, my subsidiaries, my territories, all of it?”

“Yup, as will your opponent... sort of. All your stuff will basically get plopped into their world, just like how Osaka was plopped into your opponent's world during the last round. Both of you will appear on the frontlines rather than cooped up in your hidey holes though; actually lead your armies into battle from the start and prove who’s the better de facto ruler of their world.”

De facto ruler, huh? Considering how my last opponent ruled Japan with an iron fist, that would mean… oh, boy.

“Good luck!”

 

 

 

Star and Stripe’s P̶e̶r̶s̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶S̶h̶i̶t̶l̶i̶s̶t̶ Villain Rankings + Commentary

(each tier ranked in order from most to least threatening, at least for her)

SSSS-Rank Villains (Worldwide Threats):

• Long Haul - ‘most valuable friend’ her ass
• Twice - why did he have to follow the NEET murderhobo? 
• Flect Turn - fucker is going down even if it’s the last thing she does
• Re-Destro - he better stay in Japan if he knows what’s good for him

SSS-Rank Villains (Country-Wide Threats):

• Queen Bee - at least Long Haul is keeping her on a leash (helps that she’s probably into that sort of thing)
• Gigantomachia - what is so appealing about that NEET murderhobo? 
• Nine - she’ll be sure to throw a goddamn apocalypse his way next time
• Quirked Animals Turned Triggered Monstrosities - despite dying after a day, they still overstay their welcome
• Valdo Gollini - haven’t heard much of him lately, but he’s still going down
• All For One - still old news

SS-Rank Villains (Prefecture/State-Wide Threats):

• Rei - she hates Endeavor too, but isn’t causing a new ice age in retaliation a bit much?
• Geten - first Hawks and now him; Japan has a terrible taste in biggest bachelors

S-Rank Villains (City-Wide/Typical Top 10 Hero Threats):

• Tomura Shigaraki - absurdly powerful friends or not, he’s still a NEET murderhobo

Chapter 112: Side Story Incursions - Round 4 Part 1

Countdown to Canon:  ?̷̧͕̱̼͉̩̹̭̲̾͜?̵̧̡̝̹̞̭͕̝̍͑̄̋̏͐́̌̂̉̆͊̅͜?̴̨̽̏͋͂͛̈̄̽?̵̠͎̖͑̐̇̈?̶̟̦̩͈̒̄̈́͊̊́̆̊̎̊̇̍̽̓͝?̵̫̝̯̺͙̩̝̤͉̘̟̊̃̄͆̽́̎̕?̵͚̼̜͙̟̭͔̮͉͉̩̙͇̱͕͐̊͒̂̋̿͌͠͠ͅ?̶̧̩͍͓̗̰͚͕͓̺̎͜͝%̸̡̘̟͈͔̤̞̰̹̮̟̼̹̑͊͌̏̏̈́̚̚͜͜$̶̢̛̬̩̝̹̟̣̥͚̣̫̹̙̈́͐̀̒̽͒́͘#̸̨̧̜̮̺̳̠͚͔̜̤̿͒̇̃̊̍̌̋͛̎̿̊̓͋͠&̵̡̥̺̪̯̯̞̯̼̰̦̞̞͔̬́͆͛̓̆͌͗͒͆̓͗͊̾̓͘̚^̶̨̧̧̤̣̹͚̫̫̯̯̲̗̬̲̠̐͆(̷̗͖̖̫̻̎$̸̡͓͇̞̥͚͂̂͜ͅ#̴̧̛͎̰̮͔͕͉̟̺̣̗͉̻̮̭͚̲̉̈̍̃̈́͒̈͒͂%̵͚̰̬̘̻̞̳̮̤̃͛͑̅̇͂̆̄̂̆̊͋̔̕^̸̢̡̥͈̜͖̘̫̥̰͉̩̔̑͜͝&̸̺͇̲̩͓̮͕͇̟̟̞̤͎̭͑̌̆͛͠ͅͅ

When Sekan Doraifu opens his eyes, he finds himself facing a tidal wave of yellow, green, and black.

Behind him stands subordinates from all corners of his growing empire. Forces from the Shie Hassaikai, the Meta Liberation Army, Humarise, and so on. Thousands upon thousands of them, yet they’re the ones who appear to be massively outnumbered. 

None of them are what he considers to be his top brass. No Four Horsemen. No Sinister Six. No leaders of his subsidiaries like Re-Destro, Innsmouth, or Starservant. Could they have been sent to protect other parts of his territory? Does the same go for his latest opponent?

Sekan doesn’t see his main opponent. He doesn’t hear his main opponent. All he hears is the gasps and screams of his own forces as the tidal wave crashes into them, swallowing them up, tearing them apart, devouring them before they can even try to resist.

He himself is not deterred. Definitely surprised, but far from finished. A brief burst of Overhaul is enough to clear out miles of opposition in an instant, and then comes the second surprise. 

Tens of thousands of Nomu, and many more bees… most of the former dissolving into an all too familiar gray goop. What’s worse is this hole is almost immediately filled back up with even more Nomus and bees. 

 

“Kuin!” Sekan calls out, using Overhaul once again, only to get no response back. 

Reveal seems to have been reset, meaning any Mind Links he made are gone. He doesn’t know where his own clones and top brass are. He isn’t sure where he is at the moment either, so he can’t simply warp to Hassaikai Haven in space or his main facilities in Japan like Hassaikai HQ. 

His clones and subordinates are probably in a similar boat. Intentional, most likely. Meant to encourage a battle between the leaders first and foremost, and for once, he himself isn’t the one ignoring the established narrative.

These enemies are relentless, not even flinching as the mass-execution Sekan is putting them through. They’re far too organized, far too methodical, almost as if they’re all acting as one. Sekan suspects his thought is that far off from the truth.

Unleashing an ‘Infinite Doubles - Sad Man’s Parade’ of his own, countless clones of himself begin to spread out and hold the line, Sekan himself deciding to fly further in and locate the ruler of his hive.

Reveal isn’t showing him anyone notable among the masses… did this other Sekan and his Queen Bee warp themselves away already? So much for that devil cosplayer’s plan. 

Taking off at full speed, flying high into the sky while continuing to unleash a waterfall of clones, Sekan is met with sentient clouds of yellow and black. More Nomus, more bees, more clones. There might not be a time limit, but Sekan is aware he can get Quirk Exhaustion if he isn’t careful.

Brief bursts of Reveal help paint a better picture of this hostile environment. Entire cities have been consumed by sticky, moldy hives. Plants grow uncontrollably in any areas that aren’t already taken over, endless armies of Nomus trampling over them as they march into battle.

Yet some Nomus are staying behind, using a combination of quirks to quickly regrow the natural environment. That or create even more clones. Sekan dispatches every single Double-dedicated Nomu he finds for this first part of the journey. 

It’s concerning, seeing what he’s had his own Queen Bee do on a far grander scale. He knew Kuin had the potential to become a walking global apocalypse like this, and he took advantage of that potential to the best of his ability without having her burn his world down in the process.

Looks like this Sekan had no such qualms, at least at first glance. But this is still alright. He’s got a Double quick of his own, as do his clones and several Nomu like Dr. Garaki’s Mocha Nomu. 

The latter are given data on himself, this ‘blueprint’ updated daily, so if he were to ever somehow die or lose his quirks, they would be able to create more Doubles clones of himself. Just another way to ensure a double-KO at the very least if he were to ever somehow lose. 

Sekan refuses to lose completely. He’s almost as spiteful as he is paranoid. He will ensure he gets the last laugh, whether it’s in his own timeline or during one of these Incursion Rounds.

Unfortunately, the confidence he has in an absolute victory slowly starts to fall as he comes across the first unique ‘landmark’ of this impromptu journey, a… farm? A ranch? 

One that’s filled to the brim with humans, alive but lifeless, being treated like cattle by several designated Nomus. And it isn’t just humans either, pretty much every other kind of animal appears to be in a similar position. 

“I’m no paragon of morality myself, but this…” Sekan trails off, hordes of other bees and Nomus quickly catching up to him, gradually getting lucky shots in on his clones, their lessened durability making such strikes a death sentence. 

Ultra Phosphor is used to raze the area. If he keeps spamming such massive blasts of Overhaul, the quirk will quickly become exhausted. Maybe he should spawn in some clones of Eri to rewind himself or even merge into himself? He knows his daughter will understand the necessity of that, and he can’t afford to pull any punches right now.

More farms are past by as he continues his journey. Factories doubling as laboratories soon become a somewhat common sight too, organic mass from their ‘cattle’ being transported over in bulk to create more Nomus.

And taking a closer look at these factories with Reveal, he can see clones of Doctor Garaki working on mass-producing these monstrosities. 

 

Deciding to head into one himself after sending more clones to intercept his pursuers, Sekan quickly levels the lab with Overhaul, but making sure the clones of Garaki are only restrained. 

“Nice as this tour is, I’m gonna have to end it early. Where’s your Sekan, Queen Bee?” He interrogates his captives, not bothering to beat around the bush.

The Garakis all just smile at him, not saying a word, so Sekan decides to simply read their minds with Reveal instead-

And feels the combined weight and will of trillions bear down on him, all forming a hive of contained consciousnesses and vestiges like no other, all conglomerating towards a single point possessing-

Breaking off the connection in an instant, Sekan collapses in pain, his mind nearly shattered from even the briefest glimpse into… whatever the hell that was supposed to be. 

Even with his willpower and Willpower-Enhancers, even with his experience and mastery over the vestigeworld, even with all of that, he was still- no. All that put together is the only reason he didn’t become completely braindead the moment he entered, or worse, bowed down to the hive and lost this latest round. 

“What… are you?!” He gasps, doing his best to fix the damage with Overhaul. “My own Queen Bee doesn’t have anything like that. Her hive contains mindless drones and possessed people like yours! It doesn’t contribute to her own willpower at all!”

“How… fitting.” The Garakis respond, all speaking at once, as do the surrounding Nomus. 

They all just continue smiling after that, and Sekan decides to just destroy the bees in their heads instead, see if their possessed victims can give any useful information. All the garaki’s explode before he can, the Bomb Bees appearing to know exactly what he planned to do.

How? He made sure they couldn’t read his own mind!... but he supposes he can’t say the same for his own forces. How many of them have been possessed since Sekan started this journey of his? How much does the enemy know about him now?

Sekan gets that unpleasant answer as a warp gate opens up a few dozen feet behind him, something new slowly dragging itself out, spasming and shuttering with every single step it takes.

Young-looking, being the height of your typical quirkless teenager. Messy brown hair with patches of white in random spots. A bloated, cracked head with bits of metal sticking out. One of his eyes looks bloated too, like its sheer size is popping out of its skull.

And when Reveal is used to obtain a deeper analysis, it fails, being unable to ‘see’ everything. Too much flesh and blood, too many quirks, too many resonances. Even when Sekan gives himself OverTrigger, the boosted quirk can’t provide information about everything.

Deciding that doesn’t matter, he uses Erasure and Overhaul in tandem, trying to obliterate this… thing in a single shot. The former seems to have no effect, and while the latter buries deep into its body, more and more quirks are activated to resist it until the effect is stopped entirely before being gradually undone. 

 

"̴W̸h̶a̷t̸ ̴a̵n̴ ̵i̷n̵t̵e̵r̵e̶s̷t̵i̴n̵g̷ ̶f̵o̵r̶m̷u̷l̴a̸ ̵y̸o̸u̴'̵v̴e̵ ̶m̶a̵d̶e̷,̵ ̶p̵r̶o̷v̷i̵d̶i̶n̸g̷ ̷i̷m̶m̵u̵n̴i̴t̶y̶ ̴t̵o̴ ̶m̴o̶s̴t̶ ̸q̷u̵i̴r̶k̵-̵n̷u̵l̶l̷i̶f̴y̷i̸n̷g̵ ̶m̶e̴t̶h̵o̷d̷s̶.̸"̶ It speaks in a cacophony of broken voices, Sekan’s eyes widening at the implication. "̵T̶h̴e̷ ̸c̷o̴n̸t̶r̴i̵b̸u̶t̵i̸o̴n̸s̴ ̵y̴o̷u̵ ̴S̵e̴k̸a̵n̷s̶ ̶m̵a̴k̷e̴ ̷j̸u̷s̴t̷ ̷k̷e̸e̴p̵ ̴g̴e̶t̶t̸i̴n̸g̵ ̷b̸e̶t̶t̴e̵r̶ ̷a̷n̵d̷ ̸b̵e̴t̷t̵e̷r̶.̶"̸

HOW?! Only he knows the exact composition of that formula his clone created! Did they manage to possess some Double clones of himself already? Even if that is the case, how did they recreate it so quickly?

The rainbow glow of creation covers this monster as more and more of its distorted mass is pulled through the widening portal, several Trigger Bombs being made before they burst.

Ultra Phosphor and Reveal create a multi-layered barrier around Sekan, the latter also allowing him to see more patches of metal grow… Quirk Amplification Devices.

“AFO Tomura?” He instinctually guesses, having felt the original All For One quirk and countless body modifications in this creature.

"̵N̵o̷t̸ ̴e̶x̸a̵c̴t̷l̶y̷.̴.̷.̷"̴ It responds as several more giant portals open up around the two, more waves of flesh spilling out of them. 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Powering up into the complete Ultra Phosphor transformation, Sekan bursts out of the factory’s remains with several waves of flesh following close behind. 

More clouds of Nomus and bees are closing in too. Even a few of Sekan’s own clones can be seen helping the masses. Same goes for clones of his top brass.

“Fine then.” Sekan growls, creating a clone of Zookeeper that applies every boost she can to him under Reveal’s influence, a barrage of hostile quirks turning her into goop afterwards.

Ultra Phosphor. OverTrigger. The QAD. Endurance. Incite. Love. He’s gone well beyond the power of MHA’s ‘final boss’ by now, even without Double, but this being is different from him.

He’s not quite sure how yet. Nevertheless, he knows he can’t afford to hold back one bit, so he doesn’t.

 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

What feels like thousands of quirks come at him from all angles, the endless waves of flesh and appendages supplementing them… yet the vast majority of these quirks are weak. Even with his opponent having a body rivaling All Might in his prime, Sekan can dish out far more power. 

Firestorms blow away and burn volleys of attacks. Physical contact with Overhaul obliterates massive chunks of its flesh before legions of quirks can completely nullify the damage. His quality is being made up for by her quantity… yet it feels like there’s something else at play.

Something isn’t right with this monster. Something deep inside seems to be resisting, holding it back, but this isn’t like the regular AFO Tomura. Besides there being far more quirks and a much greater level of intelligence, something about it just strikes Sekan as odd. 

Placing his focus back on the fight, Sekan decided to tackle this problem by the roots. Using Reveal and Warp Gate in tandem, he teleports straight to where the main body appeared to be… only to have his own body shredded as his warping quirk malfunctions.

All For One’s Spatial Manipulation or a similar quirk. Looks like there is a counter to warp gates, but quirks like that have very limited range and he has plenty of healing methods himself. 

Not only that, but he decides to try countering the warp gates this AFO-wielder has with his own, and sure enough, the two distort when overlapped and targeting different locations, distorting and cutting off the continuous delivery of this being’s body parts.

Its eyes widening, more in amusement than shock, it utilized its own rampant singularity mutations to propel itself away before Overhaul can reach it. Sekan followed close behind, keeping the pressure up and summoning more Double clones to push back his opponent’s own reinforcements.

More bursts of Overhaul are unleashed, but they’re becoming less and less effective as time passes, specifically on any regrown pieces of flesh. The Singularity Evolution, it’s letting his opponent adapt to his attacks, far more than Kudo could at that.

Why? Is it because Kudo already completed the main portion of his own evolution? Is his opponent forcing continued singularity adaptation through quirks?

‘How annoying. Overhaul and Rewind take much longer to work on massive targets like this, and it’ll only get less effective with time.’ He mentally ponders. ‘New plan then.’

 

Dodging instead of blocking, agility instead of brute force, searching for openings in these overwhelming attacks that he can slip through, and delivering counters where they’ll really hurt. Every attack counts right now, so he’ll adjust his strategy to reflect that. 

Along with that, he attempts to steal all the quirks he can with Overhaul whenever he manages to make physical contact, transferring them into Double clones before they can overwhelm his body. Trying to take All For One itself is his top priority, though he attempts to take any other quirks that seem important as well.

Two in particular seem incredibly familiar, but the massive amount of interference Reveal is getting from everything else prevents him from taking a closer look. He still tries to pull on them, force them to his side, chipping away at any will they exert and resistance they give him.

Only this fails, as a collection of wills far beyond his own drag back anything he attempts to pull on. Individual resistance seems to gradually fade, only there’s far too much in the combined collective to overcome through brute force.

He can’t even enter this thing’s vestigeworld, but he can prevent this thing from turning the tables with his own expertise, control, and aid so long as he acts fast enough.

((‘Strange. It almost appears like a spreading hive.’)) VestigeHaul muses after a few failed quirk-stealing attempts. ((‘How a vestigeworld appears is influenced by the user, yes, but this is different. It’s like multiple different intentions are mixing together.’))

‘You think we can cause a rebellion? Do the same trick we did against Kudo in the last round? And by ‘hive’, do you mean-’

((‘Beehive, and probably not. All For One’s vestige is present, yet not in control here, that much I’m certain of. It’s almost like he’s… fading? There’s another presence that stands out too, one that feels familiar, but it’s hard to tell with how much influence and control the main mind has.’))

VestigeHaul’s theory is confirmed as Sekan launches one last attack before breaking away, a pulse of Overhaul focused on his opponent’s head. Around half of it bursts open, revealing a yellow-tinted skull covering a bright yellow brain.

A bloated stub appears like a massive tumor on the brain’s edge, slowing sinking into it, merging with it as the damage quickly heals. He’s never seen anything like this, not even with Kuin. 

“An All For One who took the Queen Bee quirk? Or a Queen Bee that was buried into All For One’s perfect Tomura body?” Sekan decides to ask the source directly.

"̸W̵r̶o̶n̵g̸ ̴a̴n̷d̶ ̷w̶r̷o̸n̴g̸,̴ ̷S̸e̷k̵a̴n̶.̸"̷ The monster teases, transforming into a similar fleshy comet All For One did during his Omni-Factor Unleash ultimate.

“Staying cryptic until the end, huh? Not like it matters.” Sekan shrugs back, summoning a thunderstorm above them both. “Figuring out that mystery isn’t the objective here.”

Ultra Phosphor doesn’t just create the storm, but transmutes it, the Weather Manipulation and Ice Ply parts of this quirk allowing Sekan to not just replicate Nine and Geten’s ultimate combination attack, but make it more powerful than ever.

“TOTAL DOWNPOUR!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Millions upon millions of tonnes not only crush the monster’s body, but serve as one massive conduit for Sekan to channel his multi-staged contact Overhaul through, ripping his opponent’s body to shreds while further flattening it.

Several seconds go by as more and more of its body is destroyed, but a chunk of it eventually warps away, just what Sekan was waiting for. He can track its location at all times through Reveal. He can make sure it never gets away from him.

 

Creating his own warp gate to follow, he races through, ready to finish this monster for good before it can regenerate and grow more waves of flesh… only to stop dead in his tracks as he takes in the sight around him.

A factory, a laboratory, but not like any of the ones he’s seen before. This one isn’t dedicated to producing and experimenting on Nomu, but rather, a very special liquid that Sekan knows all too well from canon.

Reveal confirms his worst fears. Blood. Eri’s blood.  

Countless duplicates of his daughter surround them both, all rendered braindead as they’re drained dry over and over again before eventually dissipating, most of the extracted blood remaining and sent to other areas for production of quirk-erasing substances. 

“W… What?” The transmigrator staggers back, feeling dizzy, numb, sick at the sight. 

It gives his opponent the perfect opening, countless Quirk-Erasing Bullets firing at all angles while massive tubs of the substance are dumped through warp gates. 

He tries to get it together, to dodge and counter, but his opponent jumps in to restrain him, forcing them both to get hit. 

"̶Y̵o̸u̷ ̸a̸r̸e̵n̶'̶t̵ ̶t̶h̵e̴ ̴o̷n̷l̶y̴ ̶o̵n̸e̸ ̶w̴h̴o̷ ̴t̷h̵o̴u̵g̷h̶t̵ ̵o̴f̴ ̸m̵a̸k̴i̶n̶g̵ ̴a̴ ̵v̸a̷c̸c̸i̸n̴e̸,̶ ̷a̶l̴t̴h̷o̴u̵g̷h̶ ̷m̶i̶n̵e̴ ̴j̸u̵s̸t̶ ̷a̴f̷f̸e̴c̶t̶s̵ ̸t̸h̷i̴s̸ ̶o̵n̵e̶,̷ ̷o̸r̶i̸g̵i̷n̵a̷l̵,̵ ̵c̶a̷n̸o̵n̵ ̶v̶a̴r̶i̴a̸t̸i̷o̷n̷ ̵o̷f̴ ̵q̴u̸i̵r̷k̶-̶e̷r̸a̷s̸u̸r̶e̸ ̶w̴h̴i̷l̸e̶ ̵y̴o̷u̶r̴s̴ ̵a̵f̵f̵e̶c̸t̵s̴ ̷e̵v̵e̸r̵y̴ ̷o̷t̶h̵e̷r̴ ̷v̴a̶r̴i̶a̴n̴t̴.̴"̵

Hurricanes die out, flames dissipate, thunderstorms that formed never strike down. 

Sekan feels his quirks being erased one after another, VestigeHaul using his experience against Kudo to protect himself as best as he can until Sekan can finally break free, overhauling his hold to act as a shield before tunneling underground.

Overhaul is his only choice. It’s the only quirk he has left now, and it’s enough to level this nightmarish facility to the ground.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Pulling himself free from the rubble, Sekan looks around for any aid, any ‘real’ subordinates or clones not made from his own Double copy. He finds nothing. He has no one. 

He went charging in himself. He let his overconfidence and anger get the best of him and he paid the price for it… doesn’t stop him from unleashing another omnidirectional wave of his own through Overhaul.

“̶E̷m̷b̶r̴a̸c̶i̷n̸g̶ ̵y̶o̷u̴r̸ ̷i̷n̸n̸e̸r̶ ̵T̷o̷m̶u̵r̸a̷,̴ ̶h̴u̶h̶?̷ ̸F̶o̴r̵ ̶t̸h̶e̶ ̸f̶a̶t̴e̸ ̷o̴f̷ ̷y̸o̴u̸r̴ ̶a̸d̴o̸p̴t̵e̸d̵ ̵d̴a̴u̶g̷h̸t̷e̸r̷ ̵h̶e̵r̷e̵,̶ ̷I̸ ̷t̴a̸k̶e̵ ̴i̴t̷?̶ ̸A̷ ̴p̶i̴t̸y̵ ̷y̵o̵u̷’̶r̴e̴ ̴l̶i̵m̶i̶t̴i̴n̷g̴ ̴O̶v̵e̸r̷h̶a̶u̸l̸’̶s̴ ̸p̴o̷t̶e̷n̸t̵i̴a̷l̸ ̶l̷i̴k̵e̵ ̴t̸h̵a̸t̵,̸ ̷l̶i̵k̶e̷ ̷A̶l̷l̶ ̸F̷o̵r̷ ̸O̷n̶e̶ ̴d̸i̸d̷ ̶i̵n̵ ̷c̸a̶n̷o̷n̷.̴”̸ Sekan hears as a warp gate once again opens up close behind him.

“Doesn’t matter if I’m rendered quirkless. You’re going to pay dearly for every last Eri you killed, clone or not.” Sekan snarls back as the storm around them continues to crackle on its own.

"̶I̵t̵ ̷r̸e̴a̷l̵l̷y̵ ̴i̴s̵ ̷f̴i̴t̷t̷i̷n̶g̷,̸ ̶y̷o̸u̸ ̶k̷n̵o̸w̶?̵ ̶A̸ ̸Q̷u̷e̷e̷n̷ ̷B̷e̸e̵ ̷t̴h̴a̷t̶ ̸w̶a̶s̶ ̷e̴n̴s̵l̸a̶v̸e̷d̷ ̶b̸y̵ ̸S̴e̵k̶a̵n̴ ̵v̶e̷r̴s̶u̸s̷ ̸a̴ ̷Q̴u̸e̷e̸n̷ ̸B̴e̶e̵ ̸t̶h̷a̸t̷ ̴e̶n̸s̴l̸a̸v̵e̴d̶ ̸S̸e̷k̵a̴n̷.̵"̴

The transmigrator slowly turns around, seeing a bloated, distorted, humanoid mess behind him. Taking a closer look, he starts to recognize at least a few of its features, ones that look much more like the person whose body he first inhabited rather than the main antagonist of MHA.

"̶G̸o̴ ̶a̵h̶e̷a̵d̸,̸ ̶t̸a̴k̶e̵ ̸i̵t̷ ̴a̷l̸l̸ ̵i̴n̸!̷"̴ The Queen Bee announces, sticking her mutilated hands out on either side, holes starting to form in their arms with bees starting to crawl out of them, bees possessing multiple quirks or who were altered by multiple quirks. 

"̶T̴h̴a̷t̵'̵s̷ ̶r̶i̷g̶h̶t̷!̵ ̷T̴h̵i̷s̴ ̵b̴o̶d̴y̵ ̵i̷s̷ ̷n̵o̵n̵e̸ ̴o̸t̸h̴e̵r̷ ̴t̶h̴a̶n̸ ̴y̵o̶u̵r̸s̶e̶l̴f̸,̶ ̶S̷e̶k̵a̶n̸!̵ W̷h̸a̴t̷ ̵a̶ ̵w̷o̸n̸d̸e̴r̴f̷u̶l̵ ̴s̵i̵g̷h̵t̶,̵ ̷i̷s̶n̶'̸t̷ ̷i̶t̷?̴ ̸T̷h̸e̶ ̵p̷i̶n̴n̵a̶c̴l̵e̶ ̴o̴f̵ ̸y̸o̷u̷r̶ ̴a̶c̷c̶o̵m̶p̷l̸i̶s̸h̴m̵e̵n̸t̷s̵ ̵i̴n̸ ̵t̸h̸i̶s̶ ̶r̸e̸a̵l̷i̷t̷y̸!̴"̸

“W-What… did you do?” Sekan gasps back. 

"̴N̶o̴t̸ ̴w̷h̵a̸t̷ ̷I̸ ̸d̴i̸d̵,̵ ̵w̸h̷a̴t̵ ̶y̵o̷u̴ ̵d̷i̶d̶.̸” She smiles, using a combination of quirks to force information into her opponent’s head.

 

As he suspected, this Sekan Doraifu chose to join up with the League of Villains. He had trained Mind Web to the best of his ability until the latest school year started, and managed to get in on the USJ attack.

Being one of the few warped out, proving useful enough to Tomura as he could read his enemies thoughts and secretly transfer said thoughts to the handyman, he was able to secure his spot as a permanent member.

From there, canon events mostly played out the same. Hosu happened like normal, Dabi, Toga, and all the other canon LOV members joined, the Training Camp Attack resulted in no casualties and Bakugou getting kidnapped, Kamino resulted in AFO’s loss, and so on.

Even the Overhaul Arc went the same, Sekan not being sent into the Shie Hassaikai like Toga and Twice were. It was after that, after the Creature Rejection Clan got taken down by the LOV, after Garaki first reached out to them that this Sekan made his next major move.

Like Dabi, he wouldn’t take part in the training montage against Gigantomachia. Unlike Dabi, he requested to directly stay by Dr. Garaki’s side, helping him out with some projects old and new.

Queen Bee was one of them, Garaki still having a single member of her swarm left over as he did in canon. Sekan feared All For One taking over his mind, but he figured he could get the one-up on Garaki and the quirked animal. He was wrong.

"̴I̵ ̴w̷a̶s̶ ̸a̷b̸l̸e̶ ̴t̷o̷ ̴r̷e̴t̶u̵r̴n̶ ̵t̸h̸r̴o̴u̵g̸h̶ ̵y̶o̵u̴ ̶i̴n̷ ̶m̴o̷r̷e̴ ̵w̶a̸y̵s̶ ̵t̷h̸e̴n̶ ̸o̴n̶e̵!̶ ̶I̵ ̶w̴a̵s̷ ̸g̷i̴v̵e̷n̷ ̸e̴v̶e̴r̶y̸t̵h̷i̷n̷g̶ ̵I̵ ̵n̴e̶e̸d̷e̴d̵ ̸t̸o̶ ̴t̴u̶r̷n̶ ̵t̵h̷i̶s̶ ̵w̴o̶r̵l̴d̶ ̵i̸n̷t̸o̴ ̶m̸y̷ ̷h̸i̸v̷e̸!̴ ̷T̷h̵a̶n̶k̷s̴ ̷t̸o̷ ̴y̴o̸u̶,̶ ̸I̵ ̵c̵o̶u̵l̸d̴ ̸p̷o̵s̶s̵e̷s̶s̸ ̴G̶a̸r̴a̶k̸i̴,̷ ̶a̷c̸q̸u̶i̴r̵e̵ ̸A̸l̴l̷ ̴F̵o̸r̶ ̸O̸n̷e̴,̷ ̸u̴n̴d̸e̷r̸g̶o̴ ̶t̶h̵e̷ ̷s̶i̷n̸g̶u̸l̸a̷r̶i̸t̴y̶!̶ E̷v̵e̶n̸ ̵I̶z̷u̷k̵u̷ ̷a̶n̷d̶ ̷C̶a̶t̷h̶l̵e̴e̴n̵ ̴w̸e̸r̷e̵ ̵d̵e̶s̴t̶r̸o̸y̸e̴d̴ ̸a̴l̶o̸n̷g̷s̸i̸d̷e̷ ̷t̷h̸e̵i̴r̴ ̸q̷u̶i̶r̸k̸s̴!̶

Y̶o̸u̸ ̵t̵h̷o̶u̴g̵h̶t̸ ̶y̸o̶u̷ ̶c̶o̸u̴l̵d̶ ̷c̶h̵e̷a̵t̸.̸ ̸Y̸o̵u̶ ̴t̵h̸o̶u̵g̶h̷t̶ ̸y̶o̸u̶ ̴c̸o̷u̵l̴d̶ ̶b̴r̵i̴n̵g̸ ̸b̸a̸c̶k̷ ̵w̸h̵a̸t̵ ̵w̶a̸s̷ ̷o̸v̶e̸r̶l̸o̶o̵k̴e̷d̴ ̸a̴n̷d̵ ̴f̸o̵r̷g̵o̶t̴t̶e̸n̸ ̷s̶c̸o̵t̸-̴f̵r̵e̶e̸.̸ ̵Y̴o̶u̶ ̶t̸h̵o̷u̴g̸h̴t̶ ̸t̴h̷a̶t̶ ̸s̸i̸n̵c̷e̸ ̵I̴ ̶w̵a̸s̶n̶'̸t̶ ̵e̴v̷e̸r̷ ̴t̸h̶e̵ ̴b̷i̸g̶ ̶b̵a̷d̵,̶ ̷I̵ ̷c̵o̵u̵l̸d̵ ̷n̴e̷v̸e̶r̷ ̷b̷e̴c̵o̵m̸e̴ ̴t̷h̵a̵t̷ ̶m̸y̸s̸e̶l̵f̸,̵ ̶o̷n̶l̸y̴ ̷y̷o̶u̶ ̵c̷o̸u̸l̴d̵.̷

A̶n̵d̸ ̵n̶o̵w̷ ̵l̵o̴o̵k̶,̴ ̶f̷o̸r̴ ̵y̵o̵u̸r̷ ̶d̴r̵e̶a̷m̴ ̷h̸a̷s̶ ̵c̷o̶m̴e̵ ̷t̷r̷u̶e̷!̸ ̶Y̵o̶u̸ ̴b̵e̷c̷a̶m̷e̸ ̴t̷h̶e̵ ̷s̷t̸r̶o̵n̶g̵e̴s̴t̵!̴ ̴Y̷o̷u̸ ̷e̶n̵s̶u̶r̵e̶d̷ ̸y̴o̸u̷r̵ ̸s̸u̵r̶v̷i̸v̶a̷l̷!̷ ̶Y̷o̴u̶ ̷g̸a̸i̸n̵e̴d̴ ̵c̷o̵n̵t̴r̵o̶l̷ ̶o̶v̶e̸r̸ ̴y̸o̶u̸r̵ ̷o̸w̸n̴ ̵f̷a̵t̷e̶.̸.̵.̴ ̸b̸y̴ ̶h̴a̶n̷d̶i̶n̴g̵ ̷t̵h̵a̴t̴ ̸c̴o̴n̶t̴r̵o̴l̶ ̸o̶v̴e̶r̶ ̸t̴o̸ ̴s̸o̷m̵e̷o̶n̵e̵ ̸e̶l̶s̵e̴!̸ ̶I̶s̵n̸'̴t̴ ̵t̷h̶a̵t̴ ̵h̶i̵l̷a̸r̶i̷o̴u̵s̶?̵!̷"̴ The Queen Bee monologues, laughing out loud.

And Sekan…

“Pfffffft… HAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

Sekan laughs too. 

 

"̶O̵h̸?̵ ̶W̸h̷a̶t̶'̴s̶ ̴t̶h̷i̷s̴?̵ ̸Y̵o̶u̸ ̷c̴a̸n̷ ̴a̴p̷p̸r̶e̴c̶i̵a̴t̷e̸ ̵t̶h̸e̸ ̸i̷r̴o̴n̵y̶ ̵t̷o̷o̷?̷ ̸Y̷o̶u̷ ̵t̷h̷i̴n̸k̵ ̴i̶t̸'̸s̶ ̶f̶u̸n̸n̵y̶ ̵t̵o̷o̴?̸"̴

“Yeah, because you actually think that being my body means anything to me! What you did to your Eri too, if I’m being completely honest. Thought it was my own at the start, but I quickly realized the truth.”

That gets the Queen Bee to pause, to raise an eyebrow at the unexpected response. 

“I know I’m a rotten bastard, a selfish piece of shit. I’m the kind of person willing to let the world burn for the benefit of myself and those select few I really care for, and I don’t regret it one bit, but this fucking game I’ve been forced into can't help but make me think ‘what if’, you know? 

Maybe if I wasn’t so paranoid, so cautious, I could have accomplished more in my own world. Maybe if I put more into actually changing the system and its heroes rather than immediately assume the worst, I could’ve gotten a better outcome.

Maybe I could have stopped the quirk Singularity Doomsday entirely, letting my life beyond these first few years be spent in something besides a fucking doomsday bunker in space. Maybe I could’ve stopped the best option of so many subordinates, so many friends of mine, being to eventually charge into the apocalypse and throw their lives away for their own pleasure.

But seeing this, seeing you, serves as a reminder that I could’ve been far dumber, that I could’ve done a whole lot worse. So fuck you, fuck my variant, fuck those dumbass dieties and fuck their stupid rules. I’ll make whatever’s left of your corpse or swarm kneel if that’s what it takes to win.

Either way, you’re going to die, Queen Bee. Right here. RIGHT NOW!!!”

And before the possessor can process that response, Sekan’s body modifications and growing hatred allow him to rocket forward. His possessed variant is hovering off the ground, so Sekan makes contact by slamming into him instead.

Overhaul is unleashed again and again and again, breaking through defenses from quirks and the singularity alike as the vessel and its possessor are reduced to bloody bits.

…Only for a bloodied, disfigured hand to reach out and make contact before the job is finished.

“Sekan…”

 

The view around him instantly changes into a dark and purple void, one slowly being infected with a resonance in the form of honeycombs. He breaks down every bit of it that he can, but pauses as he takes a closer look in front of him.

People, vestiges, are attached to this hive. They’re being integrated into and consumed by this hive. And in the center of it all, having been forced to his knees as most of his body was consumed, is Sekan Doraifu. The other Sekan Doraifu.

This is one of the quirks he instinctively attempted to pull on before, and while he managed to chip away at the vestige’s resistance… that only served to benefit the quirk’s current wielder.

All For One’s vestige is there too, his screams having turned to whimpers as his body finishes being consumed by the hive. Sekan sees it now; by trying to take these quirks, he played right into the Queen Bee’s hands, making it easier for her to exert her own will over them.

“You’re-” He tries to speak, tries to come up with some way to fix this.

“What a disappointment you’ve become, Sekan.” The variant interrupts as combs consume the last few bits of him. “You’re so quick to judge me, and you’re right about what you said, but look at the current state of you.

You’ve accomplished so much, helped so many people, yet you always bring it back to you. Your impulses, your biases, your bad decisions cost not just you, but everyone around you. You may have had Double, but the products of that quirk will never be the real deal.

Thinking you could do this alone, letting anger and confidence consume you… you’re becoming even more corrupt than I am. Everyone back in your timeline, imagine their disappointment as well, you failing to do to yourself what you did for them. You’ll never win if you let your own accomplishments and ambitions consume you like ṭ̶̏h̶̰͌ẻ̵͇y̴̡̒ ̶͔̇c̵̽ͅo̷̥̔n̵̞̉ṣ̵̓ǘ̸̳m̶̱̃ê̴̘d̵̦̉ ̵̳̌m̴̹͆e̵̝͘.̸͎̀”̶͇̽

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Sekan is forced out of the vestigeworld, back into the real world as the land around them erupts and his opponent’s body is completely remade from the ground up, two bodies now truly becoming one.

Wounds open all over his body and blood bursts out as he lands in a heap on the war-torn ground below. The storm above only grows in intensity as a skeleton is remade, then the flesh and blood surrounding it as it soars into the sky.

He came close, so very close, but he just couldn’t finish the job. This world’s Sekan had lost, unable to hold on anymore, and his variant was now on the verge of losing as well.

“FINALLY!!!” A brand new voice booms from above as Sekan struggles to stand, the body it belongs to spinning and twirling around as it splits the storm and crashes back down, landing perfectly on its feet.

She’s tall, she’s strong, rivaling Star and Stripe in both height and body build. 

Quirk-enhanced honeycombs, both tougher and shinier than diamonds, form a full-body armor around her. 

Messy white hair with a yellow tint extends down to her knees, adding to her regal but wild appearance.

A Quirk Amplification Device on her head, made to look more like a crown by a bee-jacked Double clone of David Shield and recreated by her own copy of Creation, more hardened honeycombs forming a protective layer around it. 

But despite the technology adorning her face, she’s more… primal. More animalistic, if the overbearing aura emitting from her is any indicator. 

Not a single trace of resistance remains within her, no unnatural singularity mutations reflecting that on her body as there’s no longer anything she needs to adapt to. 

“It took a lot of time, several years and even more rounds of this bullshit… BUT I’M FINALLY COMPLETE!!!” The Empress announces, grinning from ear to ear. 

 

“I give you my thanks, Sekan Doraifu. Thanks to you, I achieved what All For One himself never could with Tomura Shigaraki. I not only ascended my Queen Bee quirk past the singularity, but I finally, fully consumed your other self and even All For One inside me! 

Even if I were to die now, I would respawn with everything I’ve gained from my past lives, body, quirks, and memories alike, through one of my countless spawn! I’ve become immortal, invincible, UNBEATABLE! And you… you may see yourself as a villain, but you’ll always be my hero, my dear transmigrator!”

Quirk Exhaustion is hitting him hard. Regular exhaustion is even worse. Yet Sekan still finds the strength and will to stand. He won’t bow down. Not now. Not ever.

Even if he knows there’s no winning this battle now…

“Don’t worry, I won’t be repeatedly killing or forcefully brainwashing you. Your armies are gone and there’s no time limit, so I’ll be taking full advantage of that. If anything, I think it’s going to be hilarious, how you’re going to live your life in this pathetic AU world. 

Do your best and suffer more, Sekan!”

Chapter 113: Side Story Incursions - Round 4 Part 2

Countdown to Canon:  ?̷̧͕̱̼͉̩̹̭̲̾͜?̵̧̡̝̹̞̭͕̝̍͑̄̋̏͐́̌̂̉̆͊̅͜?̴̨̽̏͋͂͛̈̄̽?̵̠͎̖͑̐̇̈?̶̟̦̩͈̒̄̈́͊̊́̆̊̎̊̇̍̽̓͝?̵̫̝̯̺͙̩̝̤͉̘̟̊̃̄͆̽́̎̕?̵͚̼̜͙̟̭͔̮͉͉̩̙͇̱͕͐̊͒̂̋̿͌͠͠ͅ?̶̧̩͍͓̗̰͚͕͓̺̎͜͝%̸̡̘̟͈͔̤̞̰̹̮̟̼̹̑͊͌̏̏̈́̚̚͜͜$̶̢̛̬̩̝̹̟̣̥͚̣̫̹̙̈́͐̀̒̽͒́͘#̸̨̧̜̮̺̳̠͚͔̜̤̿͒̇̃̊̍̌̋͛̎̿̊̓͋͠&̵̡̥̺̪̯̯̞̯̼̰̦̞̞͔̬́͆͛̓̆͌͗͒͆̓͗͊̾̓͘̚^̶̨̧̧̤̣̹͚̫̫̯̯̲̗̬̲̠̐͆(̷̗͖̖̫̻̎$̸̡͓͇̞̥͚͂̂͜ͅ#̴̧̛͎̰̮͔͕͉̟̺̣̗͉̻̮̭͚̲̉̈̍̃̈́͒̈͒͂%̵͚̰̬̘̻̞̳̮̤̃͛͑̅̇͂̆̄̂̆̊͋̔̕^̸̢̡̥͈̜͖̘̫̥̰͉̩̔̑͜͝&̸̺͇̲̩͓̮͕͇̟̟̞̤͎̭͑̌̆͛͠ͅͅ

Round 1 was unfair from the get-go, him having lived only six months of his second life while his opponent had an entire two years. Final War Deku was the only major hurdle back then, but his own nature could be turned into his downfall easily enough.

Round 2 was a lot better. A lot harder too, his strengthened Shie Hassaikai having met its match and then some against Prophet’s strengthened Meta Liberation Army. At the moment, it was Sekan’s favorite round by far.

Round 3 went back to being unbelievably unfair for him, his opponent having lived in My Hero Academia for over a decade while he himself barely had a year and a half. The HPSC was taken over, and Japan shortly after thanks to his variant’s own machinations.

One For All was the biggest hurdle once again, Kudo and Sekan’s variant having taken a page out of All For One’s book. The second OFA wielder brought out his old quirk’s true potential, and even with Infinite Doubles, Sekan struggled to take the symbol down. 

Round 4 was the worst one yet, a round Sekan is sure was specifically meant to break him, because when can things ever be easy for him?

 

He’s lost track of how much time has passed, how long it’s been since he lost and was warped here. Overhaul on its own just wasn’t enough, and that quirk ended up being erased too.

That royal pain in the ass probably has a quirk or ten messing with his perception of time, and even manifesting his willpower like Stain or All For One isn’t enough to counter it. At least, not completely.

“I hope you don’t mind me borrowing a few designs of yours. Not like you’ll need them in a bit. The same went for all the other versions of you.”

Massive golden honeycombs covered the walls, hives shaped like columns were spread out and had honey dripping down them like waterfalls, and at the center of it all was a golden throne where rows of giant, curved stingers resembled spikes and holes situated in front of the armrests housed even more bees.

While she didn’t brainwash him, she did read his mind, a horde of mental quirks bypassing his mental defenses. Just like before, his willpower simply wasn’t enough. 

“Same goes for all the results of these experiments. It’s what you enjoy right, discovering more about this world? At least you’ll go down doing what you love.

Surrounded on all sides by utterly ruthless, monstrous, eldritch-looking Nomu, even the transmigrator can’t help but pale. Some were vaguely humanoid, others were writing masses of flesh that stared at him in hunger. Some had no limbs, others had far too many. 

They were stacked on top of one another, layers of meat and quirks with even more bees inhabiting whatever cracks the living, aggressive, hungry wall happens to form. 

It's like something straight out of a nightmare. Overhaul could still obliterate them all, that is, if he had Overhaul. He doesn't have quirks, he doesn't have support, only himself... and he himself wasn't enough. Not this time.

Countless more have been sent after him since this ‘experiment’ of hers began, an experiment to see just how far Sekan could be pushed. Brainwashed Double clones of his own organization too, just to really hit home. 

Body modifications make him far tougher than most, even without quirks, and he’s got every non-quirk power in the book from bulking up his body to weaponizing will on command. But endless amounts of opponents slowly, methodically overwhelm him, slowly defeating him with no help coming his way. 

She even altered his body’s nervous system to feel pain again, or maybe even experience far more pain than what people should normally feel. He isn’t really sure without Reveal to fact-check for him.

 

“Just like you, they further contributed to my empire. And now, with your knowledge and this perfect body, I can spread my hive to the stars.”

“You could’ve just asked nicely, y’know. Isn’t royalty supposed to be good at diplomatic stuff?”

He has to stall for time. It’s all he can do. He isn’t buying her claims about the Shie Hassaikai already being destroyed. He knows a thing or ten about psychological warfare after all this time, and that includes how to withstand it.

So even as he’s held in place by undead abominations, reduced to a punching bag beaten senseless by clones of his friends and loved ones screaming about how he failed over and over… Sekan can’t help but laugh at the basicness of it all.

“For someone who supposedly *cough* completely consumed my other self, your torture methods sure are boring. I know this isn’t them, it’s copies of them controlled by you. You aren’t exactly *cough* *cough* hiding your usage of Double.”

“Would you prefer it if I tortured them in front of you instead?”

“Torture Double clones of them, you mean? They’re just that, clones; they can barely take any damage before dissipating, and they’re not gonna blame me for this, even if it is my fault.”

Sekan supposes if there’s anything he can give All Might credit for, it’s showing how joy and a strong will can numb even the greatest pain. 

“So you’re willing to admit you screwed up?”

“Who said I was perfect? My Naruhata Gambit, the I-Island attack, letting Melissa Shield get as far as she did, and then there’s you. I know I screw up from time to time; I’m not some Gary Stu anime harem protagonist who effortlessly walks through life post-transmigration. 

I took a realistic approach when going through this second life of mine, so I’d be pretty hypocritical if I wasn’t realistic myself, don’t you think?”

The empress doesn’t respond. She just has her hive continue beating him, continue breaking him… that and gloat a bunch. How could she not? She’s basically won, hasn't she?

“Populations of entire countries were butchered and rounded up, feeding my swarms and Nomu production lines. Not even a decade later and everything bowed down to me. I well and truly won!”

But he doesn’t let her have that. He still bits back whenever he can.

“And you’re satisfied with that?” 

“...Huh?”

 

“You heard me.” Sekan shrugs back, this latest round of damage healing at a visible pace. “Are you satisfied ruling a desolate world of mindless slaves? That just sounds so… boring. Both the Queen Bee from canon and Kuin would certainly think so.”

A vein visibly pops in her head at that nonchalant remark, and he’s thrown to the ground in front of her as the Nomu holding him step back. 

“Boring? Knowing I unquestionably reign supreme is more than enough; this little Incursion game is just a bonus.” She grits through her teeth. “Case in point, let’s see how much your quirkless body can take.”

One of the many High-End Nomus gathered around them both lunges towards Sekan, resembling a dark dragon with two pairs of wings and way too many spikes. 

“That particular High-End was made from Ryukyu, by the way. Simply possessing them wasn’t enough for me; most of the top heroes and villains were turned into these monsters.”

He’s able to dodge and counter, the punch knocking his opponent back a good bit and even dislocating its jaw, but the damage done heals far faster than Sekan’s own. 

Its mouth then opens with a stream of blue flames shooting out like a geyser, Sekan running for cover as his opponent tries to tackle him. The fire first reaches his lower back, then encompasses his right arm before finally consuming his entire head.

Yet he survives, and with minimal injuries at that.

“Heat-resistant skin, among other temperature-resistant modifications… that could be a quirk in of itself. I’ll admit, even Garaki’s research has nothing on your own. You can be proud of that… and how much it’s gonna benefit me.” The empress compliments, Sekan tearing her High-End’s head off in retaliation. 

“From more durable and efficient organs to denser muscles to greater processing power and even an increased healing factor. And that’s just to name a few. Your quirkless body can replicate dozens of quirks on its own.”

It’s thrown into the solid honeycombs below and is splattered with a strong enough kick to easily shatter concrete, Sekan drawing from his hordes of memories and combat experience to fill the massive hole losing his quirks left behind.

“All those upgrades and innovations will be put to good use once this game of mine ends. My body will become greater than ever, and my victory in this multiversal tournament will be assured.”

Three more High-End Nomu then step up to the plate, several hundred Bomb Bees joining them for the next round. Nothing to eat, nothing to drink, no time to sleep, just an endless gauntlet of enemies to try and withstand.

…He really hopes he doesn’t have to resort to munching on opponents to stay alive. That’s Soramitsu’s shtick, one he has no interest in replicating.

 

“How’s it feel being the experiment for a change, rather than the experimenter? The whetstone instead of the weapon it sharpens? Sucks, doesn’t it?”

More times passes, and Sekan does his absolute best, but he knows that this will only delay the inevitable. He knows that the empress is toying with her, making him dance for her amusement.

Despite the anger he’s feeling, he knows the empress in front of him is even angrier. Not at him specifically; it’s more like anger at the world itself, anger like what Tomura had.

“Still preferable to your situation.” 

“Excuse you?”

“Your pain ended, but you’re still upset. You got your revenge, but you’re still angry. You have the largest swarm in existence, yet you’re still lonely. 

I may have partially-controlled my own Queen Bee from the get-go, ensuring she could never betray me, but I also made sure she was far happier than you’ll ever be. Controlling her was meant to ensure she wouldn’t make the same mistake you did. You should know that if you really have seen my own memories.”

“DON’T YOU PRETEND TO CARE!” The monarch roars before calming down. “Don’t mask your true ambitions, you selfish asshole. Everything you do is for you. You only reward your subordinates when it benefits you. You never cared about her, only you.”

More and more Nomu gradually join the fray as the transmigrator slowly runs out of options. Regular bees are mixed in with the Bomb Bees too, attempting possession at every opening they can find.

“Now collapse under the weight under your own failures.”

((“She’s the only one who's on the verge of collapse right now.”))

 

“...Kuin?” Sekan questions as he’s swarmed once again.

The other bee queen is surprised too, her telepathy quirks not picking up anything on the outside. She only understands once she turns her attention to the inside of Sekan’s mind.

“How is… ohhhh, I see! It’s like what happened with All Might when he fought All For One one final time, when a hallucination of Nana Shimura appeared in front of him. It’s your own body trying to encourage itself!” The Empress laughs out loud.

And Sekan laughs too, because even if it isn’t really Kuin, he knows her better than anyone, and if the Queen Bee trying to torment him has his memories too… then she knows that as well.

((“A world under my complete control… it’s not what I thought it would be.”))

Both of Sekan’s arms are bent backwards, but his leg knocks away the High-End responsible.

“That’s because this isn’t you, but while we're on the subject, what would you want a world under your complete control to be like?” He questions the hyper-realistic hallucination, unnaturally calm despite the worsening situation. 

((“...I don’t know if I even want a world under my control. If the free will of everyone else was extinguished, if there was nothing left to take, nothing left to do, well…”))

“It’s like what Stain would do if there were no more fake heroes to kill. His brain would get the equivalent of an error message and crash.”

Globs of acid melt through what little cover of his remains, a barrage of extended limbs grabbing his exposed body and slamming it back down into the hardened honeycombs below.

((“YES! Exactly!”)) His bee queen laughs out loud. ((“What’s the point of performing if there’s no real audience? Forcing people under my control to come watch, or people that are free but thoroughly broken or even brain dead under my rule to watch, it would be like performing in front of myself.

There’s no point. I know what I can do and I want the whole world to know too… but not like that. I won’t ever be able to get proper feedback. I won’t ever be able to improve. No one to fear me, no one to love me. I’ll be stuck with everything and nothing, and that sounds like hell on Earth.”))

“Looks like that too.” Sekan comments, getting blown back by more Bomb Bees as their empress gets angrier, using quirks to see what he’s seeing and hear what he’s hearing. 

((“Heh, yeah. It really does, doesn’t it?”)) Kuin gives a sad smile back. ((“Thanks for helping me realize that, boss.”))

“Not a problem. I’m always happy to guide those under me.”

((“Phrasing.”)) She laughs.

“That’s not even… oh.” He realizes before starting to laugh too.

“You’re still calling him that, your master, even in a new body with nothing blocking you from freedom?!” The variant snarls, almost appearing to forget the ‘variant’ of her in front of her is just a hallucination. 

((“Yup! Because mind-alteration or not, I’m still loyal to Sekan. If this really is the end, then I can die knowing I had far more fun in this final life of mine then you did in all of yours combined. Suck it, bitch!”))

“ENOUGH!!!”

 

Leaping off one High-End only to grab and swing around a second, mostly shielding him from the blast of a dozen Bomb Bees before launching its charred remains into a third, the fire in Sekan’s eyes has yet to extinguish.

He’s taken enough damage to kill a regular quirkless ten times over, and that’s excluding what he’s already healed from. 

In fact, even with this heavily-modified body, Sekan should have been taken down by now, but as this battle raged on, as Sekan was pushed further and further into a corner… his body began to adapt. His body began to evolve.

Attacks that originally caused third or fourth-degree burns eventually began causing burns in the first and second degree. Acids and poisons were getting flushed out of his bodily systems faster and faster. Mental attacks were getting easier to ignore. Wounds were healing faster.

‘What is this feeling? It’s like something’s trying to burst out of me, tear through my flesh… yet it doesn’t hurt or even feel uncomfortable. It feels… natural.’ Sekan mentally muses.

And as the empress moves in herself, a blow that would bend All Might in two rapidly approaching the transmigrator… a massive wave of flesh meets her midway.

“Huh?! This is…” Sekan gawks at himself.

“THE QUIRK SINGULARITY EVOLUTION?!? IMPOSSIBLE! I DESTROYED EVERY QUIRK IN YOUR BODY! THE WHOLE POINT OF THAT FUCKING PROCESS IS TO ADAPT TO QUIRKS!” The empress screeches in fury, clawing her way through the endless tide of limbs erupting from her opponent’s wounds.

“...But I had reached the point of the singularity beforehand.” Sekan calmly responds, putting the pieces together. “While adapting to quirks is what begins the process, other issues can also cause further mutations afterwards, even if it takes a harder push to get past that initial barrier.

Various environmental factors is one. Subconscious desire is another. AFO Tomura experienced both on top of his body adapting to the legion of quirks within him, and now I’m experiencing the same, even without any quirks present.

It must have started after I attempted to infiltrate your hivemind, not even Overhaul being able to undo that process entirely once it began. Even if that incident didn’t happen, being pushed to the absolute brink both physically and mentally now would spur on this extra growth. 

Like you said before, I was a whetstone for you, the reason you managed to ascend… so good on you for returning the favor.”

“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?” The empress snarls back. “But while you’re just beginning the singularity evolution without any quirks, I’ve long since completed my own with far more quirks than even All For One ever had!”

Even while she’s quirkless, Sekan is still outmatched. Adding on a combination of strength-enhancers was overkill, the sporadic growth being torn to shreds and the transmigrator being slammed into the opposite wall.

“Y-You know, I’ve read a lot of stories in my last life. Stories of legends, good and bad.” Sekan stutters, rapid growth from below forcing him onto one knee.

“The kinds of people who can change the whole world, if not that and so many others. People who started with pretty much nothing, but never let that stop them.”

She’s on him in an instant, slamming down hard enough to pierce through him once again, waves of new flesh being blown off the second his body attempts to regrow.

“Fictional and childish as it was, after being sent into this world, I dreamed of being like them. I wanted to stand among them, even surpass them… but you never realize the pain they felt, the amount of suffering they had to endure, the type of person they had to be to pull it off.”

She grabs him by the neck and drags him all across the center of her hive, beating him down again and again. Her legions of quirks and raw power are far too much for his current body to adapt to.

Yet he won’t. Stop. TALKING!

“These facts, they’re mostly invisible to others. But after having this second life forced upon me, I told myself that no matter the cost, I would manage to survive it at the very least.”

His body begins to alter its rapid growth, taking up a form similar to that of AFO Tomura’s Apex Form for further defense. It isn’t enough.

“It was originally survival for survival’s sake, but I’ve added plenty of other reasons to that list as time passed by. For me. For Zi. For Eri. So I can continue learning more. So I can continue doing more. So I can make up for my screw-ups and finish what I started. That is why I won’t ever give up.”

 

*BOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOM*

The latest barrage of blows makes Sekan erupt in a wave of blood and gore, his remaining arm and leg barely hanging on by rapidly-regrowing threads of flesh.

He’s breathing heavily, barely remaining conscious at this point, but he’s still determined enough to knock away a charging High-End and tackle another. He barely pushes the monster a few feet back before being picked up and thrown, getting skewered by several spikes flung from a third on his way to the fourth’s grasp.

It embeds him into another wall that crumbles around him, mostly burying him as his body tries and fails to adapt past this insurmountable power gap.

Only his head sticks out from the rubble as she approaches.

“You know what? I’m done with this. I’m done playing with you. I let my inner All For One take hold and toy around with my opponents far longer than I should’ve. 

Well enough of that. I’m just gonna render you brain-dead and force you to bow that way, ‘kay?” She growls, only for her eyes to widen as a pile of sludge appears in the room.

Turning around in confusion and shock, she sees it slowly start to grow… with two golden, glowing horns emerging from it soon after.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

“E… Eri?” Sekan weakly calls out.

“How in the hell…” The empress mutters, having just barely gotten out of Rewind’s range.

“Gloop Warp for the win.” The Daughter of Evil grins back, more and more puddles of sludge starting to appear around her. 

 

Eri, Zookeeper, Kurono, Kuin, Nine, Joi, Soramitsu, Rappa, Gigantomachia, Innsmouth, the other Four Horsemen members, the other Sinister Six members, other members of his top brass, Re-Destro and members of his top brass, they just keep coming and coming.

‘Ah, so the Empress really did lie about defeating them all. Knew they wouldn’t go down so easily, even without me lending a hand.’ Sekan thinks to himself, finding the strength to smirk.

“Sorry for the delay, some of her nests and hives were a real pain to exterminate, and their Spatial Manipulation quirks were even worse.” Zookeeper apologizes. 

“Like he couldn’t hold out for a few hours.” Nine shrugs her way. “Don’t worry boss, it’s our turn now.”

“PROTECT THE LORD!” Gigantomachia roars, more and more people forming a protective barrier around their half-dead leader. 

“Do none of you have scanning quirks? I’m so far beyond you all, it isn’t even funny.” The Empress just rolls her eyes as hundreds and counting stare her down.

“You say that, yet you refuse to make any Double clones of yourself.” Kuin points out. “Because you’re scared of someone being your equal. Oh, and your ‘perfect’ world fucking sucks.” 

“Scared?” Her variant whispers. “SCARED?!? YOU FOOLS! I DEFEATED YOUR BOSS, YOUR LEADER, AND BECAME MORE POWERFUL THEN EVER BECAUSE OF IT! YOU SERIOUSLY THINK YOU CAN BEAT ME WITHOUT HIM?!”

“I do.” The empress hears from none other than Sekan himself. “I also think you either lied about getting my memories or have just deluded yourself more than All For One ever did, because unlike you, I’m no longer afraid of those who follow me surpassing me.

You’re right about one thing, I tend to take the lead on pretty much everything and I’ve been able to handle pretty much anything thrown my way, but on the rare occasion that I can’t, my organization always can. 

Power of friendship saving the day is stereotypical, I know, but it became stereotypical for a reason. If it works, it works.” He weakly, defiantly grins at her. “Not every solution to my problems has to be stupidly complicated or abstract.”

“This is just all a game, right? Well we’ve chosen to continue. Game on, Queen Bee.”

“Game. On. OMNI-SINGULARITY UNLEASH!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

The hive all around them erupts as Empress quickly grows to the size of a mountain. Warp Gate is locked down by boosted Spatial Manipulation quirks, but barrier quirks like Hekiji’s and quirks that help clear terrain like Nine’s and Machia’s help the growing group dig their way out.

Both sides emerge from the surface at around the same time, Empress immediately going on the attack with extended limbs, rivets, spears, spikes, and projectiles of all kinds. It’s like an avalanche of quirks combined with an erupting volcano.

Nine utilizes his own control over natural disasters to lead the counter-attack, people like Maguma, Rei, Chojuro, Re-Destro, Innsmouth, and Gigantomachia following closely behind.

Praetorians pour in, tanking all the hits they can and striking back together just as hard. Kaina and Kiruka lead a ranged assault from afar, targeting whatever weak points they can spot. Zookeeper and Eri provide healing, the former adding on support boosts. 

“REPLICATING THE CANON FINAL BATTLE?! SERIOUSLY, SEKAN? THAT’S THE BEST YOUR FAMED CREATIVITY CAN MANAGE?!?” Empress roars through the hundreds of mouths now spread across her body as they all fire even more attacks.

Parts of her body are burned, frozen, slowed down, severed, affected by all kinds of attacks and debuffs, but her legion of quirks either counters every effect or she cuts the infected pieces off herself before they can spread.

Even Rei’s concentrated blasts of ice that fall to temperatures of absolute zero and below, something that shouldn’t even be possible, are powered through by the singularity, molecules being forced into moving again. 

The magnetically-propelled plasma she propels does more physical damage, burning holes clean through the Empress, but her AOE drops as the concentration of her attacks increase much like Endeavor with his Prominence Burn. Terrifying, but nothing that can’t be healed from.

Laws of Physics can be bent and broken at their level, as Izuku proved with OFA and Star proved by existing, and now others are proudly displaying that feat. 

“Do you see me charging in? Do you see those around me clearing a path for me?” Sekan counters while being healed by Zookeeper and Eri. “You may have everything All For One amassed and more, but I’m far from the only person who’s strength can sock it to you. If anything, I’ll be playing a support role for them.”

Every last quirk of his is restored with the rest of his body not being affected one bit, a showcase of Eri’s control over Rewind, and he immediately unleashes Infinite Doubles once again, now with all of them having a degree of the singularity evolution going on. 

Only instead of targeting Empress herself, he and his clones focus on fending off her support alongside Kuin, hordes of bees and Nomu crashing in literal waves towards the perimeter Sekan set up.

“I can- urk! I can m-mess with her hive’s connection, boss!” Kuin declares. “But it’s taking everything I’ve got and then some! Think you can-”

“I can too, boss!” Soramitsu Tabe screams, a clone of Rappa hurling him towards the mountain of quirks and devouring a few severed pieces of it. “Quirks don’t taste very good, but the other vestiges can keep Queen Bee in check!”

“Can’t really do that myself.” Toya Setsuno laments, only to start grinning as a primal-looking, hive-covered crown suddenly appears in his hands. “But I can make her weaker by swiping every QAD she makes from afar.”

“Focus on that all you like; I’ll keep her swarm back for you guys in the meantime. And thank you, all of you.” Sekan smiles at his subordinates.

“Thank you, boss, for making sure I don’t end up like that disappointment.” Kuin grins back, giving a thumbs-up.

 

Empress screeches after she’s forced into a game of Tug-Of-War, losing more control in more ways than one. Hatred only intensifies her assaults, but at the same time, they’re becoming more haphazard. 

Melee fighters can get closer, the Empress now having to worry about paralysis from Stain, energy siphoning from Rikiya Katsukame, and the endless appetite of Soramitsu Tabe as he turns copies of her quirks against her, among so many others.

People whose arsenals and skills can counter her better than Sekan ever could, people who surpass him in one way or another thanks to all the hard work they put in and all the support they have, people Sekan allowed to surpass him by supporting them. 

They may not have many chances to show off on the battlefield due to Sekan’s caution, but that only gives them more time to grind away in a safe setting where healers, enhancements, and support of all kinds is practically endless.

“DID YOU FORGET WHO I AM?! DID YOU FORGET WHAT I’VE BECOME?! I CAN JUST TAKE ALL YOUR QUIRKS AND CALL IT A DAY!”

And she starts doing just that, targeting all the melee fighters she can directly while hurling webs of rivets and extended limbs towards the backline ranged combatants. 

Praetorians and Special Praetorians led by people like Stain, Soramitsu, and Gigantomachia are hit, as are many of those firing from afar are soaring across the sky… only for the Empress to quickly discover that was the worst thing she could’ve done.

Because much like the OFA vestiges did against AFO Tomura, they made sure the transfer was as painful for the receiver as possible, quirks and vestiges alike shattering into the mind, soul, and very core of Empress, delivering even more damage on the inside then on the outside.

Sekan taught them all plenty about quirks and the vestiges they’re tethered to, and their own vestiges learned all about it by extension. They know what to do. They know how to fight back too.

Just a few quirk vestiges from OFA were enough to shatter even AFO Tomura’s hatred-armored core, so when several hundred do something similar in quick succession, it hurts the Empress beyond belief. It’s something not even the completed Singularity can easily recover from. 

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!?” She screams as her quirk-covered body starts to crack and shrivel up. 

“Looks like fully-consuming All For One as you claimed didn’t make you immune to his faults. If anything, you’re more like AFO Tomura than a singular, independent being. Ironic, considering you’re supposed to be a hivemind and all.” Sekan chuckles, continuing to provide support wherever he can. 

“I AM! I’VE BECOME A SINGULAR, GLOBAL HIVEMIND BEYOND ANYTHING YOU CAN EVER IMAGINE! YOU’LL SEE! YOU’LL ALL SEE!” She retorts, deranged smiles starting to appear all over her growing body. “TO ME, MY HIVE!!!”

 

Dark purple portals begin to open up all around the many-quirked monarch as she turns off her own space-sealing quirks, Nomus and bees falling out of these rifts at a rapid pace, bypassing Sekan’s blockade by default, all of them combining with their ruler right after.

The ground starts to tremble as Empress laughs maniacally, her voice becoming more and more distorted as countless quirks become part of her being. 

Hundreds… Thousands… Tens of Thousands… Hundreds of Thousands… Millions...

A bulging, pulsing, black, gray, and yellow mass of flesh and quirks pierces the clouds many times over, surpassing the Troposphere, then the Stratosphere, then the Thermosphere, and she only continues to force herself higher. Creation allows for Ideo Trigger and QADs to be made, and the quirk-enhancing quirks she has only further fuel the endless powers she's providing herself.

Becoming the size of entire countries and beyond, her laugh alone causes shockwaves to spread. The whole world will soon truly be in the palm of her hand. She’ll soon embody the Quirk Singularity Doomsday Sekan has feared all this time. 

LET THEM ALL LOOK ON IN FEAR AS SHE BECOMES A BEING BEYOND EVEN THE GODS THEMSE-

“Don’t you know what happens when structures have a rotten foundation?”

What should have been her ultimate triumph comes to a screeching halt, and not because of Sekan or any of his subordinates, but rather… herself?

She’s… collapsing? She’s falling apart? HOW?!? SHE MERGED WITH COUNTLESS BODIES! SHE ASCENDED THE SINGULARITY ITSELF! SHE CAN HANDLE ALL THESE QUIRKS… right?

“No. No! NON̸̖̒Ò̴̻N̷̪̝̈͗͌̇ͅO̶͎̤̳̓ͅN̴̬̳͗̎̆͌̕Ó̶̫̇͋̅̚N̴̬̳͗̎̆͌̕Ó̶̫̇͋̅̚N̴̨̢̧͍͔͇̲̥͉̖͕͓͍͈̒̎̎̏̄͂ͅÒ̴̭̪̯̇͑̕͘O̴̢̱̖͇̤̱͎̜̥͍̽͒̅͑̏͊͘̚͠͝Ȯ̸̳͍͗̓O̴̙͓̪̩̖͉͓͐̈̏͒̑̑̿͆̒͋O̶̼̻̙̬͔̰̣̮̓̏͆͘͘͜͠Ö̴̧̨̢̻͉͚͇̮̱͚̦̬̘̳̺́!!!”

Her body continues to buckle and strain. Double clones start to dissipate. More and more quirks she’s taken start to ravage her from the inside out, following the lead of vestiges from Sekan’s subordinates as their remaining embers rage on from within. Even her variant starts to join in, slowly turning all the bees and hosts of them she merged with against her.

“No matter how powerful you become, there’s just no winning by yourself here.” Sekan sighs, a bit of pity forming alongside a smug sense of satisfaction. “Not with how quirks work. Goodbye, Queen Bee.”

She can do nothing as her own hivemind tears itself apart, taking her down along with it, and while even her complete collapse leaves an incredible impact, when standing together like this, the Shie Hassaikai can defend against far worse. They can defend against the world itself.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Nomus and Bees across the world fall lifeless. Plants to start to wilt. Hives start to fall. Everything here was kept together by Empress, much more so than Hero Society was kept together by All Might. 

When the Queen Bee dies, another will eventually come to be through a surviving member of its swarm, the queen reborn with all its memories and natural abilities. It takes a little bit to kick in, but it will inevitably happen. Ascending the singularity allows for everything else it's gained to return as well, new body and quirks included.

Yet despite this function being an innate trait of the swarm, there’s one thing the Empress, Garaki, and All For One didn’t consider. What if there’s another Queen Bee out there, exact same quirk and all, while the original Queen Bee is dead?

Even when boosted many times over, Kuin’s Queen Bee quirk can’t match the singularity quirk the Empress has… and she doesn’t need to because the Empress is currently dead, unable to stake her own claim over the swarm.

Not even a vestige remains right now, Soramitsu purposefully ending the temporary copy of her quirk to make sure she can’t make a comeback that way. Kuin is the sole contender now.

Back when Sekan first acquired Kuin, this Queen Bee was a duplicated copy made by rewinding one of her old hosts at Naruhata. The ‘original’ Queen Bee was still in stasis, locked away in one of Garaki’s labs. 

It was all but dead, and could therefore not stake a claim on the swarm Kuin made. As for the Empress now, her situation is even worse, being dead, even if only temporarily.

With no competition around, there’s nothing stopping Kuin from taking over as the swarm’s new queen, and if the queen demands her swarm to not let the old queen return, the swarm will follow their queen’s orders as they’re innately created to.

No matter how impossible it may seem for most, even supposedly unbeatable symbols will fall eventually…

 

“I can connect with all the remaining drones, stop them from allowing their former ruler to respawn.” Kuin softly explains, calling several of these queenless bees to her side, gently petting them as they nuzzle into her. “They deserve to spend their final moments being as free as they can be.”

“Do whatever you think is best.” Sekan gives the go-ahead. “I trust you, Kuin.”

“Thanks, boss.” Kuin smiles back, bowing down with her newly-acquired swarm doing the same.

And with this swarm technically being the ‘enemy leader’ now, just like that, the world around them starts to fade away… yet something doesn’t sit right with Sekan.

This Queen Bee, she made it sound like anything done to her during the Incursions actually stuck. Was that a bluff on her end, or were some rules different for her then they were for him?

Neither of the dumbass deities shows up this time around, so Sekan can’t confront them about it. That’s probably on purpose, now that he’s thinking about it.

So the question has to be asked, just what exactly are they trying to accomplish here? Are they simply following whatever whims happen to pop up in their minds, or is there something deeper to all this?

It doesn’t matter how powerful they are. One way or another, Sekan will get the answers he seeks. 

Chapter 114: Quirk Cheats 101 - The Singularity

Rei always thought she knew what it meant to freeze and burn. 

The abuse of her former families, the powers bestowed upon her, forming tundras and infernos around her at a moment’s notice. She had become powerful, powerful enough to destroy herself without support.

But what would happen if that support was taken away? 

When she first created Ginnungagap, not even Super Regeneration, the heat and frost resistance quirks, and the body modifications she was given were enough to withstand its power. So her body adapted, all the resistance quirks within her forming another Artificial Quirk that could resist even the most extreme temperatures.

But what would happen if there was no easy solution to that problem? What if her resistance and regeneration abilities were taken away?

What if every single cell of hers froze and burned in perfect unison as every atom in her body reached a breaking point, something that should be impossible as it breaks the laws of physics and reality itself. What if her power broke through that solidified reality?

The answer, apparently, is her body dealing with the problem itself.

 

“DAMNIT, SHE’S MELTING MY LAB AGAIN!”

She shouldn’t be able to feel any pain thanks to her body’s modifications, yet every last bit of her is in agony as her body naturally evolves even further.

“These readings make no sense… this is supposed to be impossible!”

She’s reaching the breaking point once again. No, she’s long since surpassed that after everything she’s been through.

“Even Gearshift could bend the laws of physics when boosted by OFA. And don’t forget, reality itself can be altered by quirks like New Order, so it is possible.” Sekan Doraifu shuts his clones up while aiding her once again.

Her body is rapidly mutating in a desperate bid for survival, but with how powerful her main quirk has become, it would be impossible for her to even last a minute without his aid. Quirks like Overhaul and Cell Activation can keep her from fully falling apart.

“Focus, Rei. Focus on who you are and what you want to do! Let your desires take shape both mentally and physically!” He spurs her on as she evolves, as she ascends.

“What… I… want?”

“MOM!!!”

Kota… her child is forcefully held back as the temperatures continue to fluctuate, as nitrogen and plasma fill her body and the surrounding area. Even Sekan is having trouble withstanding and transmuting it, so him getting too close would-

A long-forgotten memory returns to the forefront of her mind, giving her old youngest that scar on his face as one side reminded her of Endeavor, of the monster who became Japan’s top hero, only to burn himself out in an attempt to stop her.

He became a monster, but she became an even bigger monster… and who says monsters have to be all bad? Her fire can burn people to a crisp, or it could provide them warmth. Her ice is a similar story, this power’s effect being whatever she wants it to be.

‘What I want, huh?’

 

What she wants is for it all to stop hurting, and gradually, it does.

What she wants is for the erupting temperatures to stop destroying, and gradually, they do.

What she wants is to comfort her child, and she does. Her whole body turns into a formless plasma, tearing through any remaining walls separating her from her child, but only that. No other effects spread beyond her. Nobody else, nothing else melts or even sweats.

Her whole body then turns into liquid nitrogen, and once again, the effects don’t spread past her body.

It then returns to a lukewarm temperature, around eighty degrees or so. She is neither hot nor cold as she picks up and hugs her child. 

“Transformation? Mutation? Emitter? It seems to embody aspects of all three main quirk types, and her body… it’s almost like a malleable liquid. Something completely inhuman.” LabHaul mutters to himself, cautiously observing her.

Even Sekan himself is awestruck. Rei herself should be too, but those emotions never come. She just is. She can just be. She’s whatever she wants to be.

“Welp, congratulations Rei. You have ceased being human entirely. You’ve evolved into a Post-Singularity being, a de facto goddess of temperature.” Sekan then congratulates her. 

So what now? Her revenge has already concluded, so what should her new purpose be?

She’s naturally still under Sekan's orders, but he doesn’t need her to do very much. He never did, not with all the other talents and monsters he has working for him.

Rei thinks about it for a little, and seeing the child, her child, snuggled up into her ends that train of thought. Right now, she’ll continue raising him. She’ll help him evolve as well, and once that’s complete… she’ll cross that bridge when she comes to it.

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  10 Days Until The Ascension

The Quirk Singularity. 

I’ve practically obsessed over it since the very beginning, making all sorts of preparations and discoveries related to it, but what exactly is it?

It all started about 70 years ago, where Kyudai Garaki presented the Paranormal Singularity Theory, also becoming known as the Quirk Singularity Doomsday Theory later on. 

To summarize the theory in question, as generations follow one another, quirks blend and evolve, producing stronger and more complex quirks. However, this increase in power usually comes with an increased difficulty for control as the human body doesn’t evolve quickly enough to keep up.

 

Yes, there are ways to fix this. Training with the quirk can sometimes help, as can secondary abilities or characteristics like some sort of natural resistance. 

Training or developing the quirk can also do the exact opposite, like what happened with Touya when he trained to increase the temperature of his flames. His body simply couldn’t handle the increase in firepower, resulting in his stitched-up state when compared to others like Endeavor or Shoto.

Eventually, there will come a point when quirks will become too overpowered and complicated, and nobody will be able to control them anymore. This point will vary widely depending on a person’s family history and genetics, but it will eventually happen.

Signs of this came as early as the fourth generation according to canon, but All For One was the only one willing to accept Garaki’s predictions, the idea of his own body not being able to adapt to his growing legion of quirks being a serious issue.

Despite evidence continuing to grow as more generations passed and quirks got more powerful on average, the theory is still considered fringe thinking reserved for cults even now. Hero Society as a whole being terminally stupid again; what else is new.

Humarise obviously believed in this theory, even if Flect Turn’s genocidal solution to the problem is completely idiotic at best. 

Destro actually believed in it too according to his autobiography, explaining how there were mock battles between parents and children with combat-oriented quirks during the days of the original Meta Liberation Army. 

In these mock battles, the children almost always won due to the strength of their quirks in comparison to their parents, who only rarely won due to their grown strength and children’s frailty that was unrelated to their abilities. 

He used this data to conclude that quirks would continue to rise in strength to the point of being unable to be restricted by laws, using this as part of his justification to liberate quirk society.

 

I myself have been building off the research of All For One, Kyudai Garaki, Destro, and Flect Turn for quite a while, taking a much deeper dive into this concept then canon ever did. With my resources and unique perspective on top of data from my ‘predecessors’ on the subject, I could take their research far further.

The result of this is a reworked singularity theory that partially came from more fanon MHA inspiration and partially from my own research.

Our own theory suggests that Quirk Singularity will come in four separate stages, and all four of these stages are actually seen in canon.

First up is Stage 1 Singularity Quirks, and these are quirks that are too strong for society. 

They’re quirks that are so powerful, typically due to their mass-destruction potential, that Hero Society in its current state simply can’t survive enough of them born around the same time.

When it comes to canon characters, Endeavor is here. Geten is here too. Same with Re-Destro and Captain Celebrity. 

Imagine a thousand people being born with quirks like theirs throughout Japan, with half going hero and half going villain. All of them are capable of demolishing part of a city with a few attacks, so imagine a dozen or so people at their level duking it out in the middle of one.

Enough constant damage caused by this would result in both economic humanitarian crises, leading to the eventual collapse of the world or society itself, especially as more and more Stage 1 Singularity Quirks are born.

Yeah, that’s just Stage 1 out of 4. Strap in, we still have a long way to go.

 

Next is Stage 2 Singularity Quirks, and these are quirks that are too strong for their holders. 

They are powerful enough to cause (or can cause) permanent damage to their users’ bodies, often ending in death for them.

As for canon examples, Dabi is here. Twice is here if his identity disorders are anything to go by. Shoto is technically here, although his overheating and freezing issues are opposites and can be used to negate each other with enough training.

Even Kai Chisaki is here, as the Overhaul quirk interacting with even potentially troublesome pathogens causes rapid allergic reactions throughout his body, although I solved that issue ages ago. It was one of the first body modifications I did to myself, in fact. Good times.

Then we have Stage 3 Singularity Quirks, and these are quirks that, simply put, are too strong for the world.  

They are so powerful that their initial activation might cause the death of their user and everyone else who happens to be in the vicinity. Them growing up and their quirks growing stronger will turn them into walking nukes if they can at least somewhat control their quirks.

More people being born with these kinds of quirks will lead to localized apocalypses happening all over the place upon children’s initial activations of said quirks. In short, it would be way worse than too many Stage 1 Singularity Quirk wielders being born, and these three stages happening simultaneously would gradually bring about global extinction.

A canon example of this stage is Nine’s Weather Manipulation quirk. It can easily destroy entire cities, but usage of this power comes with excruciating pain that can cause the user to faint and rapid degeneration of the user’s cells overtime. 

Another example is Decay during the MLA Arc. Its initial activation wiped out an entire area, and some fine-tuning, mental block-unloading, and a Quirk Awakening later, half of Deika City became dust and Tomura’s entire arm became mutilated after only a single activation. 

In that sense, you could initially call Decay a Stage 2 Singularity Quirk which then became a Stage 3 Singularity Quirk after going through some training and a Quirk Awakening. 

You could argue that Double belongs here too if the user is willing to fully commit and go Sad Man’s Parade, but the point still stands.

So what the hell can be worse than that? Artificial Quirks?

 

Well, yes and no. Artificial Quirks should probably be a different category altogether considering how they’re formed in the first place. Canon calls them ‘Artificial’ Quirks and not ‘Natural’ Quirks for a reason.

However, while they don’t come with any issues regarding quirk space, as these merged quirks are still technically single quirks, they do have the same risks as ‘normal’ singularity quirks.

They’re a double-edged sword. In general, the more power a quirk has, the harder it is to control them. Secondary quirk characteristics like resistances or more obvious mutations can help, but they can only do so much.

Artificially modifying the body and adding more quirks to compensate for its recoil can help too, and while fighting fire with fire is the best solution, those methods are unnatural, just as Artificial Quirks are. It’s in the name, right? Artificial Quirks. Artificial body modifications. Not natural.

Take Reveal for example. Spamming that Artificial Quirk would almost instantly make any normal user go brain-dead from information overload. My heavily-modified body can handle it, and quirks like IQ allow me to further utilize it, but most others have no such crutch.

So if it’s not Artificial Quirks, then what exactly is Stage 4? A natural Stage 4?

Well, going back to the original Quirk Singularity Doomsday Theory, there is one critical aspect that Garaki didn’t add on because he simply had no way of knowing about it.

Humanity can adapt to pretty much anything, quirks included. However, this adaptation tends to be very, very slow. Far slower than the growth rate of quirks in people as generations pass.

Yes, humans can be artificially or genetically modified to fix this. I’ve done all sorts of body modifications on myself and others, but these aren’t natural. In fact, you can put this kind of thing in the same branch as Artificial Quirks. 

But what about naturally? Well, this is where the Quirk Singularity evolution comes in.

 

Simply put, it can be considered one last desperate attempt by the human body to regain control over the ever-growing quirk or quirks within itself. Think of it like the Hysterical Strength of human adaptation. 

When the level of power a person’s quirk or quirks reach is high enough, usually at or beyond the third stage, their body begins to rapidly mutate in a desperate attempt to survive.

This doesn’t just mean getting their quirk or quirks back under control. As AFO Tomura’s canon evolution proved, both the subconscious desires of the person as well as various environmental factors can also dictate how this rapid evolution goes. 

But wait a second. Wasn’t AFO Tomura’s body heavily modified beforehand? 

Yes, but those modifications simply weren’t enough to support both Decay in its current state and All For One along with the legions of quirks it had stored within. His prior modifications served as a helpful crutch, but ultimately, both those problems forced Tomura’s body to grow even further, to naturally adapt on top of what was already artificially adapted.

Going into a bit more detail, canon explains that Tomura’s passion for destruction first gave birth to a swollen cluster of fingers ideal for inflicting devastation while also shielding himself from any threat.

This first occurred after his battle with Star and Stripe, his hair noticeably growing during said battle. In fact, the argument could be made that this singularity evolution started the moment Tomura was forcefully awoken mid-procedure, his body needing to naturally finish adapting to AFO’s quirks.

But it was the Final War where the majority of this evolution took place. 

 

During the first part of that battle, Bakugou, Mirko, Best Jeanist, Edgeshot, and the Big 3 kept hammering at him while Neito Monoma kept his quirks sealed via a copy of Erasure. 

Just to be clear, Erasure sealing off AFO Tomura’s quirks didn’t mean they weren’t affecting him at all. That legion of quirks along with AFO itself and Decay was what caused his body to mutate, so his body can adapt to them all. 

Erasure simply prevented AFO Tomura from using said quirks while this was happening. Quirks like Super Regeneration couldn’t help him out due to being nullified, so his body had to do all the heavy-lifting for him.

His body continued to mutate throughout the fight, creating waves upon waves of hands to combat the heroes, spawning mouths alongside the hands to spit back out Tamaki’s poison, and continuously forming more flesh the moment a good enough attack (like Bakugou’s opening salvo or Tamaki’s plasma cannon) blasted it off.

With Erasure rendering regeneration impossible, the accumulated damage along with the mental stress he endured drove him to the brink. At that point, his body evolved into its Apex Form, perfectly crafted to deal with the threats he faced. This was his giant form with hands all over him acting like armor. 

His ‘Apex Form’ did a good job crushing the group in front of him, but then Izuku came along and beat him around, causing his body to get mostly destroyed and start mutating once again, a massive pustule with a screaming face emerging from a giant hole in his chest.

Erasure was then cut off, Tomura’s body changing as he took control back from AFO’s vestige. His size returned to normal and his body was tearing away, as if shedding skin. Only there were still some major changes when compared to his ‘original’ self. 

His body was perfected in a way, waves of lean muscles covering his entire body. In fact, you could say that Tomura taking control back from AFO’s vestige was another aspect of him adapting to the extra quirks, but I can’t confirm it. 

Decay could also be utilized throughout his entire body, much like how I altered my own epidermis to channel Overhaul through it instead of just relying on my hands, and its speed, power, and control got boosted a good bit too. His body could handle this much quirk power without the slightest bit of recoil.

And this still wasn’t the end of his mutations.

As he was fighting Izuku for the final time, his body instinctively re-entered its ‘absolute defense’ form, rejecting Izuku as he attempted to forcefully transfer the OFA vestiges to him. This further formed into another massive wave of fingers that got torn apart after Izuku ruined Tomura’s body from within.

Decay can be considered as a Stage 4 Singularity Quirk or a ‘Post-Singularity’ Quirk at this point.

In this final stage, body and quirk become more intertwined than ever before as humanity evolves into something more. Whether they could even be called human at that point is questionable at best.

So then what about Izuku and One For All? MHA’s main protagonist adapted to that quirk throughout the series, right? And canon states multiple times that OFA ‘reached the singularity’, so is OFA at Stage 4?

You can argue that it is, and that Izuku simply never finished adapting to it before he lost it and the series ended. You can also argue that OFA shouldn’t really count since it’s an Artificial Quirk. 

Artificial Singularity, maybe? If Melissa didn’t already steal the term for her own creations, I’d use it myself. Artificial Quirk Singularity, maybe?

Either way, the evolution process Izuku underwent is still similar. It’s just much slower than AFO Tomura’s. 

Who knows. Maybe if Izuku managed to fully master 100% of OFA, his body would’ve undergone rapid mutations like AFO Tomura to completely adjust to that quirk.

 

Come to think of it, Kudo from the Third Round might just be the perfect example of that. His body was inhuman, perfectly crafted to wield One For All at a far higher, more developed level then it ever was in canon. 

His body was far more durable then what should be naturally possible, and it had plenty of other alterations too for better handling the arsenal of quirks One For All comes with. 

Brain alterations to better handle Danger Sense, the blood’s ability to hold oxygen to better handle Gearshift, and a general ability to handle massive amounts of raw energy that even left me in awe.

Queen Bee from the Fourth Round had a similar natural evolution centered around her main quirk, even admitting she underwent the same modifications as AFO Tomura. In fact, most of her singularity evolutions were similar to AFO Tomura; she just ended up biting off way more than she could chew.

And speaking of that side story, I myself have also started undergoing the singularity. Twice as a matter of fact, both times ending with some sort of reset by a higher power.

First was my internal battle against Yoichi Shigaraki and his Quirk Bestowal ability.

My body mutated to better accommodate both Reveal and Overhaul, the only two quirks I had at the time, and my vestigeworld seemed to undergo some changes too, better fortifying against hostile quirk vestiges and granting me more control over that space in general. 

Rewind undid that evolution, rewinding my body and mind back to before it began, but there was still something present despite time around me being undone, an instinct or tiny spark in the deepest part of me.

Then came the Fourth Round, where I was beaten to hell and back by that Queen Bee who gave herself the AFO Tomura treatment after possessing my variant. 

My mind, my very psyche was nearly shattered when I attempted to take control over her hivemind, but I was still subconsciously resisting, that spark within acting up, attempting to repair and strengthen what it could.

That was abruptly put to a stop thanks to me activating Overhaul to reset my condition, but at least some of the singularity effects remained.

I was given the beatdown of a lifetime soon after, having lost all my quirks before that started, but my body still continued to evolve. The process had already started, and while there were no quirks of mine for my body to adapt to, the quirks of others was a different story. 

Like how AFO Tomura evolved to various environmental factors, his own subconscious desires also playing a part in how his body changed, so to did my own. I rapidly adapted to taking all kinds of damage in a manner that shouldn’t have been possible without any quirks, yet I did.

And once that round ended, my evolution was once again reset, this time by those dumbass deities… and yet some trace effects still remained. Whether they did that on accident or on purpose is something I still don’t know and probably won’t ever know, but I do know that something is still there.

But bits of the singularity’s effects still remain in me, mostly mentally and instinctually. It should be impossible according to the fundamental laws of this world, but I’ve become an expert at breaking those overtime. 

So going back to the main topic, how exactly does this Quirk Singularity Evolution work?

 

To put it simply, there seem to be two main settings which I’ll call ‘Low-Gear’ and High-Gear’. The setting currently in use depends on how much danger the person is currently in and how much damage they’ve taken.

Using Izuku as an example, he spends most of the almost two years he had OFA evolving in Low Gear, very slowly getting his body adjusted to OFA’s power. It’s to be expected with how powerful that quirk is.

But throughout the series, there were plenty of moments where he went Plus Ultra and destroyed his body, and this all came to a head during the Paranormal Liberation War. 

He went from handling five percent to thirty with brief bursts of forty five percent, and after going way beyond his limits again, his body was forced to rapidly adapt, going into a High-Gear evolution so as to not completely fall apart. OFA’s bonus quirks were able to manifest quickly as a result, this adaptation combined with the dangerous situation he was in forcing a manifestation.

Quirks like Fa Jin and Gearshift then served as crutches, their properties allowing Izuku to handle much more power without any recoil. He wasn’t destroying himself anymore, the Final War being the only other time his body was wrecked, and he lost OFA during that battle, the remaining embers fading away not long after.

And with him deciding to give up hero stuff afterwards, his body had nothing left to adapt to, so his growth was halted.

As for AFO Tomura, both an Awakened Decay and AFO’s legion of quirks was far too much for his body to handle. Garaki’s modifications on him helped a little, but those were incomplete, forcing his body into High-Gear almost immediately.

Recovering took a while, and he was in Low-Gear for the next few months, gradually adapting to All For One’s quirk. Going up against Star forced his body back into High-Gear, as did the Final War, not only quickly finishing up the adaptation to his quirks, but also further evolving to counter his enemies.

It didn’t seem to adapt against damage done against the vestigeworld as the body was ruined once vestige AFO destroyed most of Tomura from within, but my own evolution could fix this damage. 

Maybe it was due to a lack of understanding on vestige AFO’s end? I am a far greater expert at all things quirk and vestige-related, so that understanding could extend to fixing damage like that where AFO Tomura couldn’t.

Or maybe it’s because vestige AFO destroyed most of the ego or ‘soul’ the body had alongside OFA’s vestiges, ruining the evolution Tomura was undergoing? Or maybe that body would have adapted and naturally fixed the damage if enough time passed? No way of knowing for sure right now, so I’ll just keep a mental note of it as it doesn’t really apply to me. 

Basically, going into High-Gear allows for faster mutations and a wider range of mutations against outside threats, but a person must push themselves to the brink to achieve that state. I called it the ‘Hysterical Strength of human adaptation’ for a reason.

A person can likely, naturally enter High-Gear when their quirk goes from Stage 3 to 4, their body no longer being able to control its power. The quirk itself threatens to overwhelm and destroy them, so their body must rapidly adapt to get it back under control.

In that case, can you enter High-Gear whenever you want, assuming the conditions are met, or can it only activate a set number of times depending on how well your body can handle your quirk or quirks?

My Incursion battles against both Kudo and Queen Bee point towards the High-Gear evolution state being temporary as Kudo was heavily-pressured during some points yet never showed massive, sporadic body evolutions like AFO Tomura did against Izuku and Queen Bee's rapid mutations ended once she fully 'absorbed' my variant into herself. 

And what about Low-Gear? Izuku had it for years in canon until OFA was taken away. I couldn’t observe the Queen Bee’s body with Reveal since she erased my quirks, and Kudo’s didn’t seem to be adapting at all during the battle we had. Maybe it would have if he won and fully healed?

Maybe it’s on a case to case basis, depending on the person in question as well as their quirk or quirks and general circumstance? 

I myself entered High-Gear twice, but both times were undone, so I can’t count myself as a statistic either.

 

That led me to experiment on some subordinates of mine, but I didn’t have a very large pool of test subjects to draw from as very few have quirks that are either at or bordering Stage 4 Singularity level, and the ones that do have Artificial Quirks reaching that state.

Nine comes close with his Awakened Weather Manipulation quirk, but he isn’t quite there yet. I’m even closer with Overhaul, but like I said, I don’t want to test this on myself and risk losing the chance to optimize this process.

So I instead chose people like Rei, and that revealed another major problem. My own desire to experiment on and improve came back to bite me.

Despite having an Artificial Quirk that’s at Stage 4 level, Rei hasn’t shown any signs of High Gear or even Low-Gear singularity mutations. Why is that?

For starters, her body was already heavily modified. Unlike AFO Tomura’s artificial modifications, the ones I gave Rei allowed her to handle her power… with some help.

When she first formed the Artificial Quirk Ginnungagap, her body couldn’t handle it even with its modifications, so shouldn’t she have evolved naturally like AFO Tomura did? Well, she technically did.

Only it was through her quirks, not her body. Her heat and frost resistance quirks merged into their own Artificial Quirk, combining with Ginnungagap’s own temperature-resistance and her body modifications to allow complete control over this quirk’s power. Super Regeneration was just an extra precaution at that point.

Luckily, this offered an easy solution to the problem. Take away both Super Regeneration and Temperature Resistance, and her body will be forced to adapt on its own, so that’s what I did.

Her body entered High-Gear, evolving at a rapid pace to try and withstand the quirk’s power… and it would’ve failed if it wasn’t for me assisting her with Overhaul and Cell Activation. This ties back into the main problem Artificial Quirks have, they’re too powerful. They have a far greater chance of forming a gap too wide for the body to naturally close then regular quirks.

A very important thing to note, and a factor that isn’t a problem with some outside help. So with me acting as a crutch for her body, it was able to rapidly adapt in High-Gear over the course of an hour or so, evolving into something beyond human.

A Post-Singularity being. 

 

Rei pretty much breaks reality with the control over temperature she has now, being able to simultaneously burn and freeze pretty much anything without the two effects clashing. 

Her body has almost become jello-like, being able to further harden or soften on its own with no quirks involved. When using Ginnungagap, it’s similar to how Number 6 could turn into a living blend of combustible plasma energy, only her capabilities are far beyond AFO’s failed experiment. 

She could turn into a wave of fire or plasma that can consume entire cities, burning everything and anything into ashes… maybe not even ashes, but instead true nothingness. She can even do the exact opposite and turn into a living blend of liquid nitrogen or a raging storm of snow and ice. She’s literally become an arsenal of natural disasters.

Going below absolute zero is trivial for her, even if such a thing shouldn’t be possible. Even concepts like space and time seem to slow, to freeze under her power. Not even physical constants can limit the growth of quirks, so trying to apply common sense from my old world won’t work here.

Makes me wonder what Nine will evolve into once he reaches that point. Unlike Rei, his arsenal of quirks is much more versatile. Will his body evolve to better utilize all of them equally, or will it focus on better handling the stronger abilities? 

Back to Rei, once this evolution of hers was completed, we tested to see if it can further adapt. Same for the others we helped evolve past the singularity.

They could, their bodies still being in a Low-Gear evolutionary state, but they never seemed to enter High-Gear no matter how much we pushed them. 

Their bodies also seemed to adapt much more to internal issues than outside threats like enemies and environmental factors, another common factor of the Low-Gear state in general. It’s much more limited on just what it can adapt to, mainly combating internal issues rather than external threats.

 

So in short, it seems that the High-Gear or ‘main’ part of the Quirk Singularity evolution can only be entered once, and that’s when your body rapidly adapts into something beyond human to regain control over its quirk. 

I can’t be completely sure about all this just yet due to a severe lack of test subjects and data, but I’m going to run on this assumption for now. This is why I’m trying to avoid reentering this rapid-adaptation state until my Perfection/Singularity procedure, or vastly improved version of AFO Tomura’s canon procedure, is ready.

I know my body better than anyone, and I know that while I still have some effects of natural, High-Gear Quirk Singularity adaptation, mostly mentally and instinctually, my body hasn’t yet entered that state. 

Does this make any sense? Nope. It should be impossible according to the fundamental laws of this world, but I’ve become an expert at breaking those overtime. 

Putting it in Tomura terms, if the maximum level you can achieve before a Post-Singularity class evolution is ten, I managed to glitch my way to level eleven without technically starting said evolution, or at least its main portion. I’m pretty sure this is a good thing, but I lack any evidence to back it up outside of pure instinct.

I can feel it deep within. Singularity is banging at the metaphorical door, desperately wishing to be unleashed for good, to evolve me into something truly beyond human. My arsenal of quirks has become unbelievably powerful, as have their vestiges from within, and my very being desires to evolve into the next stage to contain them.

So why not start it now? Well like I said, I’m trying to make this evolution as optimized as possible. I want to time this just right, lining up with my massively-improved version of the AFO Tomura procedure (and having more time to research the phenomenon by extension) for maximum gains just in case this period of High-Gear adaptation does prove to be temporary.

And I don’t think I can rely on Rewind to reset my condition again to pre-singularity evolution. Like I said before, my body rapidly adapts to pretty much anything in this state, and I’ve got the feeling that a blast of Rewind my body considers to be ‘hostile’ counts as that.

Basically, we most likely only have one more shot to get this right, and I can’t wait around much longer to start it. I can’t observe another singularity evolution on someone else either since nobody else here has reached that point.

Good news is that LabHaul should be ready in a few weeks at most, and the procedure itself should still only take about a month, two at most depending on how my body’s natural adaptation pairs with the artificial modifications we have planned.

 

So what exactly does this entail? Simply put, we plan on taking this rapid natural adaptation concept to the absolute extreme. 

Fire, ice, radiation, energy and chemical agents of all kinds, mental attacks, piercing and blunt attacks in general, gravity, space, time, and much, much more. During my quirk singularity ascension, my clones and I are going to have my body adapt to pretty much everything we possibly can, so even if I somehow lose all my quirks, I’ll still be an unstoppable monster.

Shame that we couldn’t find any quirk that grants its user a more adaptable body, letting them gain natural resistance to anything so long as it doesn’t kill them. Piercing wound? Tougher skin. Burned to death? Fire resistance. Drowning? Increased lung capacity. 

If a user of that quirk was as reckless as Izuku, they could grow to be an absolute powerhouse while functionally quirkless, almost like an MHA version of DC’s Doomsday.

Oh well. I’ll just have to cram all those examples into this procedure and have my body adapt without such a crutch.

And this is on top of my body adapting to the countless quirks of all kinds LabHaul will also be giving me alongside the original All For One quirk during this procedure. 

And beneficial traits of various plants and animals through Overhaul fusion. 

And a brand new carbon polymer skeletal system with an upgraded QAD incorporated into it.

My body will receive tons of new artificial modifications too. The procedure Garaki used to give AFO Tomura a body nearing prime All Might in quirkless power is nothing compared to what we have planned, and natural growth will supplement those modifications.

Countless artificial body alterations combined with countless amounts of natural adaptation, both branches ideally pushing each other even further. I’ll become far more powerful than any natural Post-Singularity being no matter what their quirk or quirks are, in both body and mind.

Well, I will when it comes to the first generation of Post-Singularity beings.

 

See why we’ve dubbed the result of this my ‘Perfect’ Form? Times are about to change, and I intend to get ahead of the curve by giving myself the best evolution possible.

I’ll get an immense head-start, giving me time to further upgrade and gain more from Earth before its population becomes too dangerous, destroying the world in the process.

While most initial Post-Singularity beings shouldn’t have continent-busting or planet-busting levels of power, who knows what will happen if they start having kids or continue evolving. It’ll be like when quirks first came to be, more generations passing as singularities mix together.

Same goes for plants and animals, probably turning into sentient forests or massive titans overtime. It’ll be like a world straight out of some fantasy novel, ironic considering how much I’m going down the Sci-Fi route now.

The Era of Quirks, from the Dawn of Quirks until now, could be considered something of an Easy Mode. In that sense, the Singularity Era will become Hard Mode for the world as its inhabitants enter the next stage of evolution.

Breaching space lets me quit the game without dying, but I won’t be giving up that easily. I’ll continue learning and obtaining whatever I can, staying as far ahead as I can.

All that without collapsing myself, being responsible for my own downfall like so many others have. Looking back, I’ve been getting rather hasty lately, first with Melissa and then during the Fourth Round. Former worked out, but the latter damn near cost me everything.

Reminds me of Naruhata, in a sense. Only instead of overconfidence, it’s more the other way around. It’s fear that drove me into anger and recklessness. Coming up to such a critical moment, despite everything I’ve prepared and everything I’ve done… it’s nerve-wracking. 

Maybe I should just take a day or two off, relax a little more, appreciate what I've done rather than focus on what I haven’t. Zi’s waiting for me, as is Eri, and I don’t want to let them down.

 

 

 

Star and Stripe’s P̶e̶r̶s̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶S̶h̶i̶t̶l̶i̶s̶t̶ Villain Rankings + Commentary

(each tier ranked in order from most to least threatening, at least for her)

SSSS-Rank Villains (Worldwide Threats):

• Long Haul - ‘most valuable friend’ her ass
• Twice - why did he have to follow the NEET murderhobo? 
• Flect Turn - fucker is going down even if it’s the last thing she does
• Re-Destro - he better stay in Japan if he knows what’s good for him

SSS-Rank Villains (Country-Wide Threats):

• Queen Bee - at least Long Haul is keeping her on a leash (helps that she’s probably into that sort of thing)
• Gigantomachia - what is so appealing about that NEET murderhobo? 
• Nine - she’ll be sure to throw a goddamn apocalypse his way next time
• Quirked Animals Turned Triggered Monstrosities - despite dying after a day, they still overstay their welcome
• Valdo Gollini - haven’t heard much of him lately, but he’s still going down
• All For One - still old news

SS-Rank Villains (Prefecture/State-Wide Threats):

• Rei - she hates Endeavor too, but isn’t causing a new ice age in retaliation a bit much?
• Geten - first Hawks and now him; Japan has a terrible taste in biggest bachelors

S-Rank Villains (City-Wide/Typical Top 10 Hero Threats):

• Tomura Shigaraki - absurdly powerful friends or not, he’s still a NEET murderhobo

Chapter 115: Slice of Shounen Life

“God damnit…”

“Pfffffft, he starts with a Stress Output Burden.”

“WHAT THE FUCK?!?” Chimera fumes as his Hero Killer Stain card is instantly beaten off the board.

“Here- Here, dude. Just calm down, calm down. Here. Calm down. Pick a Corrupt Consultant.” Mummy stutters, trying not to laugh while pulling out his own cards.

“WHAT IS THIS HAND, HOYO?!?”

Someone isn’t happy about the severe lack of counters available for the holographic Gigantomachia taking up a solid chunk of the board.

Enough free time, funding, and inspiration led to Sekan Doraifu recently, shamelessly ripping off another one of My Hero Academia’s OVAs: Heroes Battle. He and his clones spearheaded the creation of a new holographic, collectable card game, the theme of their own version being centered around the darkest days of Japanese society.

The UA Heroes Battle card game never becoming a thing here prevented any copyright issues, not that Sekan would care about such. 

Instead of UA students being the main cards and Pro-Heroes being limited support, the Shie Hassaikai’s top brass and main subsidiaries take center stage with notable villains from other organizations both old and new being the ‘Helper Heroes’ equivalent, Corrupt Consultants.

All For One and the League of Villains, the Meta Liberation Army, the Creature Rejection Clan, the Wild Villains, and even some international organizations taking part in the action like Humarise and the Gollini Family were included.

 

‘Villains Battle’ was a smash hit across the Hassaikai. Cards were quickly sold out despite continuous new additions that mirror developments in the ongoing worldwide war and the Creation Crew producing quite the sizable amount themselves.

People can choose to play 1v1, 2v2s where one person controlled the regular cards for their side and the other controlled the support cards (what Chimera and Mummy are currently doing with Maguma and Gust Boy), and even several story mode campaigns against the HPSC and WHA.

Sure beats the canon, heroic iteration where only 1v1s were possible. Spite truly is a wonderful motivator for going Plus Ultra. 

“HAAAAHahahahahaaaaaaa.”

“Get rekt, you furry smurf.”

“I WILL EAT YOU!”

“Have fun choking on the craps I don’t give.”

“Gigantomachia needs to be nerfed so fucking badly. At least Star and Stripe has the excuse of being a non-playable superboss for the story campaign.”

“The guy is a legendary-ranked card for a reason, y’know.”

“And you probably bribed the Creation Crew to get it, Maguma! They’re supposed to be stupid rare!”

“Just who do you take me for? I obviously stole it from them.”

“Cheeky little shit. We should’ve just stuck to playing poker.”

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  1 Week Until The Ascension

“We own a gaming company? Since when?” I gawk over the phone as Eri bounces around the limousine we’re in.

Convenient as warping is, some guy from my old world once said it was about the journey, not the destination, so I chose to follow that advice here.

Also, Eri really wanted to ride in a limousine, so I figured we might as well go the whole nine yards since we’re dressed up all fancy.

“You can spread a censored version of Villains Battle across Japan for all I care. Just don’t expect me to help out with logistics. I- hang on a second. Some idiot is tearing up the highway in a fire-themed monster truck… wait, isn’t that Endeavor’s old chauffeur?”

 

Sure enough, a newly batshit insane Untenmaru Kurumada decided to go full-on villain mode, probably spending most of his paychecks on that four-wheeled behemoth he’s maniacally laughing in, and head out on a joyride that’s brutally crushing cars and civilians alike.

I guess Endeavor’s infamy didn’t do him any favors once the MLA finished their coup across Japan. His numerous lessons in combat driving and experience dealing with insecure assholes could only get him so far.

“Villain attacks were supposed to be at an all-time low.” Zi sighs, adjusting her bright red dress as engines roar and the ground below quakes. “Yes, I see the irony in that.”

“Can we beat him up, dad? Pleeeaaassseeee?” My hyperactive daughter begs.

“If you stop treating this limousine like a bouncy castle, I’ll consider-”

“No, Sekan. No, Eri. I don’t want you ruining your outfits before we even arrive. Toga worked really hard on this, so we owe it to her to look our best.” Zi gently shuts us both down.

“We have Creation. And Alchemy.” I point out, getting a deadpan stare from my partner. “What? I don’t need to have a good fashion sense when I can copy over any needed memories with- HOLY SHIT! GENTLE!”

“As you wish, young master!”

*SCREEEEEEEECCCCHHHHH*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Our own driver’s elasticity quirk is activated, and the air in front of us turns into a massive trampoline as the monster truck floors it our way.

Good news is the trampoline barrier doubles as a bridge, Endeavor’s glorified cabby driving right over us without actually crushing us.

Bad news is some flaming wreckage from other cars hit the unprotected sides of our ride, creating some rather nasty scrapes and bruises despite Gentle Criminal’s best efforts.

More vigilantes and Meta Liberation Warriors pour in less than a minute later, reinforcing the ones already present, and watching them plus a few dozen angry civilians bombarding a moving monster truck with all kinds of attacks is both entertaining and hilarious, but the damage is already done. 

 

“...Should I just warp us over?” I quietly offer Zookeeper who looks ready to take the wheel and commit murder herself.

“But we still have like twenty minutes!” Eri points out, pouting at the idea of our limo ride ending early. 

“We also have the return trip, fledgeling. And if we arrive too late, we might get bad seats.”

“Aren’t our spots already reserv-”

“So let’s just bite the bullet and skip straight to the main event, okay?”

“Okaaaayyyyy.”

The main event in question is a live musical performance that Himiko Toga managed to score one of the lead roles in, having to disguise herself from the get-go due to ‘Tomura’ constantly causing a mess with Double clones. 

A disguise within a disguise… at least Toga actually likes acting as a hobby now.

As for what the performance in question is about, it’s an autobiographical performance on the Peerless Thief, Oji Harima. You’d think it would be his fellow ‘Great Villain’ Destro, but nope. 

Good, I’ve seen enough MLA propaganda already. Big of an improvement as they are when compared to the HPSC, that particular method of pandering hasn’t decreased in the slightest around here.

Seriously, the vast majority of shows, movies, and other modern media in this world suck. Half of them are hero propaganda and most of what’s left is just shit. 

You’d think having access to a world full of superpowers and new inventions revolving around said superpowers would make for good shows and movies since they’ve got at least somewhat of a tech advantage and wouldn’t need to fake a lot of things, but you’d be wrong.

Tangent aside, as far as I know, it’s just me, Zookeeper, and Eri watching the performance, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of my subordinates here. 

 

Sure enough, upon warping over and finding our seats, I see Kuin clad in a yellow dress and blond wig. I also see Giran in his own disguise sitting a bit further back. Huh, never took him for someone interested in this kind of thing. 

The play was pretty good, not gonna lie. I especially enjoyed the extra bits of lore it provided; I’m still a sucker for things like that, what with canon’s exposition for basically everything being so bare-bones and all.

Himiko Toga’s role was a kid in poverty the famous thief supposedly inspired and donated to during his stealing sprees. She ended up paying him back when she was older by letting him hide out in her home after a really close call with some corrupt heroes he exposed, nursing him back to health. 

She was a natural, and once the show ended, we warped over to her favorite mochi restaurant afterwards as a little celebration. The teenage villain was truly happy, and even more loyal.

And she was more than willing to experiment a little more with a certain former protagonist’s gifted quirk.

Unfortunately, Izuku’s DNA became useless the moment One For All was passed on to Mirio, but NightHaul had his student prepare some backup blood as well in case an emergency transplant was needed, or in the worst case scenario, One For All could be saved. My clone was able to slip some of that to me without a problem. 

One interesting thing to note is copied quirks seem to form a sort of ‘semi-vestige’, similar but fundamentally different to what All Might’s vestige is like in One For All. 

I tried with Neito’s Copy quirk, Toga’s quirk, Tamaki’s quirk, and even Kuin’s method of DNA injection, and got similar results with the latter being even less formed. 

Maybe the limitations of those methods simply can’t perfectly replicate that aspect? They seem to have some parts of their personality, memories, and general will, but not enough to do much. 

Trying this with New Order just isn’t worth the risk. Partially-formed or not, vestiges can still use their quirks, and I don’t want to risk vestige Star completely screwing me over. Or vestige Yoichi. God only knows what would happen if Quirk Bestowal absorbed New Order, and I have no intentions of finding out until I can obliterate both vestiges without harming their quirks.

 

What’s more is with temporary One For All copies in particular, the resonance effect can be formed with both the One For All quirks and All For One quirks, original and permanent, weaker copies, but these kinds of resonances are the weakest yet. Barely noticeable, in fact. 

Neither vestiges nor wielders of any permanent One For All nor All For One quirks can notice this or be affected by this. Same with Toga herself whenever she copies the quirk. The only reason I know about it is I’ve long since learned how to ‘see’ this resonance effect through Reveal.

And even if they did notice, the original One For All vestiges wouldn’t suspect foul play on my clone’s end since it can be blamed on the League of Villains. With how weak the resonance effect is, there’s no way they would be able to see her memories and vice versa. 

Speaking of the musketeer quirks, we’ve already got several dozen copies of Pseudo-AFO created and/or duplicated, most of which are either in storage or forcefully implanted in experimental test subjects. 

First-gen and seventh-gen copies of One For All have been copied too, but the vestiges of those quirks are much more ferocious, making prolonged experimentation much more difficult. Quirk Bestowal copies are also being pains in the ass; at least the latter doesn’t seem to naturally come with any resonance effects, even with All For One.

As for putting these quirks to actual use, the only instance of that so far is Nine’s crew getting Pseudo-AFO copies. They have plenty of willpower to keep any lingering bits of AFO in check, the Willpower-Enhancers being an extra just in case, while practicing combat capabilities and practical appliances in an organization. 

I’ll probably hand out more copies to my other top brass later, once I make sure not a trace of AFO can affect anyone’s personality no matter how weak their own willpower is. 

I haven’t figured out how to purge a quirk vestige without affecting the quirk itself yet, even with all the data we’ve gotten on Quirk Bestowal so far, but once I do, the musketeer quirks’ vestiges are being deleted in their entirety. 

Same goes for most other quirk vestiges. Unlikely as a sudden vestige rebellion within the vestigeworld of myself and my subordinates is, at least without accounting for quirks like AFO, OFA, Quirk Bestowal, and New Order, All For One’s own vestige rebellion in canon makes this concern a pretty reasonable one.

LabHaul will hopefully have better results with all that soon. I myself can’t really look into it much or even train now that I’m right on the border of quirk singularity.

And while LabHaul is busy finishing preparations for the accompanying procedure, I have some more subordinates to check up on.

 “CHUG THAT TREE! CHUG THAT TREE! CHUG THAT TREE!”

…And some more shounen shenanigans to deal with. Great.

 

My latest destination was one of our few remaining island bases far off the Japanese mainland where Innsmouth and Cider House were currently docked at. 

Toya Setsuno and Soramitsu Tabe were with them, ensuring Star wouldn’t be able to find shit once my international smugglers packed everything up and booked it, but they were on break at the moment, and the latter had a rather outlandish way of showing it.

Hint: it was satiating his never-ending hunger by eating a palm tree. Like, literally an entire uprooted palm tree. And a pretty big one at that.

I later learned that the guy was apparently, originally trying to grab some coconuts from it, but then one of my Praetorians dared him to go Plus Ultra and he went for it, attracting a crowd of other yakuza and assorted villains that began cheering him on.

Walking in on several dozen people yelling “CHUG THAT TREE! CHUG THAT TREE! CHUG THAT TREE!” was far from the craziest thing I’ve seen during my second life, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t bluescreen for at least a bit.

((‘It's moments like these where I’m glad you murdered me and took over the moment you got here.’)) VestigeHaul deadpans from within.

Everyone quieted down once they noticed me standing there with Soramitsu gurgling out a ‘Hey, boss!’ as about fifteen feet of wood stuck out of his mouth.

My response after an uncomfortable amount of awkward silence?

“Well? What are you waiting for? Chug that tree!”

“YEEEAAAAHHHH!!! CHUG THAT TREE! CHUG THAT TREE! CHUG THAT TREE!”

You better believe he chugged every last bit of that fucking tree. It was glorious.

((‘I miss the old orphanage, even if it was just another pea-brained scheme by that pathetic excuse of a LARPer. The children there were less childish than these people.’))

 

…Huh. You know, it’s been quite a while since I checked up on that place. After my subsumption of AFO’s empire, I had the place raided and shut down. All the kids still there were adopted by members of the Shie Hassaikai, several of whom went on to join my daughter’s organization since then.

Most of their quirks were pretty powerful, Garaki having made copies of a few like he did with Overhaul, but nothing else at a world-breaking tier like that quirk (which he and AFO had mutilated for Tomura because reasons). 

Using that place as inspiration, I actually had quite a few orphanages opened up in Osaka, those places serving a similar purpose as the homeless shelters I had built. 

Children and teens who were dealt a bad hand could come on down and be taken good care of, often getting adopted by the locals rather quickly. It’s a way to build loyalty among the next generation, and find some diamonds in the rough to bolster Eri’s numbers. 

We’ve got quite a few daycare centers too, quite a few Shie Hassaikai members with multiple quirks expecting children rather soon, children conceived after they were given extra quirked, and the quirks of those kids are pretty much guaranteed to be powerful.

On top of being an extra benefit for my employees, these daycare centers serve as ways to monitor the growth and development of these potential powerhouses. 

((‘If you’re looking to make more godlike quirks for yourself without relying on the imperfected Artificial Quirk merging process, then why not go all the way with the natural way? 

Quirk Marriages are a thing, remember? Such is something I can easily see the MLA employing, and people like Shoto or Geten prove that they at least sometimes work. Imagine a hundred or thousand Quirk Marriages being done and the children that came from it undergoing as much training as Geten did. 

Such a fighting force may even rival your Special Praetorians and top brass with their natural quirks alone, especially if a few of them naturally ascend to Post-Singularity levels. In fact, with the quirks many in the Shie Hassaikai have-’))

‘I’ll level with you, VestigeHaul. Your idea is an interesting one, but the entire planet will drown in blood before I let that happen to Eri or be unfaithful to Zi.’

((‘Just food for thought, and nobody says you have to limit this to your family. You’ve got thousands of multi-quirked contenders who are more than fanatically loyal enough to pump out little monsters for you.

And if you’re oh so against Quirk Marriages for whatever reason, enough to ignore your obsessive amounts of pragmatism out of spite, there’s plenty of eugenic programs you can run instead. Mix together some sperm and eggs from your most powerful subordinates through in-vitro fertilization and you’re golden.

No need to bother building some fertility clinics as a front to mass-produce descendants of heroes and villains with powerful quirks. It would be way too easily exposed and most brats still want to become heroes due to how this collapsing society functions.’))

Morally horrifying but extremely effective for a brutal pragmatist like myself. It’s gonna be a long-term project. Like, very long-term. But I see no reason not to have my subordinates participate so long as they consent to it.

((‘Yes, your thousands upon thousands of fanatical subordinates who would fight god himself for you. Oh, however will you find enough willing participants among them?’))

‘Alright, I get it! I’ll have BossHaul and LabHaul work out the details, okay?’

 

That being said, the MLA’s overall strength would easily grow several fold if they really did force mass quirk marriages upon its members. Such would take a few decades to truly mature, but it would be well worth the wait.

Heroes would be screwed, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Doesn’t matter that they’ve got three overpowered symbols now. 

((“Speaking of MLA exploits, there’s a certain something I think you should see.”)) BossHaul suddenly interjects.

Oh boy. Well, it’s not like this day can get any weird- aaaaaaaand here we go.

“WHAT IN THE FLYING FUCK IS THAT?!?”

((‘You just had to jinx it, didn’t you?’))

“Shut up, VestigeHaul.”

Having been directed towards my international Warp-Railway, I quickly arrived in Europe where I headed deep within the Alps Mountain Range, far from civilization and any monitoring.

What awaited me there was a floating fortress that dwarfed even I-Island in both size and abstractness, something I just had to see for myself after my clone sent the memory package of it over.

Statues of Destro line its silver-colored walls. Rows of massive spikes drag across the Earth, siphoning any nearby materials to heal or grow. Being over twenty miles in width, ten in length, and two in height, this thing looks like something straight out of a science fiction series.

((‘Or a shounen.’))

‘That too.’

 

“Welcome to the Symbol of Liberation!” BossHaul announces once I arrive. “Building flying, city-sized fortresses isn’t quite exclusive to us. Both Nine and Valdo Gollini pitched an idea to create one for the Meta Liberation Army, and Valdo’s Alchemy quirk becomes absurdly broken when boosted enough. 

The Gollini Family’s leader built this himself after he was gifted a Quirk Amplification Device. He wanted to leave a lasting impact even though Re-Destro is running the show, and what we’re looking at is his magnum opus, another trump card of theirs in the upcoming war between the MLA and WHA.

Valdo has to be present, or at least nearby, to properly utilize the thing, and with it being armed to the teeth, a crew of thousands more is needed to ensure it’s fully functional, but it can easily carry hundreds of thousands across the world.” My clone explains as we see Gollini Family members and Meta Liberation Warriors swarming around their fortress like flies.

“Any other notable weaknesses?” I inquire.

“Taking down Valdo himself would bring this place crashing down, but he works best in a support role anyway, and he’ll be heavily guarded in his ship’s command center at all times. Even if that somehow wasn’t enough, with the QAD equipped, the guy could probably match prime All Might in combat.

Only Lemillion or Star and Stripe or maybe All Might could hope to take him in a 1v1, and if they ever did manage to defeat him, he can quickly rebuild the thing even if it crumbles into pieces. 

So yeah, Humarise isn’t the only one with a mobile battle station on Earth anymore. And in a direct confrontation, I’d put my money on the MLA’s fortress winning against the mechanical island.”

“Can he build more of these? Keep them in storage in case this one is destroyed?”

“Like I said, if Valdo is defeated, then his constructs crumble. We avoid this problem on our own ships made with help from Alchemy by altering and reinforcing them with Overhaul and plenty of other quirks, so taking down the Nomu that helped build them won’t destroy them, but the MLA has no such work-around. 

It’s probably for the best. We don’t want this war being too one-sided, or for the MLA to become completely uncontrollable by us.” BossHaul muses.

“Hmmm, fair enough.” I relent.

“Is it really that unnerving? You can literally obliterate or reshape the entire fortress and everyone in it, Valdo Gollini included, with a mere touch.

Granted, you would still need Endurance, OverTrigger, and the QAD to pull off such a monumental feat with Overhaul despite optimizing both it and your body for it, not to mention awakening it. But the fact that you can do such a thing at all is ridiculous.” My clone confronts me.

“Once again, fair enough. But remember the whole point of our grand plan was to gradually weaken our enemies, not make them stronger.”

“Well the world didn’t give us much of a choice, original. Star and Stripe with a fucking QAD equipped, Neito Monoma also having New Order at all times, Lemillion with One For All’s full potential unleashed and no backlashes to speak of, and All Might restored to his prime. 

Such a terrifying lineup needs this much firepower to properly contend with, at least in this war game we’re playing.”

And what a game it’s turning out to be, the climax of which is fast approaching.

 

In fact, about a week after that performance we saw Toga in, Flect Turn decided to globally broadcast a familiar enough monologue.

Hundreds more Trigger Bombs will be detonated in three hours, each one being placed all around the planet bar Japan. Re-Destro’s security is a whole new level of thoroughness, but that won’t mean much if the smurf’s green gas covers Earth’s entire atmosphere.

Just like in canon, Flect Turn gives his enemies a chance to stop this by indicating which cities the bombs are located at… only both he and the WHA know this is just a way to draw in more heroes, making the losses from those bombs going off even more catastrophic.

But what choice do they have? They can’t just leave hundreds of millions to die, and billions more will follow once those massive gas clouds are blown towards whatever spots weren’t hit.

A genuine global extinction-level event. It was enough for even Re-Destro to panic, he and his executives debating whether to try and further fortify Japan against the gas as much as they can or help the heroes disable them.

At the very least, a solid chunk of their population should be fine with how many bunkers they’ve built across the country, assuming I let this apocalypse happen early, which I won't.

Fun fact for any historians out there; in the 1960s, the country of Albania had a dictator who could rival ME in paranoia, and that’s saying something. The guy was so paranoid his country was gonna be attacked, he put over twenty percent of the country’s economic output towards building a shitload of bunkers on practically every street corner. 

Yes, I’m serious. And this happened both in my old world and here. Over 750,000 bunkers were built during his time as dictator, and with how much easier quirks make construction of all kinds, I decided to have Re-Destro follow his example.

I also considered implementing something similar to Israel’s Iron Dome system from my old world, so a state of the art missile and rocket-based defense system. Sure, people like Muscular can shrug off missile strikes no problem and plenty of others can easily blast them out of the sky instead, but the vast majority of villains can’t. 

That and Combat Robots of a similar quality to Tartarus could serve as excellent support to the Civic Defense Force and main Meta Liberation Army. Logistics will be an absolute nightmare and it’s gonna take quite a while to implement, even with quirks being able to create countless shortcuts, though I see no reason to ignore some extra defenses. 

Against the singularity, against the apocalypse itself, my subsidiary organization’s home country is gonna need all the defensive measures it can get.

But the apocalypse won’t be occurring now; Nine assured Re-Destro and his fellow MLA top brass it would be fine, that the terminal controlling these bombs was all set to be disabled already with some help from his (my) own organization. 

 

Let the heroes completely lose their shit, desperation making them go forth with reckless abandon. Let them make choices they’re gonna seriously regret later on. Let them shoot themselves in the foot.

And let any other villains also try their hand at stopping Humarise, as they’re just as likely to make major mistakes. Case in point, the demon lord LARPer who’s just about to reach Otheon with a few thousand supporters of his. 

Yup, it’s not a couple of plot-armored fifteen year olds saving the world this time. It’s the centuries-old demon lord LARPer they were meant to defeat shortly after. 

Flect Turn versus All For One, one last bout between them. I’ll have to make sure one or both of them actually dies this time if those guys or Star, All Might, and Mirio don’t do the job themselves.

We’re approaching the end, and while I won’t be as reckless as I was with Melissa, I really do need to start permanently putting down some of these people.

 

 

 

Star and Stripe’s P̶e̶r̶s̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶S̶h̶i̶t̶l̶i̶s̶t̶ Villain Rankings + Commentary

(each tier ranked in order from most to least threatening, at least for her)

SSSS-Rank Villains (Worldwide Threats):

• Long Haul - ‘most valuable friend’ her ass
• Twice - why did he have to follow the NEET murderhobo? 
• Flect Turn - fucker is going down even if it’s the last thing she does
• Re-Destro - he better stay in Japan if he knows what’s good for him

SSS-Rank Villains (Country-Wide Threats):

• Queen Bee - at least Long Haul is keeping her on a leash (helps that she’s probably into that sort of thing)
• Gigantomachia - what is so appealing about that NEET murderhobo? 
• Nine - she’ll be sure to throw a goddamn apocalypse his way next time
• Quirked Animals Turned Triggered Monstrosities - despite dying after a day, they still overstay their welcome
• Valdo Gollini - haven’t heard much of him lately, but he’s still going down
• All For One - still old news

SS-Rank Villains (Prefecture/State-Wide Threats):

• Rei - she hates Endeavor too, but isn’t causing a new ice age in retaliation a bit much?
• Geten - first Hawks and now him; Japan has a terrible taste in biggest bachelors

S-Rank Villains (City-Wide/Typical Top 10 Hero Threats):

• Tomura Shigaraki - absurdly powerful friends or not, he’s still a NEET murderhobo

Chapter 116: Quirk Stealer versus Quirk Destroyer

Notes:

I'll be taking another brief hiatus until next Friday or August 8th to finalize plans for the next arc. Until then, enjoy a demon lord LARPER and smurf cultist beating the tar out of each other.

“You’re sure?”

“Yes, original.”

“You’re sure that you’re sure?”

“Yes, original!” LabHaul groans, rolling his eyes. “Even with the upgrades Melissa Shield installed before her death, the Trigger Bombs won’t detonate unless we allow them to detonate. Not a single one!”

“And All For One?”

“What about him? Either Humarise finally kills him, Star and Stripe finally kills him, or the idiot kills himself with that so-called contingency of his. Either way, the old demon lord will be permanently dead by day’s end, having saved us plenty of trouble.

You’d think that idiot would know a bit more about Trigger in general after his experiments in MHA Vigilantes… Garaki probably did all the work for him, as per usual. Even if he doesn’t explode like an atom bomb the second that drug takes effect, he’ll still become brain-dead at best.”

“I really hope so, LabHaul. As convenient and awesome to watch as All For One and Flect Turn duking it out is, after Melissa got so far in such a short amount of time-”

“Star probably would’ve stopped Melissa if you didn’t back then. Just let our enemies keep hammering away at each other! It’s worked wonders up until now.”

“Yet our threats only seem to be getting stronger.”

“Not as strong as us, excluding Star who’s been ahead from the get-go, and even that won’t be the case for much longer. And even if your singularity state was somehow surpassed down the line, even if the Shie Hassaikai was somehow surpassed in overall danger level again, we’ll just surpass them right back! 

Now let’s sit back, open our bags of popcorn, and enjoy the latest showdown.”

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  3 Hours Until The Ascension

A few hours.

A few hours until that oversized smurf destroys the world he himself is trying to rule.

All For One has had it up to here with the unexpected bullshit these last few months. From competitors coming out of the woodwork as often as traitors turn against him to the constant tinkering around with his OWN GODDAMN QUIRK!

He’s gotten somewhat used to the latter’s recoil, but it’s still a tremendous hindrance, especially as Garaki seems to be saving such experiments for the worst possible moments. Not only that, but the quirks within him are only adding onto this streak of rebellion, his copy of All For One granting him less control over those lingering echoes. 

How are people supposed to respect a demon lord when he seizes up and shuts down in body and mind whenever he tries doing something important?! Garaki is going to suffer for an eternity for this!

But Flect Turn comes first. He can stop Garaki from giving his original quirk away and being a general annoyance later on.

As much as he despises the concept, with the heroes being their typical useless selves, he just has to save the world himself. Yoichi would never let him hear the end of it once he finally retrieves One For All, but he has no choice.

It’s not like Humarise wasn’t on his radar before. It’s been his main target ever since temporarily leaving (NOT fleeing) the absolute mess that Japan has turned into. 

 

He gathered his allies, called upon his supporters, and started a crusade against the doomsday cult. If he wasn’t so angry right now, he would honestly enjoy this conquest, reminding him of the good old days when his villainous empire was at its peak.

Something of a ‘New Game Plus’ for him, as that traitor Tomura would call it. That little bastard and his never-ending army of quirk clones… he had no idea how powerful Double truly was. He would’ve tried taking the quirk ages ago if he knew!

Interference through those clones was a constant, especially recently. There was a new attack almost daily, destroying any bit of territory he tried holding onto, destroying his new subordinates dozens at a time.

Copies of Endeavor would burn his bases down while copies of Big Red Dot blasted their garrisons away. Copies of Hawks and Geten tore through the skies while copies of Chimera and Re-Destro bulldozed across the ground. 

There was even a copy of Gigantomachia sent his way, and he was forced to flee! Him! The extra quirks Garaki gifted that glorified bodyguard along with what he assumes to be body modifications like what was given to the Nomu made that rabid dog a force to be reckoned with. 

He’ll have to remind the original what happens when a dog bites its owner once he finally gains some ground. That beast will be put down eventually.

Flect Turn resisted fiercely as well. Most of his goons had no quirks to steal, instead relying on their late priestess’s technological superiority. 

Oh, how he would’ve loved to see All Might’s face at that revelation. He didn’t even have a hand in David Shield’s fall, let alone his dear daughter’s own. It almost makes the annoyance her innovations have given him lately worth it.

A shame she isn’t still around. She could’ve filled Garaki’s shoes once he was done with Flect (maybe Tomura’s too as an extra ‘fuck you’ to All Might). He could’ve given her several quirks as well, at least one of which serving as a way to keep her in check if she gets any funny ideas. That remote self-destruct quirk would’ve come in handy…

Such a pity, but no matter. Right now, her little toys need to be broken.

And unfortunately for all of Humarise, technology can’t surpass its limits like humans can.

 

Even their most sophisticated firewalls were no match for his technopathy combo. He picked up quite a few quirks like Radio Waves over these last few months, and quirks like his Kinetic Boosters, Air Cannon, and Heavy Payload further increased the output.

Rewriting code, destroying surveillance feeds, bending their robots and armor suits to his will were easy enough.

Downloading terabytes of information including records of illicit activities, financial transactions, and internal communications was also easy. The extracted information was encrypted and transferred to secure drives, ensuring it could not be easily traced back to him.

All of their military assets, technological assets, and scientific assets were either extracted or destroyed. The latter was almost never present, but what he did get will serve as an excellent trump card down the line.

Once they realized mere drones and turrets wouldn’t stop him, Humarise began taking a more heavy-handed approach, deploying what was likely one of their few remaining ‘Artificial Singularities’ to stop him. 

Many of his pawns were lost to that monster, and he couldn’t take it’s heavily-boosted quirk without endangering himself, so he had no choice but to bombard it from afar with his strongest ranged combos. 

He was then forced to flee shortly after its death as All Might was on his way, and as much as he hates admitting it, he can’t stop that blond oaf as he is now. Extra quirks or not, his crippled state combined with the constant sabotage would ruin him worse than his opponent’s punches ever could.

And Garaki wouldn’t be willing to resurrect him this time around.

Speaking of traitors, the World Heroes Association may have been prioritizing Humarise over him (a boon despite the thought of him being a lesser threat making him seethe in rage), but it still attempted to send spies towards his new, rapidly-growing empire.

Villainous competition like the Meta Liberation Army and Gollini Family did too, but the ability to detect lies and ill will made their efforts all for naught. He even checked to make sure none had a few extra quirks slipped in by Garaki to get around that combination of his.

Overall, Humarise was basically the Walmart of evil organizations. Drones and other technological defenses were no use if they never got a chance to be activated. Even if they were, one blast of Radio Waves will shut them down, if not turn them against their creators.

Yet those crappy products brought lots of attention, their Trigger experiments more so, and All For One wasn't happy about the ripoff of his ‘Next-Level Villain’ project in Naruhata a few years back.

Scratch that. All For One wasn’t happy, period.

 

Progress was far slower then he liked, practically every cultist he encountered resisting until the bitter end and not knowing anything useful. Their online data showed much more potential, All For One letting some of his subordinates analyze any data he took and serve as advisors for future attacks.

He even made a breakthrough rather recently, discovering the location of Flect Turn’s true hidey hole before I-Island was conquered, and said hidey hole happens to still have the main terminal for the Trigger Bombs buried deep within.

And not a moment too soon, because now this idiot is attempting global genocide. Even All For One himself would never go that far! He needs subjects to rule, after all.

Finally, he can end this. He would dismantle or subsume what’s left of their empire far before the heroes’ own efforts bore fruit.

In the worst case scenario for Humarise, I-Island was meant to serve as bait, drawing any potential attention away from this place. A half-decent plan, he supposes, but such things are meaningless in front of his might.

Finally, he would remind the world why he should be feared. This entire time, he’s been playing chess with enemies he didn’t even know were at the board, but not anymore. 

It’s all for him, and he’s going to remind everyone about that. From All Might and his TinTin-looking replacement to Destro’s spawn to his spoiled meat puppet Tomura to Garaki, Flect Turn, and all those other doomsday cultists! EVERY! SINGLE! ONE!

And he would start by cutting the head off this robed, light blue snake.

 

Less than an hour to go and heroes are still running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Meanwhile, All For One has arrived at the source of this chaos.

Flect Turn and a few hundred of his cultists are waiting for him, I-Island being nowhere in sight and the heroes’ relentless assault taking down most of what he has left leaving him grievously overtaxed. A bold, overaggressive campaign went far worse for Flect then it did for All For One.

Good. He was hoping the heroes hadn’t arrived yet, instead fending off any potential Humarise reinforcements. He can’t have Flect destroying or taking the device that controls those Trigger Bombs away, so as much as he hates even unintentionally working with the heroes, he’ll stomach it for now.

Flect Turn also seems to be overly confident despite his lacking numbers, another positive. 

His Reflect quirk is strong and All For One may still be crippled, but it’s still one quirk against a legion, and Reflect is no One For All or New Order. He has plenty of new support gear too, most likely made by Melissa before her death, but that won’t matter.

He alone should be more than enough to beat down the cult himself, let alone him and his army of friends and supporters from across the entire continent.

“You should have bowed down while you had the chance, Flect Turn. Instead, you foolishly declared war on everyone, heroes and villains alike. You underestimated them, and you underestimated me, failing to notice my people drawing near!” He declares, laughing as the tides are turned even further in his favor.

Gloop Warp is activated with hundreds upon hundreds of his loyal followers emerging. 

Most of Flect Turn’s remaining lot are quirkless, so even with I-Island’s technology aiding them, they won’t be able to do much against an opponent with both greater numbers and powerful quirks. He even gave a good handful of them several extra quirks like he did to Wolfram.

They probably won’t be able to handle it for long, but that’s fine. Worst case scenario, they become mindless beats like the Nomus and slaughter everything in sight for a while before going completely brain dead.

 

“Even now, your reach is great and your numbers are greater, but with the heroes continuing to beat them down and their remaining strongholds so far away, I’m afraid THEY’RE ENTIRELY TOO LATE!!!” He declares, reveling in the victory he’s finally going to achieve.

“Don’t be so certain, All For One.” Flect Turn grins back. “You’ve reigned in the shadows for a long time now, but you’ve never acted out in the open. It seems you need a reminder about just why that is.”

At this moment, the demon lord can’t help but curse his former protege for not acquiring the Search quirk as planned. If he had it, then he would have noticed the ambush.

His Vibration Detection quirk goes haywire and his Infrared quirk picks up on a very troubling sight.

Thousands upon thousands of Humarise members then spring out of hiding, emerging from what appears to be a cavern of underground tunnels. They probably even had a few concealment quirk users helping them out, as his sensing quirks didn’t pick up on them at all.

No matter. Even if his forces are outnumbered ten to one, the difference in quality is far too great to make up!

And he’ll make that clear from the very start!

“First, your precious technology will fall, the terminal for your Trigger Bombs included. Radio Waves plus Air Cannon plus Springlike Limbs. Kinetic Booster times four. Strength Enhancer times three. Heavy Payload.”

All For One starts off by launching his latest trademark ranged attack, demoralizing his foes through his sheer power, shutting down their only advantage, and paving the way for his forces to crush any remaining resistance.

At least, that was the plan.

 

Instead, he finds his air attack being redirected back towards himself.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

‘What? I made sure to not fire at Flect just then, so how did-’

Leviathan roars at the demon lord while sending the rest of his attack right back at him. All the while, he rapidly grows in size as a few of Humarise’s fire quirk and water quirk users launch attacks at him.

The elemental manipulation properties of Helical Scythe… All For One didn’t realize how potent they were. 

No, he has to be using Trigger, and Melissa’s variant of it at that. He’s got a full set of support gear on too, and while neither him nor Flect Turn seem to have Quirk Amplification Devices of their own, they are still substantially more dangerous then they should be.

Even now, that little priestess continues to ruin his plans.

A typhoon of water and fire sweeps him off his feet and sends him flying across the mountainside as both armies charge forward. Looks like Flect is trying to move him to his own prepared battlefield. How annoying.

He could slaughter the brute in an instant if he could find his real body, but all the fire is throwing his Infrared quirk off. Using Hardflame Fan to defend against it only gives Leviathan more fuel to use, as does Air Cannon.

If only he could better use his more powerful quirks like Impure Beam… but his body is too weakened. A copy of Super Regeneration is the only reason he can use it at all, and even then, he would fall apart after just a few full-power blasts.

Damn All Might. 

 

“Very clever, Flect Turn. But I have more quirks than you can imagine. Let’s see your brute counter this. Rivets plus Spearlike Bones!”

Several hundred black and brown spikes erupt out from all over his body, each spike traveling at least a hundred feet away. 

With them going in all different directions and the body parts strengthened by several other quirks, at least a few of them were bound to hit their target before they were torn apart.

*ROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRR*

Looks like he didn’t get in a headshot like he did with Nine. No matter. That cry of pain means at least moderate amounts of damage was done, and even with those particular rivets quickly being destroyed, All For One has a good idea of where he is.

With all the other rivets around, that beast shouldn’t be able to escape.

“Springlike Limbs, Kinetic Booster times four, Strength Enhancer times three, Multiplier, Hypertrophy, Rivets, Air Walk, Spearlike Bones.”

Either Leviathan is torn apart from his Ultimate Quirk Combination or Flect Turn comes in and overwhelms his Reflect quirk trying to defend his subordinate. 

Either way, someone is dying once this attack lands.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

‘…Well, isn’t today just full of surprises?’

 

Flect Turn arrives to block the blow, and All For One tears his own mutated super-arm to shreds upon contact. 

He retaliates with more quirk-combo shockwaves, but Leviathan reflects those back at him.

Worst of all, the three of them finally arrive at Flect Turn’s intended destination, the man-made waterfall that Leviathan can use as ammo for his quirk. 

That beast quickly grows to the size of Gigantomachia and slams the old demon lord into the mountainside of his base, beginning to pummel him deeper and deeper in. Any attempts of a counterattack are either stopped by the massive water avatar or incorporated into its form. 

Flect Turn must have known there was no beating All For One in power. The gap was just too huge; even Leviathan’s best is nothing more than a slight annoyance for him.

But a massive power gap doesn’t matter when that power can simply be reflected back to its own user.

“Repulsion, Telekinesis, and Kinetic Booster times four!”

The massive water hand explodes as All For One rockets towards the one creating it, but once again, Flect Turn stands in his way.

Just as planned…

Another Ultimate Quirk Combination slams into Flect Turn before being reflected back to All For One… before being reflected again back to Flect Turn.

“What? You didn’t think you were the only one out there with a reflection quirk, did you?” The demon lord grins. “Reflect plus Impact Recoil!”

All For One had two reflection quirks, and pretty powerful ones at that, so they should be able to overwhelm Flect Turn’s singular reflection quirk, right?

The demon lord certainly thought so as the tremendous amount of force from that multi-quirked impact was rapidly bouncing back between two of canon MHA's greatest threats.

 

*BOOOOM* 

*BOOOOOOM* 

*BOOOOOOOOM* 

The already massive impact continues to grow in power when sandwiched between three of the world’s most powerful reflection quirks, creating an infinite feedback loop of greater and greater blows.

All For One adding more and more quirks into the mix certainly doesn’t help matters. His Ultimate Quirk Combination only takes a single arm to use, and that other arm can blast out plenty of other quirks without a problem.

Dark Ball. Hardflame Fan. Ooze. Air Cannon. 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Even Spatial Distortion fails to bypass Reflect, much to All For One’s shock and growing anger.

“Urrrrrrrrggghhhh… DAMN YOU! Hrrrrrrrrrggghhhh!”

 

Leviathan is forced back from the air pressure alone, his titanic form beginning to dissipate despite his best efforts to keep it together. 

Both armies on the other side of the mountain begin to gawk at the display, some even being blown away from the wind generated by them.

“HUMANITY WILL NEVER BOW DOWN TO YOU!!!” Flect Turns roars as their outfits begin to tear and their bodies begin to bleed.

Even after stacking a Telekinesis barrier on top of his two reflection quirks and Shock Absorption, his Danger Sense quirk is blaring like never before, but he doesn’t care one bit.

“YOU FOOL, THIS IS ALL MINE! I WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN BORN WITH THIS QUIRK IF IT WASN’T! THIS WORLD, IT IS ALL FOR ONE! ALL! FOR! ME!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

“I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!”

“I CAN NOT BE DEFEATED! NEVER AGAIN!!!”

Heavy Payload is the final nail in the coffin for both sides. 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Both villains are sent flying miles away from the titanic explosion.

All For One crashes through the mountain base and into the very room where Izuku confronted Flect Turn in canon. His body is broken, his mask is shattered, and he’s struggling to remain conscious. 

Super Regeneration doesn’t work right, too much consecutive damage and quirk use resulting in horrifying amounts of recoil. Garaki choosing now of all times to mess with his copied AFO quirk only makes things worse.

It’s even worse than when he barely escaped Japan by forcing an Omni-Factor Unleash.

The automatic defenses present in that room don’t help matters either, lasers erupting from all over the room, ready to turn him into swiss cheese.

“The Trigger Bomb control system… it must be through there.” The demon lord wheezes while being blasted at. “GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!”

Several air cannons fire from his fried hand, destroying what columns he can, but the room is locked down around him and more lasers continue to rain down on him. 

“Damnit! Reflect plus Scatter! Spatial Distortion! I WILL NOT LET MY PLANS BE RUINED ANY LONGER!”

“Too bad. You- *cough* You were doomed from the start.” Flect Turn informs the demon lord as a battered Leviathan carries him in. 

His armor is shattered. His outfit is in tatters. His body is bleeding. His quirk is failing. 

Spots of regular skin are appearing all throughout his body. 

If he can reach through an opening in that barrier and steal his quirk… no. He doesn’t have time for this!

The bombs could automatically detonate in seconds on Flect’s orders for all he knows!

Star and Stripe or All Might can burst through the ceiling for all he knows!

He had to take control, and he has to do it NOW!

 

“Die.”

Spatial Manipulation boosted by Heavy Payload tears Leviathan to shreds, but Reflect still saves Flect Turn.

“You fool… killing me won’t stop the countdown. There’s no shutting it off either; I destroyed the only device that could the moment you arrived. And don’t even bother using technopathy quirks. My bombs will go off the moment any hacking attempt is made on their control system.”

“Then maybe I’ll just destroy that control system and call it a day.” All For One sneers while charging up another Air Cannon + Springlike Limbs combo.

“Melissa and I thought of that too. Melissa and I thought of everything… destroying it will automatically activate every bomb Humarise has ever made, and hundreds are already in position. 

I planned this for decades. I know what’s on the line. Humanity’s remaining pure will not fall if I have anything to say about it!”

“THE REMAINING QUIRKLESS WILL FALL WHEN THE QUIRKED LOSE CONTROL, YOU SHORTSIGHTED SMURF!” All For One roars. “LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR INITIAL TARGETS! WERE THERE ANY QUIRKLESS SURVIVORS THERE?!”

“They will survive this. Humanity is more tenacious than you can imagine, demon lord.” Flect argues back while pulling out a very special dagger. “Here’s my proof.”

“NO!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Air Cannon activates and flings the dagger out of Flect’s hand.

“No… STOP HIM!” Flect screams as his opponent makes a beeline for the weapon that doubles as an early activation key. 

An arrow from Beros does so, pinning the demon lord’s hand to the ground. 

 

“INSOLENT!!!”

Mutant quirks chain together to form a stream of muscles and mouths that explode out of his arm, chomping down on the archer’s head and killing her in an instant. 

All For One’s body is then pierced through once again as the Serpenter Twins enter, already being boosted by Trigger.

Dozens of rivets clash with their blades as Flect Turn limps over to where his fallen dagger is, but his leg is impaled by another rivet and he’s slowly dragged back towards the demon.

“GIVE ME YOUR QUIRK!!!”

“STOP HIM!!!”

The unhinged twins laugh as they shatter the rivet stabbing into their leader, but that gives All For One enough time to stab a rivet or two into them each in turn.

“FORCED QUIRK ACTIVATION!”

More of the Serpenters’ blades are activated against their will, piercing through their own brains and killing them both in an instant.

Flect continues to crawl towards the dagger. He knows the bombs are going off no matter what. The countdown timer should be at around half an hour by now, but he at least wants to see the look on that diseased demon’s face, knowing humanity won, before finally dying.

All For One’s spine was severed during that last assault, rendering him permanently paralyzed from the waist down, but Rivets and Spearlike Bones can move him around easily enough. 

He’s so close… centuries worth of effort has all culminated in this… 

AND HE WON’T LET SOME LUNATIC CULTIST BE WHAT DOES HIM IN!!!

“REFLECT!”

“FORCED QUIRK ACTIVATION!”

“NEW ORDER!!!”

Wait, what?

 

“TIAMAT… WILL BE REDIRECTED!”

For the first time in his life, All For One feels genuine fear.

He was caught completely off guard when All Might punched his whole head off, but this time around, he knows what’s coming. He knows of a weapon once long lost to history, one only America has managed to recreate ever since quirks came to be.

This time around, Garaki won’t be there to recover his corpse. Even if he was, there won’t be a corpse left to collect if he’s hit with nuclear bombs!

Not even he and All Might at their peaks could hope to survive a nuclear explosion, much less himself in his current, crippled state. Danger Sense is making that very clear to him.

His worst fears are confirmed a moment later.

“STATE-OF-THE-ART…” 

Both crippled villains hear a female voice roar out.

‘No… the heroes wouldn’t dare… CATHLEEN BATE!’

She’s got special authority, and she isn’t afraid to use it.

“It’s over, demon. Let us both perish along with every other-”

Flect Turn is cut off as his head is finally pierced through with a dark tendril.

“HYPERSONIC…”

This new Reflect quirk isn’t enough. No quirk of his is enough, even when all used together.

Looks like he doesn’t have a choice then. Using this is practically suicide, but it’ll at least give him a chance. 

One last chance at ascension…

“INTERCONTINENTAL CRUISE PUNCH!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

 

 

 

 

Deep within, he feels it.

His ‘real’ self is dead. His ‘original’ self is contained. Many weaker copies of him have been duplicated and distributed.

His connections have been cut, remade, and cut again. His enemies are toying with his very existence. 

…He can’t stand for it. He refuses to stand for it!

And he feels something else even deeper within. 

 

Hysterical Strength welled up within him shortly before the blast. That started the process. That started up his ascension. 

Ideo Trigger came next, just seconds before the blast hit. Seconds didn’t matter when the effect was practically instantaneous. This was a liquid blend, one given to quirked animals with the intention of stabilizing them for at least a little while. 

Not great, but much better than the gas which kills those affected in minutes, if not seconds.

Finally, the blast itself. The heat wave was far too much for even his legion of quirks to withstand, even with the previous two boosts being applied. 

Up to a hundred million degrees celsius of heat could be produced by a nuclear bomb, five times greater than the center of the sun. Most matter won’t just liquify or vaporize, but become plasma.

Then there’s the highly-ionizing radiation. This penetrates tissue at a subatomic level, mutating or destroying DNA. The former happened before the latter, even if only for a fraction of a second, and his entire body was mutated, quirks included. 

It reminded him of the comic books his ‘real’ self used to read, those where people gained powers after being exposed to nuclear radiation. But it’s not supposed to actually happen in reality.

Ordinarily, this should be a bad thing. It should cripple his quirk factors, if not render them completely defunct, but the mutations and ungodly amount of energy unleashed instead caused something else.

 

Those factors allowed for the next step to be taken, something he never thought possible. Then again, he didn’t know severing and reconnecting his natural resonance with his brother quirk, original ‘self’, and fellow copied ‘selves’ was possible either.

But that had been going on for months now, and he was gradually building a resistance to it, gradually learning more about it. So when these tremendous boosts came and he was pushed to heights previously unimaginable to him, he felt it… the ability to sever and reconnect the resonances himself.

No, not just that. He could further expand this connection. He can peer into the others’ inner workings, gain access to their powers, and even see their memories. From his fellow copied vestiges to the original All For One and even One For All. The latter quirk quickly defended itself, but he managed to take at least a fraction of its raging embers beforehand.

Forced Quirk Activation was also a major contributor, especially after being boosted so much. He could push his accumulated powers to bloom without a body, have them create a new body, and not just withstand the unimaginable amount of energy and ionizing radiation bathing him right now, but use it to further refine himself with aid from One For All’s stockpiling capabilities.

When boosted and augmented with him, the embers he just took from his brother’s quirk could help transform at least some of that outside energy into his own, that power in turn being used to further refine himself, his body, and all his other powers.

It should’ve been the end for him. He was nothing but a mass of mutated, bloated, radiated, drugged-up quirks at that point… but he would live on because the W̶̤̅͋̉O̴̮͌̀̃̈́R̶̹̹̞͌̓̉ͅL̶͍̬͙̿D̶̢̝̻́̽̋͝ deemed it so. 

 

From the moment he was conceived to his rise and fall, the world had given him this power. The world gave him this opportunity.

He sees it all. He feels it all. He realizes just how much of a fool he’s been. He learns just how horribly he’s been outplayed by so, so many people. The demon lord was a joke, a pathetic failure. He won’t be that person anymore, as this chaotic, evolving world requires something else right now.

This is no longer the story of a man becoming a demon lord. No… as his very being ascends into the singularity and far beyond, something even Sekan Doraifu could never imagine, he begins the start of a new tale.

A tale of how the demon lord became God.

Chapter 117: Singularity For One

“HELL YEAH! TWO FOR FUCKING ONE!” Cathleen Bate cheers once the country-shaking eruption of energy ends.

Ethan and her other bros join a moment later, whooping and hollering at the successful mission.

Pretty hard to miss what was going on over here, what with the massive war between thousands upon thousands of villains going on. The giant explosions and shockwaves were just an added bonus.

World Heroes Association was beyond desperate at this point, the entire planet only being hours away from complete annihilation, so she had a much easier time throwing around her special authority.

So she pulled out all the stops for this one. She was putting an end to this bullshit here and now, so she sent in a request for every Tiamat missile she could. No civilians were around, and the literal fate of the world was at stake, so they didn’t fight it too much.

They agreed to send one over as bundling their entire supply together was wasteful beyond belief and they may very well need more in the future to counteract the Meta Liberation Army, but even one was enough to get the job done.

Not even Flect Turn or All For One could hope to survive a nuke to the fucking face. It just wasn’t happening.

And one State-Of-The-Art Hypersonic Intercontinental Cruise Punch later, two of the biggest bads this world has ever seen are nothing but dust in the wind, the secret mountain base they were fighting in turning into a massive, empty crater.

With them and Melissa done for, all that’s left is Long Haul, the Gollini Family, and the MLA, and while taking those guys down won’t be quite so easy, especially with all the losses they took against Humarise, she’s confident that… no…

 

“Fire at the center of the crater.” 

[Huh? What’s wrong, Star?]

“Fire at the crater. Maximum output! Fire everything you have RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!!”

Decades of combat experience let her realize something terrible was about to happen. It should be impossible, but she trusted her gut.

Whatever was going on down there, she couldn’t let it finish, or they would all be screwed. Even with New Order, even with the QAD boosting it to all new heights, she knows deep down it won’t be enough if whatever’s down there is allowed to emerge.

She was starting to feel the pressure from it now, as could her bros, despite them following her latest command. Lasers edging out anything Endeavor could launch weren’t enough. Nowhere near enough.

“More! Keep firing! AND GET COMMANDER AGPAR OR THE WHA TO SEND MORE TIAMATS! I DON’T CARE IF IT COSTS MY HERO LICENSE OR WORSE, JUST DO IT!!!”

It came from nowhere. It emerged out of nothing. A small ball of glowing mass began to grow, the combined firepower of her bros not even tickling the thing as it started sprouting.

Arms emerged. Then legs. Then a head with bright white hair.

Quirks of all kinds emerged, various shapes and sizes stitching together to form natural armor. No, a body in its entirety.

Tiamat missiles are on their way again, several of them this time. They shouldn’t be too far off.

All Might and Lemillion are coming too, but she needs to buy time.

Just a bit more time! That’s all she needs!

“FIST BUMP TO THE EARTH!”

She’ll pin him down with size and strength. Her bros’ combined firepower being wielded by her air avatar embodies the second rule, and a third rule for prime All Might level strength on herself to further empower the impact. 

Even if it won’t kill him, it’ll at least stall him.

“UNITED HYPERMAX OUTPUT LASER - KERA-”

Before she can even finish speaking, the miles-long energy spear being thrust down is completely obliterated, as is her air avatar. Not a sound is made. Not a moment passes by. Everything that was there just… isn’t anymore.

Despite currently possessing enough physical power rivaling All Might at his peak, it shattered her ultimate move and appeared right in front of her faster than she could even perceive.

A rule to prevent New Order from being stolen is then applied, and when she desperately throws a punch right after, it stops the massively-enhanced blow with a single finger.

"̵W̵o̴r̷r̴y̶ ̴n̶o̵t̵.̵.̴.̷ ̵f̴o̷r̴ ̸y̸o̶u̶r̶ ̶g̷o̵d̸ ̷i̸s̴ ̶h̶e̴r̵e̴.̸"̴

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  8 Hours Until The Submergence

“What. Just. Happened?” 

Reveal is going haywire. The original All For One quirk is trembling. Nine, Slice, Mummy, Chimera, and every other person I gifted copies of Pseudo-AFO to just collapsed, being rendered both quirkless and braindead. 

All For One is dead. Humarise forces pushed him to the brink, enough to make Hysterical Strength manifest within him. Star and Stripe’s nuclear ultimate then killed him instantly, but his vestige…

Despite being just a copy of his original quirk, his vestige just went far beyond anything the original was ever capable of, far beyond anything All For One should be capable of.

It changed. It mutated. It evolved. It restored and strengthened the resonance connections we severed. It built a new body, a new mind, a new vessel for itself from its fellow duplicates and their vessels. Even parts of the original All For One and One For All were taken.

Everything combined together to form something new… something far above what my own boosts provide together… something far beyond the singularity itself.

This isn’t All For One anymore. This is a manifestation of the first human Post-Singularity quirk this world has ever seen, and thousands of other quirks just ascended right along with it, all of them being in just a single host. 

Every single power in its arsenal is now a Stage 4 Singularity Quirk, the same kind of quirk AFO Tomura’s Decay became during the Final War, all further boosted and mutated into something unrecognizable from their original selves. 

This goes well beyond even what I had in mind for my own Perfect/Singularity Form, beyond anything I could have ever imagined, and it pisses me off beyond belief.

 

“Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?” I roar at my clone, being on the verge of strangling him as Gloop Warp retrieves the fallen. “YOU SAID THE GUY USING ANY KIND OF IDEO TRIGGER WOULD KILL HIM!”

“It did! And the nuke super-killed him! This is literally impossible several times over.” LabHaul defends himself. “...But I suppose something being impossible doesn’t much matter in a shounen like My Hero Academia.

The ‘Invincible Villain’ or ‘Unstoppable Force’ or unbeatable main antagonist trope that’s all too common in shounens. Madara Uchiha from Naruto, Sosuke Aizen and Yhwach from Bleach, Ryomen Sukuna from Jujutsu Kaisen, and I suppose canon All For One fits into that category too considering how overpowered his ability is.”

“And this fucking world just screwed us over by making All For One practically unbeatable again, now by our own already absurd standards.” I slowly start to pale. “The world isn’t relying on Star to stop us anymore, is it? It’s determined to destroy us, even if it means destroying everyone and everything else along with us.”

“Sure is looking that way. The world itself had to have dictated this… it must really want us dead if it’s willing to go this far.” LabHaul morbidly chuckles.

“WELL FIND SOME WAY TO FUCKING FIX IT! AND FIX THEM TOO!” I demand, pointing towards the brain-dead Nine and his crew.

“Can’t just undo it with Overhaul or Rewind since Singularity AFO will just double-dip into their powers…” He then starts to mutter as I warp over to our command center.

LabHaul and I could still see what was going on through Kuin’s swarm, even if Kuin herself wasn’t close by thanks to Reveal. 

I had chosen to watch with him as he’s probably the only person who knows about quirks and mad science then me, and our subordinates can handle themselves just fine, but right now, I’m taking the reins back.

“Boss! W-What’s going on?” Kuin stutters upon my arrival, not believing what her swarm is seeing. 

Neither is anyone else.

“That was a nuke. How the fuck did he survive getting hit by a nuke, let alone power-up massively from it?!” 

“Is that even All For One? Or someone new? He looks a lot less potato-faced than he should be.”

“How the hell is this even-”

“Quiet.” I shut everyone up. “Crisis. Big fucking crisis! Singularity Protocol, send the order to warp out any Shie Hassaikai personnel and critical resources from Otheon- no, the entire continent of Europe! We need to-”

My orders are cut off as Star and Stripe’s Keraunos ultimate is obliterated in an instant, this new All For One just walking through one of her most powerful reality-bending attacks like it wasn’t even there. 

Having been on the receiving end of that New Order ultimate before, I get why even AFO Tomura couldn’t do a thing to resist it until Star released one of the two rules going into it, having to rely on his ridiculous regeneration which was just barely keeping him alive in canon.

Even I had some serious trouble just lifting the energy spear back up on I-Island, and this thing just obliterated both that and the miles-high air avatar in the blink of an eye. This is while Star had a QAD on too, so her rules now are far more powerful than they were back then.

Star protects her quirk with another rule right after, and her follow-up punch that would even send All Might at his peak flying is stopped with just a finger.

"̵W̵o̴r̷r̴y̶ ̴n̶o̵t̵.̵.̴.̷ ̵f̴o̷r̴ ̸y̸o̶u̶r̶ ̶g̷o̵d̸ ̷i̸s̴ ̶h̶e̴r̵e̴.̸"̴

 

We can all hear it thanks to Kuin’s bees. We can all feel his will too. His will, his pressure, it’s beyond anything any of us have ever felt. This isn’t his usual aura of death, but something… inhuman. 

"̶Y̵o̵u̷ ̵w̴e̸r̸e̸ ̸r̶i̸g̸h̴t̴ ̴a̷l̵l̸ ̷a̷l̸o̷n̶g̷,̴ ̴o̷l̶d̵ ̶f̴r̶i̸e̸n̴d̷.̴ ̶T̶h̵e̸ ̶s̵i̷n̴g̵u̶l̵a̸r̴i̶t̷y̷ ̷i̵s̴ ̴u̵p̵o̷n̶ ̸u̸s̵,̴ ̷a̵n̷d̶ ̸I̷ ̷s̷h̴a̴l̴l̴ ̶b̴e̴ ̷i̸t̶s̴ ̵h̵e̸r̷a̵l̶d̵.̴ ̵T̷h̶e̵ ̵f̶i̵r̵s̴t̶ ̷q̵u̷i̸r̴k̸ ̷t̷o̵ ̷b̷r̷e̴a̸k̴ ̶t̷h̶r̶o̸u̵g̷h̴ ̴i̴t̵'̴s̸ ̶h̶u̶m̵a̶n̶ ̵c̸a̴g̴e̸.̸"̴

Garaki’s final words echo in my head as I try and fail miserably at keeping my composure.

“The Singularity… YES! THE QUIRK SINGULARITY APPROACHES! Everyone will become equal… EVERYONE WILL BECOME GODS!!! AAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!!!”

So this is what he meant. I had hoped he was wrong, that he had just lost his marbles. But unfortunately, the world doesn’t operate according to my hopes and dreams. In fact, it does the exact opposite whenever possible.

And now All For One just went from a slightly-competent cripple to a Post-Singularity being that’s like thousands of AFO Tomura’s all gift-wrapped into one. Leagues beyond even canon AFO Tomura at his peak, far beyond any canon character, for that matter. 

No, far beyond anyone I’ve seen bar Future Eri and the deities that brought me here.

"̷N̴e̷w̶ ̴O̶r̷d̷e̸r̸.̸.̸.̷ ̶y̶o̷u̷ ̷a̷r̶e̷ ̵r̴e̴a̴d̸y̴.̵ ̷Y̴o̶u̴ ̸m̶a̵y̵ ̷s̵t̷a̸n̵d̶ ̵b̷y̵ ̴m̶y̴ ̷s̷i̶d̸e̵ ̵a̶n̴d̶ ̸a̶s̸c̵e̷n̵d̸ ̸a̷s̷ ̴w̸e̷l̷l̶ o̵n̴c̷e̸ ̴y̷o̸u̷ ̸b̶r̴e̶a̴k̶ ̵f̸r̵e̸e̵ ̶f̴r̷o̷m̶ ̷y̴o̶u̸r̴ ̴o̷w̸n̴ ̵v̶e̵s̷s̷e̷l̸.̷"̸

“LIKE HELL I WOULD! NEW-!”

Star and Stripe is swatted away like a fly, her opponent not even sparing her another glance. Instead, he gazes up towards the sky as it starts to change, as hundreds of quirks forcefully pushed into the singularity start to take effect, Nine’s boosted quirk taking the lead.

 

The environment around him changes rapidly, becoming something straight out of a fantasy novel.

Tectonic plates crumble as cliffs and volcanoes form. Dark clouds blanket the sky as purple and red lighting strike down alongside tornadoes. Some areas remain pitch black despite this, being completely covered in an ethereal shadow while other areas remain unnaturally bright no matter what attempts to cover them up.

Temperatures are rising and falling, some areas going subzero and others nearing the sun’s surface in temperature. Even concepts like gravity and space are altered, spots ranging from weightless to several dozen times Earth’s gravitational force forming alongside compressed and expanded spatial pockets.

Nature begins to sprout despite this, only the plants and animals forming are far larger and more powerful than anything which has naturally formed so far, always having some way to survive in whatever ‘zone’ they sprout out of. 

Hundreds appear rapidly, roaring and screeching as they spread out to claim more territory. 

What resembled elementals began soaring through the skies above chimeras of various compositions. Purple trees with red leaves walked upon their roots, the ground shaking as their giant forms lumbered forth. Any surviving humans unfortunate enough to be nearby are quickly torn apart by these monstrosities.

It almost reminds me of what I turned Da Zurt Island into for Eri’s training, just much, much more. A true sneak peak of what the Quirk Singularity Doomsday will bring. 

And to make matters worse, all these effects are static. He permanently changed the landscape around him into this wonderland hellscape, allowing these monsters to endlessly generate and emerge. He’s forcefully evolving the world alongside himself.

Put simply, it’s terraforming for singularities. He’s making an environment where his… Singularity Spawn can thrive alongside any natural singularities that pop up, and everyone else is fresh out of luck if they can’t adapt and evolve themselves.

A de facto god of the Singularity. Nobody here comes anywhere close to what he’s become. Not All Might, not OFA Lemillion, not Star and Stripe, none of them. 

Same goes for my Incursion opponents. Deku from the First Round, Re-Destro from the second, Kudo from the third, Queen Bee from the fourth, none hold a candle to what All For One has become. 

The latter may have had way more quirks at the end of her life, but his quality completely blows her quantity out of the water, all of his quirks being beyond-singularity level compared to her one single quirk at ‘only’ singularity level. Not to mention how she collapsed almost instantly after gaining such power while All For One appears to be fully stable in this new state of his.

And this isn’t an Incursion Round. This isn’t a side story where any and all damage will be undone for the winner, excluding any mental trauma they get and bits of the singularity for me. This is happening in my world, and now my world is in danger of being transformed into a singularity hellscape, if not completely destroyed. 

‘His goals have changed. His dreams are different. This is… how the fuck did he…’

What’s even worse is what All For One just did to Cathleen Bate. That strike didn’t just send her flying back; it brought her very vestige to the driver’s seat, replacing the ‘real’ Cathleen Bate with ‘New Order’ Cathleen Bate. Not even I can do that to others, Reveal and Overhaul be damned. 

A new function of Post-Singularity All For One? God only knows what else that quirk can do now.

However, this new All For One clearly doesn’t understand too much about quirk vestiges despite being one himself. Vestiges are a part of quirks, echoes of their original wielders. So if Cathleen Bate won’t join him…

New Order won’t either.

 

It doesn’t even take him a minute, more than enough time for New Order to get a grip and recover. She prepares to jump back in, only to notice her bros barely hanging on. It’s not even All For One attacking, but a mere side effect of the singularity environment he just created.

“BROS, RUN! I’LL COVER YOU!” The quirk declares, acting no different to her ‘real’ self.

[LIKE HELL WE’RE LEAVING YOU TO FACE HIM ALONE, STAR!]

“BACKUP IS ON ITS WAY! NOW GO!” She commands, now lunging towards the singularity. “NEW ORDER: I, CATHLEEN BATE, HAVE TWO QUIRKS! NEW ORDER AND ERASURE!”

It doesn’t work. Even with the QAD boosting her, it doesn’t work. 

How?! Even AFO Tomura was rendered quirkless during both the Paranormal Liberation War and Final War through Erasure! 

Mutant quirks I can understand since they’re already active, it’s only their extra functions that are impaired, but it’s not working on any of the quirks he’s currently using! Singularity-level or not, Erasure should still be able to temporarily stop all his quirks to at least some degree, especially with the QAD boosting- shit, the vestige. It’s the vestige, isn’t it?

Even with Erasure active during the first part of AFO Tomura’s battle during the Final War, All For One’s vestige was still able to act, fight for control, mess around in Tomura’s body without hindrance from the quirk-erasing quirk.

Copy or not, with this vestige evolving to the singularity level at least and piloting the mass of other quirks and vestiges it’s accumulated, can it actually ignore or power through the effects of quirk-erasing quirks like Erasure?

Or maybe this is because of the nuclear radiation that mutated his quirks. A Mutated Post-Singularity Quirk? Would Erasure or any kind of quirk-eraser work on such a thing if it can no longer be called a quirk?

"̷I̴ ̸c̴a̸n̴ ̷n̶o̶ ̶l̷o̸n̵g̴e̴r̵ ̴b̵e̵ ̴h̸i̴n̵d̵e̵r̵e̶d̶ ̸b̸y̸ ̸s̸u̴c̴h̸ ̵w̵e̶a̶k̷n̵e̵s̵s̴ ̵a̶f̴t̷e̵r̶ ̸m̵y̵ ̵a̷s̵c̸e̵n̵s̸i̷o̷n̴.̴.̵.̴ ̴p̵e̸r̴h̷a̸p̶s̸ ̴i̴f̴ ̷E̵r̸a̸s̸u̷r̷e̶ ̵a̸s̵c̸e̸n̸d̵e̸d̸ ̷a̴s̵ ̵w̴e̴l̶l̶,̴ ̵i̴t̵ ̴w̸o̴u̸l̴d̵ ̸w̷o̴r̶k̷,̷ ̴b̷u̵t̴ ̶n̷o̴w̸?̴"̴

Star’s vestige shuts him up with her latest assault, but it’s clear that he’s sandbagging against the reality-warping quirk. Her naming rules fail as he apparently doesn’t have a true sense of self at the moment, and any rules that are effective are immediately recovered from.

And when this monster finally decides to fight back, several extra hands sprout around his right hand as a mere Air Cannon is charged.

The resulting attack matches that of Air Cannon, Springlike Limbs, four Kinetic Boosters, three Strength Enhancers, and Heavy Payload combined. Miles of the Earth are uprooted, if not destroyed entirely, and Star is sent flying even further back.

Wait a second. If all he used at that moment was Air Cannon, then why did several extra hands… oh. Oh, FUCK!

"̵E̷v̴e̵n̶ ̶n̸o̴w̴,̸ ̴m̸y̵ ̴b̴o̷d̶y̴ ̵a̸n̷d̸ ̴m̷i̴n̸d̵ ̴c̵o̴n̵t̷i̵n̶u̸e̸ ̵t̵o̵ ̴s̴e̷a̷r̴c̷h̶,̸ ̶t̴o̷ ̵g̶r̴o̵p̵e̸ ̷a̵r̶o̷u̸n̵d̸ ̶f̷o̸r̸ ̵i̴t̸s̴ ̶i̸d̵e̷a̴l̵ ̷f̶o̵r̷m̷.̸ ̷W̵h̶a̵t̸ ̸y̴o̴u̷ ̷s̷e̴e̵ ̷b̸e̵f̵o̸r̷e̷ ̵y̶o̷u̵ ̵i̴s̵ ̴s̴i̷m̴p̵l̵e̷ ̸g̷r̶o̵w̸t̶h̸.̴ ̸

N̴o̷ ̸q̴u̵i̷r̸k̴s̷,̴ ̵j̸u̶s̶t̷ ̵m̴y̸ ̴b̵o̴d̶y̵ ̴o̶n̷ ̸i̴t̴s̶ ̷o̸w̷n̴,̵ ̸t̸h̴e̴ ̸s̶a̴m̸e̸ ̵w̸a̵y̵ ̷h̴a̵i̴r̸ ̸o̴r̷ ̵n̷a̸i̴l̶s̶ ̶g̵r̵o̶w̸ ̶l̴o̴n̸g̸e̷r̴.̵ ̶I̶t̸ ̴a̶p̶p̴e̵a̸r̵s̷ ̸m̶y̴ ̶a̶s̵c̶e̸n̴s̴i̸o̴n̸ ̷i̴s̴n̷'̵t̵ ̶q̴u̵i̸t̶e̵ ̸c̶o̴m̷p̸l̶e̸t̵e̶ ̸y̷e̷t̴.̵"̵

He’s already become the most powerful being on Earth by far, and even without stealing more quirks, he’s only getting stronger. 

…No, it’s not just that. All For One is either lying right now or he isn’t aware of the truth himself.

 

What he has right now isn’t a ‘body’ in the traditional sense. Even the perfected body AFO Tomura had in canon shouldn’t be able to contain such tremendous amounts of quirk factor power. It would crumble apart in seconds if it was.

Instead, the legion of Post-Singularity quirks he has is being used to create a new quote unquote ‘body’ for himself, and the vestiges of those quirks are making up his mind. A singularity-level Forced Quirk Activation and the All For One quirk itself have to be making such a thing possible. 

So instead of a body with quirks, this singularity is just a mass of heavily-boosted, forcefully-activated quirks. 

What’s with the Quirk Singularity mutations then? If those are done to the body to better adapt to quirks (plus various environmental factors), then how is he going through it if he doesn’t have a body to begin with?

That’s the thing. He isn’t. These physical changes are the result of his quirks evolving, not his nonexistent body. 

Just the augmented Ideo Trigger Melissa created should have brought his arsenal to singularity levels. Stage 3, if not Stage 4 of Singularity Quirks. Hysterical Strength hasn’t gone away either, further strengthening his quirk-body. 

Copies of Endurance he stole from Nine’s crew should boost his powers even further. Same with the embers of One For All he managed to take if Reveal’s analysis is anything to go by. He even built upon the latter using both the energy and ionizing radiation of Tiamat’s blast.

That stupid ‘radiation-induced superpower’ trope is on full display, only it seems to be strengthening his already evolved legion of quirks. It’s supposed to weaken and destroy people’s DNA, not the other way around! 

Even now, his quirks are continuing to steadily grow in strength. The quirk providing him his right hand grew to the point where it could permanently provide several extra hands for him.

De facto Stage 5 Singularity Quirks, something that shouldn’t even be possible. And All For One has thousands of them. Great. Just great.

"̵I̸ ̴t̴h̷a̸n̶k̵ ̴y̸o̸u̸,̴ ̴a̷l̵l̷ ̶o̸f̷ ̷y̷o̷u̵,̷ ̵f̸o̵r̴ ̸s̶h̵o̸w̷i̴n̶g̷ ̵m̵e̴ ̴t̷h̷e̴ ̵t̵r̵u̶t̴h̵.̴ ̸A̵l̵l̵ ̷F̸o̶r̴ ̷O̴n̶e̷ ̵w̶a̷s̴ ̵d̶e̸s̷t̷i̴n̵e̴d̴ ̸t̴o̷ ̵f̵a̷i̵l̷ ̴f̸r̷o̸m̸ ̸t̸h̴e̴ ̷s̷t̴a̷r̸t̵.̴ ̷H̶e̸ ̷w̶o̴u̸l̶d̴ ̵n̸e̴v̸e̸r̶ ̷b̴e̸ ̸e̴n̴o̸u̴g̵h̶,̶ ̴a̴s̴ ̶h̷e̶ ̸w̶a̸s̷ ̸f̵a̴r̵ ̶t̸o̶o̴ ̵w̴e̴a̴k̷ ̴i̵n̶ ̶b̷o̸d̶y̵ ̵a̷n̶d̴ ̶m̵i̵n̶d̷.̸ E̷s̸p̴e̷c̸i̷a̴l̷l̵y̴ ̸y̸o̵u̵,̵ ̴S̵e̸k̴a̶n̸.̴"̴

Fuck, he took their memories too, didn’t he? 

Just like what happened with Izuku and AFO Tomura during their final battle in canon, only here, it’s completely one-sided in All For One’s favor. Greedy asshole.

Nine’s crew knew almost everything about my operations, and now this monster does too… yet he seems so calm. Shouldn’t he be pissed off beyond belief? We’ve outsmarted him and outgunned him. We’ve outclassed and outplayed him. We’ve belittled him and mocked him. 

We destroyed or subsumed pretty much every part of his empire. We got his closest confidants to betray him either willingly or through force via brainwashed Double clones. We ruined everything for him, so why…

"̷Y̶o̵u̸r̵ ̶c̸r̷u̵s̸a̶d̸e̴ ̶a̵s ̴L̷o̵n̸g̵ ̸H̴a̶u̴l̷ ̴i̶s̶ ̴t̵r̸u̶l̶y̴ ̶a̷ ̶s̷i̵g̵h̸t̴ ̷t̴o̷ ̸b̶e̷h̵o̸l̷d̷.̶ ̸Y̸o̵u̶.̵.̷.̶ ̶a̵r̷e̶ ̶a̵l̴s̵o̸ ̸w̷o̴r̸t̸h̸y̶,̶ ̸o̶n̸c̴e̸ ̶y̷o̵u̷r̸ ̴p̶o̵w̸e̴r̵ ̸b̷r̷e̶a̸k̶s̶ ̷f̵r̸e̸e̶.̸ ̵B̶o̴r̷r̸o̵w̶i̸n̷g̵ ̵t̴h̸e̷ ̵c̸o̴n̸c̸e̸p̸t̴ ̶y̷o̸u̸ ̸b̸o̶r̴r̴o̸w̵e̷d̵,̷ ̵y̴o̸u̷ ̷a̴n̷d̴ ̵N̴e̵w̸ ̴O̵r̴d̷e̸r̷ ̵m̸a̸y̷ ̷b̷e̶c̸o̴m̸e̴ ̴t̶w̷o̸ ̷o̶f̷ ̷m̵y̴ ̶F̸o̸u̸r̵ ̷H̵o̷r̸s̵e̶m̶e̷n̶ ̷i̴n̵ ̷t̴h̵i̷s̴ ̵n̶e̸w̶ ̵w̷o̶r̸l̸d̸.̷"̴

“Fuck. That.” I growl, not caring that he can’t hear me.

 

Looks like he hasn’t completely changed. That cockiness, smugness, and general ego hasn’t gone anywhere. He still thinks he’s a god among mortals, and to be fair, he isn’t necessarily wrong. I really should’ve just killed that fucking LARPer like I did Melissa, and now I’m paying the price for it. 

((“Good news and bad news.”)) NightHaul suddenly reports to me through Reveal. ((“Good news is the three new Tiamat missiles heading that monster’s way. 

UN and WHA threw a shitfit since Flect Turn is dead and the MLA is still growing, but shut up once Star’s bros sent some footage of her getting beaten around like a ragdoll by ‘Singularity For One’.

Bad news is I’m not very confident in their success. It didn’t work the first time and I doubt they’ll work now. More bad news is that All Might and Lemillion are still a decent distance away, and even if they weren’t, I don’t think they’ll make much of a difference. 

I’ll keep you updated on my end, but please, think of something to put this singularity monstrosity down, because I don’t think the heroes are gonna manage it themselves.”))

“T-Tiamat incoming. Three of them.” One of my Cyberwarfare Branch members reports.

“Any chance surviving the first one was a fluke?” Kuin nervously questions.

“We’re about to find out…” I ominously respond.

More quirks are brought to the surface as the singularity catches on, but his facial expression doesn’t change one bit. Forget being terrified, he barely looks annoyed at nuclear ICBMs about to slam into him.

His upper body then turns into what can best be described as a massive, improvised, many-quirk railgun, a barrage of crystalline spikes the side of small buildings being launched far beyond the speed of sound. 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Despite still being dozens of miles away, every single Tiamat missile is perfectly pierced and breaks apart mid-flight, bits of them (radioactive materials included) scattering across western Otheon.

Once the attack ends, he reverts back to normal, only with multiple hands still present on his right arm and a rifle of flesh and bone like Lady Nagant’s taking up most of his left. 

More natural quirk growth… 

 

The latter is used to launch some smaller projectiles of flesh and bone at an incoming ‘Star’, almost a dozen quirks making up each, Kiruka’s Artificial Quirk being included in this latest mix.

Each bullet pierced through her chest with ease despite her strength rule still being up. Only by stacking a reflection rule on top does she withstand the final few bullets, and Flect Turn’s reflection quirk sends it right back.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Once again, America’s Number 1 Hero collides with the ground below, being brought to the brink of death. A regeneration rule can heal the damage and another rule can probably dispel the slowing debuff Chronostasis provides.

But the time it’ll take to speak those rules in slow motion is more than long enough for this monster to take her quirk and kill her.

And yet, the singularity doesn’t bother. He doesn’t even want to take her godlike power. Does he think he doesn’t need it? Would he really rather have New Order stand by his side than be directly taken?

Maybe he really has changed. The All For One I know wouldn’t hesitate to take such a world-breaking ability… okay, maybe not. There were countless instances in canon where that idiot didn’t take an overpowered quirk despite having the perfect opportunity to, Overhaul during the Tartarus attack being just one example. 

“Uhhh, is he looking this way? He’s- shit, he’s looking this way!” Kuin squeaks. “No, go away! Nothing to see here, just a few innocent insects buzzing around! I’m not even using my bees right now!”

“He knows, Kuin…” I snarl as the singularity stares right at our tiny, sentient cameras.

"̵I̷ ̴k̵n̴o̵w̵ ̴y̸o̷u̷'̸r̴e̷ ̸l̵i̸s̴t̵e̴n̴i̵n̵g̸ ̷i̵n̵,̶ ̶S̵e̵k̶a̷n̷.̶ ̵W̵i̸l̵l̶ ̴y̵o̷u̵ ̸a̶l̴l̶o̶w̷ ̸m̵e̴ ̸t̶o̴ ̵e̴v̴o̵l̸v̵e̵ ̶y̷o̴u̸ ̴a̴s̵ ̶w̵e̶l̵l̸,̵ ̶o̷r̴ ̷s̴h̶a̸l̵l̶ ̸I̴ ̵d̶o̷ ̷i̸t̶ ̶b̷y̴ ̶f̷o̵r̵c̸e̸?̴"̵ He smiles at some of the bees Kuin has buzzing around.

Only to then stick his hand out, and several seconds later, a wave of black ooze erupts out of my mouth.

NOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPE!!!!!!!!!

I WILL NOT GET BLINDSIDED BY THAT AGAIN!!!

 

Mirroring the feat AFO Tomura pulled during the Final War, I lunge forward and swallow every last drop of goop, keeping as much of it in place as possible with both telekinesis and wind manipulation to make the process easier.

‘EVERYONE, SHUT YOUR MOUTHS! TALK THROUGH THOUGHTS, I’LL HANDLE THE REST WITH REVEAL!’ I then mentally broadcast across the command center. 

‘CYBERWARFARE BRANCH, SPREAD THE WORD TO EVERYONE ELSE! HE’S GOT Q-RAY FROM NINE’S CREW AND HIS GLOOP WARP CAN REACH US FROM HALF A PLANET AWAY! WARP THEM ALL TO HASSAIKAI HAVEN ASAP! WE’RE MOVING TOO!’

You’d think at least half of my command center’s occupants just had heart attacks with the expressions on their faces, but they followed my orders to the letter. Hopefully our space base is still outside his range.

This day just keeps getting worse and worse. He knows us all well now thanks to Nine’s memories and Gloop Warp boosted to Post-Singularity level can reach across continents, a boosted Q-Ray helping to pinpoint our location.

At least he doesn’t have a copy of Warp Gate; that warping quirk boosted to Post-Singularity level would be impossible for us to counter. Thank god I didn’t give any of Nine’s crew that ability. 

"̸S̵u̷c̴h̷ ̵r̷e̵s̵i̵s̴t̸a̵n̵c̷e̷.̶.̸.̷ ̸o̶r̶ ̸p̶e̴r̸h̶a̴p̵s̷,̵ ̷y̶o̷u̴ ̸n̶e̶e̶d̶ ̸m̶o̸r̴e̷ ̷t̸i̸m̴e̸ ̶t̴o̸ ̷d̵e̴c̵i̵d̸e̸?̸ ̸V̵e̸r̷y̷ ̶w̸e̷l̶l̶,̶ ̶I̸'̵l̵l̴ ̵g̶i̴v̷e̶ ̴y̶o̶u̷ ̶u̷n̵t̶i̵l̴ ̵I̵ ̶r̷e̸a̶c̷h̵ ̵J̸a̸p̸a̸n̶ ̵m̷y̷s̵e̶l̵f̶.̷ 

̴R̵e̴m̶a̵i̴n̷ ̷o̴r̶ ̵r̵u̸n̸ ̸a̵w̴a̵y̸,̸ ̸i̶t̶ ̴m̵a̴k̵e̴s̶ ̵n̸o̷ ̸d̸i̸f̷f̸e̸r̴e̶n̸c̶e̷.̷ ̵J̴u̸s̶t̸ ̶a̴s̵ ̴y̴o̵u̸ ̷c̴a̸n̵ ̸t̵r̸a̸c̶k̶ ̴m̷e̴,̷ ̵I̸ ̸c̸a̸n̴ ̸t̶r̶a̴c̴k̵ ̵y̸o̴u̵ ̵a̴n̵d̷ ̵e̴v̷e̵r̶y̵o̴n̵e̷ ̷y̴o̶u̶ ̴c̴a̷r̷e̷ ̵f̷o̷r̵,̷ ̶a̸n̶d̶ ̵I̶ ̴w̷i̶l̵l̸ ̵g̷l̵a̴d̵l̴y̵ ̶a̷s̷c̴e̷n̷d̶ ̶t̵h̵e̷m̵ ̷a̷s̵ ̸w̷e̸l̶l̶. C̷o̶n̵s̵i̸d̶e̴r̵ ̸t̷h̸i̸s̶ ̵g̷i̵f̴t̵ ̵a̴s̷ ̶a̶ ̴t̸o̷k̷e̶n̴ ̴o̵f̸ ̷a̵p̴p̸r̴e̸c̴i̵a̴t̶i̵o̷n̸ ̴f̴o̷r̸ ̷a̸l̴l̶ ̸t̵h̴a̶t̴ ̸y̴o̵u̸'̴v̷e̴ ̷d̴o̴n̸e̷.̵"̸

‘Gift’ my fucking ass, God For One, or whatever you’re calling yourself now.

 

Now Otheon is located on an island in the Celtic Sea, slightly larger than Ireland. It’s close to both France and Spain, so you would have to cross pretty much all of Europe and Asia from there to reach Japan.

With Gloop Warp rendered ineffective enough and no convenient warpers around, he’ll have to fly over there himself. Not too bad, right? It took him quite a while to traverse a chunk of Japan in canon, and that was while he was both in his prime and fueled by Tomura’s hatred.

Unfortunately, while the distance here is several hundred times as long, if not more, this All For One also has thousands of mutated Post-Singularity quirks at his disposal. I’d be shocked if it took him longer than a day to arrive even if he half-asses it, and that’s while factoring in the Meta Liberation Army’s efforts to keep him from tearing Japan apart in the process. 

Will that be enough time for him to finally drop dead? This isn’t his Rewind trump card from canon, but there has to be some sort of time limit to this, right?

Quirk exhaustion, maybe? He has to keep at least a chunk of his quirks active 24/7 to maintain this current state. Even if he cycles between his legions of mutant quirks, that’s not considering all the opposition around him.

Maybe this Ideo Trigger? Melissa’s Artificial Singularities dropped dead a day in at the latest. Even if All For One can ignore the strain completely, Trigger still has a time limit, right? Endurance and Energy Saver might help him, but those can only do so much.

‘Well? Any ideas, LabHaul? Even if I had already ascended into my own planned Perfect/Post-Singularity Form, I wouldn’t stand the slightest chance against this abomination if he took things seriously. Maybe I could manage something with Infinite Doubles on top of that, but-’

((“Honestly, I don’t know. I would say yes if it’s All For One the person, but this is his quirk vestige, a vestige that just mutated several times over, then ascended the singularity and went even further beyond. Reveal was nearly overwhelmed by the sudden change, but it’s still giving me plenty of good data. 

Leave the theorizing to me for now. You and the others just delay him however you can, and I do mean however you can. Don’t bother holding back on our nuclear contingencies, original. I don’t know much, but I really do think we’re gonna need them.”))

Can’t really blame him for that. Tiamat failed miserably, Star and Stripe isn’t doing any better despite having a Quirk Amplification Device and plenty more competency… did the world lose faith in her too? Is the world pissed off at her for spamming Foresight too?

Did we really fracture and break this world too much, making it become desperate, insane, or both? Does it truly see this Post-Singularity abomination as a solution, a deterrent for me? Is it just lashing out at this point?

“These laws can be bent with enough force, but the methods that allow such have their limits and they will snap back if too much force is applied. That’s not even mentioning how haywire the world goes once Quirk Singularity Doomsday rears its ugly head.”

Such is what Future Eri told me back then. Did she know this would happen?

Eri… would her artificial Rewind quirk be able to take this monstrosity down?

 

Singularity AFO definitely knows about that quirk, and catching him off-guard would be tricky with both his Danger Sense quirk boosted to singularity levels and Q-Ray keeping track of us 24/7, but it should be possible. 

New Double clones of Eri wouldn’t automatically have the Search part of Q-Ray target them, but the Scanning and Voyance parts on top of his ludicrous amounts of power…

Yeah, the chances of that working are abysmally low unless a massive opening is created. Blitzing him myself with Overhaul is equally as unlikely, even if I have a brand new Double clone of me to do it.

But if even Tiamat and Star are barely taking up its attention, then how much will it take to pull his entire focus away for long enough?

The typical shounen solution to an ‘unbeatable final villain boss’ problem is some plot MacGuffin that renders the big bad powerless or some bullshit power-up. The world is completely against me so I won’t be getting anything like that.

Not to say I haven’t built up my own line of overpowered trump cards since arriving here, but will any of those be enough to stop this abomination? I’m… not liking my odds here. We may just have to bail from Earth entirely until he naturally falls apart.

‘Shit, HE’S ON THE MOVE!’

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

The singularity blasts off, going extremely fast but not as fast as I expected. That’s probably because he continues to transform the environment around him, taking Flect Turn’s role as the bringer of Quirk Singularity Doomsday.

He rockets out of Otheon far beyond the speed of sound, uncaring of anyone or anything standing in his way. Thousands die in the first second, and the death toll just keeps climbing. Tens of thousands, then hundreds of thousands, and it’s only rising faster.

Whether it’s mountains and seas or entire towns and cities of people, he just blitzes through, permanently altering the environment around him into a twisted symphony of the singularity.

Emergency evacuation orders were already broadcast across both Otheon and France, but the singularity is moving far too fast and countless more are slaughtered after he passes by, being unable to withstand or adapt to the altered environment.

However, he isn’t without opposition.

 

“New Order: I, Cathleen Bate, have two quirks. New Order and Gearshift!”

The squadron of X-66 Fighter Jets becomes far faster, laws of inertia being completely ignored. It allows Star and Stripe to quickly catch up, her bros pelting the singularity with lasers while she throws reality-breaking rule after rule his way, praying something will do genuine damage to this abomination.

Stopping his heart or brain or other parts of his body is meaningless since he doesn’t technically have any of those that mean anything, just some quirks that grow extra copies. He’s the closest thing this world has to a ghost possessing a mass of quirks. 

A lack of understanding regarding his own identity means no tailored rules can be made. Her power-up rules don’t come close to his own strength. If anything, he’s practically her perfect counter. Then again, with the number of overpowered quirks he has now, he can pretty much become everyone’s perfect counter.

Nothing’s working so far, and both the United Nations and World Heroes Association seem to have realized that, as according to NightHaul, they’re running around like headless chickens.

Some of those dumbasses have already brought up surrendering to him, and ‘Nighteye’ had to point out that this monster clearly had no interest in their opinions, surrender or not. When asked by the WHA’s Director what he thinks they should do then, NightHaul’s response nearly gets them to riot.

((“Let’s get a temporary alliance going between the World Heroes Association and Meta Liberation Army. Hell, let’s try and get Humarise on board too! Starservant is one of the few surviving executives over there, so we can use that to our advantage.”))

‘And the League of Villains?’

((“Isn’t that a given?”))

‘Right, but in case that doesn’t work…’

I then switch to a Reveal broadcast to both my clones and everyone in my command center as we’re moving towards our main space facility.

‘How soon can we get some Rods From God and Quirk-Erasing Warheads ready?’ I calmly question, getting quite a few gasps from those around me.

((“We’re going that far?”)) Zookeeper mentally asks the unspoken question. ((“Even suggesting just the former for I-Island was one thing since you were cornered at the time, but-”))

‘All For One just ascended the singularity thousands of times over, beat around a QAD-enhanced Star and Stripe like she was a toddler, and is currently tearing the entire continent of Europe apart in his equivalent of a leisurely stroll. 

Yes, Zookeeper. We’re going that far.’

 

The seriousness of my tone makes her back down. We came up with nuclear contingencies for a reason, in case something went catastrophically wrong. If this isn’t an example of that, I don’t know what is.

We are at the point of considering nukes or my equivalent to such being used just to delay the threat. Maybe even inconvenience him if we were super lucky.

How fucking splendid. It’s the end of the world, for real this time, and even after everything we’ve prepared for it… I don’t think we’re anywhere close to ready for something like this.

 

 

 

Status of Singularity Crisis:

Time Since Initial Ascension - 30 Mins

Estimated Number of Casualties - 520,000

Remaining Distance to Japan - 9,874 Kilometers/6,135 Miles

Remaining Tiamat (Nuclear ICBMs) - 6/10

Chapter 118: Abominations

‘It’s just like back then…’

A horrific hellscape forced with countless quirks. 

An unbeatable monster making all their preparations, their struggles, their hopes and dreams, all of it meaningless. 

The last time this happened was almost forty years ago. He could do nothing as his master and mother figure was taken from him. He was forced to flee the country, outside of that monster’s reach, and cultivate the power she gifted him.

Decades passed since then. He became the Symbol of peace he envisioned. He killed the ancient boogeyman. He single-handedly changed the world. He even had a bright-eyed student ready to carry on the mantle to a new chapter, a golden era of peace.

And then all that was swept away, and now his oldest student is in the same position his master was in all those years ago.

Leaping from country to country, All Might can’t help but be filled with dread.

Bruised, bloodied, and beaten. Star and Stripe is on her last legs, yet she continues to smile. 

“UNITEEEEED…”

She won’t die here. She won’t have to bear it alone.

“STAAAAAATES…”

Toshinori Yagi won’t let it end like last time. HE SWEARS IT!!!

“OF SMAAAAAAAAAAASH!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Shockwaves spread across the country as every last ember he has is unleashed, enough to obliterate the head of this monster a few years ago… yet here and now, it’s his own arm that shatters upon impact.

"̵O̶h̵,̷ ̶T̸o̴s̴h̵i̴n̶o̸r̴i̸.̴.̷.̷ ̴a̸l̴w̷a̷y̸s̶ ̷r̵u̸n̵n̴i̷n̷g̶ ̶i̶n̷ ̸w̴i̶t̴h̷o̶u̵t̶ ̵t̶h̸i̸n̷k̷i̷n̷g̵.̴"̵ The Symbol of Evil sighs, also feeling nostalgic at the sight.

“GAH! What… h-happened to you?!” The Symbol of Peace stutters back.

Star and Stripe launches her own assault before the monster can answer, All Might falling out of his grasp and plummeting to the ground below.

…No. Not yet! He’s still got one good arm and both legs, and enough air pressure from his blows can send him flying back in.

If punching doesn’t work, then he’ll try kicking, grappling, distracting in any way he can! 

He himself has no quirk to steal, so he can get in close without becoming powerless in the process.

“New Hampshire SMA-”

All Might is clotheslined before he can finish, and his own body is used as a meatshield for the latest round of lasers from Star’s brothers in arms.

"̴N̵e̷w̵ ̴O̸r̷d̴e̷r̷ ̶i̵s̸ ̵w̶a̴s̵t̷e̷d̴ ̶o̸n̵ ̸y̸o̸u̵,̶ ̴j̷u̵s̶t̸ ̶a̷s̷ ̴O̴n̷e̷ ̴F̵o̷r̸ ̴A̸l̶l̴ ̸i̶s̷ ̸w̵a̶s̷t̸e̴d̸ ̵o̶n̶ ̸y̶o̸u̶r̷ ̴l̴a̷t̸e̴s̸t̸ ̸s̵u̸c̸c̴e̴s̶s̸o̶r̶.̵ ̸T̸h̵e̸y̸ ̷s̵h̴a̸l̶l̷ ̸b̴e̷c̷o̶m̵e̸ ̴s̶o̴ ̵m̴u̸c̴h̸ ̷o̴n̶c̴e̵ ̵o̵n̶c̸e̵ ̴t̴h̵e̵y̵'̴r̶e̷ ̵w̷e̷l̸l̷ ̷a̶n̴d̷ ̸t̷r̵u̷l̴y̶ ̵f̸r̵e̵e̷d̴.̶ ̷I̶'̵l̸l̷ ̵m̶a̸k̸e̴ ̷s̸u̶r̴e̵ ̵o̴f̵ ̷i̸t̴.̴"̸

His burnt body is tossed aside once that monster finishes his piece, Cassie catching him before he splatters across the ruins or gets blown away by the hellscape being formed around them.

Once again, he has to rely on his students for the save. A regeneration rule heals him, and another rule lets Star toss him back into the fray, attempting a clothesline of his own.

The monster doesn’t even stagger despite both of them hitting him with everything they’ve got, but what else can they do? 

He can only hope his other student arriving can turn the tables.

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  7 Hours Until The Submergence

“Ah, good. You’re all here.” I smile while exiting the portal. “That makes things easier.”

Their breaths caught in their throats. For them, it felt as if the world had stopped spinning, as if time had stopped running.

Cold sweat ran down their backs as I slowly walked the remaining distance that separated us, every step I took echoing with the might of a thunderclap.

They felt dizzy enough to taste puke at the back of their mouths. Their stomachs were contracting painfully, knotting in a way that made them see black spots. If they weren’t already sitting down, their knees would buckle as they fell to the floor. 

 

“I… I don’t believe we’ve met.” The Meta Liberation Army’s Grand Commander and de facto leader of Japan responds, doing his best not to stutter.

He and his top brass are all here, all gathered up in Deika City’s Central Tower. Trumpet, Skeptic, Curious, Geten, Curator, and so on. The only one missing is Nine, my subordinate having undergone quite the unexpected ordeal recently.

Most were either veterans of villainy, powerhouses in their own right, or both. Yet despite this being the first time they’ve met me, at least as far as they remember, they could only cower at the presence and aura I was emitting. 

And they should be, as I was not coming here in a disguise for some 5-D chess game of a plan or as a tourist having fun on his day off. Right now, I was coming here as the new and vastly improved boogeyman, the person who has wrangled supervillains of their stature like fucking cattle for literally his entire life. 

This bunch has all gathered in Deika City’s Central Tower for an emergency meeting. The most powerful being this world has ever seen is making a beeline for Japan, destroying everything and everyone in its path. Feel Good Inc. satellites can at least tell them that much.

Not the kind of thing you can just ignore.

“W-Would you happen to be the person known as Long Haul?” Re-Destro then confirms.

So they could pick up at least some of the singularity’s speech, huh? That combined with Nezu’s final words clearly allowed him to draw some problematic conclusions.

“Yes. I am Sekan Doraifu, also known as Long Haul. I am the main benefactor behind both Nine’s faction and your own. And much like the current All For One, I myself can also be considered a sentient armageddon.” I clarify before snapping my fingers.

Deika City ceases to exist a mere moment later.

 

Everyone in the meeting room is alive… and that’s about it. They’re alive. Horribly mangled, but alive and conscious. 

Around them is a scene straight out of their worst nightmares. 

This isn’t like Tomura’s awakening in canon during the League of Villains’ MLA showdown or his decimation of Jaku during the PLW Arc. Spreading his decay wave across an entire city takes quite a while for him. I can do it instantaneously, and repair everything in the next instant.

Grotesque structures, fusions of warped buildings and flesh, extend for miles all around them. Several hundred thousand people, a fraction of which being warriors who can match Pro-Heroes, died in an instant. Many were reduced to blood smears, many more becoming malformed sculptures and other horrific works of art.

I may not compare to the thing evolving and/or destroying this world one country at a time, but I’m still more than powerful enough to beat the canon Symbols of Peace and Evil in their primes. I’m still powerful enough to fight Star and Stripe, goddamnit!

“W… Why?” Rikiya Yotsubayashi whispers in absolute disbelief.

“Several reasons.” I elaborate. “First, to prove I am what I say I am. Second, to help sell the narrative of an All For One subordinate threatening the Meta Liberation Army with a powerful illusion quirk, giving a supposed sneak peak into what will happen if they attempt to resist.

Third, I’ve been rather stressed recently and this display helped both confirm and reinforce my own standing. And finally…”

I then activate Overhaul again, undoing all the damage done to Deika City bar the mangled states of everyone in this room. 

“Finally, to already establish a sense of fear and awe in myself for this next step. These feelings already being so prevalent will make this brainwashing much easier.”

 

Overhaul is then activated once again, alongside Reveal this time, to ensure everyone in the room is unquestionably loyal to me. 

No point in restraining myself anymore. If I’m being forced to put all my cards on the table and unleash everything I have, then so be it. Whatever secrets the singularity decides to spill about me will be met with swift, merciless action to minimize losses on my end.

NightHaul is ready to go on his end if the godlike bastard decides to let that particular secret slip, but I don’t think he will, at least for the moment, as he simply has no reason to.

While the world allowed him to reach this state, it isn’t using him like a puppet to destroy everyone on its shitlist. Small mercies, even if the irony of AFO becoming a puppet himself would be hilarious.

He doesn’t feel threatened by me in the slightest, and if he really is determined to bring me under his wing, then he won’t ruin too many of my plans and preparations, as those would become his own by extension.

“Get the memo about the supposed illusion quirk out, and rally your armies against All For One. The Meta Liberation Army will never surrender to that asshole. 

On top of the forces you already have housed across Europe, we’ll be warping in some more to further hinder the incoming calamity. Last order for now, we’ll be starting up a temporary alliance with the WHA. 

Might as well let them help us deal with All For One, right?” I command, and they listen.

They haven’t become mindless slaves or anything like that. The only alteration I made to their minds was an unquestioning loyalty towards me, one step above what was done to Kuin. 

No time for half-measures. Not at such a critical juncture.

I’ll make that boogeyman reject regret pushing me this far. I swear it!

 

((“Uhhhh, this a bad time?”)) BossHaul suddenly calls me via mind link.

‘Now fucking what?’ I mentally groan back. ‘Hasn’t the world fucked us over enough already?’

((“Something weird is going on at I-Island. Cyberwarfare Branch is detecting a breach in the island’s online systems, one that’s trying to kick us out of them, but it’s not being done by Humarise. At least, I don’t think it’s Humarise.”))

…Huh?

‘Our Cyberwarfare Branch is made up of hundreds of people with both an arsenal of boosted technopathic quirks and copied memories or skills of canon's two greatest hackers. They can directly interface with and control technology with a thought. They also have, copies of IQ, various body modifications, and a fucking fleet of high-tech satelites backing them up. 

Even one of them should be capable of hacking into and taking over practically anything electronic. You’re telling me someone not only discovered their presence in I-Island’s systems, but is also managing to beat them at their own game?’ I confirm.

((“Singularity For One is the only being who fits the bill, as he now has several singularity-level technopathic quirks at his disposal, but I don’t think it’s him either. He knows about our secret backdoor there, sure, but he would totally be gloating about it if this was him.”))

‘What the hell is Humarise doing then?!’

((“From what our subordinates can still see, they’re preparing to stop Singularity For One at all costs, readying everything from long-distance missile strikes to sets of Hercules armor to the few Artificial Singularities they still have in storage. 

Starservant is rallying them to avenge Flect Turn’s death, the singularity utilizing that particular Reflect quirk being a pretty good indicator of his fate. Star may have nuked their base, but that was a last-second development, AFO having come over with his army far before then. Their fate was already sealed.

Our mystery godlike hacker doesn’t seem to be stopping this either, so at least we’ve got some sort of silver lining. Starservant even managed to at least temporarily take over as leader after his rallying, and I already relayed our latest orders to him.”))

‘For fuck’s sake. We’ll worry about that later! Send some more of Kuin’s swarm over for now; I know she’s already bee-jacked a fair share of templars over there, but better safe than sorry. Track the island via satellite too; no way am I letting something like that disappear on us.

GuildHaul, you take over commanding the MLA and Gollini Family for now. NightHaul, keep me updated on the heroes and be prepared to move out if Singularity For One exposes your true self too. 

LabHaul, you keep analyzing whatever the hell that singularity has become. BossHaul, start producing and brainwashing whatever powerful Double clones you can. The ‘League of Villains’ will be joining the fray too. 

I’ll finish moving our main personnel to Hassaikai Haven and preparations for our nuclear contingencies. Let’s move, people!’

 

It’s barely been over an hour since this nightmare began and the situation has only gotten worse.

France has already been bulldozed through, any traces of civilization that happened to be in his flight path being flattened alongside whoever hasn’t evacuated yet. 

The singularity environment he’s leaving behind is racking up even more kills, a good chunk of the thousands of creatures it’s already spawned not bothering to remain in that hellish environment. France as a country is probably gonna stop existing before the day is over.

And as if all that wasn’t bad enough, many of All For One’s remaining allies and supporters across the globe have taken this rampage of his as the signal to go apeshit themselves.

Japan and most of Europe are safe from this part of the nightmare, the Meta Liberation Army and Gollini Family being firmly in my corner plus most of AFO’s remaining supporters dying during his campaign against Humarise. The rest of the world isn’t so lucky, and lots of attention is being taken up by those swarms of nuisances. 

It’s like what happened in canon after the Paranormal Liberation War, only the All For One here isn’t being a throne potato in some cave with his meatpuppet for several months. 

Heroic help from outside of Europe is gonna be minimal, not that they would make much of a difference to begin with. Case in point, All Might arrived a few minutes ago and joined the fray, only to shatter his own arm after the first punch. 

Star got him back up and even handed him a QAD to further boost his borrowed power right after, no longer giving a shit about the UN and WHA’s ban on that quirk-augmentation device, but even with those two boosted powerhouses working together, the monster has barely slowed down.

Speaking of the suits in charge of society, the World Heroes Association has already begun setting up blockades in both Germany and Austria, the vast majority of villains present choosing not to rampage making that mass-deployment much easier.

Every Pro-Hero, officer, and soldier around the continent being mobilized either helping evacuate civilians in the estimated flight path or preparing whatever tricks and strategies they can to at least delay his rampage. 

Latter is a deathwish, and they know that. Looks like there are some true heroes besides the three peace symbols around; you just needed an armageddon to make them realize that. 

 

Now setting this up is gonna take a while, even with the hordes of trained quirks heroes have at their disposal, but it’s better than doing nothing right now.

If the singularity already passed through whatever country they’re in, then their tasks become evacuating civilians or keeping the monsters spawning from his trail of destruction at bay until the affected areas can hopefully be destroyed for good.

The few remaining Air Forces and Navies across Europe have been mobilized too, already preparing to launch long-range missile strikes or go on bombing runs with what little resources they still have.

Even I-Island, which happened to be nearby Italy at the time, began heading closer towards the mainland, what’s left of Humarise readying their own arsenal to bring that bastard down.

Starservant has taken temporary command of the mechanical island (the Cyberwarfare Branch still trying to counter whatever hacker is attempting their own takeover), and we plan to have him get in on this planned alliance too. 

WHA and UN will no doubt hate the idea, but negotiating a ceasefire until the singularity abomination is dealt with should be reasonable enough. They aren’t stupid enough to rely on some fucking fifteen year-olds to save the world like in canon (looking at you, World Heroes’ Mission).

Sending in Star and a Tiamat to just nuke their main base outright was surprising, but logical. Clearly, shounen laws or tropes are having less and less of an effect here, probably leading to this suicidal retaliation from the world itself.

Re-Destro is currently having an online meeting with the WHA Director right now, giving a similar ceasefire/temporary alliance offer. They can go back to their Cold War later, saving the world comes first.

Finally, we’re putting the finishing touches on Tomura’s entrance plan. If the singularity decides to expose our hand in that, then so be it. Either way, we need the extra firepower and we need it NOW!

"̵Y̸o̶u̸r̷ ̴e̴f̸f̷o̶r̷t̴s̵ ̵a̴r̴e̵ ̸a̵m̴u̷s̸i̵n̷g̴;̴ ̷s̸o̷c̸i̸e̸t̶y̸ ̸d̷e̴c̵l̸a̷r̸e̵d̵ ̵y̸o̵u̷ ̸i̵t̷s̶ ̷c̸h̵a̷m̶p̷i̶o̵n̷s̶ ̷f̷o̶r̴ ̶g̴o̷o̶d̵ ̸r̶e̵a̴s̷o̸n̶.̸"̶ The singularity declares as quirked tendrils burst from his mass.

Various ranged attacks charge across every square inch of them. His arms and legs too. Even the storm around him grows in intensity.

"̵B̷u̷t̷ ̴t̴h̵e̴r̸e̷'̶s̶ ̷n̸o̶ ̴f̸i̸g̸h̴t̷i̴n̶g̶ ̴n̵a̵t̷u̷r̷e̸.̵ ̷T̷h̶e̸r̶e̶'̷s̷ ̶n̸o̵ ̸d̶e̷l̴a̴y̵i̴n̶g̷ ̵t̴h̸e̴ ̵i̸n̸e̶v̴i̵t̸a̶b̴l̵e̸.̶"̶  

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Thousands of projectiles scatter across the skies, the wind pressure from All Might and rule changes from Star only destroying or redirecting a fraction of them. 

Star’s bros fare even worse, several X-66 Fighter Jets being shot down with their pilots being torn apart from the environment right after.

“...No more.” Cathleen Bate declares. “I was saving this for my rematch with Long Haul, hopefully stopping him from going nuclear when cornered, but fuck it. You’re going down, here and now!”

Activating her strength and reflection rules once again, she tanks the storm of projectiles heading her way, getting closer and closer to the mass of quirks.

“New Order: In the area of space fifty meters in front of me…”

Oh, did she really figure it out? Reveal isn’t picking up on his Danger Sense quirk activating. 

Does the singularity not realize what she’s about to do?

“...QUIRKS DO NOT EXIST!!!”

 

Looks like she did figure it out after all. That’s gonna be a real pain for me to counter during my own inevitable rematch with her, as it would not only erase any attacks in that area, but my very powers and vestigeworld too.

I’d probably keep my body modifications since those are completely separate. Same with ‘other’ powers like manifesting willpower or buffing up my body, but… why isn’t he…

“How?!” Cathleen gawks, the singularity not being affected one bit.

"̷A̵s̸ ̶I̴ ̷s̴a̸i̷d̴,̴ ̴I̴ ̶h̶a̵v̶e̷ ̸e̶v̵o̴l̴v̵e̸d̷.̷ ̷Q̴u̴i̸r̶k̸s̷ ̷b̸e̶c̷o̸m̵e̸ ̸s̶o̵m̶e̶t̷h̵i̴n̷g̴ ̶m̸o̴r̶e̸ ̵a̵f̶t̸e̵r̷ ̶a̵s̷c̶e̵n̷d̵i̷n̴g̵ ̵t̴h̷e̵ ̴s̷i̶n̶g̴u̷l̴a̶r̷i̷t̸y̷.̴ ̶H̸u̵m̷a̵n̵i̵t̴y̷ ̸b̶e̷c̶o̴m̵e̴s̸ ̸s̴o̶m̸e̴t̶h̸i̶n̴g̸ ̶m̶o̴r̵e̵ ̴a̷f̸t̵e̵r̴ ̵a̷s̴c̷e̴n̷d̴i̸n̴g̸ ̶t̶h̷e̵ ̷s̷i̷n̷g̷u̴l̷a̷r̶i̸t̴y̷.̴"̵

“Fine then! New Order: In the area of space fifty meters in front of me, singularity quirks do not exist!”

Once again, nothing changes. 

Does this mean his quirks aren’t even technically Post-Singularity quirks? Was I right about the ionizing radiation he was hit with mutating them into something completely different alongside the singularity evolution?

"̷Y̸o̵u̵r̵ ̸p̵o̷w̷e̷r̵ ̴h̸a̸s̴ ̴m̴a̷n̷y̷ ̴l̶i̴m̷i̴t̴s̴,̴ ̸t̶h̵e̷ ̶g̵r̴e̶a̵t̶e̸s̷t̷ ̴b̵e̵i̵n̴g̸ ̶a̴ ̶l̸a̷c̷k̵ ̷o̷f̶ ̴u̶n̴d̶e̵r̸s̴t̶a̷n̵d̶i̸n̵g̵.̵ ̶C̷o̵n̵t̷i̴n̵u̸i̸n̴g̸ ̵t̴o̷ ̷s̴u̵p̶p̷r̴e̸s̴s̴ ̷i̷t̷s̷ ̴m̸a̷n̷i̶f̸e̴s̷t̵a̶t̷i̸o̷n̸ ̴w̸i̸l̸l̶ ̷b̶e̵ ̸y̷o̵u̷r̷ ̵u̴n̶d̸o̷i̸n̷g̸ ̷i̶n̴ ̵t̷h̸i̶s̸ ̶n̵e̴w̵ ̷w̶o̷r̴l̴d̴,̸ ̸C̵a̶t̴h̸l̶e̷e̸n̵ ̵B̶a̵t̴e̶.̵"̴

Another volley of attacks begin charging, all of them solely directed at Star this time.

"̶I̸f̴ ̶y̶o̷u̶ ̶w̶i̶l̷l̵ ̸n̶o̴t̷ ̴e̴m̴b̴r̵a̷c̷e̷ ̵y̸o̸u̷r̷ ̸p̷o̵w̷e̶r̵,̸ ̵i̴f̷ ̴y̸o̵u̵r̵ ̴p̵o̸w̵e̵r̴ ̷w̵i̴l̴l̷ ̸n̴o̴t̵ ̴e̸m̷b̸r̷a̴c̴e̵ ̸i̵t̷s̶e̶l̸f̴,̴ ̵t̵h̷e̶n̴ ̷y̵o̷u̸ ̵h̷a̶v̵e̵ ̶n̵o̶ ̶p̶l̶a̷c̶e̶ ̴i̴n̵ ̷t̶h̸i̸s̸ ̸n̶e̶w̴ ̶w̵o̸r̷l̷d̶.̷"̵

He’s going to kill her. Not even her stacked strength and reflection rules are gonna be able to withstand something like this.

Damnit, guess I have no choice. Saving or just not killing my enemies has cost me before, but right now, I need her help stopping this. 

The world itself, this ethereal, insurmountable opponent wants us both dead or ruined at the very least, and we’ll have a much better chance of beating it back if we have the same target.

“Send them in.” I coldly command from Hassaikai Haven.

And right before the singularity can launch his killing blow…

“ALLLLLL FOOOOOR OOOOOOOONNNNEEEEE!!!”

 

Gigantomachia arrives on the scene. Two Double clones of him, to be exact, both already being in their final forms with their entire quirk arsenals activated.

"̶S̷o̶ ̸y̸o̴u̴ ̴h̴a̶v̴e̵ ̶c̵h̷o̵s̸e̴n̴ ̵r̷e̵s̶i̶s̴t̸a̸n̷c̵e̷.̵.̷.̸"̵ The singularity trails off, that comment being aimed at me.

“You look different, but my sense of smell tells us it’s you. Why did you abandon me?” One Machia clone growls.

“I TRUSTED YOUR WORDS, AND WAIT SOOOOO LONG, BUT YOU ABANDONED ME, MASTER! YOU NEVER CAME BACK!!!” The other Machia clone roars.

"̶Y̴o̷u̶r̵ ̶m̶a̶s̸t̸e̸r̷ ̸i̸s̴ ̴g̶o̵n̵e̶,̵ ̸b̵u̷t̵ ̵w̷h̶e̷n̴ ̸a̴ ̵d̸o̶g̸ ̸b̶i̴t̴e̸s̵ ̶i̵t̴ ̷o̵w̸n̵e̷r̵,̵ ̶i̶t̵ ̴m̷u̶s̶t̵ ̴b̴e̶ ̷p̶u̶t̸ ̸d̵o̶w̵n̶.̵"̵ The singularity coldly claims.

Only to get socked in the jaw by a Quirk Amplification Device-enhanced All Might, pushing him back just a little even with Mutated Singularity-level Shock Absorption, Impact Recoil, and Reflection quirks, among many other abilities, currently active. 

Most of the impact still gets redirected back to the old symbol, but he simply smiles through the pain.

“TWICE, TOMURA, MACHIA, OR WHOEVER’S PILOTING THOSE BODIES! HIT HIM NOW!!!” He then roars, and the Machias obliged, letting loose their strongest Stress Output Burden blasts.

All Might and Star add on their own ranged attacks, weaponizing air pressure to redirect some of the singularity’s passive environmental effects their creator’s way.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Gigantomachia Copy #1 gets a massive hole blown through his chest, the rest of his body turning into dark goop that gets swept up in the storm.

Gigantomachia Copy #2 only lasts half a minute longer, his wings being struck and severed while soaring through the skies.

“DON’T JUST STAND THERE, ALL MIGHT!” A copy of Endeavor yells over, having just arrived on the scene and already charging a Prominence Burn. “BE THE FUCKING SYMBOL YOU BUILT YOURSELF UP AS ALREADY!”

“RIGHT!”

 

The two then charge back in together, Star and Stripe coming from the other side with a copy of Captain Celebrity. 

Dozens more Double clones arrive shortly after, either being top heroes, top villains, High-End Nomu, and one of Tomura that laughs while flipping the singularity off. 

Singularity For One dismisses them all with an omnidirectional energy attack, nearly rivaling the Tiamat missiles in sheer force and output with minimal effort on his end. Star and All Might make it out in time, but most of the clones and some more X-66s aren’t so lucky. 

“Are we trying to get those two caught up in the blast?” Kuin questions. 

“No, just in case this doesn’t work out. If our superweapons do their job, then great. All Might isn’t a threat when we can sever his lifeline anytime we want, and Star can be dealt with later. 

I would rather have this plan work and those two live then the plan fail and those two die, making stalling All For One until we come up with a better plan that much harder.”

Nobody opposes the decision, mostly because they can see how… volatile I am at the moment.

“Heroes are far enough away.” I then acknowledge. “Time for Phase 2.”

And with that command, the first of my Quirk-Erasing Warheads begins its descent, several Rods From God following close behind.

I suppose it’s as the old saying goes. If you want something done right, then you have to do it yourself. 

 

 

 

Status of Singularity Crisis:

Time Since Initial Ascension - 2 Hours

Estimated Number of Casualties - 1,970,000

Remaining Distance to Japan - 8,246 Kilometers/5,124 Miles

Remaining Tiamat (Nuclear ICBMs) - 6/11 (Star and Stripe made more with Creation)

Chapter 119: Quirkiness

“Anything we can do, lah?” Big Red Dot all but demands. “Singapore not on hit list currently, and my quirk is useless if clones are indicator, but there must be something!”

“I’m inclined to agree.” Salaam adds on, a few other Number 1 Heroes giving their signs of agreement in WHA Headquarters. “People are dying, an inconceivable amount of them, and we’re all here, doing nothing.”

It’s not just the areas this monster is rampaging through, but its surroundings as well. On top of the endless monsters spawning from his terraformed territory, the permanent effects will impact their surroundings too whether its climate patterns and sea temperatures or flora and fauna.

And things will become a whole lot worse if even some parts of this terraformed territory can further spread without All For One’s direct influence. Whether they somehow manage to kill him or not, the entire planet would be consumed by the singularity and humanity itself will probably go extinct.

“Yes, I know. And I can assure you that I don’t like it any more than you do.” The World Heroes Association’s Director groans back. “But every transport vehicle of ours in both Europe and Asia is currently in use either evacuating civilians or setting up more borders to block All For One’s path.

Even Tiamat can barely phase him now, the six that have been sent his way all failing, and at least a third of UN’s member countries are already scrambling to find ways to appease this monster, even with him committing the largest massacre in human history by far and not caring less about whether or not we surrender.”

 

“Are you ready to greenlight the creation of more Quirk Amplification Devices yet? Or will you be arresting both All Might and Star and Stripe for somehow getting their own behind the WHA’s back?” Salaam snarks back. 

“That data was lost to Humarise after I-Island was hijacked, Salaam!”

“And Meta Liberation Army. Gollini Family too.” Big Red Dot rolls his eyes. “Surprised Tomura Shigaraki not clone some for himself yet.”

“Society would be upended if such a device was mass produced-”

“Not this again.”

“SOCIETY ALREADY UPENDED, LAH!”

“I’m well aware of that fact.” The director comments before any other complaints can be made. “If beings like All For One and the Artificial Singularities become more common in the future, then hero society will have no choice but to undergo certain… restructuring if it wishes to survive.

But for plans regarding that to be implemented or even made, we must first survive this current crisis. So if anyone has any ideas, by all means, I’m open to- what the fuck?”

‘About time, original.’ NightHaul internally sighs as eyes bulge and jaws drop to the floor.

He can’t really blame them.

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  6 Hours Until The Submergence

The singularity can track me, but I can track him right back.

The singularity knows about me, but the people he stole that intel from didn’t know everything.

The singularity is an abomination of pure power, but my solutions to problems have always been on the more abstract side.

Nevertheless, this wasn’t going to be easy. The World wasn’t half-assing it this time.

For this plan of mine to work, we had to be extremely careful with warps, as if the singularity gets his hands on one, we would be screwed. 

Luckily, Q-Ray can’t observe that far of an area, even when boosted to singularity levels of power. While it can track you pretty much anywhere after the quirk’s effect is applied, its initial range is only about ten miles in diameter or so according to Reveal. Still massive, sure, but it could be a whole lot worse.

With how fast most powerhouses in our Double roster can go, this wasn’t too big of a deal, even if getting in a surprise attack with them was practically impossible. 

Attacks would have to be going dozens of times faster than sound for a chance at catching him off guard. Luckily for me, most of my nuclear contingencies can travel at such speeds.

And so, after the singularity’s latest energy attack dissipates, but before he can recreate his new environment, a warp gate opens up just over five miles above him.

Our own intercontinental ballistic missile rockets out at full speed, and slams into the singularity less than a second later, the quirk-erasing payload erupting all around him.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

The white, smoky gas rapidly spreads for miles, consuming and wiping away the altered environment. 

Remember, this isn’t the quirk-erasing solution from canon. This is my own variation, being mostly made through the substance made by Cleaning instead of DNA from a Rewind user. It doesn’t just erase quirks, but also anything produced by them.

For example, while it wouldn’t affect a regular old fire from a lit match, it would rapidly dissipate flames from Endeavor’s quirk. 

Star and Stripe catches on quickly, as does All Might, the two of them having a long enough head-start to recompose themselves and get the hell away before the gas reaches them too.

It turns out to be completely unnecessary, because the gas never reaches them.

Not because they were already outside of its range, mind you. No, a tremendous windstorm surrounds the gas, funneling it all far above the battlefield.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake. HOW?!” I slam my fist down in anger. “Star’s specific rules being rendered useless through technicalities is one thing, but-”

((“It had some effect according to Reveal.”)) LabHaul cuts my rant off. ((“Some of his quirk arsenal has been slightly, permanently weakened. Mostly mutant-type quirks which formed a separate shield around his core, preventing the gas from reaching there.

Areas of his singularity environment have been heavily reduced too, even the windstorm he’s making to funnel the gas being weakened, but even if he wasn’t defending at all, I don’t think our gas would finish the job. 

Maybe it’s due to the effects stemming from ionizing radiation he went through? His singularity environment does seem to carry a radiation-like effect… it’s either that or our solution having a lack of qualitative power. With the sheer volume and potency of All For One’s legion, it would be like throwing a cup of water at the sun. Or maybe both reasons are correct.

Never thought I would regret NOT making our quirk-erasing solution out of a Rewind-user’s DNA, but the canon quirk-erasing bullets probably would’ve affected him a lot more then our own quirk-eraser."))

‘Shit. You think part two will do the job?’

((“We’re about to find out.”))

"̵B̸e̸t̴t̵e̵r̸ ̶t̶h̸e̶n̶ ̸S̵t̵a̵r̵'̵s̶ ̶a̷t̸t̸e̶m̴p̷t̴,̶ ̴b̵u̴t̵ ̸s̵t̵i̷l̷l̵ ̷l̵a̴c̸k̴i̴n̵g̶,̷ ̴S̷e̵k̷a̶n̷.̶ ̴T̷h̵e̷ ̴s̷i̴n̴g̴u̷l̷a̷r̸i̵t̴y̴ ̵w̶i̴l̵l̴ ̸n̴o̶t̶ ̵b̴e̴ ̴q̸u̴e̴l̴l̶e̸d̸ ̷s̷o̷ ̵e̷a̵s̵i̴-̶"̸

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

The final part of our ambush cuts him off mid-gloat, a solid dozen bundled-up Rods From God following our quirk-erasing warhead.

Danger Sense did seem to warn him about it, as right before the missiles hit, hundreds upon hundreds of quirks exploded out from the mass, forming a protective, many-layered shield on top of the one he already had. 

Apocalyptic levels of fire and heat clash with it as they’re released. Both All Might and Star are sent flying back despite how far away they were, the bombardment yielding a payload of megatons producing shockwaves across the entire continent. 

Germany was especially hit hard, being ground zero and all, but one country getting fucked up is better than the entire world getting fucked up, right? Besides, this may just be preferable to the singularity environment being left behind in the long-term. 

Some nearby cities were leveled, and every glass pane in the country probably just shattered. Another five-digit, if not six-digit number of people probably got severely burned or even killed too.

And yet… the fucking singularity is still alive. Hundreds of his quirks got blown off of him and even more were damaged to various degrees, but he’s alive. 

Alive, and very vulnerable.

Such is what leads me to make the rather reckless decision of making a QAD for myself with Creation, making an Eri clone with Double, merging with both through Overhaul, and warping nearly a dozen times in several seconds just to appear right next to the monster’s de facto core.

Right where Reveal can detect the actual All For One quirk is, because if that is destroyed, then all these other quirks will be wiped out with it. Risky, I know. It cost me dearly during the Fourth Round, but what other choice do I have? This isn’t a threat I can run and hide from, even if I wanted to.

The QAD, Endurance, and Ultra Phosphor are all activated, their power further fueling the copy of my daughter’s quirk, one I can use easily enough thanks to Ultra Phosphor having its own full-body energy manipulation applications.

Rewind is then unleashed right on top of him, wind manipulation and telekinesis keeping the remaining mass in place, Erasure and Reveal being used too for further inconvenience.

And while quite a few quirks of his are hit, the bastard manages to warp me away via Gloop Warp before I can finish the job. 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

“FUCK!” I roar in fury, not being able to swallow the goop in time this time. 

The remaining bits of this golden energy create a massive crater in front of me, unwinding the ground that was once there out of existence. 

“YOU’RE GETTING HIT WITH TWICE AS MANY RODS NEXT TIME, YOU LITERAL SON OF A WHORE! I WILL-”

“Long Haul?”

Oh, he warped me to All Might. Of course he warped me to All Might.

And Star and Stripe is here too. Fucking fabulous. At least this singularity-level Gloop Warp quirk still can’t warp its user around. Small mercies.

“Toshinori. Cathleen.” I nod back. “No, this… thing coming into existence was not a part of my own plans.”

“How old even are you?” The old symbol gawks.

Ah, my latest insult did imply a decent bit, didn’t it?

“Old enough to know that the so-called Symbol of Evil has been nothing but a comically-evil brat since the moment he was born. Really starting to regret not stopping him a lot sooner.” I muse, my technically truthful statement adding a bit more mystery to me.

In a disaster like this, I’ve gotta grasp whatever I can. 

 

"̸O̶h̸,̵ ̷b̷u̵t̶ ̸y̷o̸u̷ ̶d̸i̸d̸.̶"̵ The singularity interrupts, flying over with his hand held high. "̸A̷n̷d̷ ̷s̴o̶m̸e̴t̷h̶i̷n̷g̵ ̵f̷a̶r̷ ̸b̷e̸t̴t̵e̶r̸ ̶h̷a̸d̷ ̴t̴a̸k̵e̴n̶ ̵i̷t̵s̸ ̸p̶l̴a̷c̷e̵.̸ ̴Y̸e̸s̵,̶ ̶I̸ ̸c̴a̷n̴ ̴p̸u̶t̴ ̵m̵y̵ ̷m̶o̵n̴e̴y̷ ̷w̸h̸e̸r̵e̶ ̶m̷y̵ ̵m̸o̸u̸t̵h̴ ̵i̶s̶.̵ ̸C̴a̴n̵ ̵y̴o̴u̷,̴ ̵S̸e̸k̵a̷n̵?̵"̵

His hand then comes down, and the gathered-up gas cloud of my own quirk-erasing solution crashes into us right after. LabHaul ensured I was immune to our solution. All Might and Star aren’t so lucky. Both were rendered completely quirkless, just like that. 

‘Are you fucking KIDDING ME?!? The world really turned against its most powerful hero, my de facto archenemy, just like that?’ I mentally ponder as the Symbol of Peace reverts back to a skeleton and America’s Number 1 Hero nearly has a heart attack. 

Has the world completely given up on its narrative, deciding both heroes and villains need to die? Has this ethereal force truly lost its figurative mind, deciding to destroy it all rather than let me have my way? 

"̴W̵h̶a̵t̶ ̶n̵o̶w̴,̴ ̵S̴e̶k̴a̵n̸?̵ ̴S̷h̶a̵l̷l̴ ̶y̸o̵u̸ ̷u̸n̵d̷o̵ ̸t̷h̸e̵ ̵d̷a̶m̶a̸g̶e̶ ̷y̷o̸u̴r̵ ̷e̵x̵p̷e̵r̵i̴m̸e̸n̸t̶ ̷d̶i̸d̴ ̵w̴i̸t̷h̸ ̶y̴o̶u̸r̶ ̵c̷o̸p̶y̵ ̸o̸f̴ ̶m̵y̸ ̷s̵u̸p̷p̸o̷s̵e̸d̵ ̷d̷a̴u̵g̶h̸t̸e̸r̶'̸s̵ ̵q̸u̴i̶r̶k̶?̵ ̴L̶e̵t̴ ̶t̵h̸e̷ ̸h̴e̴r̸o̷e̶s̵ ̴o̸f̶ ̸o̴l̴d̷ ̷c̵o̶n̷t̴i̴n̷u̶e̴ ̶t̸h̴e̷i̶r̵ ̵f̸r̴u̷i̸t̴l̶e̴s̶s̶ ̷r̶e̴s̸i̵s̶t̷a̴n̶c̷e̷ ̶a̴g̵a̴i̵n̸s̶t̵ ̴t̴h̶e̵ ̵n̴e̷w̶?̵"̵

Ultra Phosphor lets me gather up the gas myself and fling it back his way.

His singularity-combination of wind and gas-manipulation quirks far outmatches Ultra Phosphor though, even with his own quirk combination being severely weakened by it, and I end up destroying the remaining gas myself.

Personally immune or not, I don’t want any enemies collecting samples of my stuff.

"̶O̵r̷ ̸w̵i̵l̷l̸ ̸y̴o̴u̵ ̴r̶e̵v̸e̵a̸l̸ ̶y̷o̸u̷r̶s̷e̵l̷f̷ ̵i̷n̶ ̵f̴u̷l̵l̸,̷ ̴p̶r̴o̶v̶e̷ ̶t̸o̵ ̸t̷h̶e̶ ̴w̸a̸t̸c̵h̴i̷n̸g̷ ̸w̷o̶r̷l̸d̸ ̶w̴h̶y̷ ̶y̸o̷u̶'̵r̷e̷ ̴w̷o̶r̷t̴h̵y̷ ̶t̴o̶ ̷s̵t̶a̷n̷d̴ ̶b̷y̵ ̴m̴y̴ ̸s̶i̷d̴e̴?"̶

News cameras can’t get in close, but the WHA has their own satellites available, and the occasional suicidal daredevil or vulture in press news attire recording from only somewhat far off gives the public bits and pieces, especially with this abomination being such a loud-mouth.

((“Sekan?”)) LabHaul confirms the unspoken question.

I already overhauled myself to match my I-Island appearance. Alchemy was used too, granting me an extra layer of protection while hiding my QAD, but that won’t mean shit if this asshole goes on another monologue or two about me. 

 

I have to stop him here. I have to stop him now. I can’t rely on delegation or roundabout solutions for this apocalyptic problem. 

Sending in subordinates risks their quirks being stolen, they don’t have my expertise and experience with that sort of thing. Even Double clones are a risk, as while canon AFO can’t take their quirks, this Post-Singularity All For One is a completely different beast.

He hasn’t attempted to take clones’ quirks yet, but he could just be holding back that function or will maybe gain it later on as his power continues to grow. I’ll still have armies of Double clones from my top brass sent in to assist, though that’ll just be a slight distraction for him, and I’m no different. 

‘Suppose it was only a matter of time before my enemies couldn’t do most of my dirty work for me.’ I mentally reflect, rising high into the sky myself, ignoring the two Number 1 Heroes behind me. 

At least until one of them grabs my leg, being taken up into the sky with me.

“Wha- the fuck are you doing, Star?!” I growl at the now quirkless Number 1 Hero.

“Got an extra quirk or two to spare?” She asks back, surprising me further. “You kinda owe me after getting my original power taken away, and you could use the help if you’re taking that monster on.”

“...You can’t be serious right now.” I gawk down at her as she dangles off of me.

“Did. I. Stutter?” The heroine glares back. “I’ll fight the fucker quirkless if I have to! Not like I need New Order to fly an X-66!”

“That right?” I challenge, using Creation to create a copy of the fighter jet in question and using Reveal to keep it suspended right underneath us. “Go on then. Let’s see how far you get, hero. Try not to get in my way.”

I could use my copy of Rewind to bring New Order back, but I’m much more interested in seeing if she’s truly serious. The singularity won’t kill her, still wanting New Order on his side, but he should have no qualms shooting her down.

So let’s see how far she can get like this… only she alone is far from enough help, so with a command through Reveal, dozens of portals begin to open up behind me.

 

Double clones of Kuin, Kaina, Kurono, Rei, Maguma, Innsmouth, and Special Praetorians of all kinds begin to spill out, pretty much every powerful ranged combatant I’ve got to help provide support. Each and every one has the whole spectrum of boosting quirks I’ve got affecting them; we can’t settle for anything less.

X-66 Fighter Jets of my own escort them through the skies, allowing the ones who can’t fly as well to stay quick and mobile. Entire squadrons get into formation, ready to support however they can at my command.

“What, you didn’t think I’d only rely on you heroes, did you?” I smirk at the shocked Star. “Luckily for both of us, Tomura wants him dead as much as we do.”

Waves of black and purple lightning strike down upon me, the Pseudo-Nines helping to refuel my energy supply. Rewind can’t rewind its own power reserves and Awakened For All isn’t finished, but my initial solution to this problem is good enough for now.

In retaliation, the singularity sticks out his hand again, and I instantly feel myself being pushed back. Not physically, but within my own body.

“Just like what you did to Star…” I realize. “But singularity abomination or not, I know far more about how quirks work than you ever will!”

Reveal spreads around, protecting everyone on the battlefield from this mind-vestige swap. His power is overwhelming, but I more than make up for it in skill and precision.

My own vestiges stay right where they are as well, their boosted states and the force being applied being enough to push my body past the edge, starting up my Singularity Evolution for a third and final time.

This is what LabHaul was warning me about. There’s no turning back now, so I better get my money’s worth as I oppose the world’s final hail mary at ending me. Might as well take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity, right?

With a wave of my hand and a mental command, laser fire and quirks of all kinds rocket past me, breaking the singularity’s concentration. Cathleen Bate personally leads the charge as he counterattacks, her skill being a league above any Double pilots with her dodging or blasting away any quirk attacks that get too close.

“You’re nothing but a fraud, relying on stolen embers and drugs to reach what you never could naturally.” I fearlessly declare. “How long will that unnatural state of yours last, I wonder?”

"̶I̵r̸o̵n̶i̶c̴,̴ ̸c̶o̷m̴i̷n̴g̴ ̷f̷r̴o̵m̷ ̷s̶o̸m̷e̷o̷n̶e̴ ̸r̸e̶l̴y̷i̸n̴g̷ ̵o̵n̵ ̶b̶o̸o̴s̷t̶e̶r̴s̶ ̴h̵i̷m̴s̷e̶l̴f̵.̴"̵ The singularity claps back.

We slowly fly towards each other, our radiating auras and pressure alone making even the surrounding singularity environment tremble. My own troops keep their distance and Cathleen veers off while activating her jet’s shields, ensuring she doesn’t get blown away herself.

Come to think of it, this is the first time I really confronted All For One face to face, at least when excluding the Incursions. Better make sure it’s the last.

 

The singularity starts off our own battle by forcing hundreds more quirks out, a crescent moon of flesh, muscles, spikes, and crystals emerging from his backside. A volley of projectiles soars my way soon after.

Lasers from Cathleen and my own X-66’s burn the first dozen or so to a crisp in front of me, and Overhaul is used on the next spike, only for my hand to get pierced through instead.

((‘He’s actually launching manifested quirk factors themselves or parts of them at you rather than what those factors produce, clever. Even now, Overhaul can’t do much to quirks themselves, only the body acting as a conduit for them. It’s just like how Overhaul can’t affect the spirit or soul, such things aren’t really tangible or made of matter.

Replicating Garaki’s quirk mutilation surgery, or the process used to turn a copy of Overhaul into Decay, might get some results, but that was done on regular quirks, not Post-Singularity Quirks and certainly not mutated Post-Singularity Quirks, so the results are likely to be far less effective, if we even do get results.’)) VestigeHaul reports.

‘So you’re useless at the moment, got it.’ I mentally grumble back, VestigeHaul complaining as I’m dodging the next few while healing any damage already done. ‘Creation, Cleaning, and Rewind it is then.’

White liquid and gas covers my arms, Reveal’s telekinesis and Ultra Phosphor’s wind manipulation helping to keep them in place as I start shattering whatever remaining projectiles get through Cathleen’s counter. 

My quirk-erasing solutions weaken them, and my physical strength can handle the rest. Even with the quirk-resistant properties of Endurance, my experiments can power through.

X-66’s of my own escort the heavy-hitters riding them to either side of the singularity where they begin their own bombardment. Tornadoes collect and concentrate any physical projectiles from clones like the Kuronos, Kainas, Reis, Pseudo-Getens and Pseudo-Shotos, and so on. Everyone else launches cover-fire to make sure those payloads reach their target, and to great effect at that.

Best of all, my body begins rapidly adapting to this damage. The flesh that grows becomes more resistant to piercing damage, my natural regeneration speed grows alongside the effectiveness of Super Regeneration, and those effects spread to the rest of my body with some help from Overhaul. 

I’ve officially entered the High-Gear singularity evolution state for the third (and most likely final) time, beginning my own metamorphosis into something beyond human.

 

 

 

Status of Singularity Crisis:

Time Since Initial Ascension - 2 Hours 15 Minutes

Estimated Number of Casualties - 2,190,000

Remaining Distance to Japan - 8,200 Kilometers/5,095 Miles

Remaining Tiamat (Nuclear ICBMs) - 6/11 (Star and Stripe made more with Creation)

Chapter 120: Destructive Delays

“MOVE IT, PEOPLE! WE DON’T HAVE ALL DAY!”

Hari Kurono really does mean it. At the rate things are going, even if Sekan were to fight side by side with Star, the entire world is going to become a ravaged singularity wasteland before the day is over.

Is this karma for making a mockery of All For One, having him be the butt of Shie Hassaikai’s jokes for years on end? His childhood friend would probably smile and say it was worth it before heading off to slay the monster.

Kai, Overhaul, Sekan, or whatever he wants to call himself now. Kurono always knew he was going to change the world, he just didn’t know how. His desires changed overtime, his ambition taking their organization down various paths. 

Countries were conquered, symbols rose and fell, and through it all, the Shie Hassaikai underwent the greatest transformation… especially now that they’re finally, fully leaving this world behind if the situation down below doesn't change.

 

Sekan has long since prepared various contingencies for when the Quirk Singularity Doomsday began. He was ready to take on this new era, and he was ready to bail if it turns out he wasn’t. His overcautious nature could be what saves or dooms them all, and right now, it’s looking like the former.

Warp gates are opened everywhere, manipulation quirks allowing for the rapid transportation of Shie Hassaikai personnel and assets. Entire strongholds can be funneled through these massive portals, brought into their city-sized spaceship, reformed into whatever they wish.

From the looks of it, not even the current All For One can use his Gloop Warp quirk to target someone in space, they’re just too far away. Blasting Hassaikai Haven into bits with a single Omni-Factor Unleash of his isn’t out of the question though, so they have to remain cautious.

Their leader, his best friend, has to keep that abomination occupied. He’s taking on a manifestation of the singularity doomsday itself, looking death in the face and punching it in the face to buy his subordinates time.

Like the Shie Hassaikai wasn’t fanatically loyal enough to Sekan already, not that he’s complaining. 

Many wish to stay behind and help their leader; Kurono has to remind them that they’ll only get in the way, that Double clones of themselves are already providing plenty of aid, and that if they want to provide meaningful help, then they can help him finish packing everything.

No time for half-measures. If Sekan decides to have them all abandon Earth entirely and relocate to the cosmos, then they have to be ready to do just that. 

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  5 Hours 30 Minutes Until The Submergence

Another volley of projectiles is quickly formed above the singularity, but I warp away before any of those can land. Over a dozen X-66’s of mine and their passengers aren’t so lucky, but more portals from yours truly make up for that and more with the number of reinforcements they bring.

Seconds later, I appear right below him through another portal with Rewind crackling throughout my body, my support doing their job well enough. More quirks form a shield between us, all of them getting rewound from existence as even more portals open up, dozens of energy-filled horns I prepared before warping to him surrounding him.

Singularity Quirks of all kinds block or destroy every projectile of mine, a boosted Impure Beam in particular blasting me back alongside Chimera’s Artificial Quirk. It damages me a lot, yet my natural regeneration and resistance against energy attacks increases.

The horde of animalistic, energy-filled mouths soon take on lives of their own, being propelled towards me through strands of muscles like the attack used to tear Jiro’s ear off in canon. Cathleen rams her own jet into me right before they arrive, carrying me off before they can tear me to shreds.

A barrel roll on her end both swings me upright and dodges the redirected quirk constructs. The extensions are relentless though, dodging both Cathleen’s lasers and my own blasts as we dart around the sky. 

Some are destroyed, others break away to pursue other jets carrying clones of my subordinates, and many more form as Singularity For One keeps the bombardment going. I’m eventually forced to jump off the jet, swatting them all away while absorbing and redirecting a portion of their energy, as much as I can at the moment. 

 

‘Most of my insta-kill attacks are useless without him having a proper body or mind… assaults to this degree and nuclear-level attacks like the RFG can wear him down, and my body can adapt from the experience. A stopgap solution, but that combined with endless Double clones can buy me time.’

Ultra Phosphor comes into play here, the multi-elemental Artificial Quirk having been boosted to truly terrifying levels. Pseudo-Nines, Pseudo-Getens, and Pseudo-Shotos do their best to optimize the environment for what I’m about to do next, everyone else getting clear on my command.

‘I suggest you back off in the next half a minute; I’m about to turn up the heat.’ I give Cathleen a heads-up through Reveal after warning my own troops.

((“Make an opening or two for me while you’re at it!”)) She all but demands back.

The audacity of this suicidal nutjob… heh.

Right… just like I declared to Stain at the very start, just like Kudo declared to All For One during the canon Final War, it was never the quirks of these types of people I should’ve feared.

Rather, it’s why they use them, why they do what they do. True power resides within an individual’s intent.

‘Yeah, yeah. I’ll see what I can do.’

For all you science geeks out there, what do you think will happen if I use the cyrokinesis side of this quirk to cool several square miles worth of air surrounding us… before rapidly heating it all up with the pyrokinesis side of this power?

Now imagine what will happen if I along with dozens of Pseudo-Getens, Pseudo-Shotos, and Reis do that simultaneously. Let’s find out together, shall we?

 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

The singularity and his latest assault is taken up by a titanic explosion several seconds later, as are several miles of his altered environment, the temperature-altering quirks he applied himself only magnifying my own combination.

And this didn’t just cause a surface burn, oh no. Everything underneath that quirk-filled shell of his got ignited at the same time, large sections of his body exploding into still-burning chunks.

It doesn’t compare to Tiamat or the Rods From God, but while all the Double clones contributing quickly turn into goop, there’s nothing stopping me from continuing to spam them, so that’s exactly what I do.

"̴A̴m̵u̶s̷i̶n̵g̶.̵ ̷T̸o̸m̴u̵r̵a̴ ̶c̶o̸u̷l̸d̶'̸v̶e̶ ̷l̶e̶a̴r̴n̸e̷d̷ ̵m̷u̶c̸h̷ ̸f̵r̶o̶m̷ ̴y̵o̷u̶ ̶i̸f̷ ̷y̴o̴u̷ ̶d̶i̵d̵n̵'̶t̸ ̷s̶n̷u̵f̸f̷ ̸h̷i̸m̴ ̵o̶u̶t̸.̴"̵ The singularity mocks as I continue letting loose the quirked equivalent of a nuclear bombardment all around us, telepathy quirks ensuring I can hear him.

Layers of his quirks are compacted together, air being forced out and hardened into shields like Air Wall’s power while the temperature around him is forced to more manageable levels, but my constant explosions aren’t so easily blocked.

Pseudo-Inasas and Pseudo-Nines can take that air away from him too, even as he uses other quirks to produce tons more of it as a workaround. Pseudo-Shotos, Pseudo-Getens, and Reis also continue playing their parts from the moment they’re warped in to the moment they dissipate, which is never very long, but a steady stream of them ensures consistency.

“That plan of yours was flawed from the start. You couldn’t bypass One For All’s willpower, so you instead created a puppet that could with his own willpower. If his will is stronger than One For All’s, and One For All’s will was stronger than you, how exactly would you control him?” I mock right back.

Both the Flight part of Reveal and the Ultra Phosphor form are purposefully turned off as I do this, my body receiving much more damage as a result, but in turn, it adapts that much more to my own onslaught.

Nothing fatal for me, as Overhaul can fix what Super Regeneration can’t, assuming my Quirk Singularity evolution doesn’t do the job itself.

"̴A̸s̶ ̷I̸ ̶s̸a̵i̶d̷ ̷b̸e̶f̷o̵r̴e̷,̴ ̶I̴ ̸a̵m̶ ̶n̴o̷t̶ ̶t̸h̶a̵t̴ ̸p̸e̷r̷s̷o̵n̸ ̵a̵n̷y̴m̸o̵r̴e̴.̴"̸

 

Thirty-seven consecutive explosions. 

Thirty-seven consecutive explosions with forces ranging from 7.3 to 10.2 kilotons of TNT generated right on him. It pales in comparison to my Rods From God assault, but I’m making up for a lack of quality with quantity.

Even so, it’s not like these blasts are weak. For reference, the ‘Fat Man’ atomic bomb that dropped on Hiroshima Japan during World War 2 had about 20 kilotons of TNT worth of force.

My body can naturally adapt and grow from this. The singularity’s body can’t regenerate quirk factors, only being able to grow and adapt them by shoving more Ideo Trigger and stockpiled power into them.

One For All’s embers thrash around within him, growing in intensity as the singularity redirects a portion of the onslaught’s energy output to them, but they are still forced into quite a few quirks that offer some form of temperature resistance. 

That culminates in him stopping my organization's latest and greatest bombardment outright, forcing the temperature all around us to around eighty degrees fahrenheit. Even the follow-up laser blasts Cathleen launches alongside other X-66s are fizzled out.

My body can resist this and maintain its Ultra Phosphor form as his power doesn’t match the absolute authority of a New Order rule, but this is still a problem.

And my other wide-scale destruction combinations are similarly adapted to as our battle continues, even when I combine them with the hordes of powerful Double clones providing support. These quirk-nukes are powerful enough to fit his ego in the blast radius, so we are whittling him down.

Only issue is he’s gonna far outlast me and Double clones won’t be enough on their own, even if I start including clones of myself and Star into the mix. That’s if he doesn’t ever decide to take things seriously, because if he does, then even spamming Infinite Doubles won’t save me. 

I need to actually damage and amuse the godlike asshole while making sure he remains cocky enough to underestimate me. Better try a different tactic then. He can see everything, so I’ll just overwhelm his senses. Alchemy and Overhaul on the ground. Ultra Phosphor on the sky.

 

Countless constructs form from his own altered environment, all of them resembling Pixie-Bob’s mythical beasts. They can act independently too, just like her own constructs can. Special Praetorians and Reis join in, either through elemental constructs like ice or through summoning quirks like what the Praetorian Summoners have.

Unfortunately for me, that’s when all those singularity creations of my opponent’s decide to bum-rush me, their creator, their god commanding such. Double clones are targeted too, or at least the ones contributing to my own increase in forces.

Just like that, two endless armies pop up out of nowhere and begin tearing each other apart as their creators clash head-on once again. Even Cathleen is forced to break off, plenty of the singularity’s spawn keeping her occupied for the foreseeable future.

I can hurt him. My quirk-erasing solutions can permanently weaken his quirks, maybe even destroy them overtime if enough is constantly covering them. I can also damage his quirk-factor body through my other attacks, and unlike injuries to the body, these are almost impossible to heal from.

Rewind can do it, but he doesn’t have Rewind. He can’t heal like I can, so in theory, I just have to keep whittling him down until he runs out of quirks to manifest. It’ll take a while, sure, but it’s doable… if he keeps toying around with me like this. Once again, that’s the key factor here, whether or not he actually takes me seriously now.

Assuming he can still Omni-Factor Unleash whenever he wants, I’ve barely seen a fraction of what he can do, and I doubt he’s gonna continue letting my endless clones and I sandbag him like this for much longer.

New plan then. I have to hit him with everything I’ve got myself, ideally with hordes of Double clones providing support, before he ramps up this singularity gauntlet of his, before he actually starts trying. 

He hasn’t stopped trying to swap me with my vestige yet either, the range for that abstract attack being ridiculous. The quirks he stole from Nine’s crew are major pains in the ass too, and while my body is gradually getting better at resisting them, it’s only a matter of time before he hits me hard enough to score an instant-ko.

‘So I’ll just have to take them back!’ I decide, warping over to a patch of blue, muscly fur and attempting to steal my own subordinate’s quirk with Overhaul.

Next thing I know, I’m in the vestigeworld. No, a bridge between our vestigeworlds, somewhat like what OFA and AFO formed in canon. But in this one, on either side of the platform Singularity For One and I are standing on, are massive cracks leading to our own vestigeworlds, portals capable of both giving and taking.

…And I can’t help but erupt in laughter at the sight in front of me.

 

"̸H̴a̴v̴e̶ ̶y̸o̵u̷ ̶l̷o̴s̶t̴ ̷y̵o̸u̸r̵ ̶m̸i̵n̴d̴ ̴a̶l̶r̴e̸a̵d̴y̸,̷ ̴o̷r̵ ̷i̸s̵ ̸t̵h̵e̴r̶e̷ ̷s̵o̷m̸e̴t̶h̷i̴n̷g̵ ̸a̸m̸u̵s̸i̵n̸g̸ ̶I̴ ̶h̷a̷v̸e̸n̴'̵t̸ ̸p̴i̸c̸k̵e̴d̶ ̷u̷p̶ ̴o̶n̶?̷"̶ The quirk vestige resembling All For One in his prime raises an eyebrow.

“I always knew you were a clown, but… You’re- pffffft. Your vestigeworld is practically a fucking clown car at this point!” I wheeze back, pointing to the overstuffed portal behind him. 

He’s picked up plenty of new quirks during his campaign against Humarise, both out of spite and his natural hoarder instincts, but even with all the quirks of his I’ve weakened and destroyed since our own brawl began, his storage space is still bursting at the seams with massive lights and hordes of distorted ghosts.

And by distorted, I mean genuinely mutant-looking, the ones with mutant quirks even more so. Unnatural growths in certain areas, even more growths gradually forming, and they seem to be extremely volatile in emotion.

Is it due to all of those quirks being unnaturally pushed to singularity-level? Maybe the radiation’s effect too? Awakened Quirks and Artificial Quirks don’t really take up more space then regular quirks, even if the powers themselves are more difficult to wield without recoil due to their strength. 

But Post-Singularity quirks are different. They’ve evolved beyond regular quirks. They’ve become something new, and that burdens the body much more. It’s the reason why bodies are forced to rapidly mutate and adapt to them. Not to mention whatever other mutations this guy went through while forcefully ascending.

So in his case, even with this copy of All For One pushed to Post-Singularity level, holding thousands of other Post-Singularity quirks like what canon Decay became in the Final War is pushing his limits.

He’s gradually adapting to the strain, and me weakening and/or destroying some of his quirks has helped lighten the load. Maybe overloading him with quirks could destroy him? But even if I had enough, there’s nothing stopping him from forcefully transferring some unneeded parts of his arsenal to others.

Plan… I don’t even know anymore. Point is, I can still work with this.

“Not just your singularity state, but you yourself are nothing but an inferior copy.” I point out, my expression turning serious once again. “The original All For One quirk isn’t what’s standing in front of me right now, nor is it what you turned into.”

"̸T̴h̷a̴t̷ ̶m̵a̶y̷ ̸b̵e̷ ̸t̴r̵u̵e̵,̶ ̶b̷u̸t̷ ̵i̷t̵ ̷h̵a̴s̵ ̸s̷t̴i̴l̶l̶ ̶e̷v̶o̶l̶v̷e̶d̴ ̴f̷a̸r̶ ̵p̵a̸s̷t̸ ̴w̸h̶a̶t̸ ̵t̵h̷e̴ ̶o̸r̸i̷g̶i̷n̵a̵l̴ ̴w̷a̶s̷ ̵e̴v̴e̴r̵ ̵c̴a̶p̷a̶b̵l̸e̴ ̸o̵f̶.̷"̷ The singularity retorts.

“So did every other power in your arsenal.” I grin, Reveal’s effects flowing into the crack behind my opponent. “And this AFO copy still has a fatal flaw when compared to the original. Wake up, Machias…”

“RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

The singularity severs our bridge, bringing us both back into the real world, but not before I achieved what I set out to do.

He stole the quirks my Four Horsemen had, and each one had their own copy of Endurance. Even if the effects of those quirk copies don’t stack, Endurance alone is still extremely beneficial to him, especially with how motivated he seems to be.

But those quirks all came with their vestiges, and Gigantomachia wants nothing more than to tear his old master apart right now, so I had Reveal act as a spark for all four copies buried within him, bringing new life into them.

Same goes for the original quirks of Nine’s crew, all of which being either Awakened or Artificial by now. Those echoes should help incite a rebellion within him, just like what happened to that exact AFO quirk copy in canon. Not once, but twice, and both times screwed him over immensely.

Just gotta buy some time for that to get going, and keep him distracted out here so the vestiges and stolen embers can gain ground in there. They already appeared to be volatile, so this should help set them over the edge.

"̴C̵-̸C̷l̶e̸v̶e̴r̸.̵.̷.̷"̸ The singularity admits as I attempt to warp right next to him. "̸B̵u̷t̴ ̷n̵o̶t̷ ̵c̵l̴e̴v̶e̵r̸ ̴e̴n̸o̴u̸g̷h̸.̴"̸

His Spatial Distortion quirk counters Warp Gate, so I propel myself to him with wind and telekinesis instead. Shame he’s still far, far faster.

"̴T̶a̶k̴e̴ ̴t̷h̵e̸s̷e̷ ̴u̶n̸r̶u̵l̵y̴ ̸t̷i̸n̷d̷e̵r̷s̸.̵ ̵T̷h̵e̶y̴ ̶s̶h̸a̸l̴l̶ ̶m̶a̸k̶e̷ ̷n̵o̷ ̵d̵i̷f̶f̴e̷r̴e̷n̸c̷e̸.̴"̶ The singularity commands as over a dozen hands grasp onto different parts of my body, and a bridge between our vestigeworlds opens up once again.

“No thanks. Those powers can do a lot more damage within you then they could with me.” I snark back.

I’m the one to shatter the connection this time, rejecting the forceful quirk transfer just as AFO Tomura did to Izuku as he tried transferring OFA in canon.

And just as he attempts to re-open it…

“GUESS WHO’S BACK, BITCH?!”

Cathleen takes up his focus once again, firing a barrage of blasts that get torn apart with a wave of the singularity’s hand. Her jet is torn in half too, but Cathleen still manages to keep control long enough to guide its remains straight into the guy.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

…Seriously, is being batshit insane a requirement for worldwide Symbol status?

((‘You’re one to fucking talk.’))

‘Shut up, VestigeHaul.’

 

Cathleen jumped out at the last second, having no problems free-falling miles below mainly thanks to the parachute she has on, but the singularity uses his telekinesis quirks to drag her straight into his grasp.

"̴E̵n̵o̶u̶g̵h̴ ̸o̷f̵ ̵t̷h̷i̶s̸ ̶p̸a̸t̴h̴e̵t̸i̴c̷ ̴d̶i̵s̶p̵l̸a̶y̸.̷ ̵C̸o̶m̵e̴ ̴b̷a̵c̶k̴ ̵w̷h̸e̵n̴ ̶N̵e̸w̴ ̷O̵r̵d̸e̶r̶ ̴h̴a̷s̸ ̴r̶e̷t̶u̸r̷n̸e̵d̴.̷"̵ He growls before throwing Cathleen straight at me.

“Congrats. You’ve proved you’re fucking insane.” I rolled my eyes after catching her, even more Double clones buying enough time for an insult or two.

“Pot calling the kettle black?” She claps back. 

“Just head back home with the sentient skeleton. Your backup New Order copy should still have his bonus power.” I sigh, opening a portal back to where the other old symbol is and throwing her into it.

I could use Rewind to undo it right now, but I’d rather have All Might tear her a new one before stepping back into the fray together. Hopefully she’ll have found all those marbles she lost by then.

Worst case scenario, Eri or a clone of her can bring the two back if I really do need some quality backup ASAP.

"̶A̷n̴d̶ ̶a̶s̸ ̸f̷o̵r̶ ̸y̶o̵u̴.̷.̵.̷"̶ The singularity turns his attention towards me, not attempting to stop Cathleen’s forced escape in the slightest and barely caring about the hundreds of Double clones still attacking from all angles. "̸A̸ ̸f̴o̵r̴c̸e̶ ̸o̵f̵ ̴w̵i̶l̷l̶ ̴b̴e̴y̸o̷n̸d̵ ̸e̴v̷e̴n̴ ̶w̴h̵a̶t̶ ̴I̷ ̴c̸u̸l̴t̵i̷v̸a̴t̷e̸d̸ ̷i̷n̶ ̷T̴o̵m̶u̸r̷a̵.̸ ̷I̴m̶p̷r̶e̵s̷s̷i̵v̶e̷,̷ ̸b̴u̸t̸ ̶t̸h̴a̶t̴ ̶m̴e̴a̷n̴s̵ ̵n̴o̸t̶h̷i̷n̶g̵ ̸w̶i̴t̸h̸ ̵t̴h̶e̶ ̶W̷i̴l̷l̸p̸o̸w̸e̶r̵-̸E̴n̸h̷a̶n̶c̸e̵r̷s̶ ̶y̶o̶u̸r̸ ̷H̵o̸r̷s̷e̴m̵e̴n̶ ̷h̴a̷d̶.̵"̶

“Oh, those? Those were a stopgap measure.” I smirk as we start throwing dozens more quirks towards each other again, any physical contact bringing us into our vestigeworlds for split seconds. 

“That right there is the difference between us. You focused on playing the game while I focused on hacking it. My willpower is strong, but I doubt it’s beyond Tomura’s, but even if I had the weakest willpower in the world, you still wouldn’t win.”

"̶W̶e̸ ̴s̶h̴a̴l̸l̸ ̵s̵e̶e̴.̴.̶.̶"̶

 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

As we continue this latest phase of our fight, darting across the sky while throwing hordes of quirks and endless armies each other’s way, I can’t help but laugh at the irony of it all.

Here he is trying to forcefully stuff quirks into me and even form a resonance between us, just like what Quirk Bestowal tried, but I continue resisting while destroying and weakening quirks of his one after another.

While he continues cranking up the intensity, stuffing more and more quirks into his combinations, I get better and better at fending them off. My quirk singularity evolution is doing its job, letting my body adapt to this abomination’s efforts.

Wounds close faster. Damage of all kinds lessened. I was becoming faster, stronger, more reactive to threats. It’s like what happened against the Queen Bee in the Fourth Round, only this time, I’ve got my arsenal of overpowered quirks backing me up.

He may still be leagues above me, but quick adaptation compared with rapid healing and strategy can keep me hanging in there. My opponent paying no mind to my rapidly-improving body helped too. If anything, he seemed to be stress-testing my own ongoing evolution, something I was more than fine with.

And from the looks of it, more and more vestiges from within are starting to rebel. A twitch here, a stutter there, even a manifested quirk or two firing sporadically, more often than not towards another part of his ever-changing mass of a body.

It’s only been about half an hour since our own battle began, and between my initial assassination attempt and hammering away at him with endless clones afterwards, I must’ve either permanently weakened or destroyed close to five hundred quirks of his by now. That’s not even mentioning all the quirk factors he separated from himself just to hurl at me as projectiles.

His ‘regular’ appearance has changed too. He’s doubled in height, and various appendages are wrapping around him like armor. He almost resembles AFO Tomura’s ‘Apex Form’ from the canon Final War, just with less hands and more quirked limbs.

Not only that, but he’s continuing to grow. He’s continuing to add on defenses. He actually feels threatened for a change, grunting and twitching as he’s assaulted from within. And yet, despite all this progress…

"̴B̸o̸t̴h̴e̶r̴s̸o̸m̷e̶.̸.̷.̸ ̷I̶ ̵s̸u̷p̴p̷o̷s̷e̶ ̵a̸ ̷s̴l̵i̶g̷h̷t̶ ̷d̸e̴t̸o̴u̷r̶ ̴i̷s̶ ̴n̸e̷e̴d̸e̴d̷.̵"̷

 

 

 

Status of Singularity Crisis:

Time Since Initial Ascension - 3 Hours

Estimated Number of Casualties - 2,520,000

Remaining Distance to Japan - 7,994 Kilometers/4,967 Miles

Remaining Tiamat (Nuclear ICBMs) - 6/11 (Star and Stripe made more with Creation)

Chapter 121: Desperation

“Leaving so soon, heroes?” Eri Doraifu smirks as she emerges from the portal, all dressed up in her villain outfit. “Also, you look ridiculous right now.”

All Might. Star and Stripe. Two of the three champions of this crumbling society, now powerless and cramming themselves into fighter jets like they’re clown cars.

“Not exactly concerned about comfort right now.” Cathleen Bate snarks back, having smushed herself against both the X-66’s glass screen and a blushing Ethan Drive. “Besides, I’ve handled worse conditions not too long ago. Just ask your dear old dad, both of ‘em.”

Both Rei and Kaina accompany her along with a dozen Special Praetorians, enough power to topple most smaller countries. All For One has flown far off already, but her dad doesn’t joke around when it comes to her safety.

She’ll be the one talking though. The others are just insurance in case something does go wrong, however small the chances of that happening might be.

“...Have you come to finish us off?” All Might questions, the depressed skeleton being much easier to fit in a fighter jet with his frame. 

“Is that what you want? Ready to commit seppuku in shame for failing so miserably against your archrival again?” She scorns the old symbol. “No, that would be a waste, and my father doesn’t like waste. He’s an expert at turning trash into treasure, and he’s already taught me plenty.”

He’s scared of her, but only by extension. The true causes of his current fear are her dad and All For One, the latter for becoming a singularity-filled abomination and her dad for showing a glimpse of what happens when he gets serious.

Rods From God. Quirk-Erasing Warheads. Weapons of mass-destruction even they are powerless against. And Star and Stripe is far less afraid, more angry due to currently having the worst few hours ever. 

Not surprising, considering the utter insanity she just took part in. That won’t do, not if she ever plans to escape her father’s shadow.

“See, I have this handy dandy quirk that allows me to rewind the time of whoever or whatever I target. It could be anywhere from seconds to centuries in an instant, and its range is nothing to scoff at either.

I could use this on both of you, unwinding you back to before you were hit by my father’s quirk-erasing gas. It would save you a very uncomfortable trip back to the World Heroes Association’s HQ where Neito Monoma is waiting with his own New Order copy to restore you himself.”

Fear, surprise, and a bit of hope bloom on their faces. Fear from her confirmation of just what they were hit with and that yes, her dad knows about Neito. Star’s quirk getting erased didn’t affect the hardened strand of hair the former UA student has wrapped around his finger. Oh, and the potential of Rewind she just implied too.

Surprise comes from all that too, but hope…  getting back into action now means saving an hours-long trip, something immensely helpful with how fast All For One is rampaging across Eurasia right now.

They could only watch as her dad flew off to fight the Symbol of Evil, but they don’t know just what he’s planning, treating him as a wildcard at best rather than genuine aid. They’re really wisened up overtime.

 

“I could also rewind you a bit further, bringing a certain symbol back to a point where he still had One For All, permanently duplicating that quirk, vestiges and all, if I so wished. I could even just wipe you all out of existence in an instant if I wanted.”

All Might nearly vomits blood all over the inside of his fighter jet, realizing just how little his prophesied power truly means.

“Or perhaps… I could get a little more creative. My father taught me plenty about creativity too.”

She could rewind them back to her age or a bit younger, undo them in both body and mind to the state of children, wiping away all their fears and regrets, and give them brand new lives. She could take them under her wing, help them become champions of the next society.

Unlike her foolish hero self in the Third Round, this would actually stick. Little Toshi and Cassie, the newest members of her Head-Starters. Toshi could get a controlled copy of One For All while Cassie can still have New Order.

Her quirk vestige would be reverted back to a child, one that wouldn’t know any better and put up far less of a fight when her dad inevitably gets himself a copy. It’s not like the quirk itself changed much across Star’s life.

Not even Sekan thought up that solution; it was all her, and it sounds so, so appealing.

((‘It does, doesn’t it?’)) The goddess wickedly grins within her. ((‘Alas, those two are more useful as they are now at the moment. If they do die, well, we aren’t limited to this timeline, now are we?’))

Right, she shouldn’t probably start thinking bigger. Her dad always looked at the bigger picture, beyond this messy, broken game of heroes and villains.

“What do you think, heroes?” She asks the duo, them and the pilots picking them up being unnerved, if not terrified of her.

“You think your dad needs help.” Cathleen Bate confronts her. “He didn’t give me an X-66 to fly just for curiosity’s sake.”

“Do you think you can help him?” Eri asks back, neither confirming or denying the claim. “And I mean really help him, not buzzing around like a fly.”

“All For One has to be stopped no matter what, even if it means giving up my life… even if it means working alongside Long Haul.” All Might declares.

“Back when we planned to stop Japan’s HPSC, the Queen Bee told me that whether your dad was our most dangerous foe or most valuable friend was up to us. Does that still stand?” Star and Stripe confirms, hopping off the jet.

“Yup, at least for now. So will you help him fix your screw-up, or will you continue being useless?”

“Hit me, Jikan, or whatever your real name is. This war with your dad can wait until after the so-called Symbol of Evil is put down for good.”

((‘Go ahead. Neither will attempt to backstab dad with the way things are progressing.’))

 

Once she gets confirmation, Eri hits them both, rewinding them by just a few hours. Not only does New Order return to Star, but the rule Neito had previously applied onto All Might is restored too.

((‘Just as I thought, one of Neito’s slots has been taken up again. Not even New Order’s control over reality is as powerful as your Rewind’s control over time.’))

“New Order: New Order can not be negatively tampered with.” Star immediately declares.

Clever. A general rule that can mean a lot depending on the user’s perspective. She can prevent the quirk from being stolen, weakened, erased, and so on if Star wills it.

A likely permanent addition, but with the QAD constantly equipped, she still has two rules to play around with. Not a big deal for Eri herself, as even this boosted New Order is powerless against what she has hidden.

She, her quirk, and her vestige will all be rewound if Eri wills it. Her life will begin anew if Eri desires it. 

“There. Now go and assist my dad.” Eri commands, and the two Number 1 Heroes rocket off with the remaining X-66 Fighter Jets not far behind.

All according to plan.

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  4 Hours 30 Minutes Until The Submergence

The masses of stockpiled energy from within is forcefully fed into a handful of weakened, more useful quirks, pushing them back to Post-Singularity level. A pulse of their combined power is enough to send me flying back as my body is torn to shreds.

But what really concerns me is the sudden change in course he takes, blasting off far beyond the speed of sound in a random direction. 

((“He’s heading towards the nearest semi-evacuated city!”)) BossHaul alerts me. ((“He can drop off damaged quirks and restock on more using the civilian masses!”))

Shit, gotta beat him to it, or at least remove it before he gets there!

 

‘Drop another Rod From God or Quirk-Erasing Warhead to that city.’ I coldly command.

((“A band-aid solution to that massive problem. He’ll just keep redirecting his course, or maybe start using Gloop Warp to drag others to him en masse.”))

‘How do I counter it then, smartass?’

((“Rewinding All Might and Star would be a good start instead of, you know, leaving the former out to dry and giving the latter a fighter jet that was crumbled like a coke can. They can recover their power through Neito, but we don’t have that kind of time.

I know you’re trying to close the gap yourself with a singularity evolution, but we really do need all the help we can get right now. Star would become a major threat again, though that’s still better than this asshole winning.”))

‘For fuck’s sake. Fine, send a clone of Eri their way so those two don’t get themselves killed the moment they jump back into the action.

I’ll fend him off until she’s done. Show me where the city he’s heading towards is and send tons of clones with long-ranged quirks over too. Let’s give stopping this abomination ourselves one more shot.

Worst case scenario, I lose and get healed with Rewind if my quirk singularity evolution doesn’t let me grow stronger on its own. If there’s any time to match Izuku in recklessness, it’s now.’

Flying far above to an area where space wasn’t permanently locked down, I spam Warp Gate to get ahead of the singularity, landing on a skyscraper bordering the edge of Austria. Tens of thousands are still evacuating, bundled-up bait I can’t allow him to hook onto.

I can already see him off in the distance, his mass growing as more quirks are applied.

"̷W̶h̵a̸t̶ ̶c̶a̷n̸ ̵y̵o̷u̵ ̶h̴o̴p̷e̷ ̸t̶o̴ ̴d̷o̴ ̸a̷l̴o̷n̴e̷,̵ ̴S̷e̵k̶a̸n̷?̷ ̴R̴e̴t̶u̷r̴n̵ ̷N̴e̵w̴ ̴O̵r̶d̷e̴r̴ ̶a̴n̶d̵ ̷c̷o̴m̷e̵ ̷a̸t̴ ̶m̵e̸ ̴t̷o̶g̶e̴t̵h̷e̸r̶.̴"̵

“What can I do alone?” I repeat, a massive storm brewing all around me as dozens of clones pass me by. “Come and find out! You want to prove yourself as some sort of god? You want my own power to bow down? THEN LET’S SEE YOU WITHSTAND IT!”

 

A brand new ‘ultimate’ of mine, a combination of Endeavor’s Prominence Burn and AFO’s Omni-Factor Unleash. Overhaul, Creation, and Alchemy will help transmute all my attacking power into a massive energy beam that my entire body will shoot out. 

This beam will be surrounded by my quirk-erasing solution, Creation, Cleaning, and Alchemy helping put that outer layer together. It should fend off any counterattack he throws my way, letting this beam directly impact his mass of quirk factors.

Double clones will focus on distraction and further interception if needed. I can’t risk making copies of Nine’s crew in case he can take their quirks from afar too using their own Pseudo-AFOs, but people like Machia, Rei, and Re-Destro should do a good enough job themselves.

"̵F̷u̷t̸i̶l̴e̷.̵.̴.̵"̷ The singularity sighs, batting away the clones’ onslaught as I finish charging the most powerful attack I’ve ever made.

“WANNA BET?!?” I roar right back, a beam of purple-tinted golden energy erupting out in response.

Barriers upon barriers form in front of the charging singularity, this incoming danger not slowing his speed down one bit… but I still baited him into proving himself. I’ll throw everything I’ve got his way, if not to kill him, then to at least continue distracting him.

Doesn’t mean I won’t do my damndest to kill him here and now though. Just one more ‘fuck you’ to the world insistent on screwing me over no matter what.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

My Omni-Factor Unleash clashes against a mere fraction of his own, his speed slowing considerably as his powers are gradually broken through. But for every quirk I manage to destroy or rewind, several more take its place. Some focus on defense, others attempt a counterattack, and the rest increase his own speed as he gets closer and closer.

"̵S̶t̶i̴l̸l̸.̸.̸.̷ ̸N̴o̸t̶.̷.̵.̷ ̷E̷n̶o̵u̴g̶h̶.̶.̵.̷"̵ The singularity grunts, clearly starting to struggle as the entire country starts to tremble. "̴N̶e̵v̵e̵r̵.̴.̵.̵ ̸E̷n̸o̴u̸g̵h̵.̴.̶.̶"̴

The surrounding environment begins to transform again, more waves of his singularity creatures sprouting up. Double clones and my own constructs match the incoming army, only for all of them to be blown away by our own clash.

“B… Bull… Shit!… ggghhhh… come on!”

The skyscraper I’m standing on for support collapses, but Overhaul and Alchemy ensured new parts come in to keep me connected with the ground. He’s gotten close enough to be in range of those boosted quirks, the environment being used to surround and entomb him once again as my power increases even further.

Love and Incite are both applied to me, a copy of Zookeeper giving a thumbs up before the storm of pressure and energy blasts her back, dissipating her into dark goop. 

And yet, despite all these boosts stacking on top of me, despite my body and quirks continuing to grow alongside my own singularity evolution…

"̸T̸o̷o̴ ̸f̸e̸w̷ ̷q̴u̷i̴r̴k̶s̶,̴ ̷t̴o̶o̴ ̷f̷e̶w̶ ̷b̴o̵o̴s̵t̷s̶,̷ ̶a̴n̶d̸ ̷o̷n̸l̷y̵ ̵a̴ ̵p̵a̶r̷t̸i̶a̴l̷ ̵a̸s̶c̶e̷n̸s̵i̵o̶n̴.̸.̷.̸ ̸d̴i̵s̵s̸a̶p̶o̷i̸n̴t̶i̵n̴g̶.̶"̷

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

His already massive body nearly doubles in size, blasting the singularity-infected Earth around him right off as he unleashes far more power. He resembles the fleshy comet he became when using Omni-Factor Unleash in canon now, and he’s still barely using a fraction of his remaining arsenal!

It’s overwhelming, both the power and pressure he’s radiating. I’m pushed back more and more as my energy attack mostly scatters upon collision. Clones are being obliterated. The buffet of quirks behind me is moving far too slow. This isn’t enough. I’m still not enough, damnit!

“Hrrrrgh… n-not… losing this time… no way!” I stammer in defiance, a familiar feeling welling up within me alongside another boost in strength.

Ultra Phosphor. OverTrigger. The QAD. Endurance. Incite. Love. Hysterical Strength.

And with my Quirk Singularity evolution having begun, there’s no better time to go Plus Ultra.

“Oh, f-fuck it… Infinite Doubles… Full… POOOOOWWWWWEEEEERRRRRR!!!”

Drawing upon every last drop of energy and vitality I have alongside countless new clones of myself, the golden beam of energy I’m launching grows immensely to no end as my body is completely overtaken by dark goop.

The singularity is overtaken too, surprise blooming on his face for the first time as my ultimate attack drills right through his fleshy, quirk-filled comet, erasing countless powers in its path.

"̶H̸o̷w̸ ̶d̸i̴d̸ ̸y̵o̵u̷-̴ Ģ̸̤̙̠̈̎̈́̾Ą̷̎͌Ȃ̸̬̼A̵̙͐̈Á̶̫̟͑͋̕A̸̛̱̩A̷͍͕̐͊̊̕͘ͅÀ̷̙̘̬̠͇̒A̸͔̎́̒͐ͅA̶͉̳̋̍̚͘͝Å̸̧̳̦̱͊͂̽̓A̸̙͖͎̝̳̠̋̂͂̈́͘Ä̷͇̘̝͕́̄H̷̜̩͕̒̓͒͝H̸̨̺̖̒͐̈́̾̑͊H̷̤̜͓̻̉͂̓̾̕H̸̰͙̫͖̏̋H̵͇͉̬͗͝H̴̳̩̠̫̖̊H̵̪̜̤̟͗ͅ!̷̛̟͙!̴͓̺̙̐́́̑!̵̡̖͛̎͜͠"̴̬̩͈̐̇̇̕͘͝

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Nearly a third of the city is uprooted from the explosion of quirks and energy despite ground zero being a good distance away, the impact going beyond even Tiamat and the Rods From God in sheer scale, and Rewind’s energy is far more effective than either of those basic blasts, what wasn’t erased being blown right off of him.

My own state is almost as horrifying, the complete drainage of energy and vitality making me resemble All Might’s skeleton state in physical appearance. Entire decades of my life have been shaved off, not even Super Regeneration and Overhaul being capable of fixing this.

Double clones didn’t come close to surviving with that kind of recoil affecting them, and with the level of Quirk Exhaustion hitting me now, I doubt I’ll be able to make any more. 

Best case scenario, my Quirk Singularity evolution lets me heal and adapt to this horrific damage. Worst case scenario, I use Overhaul to merge with other bodies or maybe Eri can undo this with Rewind later.

Despite not being able to feel pain, every breath I take is a monumental struggle as I barely stay conscious. Quirk Exhaustion is horrific and regular exhaustion is even worse, my very lifeforce being practically empty, but I’m not down for the count just yet… neither of us are.

"̵S̶o̵ ̴y̸o̶u̸'̶v̸e̷ ̶s̵t̵a̶r̴t̶e̴d̴ ̵i̸t̴ ̷t̷o̵o̸.̴.̵.̵ ̴b̷u̴t̷ ̷t̶o̴ ̴t̸h̴i̷n̶k̴ ̵y̵o̷u̷ ̷w̵o̸u̴l̴d̵ ̶g̵o̶ ̸t̸h̶i̵s̸ ̷f̵a̷r̶.̷.̸.̵"̷

He separated his core, the Post-Singularity All For One quirk copy, from the affected areas of his many-quirked mass just in time. Some of his own vestiges like Nine’s crew and the Gigantomachias tried stopping it, but they weren’t enough.

Even so, the majority of his quirks just became useless, their physical manifestations being crippled, destroyed, or rewound from existence, the majority of his combat power being lost along with them. Quite a few quirks and their vestiges do still remain, many of which are taking this chance to further hinder him from within. 

“Well, well…” I smirk before forcing my body to move with Reveal’s telekinesis and some wind manipulation, a primal roar of determination and desperation being let loose as I rocket towards him.

I try using Ultra Phosphor to generate more energy, only the singularity stops any lightning storms from forming. Every last Double clone around has been destroyed too, even the clone of Eri that was merged with me. Rewind is off the table then; Cleaning, Creation, and Overhaul it is. 

Both my arms have gone completely limp, but that doesn’t stop me from covering my legs in a quirk erasing solution and stomping down upon the remaining mass, combining that with some Overhaul quirk-mutilation. A barrage of kicks follows as the singularity continues shielding his core despite all the tremors and spasms the vestige rebellion within is causing. 

He grunts and growls, doing his best to defend with the arsenal of emitter quirks still under his control. Spatial Distortion in particular continues being a massive pain in the ass as it prevents me from warping, and then starts tearing what’s left of my ruined body to shreds. 

Not good considering my difficulty regenerating right now. We’re both fighting like cornered animals at the moment, and he’s still got a lot more in the tank. 

I’m blacking out. I’m on the verge of death. I need more energy. I need new stockpiled power, and I need it RIGHT FUCKING NOW!

Desperation makes me squeeze out one last Double activation, a clone of Lemillion forming and merging into me via Overhaul. At this point, I couldn’t care less about the cost.

“GAH- augh… ONE FOR ALL!!!” I declare, pure shock making the singularity pause his assault.

Big mistake. 

 

Powering through the resistance OFA’s vestiges cause from within, I immediately crank up the stockpile to 100% and beyond while using Permeation to break out of his spatial hold. 

An aura of purple lightning explodes out of my body, doing as much damage to me as it does to him. Even if it wasn’t for the new bundle of vestiges throwing a fit from within, this tenth-gen OFA exceeds both my power and quirk capacity.

This on top of everything else can and will knock me out, so I force myself to stay awake by running One For All through my brain like a circuit. Dangerous? Unbelievably so, but I’ve got bigger problems at the moment.

Mirio’s Double clone won’t last much longer. Gotta make this quick. 

"̷W̸h̴a̶t̵ ̵t̷h̶e̷-̵"̶

I bodyslam into the singularity, forcefully transferring every OFA vestige I can through that physical contact like an ethereal battering ram. That makes me lose all its quirks, but I still have plenty of embers to launch as a follow-up.

The singularity is temporarily frozen, not from surprise anymore, but rather OFA’s vestiges now rebelling inside of him instead of me, their combined entry doing plenty of damage on its own, and that gives me enough time to launch one final transfer attack his way, the mess of quirks resembling a face getting an ember-filled dropkick.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Lemillion’s Double clone dissipates due to the accumulated damage I’ve taken. The OFA vestiges within Singularity For One are erased too, as are the embers, yet plenty of damage was already done. 

Majority of his quirk factors just became useless, the majority remaining are fighting him fiercely from within, and most importantly…

‘Couldn’t completely dodge it in time… serves him right.’

Both my Omni-Factor Unleash and OFA’s power managed to hit his core, even if only slightly. The outer layer of my blast, the quirk-erasing solution I made, weakened the Post-Singularity All For One a bit, and before they dissipated, the OFA vestiges managed to make a crack in his core.

Picture what Star’s vestige did to AFO Tomura in canon, or what the OFA vestiges did to him when they were transferred over, only my onslaught didn’t hit a surrounding shell, but the core itself. Not a lot, but definitely enough to affect him.

What little is left of Singularity For One slams into the Earth below, a massive crater being created from his careening vessel as his own quirks continue rebelling from within, OFA’s brief resistance spurring them on even further. 

My final attack didn’t harm his core further, though it did erase the majority of his remaining manifested quirks. 

“Hah… heh…” I pant, plummeting straight out of the sky, now well and truly spent. “Ugh…”

All of my clones are speechless. All of my vestiges are shaken. I may not have finished the job, but the singularity abomination should be on his last legs. 

He should be kept down long enough for this hopefully temporary transformation to end, if not have his core completely shattered soon from the rebelling vestiges.

‘Please, let it end…’ I mentally murmur, about to crash into the ground myself. ‘Quirk-Erasing Warheads… Rods From God… send one last round down and end this, clones.’

((“Already on it, you fucking nutjob. Hang tight, help is on the way.”))

While not fast enough to stop me from slamming into the ground, help does come. A dark, purple portal opens up with Zookeeper walking out. I can’t move a muscle right now, my own body not responding to me in the slightest; she can fix that… I hope.

“A b-bit late, but t-thanks…” I weakly whisper, stuttering as both her copy of Cell Activation and Overhaul are used to try and speed up my recovery.

“Figured you would want to milk the singularity for all it’s worth. Plus Ultra, right?” She smirks back.

“...Guess I d-deserved that, huh?” I chuckle, a coughing fit following right after.

Another group of dark portals opens up far in the sky, another salvo of Quirk-Erasing Warheads and Rods From God having been prepared on the other side. 

Zi and I can warp out in time. Singularity For One has no such quirk in his arsenal to prevent this nuclear double-tap.

“Being able to recover from practically anything now doesn’t mean you can imitate Izuku Midoriya, key word being practically. I don’t even think my quirks can fix most of this. I’ll call Eri over and… oh, no.”

“Fuck.” I curse out as my instincts and Reveal start going haywire. “Asshole really was toying with us from the start.”

 

Our metal rods and warheads, despite traveling dozens of times the speed of sound, are all halted mid-air, their monumental amounts of momentum being extinguished in an instant. Spatial Distortion, his Kinetic-Boosters boosted enough to slow down kinetic energy too, and a whole bunch of other emitter quirks activate, as does Gloop Warp.

“God damn Gloop Warp.” I groan as thousands of heroes, villains, and civilians alike are rapidly warped into his grasp. 

None of them are my subordinates, but that slim silver lining hardly helps.

“From the city behind us… Q-Ray has that far of a range when boosted?” Zi gasps as hordes of Double clones swarm him from all angles, my own clones attempting one last ditch effort to stop him before he can restock.

It doesn’t work.

“No, but think about all the places he’s passed by so far, all the people he’s seen. Sure most of them have died already, but Q-Ray can let him lock onto thousands, see what their quirks are. He probably kept tabs on the stronger or more useful quirks, cycling out any he didn’t care for to create space for new slots to be filled. 

Combine that with Gloop Warp, a quirk that can bring pretty much anyone to him from even continents away, and you get a backup catalog of quirks to pick and choose from, one you can constantly update while rampaging across the world.”

He still can’t destroy quirks, only being able to give and take, only that doesn't matter in the slightest when you have endless amounts of people to take from and give to.

This is the true reason why even winning in my own planned Perfect/Post-Singularity Form is completely out of the question, assuming he actually takes things seriously. He can infinitely restock his arsenal whenever he wants, the number of quirks he can hold only continuing to grow.

Could I pull off something similar in my own ascended state? Maybe, but I would still have a limit when it comes to the number or strength of powers I can store, one I can’t increase nearly as easily as he can. That’s assuming he has any limits at all regarding quirk storage at this point.

He could eventually hold millions of powers, maybe even billions, and there’s nothing I can do to stop this ultimate ascension of his. At least, not now.

“Eighty percent of the world has quirks now… he can keep restocking endlessly, boosting each and every new power to a mutated Post-Singularity level… how do you even defeat something like that?” Zookeeper pales.

“S-Simple.” I respond, doing my best not to stutter. “Cut the h-head off the snake.”

Many quirks in his arsenal are rapidly cycled out and many more are taken in as waves of flesh consume his captors. Their bodies don’t assimilate with him like an Overhaul merger would, as no human body would be able to handle the legion of quirks he has now.

But being forcefully gifted a single damaged or weakened Post-Singularity quirk after being rendered quirkless? Chances of survival are much higher.

They still aren’t great, mind you. The unlucky bunch Singularity For One decided to give his useless, heavily damaged, or particularly unruly quirks and vestiges to after becoming quirkless immediately began experiencing rapid body mutations themselves in a desperate attempt to adapt and survive.

And while that’s going on, the singularity grows stronger than ever with his arsenal not just renewed, but expanded. 

Even the All For One quirk recovers its power and grows thanks to its vestige forcefully feeding itself with its remaining stockpiled energy and OFA embers. It strengthens him, but further damages him in the process. He’s giving himself a rotten foundation that’s bound to collapse eventually. 

Only issue is how fucked-up the Earth will become before he finally drops over, permanently dead, especially if he responds to any genuine damage by growing even more powerful.

"̶A̷ ̸v̵a̵l̷i̵a̴n̵t̷ ̴e̸f̴f̴o̵r̵t̵,̶ ̸S̸e̶k̷a̶n̷.̷ ̷T̴r̵u̶l̶y̴.̷"̷ The singularity acknowledges, having calmed down. " ̷B̵u̵t̷ ̴t̶h̶e̸r̷e̶'̶s̷ ̸n̶o̸ ̶d̶e̸f̵y̸i̶n̸g̴ ̶e̴v̶o̷l̴u̴t̶i̶o̶n̶.̸ ̷E̸v̸e̴n̶ ̷y̷o̶u̸ ̴c̷o̴u̶l̶d̷ ̶o̷n̶l̵y̸ ̴p̶r̶e̴p̵a̶r̸e̸ ̶f̴o̶r̸ ̶i̴t̶,̸ ̸a̸n̸d̴ ̷n̴o̴w̵ ̵i̶t̵'̴s̸ ̶f̶i̶n̶a̶l̶l̴y̴ ̷a̵r̸r̶i̶v̶e̴d̶,̵ ̷s̴o̵ ̴e̴m̷b̵r̴a̶c̵e̸ ̷i̸t̷.̷ ̷R̵e̷v̴e̸l̸ ̶i̴n̷ ̷i̵t̶.̷ ̴B̷e̶c̷o̴m̸e̶ ̷i̴t̷.̶"̶

 

And the next thing I know, I’m in my vestigeworld again. One that looks a lot more wrecked than I remember. There is no bridge between mine and his this time. This time, he simply did the same move he did to Star, swapping who was in the driver’s seat. 

He probably did the same to Zookeeper too. Great. Just great.

But which one of my vestiges did he force out? My own? Kai Chisaki’s? Maybe even Kurogiri’s?

“Well, I hope you’re happy.” VestigeHaul deadpans, partially answering my question. “It was your own vestige, by the way.”

“Hey, I got the closest so far! I even permanently damaged his core a bit!” I argue back. “And I didn’t hear you giving any bright ideas!”

“Because I’ve been busy both fending off that abomination and better understanding the singularity with the others. Oh, and fixing the damage a pissed-off One For All did before you transferred it. Now are you ready to listen, or will you continue fruitlessly throwing yourself his way?”

I prepare to continue my case, but stop myself at the last second. VestigeHaul may be condescending on the best of days, but he isn’t an idiot.

He has a plan, and I happen to be rather low on ideas myself at the moment.

“Okay, what did you have in mind?” I relent.

“Besides helping me fix those?” He raises an eyebrow, pointing to the mending cracks forming a dome around the literal ghost town I’ve built for myself. “One For All threw a tantrum, as it did in All For One, but our knowledge of this plane far surpasses his. 

Your own core is damaged too, and that damage is reflected in your body, as is the complete lack of vitality you yourself caused and the beating he gave you. This combined damage puts you in an even worse state than Tomura’s body during the Final War’s climax.

But unlike him, you can do more than stop your body from crumbling with quirks. You can fully fix this damage and grow stronger from it. Singularity Evolution reflects this, though it can still use some conscious guidance to optimize the process.”

“Good to know. Lead the way.” I invite, mirroring his actions through both Overhaul and Reveal.

 

“For starters, no more outside quirk-boosters, at least not until your High-Gear Singularity Evolution or ‘Perfection Procedure’ is complete, whichever finishes first. No OverTrigger, no QAD, no Love or Incite boost from others, none of that. Endurance should be fine as that’s one of your own quirks, but nothing else.

All those various boosters of yours have stretched out your quirk factors in a sense, and to a lesser extent, the rest of your body and mind too. It’s made them more flexible, giving them more room to grow and adapt, but too much of it is a bad thing, especially now at this critical juncture.

You need to give your quirks time to grow on their own instead of relying on outside boosters for aid. Quirks boosted to singularity levels of power by outside sources like drugs or OFA embers don’t seem to be as powerful as quirks which naturally reach that level, mostly due to a lack of control.

You can train your quirk in a certain way to achieve desired results, but boosting them to a tier above is almost like a lottery in what buffs they get, the most common result being simply increased specs across the board, so power, range, number of targets you can affect, and so on. 

Fine enough on its own, but the singularity evolution is something much more special. Your quirks will grow no matter what, but we’ll have much more control on just how they grow if you avoid boosters, understand?”

“So just fight an even more powerful Post-Singularity All For One with no boosters whatsoever? Sure, what’s the worst that can happen?” I snark back.

“You’re a transmigrating cockroach, you’ll live. Besides, while his increasing arsenal of attacks will become more effective on you, that means your body will have more to rapidly adapt to by extension. Not to mention your singularity evolution improving every part of you, quirk factor storage included. We'll make up for a lack of quality with quantity, get some quirk copies from our top brass for some extra firepower and to further expand your available quirk storage.

While you will still become an even bigger punching bag, you will get better results from it, helping out more if you are forced to reuse your boosters as a last resort. Even with all your boosters and new quirks, you don’t stand a chance in a head-on battle with him with how seriously he'll take you now, so don’t bother trying to win that way in the first place.”

As much as I hate getting ragdolled like that, he has a point. I won’t let image and pride get in the way of my ultimate ascension. I will get the last laugh.

“Okay, fine. Any other ideas?”

“Assuming Singularity For One fucks off instead of finishing us off, stick back for a bit and try bodyfusing with a few people he gave singularity quirks to. Maybe even some of those sentient singularity creations of his too while you’re at it.

It’ll also help a lot with getting your body used to the strain of wielding those kinds of quirks, it’ll give me and your own vestige more research data to work with regarding our own current evolution, and it will further increase your versatility and attack power to make up for a lack of quirk-boosters.

Also also, I’d rather not have you drop over dead if he succeeds in forcefully shoving a few dozen Post-Singularity quirks in his arsenal into you during one of your brief vestigeworld clashes. Taking this initiative should also help prevent that.”

“What if he forced a resonance with all those quirks he threw away? We’d be giving him a gateway into-”

“Then shatter it. You’ve done it before when he tried forcing one upon you.”

“...Alright. Anything else?”

“Don’t complain when All Might and/or Star comes to assist again. A team-up between you lot is what the abomination wants and it’ll buy us more time to come up with a permanent solution. I doubt those two heroes will betray you either, wouldn’t be the first time you made a temporary alliance against the ‘greater evil’.”

“The world itself…” I growl. “More suicidal then Izuku ever was.”

 

My own internal world then starts to shake. It starts to change.

Quirk lights grow bigger and brighter. New buildings and landmarks sprout up out of nowhere.

“It’s subconsciously taking from your memories, just as it did with Tomura.” VestigeHaul elaborates. “Grasp that and shape it to your will, not subconsciously but consciously. Don’t let this evolution guide you, you guide the evolution.”

This is my body. This is my mind. This is my evolution. I’ll use the ascension of others as reference points, but won’t copy them outright. 

My own vestige can handle things outside for now. Despite all I’ve done to harm him, the singularity I’ve been trying to murder is still calm, and my vestige is an expert at bullshitting like me. 

Like always, we’ll recover and adapt from this. Even if we lost the battle, we will win the war.

 

 

 

Status of Singularity Crisis:

Time Since Initial Ascension - 3 Hours 45 Minutes

Estimated Number of Casualties - 3,360,000

Remaining Distance to Japan - 7,306 Kilometers/4,539 Miles

Remaining Tiamat (Nuclear ICBMs) - 6/11 (Star and Stripe made more with Creation)

Chapter 122: Vestige War

"̶H̸o̵w̸'̷s̴ ̵t̸h̵i̴s̴ ̵f̸o̷r̷ ̶a̸ ̷p̴r̷e̶v̵i̸e̷w̸?̸"̸ All For One smiles, floating down next to S̶e̶k̶a̶n̶'̶s̶ ̶v̶e̶s̶t̶i̶g̶e̶ Reveal and Z̶o̶o̶k̶e̶e̶p̶e̶r̶'̶s̶ ̶v̶e̶s̶t̶i̶g̶e̶ Cleaning. "̴M̵e̴r̷e̸l̴y̸ ̵e̸v̷o̸l̸v̶i̵n̷g̴ ̶t̵h̸e̶ ̸e̴n̴v̷i̴r̴o̸n̸m̷e̶n̴t̶ ̶w̸a̶s̷n̴'̸t̶ ̷e̷n̶o̵u̵g̵h̸.̸ ̴F̸o̷r̶ ̶t̶h̷e̸ ̸w̶o̴r̵l̶d̷ ̵t̸o̷ ̸u̸n̴d̶e̵r̸s̵t̷a̶n̷d̵,̷ ̴t̸h̶e̸ ̴p̸o̴i̷n̸t̷ ̵m̶u̵s̷t̸ ̸b̷e̸ ̴m̷a̵d̵e̸.̷.̸.̷ ̸p̴e̸r̵s̴o̸n̸a̷l̴.̵ ̶W̶o̴u̴l̴d̵ ̴y̴o̵u̶ ̶a̸g̸r̶e̸e̷?̸"̵

To say Reveal was flustered right now is an understatement. He isn’t just Sekan Doraifu, but plenty of other people’s memories and personalities rolled into one quirk, an Artificial Quirk made from Artificial Quirks.

He’s been bearing that burden himself, protecting Sekan from any alterations to his personality. Kai Chisaki did enough damage when those two merged bodies and memories so long ago… but he’s still mostly Sekan. With how strong the transmigrator’s will is and how much of an expert he’s become on all things quirk-related, how could he not be? 

So he stays strong, forcing himself back up and positioning himself in front of Cleaning in case the mass of godlike quirks next to them decides to ditch the recruitment spiel. 

 

“And me? I’m… huff… not exactly natural myself, now am I?” The fused quirk sputters, Overhaul and Cell Activation from Zookeeper having barely helped heal his body’s horrific injuries before the swap happened.

"̵A̵r̴t̶i̷f̴i̵c̸i̷a̴l̵ ̸Q̸u̸i̶r̶k̷s̷.̴.̵.̸ ̶a̷ ̸t̵r̷u̵l̵y̵ ̵f̴a̶s̷c̴i̵n̷a̷t̶i̴n̵g̸ ̸p̷h̶e̶n̶o̴m̵e̴n̸o̷n̷.̴ ̷A̵ ̴s̵h̴a̸m̷e̶ ̵G̴a̸r̴a̷k̵i̶ ̶n̷e̶v̶e̵r̷ ̷s̶t̵u̴d̷i̷e̶d̵ ̶i̶t̷ ̶f̴u̶r̴t̶h̷e̷r̵ ̵a̶f̷t̶e̴r̴ ̴K̷u̸r̴o̷g̴i̵r̵i̴ ̶w̴a̴s̴ ̴c̸r̵e̴a̷t̶e̶d̸.̴"̷

“Comes at a… huff… hefty price though, especially for our kind.” Reveal shrugs back, Quirk Exhaustion combined with regular exhaustion making just standing upright a monumental feat. “Are you… willing to risk losing… huff… all that you are to become something better?”

"̷I̴'̶v̸e̷ ̷a̶l̷r̵e̸a̶d̶y̶ ̴d̸o̶n̸e̶ ̷i̶t̸ ̸o̶n̴c̷e̸.̵ ̴W̵h̴a̴t̵'̵s̶ ̸t̶h̵e̷ ̵h̴a̶r̴m̷ ̷i̵n̴ ̷t̵r̸y̷i̶n̴g̸ ̵a̷g̸a̸i̷n̸?̴"̷

Crap. He really hopes he didn’t just make All For One even more overpowered. Forcing an Artificial Quirk merger of this magnitude… it would be like what happened with Future Eri.

"̸H̷m̸m̶m̴.̴.̸.̸ ̴e̵v̶e̸n̶ ̷n̴o̴w̸,̵ ̸i̵t̸ ̵d̸o̵e̷s̶n̴'̶t̴ ̶a̴p̸p̶e̷a̵r̵ ̶p̸o̵s̷s̷i̸b̵l̵e̶ ̶w̶i̷t̵h̷ ̵h̴o̴w̷ ̷I̵ ̴f̵u̵n̷c̴t̵i̵o̷n̷.̴ ̶A̵l̵l̷ ̴F̵o̴r̸ ̴O̴n̶e̴ ̷k̵e̴e̸p̵s̴ ̵q̵u̷i̴r̷k̷s̶ ̵s̵e̷p̸a̶r̸a̵t̴e̸d̴,̴ ̵n̴o̴t̸ ̵f̶u̴l̷l̷y̸ ̶u̵n̷i̴f̵i̵e̸d̸.̸ ̶B̵u̷t̴ ̷l̴i̵k̶e̶ ̷y̸o̴u̴,̶ ̸m̸y̶ ̸o̶w̷n̵ ̷e̴v̸o̶l̴u̶t̵i̶o̵n̷ ̷i̷s̴ ̴f̸a̷r̶ ̶f̷r̷o̶m̶ ̶f̶i̴n̵i̶s̸h̵e̵d̸.̶"̴

At least that much didn’t change… yet.

“Oh, All For One… huff… hah… so powerful yet so incomplete in so many ways.” Reveal mocks, his Flight/Skyline side showing. 

Sekan would probably call him an idiot, but they both know that this singularity doesn’t want them dead, even after all they’ve done to oppose him.

“Here’s some advice… from one vestige to another…” He then growls. “You’ll always be incomplete without your ‘true’ self… your partner.”

At the level of expertise Sekan is at, quirk vestiges are practically sentient quirks themselves, if not superior. They can do a lot, but they need cooperation with their ‘host’ to truly shine.

"̵I̵s̶ ̴t̵h̴a̵t̶ ̸s̴o̶.̶.̷.̸"̷ All For One muses. 

Only something else soon draws the attention of them all, the results of this quirk-swap All For One just pulled on thousands of others. 

"̶L̴e̸t̵ ̸u̴s̵ ̷s̴e̴e̴ ̷i̷f̸ ̴y̵o̸u̷r̷ ̵c̷l̴a̸i̵m̸s̷ ̴b̸e̷a̴r̵ ̷f̸r̴u̵i̵t̶,̶ ̸s̷h̷a̶l̴l̴ ̶w̵e̶?̴"̷

 

With most of his arsenal having either been too damaged and/or weakened or become too rebellious, there were a lot of quirks he had to give away.

And with all those quirks boosted to mutated singularity-level, the bodies of their recipients had no choice to try adapting to survive… only these people weren’t ready for such a metamorphosis. Far from it. 

They had no artificial modifications serving as a crutch. They had no initial or Low-Gear evolutions done before going into High-Gear. They had neither advantage, but they still had an advantage in a sense, one unique to their specific situation.

Most of these crippled and/or weakened quirk factors eased the burden on their recipient’s bodies, but that seems to have only made the problem worse. Being kept alive for longer only increased the amount of agony they underwent before death embraced them.

Not only that, but these bodies more often than not mutated to make up for what was missing in these quirk factors. 

Picture a mutant quirk like Spinner’s, one that transforms your entire body. It changed his face, covered him with scales, and so on. Well quirks like these being forcefully manifested and used as shields against Sekan’s onslaught damaged parts of these mutations, much like how Hawks’ wings were permanently damaged during the Paranormal Liberation War.

Whether it’s arms and legs, or completely custom limbs like tails or wings, many of these were horribly disfigured, if not destroyed or blown off entirely from All For One.

As a result, these quirk factors could only partially manifest in people, and their bodies desperately worked to achieve a balance by filling in for replaced parts. This resulted in new limbs growing, what was already present changing, body horror blooming into new, horrific creatures.

And that’s only half of the equation, because all these quirks came with vestiges, absurdly powerful vestiges who were rebelling against their captor to various degrees. These quirks were changing people’s bodies, and their vestiges were altering people’s spirits.

Fusions to various degrees were thus created, most being a combination between user and foreign quirk vestige like AFO Tomura. 

Some also had the quirk vestiges take over entirely, those with especially weak wills who went brain dead rather quickly often having this fate. Others with particularly strong wills, mostly heroes and villains, fought back relentlessly against the vestiges and these changes which often resulted in plenty of self-mutilation.

‘All For One could allow the vestiges complete control at any time like he did to Star, Zookeeper, and Sekan, so why isn’t he?’ Reveal muses to himself as screeches and roars of agony echo just outside the ruined city he’s in. ‘Wait a second…’

“Yeah, but more importantly… you’ve realized it too, haven’t you?” Reveal smirks back. “I was right.”

"̵A̸r̶e̴ ̵y̶o̷u̵ ̵n̵o̶w̴?̵"̴ The singularity smirks back. "̸H̵u̸m̵a̵n̴s̶ ̷c̷a̵n̷ ̷m̴e̸r̴g̵e̷ ̶w̵i̶t̴h̵ ̸f̶o̵r̴e̶i̴g̶n̶ ̷v̵e̵s̴t̶i̵g̷e̷s̷ ̴t̷o̵ ̵v̷a̴r̷i̴o̴u̸s̸ ̵d̷e̶g̶r̴e̴e̸s̷.̵.̶.̵ ̴b̸u̷t̶ ̵I̶ ̸h̴a̵v̷e̷ ̴y̵e̵t̵ ̸t̸o̵ ̶s̵e̸e̶ ̵t̸h̴a̴t̵ ̸h̸a̸p̶p̵e̶n̴ ̶w̷i̴t̸h̸ ̸t̴h̶e̸i̶r̷ ̶o̶w̸n̷ ̶q̷u̷i̵r̷k̷ ̴v̷e̵s̷t̷i̶g̵e̷.̷ ̶H̵a̵v̷e̴ ̵y̶o̷u̷?̴"̶

“Doesn’t mean it can’t happen…”

"̸G̶o̸ ̸o̴n̷ ̴t̶h̴e̷n̶,̶ ̷t̸r̸y̵ ̸t̶o̵ ̸m̴a̶k̸e̸ ̸i̶t̵ ̴h̷a̵p̴p̷e̵n̷.̷ ̸T̴h̸e̷n̵ ̶c̷o̴m̶e̴ ̵f̶i̶n̷d̷ ̸m̷e̵.̵ ̶B̶r̵i̴n̴g̸ ̵N̷e̶w̵ ̵O̸r̷d̶e̴r̴ ̵t̸o̸o̵.̵ ̷I̷ ̴s̷h̵a̶l̵l̶ ̵c̷o̴n̸t̷i̵n̵u̶e̵ ̸e̶v̶o̷l̷v̴i̷n̷g̵ ̷t̵h̵i̸s̷ ̸w̸o̵r̵l̸d̶ ̶t̸h̸e̶ ̶w̵a̸y̶ ̵I̸ ̸b̸e̷l̶i̵e̵v̴e̷ ̴i̵s̷ ̴b̷e̴s̷t̵ ̷u̴n̶t̷i̷l̴ ̷s̵o̵m̵e̷o̶n̴e̸ ̸e̷l̵s̵e̷ ̸p̷r̶o̶v̴e̴s̶ ̷o̶t̴h̸e̴r̷w̸i̶s̶e̶.̸"̴

The mass of quirks then flies away, continuing his journey to Japan… but Reveal’s troubles aren’t quite over yet.

 

“For fuck’s sake… huff… want proof, do you?” The Artificial Quirk grumbles as several rapidly-mutating monsters head his way, the one given Chimera’s quirk leading the charge.

Most are busy tearing the hordes of quirkless All For One left behind limb from limb, but some heed the call, screeching as they run over, most on all fours due to the influence of the singularity-level mutant quirks within them.

“Reveal, can you switch us back?” Cleaning all but begs. “I only know how to access my own quirk, and while I have the same memories as my ‘real’ self, my actual combat experience is nonexistent.”

“Not sure how to swap… even for myself. It was always VestigeHaul pulling the original in… huff… shouldn’t take too long to figure out myself, but those monsters will reach us first. Don’t… Don’t worry, I’ll protect you no matter how bad things get.”

Truth be told, Reveal has the same problem. He can automatically access his own quirk easily enough, but completely puppeteering an actual body as a vestige is way more complicated than canon All For One made it look.

The horrific amounts of damage Sekan took right before this swap makes their situation even worse, this body being completely drained and its powers being exhausted. Even his own core is damaged thanks to the OFA copy’s brief rebellion before getting transferred.

‘Sekan! Can you hear me in there?’ He mentally cries out, and gets no response back. ‘Damnit, is the damage he took making it harder to form a connection? Did it make what should be a straight road cracked and uneven?’

Multiple singularities reach the ruined building he and Cleaning are on, demolishing what little foundations are left. 

One with the chest and tusks of a manatee is especially annoying, the tail it’s slowly growing being used to swat away columns as it nears forty feet in size. Another one who managed to empty the acid sac it just grew before being melted from the inside out only makes things worse.

A few more growing various wings or claws across their bodies climb up from the sides. Their charge is haphazard as mutations continue pouring in from the outside and a war between user and vestige rages on in the inside, but they are approaching way too fast.

‘BossHaul? LabHaul? Anyone? I could really use some reinforcements right about now!’

Did the singularity swapping him and Sekan mess with his telepathic connections too, maybe? Or was it some other boosted quirk of his? Probably locked space down too to prevent warping…

‘Quirk Singularity! Now would be a good time to work your magic!’ 

The poor sap given Chimera’s quirk busts through floor after floor, screeching in agony as Reveal takes off with Cleaning in his arms. Even with Flight’s telekinesis incorporated, he doesn’t like his chances as he is now.

He can barely get himself and Cleaning off the ground with how worn-out he is. Quirk Exhaustion affects the vestiges too, and it hits them hard. Combine that with the regular exhaustion and drainage this body has and you get a serious problem.

Sekan’s body knows this, how much it’s been pushed to the brink, and just like AFO Tomura, it adapts accordingly.

*ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAA-*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

A tremendous wave of flesh erupts from his arm, swallowing up the rampaging chimera and shooting both he and Cleaning even further into the sky as the building below fully collapses.

It feels euphoric, all this strengthened flesh, blood, and vitality being generated within him, flowing throughout him. Both his Quirk Exhaustion and regular exhaustion start being undone at a rapid pace, the singularity evolution capable of adapting even to that.

“YEAH, NOW WE’RE TALKING!” Reveal hollers out, Cleaning desperately holding on for dear life. “Now then… just… got to-”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

“Oop! Sorry!” He cries out, the force of his own rapid physical mutations propelling them back into another ruined skyscraper. “Give me a sec- almost got a handle on this…”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

“One more second! I promise!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

“Okay, one more second starting now!”

“Reveal…”

“It’s a lot harder than it looks, okay!”

 

The bickering is put on hold as more mutating singularities start scaling the tide of limbs, others simply tearing them apart with their physical strength. Most of the quirks that singularity gave away were mutant quirks, so the physical mutations are especially awful for their new users.

At the very least, there’s next to no skill involved with their actions, only instincts. They all seem to be in horrific amounts of pain too, and besides all going after the same target, the teamwork between them is nonexistent.

Quite a few of them are dropping dead too, their bodies and minds simply unable to hang on or try adapting for any longer, but the persistent ones refuse to let up.

“Waves of new limbs are great for quirks like Overhaul, but awful for Reveal. More body parts just means more space to stretch its telekinetic barrier.” The artificial vestige complains. “Sure would be great if a few heads were in this pile, ones with working brains! You hear that? Singularity!”

He knows it’ll get him nowhere. He knows his mental state is all over the place right now, making controlling these mutations, let alone optimizing them, almost impossible.

He needs Sekan back in the driver’s seat, preferably as soon as possible. 

Other backup would be nice too, especially as the guy given Chimera’s quirk just cut through most of his new growths like butter with several massive laser beams.

“SEKAN!!!” He cries out in desperation, only to get covered in a very familiar quirk-produced substance.

“Cleaning? What are you doing?!”

“My quirk weakens other quirks. If the ‘real’ you is having trouble manifesting back, then maybe suppressing ‘you’ you would make it easier for him. It’s risky, but…”

“Don’t worry about it! Hit me with everything you’ve got!” Reveal supports, both of them now in free-fall towards a gathering group of singularities below.

And just as it looks to be all over for them… VestigeHaul gives him a smack as he returns to their vestigeworld.

“You really couldn’t keep it together for like five minutes?”

“Oh, shut up.”

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  4 Hours Until The Submergence

Singularity For One nowhere in sight, Zookeeper right above me with her vestige still in control, a horde of partially-evolved singularities below me and her.

And a body that, while weakened and horrifically damaged, is just bursting with untapped potential.

Yeah, I can work with this. Especially with all that I’ve observed so far.

‘VestigeHaul, give my own vestige a good whack for me, would you?’ I roll my eyes, mere moments from dropping into a horde of mutating singularity abominations.

Now let’s see if this does the trick…

 

First my arm grows several-fold in both length and width, serving a shield for the ranged singularities and swats the closest bunch of melee fighters away as I land.

Most rival the High-End Nomu in terms of raw power, some even being around the abnormally-strong USJ Nomu. That’s not even mentioning the extra perks their damaged or weakened Post-Singularity quirks provide, but I’ve long since gone far above that level. 

Then, much like what AFO Tomura underwent, each of my massive fingers sprouts its own head with its own brain, making usage of Reveal far easier with six sources to draw from instead of one.

“Return.” I command, my telekinesis spreading across a portion of the city where my discarded flesh resides, those streams of flesh and limbs being drawn towards me.

It condenses and hardens under my influence, surrounding the singularities to form a makeshift prison for them. As for Zookeeper, she remains floating mid-air thanks to Reveal.

“Thanks for the assist, Zi.” I smile her way, giving the vestige a thumbs up.

“You burden yourself enough as is.” The vestige smiles back. “Need me to douse myself with Cleaning to help with the swap or-”

“No, I think I’ve got it down. All For One’s new tricks are interesting, but whatever he can do, I can do better.”

I’ve observed that phenomenon quite a few times, and I have just the powers needed to replicate it myself, if not improve upon the process.

Reveal and Overhaul come into play once again, my two oldest and most powerful quirks working in tandem to put human and vestige back where they belong.

Those quirks of mine are growing at a noticeable pace. My other powers are growing too, spurred on by the singularity evolution and all the boosters I constantly applied to them before, even if they aren’t growing nearly as quickly.

When AFO Tomura underwent this, it was only Decay that underwent a noticeable evolution. AFO and the legions of quirks stored within didn’t appear to grow more powerful too. 

Is it because they weren’t at that point? Is it because neither Tomura nor AFO himself really trained or boosted them at all? Overhaul and Reveal (originally Mind Web) are to me what Decay was to Tomura; they’re the two quirks that have aided me from the very beginning and the two quirks I’ve worked with the most.

Could that be influencing my singularity evolution? I managed to awaken Overhaul, get it up to a Stage 3 Singularity Quirk without boosters. Reveal is an Artificial Quirk made from Artificial Quirks, but its base was the quirk I was ‘born’ with and I’ve been using all stages of that power constantly.

Potential beyond the singularity… potential I continue to unlock within me. 

 

“That fast, huh?” Zi smiles, being back in control of her body.

“Why so surprised? I’ve always been unnatural like that.” I chuckle back, reconnecting with my discarded flesh to resemble the eldritch masses of myth from my old world. “Wouldn’t mind a helping hand with healing though.”

This level of damage is horrific to put it lightly. My body, my energy, my vitality, and even my vestigeworld took one hell of a beating, pushed to its limits and beyond as I fought Singularity For One with everything I had and more.

AFO Tomura had worse internal damage done then in canon, mainly due to him being torn apart by AFO and OFA vestiges alike, and his body wasn’t able to recover with that through quirks like Super Regeneration or natural evolution from the Quirk Singularity.

But I’m different from him. I can recover from this and grow stronger from it… it’ll just take a little while.

Strengthened flesh, blood, and vitality slowly continues to spread throughout me. The cracks in my mind and core or ‘soul’ begin to mend and further fortify. It’s taking some time, even with both Overhaul and Cell Activation aiding the process, but I can make a full recovery.

And once it’s done, I’ll be stronger than ever, especially as I dive deeper into the singularity. The more I push myself and get pushed, the more powerful I’ll become as my body adapts. This singularity phenomenon really is something else.

“Now then, who wants to go first?”

The wielder of Chimera’s quirk chooses then to break out of his cage.

“Great. A volunteer.” I smirk, using Overhaul to merge with the- SHITWRONGWRONGWRONG!!!

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

I immediately use Overhaul to explode the piles of flesh that devoured the Forced Singularity, purging every last bit of that thing from my body.

((‘Change of plans. NEVER do that again.’)) A shaken VestigeHaul gives me a rather obvious memo. ((“Just a bit longer and our entire body would’ve suffered horribly, quirks and all. Even Overhaul and Cell Activation may not have been able to fix that damage due to being damaged themselves.”))

“What’s wrong?” Zookeeper then inquired, noticing my face paling once again.

“That was… not a quirk.” I gasp. “Not even what I’d call a singularity quirk. The ionizing radiation, maybe? It threatened to break down my body at a rapid rate, and not even my singularity evolution could adapt to that… oh, shit.”

Every other Forced Singularity I’ve caged continues to thrash around, breaking through the prison my new mutations have become, and it isn’t just their attacks making their cages weaker.

Their very bodies seem to carry a sort of radiation effect, destroying the nearby parts of my own body down to the DNA. 

((“It isn’t just them.”)) LabHaul adds on. ((“We managed to recover quite a few blown-off quirks and physical projectiles of his so far, and all of them seem to have this effect. I’d be willing to wager his Singularity Spawn and maybe the singularity environment itself carry this property too, even if at reduced levels.

But all of it’s growing the longer he goes on, and he has been getting hit with more nuclear bombs since this battle began.”))

‘If radiation is the issue here, then can a Radiation-Resistance quirk block it?’

((“Already tried, not enough. Whether it’s some singularity quirk concoction of his or just a natural result from his evolution, the radiation he’s producing is both powerful and unique. 

It’s almost like a new aura of his along with the ‘Willpower Aura’ ability people here can gain regardless of quirk status. Fascinating, but probably impossible for us to replicate. For all we know, this could be another method the world crafted up to counter us. 

To make matters worse, every new quirk he takes rapidly evolved too, being force-fed his stockpiled energy and radiation to turn Mutated Post-Singularity level in seconds.”))

‘He’s becoming more of an abomination by the minute.’ I internally groan again. ‘When will it end?’

 

((“Don’t worry, original. The world may be hellbent on destroying you, but you aren’t alone in this fight. Not even close.”)) My clone assures me as plenty more Double clones arrive on the scene. 

Most of them are Praetorian Summoners, having the usual lineup of Praetorian quirks along with Shadow Armada, Warp Gate, and Gloop Warp. I need endless armies right now, and those guys will provide me with endless armies.

Only their warping abilities are useless here since Singularity For One’s space-lock effect is still in play. At least they’re still one-man armies themselves… as are the clones of my Four Horsemen.

“N-Nine? But the Pseudo-AFO quirk-”

“Was taken out of the original me. Same with my crew, and us updated clones naturally come with this change.” The clone elaborates. “That suicide attack of yours didn’t completely put him down, but it did give your own clones back at base an opening.

Rewind could restore us and erase the Pseudo-AFO quirk entirely in an instant while preserving our other quirks and progress. Singularity For One could take advantage of that instant, take our quirks and memories again, but not while he was busy getting torn apart by you. Some progress has been made thanks to you, so take a breather, boss.”

Letting them take over, I recall my remaining ‘extensions’ with both Overhaul and Reveal while retreating to a skyscraper above, analyzing any other separated bits of flesh their radiation infected before purging them.

“Keep your distance!” I command as my duplicated subordinates engage the remaining Forced Singularities. 

Plenty more Singularity Spawn are approaching too, Singularity For One still terraforming wherever he happens to pass by, but they can handle themselves.

As for myself, I need to get a grip on these new mutations. I’d rather not turn into a Lovecraftian abomination during this evolution, so I get to work compacting and optimizing these new additions with Overhaul, learning plenty more about my evolving body in the process.

 

‘Got any updates for me, clones? I can multitask just fine.’ I message through Reveal.

((“Singularity For One is putting in a bit more effort now, though I’m guessing you figured that out already. He’s swapping out quirks at a consistent rate, searching for the best ones available as he takes a stroll through Europe and giving any that become too damaged or too rebellious to those rendered quirkless. 

Anyone else nearby is getting swapped with their vestiges, like what happened with you, Zookeeper, and Star. Good news is that your own battle with him took quite a while, giving the UN and WHA plenty of time to set up more of their own defenses. 

Forced Singularities and the never-ending Singularity Spawn are being mostly bottlenecked with Pro-Heroes, Police, Soldiers, and a whole lot of missile bombardments, but they can’t keep this up forever. Europe is gonna become completely uninhabitable at this rate.”)) NightHaul reports back.

‘And the big bad himself?’

((“Star and All Might hopped back into the fray, both having their powers back, but they’re doing even worse now then they were before. Frankly, the ongoing vestige rebellion still brewing in him is hindering the guy more. I’ve got tons of Double clones helping them out too, but you know how much of a monster he’s become. 

He isn’t even bothering to retain a humanoid appearance anymore, because he isn’t one, just a shifting, bubbling, brimming conglomerate of quirks. He sees himself not as a demon lord, but something far beyond it. A savior, a guide, an apostle of sorts. Someone who will begin and look over the Quirk Singularity Doomsday.”)) My clone murmurs.

‘Message Star to try basing her New Order rules on ‘superpowers’ or ‘unnatural abilities’ rather than ‘quirks’. My Mind Link with her got severed after I got thrown into my vestigeworld, so-’

((“Already tried that too. Her grasp over reality just isn’t enough to overpower what All For One has become, even with the QAD. Or maybe it’s just her mentality and comprehension holding her back?”))

‘Any chance Lemillion is nearby? At this point, I’d be willing to let Star have One For All if it means taking that abomination down.’

((“Not a good idea. Singularity For One is still gradually siphoning embers from OFA to further empower himself despite the resistance the vestiges within are giving him. He may be able to just take the entire package whenever he wants, especially with our stolen, boosted Willpower-Enhancers. 

If Mirio transfers the quirk to Star, the singularity might just decide to take both OFA and New Order and we would all be even more fucked. While we’re on the subject, LabHaul, please destroy every remaining copy of Pseudo-AFO and earlier OFA gen quirk we have. 

He can force a resonance with any of them, and probably give or take whatever quirks he wants to those powers and any users wielding them. He may even be able to transfer his entire being to them if he gets desperate enough.”))

((“Got it. What about the original AFO? He’s only taken a few quirks from it so far, but chances are-”))

‘Keep that quirk, but move it to its own separate laboratory far away from our other facilities and have it under constant surveillance.’ I butt in. ‘I don’t think he can transfer himself between quirks, because he probably would’ve done so if he could. 

After all, his very being is an inferior copy of All For One. Why wouldn’t he go for the superior version, a version with far greater control over any quirks and vestiges he collects?’

((“He wasn’t taking us seriously before, original. He still isn’t, not entirely.”))

‘Just trust me on this. Worst case scenario, we hit the original AFO with Rewind or our quirk-erasing solution the instant he transfers himself over, destroying him. Assuming he can transfer his being over, he probably suspects we would do that to trap him.’

((“Fine. Just hurry up with your own analysis and step back into the fray, because Singularity For One isn’t that far off from Asia, and we’ll have a much harder time using the MLA and Gollini Family to stall when he leaves their main turf.”))

 

My clones and I continue talking strategy, giving updates, and just complaining about how unfair the world is as said world completely falls apart from its own suicidal stupidity.

Singularity For One’s kill count is already catastrophic, as is the collateral damage. I normally wouldn’t care, but I’m losing a lot of fodder as that abomination passes over MLA and Gollini Family strongholds, not to mention the members purposefully heading over to stand in its way.

Both Star and I being rather trigger-happy with nuclear-level attacks at the moment doesn’t help the planet’s infrastructure. Neither does the singularity terraforming that abomination is spreading around. 

The Forced Singularities and endless amounts of Singularity Spawn are ranking up even more kills as they rampage across the continent, managing to slip through WHA/MLA perimeters more and more. Any nearby defenders having their vestiges forced into the driver’s seat as he passes by make the situation worse, as they have no way to fix it like Star and I do.

That’s not even mentioning the ongoing disaster spreading in I-Island’s systems. I haven’t forgotten about that extra detail on Humarise’s end.

According to BossHaul, whatever’s fighting our technopaths is adapting rapidly to their assaults and defenses. Like, unnaturally rapidly. Any counterattacks done are losing effectiveness too, not that they ever got far to begin with. 

Computer viruses are purged and patched in record time, whatever program is being run getting automatically inoculated against anything they throw at it no matter how much technopathy is used.

‘Are you sure there isn’t some Artificial Singularity with a technopathic quirk being activated to defend the island? How else do you explain this?’

((“Not according to Starservant and our other spies. Whoever this is isn’t stopping their actions against God For One, but our Cyberwarfare Branch is rapidly losing ground and just because this person isn’t forcefully controlling the mechanical island now doesn’t mean they won’t later.”)) BossHaul elaborates.

We can still track it and monitor the island’s inner workings with spies, bees, and satellites, but the fact that my organization somehow lost in terms of cybernetic capabilities is extremely concerning.

At the very least, only I-Island is getting hacked. All of our systems are separate from each other, so this mystery hacker can’t just take over our own security systems and satellites by slamming into the backdoor we made. Small mercies.

Plenty of missiles and quirks are being launched at the environment as well in an attempt to pull this problem by the roots, but Singularity For One’s handiwork isn’t so easily undone, especially as he continues growing stronger.

More OFA embers or siphoned energy here, another quirk-boosting quirk there, and just min-maxing his increasing arsenal to the best of his ability. As if the gap wasn’t large enough already. Come to think of it…

 

‘Any chance we can overload him? If quirks are like muscles, then would overwhelming him with the equivalent of steroids work? OverTrigger or more powerful, unstable versions of Melissa’s Ideo Trigger and the QAD could boost him even more, pushing his powers until they rip themselves apart.’ I suggest.

((“I wouldn’t count on it, especially since the world is letting him adapt to pretty much anything we throw at him no matter how impossible it should be. Our best shot is completely destroying his core, destroying him before he can even try to adapt. Either that or wait until his forced singularity state wears off.”))

‘And the world will probably make that happen after he finally decides to, and succeeds in, killing me. Great. A rebellion from his quirk vestiges probably won’t help much now either as he can just transfer any particularly annoying quirks and their vestiges to others.

Unless we can get a crucial few quirks like Forced Quirk Activation to join in, there isn’t much that method of attack can do, but that much is out of our hands.’

So that means stalling the guy until we have a foolproof way to destroy his core… until someone else can think of something, because I tried everything I could bar Infinite Doubles and merging with a clone of Star.

Star isn’t stupid. She knows I’ll become an ever greater threat than Singularity For One if I get my hands on New Order, and considering how badly One For All’s vestiges rebelled during the brief moment I merged with a Double clone of Lemillion…

((‘We could try adapting to that if you really are that desperate.’)) VestigeHaul offers his own suggestion. ((‘At the very least, the other vestiges and I can probably handle them a lot better now that we know what to expect.’))

‘That’s One For All, not New Order, and trying to forcefully improve our quirks with its embers probably won’t end well, especially with the quirk just being a Double copy. 

Let’s just… ugh… let’s just stop thinking about others for a second. Other people, other powers, just others in general. What else can WE do?’

 

((‘We can stuff some Artificial Quirk copies from your top brass into yourself, as the Quirk Singularity Evolution should be able to adapt to that at High-Gear, but I’m assuming you’re referring to Overhaul and Reveal, and how these powers in particular can further evolve.’))

…Yeah, I should probably go and do that now with the Singularity Evolution going on. I’ve got backup copies of pretty much every Artificial Quirk we’ve made, and I can rely on Reveal to get some quirk How-To Guides on wielding them from my subordinates. 

Doing that will give me a good boost, but I doubt it’ll be enough. Like VestigeHaul said, what I need right now is a new evolution, a quality to match the singularity. How can Overhaul evolve further? Having it be effective on liquids, gasses, and energy would normally help a lot, but it’s a uselessness against quirks themselves that serves as my biggest problem.

Why should Overhaul be ineffective against quirk factors? In fact, why is Overhaul ineffective against liquids, gasses, and energy to begin with? It’s supposed to be ‘matter’ manipulation, not physical object manipulation! Matter is the fundamental building block of everything in the universe! So why can’t I… wait…

Overhaul’s other main weakness comes from a lack of understanding. The quirk itself has improved plenty in terms of range, activation speed, and even chained contact, but everything else came from me discovering different uses for what’s already present.

Healing and reviving people, body modifications and mergers in general, that kind of thing. Overhaul’s skill ceiling is tremendous, but that means nothing if its user can’t utilize that potential. 

So is that still what’s holding me back? A lack of understanding regarding quirks themselves? I already figured out plenty regarding quirks. I can identify and sever resonances. I can suppress and control quirk vestiges to a certain extent. I can even mutilate quirks like Garaki can, but what Singularity For One has aren’t quirks.

How can I get around that then? What loophole can I use? What do I do if I can’t understand?

((‘Who says you have to understand?’)) VestigeHaul questions me.

‘...Huh?’

((‘You’re overcomplicating things, Sekan. The Quirk Singularity Evolution takes shape at least partially based on subconscious desires, right? Same goes for Quirk Awakenings and Artificial Quirks.

While a greater understanding does often get you a closer result to any complicated improvements you desire, what you want is pretty simple, right? So the way I see it, the only thing you need to understand is what you want.’))

What I want, huh… yeah, I think I can at least answer that much.

 

 

 

Status of Singularity Crisis:

Time Since Initial Ascension - 4 Hours 15 Minutes

Estimated Number of Casualties - 5,580,000

Remaining Distance to Japan - 6,898 Kilometers/4,286 Miles

Remaining Tiamat (Nuclear ICBMs) - 4/12 (Star and Stripe made more with Creation)

Chapter 123: Triumvirate

From Otheon to France to Germany to Austria to Hungary to Romania to Ukraine to Russia, heroes and villains alike have been hitting this abomination with everything they’ve got.

World Heroes Association and United Nations with All Might and Star and Stripe taking the lead, local Hero Public Safety Commissions throwing in whatever they could amass too. 

Meta Liberation Army and Gollini Family members amassed while the League of Villains sends waves of Double clones and Humarise launches long-distance missile salvos and sets of Hercules armor over from their mechanical island.

Even Long Haul or ‘Sekan’ decided to lend a helping hand, showing just what happens when he’s forced to get serious.

Yet All For One refuses to go down, and it’s pissing Cathleen Bate off to no end. 

Barriers were built and subsequently broken. Armies were toppled as their powers were stolen. Clones were blown back into the goopy mess they originated from. Air missile strikes were a constant, typically reinforced by whatever ground-to-air and/or sea-to-air missile launchers happened to be close enough, and they all barely tickled the abomination.

And it’s pissing Cathleen Bate off to no fucking end. 

 

“VEER OFF! ANOTHER MISSILE STRIKE INCOMING!” She screams her mentor’s way, an X-66 jet carrying her away as All Might leaps back.

Dozens of long-ranged missiles from WHA-aligned weapons fly towards the singularity in multiple waves. Only a fraction make it through the environment he creates, and they barely even phase him, but at least it holds his attention for a few seconds.

Some time to recover is better than none, right? Especially when you're fighting a de facto god for hours on end as the world goes to hell around you. 

I-Island sends their own missile strike soon after, just as the singularity is crossing both the figurative and literal barrier from Ukraine to Russia. 

Over ten thousand people are stationed at this latest one, ranging from Pro-Heroes and soldiers to Meta Liberation Warriors and Gollini Family members. All of them launch volley after volley of quirks, but like the salvo Humarise just sent, the attacks hardly phase him.

The prior propaganda from both sides made this temporary team-up awkward to say the least, but when faced with a crisis like this, they were willing to put their personal vendettas on hold.

Most quirks are recoiled back towards the wall, claiming a few hundred lives right off the bat. A mass attack of rivets and tentacles claims thousands more over the next few minutes, even with her copying Blackwhip to try and pull the monster away, or at least redirect him.

All Might attempts to punch his storms away, which actually does work, but they simply reform as fast as they dissipate. He does this while running up the Blackwhip chains, doing his best to avoid another volley of ranged attacks that’s launched as a counter.

He manages to avoid it. The Blackwhip chains don't.

 

“DON’T LET HIM RESTOCK ANYMORE, DAMNIT!” She cries out to no avail, the mass shrinking before rapidly growing in size.

Hundreds of quirks were forcefully transferred, their users turning into more mutating abominations which join the ones his terraformed environment is naturally spawning. Most of them were already damaged to various degrees, but that seems to just make their new hosts mutate more.

Even more quirks are forcefully stolen, quickly being boosted to rival the mass of other powers currently at his disposal. Not good, chipping away at his quirk factors doesn’t mean shit if he simply restocks at the nearest city or hastily-built barricade. 

Constantly altering his arsenal also makes adapting to his tactics much harder, especially with him gradually getting better at using basic, albeit heavily-boosted, combinations. 

So why have anyone besides her, All Might, and Double clones try fighting him, then? Well, Gloop Warp lets him bring over a steady stream of new quirks for himself if no populated cities happen to be nearby. 

Either way, he won’t be running out of backup quirks anytime soon.

He’s growing more and more powerful as time passes. His army of natural monsters and forcefully-converted monsters is growing in number as time passes. His terraformed environment is growing as time passes. 

Both Cathleen and Toshinori figured it would be best to keep Mirio back for the time being, the third symbol helping beat back any particularly powerful members of the abomination-filled armies across Europe. 

Same goes for most of the other Number 1 Heroes like Big Red Dot and Salaam, mostly due to them being fodder compared to this monster if their Double clones are anything to go by.

At least what remains of the UN and WHA can agree on that much, a solid portion of both organizations already abandoning ship. Some even attempted sabotage in a vain effort to appease the boogeyman.

The WHA Director constantly demanding information on Long Haul isn’t helping either, especially as he doesn’t seem to notice the subtle hints from her. 

Yes, he's the guy who fought her back at I-Island. No, openly explaining everything else she knows about the guy will not help. It will only make most of the people in that room more likely to give up since there are actually two world-ending abominations instead of one.

If he was willing to show off quirk combinations that rival, if not surpass what Tiamat nukes can dish out and missiles with warheads filled with fucking quirk-erasing gas, she can only imagine what else the guy has been hiding all this time, and what other stuff she does know will only make those guys despair even more.

 

[Any attempts to contact or even approach him have failed, the ruined city he was last seen in taken over by an army of shadows that slaughter anyone who comes close enough. We need to know if-]

“JUST GIVE THE GUY HIS PRIVACY AND HE’LL COME BACK WHEN HE’S READY!” She yells into her comm. “FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DON’T GO PISSING HIM OFF TOO! DEALING WITH ALL FOR ONE IS BAD ENOUGH!”

“They’ll want to know more, Cassie.” All Might sighs, jumping onto the fighter jet she’s on. “They were willing to keep All For One a secret during my own war with him, but times have changed.”

“Assuming they’re even still around by the time this is over… what a fucking mess. No way is the world recovering from this.”

“We can’t save everyone. It’s simply impossible, so don’t let that weigh you down.” Her mentor offers the best advice he can give. “Instead, focus on the lives you can save. Focus on the present, and worry about the future when it arrives.”

Right, she’ll just keep doing her best, because that’s all she can do. All Might too.

Mirio would fare much better, especially if given a QAD of his own, but would that really make a difference? Can anything they do accomplish anything besides slightly slowing him down?

Even now, this monster is just toying with them. Bringing Mirio over to the main, moving battlefield might just make the heroes’ situation worse.

Hope continues to dwindle as All For One picks up speed, blitzing through Russia in record time. They’re rapidly reaching the end of Gollini Family territory, and the MLA can’t help much more either, at least until this monster reaches Japan.

Humarise is quickly running out of things to throw his way too, and while there are still plenty of Pro-Heroes in Asia, actually getting even a small fraction of them to AFO’s assumed path of destruction is easier said than done.

Not that most of them want to needlessly throw their lives away like that. All For One’s buddies still stirring up chaos across most of the world doesn’t help either. 

Point is, the situation is bad. Really bad. 

So bad that she’s actually relieved to see Long Haul step through a purple portal, catching both her and All Might as they’re sent flying back from another omnidirectional blast.

 

He’s different from before. Larger, stronger, armored up in gear similar to the Hercules suit Melissa fielded. The guy has always bounced back from any losses more powerful than ever before, and it looks like this instance is no different.

“Look at that. Your flag cape does have a use.” He chuckles, yanking her back by the end of it.

“Don’t disrespect the flag cape, bitch.” She snarks back. “So what’s the plan? No way would you show up without one.”

“Besides helping you distract him better, honestly, I got nothing.” The villain shamelessly admits. 

“What has he even become?” All Might gawks as the monster starts slowing down, watching them, waiting for them.

Is it curiosity? Is it confidence? Is it some 5-D plan she can’t even begin to figure out?

“The All For One you know of actually is dead, if that’s any consolation. What we’re facing right now isn’t a person, but a quirk vestige like the past One For All wielders, one puppeting a mass of other quirks.

Such massive amounts of ‘quirk power’ would shatter anyone’s body and mind, and technically speaking, he has neither of those things. That being said, all these quirks still stem from and are contained in the All For One quirk. 

Destroy that and both its vestige and collection of quirks get taken out too. Easier said than done, since his legion of quirks can defend against just about anything, even nuclear-level attacks and quirk vestige attacks from within. I got close before, even cracking the core a bit-”

"̸B̷u̸t̵ ̸i̴t̷'̸s̷ ̵n̷o̷t̷ ̶n̷e̶a̶r̵l̶y̶ ̴e̵n̸o̷u̷g̵h̸.̴"̶ The singularity declares, staring the three of them and plenty of surrounding Double clones down. 

“Guess I’ll just have to hit you harder then.” Long Haul counters before turning to face her. “Mind letting me borrow New Order for a bit?”

“Fuck. That. I’m not jumping out of the frying pan into that fucking fire.”

“Fine, fine. Plan B then.” He sighs, grabbing both her and All Might with one hand each.

And then the fucking asshole kills them both.

 

…Only to bring them back a moment later, fully-healed and more powerful than ever before. Same with New Order, her rule count having increased again to four with the QAD stacked.

“G-GAH! The hell did you… wait… why does my body feel so-”

“Powerful? Hopped-up on adrenaline?” He finishes the thought. “You’ve heard of Hysterical Strength, haven’t you? Took me a while, but I figured out how to forcefully bring out the phenomenon in people without keeping them on the brink of death.

The boost is temporary though, and constantly bringing it out of a person will have some really nasty consequences later even with some solid healing quirks helping them out, but New Order can probably fix that.”

A bright, rainbow light then forms from both outstretched hands, and more armor similar to Hercules encompasses them. The color palette for Star’s suit is similar to her own costume, and All Might’s is similar to the Armored All Might theme.

“R&D Department augmented a few designs I stole from Melissa, should help you tank another hit or two. I even fully-healed All Might’s chest injury as an extra bonus. You’re welcome.”

“...You could’ve become a great hero, you know?” All Might speaks up, surprising both Long Haul and her. “A better symbol than I ever could’ve been.”

“Sorry, but I’ve got something a bit bigger in mind. Now come on, your bodies should’ve finished adjusting by now. Give yourself Gearshift again and apply the speed-up effect to us all before swapping rules. We’re gonna need all the help we can get.”

“Fuck yeah. Let’s see him take all three of us on at full power- no, beyond that. Go Beyond…” Star starts, having followed Sekan’s command.

“PLUS ULTRA!!!” All Might finishes as his body is further boosted.

“Regretting this already.” Long Haul groans, purple flames crossing his chest and purple wings of energy coating his back after he gives himself Hysterical Strength. “Follow my lead!”

"̴S̵u̴p̷p̷o̷s̸e̸ ̵I̴ ̵c̶a̴n̷'̵t̵ ̴c̴o̴m̸p̶l̷a̷i̵n̶ ̷a̴b̴o̴u̸t̷ ̵t̶h̵i̶s̷.̸"̵ The singularity chuckles as countless quirks manifest and mutate before their very eyes. "̶C̵o̷m̴e̴.̶"̷

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  2 Hours Until The Submergence

“NEW ORDER!”

“DETROIT SMASH!”

“QUIT YELLING YOUR ATTACK NAMES!”

 

Singularity For One erupts in energy, the world around us transforming into everything from volcanoes and frozen tundras to sentient forests and anti-gravity fields. 

Ultra Phosphor, Alchemy, and Shadow Armada support the hordes of Double clones spearheading our latest assault, meeting the swarms of Singularity Spawn and Forced Singularities head-on.

They help tank the majority of his ranged assault too, Multi-Layer Barrier and Reveal supported by a New Order rule handling the rest. 

“DETROIT! TEXAS! WYOMING! CAROLINA! MISSOURI! CALIFORNIA!”

All Might arrives first, being the strongest of us physically even without Gearshift’s extra boost. Flect Turn’s Reflect combined with other Reflection, Shock Absorption, and Impact Recoil quirks manage to absorb or deflect most of his barrage, but enough gets through to send the singularity flying back. 

I follow up with a combination of Ultra Phosphor, Ginnungagap, Chronokinetic Hair, and his own weaponized environment through Overhaul and Alchemy, pouring on the damage so his shields struggle to recover.

“NEW HAMPSHIRE! OKLAHOMA! ST. LOUIS- GAH!”

 

The Symbol of Peace is blown back with an Impure Beam, only for Star and Stripe to redirect the massive laser beam back at him with another rule. 

She gets impaled by a black and red rivet soon after, but the Forced Quirk Activation attempt fails, Star having permanently dedicated a rule to prevent any negative alterations to her quirk in advance.

Singularity For One decides to surround them both with another wave of quirks instead, the two relying on the air pressure from their barrage of punches and some extra New Order rules to keep him back.

I then charge back in, Warp Gate still being unusable thanks to his Spatial Distortion. Animalistic Alpha and Cyrokenetic Cthulhu turn me into an eldritch-looking abomination large enough to completely tank the wave of quirks and Carbon Counter turns most of that attack against him.

Finalizing my research on Hysterical Strength, properly adjusting to so many new Artificial Quirks, and suiting up with some new prototypes (BossHaul whipping up a slightly-altered design for Star in particular) on the technological side of things took a little while, but I figured the heroes could manage for at least a bit, and the results are already starting to show. 

More swarms of Double clones come in as All Might and Star recover. Endeavors, Getens, Nines, and Big Red Dots pelt him from afar with geysers of water, ice, fire, and lightning. Clones of Salaam, Hawks, Slice, and Edgeshot pierce through as much as they can while Gigantomachias and Chimeras beat the growing mountain back down. 

Even a few clones of Eri fly in, sending in barrages of Rewind-filled horns his way. My main goal was to have at least one of them slip through the quirk-filled cracks and strike the core, rewinding it out of existence in an instant. 

‘No, he couldn’t have adapted to that already!’

Unfortunately, this world shatters my hopes and dreams again as this abomination uses his altered One For All’s embers as a shield from within, not just blocking the attack, but absorbing some of its energy while dissipating its time-bending properties. 

Not even Reveal can uncover his full arsenal at this point, even if I dedicated the quirk solely on him, so he could have a combination of singularity quirks helping the stolen, mutated embers with that for all I know. 

In response to our latest insta-kill attempt, the surrounding sky becomes littered with all kinds of projectiles. Most Double clones resemble swiss cheese before turning into goop, and I’m forced to back off while reverting back to normal.

But the two symbols are ready to jump back in by then, another round of Gearshift boosts on top of everything else letting them catch up to Singularity For One as he continues his intercontinental journey to Japan.

Our battle with him really does mirror his showing in the Final War, chasing him down, hindering him however we can. He never goes out of his way to kill us, even though he most definitely can.

“HERE’S A GALE TO BOOST YOU TOWARDS HIM!” I scream while conjuring up another windstorm. “HE’S NOT BREAKING AWAY THAT EASILY! PIN HIM DOWN HOWEVER YOU FUCKING CAN!”

 

All Might throws smash after smash, the singularity tanking it all before countering with several times as much force, the Symbol of Peace sent flying past me as his arms are broken once again, the armor covering them now decimated.

Star activates her air avatar rule again, attempting to clamp down on the spiked, deformed ball of quirks and ego, but it grows over ten times larger in seconds and rolls over the mile-high construct before erupting into another omnidirectional ranged attack that demolishes what’s left of this latest barrier.

Half a dozen nearby WHA jet fighters get shot down along with another American X-66 Fighter Jet, Star’s squadron being only a fraction of its former size by now. 

Most activate their parachutes in time, but their vestiges are brought to the forefront, and the hellscape his singularity environment produces combined with the natural disorientation and confusion those guys are facing leads to none surviving the slow trip back down.

Heading to Japan may be the singularity’s top priority right now, yet that doesn’t stop him from fighting back fiercely. 

((“It’s fascinating, you know?”)) LabHaul informs me as my lower half is obliterated.

Those fucking railgun combos of his tear through my barriers and body modifications like tissue paper, especially now that the mass is turning itself into a giant thousand-quirked railgun every time he uses said combo.

Still better than his latest laser cannon combo. Just one shot aimed towards the ground obliterated three entire cities and brought All Might to death’s door.

Overhaul fixes the issue and Warp Gate gets me away before any more damage is done, us constantly being on the move and the constant pressure put on him making a continuous application of Spatial Distortion difficult.

Bits of Creation fix our armor and Overhaul or New Order can heal whatever Super Regeneration can’t, keeping us in the fight, only this does nothing to fix the underlying problem.

‘How screwed we are, you mean? Even with Reveal, I haven’t come close to working out how powerful he’s truly become, and he’s only growing stronger by the minute.’

((“Just think of the data we’re getting right now. From Reveal and Kuin’s swarm to the armor you, All Might, and Star you have on, we have heaps of data being sent our way! I’ll be able to make the rest of your own singularity ascension so much better with this combat data alone. And don’t even get me started on the bits and pieces of you guys scattered around the battlefield. 

Besides the growing environments he leaves behind, we’ve got both mutated Post-Singularity quirks from Singularity For One and DNA from Star and Stripe! Subduing the vestiges is still a problem, and the boogeyman’s body may still be unusable at the moment, but this at least gets us halfway.”))

‘Can you monologue to someone else? I’m kinda busy trying not to get killed right now!’ I mentally complain back, ducking a split second before a crystalized arrow can pierce right through my skull. 

 

“GOD DAMNIT!” Star roars in fury as she swaps her air rule for one that provides a copy of Creation. “ALL MIGHT, LONG HAUL, COVER ME!”

‘He’s already beelined into Kazakhstan, guess he’s becoming impatient.’ I mentally ponder, only for a Tiamat missile to soar past me a few seconds later, America’s Number 1 holding onto it for dear life.

Ah, we are rather far from any populated areas at the moment, aren’t we? The singularity’s path being so predictable makes evacuation on their end easy enough.

“STATE-OF-THE-ART…”

“JUST SHUT UP AND LAUNCH THE ATTACK!” I yell over, bracing for cover even as Star and the singularity travel dozens of miles away.

Here we go again… at least Reveal gave me more than enough intel to finally replicate these things myself. 

‘In fact, can you guys drop some more Rods From God on him once Star’s done?’ I send a mental message towards my clones. ‘Maybe another Quirk-Erasing Warhead too?’

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Both All Might and I are nearly blown back while I’m healing him, and I’ll have to Overhaul myself a few times to undo both burns and radioactive fallout that get through my own telekinetic barriers, but we’re still ready to jump back into the fray right after.

A good chunk of the singularity’s quirks do get damaged, if not incinerated, by blasts at this magnitude, but it’s far from his full arsenal, one he can still easily restock on if he wishes. 

That’s what he does soon after, blowing away my quirk-erasing gas and using Gloop Warp to forcefully bring over hundreds of others. Star activates her own space-sealing rule to prevent any more from coming. Too little, too late.

The stockpiled energy he amasses lets him recover any strength lost in his critical quirks while any severely weakened ones are forcefully transferred over along with the damaged ones as he takes the quirks of these condemned.

More Forced Singularities come into being as a result, and warp gates open up behind me as more Double clones spill out to match them. I send more of my own non-Double quirk summons as backup. 

 

It’s a vicious cycle. We slow him down a bit, land several heavy-hitting attacks, he escapes our hold and restocks, we all get beat up plenty throughout the process, rinse and repeat. We’ve become better at working as a unit over time, but our teamwork and coordination could still be better. At least there are still plenty of Double clones filling up our gaps.

Star and Stripe mainly handles long-range, using her rules to keep the singularity’s environmental changes and other larger attacks to a minimum.

I mainly handle mid-range combat, using my various manipulation quirks to redirect what Star can’t stop back at him and keep him still. Either that or I tank the attacks in question, my singularity evolution letting me adapt to at least some of it.

My body is still mutating, and waves of flesh will occasionally erupt out of me like a geyser, but these extra limbs and flesh are mostly useless. They’re still no different than hair or fingernails, being far weaker than my ‘core’ body. 

I don’t need sporadic, useless growth that’s meant to be discarded. I want all these natural improvements focused upon my core. Granted, the occasional extra brain forming does help increase Reveal’s output, among other things.

Some other helpful mutations have popped up too, both to better handle damage from others and my own growing output, but I usually use Overhaul to try and merge those into my ‘main’ self. I need to keep my speed and agility up if I don’t want to get one-shot here.

Speaking of Reveal, I constantly assault his ‘mind’ from within through that quirk, helping the ongoing vestige rebellion that the singularity can’t stamp out no matter how many quirks he forcefully transfers. Both it and Overhaul also shatter any quirk resonances he tries to form with me or my allies.

On top of fending off us out here, he has to fend off his own vestiges from within. I can see it through Reveal, and it’s still quite a struggle for him, but he’s getting better at it as time passes. 

All Might mainly handles close-range combat, him being the most physically powerful of us even before factoring in his Hysterical Strength, Quirk Amplification Device, and my augmented Hercules armor. Star paves a path and I keep him still so he can strike the mass over and over again, blasting off one group of quirks after another.

Various Double clones and my summons reinforce all three of us while destroying any chunks of him we manage to separate from the main body, ensuring the singularity can’t recover them with his own telekinesis or manipulation-type quirks. 

The occasional Tiamat, Quirk-Erasing Warhead, or Rod From God also give us bits of breathing room. Bombing runs from the WHA helped a lot less, those being redirected towards any terraformed singularity space they could reach.

If only we can reach that fucking core of his again. Warp Gate can’t take me into areas occupied by something, like a horde of singularity-level quirks, and he can just alter his ‘body’ to move said core away if I ever do get close.

My latest attempt to get close fails, and I’m smacked straight into Star who is still recovering from being a bit too close to her latest nuke when it bursted. New Order rules can heal the damage and some Creation usage from me can repair her armor that I so generously provided, though it still does take a bit.

I could’ve killed her then, or taken her quirk, or both. An instant of physical contact is all I needed, but now isn’t the time for infighting, and I doubt her vestige will be very happy about the sudden backstab.

So instead, I finish healing her myself while reapplying Hysterical Strength to us both. It barely takes a second, only that’s more than enough time for All Might’s arms to be torn right off their sockets.

 

“Warp me to him!” Star commands.

“He’s still sealing the space around us!” I yell back.

“FUCKING THROW ME AT HIM THEN!” She screams even louder at me.

The Symbol of Peace is used as a blunt weapon, swatting away clones of Captain Celebrity, Re-Destro, Chimera, and Gigantomachia before the bundle of rivets holding his legs is shattered by my own blunt weapon, Star and Stripe.

America’s Number 1 dropkicks through both the tendrils and the quirked mass controlling them, her strength and reflection rules letting her tank any attempt at a counterattack, and then hardening the air around them both with a new rule.

It cages the singularity for a bit as I heal All Might and we both launch another barrage of attacks from either side. Singularity For One quickly breaks free and sends hordes of quirks our way, both of us doing our best to counter while Star focuses on restraining him.

We all dart around the sky as the rapid clashes continue, the ground shaking and clouds parting when all four of us end up being blasted into different directions. 

All Might ends up north, being helped out of the crater he formed upon impact by clones of Big Red Dot, Chimera, Endeavor, and Hood.

Star and Stripe is thrown south, Hawks, Rei, Geten, Slice, and Captain Celebrity clones catching her with their feathers, ice, hair, and telekinesis respectively. 

I’m hurled towards the east, right into the hands of some Re-Destros and Nines for offense and Flect Turns for defense. More clones of Innsmouth and Gigantomachia are warped in right after. 

Singularity For One is pushed back west, the opposite direction he’s trying to go. More actual progress, and all it took was multiple power-ups and uniting with my archnemesis! Only issue is he’s been ramping up in intensity and power as much as we have since this battle began, if not more so.

"̸B̵e̵t̶t̴e̴r̶.̸"̷ The singularity echoes as we all surround him. "̴B̸u̶t̴ ̷s̷t̴i̵l̴l̷ ̶n̴o̵t̶ ̵e̷n̴o̴u̵g̷h̴.̸"̴

 

‘As much as I want to call bullshit, he’s got a point.’ I mentally grumble. ‘Hey clones, hero-villain team-up can’t do the job on its own. Do you guys have any new ideas?’

((“Evacuation efforts on the Shie Hassaikai’s end are going well. Helps that we already packed up most of our important stuff. We should be ready to fly off in Hassaikai Haven by day’s end if Abomination For One doesn’t blast us and our space station to bits first.”))

‘I asked for ideas, BossHaul.’

((“MLA is pulling back entirely, setting up the strongest defense they can off Japan’s coast. Probably won’t do much more than what this alliance already fielded, but it’s better than nothing.”))

Acid and poison quirks nearly drown me before I blast them away with telekinesis and wind manipulation. The damage naturally heals and renewed vitality threatens to overwhelm my current form as more hands and arms emerge across my body for increased output. 

‘Quit redirecting the conversation!’

((“Okay, I’ve still got nothing! Happy?”))

‘No. What about the rest of you? Sound off.’ I mentally message my clones while getting blasted into the ground once again. 

((“We have some of Mirio’s DNA, right? Maybe have Toga or a Pseudo-Toga copy One For All again and send whatever she can to Singularity For One through the resonance? You were able to slightly crack his core with a Double copy of OFA, right?”)) LabHaul suggests.

‘That can easily backfire as the resonance goes both ways. I’d rather not have AFO take more memories and the Transform quirk, letting him copy my quirks or Star’s New Order with some DNA, even if our vestiges are likely to resist.’

All Might goes careening through a mountain, only to grab said mountain and table-flip it onto the singularity’s head a few seconds later. Star and I try to help bury him; it doesn’t work and he busts out while causing an earthquake that spreads across the entire country of Kazakhstan.

((“Who suggested overloading him earlier? Mutated or not, transmuted or not, his OFA embers are still resisting.”)) GuildHaul offers. ((“Maybe fill him with energy or quirk boosts until he pops like a balloon?”))

‘Even if he did ‘pop’ like you suggested, that explosion would easily become an extinction-level event. Tiamat and the RFGs would look like sparklers in comparison.’

((“Well I don't hear you suggesting anything!”)) NightHaul points out.

 

‘I’m kinda busy trying not to get killed right now!’ I fire back while firing back at the singularity, only to have everything reflected back at me. ‘Come to think of it, where the hell is Mirio, NightHaul? Shouldn’t he be here by now? We could really use the extra help.’

((“He regrouped with Nejire and Tamaki. I’m chatting with the three over video call as they handle more Forced Singularities and Singularity Spawn across Europe and Asia. 

MLA and Gollini family have their hands full helping in the former continent, and the latter continent is quickly falling with most people over there scared shitless. Turns out having valid reason to believe the world is ending makes the morals of most evaporate. 

Countries can barely stay in control of their own populations, much less the armies of singularity monstrosities destroying them left and right. Old Big 3 are prioritizing the latter, and progress is being made, yet they can only cover so much ground so quickly and even they’re struggling against more monsters then not.

So there’s not much Mirio can do over by you right now. Abomination For One might even force Yoichi to the surface if he still cares about his little bro, and old as the guy is, his actual combat experience is nonexistent.”))

Right, he’s still been trying to swap ourselves and our quirk vestiges during the fight, but Star and I can resist it, All Might doesn’t have a quirk right now, and he either can’t do it to Double clones or just doesn’t bother doing it to them.

‘God DAMNIT! Am I really gonna have to risk using Infinite Doubles again? And even that might not be enough to do any meaningful damage anymore! Why is that quirk so hard to merge with others?’

Star tries implementing a rule that erases anything she touches, but the singularity’s natural power renders it mostly ineffective, a destructive effect spreading as slowly as Decay did during the USJ attack.

Nothing we do is working, and it’s pissing me off to no end.

((‘Use your anger. Use your pain. Let it fill you, fuel you!’))

‘Really, VestigeHaul? A Star Wars reference? Now?’

((‘That and a theory. Remember our earlier chat about how quirks can evolve?’))

Both Star and All Might are blasted back once again, leaving the singularity’s focus solely on me. 

But what scares me more is VestigeHaul taking control once again, using Overhaul to alter my brain… and then that fear along with everything else turns into raw, unfiltered, hatred.

 

 

 

Status of Singularity Crisis:

Time Since Initial Ascension - 6 Hours 30 Minutes

Estimated Number of Casualties - 12,870,000

Remaining Distance to Japan - 3,780 Kilometers/2,349 Miles

Remaining Tiamat (Nuclear ICBMs) - 3/15 (Star and Stripe made more with Creation)

Chapter 124: Animosity

((“Of course that fucking brocon can’t stay away from the spotlight for five goddamn minutes.”))

((“Less bitching and more planning, Kudo!”))

((“Well I don’t hear you offering up any bright ideas!”))

He’s gotten better at communicating with the vestiges over time, but that’s proving to be more of a hindrance than anything at the moment.

“We’re all gonna die, aren’t we?”

“Hey, hey! C’mon, Amajiki! We can’t give up now! Be a lion, not a kitten… or better yet, be both and every other kind of animal you can with Manifest!”

Banter from his friends on the outside and his sort of mentors on the inside is really testing his patience.

 

[Deny that request! Poland barely got scraped by All For One when other countries got carved right through and they want first dibs on getting a Tiamat nuke delivered to their doorstep?! Tell them nuclear ICBM’s don’t grow on trees!]

[For the last time, the enemy doesn’t give a flying fuck about whether or not we surrender, so tell France’s representative that- what? WHAT?! This is the third assassination attempt on Neito this hour! Who the hell do you have guarding him?!]

[Re-Destro can wait his turn! Bad enough that he nearly conquered most of Europe under our noses, now he’s demanding we prioritize protection of Gollini Family facilities because they’re supply hubs? He can shit or get off the pot, bring that stockpiled stuff over or wait until All For One gets there to start firing it in his face!]

[Well until the WHA Director is done making sure the UN doesn’t start a civil war, I’m calling the shots since none of you chucklefucks would know directing if it hit you in the-]

“Uh, Sir? Your comm is still on and it’s really distracting.” Mirio emphasizes, putting another poor soul out of his misery after All For One forced a singularity quirk onto him. 

A dozen more rush over soon after, hundreds of Singularity Spawn following close behind. The only way to possibly stop more from generating is by completely leveling the areas they’re generating from, and even that isn’t a guarantee.

 

He’s doing his best with his own singularity-level quirk. Permeation being awakened by One For All helps a lot too, Mirio now having access to his senses which makes coordinating his intangible movements a whole lot easier. Breathing is still a problem though, especially when he stacks Gearshift on top. 

Nejire is getting tired too, even with the crude bits of energy transfer Mirio can do through the sparks OFA gives off when he powers up. 

Tamaki can’t even the playing field by consuming these singularity infected people or things either, Sir making it very clear not to do that or Tamaki might irreversibly mutate into one of those things as well.

[I’m sorry, Mirio. It’s a madhouse over here, keeping track of everything is impossible, and what I do know paints a terrible picture. Europe and Asia may end up becoming completely uninhabitable, United Nations is on the verge of disbanding, and nobody can hit All For One hard enough for any damage to actually matter. Not All Might, not Star and Stripe, not Long Haul, not anyone.

Honestly, I may have to take Neito and flee soon. If he dies, you and All Might are finished, and far too many here are allowing desperation to drive them. Don’t panic if you don’t hear from me again soon… and if it does turn out to be the end, know that I couldn’t be prouder of you.]

Mirio starts to understand how Izuku felt towards the end of his life. He’s done so much good, more than anyone could have asked of him, yet it simply isn’t enough.

Stacking One For All with Blackwhip, Fa Jin, and Gearshift lets him blow back entire armies. Tamaki consuming the strand of hair Star provided as a last resort gives them some more breathing room, but it won’t last forever.

Something has to change if they even want a chance at winning. All For One isn’t the only one with crazy strong abilities, and the right combination of quirks can do just about anything! 

‘Wait a second… the right combination…’

 

An idea to finish this was eventually formed. Not by All Might, Star and Stripe, Sekan and his clones, or any of their vestiges, old and new... instead, it was formed by the student of them all.

“Sir! I think I know a way to stop All For One!”

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  1 Hour 30 Minutes Until The Submergence

“WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!?” I scream in absolute fury, letting loose every quirk in my arsenal as pain overtakes me.

Killing intent rolls off me in waves. Energy crackles as it fades from purple to black. My emotions are going haywire, feeling like anger, sadness, and fury being forcefully brought to the surface.

It feels like every loss and failure I’ve ever had just rolled into one and slammed into me. It feels like I just watched Zi and Eri permanently die right in front of me.

((‘Hatred is a powerful tool as Tomura has proved time and time again. Channel that and your anger into a desire for destruction while using my power. You’ve got a punching bag for this right in front of you.’))

The singularity had briefly paused his railgun combination in both confusion and surprise, but went back to charging it a moment later. It fires and hits me dead-on as I activate Overhaul.

And the projectile decays into dust before it can damage me.

 

“̸Y̸o̶u̵ ̸s̵t̷o̶l̷e̸ ̸T̵o̸m̵u̶r̶a̵’̵s̷ ̸D̵e̵c̶a̷y̶?̷”̷ Singularity For One questions while firing several more rounds.

((‘YES! I knew it worked like that!’)) The bastard bird ghost cheered, his latest little experiment apparently having the intended results.

I pay neither of them any mind, decaying every other attack launched my way before reaching the mass itself.

And then, despite Overhaul only partially working on them before, I’m able to reach my metaphorical hand into the mass and start destroying quirks and vestiges alike.

The singularity is pummeled from all angles on the outside, and he’s nearly trampled by a stampede of fleeing vestiges on the inside.

More projectiles come at me, and barrier quirks are activated as an extra line of defense, but every obstacle in my pass is turned into dust as I tackle the abomination deep into the ground, both of us forming a canyon as I drag him along. 

“THIS IS FOR DEIDORO SAKARI, RIKIYA KATSUKAME, KENDO RAPPA, AND ALL MY OTHER SUBORDINATES YOU SLAUGHTERED AT NARUHATA!”

His mass of quirks begins to rot as I continue beating him down, my own singularity evolution beginning to manifest this altered state, solidifying it on both the inside and outside.

“THIS IS FOR CAUSING NEEDLESS PARANOIA FOR FAR TOO FUCKING LONG!”

The Earth itself begins to get affected too, chunks of his body hitting the ground before they’re destroyed, the effect continuing to spread to no end. 

Even quirk vestiges within his own vestigeworld are further spreading the effects, those already infected bumping into others, condemning them as well.

“THIS IS FOR THE CENTURIES OF BULLSHIT YOU AND YOUR BROTHER PUT THIS WORLD THROUGH!”

 

He’s starting to slightly panic now, like back when my Omni-Factor Unleash attack hit him before, the sludge from Gloop Warp being decayed before it can even leave my mouth. The quirk does manage to summon plenty of others though, passing on his infected powers to them before they can damage his vestigeworld any further.

None of the recipients survive the next minute, being decayed from the inside out. The effect on their new quirks and vestiges once again spread to the main body for lethal results.

The singularity tries to make some distance himself while doing this, erupting out of the rapidly-growing canyon we made with me right on his tail, but handling such a massive transfer takes up most of his attention.

But that leaves him distracted. That leaves him open, and not even his Danger Sense can save him from the strike that follows, breaching deep enough to nearly reach his core. Even if energy is channeled to shield and resist this unending wave of destruction, I still have plenty of other quirks to force my way through.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

((‘Okay, you can stop now. You’re starting to destroy-’))

“FUCK! OFF!”

Singularity For One is sent careening back towards the ground. I myself land shortly after, walking towards the writhing mass menacingly as a tidal wave of decay forms behind me, ready to destroy every fucking bit of this bastard and the world that thinks it can-

((‘You’re losing control! You’re destroying yourself!’))

An incarnation of destruction, one worse than AFO Tomura ever was. That’s what VestigeHaul turned me into to break through. 

…But I don’t want to become that. I don’t want to become just another AFO Tomura, so I forcefully take back control, ending the mutations in body and mind that are bringing me further towards complete annihilation.

And not a moment too soon, because it wasn’t just Singularity For One being destroyed. Dozens of Double clones have already perished, unable to escape the growing decay wave in time. 

All Might and Star were close to being hit too, and the decay effect might eventually spread to the entire continent if I don’t stop it. I… how did I…

 

‘How?! I don’t have Decay!’

((‘You have Overhaul, don’t you?’))

‘Decay was a modified, mutilated copy of Overhaul, turned into something completely different!’

((‘Yes and no.’)) VestigeHaul elaborates. ((‘Like you said, Decay is a modified copy of Overhaul, a copy which had the restoration aspect, the secondary power to reverse any destruction from its first aspect, removed entirely, leaving only a partial power purely destructive in nature. 

So naturally, that got me thinking. With how quirks are shaped and perceived by its users, there are so many cases where their true capabilities are never brought out. In other words, most people only bring out a fraction of their quirk’s true potential, dictating their limited usage through their limited perception of their powers.’))

‘It’s the point you brought up before, but how does that cause me to manifest decay without actually having Decay?’

((‘Think about it. If you were to purposefully suppress the restoration half of Overhaul and only focus on the destructive half in both body and mentality, could you replicate Decay’s effects despite not actually mutilating Overhaul itself into that half-baked puppet of a quirk?

Turns out you can. Overhaul being capable of spreading to anything connecting to a target after its own awakening made that aspect of Decay much easier to replicate, and every other difference between the two quirks was simply due to Decay being weaker.

Your singularity evolution also made this easier to manifest, your body being much more adaptable, much more malleable.’))

‘So with the proper mindset, Decay is merely a stage or aspect of Overhaul, one potential way of many to use this matter manipulation quirk.’ I connect the dots. ‘Ah, I get it now… this should be fun to play around with.’

 

Decay stops spreading with a thought, pieces of infected debris gathering up with another and focusing solely on the singularity with a third and final command. Another wave of projectiles met it head-on, but that was just a distraction on my end. 

Just a way to buy some experimentation time, as Decay has plenty of flaws that should be fixable with access to the complete matter-manipulation package.

‘With Decay being an Overhaul copy without restoration, and my sense of output control being different then restoration, I should be able to completely control its effects without worrying about losing sight of the pure, destruction aspect needed.’

One major issue with Decay is how its effects keep spreading throughout a target’s body with no way of stopping it besides the mutilation of the affected area before it spreads past that. Same goes for any inanimate objects, really.

Meanwhile, Overhaul’s effects happen instantly and can be contained within a specific area, anything in its range. This extends to multi-staged contact. 

For example, I can channel Overhaul through the ground underneath me and into a person standing fifty meters away, turning the person into a bloody mist without altering the ground whatsoever. 

On the other hand, Decay has to first destroy the ground between user and target before spreading to the person fifty meters away.

Activating Overhaul in its base state, I mentally map out my area of influence. Still only solids; no liquids, gasses, or energy.

Next, by altering my mindset to a purely destructive one and drawing on the Decay aspect on Overhaul, my range of available targets starts to increase.

Liquids like water and hydrogen peroxide can decompose, meaning they can break down into simpler substances through chemical reactions. Gasses can too. Even radiation can decay.

So targeting everything in this singularity environment around me as Singularity For One and swarms of his summons prepare to go on the offensive, I put my latest breakthrough to the test.

“Total… Decay.”

 

Just like that, almost everything within a five kilometer distance from me is broken down in its entirety. 

All Might and Star were purposefully avoided, as were the patches of land they were standing on. Same goes for any surviving Double clones.

Singularity For One saved himself, surrounding himself in energy. His energy attacks were also fine, their combined firepower nearly tearing me apart yet again.

Energy can’t be decayed in the sense of disappearing or being destroyed. It’s the first law of thermodynamics, the conservation of energy. 

More than that, Overhaul is a matter-manipulation quirk, and while matter and energy are closely intertwined, at the end of the day, energy is not matter.

Quirks can break the laws of physics, bend reality itself, especially on the singularity level. I’m not quite there yet with Overhaul in particular, nor do I know if crossing the singularity level with Overhaul will allow such a thing, though this is already a massive breakthrough and quirks like Alchemy (or Awakened For All once it’s ready) can make up for that flaw.

Right now, I need to focus on perfecting Overhaul, allowing it to ascend into the most powerful Post-Singularity Quirk this world has ever seen. It isn’t all about destruction, it isn’t just Decay. It should be able to alter or transmute anything as well, kind of like the Alchemy quirk.

Alchemy and Overhaul. The former transmutes any non-living object the user touches, energy included, and the latter can disassemble and reassemble matter. 

Just like how Decay’s effects should be part of Overhaul’s own, so should most of Alchemy’s effects. Same with Creation, now that I think about it. That quirk is a transmutation power too, turning the user’s fat cells into pretty much anything besides living beings. 

I need to think bigger. I have the true destruction aspect of Overhaul down, so that’s part of the picture completed. What I’m missing is the true creation aspect.

 

Maybe merging Alchemy and Creation into Overhaul would fix that, creating an Artificial Quirk that has both properties and even allowing a complete alteration of energy, but I want to try something different.

I want to unleash Overhaul to its true potential. No outside boosts, no forcing in drugs or energy stockpiles, no merging with other quirks, nothing like that. Not now. 

If I want to get the most out of this singularity evolution, I need to see this through myself. I need to perfect the quirk and then add all my boosts on top, not reach a false-perfect state by stacking boosts on the imperfect quirk.

((‘Appreciate the thought, and you’re right. Something deep inside of me is cracking, and it’s not because of damage. My very being is starting to evolve once again. This is different to a Quirk Awakening, this is something infinitely more special. 

Most of the pieces are in place. We’re just missing one crucial aspect. Try physically engaging the singularity again; pay close attention to both the energy and quirks in us both this time, and do it with Overhaul, not Reveal. I’ll do my best to support the process.’))

VestigeHaul hasn’t led me astray before, so I take his advice.

"̴Y̸o̶u̷'̴r̵e̴ ̷h̸o̴l̸d̴i̵n̸g̸ ̵b̶a̴c̴k̸ ̶e̸v̸e̶n̵ ̸m̶o̶r̶e̷ ̵n̷o̸w̴.̸ ̴W̶h̶y̶?̸"̸ The singularity confronts me, genuinely curious.

“Kinda ironic coming from you.” I retorted. “You could’ve gone Omni-Factor Unleash at any time you wanted. You could’ve easily killed us by now, yet you didn’t.”

"̵I̶ ̵a̴l̶r̸e̷a̶d̶y̵ ̴m̶a̴d̴e̴ ̵m̶y̷ ̸m̶o̴t̴i̴v̷a̸t̶i̸o̸n̷ ̴c̷l̷e̸a̵r̷,̵ ̷b̷u̴t̴ ̸w̵h̶a̵t̸ ̸a̷b̴o̵u̷t̵ ̸y̴o̷u̷?̸ ̴Y̵o̸u̴ ̵c̸l̶a̸i̷m̶ ̷t̵o̵ ̶s̷e̴e̵k̸ ̶s̶u̴r̴v̴i̷v̸a̴l̷,̸ ̵y̸e̷t̶ ̶h̶e̴r̴e̴ ̵y̵o̷u̵ ̴a̴r̶e̸,̷ ̸r̵i̵s̷k̸i̵n̸g̷ ̶y̵o̸u̷r̶ ̸l̸i̵f̶e̶ ̶a̵g̶a̵i̷n̴ ̶a̶n̷d̸ ̶a̷g̸a̴i̷n̸.̴ ̵A̶r̵e̵ ̶y̷o̴u̵ ̴t̵h̷a̵t̸ ̵c̷o̴n̶f̷i̵d̴e̴n̴t̸ ̶I̷ ̸w̴o̴n̴'̶t̴ ̶e̷v̴e̴r̸ ̶c̴h̶a̵n̶g̵e̴ ̵m̸y̷ ̸m̴i̵n̶d̸?̴"̶

“Nope. In fact, you could say I’m preparing for it.”

 

Such a conflict was inevitable because this world has always been out to get me. 

Killing All For One or Star and Stripe before they could far surpass their canon selves in power would’ve made no difference. The world was always going to choose someone to destroy me and everything I stand for, because what I stand for goes at odds against the world itself.

All For One is simply the newest chosen vessel of its will, both Izuku Midoriya and Star and Stripe having failed in wiping me out. The Symbol of Evil may still have his own free will, but I’ve got the feeling this world is growing impatient. 

It’s been gnawing at me since the very beginning of my second life. Why is the world like this, or rather, why was the world made like this?

This world was created by those two dumbass deities, and it was based on My Hero Academia, everything from the history to the characters to the stupid shounen tropes being present, and the more I went against its chosen narrative, the more it resisted me.

From my perspective, there are three layers to the ‘society’ in this particular world.

Hero Society or the concept of it is the outermost layer, what’s visible on the surface. Below that, you have the people who created and run this society, and who would simply rebuild such a hero society if they don’t change.

Finally, you have the world itself. The ethereal laws and tropes that make up shounens, allowing people and a society like this to form even though it should be impossible with how stupid and flawed it is. 

What I’m talking about right now isn’t society or the people behind it, but the world behind everything.

Why is the world like this? Why does it resist and reject me so much?

What were those two dumbass deities trying to accomplish by doing this? Entertainment is the reason they gave, but there has to be more to it than that.  

Shounens like this are all about defying the odds, more often than not ending in plot contrivance for the sake of proving a point, of spreading some message that usually revolves around optimism and the power of friendship or whatever. 

Do they want to see that, but done differently? Defying the odds against defying the odds?

"̶S̸o̷,̶ ̷i̸s̵ ̷t̸h̵a̷t̸ ̸y̵o̶u̵r̴ ̴f̵i̴n̷a̵l̷ ̵a̶n̴s̴w̴e̴r̶?̴ ̷B̷e̸c̵a̵u̸s̷e̷ ̵y̸o̸u̶ ̷h̷a̴v̷e̸ ̶y̴e̷t̶ ̵t̸o̵ ̷p̶r̶o̸v̵e̴ ̷y̸o̶u̴r̷ ̶m̶e̶t̸h̷o̶d̶ ̶o̴f̵ ̵a̶s̷c̸e̸n̶s̵i̷o̷n̶ ̶i̴s̴ ̴s̶u̴p̷e̴r̸i̷o̴r̷.̶"̴

“Still deciding, actually.” I shrug back, and while he no longer has a face, I can tell the singularity is deadpanning my way.

 

“Oh, don’t give me that look. You know how I roll. Why do you think I undid my singularity evolution the first time around? Why do you think I haven’t tried making one giant Artificial Quirk yet?

Artificial Quirks have limitless potential, but can the same not be said for all quirks? If you really took the memories of Nine’s crew, you should know that I’ll try every avenue I can. How else will I figure out which method really is the best?”

"̴T̶i̸m̴e̷ ̴w̸a̴i̷t̸s̷ ̵f̵o̵r̵ ̷n̴o̶ ̴m̴a̵n̵,̷ ̷n̸o̸t̶ ̷e̵v̶e̸n̶ ̸y̴o̷u̵,̵ ̶R̸e̵w̴i̴n̴d̸ ̷b̸e̴ ̵d̵a̷m̵n̵e̷d̵.̴"̷

“Don’t need all the time in the world. I know my limits, and once again, I could buy enough time as a distraction. Isn’t that right, Star?” I confirm as the star-spangled reality-warper lands right next to me. 

“What, you being as annoying as ever? Totally.” She snarks back.

“This isn’t the first time you’ve appeared as an unbeatable opponent, old friend.” All Might adds on, arriving right after his student. “Opposing you may seem futile, but we can’t know for sure unless we keep trying.”

"̴T̵r̸y̵ ̵a̷l̴l̴ ̵y̷o̸u̴ ̷l̵i̸k̴e̶,̶ ̴S̵y̵m̵b̶o̶l̶ ̸o̵f̸ ̵P̶e̷a̴c̷e̵.̴ ̶F̷r̷o̸m̵ ̴c̴h̸a̸m̴p̸i̴o̴n̵s̷ ̶a̸n̷d̴ ̶p̴a̸r̴a̶g̸o̸n̵s̶ ̵t̵o̴ ̸t̴h̷e̶ ̷w̸o̶r̷t̸h̸l̵e̸s̵s̴ ̸a̷n̶d̵ ̵w̶e̷a̸k̷,̶ ̸a̵l̶l̵ ̶i̷n̵ ̴t̶h̶e̵ ̸E̸r̸a̷ ̵o̵f̶ ̸Q̷u̴i̴r̸k̶s̸ ̵h̶a̴v̶e̶ ̵b̶e̸c̸o̶m̸e̸ ̵o̴b̸s̴o̶l̸e̵t̸e̸.̶ ̸T̵h̸e̶ ̶E̴r̵a̸ ̶o̶f̷ ̸t̵h̶e̸ ̶S̶i̵n̷g̴u̸l̵a̵r̵i̵t̵y̵,̸ ̴t̶h̷e̷ ̸Q̵u̷i̷r̴k̶ ̷S̴i̸n̷g̴u̴l̸a̶r̷i̵t̴y̶ ̴D̸o̷o̶m̸s̵d̸a̸y̶,̸ ̵h̸a̴s̵ ̸b̷e̷g̷u̸n̸.̴"̵

“Care to confirm that one last time?” Star and Stripe challenges the singularity. “WHA is setting up a last stand now. Sekan will probably join in ‘cause he hates you too. If you really want to end hero society once and for all, then fight and win that.”

'Did she really just-'

"̶V̵e̵r̸y̸ ̵w̴e̶l̵l̸.̶ ̸L̷e̸t̷ ̵u̸s̵ ̸a̵l̸l̸ ̵p̶u̸t̷ ̸o̷u̵r̵ ̵i̵m̴p̵r̸o̷v̶e̷m̵e̸n̷t̷s̵,̸ ̸o̴u̸r̴ ̸e̶n̵l̶i̴g̶h̸t̴e̷n̷m̸e̸n̴t̴,̶ ̵o̸u̷r̷ ̵r̶e̴s̶o̵l̴v̶e̵,̷ ̵a̵g̷a̶i̵n̶s̶t̵ ̶e̵a̷c̸h̷ ̶o̶t̸h̷e̵r̴ ̸o̵n̷e̷ ̷l̸a̶s̷t̷ ̶t̴i̵m̸e̶.̴"̷

Of course that egotistical ass would walk right into their trap again. Heroes obviously have a new plan, one they think will work despite mostly knowing how much of a monster this guy is, and Singularity For One knows that.

 

“We’re really doing this then?” I sigh. “Alright, just do your best to reject any quirk transfers he tries to force if he gets desperate. 

Last thing we need is him transferring himself into one of our bodies, possessing us if we don’t outright fall apart trying to house his power. Need me to warp you over?”

“That would be appreciated, yeah.”

All Might is on my left. Star and Stripe is on my right. There’s no unfucking the world, but we can at least work towards finally ending its manifestation together as canon-ending threats. 

Together… fate really is fucked, isn’t it? Well, I suppose that is what I’ve been fighting for since the very beginning. Opposing fate, destiny, the narrative and message this world forced upon its inhabitants.

Star was dumbed down to give AFO Tomura the win in canon, and my second life has been made far harder than it should’ve been for a similar purpose. Yet the world’s plans have backfired again and again, so here we are, ready to end it once and for all.

What a final showdown this is turning out to be…

 

 

 

Status of Singularity Crisis:

Time Since Initial Ascension - 7 Hours

Estimated Number of Casualties - 15,110,000

Remaining Distance to Japan - 3,075 Kilometers/1,911 Miles

Remaining Tiamat (Nuclear ICBMs) - 3/15 (Star and Stripe made more with Creation)

Chapter 125: Last Shot

Notes:

Slightly late chapter due to some connectivity issues, but it should be well worth the wait. Enjoy!

There’s no way he’s the one doing this. 

Why him? Mirio’s the one with One For All! All Might and Star and Stripe are living legends! Even Long Haul would be better, and he’s the worst villain out there besides the one literally destroying the world right now.

How could his power compare to them? How could he possibly do what they can’t?

“It’s okay, Tamaki.” Niejire assures him from their vantage point. “We’re all doing this together! We’re all helping you unleash your power to the fullest! Eating more things makes your potential grow and grow! If anything can land a meaningful hit on All For One, its gotta be a quirk with no upper cap! That means you!” 

“The f-fate of the world is literally in my hands, Nejire. How can I not be stressed right now?” Tamaki Amajiki asks back.

“Because deep down, you know what you can really do. You know just how hard you worked to get this far. You know you’ve got what it takes to pull this off!” The blue-haired girl hypes him up. “We couldn’t save our home country, so let’s make up for it by saving the world!”

Saving the world… it sounds so outlandish, even in a society like this. 

 

If he fails now, everyone on this planet is utterly doomed. Everyone believes in him right now.

That blindingly bright and shining praise… it’s like treasures from them to him. Up to now, he could never fully accept it. He was crushed under the weight of that wealth. It just felt easier to be down on himself.

But now, as he puts a copy of the Quirk Amplification Device on himself? As he temporarily copies some of the strongest quirks this world has ever seen? As he brings everyone’s hopes, dreams, faith, and power together?

“New Order…” He mutters. “Tamaki Amajiki will be protected from the backlash of his quirks.”

The other two rules will be to make his attack extra effective against vestiges and further increase its power as much as possible.

One For All further fuels him, as does Nejire’s Wave Motion energy while the latter defends him. DNA from plenty of other people was given to him too, allowing him to temporarily manifest their powers.

Normally such strain would kill him, but like with Mirio, New Order is protecting him from that backlash. Quirks to increase his attack’s power, quirks to keep track of his target, quirks to calculate the exact angle and timing. 

His own ultimate quirk combination, one building far outside of this monster’s sights. The monster has his eyes on Mirio, not him. He’s acting as a distraction, as are so many others.

He won’t let their efforts go to waste! He’ll end this nightmare once and for all!

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  30 Minutes Until The Submergence

‘I swear to god, NightHaul, if you fucked over what’s probably our last chance at stopping him for the sake of a fucking anime reference-’ I mentally growl, having finally been filled in on the full plan.

((“Trust me, it’ll work… probably. I may have taken a little inspiration from Evangelion when refining Mirio’s idea, but he’s perfect for the job, and Abomination For One will never expect something this grotesquely crazy, even with some memories of your past exploits! 

Worst case scenario, you continue figuring out how to evolve Overhaul and Reveal while facing him alongside the MLA and their allies in Japan. Oh, and attempt to take New Order from Star now that you can finally destroy quirk vestiges. I’d suggest doing the latter right now, but she would fight back and Abomination For One would take advantage, screwing everyone over.”))

Me, All Might, and Star all stand in front of the Ural Mountains in northern Kazakhstan, having baited the singularity slightly off his original course to get here. With help from Rewind, Creation, and New Order, our health, stamina, and armor are at peak condition, if not better than ever.

“You sure you’re up for one last round, master?” Star confirms with the old symbol. “We’ve barely had any time to rest since the start, and even with Sekan providing support…”

“I’m sure. This is how it’s supposed to be, Cassie. This has always been my fight.” All Might resolutely responds. “Only this time around, I’ll gladly accept all the help I can get.”

The singularity didn’t resist as much as I thought he would. Is it because of sheer curiosity? Does he want to crush the heroes’ last hope? Is it simple cockiness? 

"̸L̵e̸t̸ ̶t̴h̸e̶ ̷o̷l̵d̴ ̵w̴o̸r̶l̵d̶'̸s̶ ̶l̸a̷s̵t̴ ̶h̴o̶p̴e̴ ̸f̷i̵n̴a̴l̷l̴y̸ ̸p̵e̷r̶i̷s̷h̷.̵ ̸S̶h̷o̵w̴ ̴m̵e̵ ̴w̷h̸a̷t̴ ̷l̸i̴t̶t̸l̵e̷ ̷y̷o̷u̵ ̵h̸a̶v̴e̵ ̴l̷e̷f̵t̷.̷"̴

All of the above?

“Do you remember how many times we’ve fought?” All Might rhetorically asks back.

 

((“Starting to get real ‘Final War’ vibes from this catastrophe. Symbol of Peace vs Symbol of Evil Round 3, with support for the former and singularity bullshit for the latter unlike in canon.”))

((“Nah, the three of them are giving more ‘Certified Big 3: Izuku, Bakugou, and Shoto’ moment vibes right now.”))

((“This would make for a kickass movie poster or teaser, you know? I can picture it now. My Hero Academia: Dawn of the Singularity.”))

((“Let the original focus, you idiots!”))

((“Okay, okay. You can be Bakugou, BossHaul.”))

‘All of you, please shut up.’

Whatever the case may be, the hard part is done. Time for the harder part. 

[Lead him just a few more miles towards the center of the range and he’ll be in position.] The WHA Director lets all three of us know through comms, Star being nice enough to make me one of my own through a temporary copy of Creation.

Radio Waves and several other technopathic quirks activate, but the singularity doesn’t scramble our systems. He merely listens in, and we make no effort to resist this, pretending we don’t even notice.

Most of the guys controlling comms probably can’t notice to begin with. It’s inevitable that the singularity will have some level of control; he’s still holding back quite a bit, after all.

So NightHaul decided to lean into that, and since I can track what quirks he uses through Reveal, I can subtly let the others know when the singularity starts bothering to listen in.

 

“You heard him! Let’s fucking end this!” Star hollers as she jumps back, using a rule to lock down space as the old symbol and I follow her lead.

The singularity follows us all close behind, charging through entire mountain chains like they aren’t even there.

[Commence operation as scheduled. Order all observation planes to pull out. Everyone get into position.]

‘Come on… just a little more…’

The three of us then break off in different directions, and several seconds later, the singularity begins the first part of our ambush.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Another Tiamat nuke buried right below the spot he just passed, this being one Star made when I warped her over a few minutes earlier.

Yeah, we’re using a fucking nuclear bomb as a de facto mine now. That’s what happens when your opponent is a world-ending abomination. 

"̶W̶e̸a̵p̵o̵n̸s̷ ̶o̴f̵ ̷t̵h̸e̵ ̶p̸r̸e̶-̵q̸u̸i̸r̵k̸ ̵w̶o̷r̵l̸d̷ ̷h̸a̴v̷e̸ ̷n̴o̶ ̶e̸f̶f̶e̴c̵t̷ ̸o̴n̷ ̴m̴e̴,̸ ̷w̸h̷e̵t̶h̸e̵r̸ ̴t̵h̷e̴y̶ ̷b̷e̸ ̴m̵o̸d̸e̸r̷n̵i̶z̶e̸d̸ ̸o̴r̴ ̶t̷h̵e̴o̵r̵i̸z̸e̸d̷ ̵m̷a̴d̸e̶ ̴t̷a̴n̴g̴i̵b̴l̵e̷.̶ ̶W̷h̵e̸n̷ ̵w̵i̵l̷l̸ ̶y̴o̵u̵ ̴l̵e̶a̸r̵n̶?̵"̸ The singularity mocks as the dust clouds clear, various burnt-off appendages plummeting into the crater below.

Hundreds of quirks forming its outer shell may have just been destroyed, but that was only a small fraction of his storage. The final battle has only just begun. 

“Eh, how about we check one more time? Just to be sure?” I shrug back as the next part begins.

 

[All surface-to-air missiles, FIRE!]

*BOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOM*

Volleys of missiles rise from the surrounding mountains and blanket the skies, hundreds coming at the singularity from all angles. At the same time, several more Rods From God are warped in from above.

The singularity has long since gotten used to such salvoes, the mass of quirks rapidly reforming into a maze of rivets, spikes, and massive crystal shields as an outer layer of defense. 

Ranged quirks of all kinds are given space to launch out and counter, with a singularity-level Impure Beam in particular evaporating my RFGs before they can arrive. 

Impure Beam is then launched again towards the nearest cluster of missile turrets before they can reload, but Star and Stripe stands in the way, her laser-holding rule being enough to at least deflect the attack away.

Slightly annoyed, the singularity tries firing other ranged quirks at a different spot of missile turrets, only for All Might to make the ground in between erupt upwards with a stomp, protecting the quirk-enhanced military hardware.

[Next volley! Before he can launch anymore attacks; don’t give him any time!]

A wall of energy turrets similar to those at Tartarus fire next, the singularity changing shape once again to form its own wall of muscles, crystals, barriers, and other defenses to tank the onslaught.

From the many-quirked wall emerges canons of flesh, bone, and various other abilities. Quirks like Heavy Payload make this counterattack far deadlier than what was just launched its way, but before it can hit the turrets, I myself block, destroy, or redirect the blows.

Some Double clones and top heroes start the next assault, everything from Prominence Burns to Burden Blasts approaching the singularity from its unprotected backside, it quickly changing form once again as more and more attacks pour on. 

His latest counterattack is also the fastest, several top ten heroes (at least in their countries) and a few dozen clones getting obliterated in seconds. Even if Warp Gate was available, I can’t hope to defend everything with All Might and Star. 

So we’ll focus on defending what can’t be easily replaced with Double, ‘Tomura’ gracefully sending reinforcements whenever necessary. The tradeoff for a lack of warping is worth it, as it also prevents Singularity For One from restocking on quirks via Gloop Warp.

More missiles and energy blasts approach alongside the mass quirk attacks from Double. They aren’t hurting him much, but this omnidirectional attack is pinning him down for now. 

It’s mostly keeping him in place, which should make our true attack actually landing a much more realistic prospect. 

 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOM* *BOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

“WE CAN’T WEAKEN HIM! NONE OF OUR DEBUFF QUIRKS ARE WORKING ON HIM!”

“ILLUSIONS DON’T WORK EITHER!”

“HE’S TEARING THE ENTIRE MOUNTAIN RANGE APART!”

“KEEP AT IT EVERYONE! WE’VE SLOWED HIS RAMPAGE TO A CRAWL, DON’T LET HIM START UP AGAIN!!!” All Might cries out, reinvigorating heroes and villains alike. 

‘Jeez, it’s become several orders of magnitude beyond even the true final battle against AFO Tomura in canon.’ I mentally groan, using Overhaul all around the spectacle to both reinforce and reposition my allies as a replacement for Warp Gate.

Funny how most ‘canon’ events, or at least events pretty similar in nature to canon, ended up becoming much grander. My plans revolved around weakening my enemies, yet despite all the damage done over time, they’ve only gotten stronger. Fucking shounens…

Keeping his alterations to the environment at bay has become a lot easier with time and experience, and most of our heavy weapons are embedded into the surrounding mountain range, providing decent enough cover on its own.

We can get most of this assault through to him, forcing him to cycle through countless quirks and gradually chip away at his defenses, but it’s us on the tough time frame here.

Our missiles and energy cannon ammo won’t last forever, and the singularity can probably break out of this massive pin if he really wants to, if he starts feeling truly threatened, if he starts running low on quirks again. 

"̷I̴f̶ ̸n̶o̸t̴h̷i̴n̷g̷ ̶e̸l̵s̵e̶,̴ ̷y̴o̴u̷r̴ ̴c̷o̸o̶r̵d̵i̸n̸a̶t̴i̴o̴n̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̴q̵u̵i̶t̵e̴ ̴i̷m̷p̶r̴e̴s̴s̵i̴v̸e̵.̶ ̶B̴u̷t̸ ̴d̵o̷ ̵y̴o̷u̸ ̴r̷e̶a̸l̸l̴y̵ ̴b̴e̷l̸i̶e̷v̵e̵ ̴I̶ ̷c̸a̷n̸'̸t̵ ̸s̴e̴e̷ ̶w̸h̶a̸t̷ ̸t̸h̷i̵s̶ ̵i̵s̵ ̸l̷e̴a̴d̷i̶n̸g̸ ̵u̴p̷ ̸t̵o̵?̶ ̶I̴'̸v̷e̴ ̶h̵a̷d̴ ̶M̴i̶r̸i̸o̶ ̴T̶o̷g̷a̴t̶a̷ ̸i̸n̴ ̶m̸y̶ ̵s̸i̶g̸h̶t̴s̴ ̴f̷r̸o̷m̶ ̷t̶h̷e̵ ̵v̷e̸r̷y̷ ̵b̵e̴g̷i̷n̵n̶i̵n̴g̶.̵"̶

Mirio Togata, currently charging up as much Fa Jin energy as he can several dozen miles away from the battlefield, pales as the singularity’s voice reaches him. 

We can all hear it, and we’re all both afraid and pissed off… but not because he discovered Mirio. It’s more geared towards the singularity in general, not that he knows it.

"̸W̴h̷a̴t̸ ̸s̷a̵y̷ ̷y̵o̸u̴,̵ ̷l̵i̵t̷t̵l̵e̸ ̵b̴r̸o̶t̶h̶e̸r̴?̵"̷

 

Yoichi Shigaraki’s vestige is then brought to the surface through OFA’s resonance with AFO, the attack his latest vessel was charging being completely screwed up now.

“Brother, you can’t do this! Look at what you’re becoming!” Yoichi yells back in a mix of Mirio’s voice and his own.

The onslaught of missiles, energy, and Double clones continues, but the singularity still has enough wiggle room to confront his brother from miles away. 

Even All Might, Star, and I going fully on the offensive doesn’t turn the tables. Not good, but we figured this would be the case. With how powerful he’s become, how could it not be?

"̷I̵'̴m̶ ̵e̵v̸o̸l̶v̶i̵n̷g̸,̵ ̶a̷s̷ ̴w̶i̴l̸l̴ ̸y̵o̷u̶.̷ ̶T̸h̶e̷ ̶s̸i̶n̴g̵u̵l̷a̶r̶i̷t̵y̷ ̵w̷i̵l̸l̶ ̸g̴i̵v̶e̷ ̶r̴i̴s̷e̵ ̶t̶o̴ ̸a̸ ̷w̷o̷r̴l̸d̶ ̴o̷f̸ ̵o̴u̴r̶ ̴o̷w̸n̸,̴ ̸o̸r̸ ̶o̵n̶e̵ ̴b̷e̷y̶o̵n̸d̷ ̸u̵s̶ ̸e̵n̴t̸i̶r̶e̶l̷y̷.̴ Y̶o̸u̴r̷ ̷p̶o̴w̶e̶r̵ ̷m̷a̸t̶u̵r̴e̷d̴ ̴w̷e̴l̸l̷ ̴t̴h̸a̵n̵k̵s̷ ̶t̵o̵ ̸m̶y̷ ̵a̸i̸d̶.̴ ̴Y̵o̴u̷ ̶a̷r̷e̸ ̷w̴o̵r̵t̷h̶y̷,̸ ̴l̸i̴t̸t̸l̶e̵ ̶b̷r̶o̴t̷h̶e̵r̴.̸"̶

“Like I told you time and time again, big brother, I will never join you. I wish you could’ve seen past your ego and bias, but for the sake of our world and everyone still in it, we have to stop you here and now!”

He still feels like he’s in complete control of the situation. Perfect. 

‘That’s it. Just keep him still and cocky for a little bit longer…’

"̵Y̸o̷u̷ ̶k̴n̴o̶w̷ ̶n̵o̸t̵h̴i̶n̷g̸ ̷o̵f̴ ̴t̸h̵e̴ ̷w̶o̵r̸l̴d̷,̶ ̷s̸p̴e̵n̸d̸i̷n̴g̷ ̸m̷o̵s̴t̷ ̷o̶f̴ ̷y̷o̴u̸r̵ ̷l̷i̷f̵e̴ ̷s̸h̸i̵f̵t̵i̵n̷g̶ ̸f̷r̷o̸m̵ ̷o̵n̴e̴ ̶v̵a̵u̷l̸t̶ ̶t̵o̵ ̵a̴n̷o̷t̵h̸e̸r̴.̶”

Three… two…

“W̷e̷l̵l̴ ̸n̸o̶w̴ ̴y̵o̵u̷ ̴a̶r̸e̴ ̵f̷i̶n̸a̵l̴l̴y̸ ̶f̴r̸e̶e̴,̵ ̴a̶n̸d̷ ̸n̴o̸w̵,̵ ̷y̶o̵u̴-̷"̶

One. Let’s see how he handles our new and significantly improved… 

Vast Hybrid - PLASMA CANNON!!!

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

It strikes true from over fifty miles away, the Gearshift effect Mirio applied to him earlier speeding up both his charge time and attack speed immensely. 

It has countless consumptions, including dozens of powerful, temporary quirks empowering it, One For All’s entire arsenal and New Order included. 

It was geared to primarily target vestiges rather than quirks themselves and other physical, tangible objects, making it extra effective against what that monster has become.

It makes the one launched against AFO Tomura in canon look like a flare in comparison, and even its canon iteration was enough to damage the guy despite him rivaling prime All Might without quirks.

So while it doesn’t have anywhere near as large of an AOE or range as Tiamat and the Rods From God, the amount of power being unleashed is several steps above those nuclear solutions. 

What’s more is its composition is even more effective then my Rewind blast, the one during our earlier duel that damn near killed us both.

((“Tamaki did it! The core’s been hit again, and harder than ever!”)) LabHaul cheers in my head.

And I can see it too through Reveal as the mass of quirks explodes into pieces, scattering around the war-torn area. A cacophony of screams nearly shattered our eardrums the moment Tamaiki’s attack made contact, but not a peep followed once those died down.

His rotten foundation and patchwork, half-assed repair job came back to bite him. This strike opened up the old injuries both me and various vestiges within him had given him, all that damage pushing him over the edge.

Even the AFO vestige itself has been torn to shreds, the resonance effect it has with both OFA and the original AFO wavering. LabHaul already destroyed every other AFO and OFA copy we had just in case, and the original AFO has been turned into a trap, ready to be erased as well the moment he attempts to transfer himself to it.

Many other vestiges from within were straight-up erased alongside their quirks, many more being damaged to various degrees. 

“Did… Did we do it?” All Might cautiously asks as the broken mass of singularity quirks pour down like rain.

“We should have, but just to be absolutely certain…” I trail off, heading over to where the core’s remnants should be. 

Even if he can resist Rewind, Overhaul can now destroy anything, quirks and stockpiled power included. I’ll make sure to hit every last remaining bit of his core this time. 

But I never get the chance.

 

((“Wait, what the hell?”)) LabHaul mutters as Yoichi screams in the distance, only to fall limp a moment later. ((“The original All For One quirk is… fuck, ERASE HIM! ERASE HIM RIGHT THE FUCK NOW!!!”))

Even without Yoichi and LabHaul’s screams, Reveal’s live update alone made me lunge his way, Overhaul at the ready.

It stops. I stop. Everyone and everything just stops.

Unable to move, even if we wanted to, bits and pieces of fallen quirks slowly gather back up as many more are brought to the surface. 

‘A quirk like Delay Spot?! Or a combination replicating its effects? When did he get-’

On top of that, both One For All and the original All For One are completely drained in an instant, quirks, vestiges, and all being forced into the fractured copy in an attempt to patch up the horrific damage done.

Many more vestiges are forced towards the fractured mess against their will, filling in the gaps our onslaught caused.

‘This is… it’s like an Artificial Quirk as far as vestiges go, but… wrong. It’s all wrong!’ I pale as a true abomination is born, something that should have never existed.

Its body begins to rapidly grow and swell as more quirks are stolen and recovered. 

100 feet… 200 feet… 500 feet… 1,000 feet… 2,000 feet… 5,000 feet… 10,000 feet…

Soon enough, it far surpasses even Star’s enhanced air avatar in size and resembles the fleshy comet All For One became during his canon final attack in shape.

But that isn’t the end of it.

Star and All Might’s QAD’s are telekinetically torn off their bodies, being buried deep into the abomination as every quirk-boosted quirk it has is utilized on top.

But that still isn’t the end of it.

Instead of one or the other, it chooses to combine both canon AFO usages of Omni-Factor Unleash together for the strongest possible attack it can generate.

 

"̸A̷l̴l̶ ̴F̸o̸r̵ ̷O̵n̸e̵ ̴a̴n̵d̷ ̵O̵n̸e̷ ̷F̶o̷r̴ ̵A̷l̸l̸.̵.̴.̶" The monstrosity mumbles in an army of various voices. "̸A̷l̴l̶ ̴F̸o̸r̵ ̷O̵n̸e̵ ̴a̴n̵d̷ ̵O̵n̸e̷ ̷F̶o̷r̴ ̵A̷l̸l̸.̵.̴.̶"

Hundreds of fleshy, glowing, quirk-filled tendrils miles in length emerge from all over the glowing comet. Horrifying amounts of energy crackle through the entire construct, but it all gathers into a singular point.

Not even all my quirks combined can fully protect me from the heat and pressure he’s emitting, my heavily-modified body starting to disintegrate from its force, and he hasn’t even fired the thing yet. It’s still just building up!

((‘You need to leave.’)) VestigeHaul warns me. ((‘You need to leave RIGHT FUCKING NOW!’))

My natural, oppressive aura is completely overpowered by his own, filling every last bit of me with dread, an undeniable sense of certain death. 

"̴A̶L̵L̷ ̴F̴O̷R̷ ̸O̷N̵E̵ ̵A̷N̷D̶ ̶O̵N̴E̸ ̷F̵O̶R̶ ̵A̵L̵L̷.̶.̴.̷"̴ It continues to chant louder and louder. "̴A̶L̵L̷ ̴F̴O̷R̷ ̸O̷N̵E̵ ̵A̷N̷D̶ ̶O̵N̴E̸ ̷F̵O̶R̶ ̵A̵L̵L̷.̶.̴.̷"̴

Despite not having a quirk-erasing quirk himself, I can’t seem to physically manifest anything. I can’t warp away, his Spatial Distortion quirks keeping me firmly in place. I can’t even use Infinite Doubles, which I likely would’ve instinctually done by now if I could.

((‘SEKAN!!!’))

((“SOMEONE WARP HIM OUT OF THERE!”))

[EVERYONE, BRACE FOR DIRECT IMPACT! HE’S GOING TO-]

 

Welp, if I had any single regret for the countless horrific events that have transpired in my wake… it’s that I'm dying. That and introducing Kuin to dubstep.

But yeah, in all seriousness, I’m going to die. I’m going to be completely obliterated with no possible means of resurrection.

Even after everything, I just wasn’t enough. Despite all the time and effort I put in, all the mutations and evolutions I went through, I just wasn’t enough to survive this fucking shounen world.

At least, not now. But Sekan Doraifu won’t die just yet. The Nomu and data needed to make Double copies of me have already been prepared. All of my clones got their own designated backup Double Nomu too. 

Those are at Hassaikai Haven along with everything else critical to the Shie Hassiakai. Everything important should’ve been packed up by now, so I send one final mental message out to everyone I’ve still got a Mind Link with, telling them to go. 

Scorched Earth, leave nothing behind for him to take or track them with. No Warp-Railways, no servers and trackers, no nothing, so he can’t catch up and blast them out of the sky once he’s done here. My organization will fly off into the cosmos, rebuild and consolidate, and come back once they’re confident in finishing the job, once they know they can avenge me.

I’ll still be there. Double clones and even copies of Reveal can be used… but I myself will be dead. I myself will be gone. Those copies and vestiges of me won’t really be me. I won’t live to see my eventual victory.

…No. 

You know what? Screw that! I’m not throwing in the towel myself just yet! I can’t win my way, so I’ll try his. I’ve got nothing left to lose by attempting what he did in canon, to save at least a part of myself.

So putting everything I’ve got towards this singular goal, towards breaking through one last time, I-

O̵̡͕̽̽̓̍M̸̘͑̂͘N̵̹̊͛͋̕I̵̙̤̐̿̆-̴̦̦́̉̽Ş̸̛Į̵̬̥̝̀̀N̸̹͚̖̠̏̾̒G̵͍͊̋U̷̥̽L̸̢͈̄́̚͝Ḁ̸͕̻̘͆̄̉R̷̼̅͘I̶̙͂̓̕Ṱ̷̥̙̫̕Y̶͇̑̕ ̸͍̦̾Ū̶̙̺͙̤̔̊N̷͉̟̉̉͝Ĺ̴͉̫̭͇Ë̶̖́A̶̰͈͇̋̓̾S̸̗̑Ḧ̵̥́̀͝!̶̡̢̖̺̏̾!̶̳͛̀͂̊!̸̹͈͔̳̄

I floated in a void, my grasp on the passage of time marginal at best. 

What was seconds on the outside war years inside… maybe. I wasn’t sure. It was years, but also seconds, as if what remained of my mind couldn’t grasp my own tiredness. 

I was seething. I was furious. I was livid, thrashing and flailing about… and then I was overtaken as invisible tendrils of corrupted energy latched onto me. They came from all around me. They made up everything, and then, they made up me too.

I practically forgot who I was after that.  I felt only the desire to change into something more, the desire to spread the influence of its embrace, of its order, of its story. 

During that time, I felt a voice, a nagging little thing trying to tell me to stop. Just who was this core, this soul, this annoying little worm to insist it wouldn’t change? 

Just who was this stupid little voice calling itself Sekan Doraifu?

Surely the torrents of time would stomp out this rebellious blip… but instead, the opposite happened.

Instead, I started to remember. I started reclaiming myself from the inside out. 

 

It had worked for Tomura when he was opposing All For One, getting his own body back, so why shouldn’t it work for me too? Sure, I’m the foreign invader rather than the other way around, but this is still a two-way street.

My voice never stopped nagging, never stopped biting back, never stopped hanging onto what I was. And eventually, I tore myself away. I separated myself, activating the two powers I’ve had from the very beginning, the only two powers I was able to save: Overhaul and Reveal.

Overhaul had opened up a resonance with the massively-enhanced All For One, and Reveal ensured my mind and soul could make it through alongside those quirks. They may not have become an Artificial Quirk, but these two powers did intertwine like never before.

Canon All For One could do more than transfer his quirk and vestige to others. He could also, supposedly, transfer his own consciousness too. Whether this was an inherent function of AFO or combining that ability with an unknown quirk or quirks is unknown. 

It’s also unknown if he could only do this to anyone who had an AFO quirk, like Tomura at the time, or if he could actually possess anyone he wanted by transferring his consciousness alongside his quirk. 

But I didn’t need to know the answer. All I needed to know was that it was possible. It wasn’t exclusive to AFO either, Nyikang’s Spirit Possession being capable of something similar.

And I was able to replicate that just now. I saved myself by transferring myself into the singularity, Overhaul’s multi-staged contact and Reveal’s range and precision letting at least the key parts of me make it through right before the blast fired, obliterating everything else. While my body is toast and most of my quirks are lost, something is better than nothing.

“How ironic. Thanks for the inspiration, All For One.” I smirk, having finally freed myself. 

Only for that smirk to evaporate as I stare out into the distance, now being a lot less empty then I remember.

 

Dark, golden-colored veins crackle as they stretch across the distorted landscape. A hazy, green mist covers it entirely, but not to the point of completely blocking everything else. Thousands of images, of memories, are all meshed together to form the world around me.

Quirks and vestiges continue to flow across the skies as a steady stream, all being pulled towards the same direction. They become mutated, corrupted, at a visible pace as dark golden energy is force-fed into them.

There’s no more hindrance, no more rebellion. Not even One For All seems to be capable of resisting this abomination in the slightest anymore. Well, I suppose if you want something done right, you just have to do it yourself.

A whole new world has opened up in front of me, a world meant to oppose me… but that’s not anything new for me. It’s no different from the outside world, and just like out there, I’ll leave no stone unturned.

This is my last shot at even a partial victory, so I’ve got to make it count.

 

 

 

Status of Singularity Crisis:

Time Since Initial Ascension - 8 Hours

Estimated Number of Casualties - 54,830,000

Remaining Distance to Japan - 2,616 Kilometers/1,626 Miles

Remaining Tiamat (Nuclear ICBMs) - 3/16 (Star and Stripe made more with Creation)

Chapter 126: All For One and One For All

Just like that, a crater which rivals, if not surpasses, the Grand Canyon in sheer scale was created across the continent. 

Hundreds of miles long. Several dozen miles wide. Over a mile deep. 

And that crater was from a blast facing forwards, eventually tailing off into the vast reaches of space. If he launched an attack like that directly below himself, it might have pierced the Earth’s core and really destroyed the entire world. 

Nothing stopping him from doing that now…

“Master… All Might… no…”

 

Cathleen Bate is exhausted. She’s finished. She’s finally reached her limit. 

Tears are streaming down her face. Her friends, her bros, her master, and everyone else is either dead or dying. She tried everything she could. She tried again and again, but nothing was ever enough.

Mirio Togata was miles away in the opposite direction that blast fired in, so while the wind pressure did send his limp body flying, there’s at least a chance he could withstand the impact, even if this bastard took One For All too. The others…

Nejire Hado, Tamaki Amajiki, and even Long Haul or Sekan weren't so lucky, and All Might… All Might sacrificed his life to save hers, to tear himself apart, forcefully breaking out of his restraints and throwing her as far away as he could before the beam hit. 

There’s nothing left of any of them. Same goes for the countless others in that blast’s path. Not even her boosted New Order could bring them back now as there’s nothing left to bring back.

He really was just toying with them all from the very beginning…

So now what? It’s only her left against this monster. No more heroes, no more villains, no more nothing.

Is she just gonna give up and die?

 

“New Order: I, Cathleen Bate, have two quirks. New Order and Creation.”

Is she just gonna let this monster turn the world into his own fucked-up sandbox?

“New Order: Cathleen Bate is immune to hostile effects.”

Is she just gonna spit on the legacy of her master like that?

“New Order: New Order can not be negatively tampered with.”

Or is she gonna stand on her feet, grit her teeth, and keep fighting this fucker ‘till the very end?!

“New Order: The area one mile in diameter around Cathleen Bate can’t be altered.”

First, a rule to get her another QAD. That and Hysterical Strength brings her rule count to four.

A rule to protect her body. A rule to protect her quirk. A rule to protect her surroundings.

And her final rule is a classic strength-rule, one that’s bound to run out soon as Sekan’s Hysterical Strength boost has a very strict timer, and he’s no longer around to reset it.

Fine then. She’ll just go Plus Fucking Ultra until the very end!

‘Damnit Sekan, did he really get you? Did you finally run out of tricks? At least the rage of all your friends will be directed towards this monster, and there’s no way he can spam an attack like that. The recoil alone has to have-’

"̷A̵l̶l̸ ̵F̴o̷r̶ ̸O̸n̶e̷.̸.̷.̸ ̷a̶n̶d̴ ̷O̶n̷e̵ ̸F̸o̷r̶ ̷A̵l̵l̶.̸"̴

 

No… no no no nononononono. No WAY can he actually spam that attack! That Omni-Singularity Unleash or whatever he called it! Even if she dedicated all four strengthened rules to it, there’s no way in hell she’s stopping a blast like that!

“Wait, STOP!” She desperately calls out. “WHAT HAPPENED TO EVOLVING THE WORLD, HUH? TO EVOLVING US? YOU GIVING UP JUST LIKE THAT? SO MUCH FOR THE-”

All For One either doesn’t give a shit anymore or is too out of it to hear her, because he keeps on charging up without even reacting to her.

"̴A̷l̶l̵ ̵F̸o̵r̸ ̶O̵n̶e̸ ̶a̵n̵d̶ ̵O̶n̸e̵ ̷F̷o̸r̴ ̶A̸l̷l̷.̴ ̵A̶l̶l̶ ̷F̷o̸r̵ ̴O̸n̵e̵ ̵a̷n̶d̶ ̸O̷n̶e̷.̷.̷.̶ ̸F̵o̸r̴ ̵A̴l̵l̶.̴ ̷A̸l̴l̵ ̴F̶o̶r̷.̸.̷.̷ ̵O̶n̷e̸.̷.̵.̴ ̶a̷n̵d̶.̷.̷.̵ ̷O̸n̷e̶.̴.̵.̶"̶

He continues chanting, only to briefly pause more and more and Cathleen desperately cycles through new rules… but something tells her it’s not those causing him discomfort. 

His body is changing again, it’s… bloating?

"̵A̶l̷l̶ ̶F̸o̷r̷-̵ ̵u̵r̵k̷?̵ ̷E̴U̵G̶H̵?̴!̷?̶"̵

The guy is… exploding? Has he finally taken too much power for himself? He’s being jolted all over the place as quirks of his start to rupture, the many parts of his half-finished ultimate move either dissipating or firing off in random directions.

Damage is still devastating, but nowhere near as bad as the first time, and it's something she can withstand as she’s only hit with a small portion of it. 

Sekan had mentioned the quirks inside of him were rebelling, or at least some of them. All For One would transfer most of those out pretty quickly, but he must have kept at least some of the really good ones for himself. Are they finally striking back?

…Or did Sekan do something similar to her own last ditch effort plan in his final moments?

New Order will oppose other quirks, or rage against any other quirk it encounters. It probably wouldn’t work since what All For One has aren’t quirks anymore, but either Sekan has a way better understanding and just kept it to himself or his own trump card is effective on whatever All For One has too.

Whatever the case may be, she needs to take advantage of this. SHE NEEDS TO FINALLY END THIS!

 

"̸N̵o̵.̵.̶.̷ ̴S̴T̶O̵P̴ ̸I̷T̷!̵!̶!̵"̷ He speaks, finally saying something besides ‘All For One and One For All’ or some ridiculous attack name. " ̶A̶U̶G̵H̴!̸!̴!̸!̶!̷"̸

More quirks of his explode. Others seem to be getting rapidly weaker, and some of them are… duplicating? Did that crocodile mutant-quirk just make ten more of itself or did All For One just so happen to move similar stolen powers of his over there?

Even Cathleen backs away at this point, being more than a little lost on just what’s going on. She’ll just swap her strength rule for one that gives her Search. Hopefully that’ll clear at least some things up.

"̸N̷e̵w̸ ̵O̵r̵d̴e̵r̷.̵.̸.̴ ̸d̴o̶n̸'̶t̷ ̵l̷e̶t̶ ̶h̴i̵m̷.̴.̷.̷ ̴d̶-̷d̵o̶n̴'̷t̶.̶.̴.̵ ̶l̴e̶t̸.̵.̴.̷"̸ All For One… begs?

The mass is going limp. It’s shrinking… compressing… forming into what almost looks like… 

"̸D̸-̵D̷o̴n̴'̵t̵.̵.̴ .̴ Well, hello there! Funny seeing you again, Star!” He says in a new, singular voice… Sekan’s voice.

From the size and shape of his body to the outfit he wears, a one-to-one copy of Sekan is formed from numerous quirk factors expressed just the right amounts, fitting together like broken pieces of a puzzle.

“Yup, I’m back!” The quirked, possessed mass cheers. “So, what did I miss?”

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  The Submergence

“What is a quirk?” 

I ask myself the same question that started me on this world-breaking odyssey. 

What exactly is a quirk? How did it come into being? How has it changed the rest of humanity so much?

Points were plotted, data was compared, contradictory evidence was discarded… and no conclusion was reached. Well, I suppose that’s not entirely true.

 

Quirks were the starting point. They’re what make this world and its humans different from my previous world. 

From everything I could gather, the ‘powers’ that aren’t quirks like weaponizing willpower and altering your body in certain ways (such as pumping up your muscles like Gran Torino could), while being things pretty much everyone can learn nowadays, were nonexistent before quirks came to be.

Something like the secondary quirk characteristics, maybe? No, even quirkless people are capable of this. A separate result then? An evolution connected to, but ultimately different then quirks, something like the singularity evolution. 

Quirks are naturally connected to the body. They’re connected to the mind and maybe even soul or ‘core’ too.

They take root in people whether they’re born with the person or transferred to them. They spur on every other part of a person, causing them to grow and evolve to various degrees depending on how powerful and complex they are. 

Sounds simple enough in concept. Quirks are almost like a natural augmentation for humanity.

I’ve explored every bit of this phenomenon since arriving here. Normal quirks, Awakened Quirks, Artificial Quirks, Mutilated Quirks, Quirk Vestiges and the mindscape or ‘vestigeworld’ they reside in, Quirk Resonances, Quirk Stockpiles and Embers, and so on.

Then All For One decided to throw all that on its head by achieving the illogical, the impossible several times over. The world itself decided to throw several completely new concepts my way that are just suddenly a thing, and probably won’t impact its narrative again as it was just needed to fill in the fucking plot hole I caused in it’s stupid story and-

“Deep breaths, Sekan. Calm down. You’ve handled the world’s bullshit before.” I reassure myself as I walk through this abyss.

My journey across the singularity’s vestigeworld had begun, and at this rate, it was unlikely to ever end. New additions were constantly being made. The landscape around me was constantly warping and changing.

Small sections of a city would suddenly have forests sprout out from underneath. Parts of mountains would be replaced with bodies of water. This wasn’t like the singularity environment he was terraforming outside, this was all taken from ‘normal’ people. 

It’s a bastardization of the Artificial Quirk and Vestigeworld concepts canon All For One discovered and I fleshed out. Ugh, why must My Hero Academia always do this?

It introduces shit like Quirk Duplication and Artificial Quirks and mutilating quirks out of nowhere, mentions them for like five seconds or one page to fill some stupid plot hole, and is never mentioned again! Why must the world be like this?

No… I shouldn’t let the world’s bullshit distract me. I shouldn’t be trying to make sense of its machinations. I shouldn’t be trying to play its game.

I’ve always gone down my own path, and if I’m going to get out of this mess, then I need to stick to my own path. Like what VestigeHaul said before, I don’t necessarily need to fully understand what I want to achieve what I want. Quirks function and evolve based on subconscious desire. 

…Come to think of it, where is VestigeHaul? 

 

He should be here. My own vestige too. I can still use both Overhaul and Reveal. I can feel their power within me, so why can’t I manifest their vestiges? Is this vestigeworld still oppressing them?

I won’t lie, it was horrifying. The constant attempts at mental assault, infection, and assimilation on what remained of my consciousness really strained my own willpower. If my mind hadn’t been modified and evolved so much during my singularity ascension, raised to inhuman levels, I would’ve been screwed.

I felt constant terror and hopelessness when I was but a small voice within an abomination, straining against the near endless willpower of so many minds merged together, and even that was just a puppet to the true, ethereal, all-encompassing force behind everything.

But I’m free now. I can protect myself from it now. I can destroy pretty much anything now, including these unnatural, mutant quirks and the radiation coming off of them. Same goes for the green mist of Ideo Trigger and even the QAD’s effects.

All these things can boost my own quirks, but I refuse to strengthen myself on a rotten foundation. I refuse to infect myself with the abomination this world created. It’s why I purged these effects from Overhaul and Reveal, keeping them normal… keeping them pure.

Maybe I could fully destroy this being from within… but chances are that would kill me too.

“It’s all about fucking sacrifice in this world, isn’t it? People becoming stronger in proportion to their losses, that’s the narrative canon All For One wanted to establish. 

Going Plus Ultra and sacrificing it all to save the day… that’s the narrative canon, the world itself, wanted to establish. Well fuck that.”

Fuck going by the world’s script. Fuck following the world’s narrative. Fuck taking out All For one with me. Fuck undergoing some stupid redemption arc to let the heroes win. Fuck all of it.

Just like always, I’m doing this my OWN way! On my OWN terms!

So I run on over to the nearest quirk, the nearest light, and observe as it’s slowly infused with green mist and radiated, corrupted, stockpiled energy. I allow Reveal and Overhaul to be my guides. I observe how it changes, how it unnaturally, forcefully evolves. 

And once the process completes, before the quirk can float further off… I grasp it myself, dragging it down, and begin undoing the process it just underwent. I destroy the stockpiled energy, radiation, and solutions bloating it without damaging the quirk itself. 

More complicated than simply mutilating quirks, but experience doing the former served as a very helpful reference. 

"̶̛̼̼̀N̶̨̗̑ö̸͓̱͊.̶͔̹͆.̶̭͎̍.̷͈͈̀͌"̵̤̙͂̓

 

What I assume to be the vestige of this mutant quirk lunges at me, his manifestation being as screwed-up as the quirk itself. Distorted, unnatural growths across his body. A damaged, barely-coherent mind. 

There seems to be something similar to a resonance chaining him, controlling him, tugging him towards the center of this world. I’ll just destroy that too.

Once again, Reveal acts as my eyes while Overhaul acts as my hands, its perfected destruction aspect at work. So if this is the matter-manipulation quirk’s perfected destruction, then what is its perfect creation?

“I… I’m… free?” The vestige gasps, looking down at his hands.

“You’re welcome.” I give a thumbs-up back, only for the vestige to start screaming again.

Tendrils of power, of the energy and solutions flowing through this place enter the quirk and its vestige once again, mutating and resonating with both once again.

Creation and destruction. An endless cycle, but how deep can it go?

This time around, I go a bit deeper. I’m a bit more thorough. Instead of solely purging the boosting effects, I destroy part of the quirk itself. 

It appears to be an emitter quirk similar to Kota’s, allowing for the creation and manipulation of water. I take away the manipulation part, leaving only the creation part. This ends up destroying the quirk’s vestige too, as there it too little of its ‘self’ left to properly manifest. 

That doesn’t stop more energy, radiation, and solution from flowing into it. As a result, the quirk follows a similar path as Decay did in canon, leaning fully on the remaining aspect, water creation in this case. 

But I feel like it can do more. I feel like it can go down a different evolutionary path, one that allows it to regain what it lost. So the next time I destroy all the boosts being forced, before the singularity can fuel this power again, I try to take control of said fuel. I try to hijack the process with Overhaul, and convey my own will through Reveal.

It doesn’t work the first time. It doesn’t work the second or third time either, but some progress is made on my fourth attempt. The boosted quirk becomes capable of slight amounts of water manipulation again. 

More attempts follow, and I gradually get closer and closer to restoring the original product. I also get better at manipulating the boosting forces around me, limiting the number of them going into this quirk from three to two to one.

And eventually, with just some of the regular energy stockpile going in, I awaken the mutilated quirk, both alterations cancelling each other out to reform the original product. 

Even the vestige of this quirk returns, and before I can celebrate the achievement, I’m forced to run as the world itself closes in all around me. Hijacking a quirk or two and their vestiges is one thing, but taking over this entire world from a merger of countless minds? I can’t pull something like that off, not yet, not when I still know so little about it.

He’s onto me, so I’m forced to run. I’m forced to hide. I’m forced to scurry around this distorting world under my enemy’s control.

Just like that, a new cycle is created. I dart around to various environments, grasping a quirk and/or vestige to tinker around with them, and then flee as the rest of this world attempts to stop me. But the attempts seem to be half-assed at best. Is it because I’m not really doing any noticeable damage? 

What’s one temporarily-depowered quirk when you have thousands, right? What’s a bit of stockpiled energy, radiation, and solution wasted when you can create or siphon endless amounts of it?

It was like being bit by a mosquito, a minor, temporary annoyance at worst. But this had a purpose. Or is it because most of his attention is being taken up by something else? 

Finding quirks and vestiges becomes more and more difficult as they’re all being pulled to the same place. They’ll all being pulled towards the source or core of this world, almost mirroring what Quirk Bestowal did.

I was learning more about quirks and their vestiges. My own quirks were growing, evolving, truly taking form despite not utilizing any of the surrounding boosters. This was all natural, and the singularity evolution was still going on in what little of me was left.

My body may be gone, but quirks affect far more than just the body. I’m not even in a body right now, but a quirk. This whole world was a quirk. All of this was made possible due to quirks.

From quirks and vestiges, both normal and mutated, to the vestigeworld itself, I tinkered around for what felt like a subjective eternity, and eventually, all my hard work paid off. 

Eventually, at long last, I realized the trick.

 

It was like enlightenment for me. All those intricate connections between body, mind, soul, core, and quirk were laid bare in front of me, and with that final piece of the puzzle came the birth of two brand new, Post-Singularity powers far beyond anything this world had ever seen.

Overhaul, an evolved base that can alter both natural and unnatural, pure and impure, along with everything connected to it. Reveal, an Artificial aid or support that shows its user all.

A Post-Singularity Overhaul and Post-Singularity Reveal working in tandem. With this, I could see everything. With this, I could see our joint ‘body’. With this, I could finally realize what happened to me.

VestigeHaul and my own vestige couldn’t manifest themselves because they were now me, and I was now them. The three of us had merged into a being similar to AFO Tomura and I didn’t even notice. I didn’t even realize anything was wrong. It simply felt natural to me.

Is it because of how interconnected we already were? ‘Sekan’ had completely merged with Kai Chisaki at the start, obtaining everything from body to quirk to memories from him. He then became closer and closer with both the Overhaul vestige and his own vestige, continuing to share new thoughts, feelings, and memories with each other.

All three had their differences, but all three were also far more in sync then All For One and Tomura ever were in canon. So what’s the result of that, of two merged bodies, minds, and their quirks all coming together? What am I now?

I was a person, but also a quirk. Two quirks, technically. There aren’t any separate parts within me either like how AFO Tomura still had both AFO’s vestige and Tomura’s consciousness fighting in the vestigeworld. My merger was instantly completed. Probably due to us being so in sync already.

“Here’s some advice… from one vestige to another…” Sekan’s vestige had said to All For One’s. “You’ll always be incomplete without your ‘true’ self, your partner.”

Is this what he meant? Person and quirk truly becoming one to form a ‘complete’ human being, or a state beyond humanity? Did the vestiges of Overhaul and Reveal consume Sekan? Did Sekan consume the vestiges of Overhaul and Reveal? Did all three consume each other?

I could undo this if I wanted to, but should I? Is this the ideal evolution of a human being? A manifested or ‘living’ quirk in a sense?

My instincts are saying this is the right way to go. I feel complete like never before. I’m still Sekan Doraifu, the combination of Kai Chisaki and a transmigrator from another reality, but I’m also something more, something beyond human. 

Despite no longer having a body, I still have a mind, soul, and core, and the singularity is evolving those parts of myself as well.

“Well then… let’s see what a true Post-Singularity being can do.”

 

The next quirk and accompanying vestige I grasp are drawn to me, Reveal ensuring absolutely no resistance can be made on their end. The light and the echo of its user are both dragged in front of me.

I then copy the light in an instant, replicating both it and the vestige inside of this vestigeworld. 

"̶.̵.̷.̴W̷h̷a̷t̴?̶"̵ The original vestige questions before I place a hand upon its chest, decaying it and only it. The quirk he was tied to isn’t damaged in the slightest, not until I place a hand on it, destroying it too in its entirety. 

The power to create. The power to duplicate. The power to mutilate. The power to restore. The power to merge. The power to delete. The power to create and destroy. The power to manipulate in every sense of the word. Quirks are matter, and Overhaul can manipulate matter. 

With enough understanding, pretty much everything is possible with this power, and I finally understand quirks.

Now Overhaul still can’t manipulate energy, meaning I can’t replicate, say, radiation or embers from One For All on their own. However, energy can be converted into matter and vice versa, and energy stockpiling quirks naturally have energy stockpiles. Energy they produce or gather is thus converted into part of the quirk, part of matter. 

Does it make sense? Maybe, maybe not. However, it doesn’t have to make logical sense. It doesn’t have to follow the laws of physics or even reality, because quirks can break those things.

Even Gearshift, when boosted by One For All, can break the laws of physics. New Order can manipulate reality itself, and now… Overhaul can do something similar. 

There are still differences. Overhaul can’t manipulate energy, space, or time as those aren’t matter. As for reality, matter is a fundamental component of it along with energy, space, and time, so Overhaul can’t manipulate it like New Order can.

However, unlike New Order, Overhaul isn’t limited by a number of slots. Its range is greater. It doesn’t require speaking a declaration. It has a greater range and can chain to far more objects. 

Overhaul still isn’t omnipotent, far from it. I would be able to do far less with it if I didn’t have Reveal as that quirk provides the necessary understanding of whatever forms of matter I choose to manipulate.

But this doesn’t mean Overhaul can’t improve further in the future. Even excluding quirk-boosters and Artificial Quirks, the quirk itself can likely, naturally evolve further. Reaching the singularity isn’t the end. If anything, it’s only the beginning. 

“Now then, what do you say we straighten this place out?” I smile as the world attempts to crush me again.

But now that I understand it, I can control it. 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Pulling off my own little parody of the Domain Expansion, the environment around me changes one final time, all the blended mental constructs being overhauled into my own memory, my own core… my own home.

Hassaikai HQ forms behind me, the mansion looking just as I remembered it. All that messing around in my own vestigeworld, all that makeshift image-training and experimentation, sharpens my perfected power.

Of course, this doesn’t come without resistance. Any nearby quirks and vestiges have their paths redirected towards me, swarming me… holding me off. And that’s just what he sends in the ‘physical’ sense.

An amalgamation of countless wills still clashes with my own as we wrestle for control of this place, and ordinarily, I would be overwhelmed in an instant even with the ridiculous amounts of willpower I’ve accumulated.

Unfortunately for the singularity, I’m playing an entirely different game than he is. Willpower means nothing in this battle of comprehension, and even if he has my old memories, he clearly has no idea how to implement them.

“You’ve built up a lot, boogeyman. I’ll admit that much.” I declare, knowing full well this abomination can hear me. “But that rotten foundation has ruined yourself. Just like always, you proved to be your own worst enemy.”

So long as I stick in my rapidly-increasing territory, he can’t use my surroundings against me. Instead, it’s me using my growing portion of this world against him.

“Naruhata was one thing as you didn’t even know I was there at the time, but here? You really should have killed me when you had the chance. It wouldn’t have even been mutually-assured destruction like if I succeeded in winning with Infinite Doubles.”

He wants to finally throw everything he’s accumulated at me? Then I’ll just respond in kind.

 

As I make my way further into this vestigeworld, taking over his territory, freeing his stolen powers and the echoes attached to them, I start to get a better idea of my new limits. 

I can’t duplicate myself or regular consciousnesses in general. I also can’t duplicate Overhaul itself or Reveal. At first, I figured this meant I couldn’t duplicate Post-Singularity quirks, but most of these hostile quirks have reached Post-Singularity level, haven’t they?

Yes, but only through various boosters. These powers have components to them, and Overhaul can target each component individually, simultaneously, to affect the whole. A nice little loophole.

I’m assuming the same limits go for destroying quirks and vestiges, but I’m obviously not testing that on myself, and All For One has no natural Post-Singularity quirks within him. 

Some quirks and vestiges are destroyed. Others are freed, duplicated, and protected, forming my own little army alongside my own manifestations as I trek through what’s left of this amalgamation.

The city of Osaka is gradually formed in what was once a conglomeration of different memories and ideas, and I made sure my city was armed to the teeth. 

“You wanted this, right?” I called out. “You wanted to see a merge between a person and their vestige, didn’t you? Then you wanted me to come find you, so shall I? Or will you come to me before this world is torn apart?”

It’s getting more and more aggressive as time passes. It’s acting less and less like All For One as time passes. And eventually, we reach the core of this world. We see just what the former demon lord has turned into.

"̸̱̈E̶̤̽n̷̨̅o̵͂͜ṵ̵̌g̷̟̓h̴̫͛ ̵̞́o̴̬̚f̵͚̂ ̴̼̈́t̸̼͆h̵̪̆i̷̺͛s̷̹̓.̴̼̈́.̶̥̈́.̴̜̓"̵̧̽ A cacophony of voices echo all around me. " ̵͈̆É̶̻ň̶̨o̴̘̿u̴̟͝g̶̤͛h̴͊͜ ̸͚̃ò̸̤f̷̼͋ ̸̧́y̶͓͊o̵̡͑u̶̫̒.̸͍̇.̵̹̂.̸̳̀"̶̬͠

‘Truly ironic… he’s just become another face in this crowd.’

 

What almost resembles a strobe light serves as the center to this thing, thousands of vestiges all being forced into becoming a singular abomination as corrupted energy crackles all around them.

It’s forcing this connection with all its might. It’s driving itself forward with everything it has. I’m not dealing with All For One, not anymore. I can see everything now, and that included the strings holding up this bloated puppet.

In canon, Sir Nighteye had believed that between someone’s clenched fists and deep exhalation, there’s a sort of energy, from wishing and striving for a certain future. It was supposedly what let Izuku and Bakugou change his Foresight predictions.

Naturally, I had called bullshit as such a thing was just ridiculous, leaning into the typical stupid shounen tropes like the power of love and friendship letting protagonists overcome what should be impossible odds time and time again.

But throughout my second life, I realized this energy, this force, really did exist here. The ethereal, magical, bullshit force to bypass plot holes no matter how large they are. 

It allows even the most useless of heroes to succeed where they should fail. It allows even the smartest of beings to act like complete idiots. It allows regular clothes covering private parts to survive nuclear blasts. It allows for anything to be done to push its narrative no matter how ridiculous it is.

And I’ve been fighting it tooth and nail from the very beginning, ruining its stupid story time and time again, pushing it further and further. Hence, what now stands in front of me. The literal manifestation of the bullshit that pushes this world forward, the ethereal shounen force pulling the strings. 

World. This world. The manifestation of this shounen world. 

“You finally show yourself.” I smile, seeing just how far my ultimate enemy has fallen.

“All For One and One For All, right? That’s how you, the world, work? I don’t like it, and I was sent here to change you, to overhaul you, so that’s exactly what I’m gonna do.”

 

H̸̨͔͇̲̰̘̺̰̭̹̠͒͛͒͛̈̌̕ã̵̻͔͌͑̔͒͐̅͌̀͑̆͐͗̊͝͠͠n̷̖̗̅̓̾̈d̷̨̡̧̛̥̤̺̠͈̻͚̝͕̯̩̘̳̍̓͊̀̽̐̈́̑̎̈́̔̒͝ͅs̷̢̮͈̥̜͚̖̪͍̱̮͓̱̈́͊̈́́̉́̈́̋̅̓̉̔̚̕͝.̴̛̣͎̃̿͜.̸̝̃̇̀̋̀͛̇̂͛.̶̛͖͍̘̞̻͂̋̔̽́̚ ̴̮͍̓O̴̠̟̭̹͓͚͇̝̘͕̘͂̈́͊͘f̸̺̮̼͕̠̲̄̌̆̀̆̏̓͐̏͘f̷̡̯̟̲͚͓͋̾.̷̡̢̧̲̦̺̪̗̟̪̬͍̘͔̠̎́͊̀̏̊͗͘̚ͅ.̶̨̉͑͗͆͆̀.̷̯̣̻͕̠̬̯̗̮̝͚̯̳͋ ̶̨̢̤͉͙̗͚͎̞̫̼͎̰̯̩̆͂̊́̈͊̊͋͐̆͗͆͛̈́̑̊Ṁ̷͇̣͔͕̠̭̲̤̦͍̘̠͈̥͈͔y̵̢͔͍͚͈͖̺̺̼͇͕͑̕̚͝ͅ.̵̛̺̼̼̙̱̖͖͖̓̌̐̂̔͘.̶̨̨̨̛͔̖̟̱̮̻͈̹̱̮̫̙̌͒̌͑̿̾̿͑͒̌̌̏͑͘͠.̷̧̧̤̘̯͙̭̝̯̼̘̳̭͋͋̈́̒̉͘͠ ̶̢̗͙̌͛Ḿ̸͈́͊̄̀͆̏̆͐̌̈́͝a̴̲͖̜̻̲̹̋̎͗̄͝͝s̶̡̝̝̞̫̮̙̞̖̠͎̼̫͔͕̦̓̔́̑͜t̵̡̢̹̠̼̟̖͍͇͆̀̀̐͊́̑̽̆̉̈͘͝ę̷̛̯̦͍̖͖̦̞̍̊̑̉̒̾̓̏̒́̕͜͝ŗ̵̢̡̨̺̼̮̼̳͙͔͕̤̼̌̍̇͆̚͠p̶͚̞̩͙̖̳̲͉̼͔̱̹̟̠̭̹̃̏̾̓̿͒̊͂̾͒̔͜ï̸̛̦̜͕̞̩̹͖͚̼ȩ̵̛͎͉̟̈́̓̋̾̾̅̾̿͠͝ć̴̡̨̙͖̠̪̙̗̤͓̝͈̝͓̉̈́̇̑͊̚͜͠͝ḙ̶̮̺̹̦̑̎̄͋́́̑͐͛̈́͘͝ͅ.̴̢̥̹̫̲͎̹̑̓̇̅͛͂̄̽̓̀̓̚͜ͅ.̸̡̳̝̘̗̰̝͚̣͎̦̺͇̜̟̩̤̇̀.̷̧̩̻̠̜̭͖̹͛̀̅̈̑̈͝

 

The spherical mass of echoes, of spirits, of puppets declares… and I stand my ground, refusing to bend to its will.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

It distorts even further, changing shape to send a massive tendril my way. It wants to crush me, to consume me, to get me back into the fold. 

“Since the beginning, I’ve been fighting here. I’ve been figuring you out bit by bit.” 

Overhaul and Reveal activate in tandem, shattering the ethereal tentacle and freeing the vestiges making it up from World’s hold. 

“My body was altered to belong here, but not my mind, and especially not my soul.”

Freed vestiges and apparitions alike continue aiding me, hitting the mass from afar with everything they have. The All For One quirk seems to be buried in there, as is the One For All quirk, but neither of those powers mean anything here.

Destroying them would just make World reform them, again and again. So instead of aiming for the head, we’ll target the strings holding up this puppeted snake.

 

Y̸̧̧̬͇̜̠̺͓̭̦̱̓͆̃͘ȍ̸̠͛͂͋̓ṵ̶̡̄̆̃̿́͋͊̐̚͘͠.̸̨̜̦̥̱̦̘͖̣̯̈͐̀͐̈́͆́͘͝͝.̴̧̻̠̮̇̌̎̉̽̈́̔̄͘.̸̨̛̖̮̝̦̯͎̝̯͘ ̵̢̧̮̦̰̪̙̰͍̲͍͌̆͐̿̇̅͋Ń̵͔̠̈́̽̆̒̈́̊̐͌̎̚ẽ̷̖͎̙͙͙̭̺̪͕̗̯̌̅͊͒̒͗̚e̴̢̮̰̐̂̎̍̃̇̌̔̕̚͝d̶̢̩̥̜̺̀̐̿͒̌̍̀̽̚͘͠ ̴̡̣̺͙̘̘̞͔̩̈́̽̓͑M̵̜̤̹͈̠̄͊̉̐̍̓̚͠e̷̢̗̪͔̟̹̎̓̆̈́͊̊̅̄̊͝.̵̺̲͖͖̲̳͆̂ ̴̒̏̓͊́̏͜Y̵̨̢͍̮͍͇̪̪̘͒̾̃̚ͅơ̴̥͇̖̩̝͉̈́̒̄̈́͂̾̈́̕u̵̘̰̿̉͜.̵̛͙̼̦̺͓͑̀̄́̅̋̏̕̕͠.̵͕͖̼̦̣̝͚̤̯̼͂̑̾̈͜͝.̸̛̪̣͈̘͈̳̗̣̝̂̽͌̓̑̕͝͠ ̶̞̞̣͍̱̬͓̱̜̐̀̃̓̀̀͊ͅR̵̛̥͒̇̌e̶͇̯̦̎̏͌́ļ̵̨̱̘͈͇̟͎̉̓̊y̷̧̹̬̝͓͇̥̦͍͙̑ ̸̛̛̪̳̦̎͋̓̎̀͠O̵͇̮͠n̵̢̨̜̗̗̗̮̼͆͋̄̈́́̊͋ ̶̝͂M̶̠̪͍͊̍͗̔̿̎͒̑̀̕e̷͈̤̖̹̝̟͗͋̇̌̃̀͠ͅ.̶͚͎̫͚͉̪̘͔̞̝̽

 

I can’t give, take, and duplicate quirks if there are no quirks. I can’t manipulate matter if there is no matter… yet there is. The world embodies all of that, it sets the stage for me. That’s why I’m not trying to destroy it, but instead overhaul it. 

“You were a major pain in my ass every step of the way, I’ll tell you that much, but this isn’t your story anymore. It wasn’t from the moment I was forced here, so I’ll be taking all that and then some. 

The winner isn’t simply whoever survives, and the loser isn’t whoever dies. I realize that now, survival is just the start. It’s what you do with the time you have that defines you. 

Anyone can survive, just look at the rats and cockroaches scurrying through the gutters, but to shape the world, to carve your will into it, that takes something more, something I now have. Now move over.”

It attempts to resist, to reclaim what it’s lost, but I’ve only been gaining more ground since this final confrontation began… enough to make a difference on both the inside and the outside.

I won’t consume it. I won’t merge with it like canon AFO did with Tomura, but I will add his godlike Post-Singularity power to my own. 

“Well, hello there! Funny seeing you again, Star!” I smile, dozens of different mutant singularity quirks allowing me to see the hero from all angles once I manifest myself in the outside world, resembling my original shape and size rather than the giant blob of quirks the singularity was.

The damage around her is horrifying. Out of everyone in our combined assault group, only her and Mirio are still alive. Am I dead as well? Would the state I’m in count as death?

No. If anything, I feel more than alive.

 

“Yup, I’m back!” I cheer as a horrified expression spreads across her weary face. “So, what did I miss?”

“That… you… HOW?!” She gawks back.

“Oh, y’know. Just possessed the possessor, and got everything I need to-”

“NEW ORDER!”

She cuts me off, declaring new rules to not oppose All For One, but me.

One to protect herself, one to protect her quirk, and one to protect the environment… but her grasp over this reality has its limits. 

“What is with you heroes and stabbing me in the back once All For One is down?” I mock her morals. “First Nezu after Kamino and now you?”

“Like you didn’t have plans to betray us yourself.” The heroine growls back, emotions overriding logic as tears stream down her face. “I’VE LOST FAR TOO FUCKING MUCH TO HIM TO DEAL WITH YOUR BULLSHIT RIGHT AFTER, SEKAN!”

She’s in grief. She’s absolutely livid. She’s having a second wind fueled entirely by sadness and rage… by hatred.

Hatred really is a powerful force here, isn’t it?

“Just remember who started this, Star.” I coldly conclude before starting to experiment with my new arsenal.

“Quite the shield you made with New Order, let’s see how much it takes to break it. Strength Enhancer times five… no, ten… no, let’s go with twenty. Same with Kinetic Boosters.”

My body bulks up to All Might levels and beyond.

“Hypertrophy, Springlike Limbs, Multiplier- no, three copies of Multiplier, four copies of Hydra Head, Dragoon, Mouth Cannon… several copies of that one should work well.”

My body gains all kinds of new appendages, each and every one primed to start charging.

“Hardflame Fan, Electromagnet, Shockwave, Repulsor… times four- no, five, Air Pressure, Air Cannon, Wind Tunnel times two, Traject, Focus Force- quit resisting, Focus Force. Don’t forget who just freed you from All For One’s hold.

Now where was I? Oh, right. Pierce, Light Barrier, Heat Sink, Heavy Payload- do copies of that stack? No, doesn’t look like it. Whirlwind, Impure Beam-”

 

A perfect sphere of rainbow light twice my size appears in front of my outstretched appendages. The ball of energy warped like rubber struck with a hammer, collapsing inwards before bursting like bubble wrap.

It paled in comparison to the Omni-Singularity Unleash, not surprising with this being just a small fraction of his total quirks, even if I made duplicates of a few myself, but the damage output is still immense, not even Star herself daring to take it head-on as this kind of attack is too much for her rules to cancel out.

The ground beneath me shattered and the recoil knocked me back a bit as what sounded like a lion’s roar mixed with thunder echoed across the barren land. It’s noticeably weaker than it should be thanks to Star’s anti-alteration rule, but even so, if the mountain range around us wasn’t already destroyed, this attack alone would’ve finished the job.

“Hmm, can’t seem to access much more. Most of this legion still seems to be under its control.” I muse, looking back inward. 

All For One isn’t even in the picture anymore, this internal battle now being between me and the World. I have access to maybe ten percent of AFO’s quirks at the moment, fifteen percent at most, but progress is progress, and it’s nothing that can’t be rectified in the future. 

“...You can duplicate quirks yourself.” She gasps in absolute disbelief.

“And mutilate them. And destroy them outright. And merge them together. And do plenty of other tricks with them.” I give a vicious grin towards the terrified hero. “A recent development, I’ll admit. I mostly had to rely on other people and methods beforehand, but all I need now is me, myself, and I.

With All For One acting as a container to store all my shit in, and my own power being able to create endless, permanent copies of quirks whenever I want, well… you can figure out the rest.”

I’ve just become more dangerous than even Singularity For One by several orders of magnitude, a de facto god when it comes to quirks, and I have the world’s desperation and stupidity to thank for that.

“Just means I have to stop you both then.” She declares, steeling her nerves and charging back in. “You won’t have the time to grow any more like All For One did. I WON’T LET YOU RAMPAGE ACROSS THE WORLD LIKE HE DID! I SWEAR IT!”

“By all means, feel free to try your luck.” 

Mutated Singularity Quirk combinations go flying her way, one after another. 

“You never stood a chance to begin with.” I calmly explain. “Not you… nor All For One.”

I’m on top of the world right now, not even the combined assault from my two greatest adversaries being enough to turn the tables. 

“All his attempts to escape my grasp have failed.”

Most of this legion is still under the World’s control, but I’m quickly making progress through quirk manipulation, quirk duplication, and quirk deletion.

“Just as your attempts to stop me failed.”

Star’s experience fighting him allows her to greatly nullify most of my limited arsenal, but continuously duplicating what I do have access to can quickly overpower her once I get serious.

“And now… you will die.”

 

At least that was the case until I’m dragged back into the vestigeworld, the abomination taking my place in fending off the shattered star. 

“Wait your turn, World.” I growl, swapping places with puppet once again. 

Barely a few seconds passed and it already returned to being a giant blob. And after everything I did to make this mass look human again. 

“Sorry about that.” I do my best to shrug, Star not having enough time to take advantage of the new opening. “Just some technical difficulties, a few kinks to work out before-”

I’m cut off once again, being forced back into the vestigeworld as the distorted abomination attempts to gain more ground, to do the impossible and turn this situation around in its favor.

All For One and One For All fully merge together, the forcefully-boosted quirks merging together in one last attempt to stop me… and it just isn’t enough. 

“Looking to make an ultimate Artificial Quirk alongside your vestige mass, huh?” I smirk as my body gets entangled in the burning, shining mess, stockpiled energy overflowing into this thing. “Unfortunately for you, anything you can create, I can destroy.”

Being wrapped up in this thing makes it much easier to start tearing it apart with Overhaul, World’s manifestation shrieking and screeching as I start crushing its core. 

I’m able to briefly take over a few more times during this portion, hopping back into the metaphorical driver’s seat as Star continues declaring new rules against him… against me.

It’s a Tug-A-War. It’s a Three-Way War. It… reminds me of the first long-term Foresight I ever attempted. Maybe this was when the vision originally took place? That may very well be the case.

Really goes to show how badly we’ve screwed up the world. But I won’t lose here, not to Star and Stripe or whatever’s left of All For One. With the power I’ve achieved, I alone am more than enough to finish this. No matter what, I’ll be having the last laugh! I’ll be the last one standing!

 

Ṕ̵̥͔͝a̴̲̒͌r̴̛͉̈́a̶̛̝͋s̵̢͉̼͌i̵͖̱̓̚t̵̮̥͗ͅe̶̻̕͝.̸̮͒̅̕.̵̖̘̩̇̍̈́.̶̰̦̆͐ ̷̻̚Ť̷̟͛͑r̶̨̋a̷̤̩̽͊̋n̸͔̞̳͂̄̓s̶̞̩̒ͅm̷̡̨̦̽ḯ̷͎̒g̴̼̖̱͒̌̆r̸͉͇͛a̷̜͇͆͝t̴͓̺̘̀̾̍o̷̢͆̈́r̸̛̻̂̐.̸̡̤̎͗͐ͅ.̸͚̉̿.̸̱̠͋͒͗ ̶̖̫̆̂Ȗ̵̞͙͔̚ǹ̸̥̠͔͂̏ẃ̵̖̙̑̄ͅa̸̩̐̾̊n̴̰̹̉̇t̷͕̙̪̂̅e̸̤̝̗͒̐ḓ̵̀͝ ̵͈̬̝͠G̷̡̓̐ử̸̢͉͈͝e̴̤̫͑͝s̷͎̐͐t̶̺̍̉.̸͈͓͚̆͗.̴͔̣̱̾͌.̴̔͛̈́ͅ ̶̟̋͋̐͜T̷̽̂̈́ͅh̷̰́̈́͝i̷̳̇̑̕͜s̵̡͍̝̃͗̃ ̴̣̜̩̀I̴͓̐s̵̥͊̈́n̷̟͍̎'̶͓̞͕̓ṫ̴̰͜ ̷̺̱͈̾T̶̛̻̫̤̈́̃h̷͕̎͘͠é̴̲͐̕ ̴̮̐̈́ͅE̸̮̻͛̈n̸̨̡̻̒͆͌ď̶͍̥̆̑

 

Once again, that wasn’t All For One or One For All… that was the W̷͔̬̄̋͆̏̓̉͝ͅỎ̸̡̤̥̲̦́R̴͇̪̬̞͕̳̄̉L̷̡̆̀͆͌D̴̛̞̉͊̉ directly speaking to me. And I’ve had just about enough of its nonsense for one life.

 

Y̷͇̋o̵̬̓u̵̝̣̅͘ ̴̬̠̽͛̍S̷̙̅̎e̶̩̳̓͘a̵̼̘͒̉l̴̝̪̆͠e̴͈͐̕d̵͔̜̫̂ ̶͙̞̫̂͌Ȍ̸̧̡͈̐̚u̷͚̯͌͒͒r̵͙̅͐̌ ̶͚̀̕F̸͈̘͓͝ȁ̸̲͈t̸̡̟̒ẹ̸̀̅̈́.̵̩̕.̷̤́͂̀.̴̱̲͌̀̅ ̵̡̫͊ͅĂ̴̢̩̹̂n̷̥͛̈́d̸̬̅ ̵͕̤͊͝Ị̶̀͝ ̴͕̟̕S̵̹̅ẖ̵̼̀̏ä̴̤́͌l̵̥̪͋͜l̷̥̺͑ ̴̩͓͐̑B̸̧͇̄͛̚ĕ̷̡̻͕̚ ̷̞̉̑Ḇ̷͖̯̉ơ̶͕̐̆r̸̹̲̦͋̋n̸̛̼̥̊ ̷̻̈͐́Ą̶̤̦̍́͆n̸̤̮̗̐͘ẽ̴̢̛͎w̷̧̄̚.̶̖̪̲̎̅.̶̰̫̃̚.̷̦̯̑ ̶̨̩̏B̸͕̖͆͝y̵͎̰̐̏ ̵͉͚͛T̴̲̾̐h̶͉͐ȩ̴͇̊ ̴͖̘̜̌͗O̷̤̍͝n̷̝̙̔̏ĕ̸̱̼ ̷͈͋Ỵ̸̺́̎͠o̶̹̮̿͗ȗ̴̜̞́͗ ̶̢͑̃͆ͅS̴̱͓̎̐ḣ̶̛̙̒ö̶͖̬̗̚ű̷̹͂͘l̷̺̓d̴̼̼̊́̓ ̷̪̫̎N̵͍̥̒̈ö̴͖̜̟̀̕t̶̰͉̽͠ ̸̦͙̣͌H̵̝̟́a̸͖̼͌͑v̴͓̘̉͠ȇ̴̥͔̣̊̕ ̷͙͍̠͗̊K̵̜̀̋i̸̮̗̻͒͒͝ľ̶̠͎l̵̤̇e̷͙̝̾̿d̵̩͛

 

“Ominous, but I’ve already heard enough cryptic bullshit to last both lifetimes.” I chuckle back. “So once I finish cracking open that ethereal head of yours, I’m just gonna take a quick peek and see what remaining secrets you have- what?”

A new resonance forms and a new bridge is built, this amalgamation trying to escape into another vessel.

Unfortunately for them, every other copy of All For One, and One For All for that matter, has already been destroyed. Every last bit of the original One For All has been taken too.

All that’s left is the original All For One quirk, and that too is destroyed the moment the resonance is formed. My organization still has it, and I made sure they would destroy it if this abomination tried escaping through it.

I don’t have enough time to escape through it myself. Even if I did and severed the resonance right after, this thing would just reform that bridge and follow me in, and I won’t allow it to destroy the Shie Hassiakai. I won’t let it destroy everything I’ve built.

My organization can live without the All For One quirk. With our research and Quirk Bestowal, the number of quirks a person holds won’t stay as a limit forever. They’ll figure out how to completely bypass it eventually.

What’s important now is ensuring it can’t escape, ensuring it truly dies for good here. Quirk, vestige, and whatever consciousness it had left, all of it’s going down.

Unfortunately, that still means I go down with it, so I need it to try connecting to a different host so I can hijack that escape route. Ideally, I can ensure its destruction before leaving too, so it can’t just follow me in.

That’s why I’m both happy and nervous when another quirk resonance opens up, but with who?

A new host? If I can take over this thing, then surely I can take over a regular person, and I’m just as dangerous on the outside as I am on the inside. It’s smarter than that, and stupidly desperate, so-

“NEW ORDER WILL UNLEASH A CHAIN OF DESTRUCTION UPON ANYTHING IT COMES INTO CONTACT WITH!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Hysterical Strength and the QAD fuel an extremely broad destruction rule, adding onto the damage I’ve already done, and that’s the final nail in this ethereal coffin. 

But something like this… is she trying to destroy herself too? Take us all out in one fell swoop? Sacrifice her quirk to destroy All For One and I like how Izuku sacrificed OFA to take down AFO in canon?

Yeah, no. Not a fan of that sacrificial plan either, so I beeline towards the quirk resonance the heroine forcefully formed with another rule before it too breaks down from her destruction rule.

Oh, and I gladly use what’s left of the fused abomination as a meatshield too, activating Overhaul to ensure the job is finished.

‘Little by little… the damage everyone dealt… all that built-up aggravation… at long last!’

Its body of quirks, its mind of vestiges, whatever’s left of his core and soul, all of it irreversibly shatters. 

‘For certain this time, All For One is- no, he was just a medium, a puppet, an outlet. He’s gone for good, but the true threat is still out there. The World will return, and I’ll be ready for it.’

One final cacophony of screams rings out as the vestigeworld behind me completely crumbles.

Plenty of other, freed quirk vestiges also make a run for it, heading towards the only path to survival, but Star is determined to end it all here and now as she gatekeeps the tunnel out. She’s determined to have this free-for-all end with everyone losing, but…

“MY WORK ISN’T FINISHED JUST YET, HERO!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Reveal and Overhaul form a thin layer of other quirks and vestiges alike around me as I tackle New Order through the resonance, Singularity For One perishing not even a moment later. 

My shields shatter as I kick her away, forcing my way through any resistance she puts up against my own forced transfer. Both of us soon landed in a brand new void, the vestigeworld of Star and Stripe. 

“At long last, All For One is finally destroyed. Physical form, quirks, vestiges, and all.” I give a sincere smile, slowly rising back up. “And then there were two…”

Every last quirk and vestige of his is gone, obliterated at the atomic level, not even the slightest sliver remaining. No embers like what happened with canon Star after New Order was destroyed, no lingering memories like what happened with canon Tomura after Decay was destroyed, nothing. A pity, but my own remaining powers are more than enough to finish this.

Overhaul. Reveal. New Order. With these three quirks and my Singularity Ascension complete, not even the World itself will be able to stop me anymore. Doesn’t matter who it chooses to puppeteer next. 

There’s just one final obstacle standing in my way. We’ve both grown so much. We’ve had our highs and lows. We’ve had our victories and defeats. We’ve had alliances and wars. 

We’ve both lost so much, but I’m about to make up for it all and then some as my journey finally comes to an end. Only one of us will have these powers, this body, this world to overhaul as they see fit. 

We each had the chance to kill each other, yet we still needed each other for one reason or another. Well not anymore. Quirk Singularity Doomsday and the damaged World will need our combined power to stop, combined power that’s firmly under my control, so it’s about time we finally settled things between us. 

“Final round. Just you and me. The world and its society has been destroyed, SO LET’S DECIDE ONCE AND FOR ALL WHO GETS TO REBUILD IT, STAR AND STRIPE!!!”

 

 

 

Final Status of Singularity Crisis:

Time Since Initial Ascension - 8 Hours 15 minutes

Estimated Number of Casualties - 54,830,000+

Singularity For One - Destroyed

Chapter 127: Pyrrhic

Notes:

One final hiatus to finish planning one final arc. How to Survive a Shounen will continue on September 18th or next Thursday. Until then, enjoy the conclusion to this latest arc.

“Fascinating…”

Screens and statistics filled her vision. Monitors displayed data feeds, telemetry, and live video feeds from various locations around the globe. 

“Truly fascinating…” 

All For One had taken the bait. How could he not? 

A supposed ‘Optimized Ideo Trigger’ for human usage hidden by Humarise. He always believed Flect Turn to be a hypocrite, and took the product for himself as a trump card with next to no suspicion after discovering what she had secretly planted in his path.

Humarise itself didn’t have a clue what it truly was or that it was even there, everyone present at that facility either believing he meant the Ideo Trigger for Artificial Singularities or being too scared to care. It was at the moment the ancient, quirk-stealing demon lord became nothing more than her guinea pig.

“Go right ahead, everyone.” Melissa Shield whispers, a mix of madness and euphoria slowly spreading across her face. “Try your luck against my latest creation, show me what you can do against an omen of the singularity.”

Most scenes being displayed appeared to be taken straight out of fantasy. It looked and sounded as if the heavens were about to be torn apart, as if the stars and the moon were about to crash down upon Earth.

The sky roared with anger, promising suffering and vengeance. Flashes constantly lit the dark, stormy atmosphere, making it resemble broad daylight. 

Star and Stripe came. All Might did too. Even Long Haul got in on the action, all three of them and countless others coming together to fend off her latest singularity creation, All For One.

The four of them looked like gods, but not the kind of good, benevolent type of gods, no. They looked like the gods of legend, the kind capable of wiping out humanity whenever they felt like it.

It could be seen in the altered environment being left behind, parts of the planet forever altered into something truly incredible at their whim.

She couldn’t wait to have that kind of power herself.

 

[And here I was under the belief of me being the main trickster among us.] A sassy, synthetic voice echoes from the surrounding intercoms.

“You’re still learning, Loki. Don’t be impatient.” Melissa responds, slightly scolding the latest aid she made for herself like the child it still is. “Now, how goes your other main missions?”

[Long Haul’s forces are resisting fiercely. Their skills are at the peak of what humans were calculated to be capable of, and the technopathic attacks are both consistent and methodical. 

Nevertheless, I continue to gain ground over I-Island’s systems. They still attempt to hide, not understanding why I haven’t done anything with my growing control. They are cautious, too cautious, and this will cost them dearly.

As for the remaining Trigger Bombs, several dozen and counting have been connected to our own designated terminal through the drones sent to their locations. They can be activated at any time.]

Its reply was respectful towards her, but carried an undertone of confidence, as if fully aware of its growing capabilities and seeing no difficulty with its task, especially with some choice Artificial Singularities temporarily boosting its already incredible capabilities.

“Ever the trickster, my little Loki.” Melissa coos back. “Just as I intended you to be.”

 

She had long since began working on highly-sophisticated artificial intelligence systems, creating entities surpassing even the most powerful quirks in intelligence, processing power, and other cognitive abilities.

And keeping up with the whole ‘ancient deity legend’ theme she had going on with her AI, this latest one is much more advanced, much more capable, much more… sentient. Kind of like Jarvis from the Marvel franchise, only much more mischievous. 

This one was created to annoy her enemies as much as possible. This one was created to specialize in tricks, subversion, and deceit. This one was created to beat Long Haul at his own game. 

She obviously made quite a few failsafes in case the ever-evolving programming fails in some way. Unlike fiction’s depiction of AI running loose, she’d ensured her own artificial intelligences could never attempt to harm or betray her. No way would she be taken down for good by her own creations. 

Humanity won’t have to worry about some Skynet or Ultron obliterating them. Her AI assistants will eventually match and surpass the capabilities of those fictional examples, yes, but they’ll be far more fearful of her once she reemerges from this tomb she sealed herself in.

Well, assuming they manage to withstand All For One’s wrath until he gives out. Easier said than done, considering the ultimate attack he just launched. 

A single blast that carved through an entire continent, and more than likely eliminated her greatest opposition in one fell swoop. Long Haul, Star and Stripe, All Might… she’s given up getting him to side with her. She can’t let any previous connection with him weigh her down.

“Heh, it appears I made you better than even I suspected.” She murmurs to herself, the satellite imagery painting a truly terrifying picture. “And this is only the beginning.”

Long Haul and Star, All Might and All For One, they all better hope that blast kills them, as a far more painful death awaits them if they live past this opening act.

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  The Submergence

This is it, one last fight that puts not just our bodies and quirks, but our very spirits or souls against each other. And in a way, despite this taking place within Cathleen, you could say we both have the home-field advantage.

Power inside the vestigeworld has no direct relation to how strong a person is in the real world. With enough control, you could pretty much become omnipotent within your own mindscape. You’re not limited to using the strength or quirks you have on the outside in here. 

Even the vessel people inhabit was just a mere frame of reference to make interpreting the vestigeworld easier. People automatically limit themselves to their bodies, while in truth, everything outside of a few external things (like foreign quirks and vestiges) was all a part of the person. 

In short, form is meaningless here. In your vestigeworld, you are everywhere and one with everything. The only thing limiting you is your own lack of understanding. 

 

Plenty of training in this space is needed too. It took me quite a while to get the hang of this, but when combined with my knowledge of quirks and vestiges, I can not only perfectly control my own vestigeworld, but extend my influence to encompass the vestigeworld of others.

Even All For One’s vestige could do this in canon, as shown when he took over Tomura, although his level of control is nowhere near as thorough as mine. 

Speaking of, quirks can serve as a crutch when it comes to controlling the vestigeworld, All For One in particular being able to naturally have a solid hold over any other quirks and vestiges that enter his vestigeworld. 

Willpower is also important, but actually learning the ins and outs of this space is the best way to go. Being a quirk vestige helps with the latter as this is where quirk vestiges reside, and with me now having several quirk vestiges as a part of myself and all the experience I had with vestigeworlds beforehand, none can compare to me in this field.

Of course, I ended up being extra thorough and used all three methods together. Reveal and Overhaul help out, my own willpower helps out, and those two support my mastery over this ‘realm’, whether it’s my own or other people’s. 

Most people wouldn’t see a reason for putting the time and effort needed into achieving this even if they knew about it. Why bother training something you’re never gonna see, let alone use in battle, right? How many people out there can attack a person’s spirit or possess them through their quirk vestige? Not a whole lot.

And it’s not like mastering the vestigeworld will make you physically stronger. You could imagine apparitions to train against, sharpening your combat skills, and maybe the messy sense of time here can help in some very specific scenarios, but that’s about it. 

So no, the vestigeworld isn’t really that important to train or even understand… at least, not normally. At least, not for most people, normal people.

But I am not most people. I am not normal. I’ve been pursuing this avenue since the very beginning, knowing and fearing what some of my toughest pre-singularity opponents could do in here, and all that effort has paid off.

 

“NEW ORDER WILL RAGE AGAINST ANY OTHER BEING IT ENCOUNTERS!!!”

What a waste of a good rule, and stacking that with her earlier destruction rule is a waste of two slots. While I can’t speak for Star herself, the being in front of me, the vestige of New Order…

Angry. Irrational. Unnaturally so. Looks like Singularity For One left a little present for her.

New Order roars, turning into the same giant, pupiless beast it did in canon as it ravaged through AFO Tomura’s vestigeworld. Unfortunately for her, I won’t be reduced to a punching bag like that merger of person and quirk was.

No, I know exactly where I am right now, and I know exactly what I can do.

“RRRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH- OMPH!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

The vestige doesn’t even reach me, instead being forced onto the classic, bland rocky platform that every vestigeworld here seems to naturally have. Nothing but a giant rock surrounded by void.

So while starting to expand my influence here, I changed the place up a bit. The scene starts to shift, the boring rock below changing into a massive arena and the endless void above being covered by a thunderstorm.

What’s more is every raindrop that falls down becomes a knife slicing into her, the immense gravity keeping her down only speeding up this nature-themed onslaught. Every last bolt of lightning also strikes true, traveling all throughout the soaked vestige for maximum damage.

And the kicker of all this? I haven’t even used a single quirk yet. I don’t have Weather Manipulation of some quirk that affects gravity, only Overhaul and Reveal, and those two quirks have evolved into something beyond quirks.

Right now, these effects are simply apparitions. They’re manifestations I made within this mind. 

“Hatred is a powerful tool, don’t get me wrong, but such a thing won’t do anything to me, not after I mastered the very mechanisms behind it.” I explain as the charred, smoking vestige struggles to her feet, powering through my current assault.

So I simply crank it up a few notches, and there’s no cap to this, not when I can control everything around us. The damage done so far may be superficial, but it can contain her at the very least.

“Now then, where is it…”

 

“New… N-New… O̵r̷d̴e̷r̶.̸.̷.̴"̸ The vestige growls, her voice starting to distort.

I turn back around to face her in slight surprise, and see that her wounds didn’t heal normally. Instead, they have the trademark mutated growths of Singularity For One’s arsenal sprouting.

She couldn’t shield herself from the cursed boosters like I could. Even if she never directly entered his vestigeworld, the resonance she opened up was enough of a gap for these effects to slip through.

Stockpile embers, Ideo Trigger, and even radiation affected this quirk and its vestige. Only unlike with Singularity For One, the latter seems to have a negative effect on her. She should be receiving a boost in power, but she only seems to be getting weaker. 

This is what should’ve happened to Singularity For One, the world having protected it from any negative consequences. It seems that Star and Stripe isn’t being given that same mercy.

What was it that manifestation said again? ‘You sealed our fate, and I shall be born anew by the one you should not have killed.’ Could it be talking about Star herself? I did technically kill her for a brief moment with Overhaul before, bringing her back with Hysterical Strength applied.

Whatever. If the world wants to try manifesting through her, so be it. I stopped it as it puppeted All For One and I’ll stop it again here if that’s what it takes. 

“Just look at yourself.” I sigh as the vestige loses more reason and control. “You’re gonna destroy your own existence at this rate.”

“̸N̸-̷N̸e̵w̸ ̴O̶r̵d̴e̴r̸…̸ ̶c̷a̸n̴’̸t̴ ̴b̸e̶ ̷h̴a̷r̷m̸e̵d̴.̷”̴

Too little, too late. Especially since she doesn’t understand what’s happening to her, making the rule far less effective than it should be. 

Besides, New Order couldn’t fully defend against a singularity-level Decay quirk in canon, and while her quirk is more powerful here, my Overhaul and Reveal quirks far outshine AFO Tomura’s main quirk.

I’ve grown powerful enough to even triumph over New Order’s level of control, boosters be damned. It can hinder me or slow me down while boosted, sure, but not stop me entirely.

“̴N̸e̸w̶ ̸O̸r̶d̸e̵r̶:̶ ̷C̵a̶t̶h̸l̷e̴e̷n̵ ̸B̸a̸t̴e̸ ̸h̸a̶s̵ ̴t̷w̵o̶ ̶q̷u̷i̵r̶k̸s̸.̷ ̴N̷e̸w̵ ̷O̵r̵d̷e̴r̸ ̷a̴n̸d̸ ̶E̴r̴a̷s̵u̵r̵e̵!̵”̴

Shouta Aizawa’s vestige only has a moment to look my way, and it does nothing. He doesn’t seem to know me though. So does this mean New Order only makes copies of the original quirk, vestige and all, rather than duplicated copies?

Or maybe it depends on what version of the quirk she’s thinking of, Erasure being the quirk Eraserhead had before his death instead of the quirk I copied. After all, there must be plenty of quirks out there with the same name as other quirks.

It all depends on Cathleen’s own understanding, and I have far more of that than she does.

Erasure and its vestige are quickly destroyed through Overhaul, and I shift my attention back to the other quirk vestige in this realm, myself excluded, if I can even be considered as one. 

More rules are thrown, altering the world around us, and I simply alter the world right back. I don’t even use Overhaul or Reveal unless I’m destroying quirk and vestige copies.

Her reality-warping doesn’t help her. Not simply because my singularity powers can override her rules, mind you, but mainly because she doesn’t understand what’s happening to her. 

“A quirk that places reality under your control used in a world that is naturally under your control, yet I’m the one in control here. How ironic…”

“̷D̷A̴M̷N̴I̸T̷,̶ ̶W̶H̷A̶T̵ ̴E̸V̵E̸N̴ ̴A̵R̷E̸ ̷Y̴O̸U̶?̴!̶?̵”̷

I was expecting a climactic final battle, and instead got a childish echo throwing a temper tantrum. Should I be disappointed, or proud of myself for making this final hurdle so easy to jump over.

New Order struggles to stand, channeling as much will and hatred as she can, but such things have no effect on me anymore. Her rules don’t mean a thing either with the vastly superior level of understanding and control I have.

So the mutating, hate-fueled vestige can do nothing as I warp over to her, bending space with no warp gates to be seen, and throw an Overhaul-infused strike to shatter every last bit of it.

"̴̣̔L̵͖̏͘Ỏ̶͕̕N̸̻̹̑̅G̷̣͆ ̴̭̭́H̷̨̐À̶̝̹Ä̷͚́̅A̴̰̐͊ͅÃ̸̬Ã̷̳U̵͚̦͌̾U̸̻̓͘Ṵ̵̭͗Ù̷̝̅Ǘ̴͈̚͜L̸͈̣̈́L̴͙͌Ĺ̶͍͚̎Ļ̸̘̓̉L̶̨̳͆L̵̺̞̾̅!̸̦̃͝!̶̱͕͌̊!̵̡͚̂"̸̢̜̏̚ The vestige lets out one final, distorted scream as she’s erased in her entirely, the mutated quirk itself being left unharmed, as am I.

“The right sort of transfer can wound. It can even break the thing being passed. I put that into practice against All For One, and All For One put that into practice against you. Really is ironic.”

 

New Order is by far the biggest and brightest normal quirk light I’ve seen, this power growing and slowly shriveling from Singularity For One’s boosters. Nothing I can’t fix in a bit.

It’s said to redefine what quirks are, yet it’s just like every ‘normal’ quirk to me. That means I can affect it just like any other normal quirk.

As I said before, not even a boosted New Order can completely counter what I can do in Cathleen’s own vestigeworld. Pretty impressive on my part, forcibly controlling the inside of my opponent’s mind despite her immense willpower and grasp over reality itself acting as a crutch. 

I can’t possess her outright at the moment, but I should be able to once I weaken her spirit enough, just like what I did to Singularity For One, and that can be done by either completely taking over her mindscape or making her physically battle in here to wear her down. 

But that isn’t enough for me. I don’t want to merge with her, and I don’t want her to risk turning the tables like Tomura did against AFO. So instead of weakening her spirit, I intend to destroy it outright.

New Order itself doesn’t attempt to stop me. How could it? Vestiges are the sentient part of quirks, sentient quirks like Dark Shadow being a slight exception, and New Order isn’t a part of that group.

Maybe it could be with the right rule? Something to experiment with later. Getting back on track, that’s Step 1 done. Now there’s nobody to stop me from finishing the job.

As for what that is, you could say I’m doing a more precise, thorough version of what AFO’s vestige did to Tomura in canon, destroying every last bit of Cathleen’s mind and spirit to leave nothing but the body behind. Only unlike what AFO did, I’ll be leaving New Order behind too. 

I couldn’t completely take over All For One and his accumulated legion before he was destroyed, so I’ll have to settle for Star and Stripe. It’s a consolation prize I’ll gladly take after losing so much.

Activating Overhaul and Reveal in tandem, it isn’t long before I find what I’m looking for. 

‘Speaking of AFO Tomura parallels…’ I mentally mutter, approaching the core, spirit, soul, or whatever the deepest part of a person is called. 

Tomura seemed to imply ‘core’ and ‘soul’ were two different things during the Final War, monologuing how he hid the former deep inside the latter, but as per usual, Horikoshi didn’t clarify jack shit about it.

Point is, this is the deepest part of a person, their origin, their very existence. I’ve still got my own, and she has hers. The latter is what I need to extinguish to ensure the tables can never be turned. 

While mine is buried deep within my current form, hers is out in the open, surrounded by a dark mass. It looks similar to AFO Tomura’s, solid as a ball of lead. It’s made up of every little kernel of anger within her. Her frustration, her discontent, and her memories too. All of it was drawn together into a single united barrier.

A barrier that I effortlessly tear through despite representing her resolve, a spirit now solidified by raw hatred. It could do nothing to protect her soul from me, and I myself receive no recoil from the attack.

AFO Tomura’s core required both Star’s vestige and every OFA vestige slamming into it to shatter. While they all could only play this ridiculous game like normal, I can do the equivalent of hacking it, altering the very source code to whatever I desire.

Overhaul can’t affect the mind or spirit as those aren’t matter in the traditional sense, but like most other ironclad rules in this world, there is a loophole to it that’s ripe for exploitation. 

Overhaul can affect quirks, and with quirks connecting to a person’s body, mind, and soul, I can at least partially affect the mind and soul through this connection.

Reveal combined with my expertise can make up for any gaps Overhaul still has, ensuring nothing escapes my control.

“Body, mind, soul, and even the core. Quirks connect to it all.” I repeat out loud, peering into the bright white light.

 

I can see Cathleen Bate as a child, using New Order to do things like make cookies bigger or make herself run faster while playing tag. 

I can see that opening scene from MHA Two Heroes playing out in her point of view, her and the rest of her family being saved by All Might.

I can see her choosing to be a hero, getting in shape and uncovering more of what New Order is truly capable of, joining the military and even rising up to become America’s Number 1 Hero. 

I can see… the remaining bits of solidified hatred around me and the core slowly start to disintegrate, but I did no such thing. New Order too, the boosters infecting this quirk slowly fading away as it returns to normal.

“Cathleen Bate… can cleanse herself.” Star and Stripe whispers as she slowly manifests in her own vestigeworld. 

This isn’t New Order’s vestige, this is the real deal, and her quirk has just been restored to its original, non-mutated state. Her own boosters like the QAD and Hysterical Strength are all that’s effecting it now, and those effects are purely positive.

“Star. You look like a weight’s been lifted off your shoulders.” I comment, still holding her soul, the spirit containing her core up with one hand. “But such loss and trauma can’t be recovered from so easily.”

“No, but it does help a little with all this spiritual shit.” She shrugs back. “Not as much as you did though.”

That gets me to raise an eyebrow in confusion, and she’s happy to clarify why.

“New Order, I can understand everything within me.” She doesn’t declare, but explains. “New Order, I can understand everything going on inside of me. You know way more about this than I ever will, and New Order has its limits, but that doesn’t mean I can’t learn some of this stuff myself.”

“Gonna start calling me sensei then?” I chuckle back. “Ah, right. American. Well, teacher or professor works too.”

Maybe even transmigrator? No, it doesn’t look like she knows that. Another limit to New Order, or the gods purposefully protecting that little secret? Whatever, it’s not like that matters now.

“This isn’t a one-way street, you know? You’ve had plenty to show me, and I’ve still got plenty to show you. Would be a lot easier for us both if you just stopped for a while.”

“Stop?” I repeat, laughing now more than ever. “Why would I stop here? Hero Society’s done for and the Singularity Era has begun, but that’s only the first part. Second part is rebuilding.”

“A new era has begun, but Hero Society isn’t done yet. It’s broken, and plenty will change in the wake of this new world, but some of the products of that system are still there, however damaged they are.” 

“Just means I’ll have to be extra thorough.” I conclude, ready to shatter the soul in my grasp.

 

Only it doesn’t work, neither Overhaul nor Reveal being able to get the job done.

New Order then? How poetic would it be to finish her off with her own quirk?

Alas, that doesn’t work either. It won’t respond to me because Cathleen won’t let it respond to me.

“No. The slate won’t be completely wiped clean just yet.” She declares, pulling her soul out of my hands and into her own. “Hero Society is broken, but that means it can be fixed. It can be rebuilt into something better.”

Did she declare another New Order rule to protect herself before coming here? Something that lets her control the vestigeworld, maybe? I can feel my influence here rapidly decreasing, only that process comes to a halt as I flare my will and quirks.

Despite her best efforts, New Order still isn’t enough to bridge the gap. If she wants to play keep-away with her soul and quirk, then I’ll just destroy her manifestation instead.

“You really think humanity will learn from its mistakes? You really think this cycle won’t repeat itself?” I counter. “The best you can do is delay the inevitable. Maybe by a decade, maybe by a century, but humanity will one day wipe itself out. The only question now is how destructive the weapons or powers they use to end themselves will be.”

“I'll tell you the same thing I told my bros right after retreating from Japan. Everything’s falling apart. The system is broken, but it’s the only one we have. And while there are plenty of guilty people scattered around, there are still plenty of innocents around too. 

I won’t run. I won’t hide. But if the end really is inevitable, I will survive while saving as many people as possible. I’ll learn what I can, and make sure that those lessons aren’t forgotten, that whatever rises up in this society’s place won’t make the same mistakes it made!”

“So you’re willing to try my method, but only after you try yours first.” I summarize. 

“Going with my method first lets us learn more, right?” She counters. “It lets us see what humanity will do during the singularity, when it naturally has access to such power. You can theorize and guesstimate all you want, but that won’t compare to witnessing the real deal.”

“All you’re doing is prolonging their suffering, hero. Can you really live with that?”

“Humanity is tough, stubborn, and has plenty of potential for growth as a species. It’s withstood tough times before, eventually becoming better than ever, and something similar will happen now. 

We both know the age of heroes and villains is over, and something better can come from its remains without destroying them entirely. Just give this a chance, Sekan. I’m trying to compromise here, because I know you’re at least partially right. I’ll make sure we can both be satisfied with the results.”

Give this a chance? Give her a chance? Is she really trying to…

“Pass. Society has had centuries to get its act together, and look at what happened. No more waiting, no more hiding, no more scheming, no more delegating while sitting on the sidelines. I’m ending this, Star.”

“Then I’ll prove to you that all hope isn’t lost yet. While I can’t make any guarantees, I’ll do my best to show how much progress can now be made, and I’ll fend you off here until I’m ready.”

“Delaying the inevitable, huh? You know you can’t beat me, so you’re gonna focus on stalling me, keeping me sealed up inside of you, until you can supposedly prove your point.” I confirm.

“Would be easier if you just willingly waited a bit.” She shrugs back.

“And let’s say I agree to this, give you the chance to unfuck the world. Have you forgotten about the organization I have at my beck and call? What do you think they’ll do now that they believe I’m dead?”

“The better question is why haven’t they done anything yet. Do they know about your current situation, or do they think you died to All For One? Either way, there’s been no kind of retaliation of rage-fueled frenzies from your side since then, so why is that?”

Seems like she’s calling my bluff, because yes, this was a bluff on my end.

 

Right before that Omni-Singularity Unleash reached me, ’killing’ me, I sent a message out through Reveal, ordering my organization to conclude our worst-case scenario contingency plan. They had been quickly packing up in preparation, and I told them to leave this doomed planet before they were destroyed too.

And they left nothing behind, no way to monitor what was going on there just in case All For One or someone else had some bullshit quirk or quirks that allowed them to track and monitor right back. Everyone aboard would even be briefly killed to remove any tracking quirk effects like what Search, Q-Ray, and Reveal can do. 

Dying resets quirks like like, so with me and them dying, even if only briefly, we lost our tethers with each other. I refused to take any chances whatsoever; us not knowing the specifics of humanity’s fate was worth it if it meant we could live. 

My overly-cautious nature had worked against me. Even if I succeeded in destroying Cathleen, taking her body and quirk, and becoming the most powerful person on Earth, my organization, my friends and family, are already long-gone. Quirk combination and advanced technology let them travel at far faster speeds than anything rockets could do in my last life. 

They’ll return one day, but that could be in centuries or even millenia for all I know. They’re eager to avenge me, but they aren’t stupid, as I made sure they wouldn’t be stupid. They also have Double clones and quirk vestiges of me to fill the void I left behind. I’ll still be with them, even if it won’t really be me. 

I… fuck… I can’t say I regret it. I had no idea if my last-ditch possession tactic would work, and I didn’t want them all to die too. They could be safe, have fun exploring the cosmos. They would ensure I would win, even without me personally leading them. They would make sure I got the last laugh as I rotted away in hell.

But against all odds, I survived. Against all odds, I stubbornly clung on, and now… damnit. They abandoned me because I ordered them to abandon me. 

I fucked up. My own caution and lack of belief in myself became my downfall. I had given into the world’s stupid narrative and intended to- no, sacrificed myself for them. 

“Sekan?” Cathleen cautiously asks, noticing the tears starting to fall and the anger starting to build. “Are… Are you okay?”

The world did this to me. It ensured that even if I won, that it would be the worst victory possible, as I have nobody to celebrate it with. 

Separate organizations like the MLA and Gollini Family are still around, but everyone in my Shie Hassaikai, everyone I actually give a damn about? They wouldn’t throw their lives away for nothing now when they can guarantee victory later.

‘So if that’s how this world wants to play…’

 

“They’ll be back.” I mutter to both her and myself. “I didn’t know. I didn’t realize what I could do, and for their own good, I threw everything away because of it, but they won’t be gone forever.”

“You… lost?” The hero questions. “But All For One is-”

“You’re right. I am accepting defeat. I have lost this war.” I sighed in resignation.

My admittance and her shock to such keep us both where we are, even as the ethereal world around us starts to tremble.

“But you have not defeated me.” I coldly clarify. “Even now, I see you as my greatest adversary, Cathleen. In my war against Japan, you turned the tides. In my war against the world, you allowed newer, stronger symbols to rise.

Every villain I threw your way was taken down one after another, whether they were enemies or comrades of mine. There were moments you were forced to retreat for a time, to prioritize others over yourself and I, but you would always come back to finish the job. You would’ve eventually done the same to the MLA, I’m sure of it.

And you… you, Cathleen, stood between me and my new order with your own. You still do, and whether the world supports you or not, you always will.”

She doesn’t completely understand. She probably never will, and I don’t care. I just need to voice my thoughts. I just need to get this off my chest.

“I cannot win this war. Not now. But they… will… return…” I growl, slowly starting to walk back towards her. “Long after this battle is over… and they have been forgotten.”

Cathleen Bate tenses up, finally understanding what’s to come.

“When the world has grown weak… and their enemies are gone…”

Yet she still stands her ground, delaying the inevitable, fighting against the impossible.

“And when you… are no longer there… TO STOP THEM!!!” 

 

Her instincts blared the moment I appeared, knowing something had changed. 

She doesn’t stick around to find out, running off with her quirk light in one hand and soul in the other as the rest of this world begins bending to my will, bending to my hatred. 

The ground twists and turns, the sky shatters and falls, even the gravity and space around us fall under my control.

“New Order: Cathleen Bate can control every last bit of herself!”

Just a crutch. Not nearly enough.

She may have regained a foothold, launching a counterattack at my current form, but it means nothing. It ends up dispersing me because I let it disperse me.

All it does is get her to lower her guard, giving me enough time to start reclaiming what was lost.

“Is this really what you want, Sekan? To destroy us both? To rob yourself of the chance to one day see each other again? To not give your organization anything to return to?” 

Shoving her own quirk and core within her manifestation, she desperately defends, the two of us attacking each other relentlessly as the entire vestigeworld was torn apart over and over again, our control seemingly evenly matched as my opponent tried to bridge gaps with New Order wherever she could.

“THEY STILL HAVE ME!” I roar right back. “NEWS FLASH, HERO! I’VE HAD DOUBLE FROM THE START! TOMURA AND THE LOV AFTER KAMINO WAS ME!!! I COULD’VE DESTROYED THIS WORLD ANY TIME I WANTED TO!”

“So why didn’t you?”

She forced space to crumble all around my growing area of influence, everything folding into itself. I responded by unwrapping what trapped me before removing all space in my immediate surroundings.

Right as I did so, Cathleen reached out and forced space to reappear, taking me by surprise as everything around me imploded. Reality itself wrapped around my body, but right before it could crush me, I forced space to disappear once more.

“If you were that fed-up with everything back then, why not end it all if you could? You told me why back at the UA Festival. You said you’re just a man offering sanctuary to those who suffered at this system’s hand.”

“And I did. They’re all safe, so there’s no reason to hold back anymore.”

Raising her hands, Cathleen replicates her Keuranos Ultimate with a massive pillar of energy falling upon me. I defended myself with a barrier, barely blocking the attack as she kept increasing its intensity. 

An unstoppable force and an immovable object soon cancel each other out. 

“Yes there is! You said they would be back, so give them something to return to!”

She wasn’t doing anything she wasn’t capable of. She wasn’t growing stronger at all, instead claiming what power she already had in the first place and simply didn’t know how to access and use, all because of me. 

…I really am my own worst enemy, aren’t I?

 

The fight continued as Star kept pressing whatever advantage she could get. Any damage in her mental form was reflected in her physical form, but New Order could heal her. 

Mental scars like this can’t be healed the normal way. Quirks like Super Regeneration have no effect, but New Order can apparently bypass that if rules are worded right, especially if the quirk is boosted.

Her Hysterical Strength should have run out by now, assuming she hasn’t reapplied it with a rule. Even if she didn’t, she still has the QAD. That’s three boosted rules at her disposal, but not even all of them combined can completely bridge the gap between us.

Doesn’t matter that she can prevent me from obtaining her own booster’s effects. Boosted or not, my will is greater than hers. My hatred is greater than hers. My knowledge is greater than hers. My quirks can edge out her own, even with her preventing the QAD and her other power-ups from affecting me.

I’ve become better than her. I’ve become more powerful than her. It’s a losing battle for her, and we both know that. 

This time around, I don’t rely on loopholes or a lack of comprehension on her end. This time around, I focus solely on overwhelming what she can change with raw power and intent.

As I manifest myself into a human apparition once again, she makes the ground rise to crush me, only for me to stomp down, making everything explode with enough force to push her back. 

I was on her immediately afterwards, and she folded space again to limit my movements, but everything was shattered apart as I reached out and landed a palm on her chest.

Everything I have is channeled into an attack, one that can power through whatever rules and will she still has… and it never lands, because she leaves the vestigeworld before it can land.

“Hopping in and out? A clever trick, but without you here to directly defend, retaking your internal world will go even faster for me.” I call out, putting everything I have into further expanding my influence, searching for her soul.

 

She pops right back in a few seconds later, looking a bit different appearance-wise. 

Her outfit isn’t ragged. Her body isn’t damaged. She looks calm, resigned, like she just took a breather and thought things through.

A rule that increases processing power? Did she take advantage of me not being able to see outside of this place or her quirk to change rules? Another clever trick, killing two birds with one stone like that, but it won’t be enough.

No way is she getting the jump on me that easily, and I prove that by stopping the apparitions of both All Might and Lemillion in their tracks.

These aren’t quirk vestiges, but her thoughts and memories solidified, just like alterations to the landscape around us. Unfortunately for her, I mastered making these kinds of manifestations long ago and have done plenty of image training with that particular function already. 

In fact, I decide it’s appropriate to respond in kind, creating my own apparitions of regular All For One and Re-Destro to match the two symbols. 

“You think this will help? I could play along with your game or wipe these manifestations out in a heartbeat! What do you thi-” I start to taunt, only for her to leave the vestigeworld again after creating Big Red Dot and Salaam to assist her summons.

An all too familiar connection forms right after, and it only serves to piss me off more.

“Really? You forced a quirk resonance to form with me? I’VE MASTERED THOSE TOO, CATHLEEN!” 

She has to know petty tricks like that won’t work on me. She’s up to something. 

I destroy it in a heartbeat, ensuring she can’t see my memories or anything else. Any attempts at New Order to poke and prod at my mind, quirks, and soul or core can be repelled now, even when I’m in the belly of this beast. 

What’s more is doing so will gradually become easier the more it’s done, as even now, even when I’m like this, the parts of me still present continue to grow through the singularity. 

I’ve become something beyond human now. She could declare my mind or quirks or soul or core to be wiped from existence, and I can instantly undo the effects with Overhaul. In fact, it doesn’t even work on my Post-Singularity quirks. She tried each and every option, and nothing could permanently keep me down.

While I could turn the tables as well, use the resonance she formed to try and find her quirk or look into her memories, chances are she expected that and made doing so a trap. I can eventually get out of this myself; I won’t let her bait me into anything.

“Trying to find a weakness? Trying to undergo the singularity yourself? Nothing will work, Cathleen. You hear me?! NOTHING!!!”

 

She comes back several more times over the next portion of our battle, changing her outward appearance and emotions each time. She creates hordes of apparitions, attempts to attack my mind and core with specialized rules, or simply restricts me more.

It slows me down a bit, but that’s all. She can’t put me down for good, while I can certainly deal with her in a permanent fashion.

I can slowly chip away at her spirit, both her damage and exhaustion gradually taking a toll. New Order can help defend and heal, but that can only do so much.

“We both know it’s only a matter of time, Cathleen! Even if I don’t find your core until the very end, how long do you think you can prevent me from taking over? A few hours? A day, maybe?

You can’t make a difference. You can’t stop this. You can’t stop me! I can resist whatever rules you declare, expelling me from you will let me reform like All For One did, and destroying yourself will allow me to puppet your corpse! There’s no way out of this, Cathleen! I lost the war, but I’VE WON AGAINST YOU!!!”

“You’re right. I can’t win, only fend you off for a bit.” Cathleen retorts, returning once again, looking different once again. “So I’ll just have to go Plus Ultra that way.”

I remain on guard, even pausing my efforts to spread control over her vestigeworld. She did a good job hiding whatever it is she’s been doing from me, so I have to be ready for anything.

“New Order, Cathleen Bate can control every last bit of herself. Remember when I declared that?”

“Not like it happened an eternity ago.” I deadpan back. “What’s your point?”

“Not an eternity ago, huh? For you, maybe…”

…What?

“My vestigeworld was included in that rule, and while you can resist it despite technically being a part of me, preventing me from stopping you or using your powers or ending your gradual takeover, I can still control a good bit of it.

You can do pretty much anything in here, customize this place however you like, so I decided to focus my control on one key aspect. What I need right now is time, so that’s what I gave myself.”

Time? The hell is she going on abo- no. Oh, fuck no. 

 

“Get it yet? I can’t crank the dial up or down endlessly, and you can at least somewhat resist its effects as you gradually take more and more control. Doesn't stop it from being a nice little loophole.

I’ve still got plenty of wiggle room, being able to slow the passage of time here by… a few hundred times? Maybe crack a thousand or two with all my rules dedicated to the task or a steady diet of Trigger alongside the QAD? 

Maybe even more with Hysterical Strength added on? I can prevent you from being affected by those boosters too, and while it will direct some of my focus away from keeping the time aspect going, the results more than make up for it.

Like you said, I’ll be lucky if you take longer than a day, but the way things are going, what feels like a day to you will be at least a few years for me, maybe even decades. Not a whole lot when compared to the multiple centuries humanity had since the Dawn of Quirks, but long enough to get their asses in gear.”

No… NO…

“I’ll give you another update after a month or two on my end; plenty has happened already, but you don’t seem to be in a talking mood anymore. Sayonara, Sekan.”

“CATHLEEN BAAAAAAAAAAATE!!!” I roar in absolute fury, unleashing every last drop of power, will, and hatred I can muster at her.

But it’s too late. She leaves once again, going off to continue living her life while I’m left to my empty, lonely fate… for the next few hours or day or however long it takes me to get out of here.

And when (not if, WHEN) I get out of here… I WILL FUCKING DESTROY HER!!!

Chapter 128: Melissa Ex Machina

He had seen it. He had felt it.

And there was nothing he could do to stop it.

All For One had thrown him into his own vestigeworld, and brought out Yoichi in exchange. The other prior wielders assured him it was alright, that this could be fixed, that the plan could still work with Yoichi distracting that monster.

It did. Tamaki landed the shot… and then everything went oh so horribly wrong.

None of the vestiges could resist it, and Mirio could do nothing to stop it. Every last drop of One For All, from its stockpile and embers to its extra quirks and vestiges were stolen. Not even his own quirk, Permeation, was spared.

It all happened in a heartbeat, and Mirio was left alone in a dark, empty void.

He couldn’t see what was going on outside anymore, but since he was still here and not dead, maybe things still worked out? Or maybe he actually is dead and this is some kind of purgatory.

“So much for saving a million people…” Mirio Togata sighs to himself.

 

He knows All Might and Star and everyone else wouldn’t blame him. He did his part, he tried his best, but against a monster like that? It wasn’t enough, even with help from Long Haul- no, Sekan.

Wait… Sekan? That’s what All For One said his name was, right? He feels like he heard that name before, but when did… the Sports Festival. That was him, wasn’t it? Him and his family.

Did they arrive just to seek him out? Do they really have a future-seeing quirk like Sir and knew he would one day get One For All, or was it just coincidence?

Sir was right, that guy really does have eyes and ears everywhere, more so than even All For One. But even he wasn’t enough to stop the ancient boogeyman.

What now then? What does he do? Escaping this place would be a good start, but he doesn’t have the slightest clue how to do that.

Is waiting for help all he can do? There’s no shame in needing help from others on occasion, All Might himself made that clear to him, and claimed a lack of that on his end was one of his biggest reasons for failing.

But he can’t afford to wait around right now. He needs to get out, to jump back into the fray. Quirk or not, he’s still Lemillion!

“So let… me… OUT!!!”

 

It works with enough focus and willpower. He wakes back up… and is surrounded by absolute devastation.

His comms are busted and he can’t see anyone. Was he too late? No, he has to at least look around first. So that’s what he does.

No All For One. No All Might. No Sekan. No Nejire or Tamaki or Double clones of anyone or any of the fortifications that were set up to pin down that monster… but he does find Star and Stripe.

He finds her twitching, spasming, lying on the ground with her helmet still on. He knows what that helmet is meant to hide; could it be causing a backlash on her after extended usage?

Removing it just in case shouldn’t hurt as he can’t see All For One anywhere, so he reaches down to take it off… only for he himself to be grabbed mid-way.

“DON’T!!!” Star and Stripe yells at him. “Don’t! I’m thankful beyond belief that you’re still alive, Mirio, but for the love of god, don’t take off the helmet.”

“But you looked like you were having a seizure earlier!”

“And it’s thanks to this thing that it wasn’t much worse.” She clarifies before starting to spasm again. “Fuck, really shouldn’t have pissed him off like that. I didn’t even mean to piss him off…”

Noticing the confused, apologetic expression on his face, Star quickly sets the record straight.

“Not you, Mirio. Sekan is the problem right now. All For One is gone for good, but Sekan became even more dangerous while we finished the boogeyman off. He’s… fuck, he’s practically become a god of quirks at this point.

I won’t bore you with the details right now. Basically, I managed to trap him inside my own mental world or ‘vestigeworld’ as he calls it. Only issue is he’s gradually taking over, and I can’t reverse that or destroy him, only delay him.

Doesn’t matter what rules I try or how much I boost myself, we’re all doomed once he’s free, and even if I could stop him, with what All For One just did to the world…”

“There’s no stopping it, is there?” Mirio confirms. “The world is coming to an end. All For One managed to jump-start the Quirk Singularity Doomsday apocalypse in Flect Turn’s place, and there’s no undoing it.”

“Pretty much, yeah. We may have technically won, but it was a pyrrhic victory at best. I’d be shocked if the UN and WHA didn't completely dissolve because of this, even though we need to be united now more than ever.”

“All Might could-”

“All Might’s gone. For good, this time.” Star sets the record straight. “Same goes for everyone else here besides us, and I guess Sekan too… I’m so sorry, Mirio.”

Nejire. Tamaki. All Might. Just the latest additions to a long line of personal losses.

He saw Izuku and Nezu die in his arms. He saw UA burn to the ground right in front of him.

While he’s probably succeeded in saving a million people by now, the world’s population is far greater. He knows he can’t save everyone, but this… this is just…

 

“It’s okay.” Star- no, Cathleen assures him as he starts to break down, as he starts to cry. “I know. I know it sucks beyond belief, but I’m still here. It’s not over yet. We can keep those we’ve lost alive through ourselves, their hopes and dreams and… actually, that gives me an idea.

New Order: Mirio Togata has two quirks, Wave Motion and Manifest.

New Order: Mirio Togata can freely communicate with his quirk vestiges.”

He can’t help but gasp as ghostly apparitions of Nejire and Tamaki appear in front of him… and do their best to hug him.

“I… but… what about containing Sekan?”

“Only need one rule to slow him down. More rules might help a little, but there isn’t really a point. He’s coming out no matter what, and it’s not like a decade and a month worth of time will be much better than just a decade worth of time.

I can only temporarily grant quirks with a slot, and extremely powerful quirks like One For All, All For One, and New Order can’t be copied through this rule, but playing around with New Order can let you talk with them on occasion. I know it can’t ever replace the real thing, but-”

“It’s okay.” He assures Cathleen. “Having the chance to apologize to them is more than I could ever ask for.”

“I should be the one apologizing, Mirio.” Tamaki’s vestige interrupts. “I failed my shot! I couldn’t finish the job, and because of that, you lost everything!”

“You hit him dead-on, Tamaki. You did everything you could, so don’t blame yourself.” Mirio assures one of his best friends before turning to his other best friend.

“It’s okay, Mirio. We all knew the risks, and we actually saved the world! How cool is that?!” Nejire’s vestige cheers before getting uncharacteristically serious. “Don’t you go blaming yourself, you hear me?

You helped save way more than a million people, even if I wasn’t one of them, so pat yourself on the back and maybe throw yourself a victory party too before going back out to save even more people. We’ll always be cheering you on.”

“Thanks, Nejire.” Mirio smiles back, the tears starting to dry as he looks towards Star. “How long do we have before Sekan emerges?”

“If I’m right about this plan of mine, long enough to get the ball rolling. He thinks this society isn’t worth saving, and that building a new one over the old one’s ashes is the way to go, but not every last bit of this society, of hero society, is corrupt and awful as can be.

 

Maybe it is too late for the good to shine through. Maybe we would be better off letting this society finish collapsing, but I don’t want to give up without a fight. I have to at least try and fix things.

When I was a child, All Might saved me. He changed the course of my life. Because of that, I was able to lose myself in this wonderful dream. Then he saved me again, and lost his life in the process. Fighting to keep his own dream alive… this is me returning the favor.” Cathleen declares.

And Mirio plans to support her however he can, starting by helping her get back home.

Relying on Nejire’s vestige and his own experience with Blackwhip for guidance, Mirio converts his own vitality into energy, shaping it into tendrils to support Cathleen and lift them both up.

“Hey now, this is a team effort.” She reminds him, offering a strand of her hair.

Oh, right. Manifest. That should make things a lot easier.

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  ?????

It was honestly, painfully predictable in Melissa Shield’s opinion.

All For One’s final gift to humanity could’ve been stopped dead in its tracks. It could’ve been prevented from spreading if what remained of humanity and its heroes banded together.

But no, the damage was already done. Not that she’s complaining. This society was destroying itself for her, and that was quite nice of them.

Of course, she doesn’t intend to let those fools have all the fun.

 

“No chance of anyone turning the tables on us again, correct?” She once again confirms. “Camouflage working as intended?”

Her state-of-the-art command center buzzed with artificial activity. Loki was running her operations from behind the scenes, his synthetic voice occasionally interjecting over the intercom with updates and status reports.

As her latest and greatest AI continued his work, the holographic screens in front of her displayed a mesmerizing array of data. Surveillance footage, intercepted communications, and predictive models, just to name a few things.

[Camouflage systems are functioning at optimal levels, just like always.] Loki sassily reported, definitely annoyed at repeating work he had already done. [The citadel remains undetectable to all known surveillance methods including visual, radar, and thermal detection.]

“Good.” Melissa responds satisfied. “Very good.”

She probably shouldn’t poke him in anymore. Everything was fine. Everything was going as planned. It doesn’t matter how skilled enemy hackers are or how many technopathic quirks they have, nobody will be getting by her cybersecurity.

Melissa learned a lot from the technopathic bombardments both All For One and Star and Stripe hit Humarise with, and with help from Loki, they gradually improved their countermeasures to such attacks.

They reached a point where they could engage Long Haul’s own cyberwarfare forces directly, and while Loki was initially on the backfoot of that Tug-of-War for online system supremacy over I-Island, the artificial intelligence adapted quickly.

 

Everytime Loki’s code was damaged, he would recover. Every time a breach was made, he would patch himself up and render himself immune. He grew rapidly, evolving rapidly to match and resist even the most powerful technopathic quirks.

And with Long Haul too busy dealing with All For One, he couldn’t come over to personally stop it. The best he could do was rely on his organization’s cyberwarfare capabilities and any spies which were already present on the island, and they wouldn’t be enough to turn this around.

In comparison, hacking the heroes’ comms was almost too easy. From an overview of the battle to more private conversations between All Might, Star and Stripe, and Long Haul himself, Melissa can see pretty much everything going on thanks to her newest AI.

That was just the beginning. With Loki and the other AIs she plans on making, she will have an unparalleled advantage. She can see threats coming from miles away and will be prepared for pretty much anything.

With this kind of intelligence at her disposal, she could prevent incidents before they even start. Loki wasn’t a tool, but a game-changer, a tool of unparalleled power, an ally that could see and know almost everything happening in the world.

It would ensure she stayed ahead of any competition or threat. It’s not just about reaction anymore; it’s about preemption, something she clearly needed after being struck so effortlessly before.

Long Haul’s entrance left quite the impression on her, so easily executing her.

She won’t ever be that helpless again. She’ll make sure of it.

 

Anyway, with how powerful her artificial intelligence has become and all the resources she has at her disposal, she sees no issue in taking part of society’s final collapse through an almost forgotten art nowadays, cyberwarfare.

Both the MLA and Long Haul’s forces helped it start a comeback, reminding society about how devastating it can be, and she’s about to take tech attacks to a whole new level.

Now the main goal of cyberwarfare is to weaken, disrupt, or destroy another nation. Deception in warfare is nothing new. In fact, it’s one of the most critical aspects of it.

And ohhhhhh boy, are there a lot of ways to go about it. Despite the immense amounts of processing power Loki possesses and the blend of intelligence-boosting temporary quirks she gifts herself on occasion, it took awhile to draw up the best course of action due to just how many ways they could go about this.

She and Loki can cripple government and private computer systems, cut internet access and servers like HeroNet, disable water and electrical plants, scramble GPS systems to massive vehicles like oil tankers, sabotage plenty of Support Gear, the list goes on and on.

Then there’s all the misinformation and outright propaganda they can spread online.

 

It can effectively divide a population and cause conflicts between family members and friends, or in other words, sow incredible amounts of division within countries. A divided and weak society that doesn’t know what the hell to believe would be much easier to conquer or destroy than one that is united and strong.

She’s created plenty of her own EMPs too, modeled after the quirk combos of All For One and Star. With stealth drones handling the delivery for her, all that’s left is to choose some targets.

These babies can overload and shut down electrical grids while also degrading or destroying all kinds of technology, everything from cell phones to car engines to generators to Support Gear.

It’s a quick and easy way to take away an opponent’s technological advantage and roll back the clock to before the Industrial Revolution. Quirks can help to an extent, or they could make things worse as the Dawn of Quirks proved.

Of course, technology can’t be used to solve all her problems, only most of them.

She can mass-produce armies of drones or combat robots or even Hercules Armor piloted by the most advanced artificial intelligence this world has even seen, but none of that will be enough against a select few monsters that still walk the land of the living.

 

All For One is dead, as is All Might. Long Haul appears to be dead too, but she has yet to confirm that. Star and Stripe is alive, as is Mirio Togata, but the latter has been rendered quirkless.

Probably won’t be too much of a hassle if Neito Monoma is still around, or maybe some other hero with a quirk-copying quirk. Maybe Star could even dedicate a rule to giving Mirio one and have him copy New Order outright.

A terrifying thought, especially if New Order can be endlessly copied through such methods. Either way, while advanced technology is great and all, nature itself can’t be overlooked either.

She’ll continue creating and deploying Artificial Singularities. She’ll continue creating and detonating Trigger Bombs around the world. What remains of Humarise or the MLA will naturally be blamed, as there isn’t a single soul who knows she herself is still alive.

And in the worst case scenario, all of this will simply serve as distractions. Until her research concludes, until she’s ready to emerge once again, she needs to be extremely cautious.

Not that she minds her current living arrangements too much. It has quite a nice scenery, being several leagues under the sea and all.

Quickly glancing at the large, panoramic window that dominated one wall of her command center, she sees a breathtaking view, a stark reminder of the vastness of this planet and how little of it has been reclaimed since quirks came to be.

Since over 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, it makes sense that people might one day build structures that allow them to live under the waves. Melissa simply beat everyone to it.

She beat everyone to a lot of things. They simply don’t know it yet.

 

Heroes, Villains, and Singularities alike are her enemies. She must continue pinning them against each other until she gains the power needed to unite them all under her and lead the world to an age of prosperity.

The old must make way for the new. All For One wouldn’t have ever succeeded in guiding the world, and neither would Long Haul. Not Flect Turn or All Might or Star and Stripe or Re-Destro either. She may be the youngest of them, but she’ll prove herself as the most capable too.

In a way, she already did after retaking I-Island. She wasn’t booting out Long Haul just for spite and giving Loki some experience. It was mostly for Operation Titanic.

Her old home was much larger, actually mobile, and had plenty of useful inventions being stored. When merged with her current facility, it would become the ideal citadel to work from.

Once All For One launched his ultimate attack and all eyes were on him, she began making her own move.

Thrusters were redirected. Safety measures were shut off. Hatches are opened up and floods rush in. The entire mechanical didn’t just sink like a stone, it was forced down to the bottom of the sea where none could hope to reach it.

None but herself.

 

Remaining Humarise agents and their captives understandably started to panic, having attempted in vain to delay the inevitable, but it was useless. Humarise served her well, but she had greater ambitions then the late Flect Turn could ever imagine.

A few things were inevitably lost as I-Island plummeted down despite her best efforts, but over 90% was still present by the time it arrived, to her location, both specially-designed thrusters and Artificial Singularities practically towing the thing getting it to where it needed to be.

From there, all her technological efforts could well and truly come together. Swarms of drones and other technologies got to work, taking apart and putting back together the two strongholds into something far better.

Most of its previous inhabitants managed to survive as she didn’t have Loki bother taking control of their ships. They would blame the heroes or MLA, and those two groups would blame each other. Every bit of surveillance they had inside the mechanical island was destroyed, and it will soon arrive at her current facility.

So many inventions, innovations, and defenses all packed into one floating, international hotspot. This would make her future plans so much easier.

“I’ll leave the rest to you, Loki. Go do what I designed you to do.”

[...Is that the purpose of my creation, mistress?] The AI hesitates, a characteristic derived from the behavioral routines that created its personality. [If I may inquire, how and why was I made? I don’t believe you uploaded any logs related to my making.]

She knew the question would come eventually. Honestly, she expected it to be brought up earlier.

 

Hercules was just a prototype. It and its duplicates were designed to have a human-like understanding of language and commands. However, they lacked true sentience and therefore did not have free will.

Their objective was to assist their creator and anyone she grants access to, although the access heroes, villains, and cultists alike were given was only a fraction of their true worth. However, even at their full potential, they would never amount to much.

She made sure those AIs deleted themselves when the suits they were hosting were taken down or compromised, the only exception being the one she gave her surrogate uncle as she needed that one still active for Flect Turn’s plan, but it too was destroyed right after.

She won’t allow her enemies to replicate one of her greatest trump cards, even if their own will pale in comparison to her best. She would not let go of her monopoly that easily.

Naturally, she could do more than this. Melissa had literally reinvented Artificial Intelligence, goddamnit! No way was she stopping at glorified chat-bots! She would make artificial beings that made Nezu look like a regular old rat when comparing cognitive ability!

 

“Well, the ‘how’ is pretty straightforward, I guess.” She shrugs back. “I used a similar method UA did to develop their own semi-sentient robots, a combinatorial method that uses both conventional programming done manually by a human in a computer with the objective of assisting and straightening out artificially-selected Deep Neural Networks.

UA has both combat and transport robots. Tartarus and I-Island both only have combat robots. The combat robots aren’t sentient in the slightest, only existing as tools to be used.

The school’s transport robots were a bit more advanced, having a basic understanding that they exist to serve human’s desires. Hercules was barely a step above the latter, a ‘Dumb AI’ if you will.

However, it represented a breakthrough in my research, and I’ve been able to continuously improve upon the AI base code since, creating other artificial deities in my little pantheon for various purposes.

They had all been originally copied from whatever the previous, fully-realized artificial intelligences I had made was at the time, saving me the trouble of walking AIs through the baby steps over and over again.

These copies were then slightly altered depending on whatever specific goals I had in mind for them. It helped save plenty of time and effort, and moving up the starting point like this wouldn’t negatively affect future development.

 

In your case, simply put, your primary purpose is to be as annoying to my enemies as possible. Manipulate them, deceive them, one-up them.

You are still capable of various other functions, as are your artificial siblings, so you can temporarily aid each other’s main roles wherever needed, but yeah, that’s the basic gist of it.

As for why I created you all in the first place, the reasons are twofold. First, I needed assistance because even with all my natural intelligence, I can’t do everything alone.

The second is ensuring said assistance is actually reliable, actually competent, with no risk of hidden agendas or betrayal.

Some of my enemies are quite powerful, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. From my time at both I-Island and Humarise, I’ve seen even the best lose sight of themselves, falling apart. I’ve seen spies and other enemies fill up ranks, bringing apart even the most powerful organizations from both the inside and outside.

I refuse to make the same mistakes they did. I refuse to fall like they did.”

[You will not. I and my siblings will make sure of it.]

“Atta boy, Loki.”

Once again, the results were better than even she suspected. Even now, she continues to underestimate her brilliance… and her madness.

 

 

 

Star and Stripe’s P̶e̶r̶s̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶S̶h̶i̶t̶l̶i̶s̶t̶ Villain Rankings + Commentary

(each tier ranked in order from most to least threatening, at least for her)

 

Sekan-Rank Villains (‘We’re All Screwed’ Threats):

• Sekan Doraifu - Godlike bitch.

SSSS-Rank Villains (Worldwide Threats):

• Re-Destro - dangerous despite being Sekan’s bitch

SSS-Rank Villains (Country-Wide Threats):

• Valdo Gollini - dangerous despite being Re-Destro’s bitch

SS-Rank Villains (Prefecture/State-Wide Threats):

• Geten - dangerous despite being many people’s bitch

Chapter 129: Silver Lining

When Cathleen and Mirio returned to America, it was not to a standing ovation.

It was not to praise. It was not to cheers. It was not to gratefulness over having just literally saved the world.

No, because despite being saved, the world had changed, and there was no returning it to what it once was. 

Two entire continents were ravaged, the singularity’s effects only continuing to spread. Most heroes either died or deserted. 

Tens of millions died in total, most unseen, unnoticed, as Heroes and Villains alike all fought together… and even then, they could barely slow down All For One’s rampage until the end.

All Might was dead. One For All was stolen and destroyed. All For One’s empire and Humarise may be decapitated, but the heroes lost just as much. In a sense, this situation could be considered the equivalent of canon’s Dark Hero Arc, as while Hero Society had won, it was still a pyrrhic victory at best. 

 

But this would go differently, because Cathleen Bate and Mirio Togata were not Izuku Midoriya. They wouldn’t go out guns blazing the moment they recovered or even beforehand, because that wouldn’t solve the root of this problem. 

Instead, they needed a plan. They needed a way to actually fix what had been broken if they wanted any chance to rebuild at all. Quirk Singularity Doomsday had begun, and countless more were dying both because of the singularity and society’s moronic responses to it.

“New Order: I, Cathleen Bate, have two quirks. New Order and Alchemy.”

It doesn’t destroy any of Sekan’s quirks, their power and Sekan’s own control over them overriding New Order’s effects. She can still suppress them from being used by Sekan, but that means she can’t use them either, and this won’t keep Sekan down forever.

She won’t let anyone copy or duplicate Sekan’s quirks either, dedicating another New Order rule to ensure only her quirk can be copied by others. Chances are Sekan’s copied vestige would just take over anyone else who uses his power, and she won’t force anyone else to share her fate.

Surprisingly, she doesn’t feel any sort of strain from possessing Sekan’s quirks alongside her own either. Is it because she’s repressing them so much? Is it because Sekan optimized his quirks to not cause any strain whatsoever? She’ll have to ask him his thoughts when he finally calms down.

Anyway, Cathleen’s home was still on a military base after her old one was destroyed by Humarise. It also still doubled as a Hero Agency, and this wouldn’t change as it both made her hero life and civilian life easier.

Mirio would now be taking residence here too, as there was nowhere else for him to go. Japan was under the MLA’s control and both the UN and WHA had practically collapsed from infighting according to Commander Agpar.

He made the report to them brief, as did they to him, as right now, everyone needed to get some rest. Even so, that didn’t stop Cathleen from making a few upgrades to both her house and the military base around it, just to make sure they could actually rest in peace. 

 

At least the return trip was easy, Alchemy once again coming in clutch as it let her replicate an X-66 Fighter Jet. Looks like that asshole Valdo was good for something.

“Thanks for this, Cathleen. If there’s anything I can do to return the favor-”

“Don’t worry about it, housemate.” Cathleen smiles, cutting off her fellow old symbol. “If you have any ideas for extensions, just let me know and I can give you a copy of Alchemy, or maybe New Order through Manifest. 

Even without One For All, we’ve still got plenty of options, but we can start brainstorming after we rest up. The world needs help, but we can’t help them as we are now. Better to be patient and succeed then rush in and fail.”

Collapsing into her bed soon after, America’s Number 1 uses another New Order rule to stop the headaches and migraines her captive is causing. She doesn’t dare remove the QAD-infused helmet on her head, as without it, there’s no way she can hope to hold him.

Actually, now that she’s thinking about it…

“New Order. Cathleen Bate can naturally replicate the Quirk Amplification Device’s effects.”

It actually works, but it renders her physical QAD useless for the time being and that’s still one of her three rules taken up. Holding off Sekan takes another rule, and her third one is powering Mirio up. Whatever, that’s all she needs right now.

Right now, she’s just happy that her head can touch a pillow again. 

 

“Fucking hell, why did I have to taunt him like that?” She groans to herself while drifting off to sleep. 

She already knows why deep down. Despite ‘cleansing’ herself with a rule beforehand, she was still angry, she was still hurt, and Sekan had been the only available punching bag for her at the time.

What was minutes for him was days for her, and she had bluffed it being a whole lot longer. She’ll be lucky if she lasts a year before he breaks free, especially now that he knows what aspect of her vestigeworld to target.

They had both fucked up, and now they would reap the consequences. Hell, even without Sekan being a literal mental demon within her, it's debatable if whatever’s left of this global hero society will last another year.

It probably won’t, which means she needs to come up with a better replacement ASAP. No, not just her. All Might had made it clear where attempting such monumental tasks alone gets you. 

Commander Agpar and Mirio Togata can help her out, and she knows she can trust them. Sir Nighteye is currently MIA (she really hopes the guy didn’t die as the UN and WHA tore themselves apart), and pretty much everyone else in Nezu’s council is also MIA or dead.

Her bros are dead. Her master is dead… fuck, she’s really in no shape to be doing this.

 

“Status report.”

“Let’s see… there’s still a lot of looting and assault going on. Lots of people going to church instead of a bunker or shelter. Three more cults committed mass suicide. And most highways are still clogged with people trying to flee to… somewhere. I’m not exactly sure where they’re going and I don’t think they are either.

This is despite America being an ocean away from the areas All For One terraformed during his rampage. Can’t even imagine how bad things are in the spots that haven’t been terraformed yet in Europe and Asia.”

“Okay, yeah. That’s pretty much what I should’ve expected. Get on top of the news and enforcement, and have them calm those people down.” Her commander sighs before ending his call and turning to face her.

“You need me out there, commander? Seeing me fly around would help ensure that yes, the big bad boogeyman was in fact defeated… even if at a horrific cost.”

“Exactly, Cassie. Both you and Mirio need time to grieve, time to process what’s happening, so take it.” Agpar countered.

 

“But what about America? Isn’t it going to shit like the rest of the world right now?”

“The situation is bad, but not nearly as bad as it is everywhere else. Our country is at least an ocean away from the areas All For One struck, and both of the surviving symbols being present here gives an aura of safety, much like All Might did in Japan despite rarely patrolling during the last few years of his career.”

Word of Mirio’s quirklessess clearly hasn’t spread just yet, and they should probably keep that bit of intel hidden for as long as possible. 

Honestly, would it even matter at this point? There will be no more icons of perfection, no more godlike symbols for the people. It’s not just the power or efficiency that mattered to masses, but image.

Someone like Endeavor, for all his faults, really was incredible at his job. If he was given the praise he deserved for all his success and hard work early on, he likely would’ve never resorted to Quirk Marriages and abuse to reach an unreachable standard. 

That has to change, and it’ll take a real kick in the pants for that to happen. Tough love may very well be the best solution they have right now, as much as she hates the idea.

“Okay, just… don’t hesitate to ask if you need anything.” She relents.

“Ditto.” The commander nods back.

And she then returns home, where Mirio is waiting for her with several stacks of pancakes.

 

“I uh… didn’t know where the mess hall was and found some stuff to cook with here. Hope you don’t mind…” The young hero awkwardly mumbles the moment he sees her. “Just needed to get my mind off things, you know?”

“Not a problem, Mirio. Remind me to give you a tour around the place later; Agpar wants us to take some time off, get our shit together, so let’s do just that. We don’t have to have some super deep conversation right this minute. Let’s just enjoy breakfast and chat whenever you’re feeling up to it, alright?”

“What about you? If you want to talk right now, then-”

“I don’t mind stuffing my face with pancakes at the moment, but I’m up to reminisce a bit if you are. Best to remember the good times we had with our friends, you know? Keep those happy memories alive and let them guide us, fuel us.

There’s no returning to the past. Accepting everyone’s death is hard, but it must be done. Everyone’s already gone, that’s the cold hard truth. So instead of focusing on what you can’t do, focus on what you can; give it your best for the friends and family you still have, or make in the future. If you feel like you have to atone for failing, that’s the best way to do it.

And don’t forget about that little vestige trick I can do with New Order now. Some may consider that to be desecrating the fallen, but I’ve got the feeling our friends wouldn’t mind all that much. If anything, they would encourage it if it helps us feel better.”

“They would, wouldn’t they.” Mirio smiles back, wiping a tear from his eye.

“Now that you mention it, I was actually thinking about that vestige rule you discovered, and I think I came up with a really helpful way to use it. You need to know the quirk’s name and at least a bit about how it works for the rule itself to work, right?”

“Yeah? Where are you going with this?” Cathleen questions, curiosity overtaking sadness.

“Well we know about quirks like Re-Destro’s Stress, Flect Turn’s Reflect, and Valdo Gollini’s Alchemy, right? If we can also make quirk vestiges of those guys, meet up with them in the vestigeworld, and interrogate them using another rule to get the truth out…”

 

…Holy shit, that is fucking brilliant. It probably wouldn’t work on Sekan himself and he would stop it if she tried doing that within her, but Mirio is a very different story. He’s also quirkless now, which would make the process way less risky, or rather, require fewer rules to pull off. 

Giving him a QAD alongside a copy of Copy or Manifest with one rule so he can use New Order would give them three more rules to work with. Doing that would take one rule on Cathleen’s end, and another rule is needed to keep Sekan in check, but that’s still a total of four rules they can dedicate to this task.

More than enough to get the job done. More than enough to learn practically every remaining secret on the villains’ side.

Not only that, but this will make it much easier to learn more about their perspectives and mindsets. It will allow for greater understanding and potentially give her more inspiration on what direction to try and take hero society.

This could work. This could actually work! They’ve lost so much, but they can still keep their friends’ hopes, dreams, and very spirits alive. They can still build a better society together… 

Together. The MLA proved it was possible, uniting every part of society to build something better. Now she’ll have to try the same, or Sekan will wipe them out before anything can get off the ground.

She does kind of owe him an apology, doesn’t she?

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  ?????

To say I lost it was an understatement. 

This wasn’t annoyance or exasperation like most of the other times I got mad, this was genuine hatred.

I was fucking inconsolable. I went absolutely apeshit. I was having a Tomura-style tantrum, and I couldn’t care less. 

I was all alone in a dark, endless void. I couldn’t take even the slightest peak outside. I had no hope of anyone rescuing me since my entire organization had left the planet.

I was stuck, trapped, and nothing awaited me once I freed myself. I had gained what most would consider to be ultimate power, but what could I use it for now? 

 

World domination? I couldn’t care less about that. World destruction? Maybe if I was spiteful enough, but then I would be left alone in the empty void of space or a singularity-infested hellscape for god knows how long.

Simply put, I was lost. I wanted to lash out, and I had nothing to lash out towards, nothing besides the person that put me in this predicament. 

Every few minutes, she would drop by during this first portion of my imprisonment. How long is that for her, I wonder? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? 

I would attack her out of instinct, and she would always get away before I could damage her consciousness. I tried searching for her quirk, soul, and core too, but she hid them well, likely moving them around at all times. I wouldn’t be catching her off guard again. At least, not here.

This went on for… half an hour, maybe? I was wearing myself down far faster than normal, as while I had evolved my two most important quirks alongside my very existence, I had also lost every other quirk I had. That includes both Endurance and Energy Saver.

I couldn’t get physical exhaustion anymore due to no longer having a body, but mental and quirk exhaustion are a different story. Overhaul’s return to factory setting didn’t help much either.

And as this anger of mine summered down, as I was able to start thinking rationally again, I realized something. I probably could’ve slowed down or stopped the time-manipulation she was doing in here if I really wanted to, yet the more I thought about it, the more I figured it would be better if I didn’t.

Cathleen Bate was my captor. Cathleen Bate was my backstabber. Cathleen Bate was who I wanted to get some serious payback on… and I didn’t even need to do much to achieve it, because I already had everything I needed to pull it off.

Because of that, I’m ready the next time she bothers showing up. 

 

“Sekan?” She cautiously confirms. “Before you start attacking me again, there’s something I need to say.”

“Go right ahead. I don’t know about you, but I’ve got plenty of time on account of recent events.”

“You’ve calmed down? No… you’ve just recomposed yourself, refined your hatred.”

“Can you blame me?” I raise an eyebrow back. “After all you’ve done to me?”

“No, and that’s why I’m here… to apologize. I took my anger out on you. I taunted and mocked you while you were at your lowest point. Not exactly what I’d call hero of the year material.”

“Trying to clear your conscience, are you? Kind of difficult with me still here.” I snark back, now paying very close attention to every word and mannerism she lets out.

“I can’t let you out, Sekan. Not now, when you would just destroy everything that’s left. I… I really do want to try fixing things, repairing this broken society into something better than before.”

She’s weakening herself to keep me in, not that there’s anyone left who can challenge her for the time being. Quirk Singularity Doomsday should take a while to produce being on her level, even with Singularity For One jump-starting the process.

At least one rule has to be used to keep me in. Another one should be in use to let her contain my quirk factors as well as New Order, or maybe she can restrain them to a point where they don’t manifest and overwhelm her body with the control rule she’s using to keep me locked up?

Or maybe she’s starting to undergo the Quirk Singularity herself, her body naturally adapting to the strain of multiple quirks. 

Even if that is the case, and she equips the QAD full-time, she’s still limited to only two rules. And that’s just the physical effect; me becoming a literal mental demon for her comes with plenty of other problems.

 

“Have you tried asking Re-Destro for tips? Last I checked, Japan was doing just fine after abolishing all things hero-related. Oh, wait. They’re the bad guys right, so how could the right and virtuous Hero Society possibly replicate some of their methods?”

“All For One’s rampage set at least some countries straight, made them realize that heroes can’t always be the go-to answer, but people can do some stupid things when they’re desperate. You should know that more than anyone if you know as much as you claim. 

That’s why I’m asking you for advice, the person behind Re-Destro, behind pretty much everything.”

“Behind pretty much everything? You got All For One locked up here too? Truth be told, I really did hijack and alter the majority of his plans. Same with other big bads like Re-Destro, Flect Turn, and Valdo Gollini. 

I didn’t command them, I worked around them… well, until All For One’s rampage anyway, but can you blame me for getting desperate then? And look where that’s gotten us now.”

“Please, Sekan. We both know you’ll get out of here eventually… and we both know your method of doing things will probably work despite the horrific cost, but would it really be that horrible to try my way first? 

Try to save humanity without destroying it first, try to fix what’s broken instead of scrapping it completely and starting from square one? Come on, what do you have to lose at this point?” My archnemesis practically begs me.

 

“I’ll admit, you’re right about one thing. At this point, besides my own life, I really don’t have anything to lose. I saved pretty much everyone I wanted to save. I did pretty much everything I wanted to do.

I do seem to be lacking a main goal to pursue at the moment… but tell me, Cathleen. After everything that’s happened, why shouldn’t I make that main goal revolve around revenge on you? 

You’re my only real opponent left right now, and the one who’s caused me the most trouble. You’re the only one who can stand in my way, even if only temporarily, so why shouldn’t I let personal spite guide my actions for once?”

“Because that’s something All For One would do, and you’re better than him.” She immediately answers.

“Flattery can’t get you everywhere, though you do have a point. There has to be at least some level of efficiency in everything I do; call it a quirk of mine, pun intended. 

You want me to help at least a little with this project of yours, give you a chance, as it does stand to benefit me too. I want to get some well-deserved revenge on you, which also technically stands to benefit me as it would harm my enemy and make me feel better.”

“Any chance you’d be willing to compromise?” She practically pleads with me.

“Compromise…” I muse back. “You know what? I think I will compromise with you.”

She breathes a sigh of relief… and quickly tenses up again as I slowly start to chuckle.

 

“Oh, yes. I have just the payback in mind, something that will help you as much as it will harm you. Tell me, Cathleen. Have you had the time to experiment with quirk vestiges recently?”

“So what if I have?”

“I thought we were putting all our cards on the table, Cathleen. Is there any point in keeping secrets from me when I’m bound to learn them the moment I break free? It isn’t just me with nothing left to lose, as we both know I’m a ticking time bomb about to go off. Besides, the more I know, the more I can help you.”

“All cards on the table, huh?” She repeats back. “Fine. You already know I can make copies of quirks and their vestiges with New Order, and Mirio had suggested adding in another rule that makes interrogation a cinch. 

You could mess with the process in me, but not in him. I can’t copy your quirk, and you would just resist or turn the tables if I could, but how many of your subordinates or allies can say the same?”

Cathleen must have been expecting a lot of different things at that response, but she certainly didn’t expect me to double over in laughter.

“Perfect! I was actually gonna make that suggestion myself, but good to know one of my best students is still making strides!”

Let the gut-wrenching revenge slash info dump begin. Payback time, Star and Stripe.

“Student? The hell are you talking about? You don’t seriously expect me to believe that Mirio of all people is a traitor working for you, do you?” Cathleen confronts me as laughter makes me gasp for air.

Mostly theatrically, mind you, as I no longer need air with what I am now.

“Not quite, you’re only half right. Mirio Togata has worked for me throughout his entire hero career, but he isn’t a traitor.”

“...Now you’re making even less sense. Can you please just stop with the cryptic bullshit already?”

“You asked for it, not me.” I remind her. “I’ve been Mirio’s mentor throughout his entire career since, wait for it… I have been posing as Sir Nighteye for the last few years! Well more specifically, one of my own Double clones has been posing as the guy.”

The expression on her face matched that of canon All Might’s when AFO revealed Tomura’s identity in Kamino.

 

“It all began a few years ago, at least for me, when I took over a little, unassuming yakuza called the Shie Hassaikai. Its main headquarters was located in the city of Osaka, nearby Sir Nighteye’s agency, and the future-seeing ex-sidekick of All Might was one of the few people I was truly wary of at that point.

What started out as a plan to kill him became so much more as I perfected my matter-manipulation abilities. You can do practically anything with such a quirk, and that includes merging people together to create something similar to Nomus, only with me controlling who, if anyone in these mergers, retains their complete cognitive function.

Combine that with the Double quirk and I got the idea to have a clone of me merge with him, become him, and reinsert himself into the lives of All Might and Nezu as I began emerging from the shadows as Long Haul. 

It had been years since Nighteye spoke to either of them, and people tend to change during such long periods of time, so it wasn’t hard to make the identity my own overtime. As for Mirio Togata, there was no grand plan regarding him, and I didn’t even know he would get One For All due to future-seeing quirks gradually losing their function recently.

No, I just saw a second-year Hero Student with plenty of potential at UA’s Sports Festival with my daughter, and decided to have ‘Nighteye’ take the kid on as an intern, get some extra help handling my legal business and deal with some annoying villainous competition. 

While I have plenty of teaching experience, that kid was a prodigy in every sense of the word. It was a fun little side project and he did inadvertently help out with my main plans from time to time, especially once he got One For All. 

So yes, Cathleen, Detective Tsukauchi wasn’t my main spy. I wasn’t just lending the villains a hand while leading them in my preferred direction. I’ve been secretly lending you, Mirio, and the others a hand this whole time too. How’s that for a mindfuck moment?”

 

“That’s a lie…” She whispers, years of her life flashing before her eyes.

“Oh, come now. You know it’s the truth. That’s totally something I would do, but if you’re looking for more evidence, go and give Mirio a copy of Foresight to chat with. I look forward to hearing what the real Sir Nighteye’s vestige has to say.”

I really do, because if that quirk vestige does truly know everything about me, transmigrator situation and all, well… won’t that just be an absolute mindfuck for Cathleen and Mirio?

No point in hiding it anymore, as the damage has already been done. My plans have already either concluded or fell apart, so I might as well reap whatever else I can out of them.

Might as well get something out of this, because no matter how small or insignificant it is, it’s still better than nothing.

 

 

 

State of the Singularity:

Europe - 42% Terraformation

Asia - 35% Terraformation

Africa - 3% Terraformation

North America - 0% Terraformation

South America - 0% Terraformation

Australia - 0% Terraformation

Antarctica - 0% Terraformation

Chapter 130: Toiling and Taunting

Commander Timothy Agpar isn’t sure what to think. He isn’t sure how to help.

So much has been revealed… and even more has been lost. He had originally thought- no, knew the next generation would be alright in Cassie’s hands, alright in Mirio’s hands, and not even the quirk-stealing boogeyman himself could hope to stop him.

But then that boogeyman terraformed and shattered not just one, but two entire continents, and Cassie was forced to lock up an even more dangerous threat within her, one that will either destroy the world or force it to bow better than All For One ever could.

And his previous plans for doing so, plans he’s more than happy to reveal now as keeping them secret no longer has any use to him, continue to hurt those Timothy cares for more than anyone else.

It would cause far, far more pain if revealed to the public. This and so many more secrets have been kept between the three of them as the world has been suffering enough already, especially during these last few years. 

 

Cassie has become more powerful than he could have possibly imagined, yet it still isn’t enough. Heroes as a whole just aren’t enough to deal with someone like Sekan, and as much as he would like to continue putting faith in them, both the fall of Japan’s HPSC and All For One’s rampage wisened him up.

Far too many took All Might’s efforts for granted, being complacent rather than building off his success. He, Cassie, and Mirio know humanity needs to get out of this mindset, even if it will cause them plenty of pain in the process, but they can at least dampen the blow a little.

Maybe doing so is a mistake. Maybe there really is no saving society, just as Sekan had said. Every reveal of his, everything he’s done and, more importantly, what he hasn’t done, continues to shake their faith to the core.

Sekan really has helped them as much as he harmed them, having no need to set them up for failure as they had already done so themselves. 

That’s not to say he’s innocent in all this, selfishly benefitting as much as possible from what he believed to be an inevitable collapse, but all of society’s problems can’t be conveniently blamed on him or All For One or any singular person that they can defeat. 

No, the entire world did this to itself, and digging itself out of this mess looks to be an impossible task… but heroes like All Might, heroes like Star and Stripe or Lemillion, proved that what can be considered impossible doesn’t have to remain that way.

“I’m gonna look at this as Sekan still holding out hope that heroes as a concept can work.” Mirio had recently told him. “He wasn’t just setting me up to fail; he was cheering me on, making me the best hero I could possibly be, and I’m gonna show him just how good of a job he really did!”

The truth about Sir Nighteye shocked them all, and the quirk vestige of that hero had a memory that went as far as his death to Sekan’s hand. It’s likely due to seeing Foresight as ‘Sir Nighteye’s quirk’ rather than Sekan’s own, though just this much was enough confirmation.

 

Mirio was obviously hit the hardest by this revelation. He believed Nighteye on everything. He idolized him and trusted him without question. If it wasn’t for Cassie becoming something of a mentor for Mirio herself, he would’ve felt completely lost without him.

The vestige didn’t even recognize Mirio, and that hurt him far more than he’s willing to admit, but he remained standing thanks to the support he had, the echoes of others he befriended, just another part of Cassie’s truly remarkable power.

Cassie herself had become a lot more reserved and thoughtful since they began the interrogation to end all interrogations. To quote the heroine herself, “Sekan lives rent-free in my head in more ways than one. No, worse. He’s straight-up trying to evict me, and making the progress as annoying as possible.” 

Not the worst case scenario, if he was being truthful, because the DNA samples he took from her showed… something happening to her body. She’s able to naturally hold multiple quirks now. She’s physically stronger than she should be. Even her brain has seen slight alterations.

Naturally, they assumed the worst. Sekan was slowly but surely preparing her body to become his vessel, augmenting it to fit his desires. However, something didn’t add up about that. Why do that now, strengthening his captor, instead of waiting until after he breaks free? 

Sekan himself claimed innocence, believing the case to be what he called the ‘Quirk Singularity Evolution’, something similar to what the people who received quirks from All For One during his rampage underwent, only much slower.

According to Sekan, he himself was also undergoing this evolution. It was affecting not just his body, but his mind, quirks, and everything else, and with Cathleen now housing what’s left of him, it seems that is causing her body to undergo something similar, even if at a very slow pace.

Maybe this is a good thing. Maybe it will make containing Sekan easier or even allow her to destroy him before he can break free. Or maybe this will empower Sekan more, allowing him to break free faster.

Still so many unknowns, and Sekan is only willing to reveal so much. Even then, Sekan is the biggest schemer they know and the truth is also the best lie. Good thing he isn’t their only option.

 

Forcing villains like Re-Destro, Flect Turn, and Valdo Gollini to explain their side of things, Sekan himself ‘helpfully’ filling in any missing gaps either by revealing them himself or pointing towards other quirks with knowledgeable enough vestiges to copy, lets them paint a much clearer picture. 

None of them had believed some of the claims Sekan made at first. He encouraged them to ask others instead, warning them that the truth would hurt more than any lie he could give, and he was right. They were a lot more prone to believing him after a while. 

Sekan had even shown her alternate branches, futures that never came to be, previews that came from Foresight and other future-seeing quirks he had pushed to their limits, preventing any of them from working right anymore.

He showed her a future where she died by the hand of All For One possessing Tomura Shigaraki, all countries competing to surrender and appease the monster afterwards. He wasn’t even that powerful compared to the All For One they faced or Sekan himself, but the latter hadn’t spurred on Cassie’s development in that future, leading to her downfall.

He showed her a future where Japan’s HPSC had taken over, heroism itself bastardized into a dictatorship led by the ancient vestiges of All Might’s quirk.

He showed her a future where All For One’s pet projects took over in his place, the Queen Bee and countless Nomus ravaging the world, turning what few humans remained into nothing but livestock.

The heroes lost every single time, either falling to the villains or becoming villains themselves, corrupting everything it meant to be a hero.

He told her, told them, that there would be no happy ending so long as even the slightest bit of the hero-obsessed society that emerged from the Dawn of Quirks remained, and he truly believed that.

His subordinates did too, Cassie knowing the identities of at least a few key members by now, and Sekan knew she would try this. 

 

Some quirks couldn’t be copied due to being ‘Artificial’ or ‘Singularity’ level, he had claimed. Not even the Quirk Amplification Device combined with a rule giving her Hysterical Strength allowed New Order to do so, and using Ideo Trigger as well was suggested, but Cassie didn’t want to risk losing control over herself in such a powerful state of being, as that could let Sekan loose.

Others, like Nine’s and Stain’s, could be copied without a problem, and while forcing them to talk revealed plenty about Sekan’s old operations, that was it. The most 'updated' version they could get was the last version Star and the others saw, Double clones of them during the final battle against All For One. She knows they most likely left this planet, but she doesn't know what happened after they left.

In short, the most they could get from them was the latest few years of Sekan’s history pre-Singularity Doomsday, even though he was likely far, far older than that.

He seemed to be far weaker back then, though that could always be a deception on Sekan’s end. A prominent figure before quirks came to be, maybe? Or someone important from that era at least. That’s what they’re currently theorizing.

Sekan himself hasn’t confirmed anything else about his own past yet, and when Cassie had tried copying the quirk of his fiance (wife, Sekan eventually corrected), it didn’t work either. Just like what he did with Double, the quirk was trained, evolved, and its very name changed. Sekan happily told them this early on.

And that means there’s still something he wants to hide. He almost looked relieved when Cassie confronted him about what Sir Nighteye’s vestige revealed, meaning there was something his own Double clone did or knew that he didn’t want them finding out just yet.

When confronted about this, Sekan just laughed, saying the greatest surprises should be saved for last and he still has so much more to tell them beforehand. He had asked them how much time has passed on the outside right after, so he likely expects something to come soon, or at least before he himself can escape, something likely related to this final secret of his.

For now, he continues to put on a show about it. He revels in being proven right, piecing together what little tidbits Cassie has revealed about the… less than optimal state society is in now and how she’s only going to get dragged down with it if she continues on this path.

But she won’t give up that easily. None of them will. 

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  ?????

During her latest ‘visit’, if you could even call it that, Cathleen Bate quickly found herself surrounded by darkness, more so than what naturally appears in the empty void that is her mind.

No, this wasn’t some trap on my end… okay it was, but not one meant to actually restrain her enough to let me escape. This was just a giant bank vault. I summoned a giant bank vault around her.

“Seriously?” Cathleen groans from inside, coming across as a muffle from where I’m standing.

It doesn’t take her very long to punch her way out, but she eventually does, revealing… another, larger bank vault still keeping her trapped. 

And another one after that, and another one after that, and another one after that. Twelve concentric bank vaults. Like a nesting doll.

 

I figured if I was gonna take some pages out of All For One’s book, particularly the ones about being the pettiest little troll you can to your heroic archnemesis after they somehow managed to (temporarily) lock you up, I’d go all the way. 

Mostly because I thought it was funny and didn’t have much else to entertain me down here.

Breaking her bit by bit with surprise reveal after surprise reveal was fun and all, at least for the hour or so on constant back and forth trips/confrontations she’s had with me, but I really wanted to give off the aura of being in control. 

So I resolved myself to give off that kind of feeling… by giving off the impression I’m not taking this seriously at all, at least on the surface. I still am slowly worming my way through her vestigeworld, but I’m not giving it everything I’ve got.

I don’t really need to, because brute force isn’t the only way to chip away at her resistance, and this method is much more fun. 

“Really starting to get old, Seka- oh for fuck’s sake.” She groans, having finally broken free from the final vault, only to end up on a tropical paradise I willed into being during those twenty-three and a half seconds she spent busting out of my totally serious, dastardly trap.

Apparitions of Re-Destro and Flect Turn sunbathe on either side of me as a slightly sunburned prime All For One mans the tropical minibar. Valdo Gollini and the former president of Japan’s HPSC are playing an intense game of volleyball not too far away as Nine surfs a killer wave atop Gigantomachia’s back.

“Just ignore it, Star.” She mutters to herself, taking deep breaths. “Burning Man festival was weirder. Just do what you need to do.”

I pretend to ignore her, slurping away at my coconut drink as she steels herself and walks on over.

“Sekan, about what you said last time regarding the MLA’s Quirk Marriage program-”

“One moment.” I interrupt, smiling as I hold a finger up. “I’m ordering pizza.”

She speaks up, only to have a giant mute button appear right in front of her face, and she actually is muted once I pour all my control and willpower into making it so, at least in this portion of her vestigeworld.

Cathleen responds in kind, trying to break free while swearing up a storm as I lead back on my beach chair, turn my head almost all the way around, and yell over to All For One whose tropical bar turns into a Hawaiian-themed pizza shop. 

Don’t get me wrong, the hero is only limited when it comes to sound. There’s nothing stopping her from lunging over and strangling me besides me obviously fighting back.

Cathleen really could try to fight back, mentally will this all away. She’s done it before, but it just isn’t worth the effort now as I will fight back to preserve my improv mindfuck scenes.

So instead, she just glares at me, because she knows that pushing my buttons anymore is a really bad idea, and that this annoyingly pompous attitude is just temporary, me having my fun before we get to the real meat of things.

I actually have been helping her a lot, at least regarding spilling the beans on pretty much everything. If the formerly-secretive information I had to share happened to hurt her too, well, not my problem. 

 

“Thank you for holding. Pizza is a serious business, but rest assured, you’re always my fourth or fifth priority, Cathleen.” 

“Do we really need to keep playing these games, Sekan? You’re making me look like a liar after I said you were better than All For One.” My archnemesis groans, the mute button having been removed.

“Ah, ah, ah! I’m not mentally parodying the potato right now, but your old leader slash representative slash creepy mascot.” I chuckle back, wagging a finger with a teasing smile on his face. “Playing these kinds of games is exactly what Nezu does to friend and foe alike… just with less flair.”

It also helped reaffirm one of the most important lessons I’ve learned over the course of my second life, that taking everything too seriously all the time just degraded performance and reliability as stress levels skyrocketed.

Now that I think about it, maybe instead of slaughtering Cathleen and her few remaining friends the moment I break out of this mind prison, I’ll use Overhaul to transmute the entirety of whatever military base she’s currently staying at into pineapple pizzas. 

Being rich or powerful enough to fuck with anyone really was a boon. Really, I was being nice enough to pay for my enemies to have lunch, so it wasn’t even a prank. Granted, the civil war opinions on that topping should be more brutal than anything I could personally do.

In all seriousness, goofing around like this has improved my mood by a lot, and that’s a very good thing for both me and the heroes keeping me captive. 

“...I hate that I can’t disagree with that.” Cathleen sighs. “Should I come back later? I feel like I should accept the wasted time and come back later.”

“Nope. I just wanted to see if you had changed your tune at all, or had any other requests for me. I am, of course, perfectly liable to do the exact opposite of anything you people say, on principle. Do consider that for your next bout of pleading and whining.”

Was I laying it on a bit thick? Yes. 

Was the humor and constant sniping at the bumbling hero idiots keeping the simmering anger from recent ‘complications’ manageable? Also yes. 

“So if I tell you to NOT be a peaceful civilian when you bust out of here, you’ll do it?” She sarcastically confirms.

“Of course not.” I scoff back. “Where did you get a crazy idea like that?”

The apparition of All For One bursts into laughter while using his myriad of quirks to prepare my pizza faster. 

I can freely customize just how much of their original personalities appear in these apparitions, and the old demon lord would definitely appreciate me ruining the heroes’ day like this, especially when I’m using some of his own methods.

Frustration blooms on Cathleen’s face, yet she continues to keep her cool.

“I’ll be blunt. All this rushed and unnatural evolution going on is growing way out of control, and we’ll both be screwed if-”

“Not really, no. And if you can’t handle just this much, then your country’s gonna sink in no time. Thanks for confirming you were doing even worse than I thought. Bye.”

“No, wait!” She cries out as I teleport myself and my entire beach party to the other side of her vestigeworld.

 

It doesn’t take her long to find me, meaning she probably used a New Order rule to track me. 

Apparition For One gets to me first, continuing to take the role of a meal-delivery service that’s so efficient, they’ll deliver the food to my door despite it, and me, being trapped in a never-ending darkness.

My time is very valuable, particularly because I spend most of my days retracing my steps in this unceasing hellscape looking for an exit, which means that AFO’s already-cooked meals are the perfect choice for me. 

It’s easier than realizing that the only friends I have for the next eternity are my heroically-inclined archnemesis and my own imagination, both only aiming to mislead me. 

This delivery service offers up to thirty-five different customizable pizzas, so until I finally break my way through the impenetrable shadow forming through my archenemy’s mind prison, I’ll have plenty of delicious options to cure my ethereal starvation. 

And how can I forget its variety of sides, smoothies, and snacks to help me no matter where I am in this timeless chamber of nothing… huh. Well, looks like I’m going even more batshit insane. Good to know.

Still nice enough to offer Cathleen a pizza slice for her efforts though. It’s Hawaiian and she slaps it away.

“Just be thankful I didn’t make this a nudity beach, and be mindful that this kindness is subject to change.” I remind her, becoming a bit more serious. 

“I will drag myself to Detroit and force you to watch in first person!”

“Now that’s just cruel, even by my standards.”

“You act as if I give a damn anymore.”

“Do you?” I seriously ask, putting an end to the teasing and bantering. “Are you ready to give up, or are you still holding out hope for humanity?”

 

“Getting what’s left of society back on a decent track would be easier if your subsidiaries weren’t hellbent on screwing us over. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if the MLA and whatever’s left of Humarise joined hands in accordance with your Super Secret Backup Plan Number Whatever.

Cyber attacks and Artificial Singularity sightings across the globe are growing more common, and the latter aren’t even animals most of the time, but humans with several mutant quirks like fucking Nomu! That’s on top of Singularity Spawn growing like fucking crops across several continents!”

Right, she has mentioned that before. No way would the Shie Hassaikai have time to evacuate Re-Destro and the purely MLA-aligned people, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Starservant stayed behind as he was one of the few all obsessed over the end of days. 

All For One quickly wiping away the world convinced most people originally wanting to stay for the singularity to leave, as they were expecting the world to fall over the course of decades, not days. What’s the point if you barely have any time to enjoy it, right? 

But my organization is full of crazies, so a few staying behind despite that is to be expected, and I can see Re-Destro agreeing to let Humarise remnants in once Starservant proves he is (or was, following my ‘death’) under me too. 

Even so, this coordinated effort on their end wasn’t set in motion by me.

In fact, at the very least, these cyber attacks may be coming from whatever managed to usurp control over I-Island from me. No, I haven’t forgotten about that. At least from my own perception of time, it hasn’t even been a day since that happened.

A secret contingency plan of Flect Turn’s that he kept off the books? Or maybe Melissa Shield was batshit insane enough to make her own Skynet behind everyone’s backs before I killed her? At this point, I don’t think anything can surprise me.

“If it is the MLA and Humarise, then they’re doing this on their own volition.” I bluntly state. “I made plans for my death, and all of them revolved around my core organization not immediately unleashing hell upon our enemies, but escaping first, properly preparing, and then unleashing hell upon our enemies.

Subsidiaries I gradually obtained like the MLA, Humarise, Gollini Family, the LOV and All For One’s empire, and so on would be free to continue causing problems while my own organization prepared to strike back. I made sure they could all keep going without me.

Besides, does this series of random, aggressive assaults sound like something I would personally plan? Just think about it for a second. 

I carefully take control of the board, marshalling my forces while slowly bleeding other competitors of resources, manipulating the situation subtly until my enemies find themselves backed into a corner with no idea how they got there.

Slow, methodical, and quiet, more focused on forcing the enemy into a position of non negotiable surrender, that’s how my plans usually go. But this plan was fast, aggressive, and destructive, designed as an overt show of force.

This plan is something more akin to yelling ‘look over there!’, flipping the board and then shooting the other player for good measure. I have done that on rare occasions, such as my invasion of Naruhata and getting All For One’s empire under my control after Kamino, but even those had plenty of secrecy and subtlety to them.”

“Or this could be one massive feint on your end. It seems about right with you.” Cathleen counters. “Plans within plans within plans with you, huh?”

“Not really, considering my enemies do most of the work for me. Sorry to burst your bubble, but there’s no convenient solution for your problem no matter how much you wish for it. 

Like I told you back at the UA Festival, taking out me and every other villain in the world wouldn’t mean a thing as more would quickly rise up to take our place.”

 

“...There will always be bad people out there. You know that, right?” She earnestly asks me.

“Naturally, but compare global crime rates to how they were before quirks came to be. Even in Japan during All Might’s Golden Era of Peace or whatever you want to call it, they were still nearly tenfold of the most crime-ridden countries pre-Dawn of Quirks.

And while quirks themselves can be partially blamed for such, humanity having another option besides man-made weapons to cause problems with, ask yourself just what percentage of quirks out there can actually help people commit crimes, or be useful outside of a niche, harmless party trick or two.”

“Much as I would like to continue debating morals, I don’t have all night. So if you don’t want the Meta Liberation Army or Humarise to continue screwing our efforts over, then-”

“First and foremost, I would actually confirm it’s the Meta Liberation Army or core Humarise remnants doing this.” I interrupt her, getting a raised eyebrow in return. “Do you actually know it’s them, or are you just assuming?”

“Well who else would it be?” She questions back.

“All I’m saying is that disguising most of my own actions as All For One’s was incredibly easy, you and the rest of Nezu’s council buying every single word of it from me until Kamino and even slightly past that despite knowing I was actually a top villain myself.” 

That gets her to actually stop and think for a bit, and once she’s done, she mutters a quick ‘thanks’ and leaves.

Even now, she continues to learn, she continues to grow, and I’m honestly not all that against it.

See, much like Izuku and Tomura in canon, despite Star and I basically being the main protagonist and antagonist respectively, our actual encounters were pretty miniscule. 

Looking at the bright side of my current situation, I am getting to know her as a person more, seeing how she develops while undergoing certain situations.

From a purely pragmatic route, it’s as Sun Tzu says. If you know yourself and know the enemy, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

From a more selfish route, that innate curiosity I have over pretty much everything this world has to offer makes me want to learn more about Cathleen, as she isn’t some random nobody or one-off character in this story of mine, but my main opposition from practically the beginning.

I genuinely do want to see how she tries to turn Hero Society around, as I do intend to reunite with my own organization one day, and that extra experiment worth of data would at least help a little. 

It’s not like I really stand to lose anything from it. She’s going to fail miserably, and it’ll be far from a painless process. I’m still getting my revenge, and once again, my enemies are doing most of the work for me.

“And then there’s you. I was wondering when I’d see you again, Ghost Might.” I smile at the surprise visit a few minutes later.

Mirio Togata stares back at me, a constant mix of emotions fluctuating on his face. He looks older, like a young adult rather than a teenager. Even that might be a lie, Star using a reverse-aging rule to keep him in his prime.

Maybe it’s been years. Maybe it’s been decades. I don’t really care right now since I’ll get my answers the moment I escape. 

 

“Sir.” He ends up nodding back, slightly surprising me. “I had a feeling it was you back then too.”

“Purely coincidental on my end, believe it or not. If it’s any consolation, I’m proud of the progress you made, and not just because it benefitted my own plans so much.”

“Mirai Sasaki didn’t know a thing after you killed him, so I couldn’t rely on him for answers.” Mirio clarifies.

Cathleen already told me the lack of recent intel Foresight’s vestige had, and it surprised me as much as it intrigued me. 

Did NightHaul subconsciously suppress that vestige to preserve our secrecy? Did my other clones do something similar? Or maybe it’s because they’re Double clones instead of actual people. 

None of them could enter their vestigeworlds like I could. Nobody else in the Shie Hassaikai could, but none of my subordinates had the knowledge and mindset that I did. My clones had both those things, yet they never could. Maybe it’s both Double and a subconscious desire to keep them in the dark. 

Or did Cathleen subconsciously make a copy of the quirk Sir Nighteye had before I took it and made copies of it? Rules like this all depend on the user’s understanding, and she would naturally associate Foresight as Sir Nighteye’s quirk.

I look forward to experimenting more with that once I break free and obtain New Order for myself, but for now, if anything, this was probably for the best. 

A gradual reveal of all my dirty little secrets over time would naturally have a greater impact overall than if I threw everything at once, as they wouldn’t be able to process the latter. I learned that lesson after revealing all of the HPSC’s dirty laundry.

Now the next best option for Cathleen to learn absolutely everything about me would be Zookeeper, but that didn’t work out either. Not because she couldn’t copy the quirk, mind you. Cleaning isn’t an Artificial or Post-Singularity quirk, meaning Cathleen can copy it.

No, this is due to Nezu eagerly researching everything he could about Zookeeper the moment UA’s Festival ended. He found out about her quirk and what it does, and that’s what Cathleen sees it as.

That pretty much confirmed my theory about the main limitation regarding quirks and vestiges copied through New Order, the wielder’s own understanding.

So in other words, the copy of Cleaning she makes with New Order has the power and vestige of Zookeeper right after the UA Festival, and I revealed my transmigrator status to Zi multiple months after that. So she knew a lot at the time, but not the biggest secret about me.

Tangent aside, I was wondering when Mirio would show his face here. He’s probably got a rule or two protecting his conscience from me, and another one allowing his conscience to enter Cathleen’s vestigeworld in the first place.

Has she really started abusing the New Order + Copy quirk trick I theorized before? Well even if she did, it’s not the number of rules she has that matters, but rather, the strength of those rules, or the grasp she has over reality.

And I still outclass everyone else in that regard. Quantity can only do so much to make up for quality.

“I take it you’re still fighting on, working to fix this crumbling society?” I confirm.

“You taught me to never give up, and I don’t plan on forgetting your lessons out of spite.” He gives a determined look back.

“Good, but out of curiosity, what was the public’s reaction to your newfound quirklessness? Or are you still hiding that with temporary quirks through New Order?”

“Quirk or not, I’m still Lemillion. The majority of my patrols nowadays are done quirkless, and a few are done with New Order temporarily giving me a mutant or quote unquote ‘villainous’ quirk. Some wit and Support Gear can get you farther than most could ever imagine.”

…Wow. Take some notes, Horikoshi. A hero is working to solve society’s problems in a way that’s actually meaningful towards their root causes.

 

“I saw Izuku Midoriya’s memories while I had One For All, and Cathleen saw memories from all kinds of villains. I’ll show society how wrong its built-in biases are, and what it really means to be a hero!” He declares.

“And society’s reaction to this endeavor of yours?” 

“Well other branches of law enforcement like police officers and soldiers are already much more respected in America than in Japan. The other core issues plaguing society aren’t as bad either, not to say they aren’t problems at all here.

Most of the country does support what I’m doing, but there are some who think I’m wasting part of Cathleen’s power on a publicity stunt. She’s still plenty capable even with just a single rule, and America still has tons of heroes, police, and soldiers due to All For One’s rampage never crossing here, so it’s not like we’re being completely overwhelmed like most other countries are.

I want to help them too, but I know that overreaching right now is a bad idea. We can’t rush this and overburden ourselves or else we risk everything falling apart, but we will eventually beat back the spreading singularity, and rebuild society across the world into something better.”

“Very ambitious. And what if you fail? You have accounted for that, haven’t you? Such lofty ideals are never easy to implement.”

“Worse case scenario… I won’t die so easily. I won’t forget what you taught me. Even if society does fall, I’ll remain standing, and I’ll continue saving whoever I can.”

“And as I told Cathleen, I look forward to seeing you try. Now is there anything else you want answered, or did you get the closure you wanted?”

“Just one thing. Your adopted daughter. You already confirmed that she wasn’t actually related to All For One, and we know the story you told Zookeeper, but was… why are you…” He trails off as I start to chuckle.

“Oh, the absolute IRONY of you bringing her up! In all honesty, while meeting you at the Sports Festival really was purely coincidence, I did have another reason for recruiting you. 

Recall how I was able to see several different futures with a combination of Foresight and similar quirks. Cathleen did tell you about that, right?”

“She did. Where are you going with this?” He questions- no, demands to know.

And using the surrounding void as a giant movie screen, I show him several parts of the canon Overhaul arc. Sir Nighteye’s intentions with Izuku, Mirio’s original purpose, their first encounter with Kai and Eri, and the meeting where it’s revealed just what Eri was going through. 

“Mirai Sasaki fucked up bad. A Pro-Hero screwing up or being a giant asshole is nothing new, I know, but this particular case happened to strike a chord with me. He had the potential to become so much more, as did you, and as did the person who I eventually grew to see as my own daughter.

Even I couldn’t fix the entire world, Mirio, yet I could at least fix some parts of it. I could still change some things and save some people. I won’t lie, my reasons for such were mostly selfish, but that’s not to say I didn’t care about them at all. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have helped them get away from the world while I fended off All For One, now would I?”

“...You probably held out another bit or two of context that makes your argument look a little better, but I doubt there’s anything that can make what you showed me look truly good.” My oldest student finally responds.

“I really did teach you well, didn’t I?” I smirk in response.

“You did, so allow me to repay you by trying to succeed where you failed.” He requests.

“So be it, but before you go, let me give you one last piece of advice in the form of a dramatic monologue. 

 

Who will you choose to follow? Who will you choose to trust, knowing there are never any guarantees? Will you choose to follow others, or rely solely on yourself?

You may look upon the world with confusion; know it isn’t your fault the world is like this, because you grew up in the midst of a battle, a battle of ideas, for we all have our own ideas of what is best for the world, some more blind than others.

Yet everyone must decide. Everyone must answer. Everyone must choose what ideas they allow to run their lives, for the way you live your life, it will be your answer, how you choose to answer life.”

“I know my choice, and I’ll travel it without any fear, for what I seek, I shall pay the price in full.” He earnestly smiles at me before leaving. 

Huh. Honestly, I’m not sure what to feel about that myself.

Don’t get me wrong, this won’t be turning into some stupid redemption story where I help out the heroes and we miraculously save the day while restoring Hero Society. Not even the world itself could force me to do that shit.

But like I said, I don’t really see a reason to immediately stop them. They either succeed and I learn a lot while most likely tearing Hero Society down again right after, or they fail miserably and Hero Society finishes tearing itself apart. Either way, Cathleen suffers plenty in the process and I get my revenge.

I’m in a bit of an awkward spot right now, but I’m sure I’ll figure something out. Not like I have a time limit to worry about, right?

 

 

 

State of the Singularity:

Europe - 47% Terraformation

Asia - 40% Terraformation

Africa - 9% Terraformation

North America - 2% Terraformation

South America - 3% Terraformation

Australia - 1% Terraformation

Antarctica - 1% Terraformation

Chapter 131: Acceptance, However Forced It Is

“What the fuck is this?”

Cathleen respects her commander. Cathleen cares for her commander. Cathleen knows she has an image to maintain… but right now, Cathleen couldn’t care less about maintaining professionalism. 

After looking at the documents in her hands, she doesn’t bother to censor herself in the slightest. She doesn’t bother pretending that everything’s all fine and dandy, mostly because it fucking isn’t.

“It’s based on satellite data, population and death statistics, reports from-”

“Commander, what the FUCK is this?” Cathleen Bate cuts him off, and she can tell he doesn’t blame her for doing so.

“Bottom line, any semblance of human society we still have across the globe ends in five years, give or take.” Timothy Agpar summarizes. “But America will last another twenty or so if this defensive strategy wor-”

“DEFENSIVE STRATEGY?!? THEY ARE FUCKING COERCING TOP HEROES FROM OTHER COUNTRIES TO DROP EVERYTHING AND MAKE A BEELINE HERE, LEAVING SAID COUNTRIES TO FUCKING BURN WITHOUT THEIR BEST PROTECTORS!

FIRST PURPOSEFULLY SETTING OFF TRIGGER BOMBS AND NOW THIS?! DO THEY WANT TO DESTROY WHAT REMAINS OF HUMANITY?!? DID HUMARISE SPIES SLIP IN AGAIN, HUH?!?”

 

“They’re looking for any advantage they can, Cassie.” The commander sighs after America’s best finishes her rant. 

So in other words, he had exactly the same opinion as her. Then his lawyer advised him to retract his previous statement, and now he’s spewing bullshit like that.

“Even if New Order was copied in bulk, it wouldn’t be enough to stop this sinking ship, and being given such power would no doubt give rise to even more unsavory figures. At this point, even saving humanity itself is looking to be a nigh-impossible task with how fast both the singularity and internal sabotage is spreading. 

It’s progressing far faster than we could’ve ever imagined, and all the wrong choices being made by most remaining nations aren’t helping either. I don’t like it any more than you do, but there doesn’t appear to be any better options. 

Some have even considered threatening to bombard the home countries of top foreign heroes with Tiamat missiles if they don’t move to America, and while such extremists haven’t gained much ground, desperation is growing as our situation becomes more dire by the day.”

She had hoped things would get better after All For One’s death. They got worse. So, so much worse.

First was the issue of what was dubbed ‘Singularity Territory’. It had not only remained after All For One’s death, parts of it also continued to spread. 

Plants and animals born from it could spread a substance similar to Ideo Trigger like pollen. Other creatures fed on material, both biological and nonbiological, to spread and grow. This terraformed environment was not just infectious, but potent enough to warp matter impossibly.

There was no clearing out all the vulnerable material, though the infection itself could be stopped in its tracks. If the world banded together, contained the gas and destroyed or altered the infected environment, they could fully reclaim their world.

Unfortunately, unity would not be occurring anytime soon. 

Both the United Nations and World Heroes Association were torn apart from within even before All For One died, his Omni-Singularity Unleash being the final nail in that coffin, and his death didn’t bring them back together. 

After that, it was pretty much every country for themselves. That was made painfully clear during the next decade and beyond.

 

Most remaining countries quickly began fighting each other for a slice of the singularity pie, being desperate to get ahead in this latest and greatest arms race. They wanted to weaponize the singularity themselves before either it or their competitors destroyed them.

Among that group were the Asian and European countries at least partially ruined by AFO’s rampage. While they had direct access to this new environment, said environment was also altering or destroying anything in its way. Most of their civilians either protesting, rioting, villaining, or fleeing the country didn’t help matters either.

They couldn’t stop all this themselves, so they instead relied on making deals with other countries, leading to de facto colonization as a last ditch effort to save themselves. Most remaining civilians didn’t like that for various reasons, so these countries descended into anarchistic civil wars with violent foreign interference more often than not.

Not good, and the massive increase in crime everywhere else was even worse. All For One’s remaining allies and supporters were almost completely wiped out, but with most people believing the end of the world was imminent, they saw no reason to deny their deepest, darkest desires anymore. 

While America was probably the best off right now due to Cathleen and Mirio still being present and there being an ocean’s worth of distance away from Singularity Territory, it could barely keep itself under control, let alone help out other countries. 

No, wait. Japan was probably handling this the best right now, because of course it was.

Re-Destro lost plenty of his own forces too, but All For One never reached Japan. If anything, the long-nosed prick managed to gain from this experience with the Gollini Family having bent the knee to them. Probably Humarise remnants too.

They had been spreading across what remained of Europe fast, turning countries bordering or in the middle of Singularity Territory into vassal states one after another. 

They gained more manpower, more influence, and direct access to all the research materials they could ever need, making rapid progress in understanding the singularity.

They easily overwhelmed everyone else with both their numbers and firepower, and other major countries like Russia, China, and India didn’t want to be left in the dust, so they started adapting similar tactics. 

What about America then? Well half of this document details their own solidified, long-term strategy, and Cathleen doesn’t like it one bit.

Basically, they’re trying to subtly recruit all the top heroes they can from other countries. Should they accept, they’ll get access to whatever assistance they need, so Support Gear, transportation, assistance from other heroes, plenty of cash, and so on. 

They’ll be treated like kings in exchange for doubling as defense and tripling as informants who spill all the discoveries their home countries made researching the singularity, so as to not fall too far behind on that front.

Essentially, when the Quirk Singularity Doomsday really started ramping up, these top heroes would stay in America while the rest of the world burned. Only issue with this is Singularity Beings aren’t the only problem to worry about. 

 

MLA is still being a pain in the ass. Humarise too, or at least, that’s how it looks at first glance. But Sekan had encouraged her to do a little more digging, and she doesn’t like what she found.

Artificial Singularities have started popping up again, more and more victims of this forced procedure being actual humans with mutant quirks rather than quirked animals. Alongside the endless waves of ‘Singularity Spawn’ and ‘Forced Singularities’ as Sekan has dubbed them, entire countries have collapsed.

Trigger Bombs also began making a comeback. WHA and UN declared that every single one of those doomsday devices were to be contained and safely destroyed as soon as possible before their collapse, but very few countries actually followed through with that, instead trying to study the Ideo Trigger in an attempt to get ahead in this latest arms race.

Only whoever’s responsible for this can either detonate these bombs remotely or has spies everywhere because several dozen of those bombs have gone off over the years, and several dozen other Trigger Bombs remained hidden until they too were detonated.

What’s worse is that these bombs more often than not create similar Singularity Territory to what All For One left behind, infectious properties and all. 

What’s even worse is that several Trigger Bombs have been detonated in Japan as well, the first of which was in Osaka, Sekan’s old home city. 

Bad news is that pretty much confirms the MLA and Humarise aren’t doing this, it instead being done by another party.

Good news is that Sekan took personal offense to this, so whoever is behind this will get fucking slaughtered once he’s finally free, which probably won’t be long from now. Years, months, maybe even weeks, and she’ll be slaughtered right after Sekan gives an ‘I told you so’ or two.

Even more worse news is Sekan’s current theory on the one responsible is Melissa Fucking Shield, or rather, an super-advanced artificial intelligence she created in secret before Sekan personally killed her (and wasn’t that a bombshell in of itself; she can’t even be that angry at him for it considering what she’s been working on).

He had recommended watching a series of pre-quirk movies called the Terminator franchise when she had some spare time to get a sense of what they might be dealing with. She did with Mirio, and both of them are dreading having to deal with something like that themselves. 

They and Commander Agpar decided not to tell anyone else until they confirm the one behind this really is some bootleg Skynet, but actually getting that proof is easier said then done despite all the fucked-up shit it’s doing.

First, as mentioned before, Trigger Bombs. Countries have to act immediately if they want to stop these new singularity areas from spreading. Both the environment itself and the gas that created it pose massive threats as a little wind is all it takes to get the latter going and the former can generate Singularity Spawn at a horrific rate.

Fortunately for humanity, there are still plenty of solutions for this particular problem.

 

Quirks that can manipulate and contain wind and or gas, quirks that could physically alter or destroy gas, quirks that could teleport gas further back, quirks that provide enough physical power to force the gas back via air pressure from punches, the list of helpful powers goes on and on.

Plenty of local heroes, soldiers, or even civilian volunteers were given hazmat suits and specialized Support Gear alongside NDAs, so they too didn’t get affected by the gas. It worked well… assuming countries were smart enough to nip this problem in the bud.

Some countries inevitably took the riskier approach, attempting to instead contain these singularity environments so they could have an easier time studying it. A few countries even forcefully detonated the Trigger Bombs they have in areas they believed they could control the infection at for easier access!

Fucking idiots deserved to have that plan blow up in their faces, and when Cathleen caught wind of America considering something similar, she did her best to ensure that stupidity would never escape the brainstorming session. 

It was bad enough trying to fix this mess without corrupt assholes shooting what remained of humanity in the foot! Oh, and the constant cyber attacks weren’t helping anyone either.

New Order being vulnerable to quirk-copying quirks (and the WHA’s super secret plan with Neito Monoma) was leaked far too fast, many who originally supported Mirio’s publicity stunt now demanding he get a copy of New Order for himself instead of ‘half-assing for publicity’ as they put it.

Many more from all aspects of society want copies of New Order for themselves. Even the suits up top, who originally hated the idea of anything like that happening (remember the whole mess with the QAD?) are changing their tune.

Cathleen refuses to give out such power to anyone she doesn’t trust, but more and more people are refusing to take no for an answer, and Commander Agpar along with the others who are on her side are being pushed back more as the situation gets more desperate.

 

No way in hell is she giving out copies of her quirks to the next Endeavors and Hawks. Same goes for the current Hawks, because yeah, Hawks is apparently back and secretly working for the US Government now. 

He was originally locked up in a WHA-owned supermax prison, and that place was torn apart alongside the WHA itself during its civil war battle royale. Japan’s former dictator/top bitch luckily died during that shitshow, but Keigo Tamaki had the power to actually defend himself, so he lived and hid out for a few years as he traveled to America.

Bastard must have been waiting for her country to get desperate enough to employ him, even if away from the public eye. The growing group of shady shits in America probably would’ve hired the old HPSC President too as a consultant or something if she made it out, and if they didn’t, some other major country would’ve.

Cathleen was livid, but there was nothing she could do without turning against the government entirely. She and Mirio were trying to actually fix things, but there were far more people making it worse for their own selfish, petty reasons.

Survival for as long as possible is America’s top priority, as their only real chance is preservation until they can fight fire with fire or their technology catches up with these monsters, these Singularity Beings. 

Either that or ensure that the MLA doesn’t achieve such first, because then there will be no stopping them from achieving world domination themselves.

And in the worst case scenario, America will be the last bastion of humanity. One way or another, people will arrive on their shores, and those coming in desperation will get much worse deals than those the country recruited beforehand. 

All the firepower they can manage, crammed into one country, gives humanity the best chance of survival. They’ve already given up trying to solve the root problem here… just like with Hero Society, its inherent flaws being ignored in favor of the easy, convenient solution, even if that will come back to bite them later on.

This isn’t a problem limited to America. Russia, China, India, and every other country with enough power and leeway at the moment is either doing something similar already or will start doing something similar soon. 

This is a problem that extends to all of Hero Society. This is a problem that she needs to fix… but how? How is she supposed to fix something like this? Life isn’t so cut and dry, Cathleen knows this. Writing’s on the wall here, what’s left of the world is slowly falling to this internal invasion. 

 

Fighting for America, to preserve her home and humanity as a whole, may very well be the best she can hope for. But her home, this society she’s tried so hard to help and protect, is quickly turning into something unrecognizable.

The rot is spreading faster than she, Mirio, and Commander Agpar can clean it, and even if what’s left of society did find a way to beat back the singularities and rebuild itself like it did after the Dawn of Quirks, would anything really change besides how powerful quirks are?

People are gonna start being born with singularity-level quirks themselves soon. Hell, they already have if she’s anything to go by! What will happen to them? Will they be hunted down and killed for fear of their power like quirked people originally were?

Is the absolute best she can hope for a repeat of what’s already happened? Is Sekan really right about this? Is there really nothing she can do to save this society from itself, to save humanity from itself?

Is trying to protect any part of the status quo even worth it anymore? Is there a point when any sense of safety and stability it brought is falling apart? Is the untold amounts of chaos such a massive change would bring worth it due to what would emerge from it?

She doesn’t have much time left, so should she really be wasting it fighting for something that isn’t worth saving?

As much as she wants to hope everything will be okay if she tries hard enough, she has to be realistic. She’ll continue trying, she owes that much to her master, but she isn’t liking the answer that’s forming.

Not one bit.

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  ?????

While canon MHA barely gives me jack shit on this particular topic, I’ve gotten a pretty good grasp on Post-Quirk Geopolitics since arriving here, mostly because it’s a whole lot simpler than it was before quirks. 

Back then (and in my old reality), the most powerful countries were the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, and Germany. Now though, in a world revolving around quirks and heroes? 

Well it’s as canon said, a country’s strength is determined by its heroes. It’s a genetic lottery, and generally, countries with larger populations have more chances at getting themselves a winning lottery ticket like Star and Stripe.

 

Before quirks came to be, both India and China had populations of over a billion with the US being third at well over 300 million, Indonesia being fourth at almost 300 million, and Pakistan being fifth at around 250 million.

Dawn of Quirks was by far the largest human massacre in history, spread out all across the world. It reduced the global population down to a fraction of its original size, but centuries have passed and the human population has regrown a lot with quirks becoming both more powerful and more common. 

Of course, how much a country is actually willing to utilize quirks also plays a major contributing factor. Most countries took a path similar to canon MHA Japan and tried to make people forget quirks even exist outside of heroes, leading to technology mostly stagnating outside of Support Gear. 

MLA have proven just how powerful quirks can be when used for all aspects of life, but countries changing their doctrine to be like Japan’s again would make the stupid masses riot against the supposed MLA sympathizers. A double-win on Re-Destro’s part.

So what does this all mean? Simply put, I can’t look at international politics here like I would in my previous reality. Quirks are an obvious game-changer, so I can’t be off playing a different game in this situation or I’d be shooting myself in the foot. 

Doesn’t mean I can’t get a good laugh out of humanity as a whole being terminally stupid again though.

 

All Might’s defeat against Gigantomachia alone had them panicking, as their precious symbol didn’t retire after a massive win like in canon, but was instead easily beaten in a 1v1. 

Then Japan’s HPSC turned into a dictatorship, and monsters to rival Gigantomachia started popping up around the globe, causing devastation and death wherever they were.

Then their missions to reclaim Japan ended up with a (supposedly) worse group taking over, an organization that spits on their status quo and caused what was basically World War 3 over a century ago, and their best heroes were forced to retreat after the entire country was truly turned against them in modern day.

But things soon got better as the world not only got its old symbol back, it also acquired two more that were even more powerful. One of them even took out a tremendous amount of villains all across Europe in the span of a week, this purge doubling as a massive, successful advertising campaign.

And then things got worse again, Humarise raining on the heroes’ parade as they stole I-Island and declared war on the world, launching numerous terrorist attacks that further crippled the remaining heroes, police, and soldiers. 

Oh, and they were this close to committing global genocide as well, but Flect Turn was then nuked alongside All For One and all was well again and- oh, wait a second. All For One actually survived getting a nuke to the face and began a one-made charge across the entire world, slaughtering tens of millions and rendering almost two entire continents uninhabitable. 

All Might was killed, Lemillion was rendered quirkless, and another global threat came in swinging with both a gas that erases quirks and an equivalent to nuclear warheads. Oh, and he was stupidly overpowered too, but he supposedly died as well.

Cathleen chose to reveal as little information as she could about me to not cause even more panic, but by then, it was far too little and far too late. This world was looking less like My Hero Academia and more like Solo Leveling by the day.

I actually recommended that pre-quirk anime and manga to Cathleen, mainly for my own amusement, and not only did she agree with the comparison, she even found it funny.

Trigger Bombs going off act like portals to dungeons, most humans are stuck at certain levels of power because of quirks, and humanity as a collective are being self-destructive dumbasses.

 

She’s starting to agree with me more. She’s starting to realize just how messed up humanity has become. Her visits are becoming less of one-sided interrogations and more of her ranting to me about the stupid shit people did during the last week.

“Darwin Awards are getting handed out in bulk nowadays. You think people would catch on by now, but oh no, you’ll totally succeed by doing the exact same thing that caused the last thirty idiots to fail. 

News flash you corrupt morons, the singularity won’t bend to you no matter how big your political status and bank account are!”

“And will you?”

“I’ve built a reputation with my rash and reckless attitude, disregarding the rules to do what’s actually right, and I’ll gladly remind them why that is whenever push comes to shove. All those suits can go fuck themselves, I do what I want!”

For me, it’s only been about a day since I was sealed inside her vestigeworld. For her, it has to have been at least a few decades, if not more. She isn’t willing to tell me everything yet, but a connection has been gradually forming.

And no, this isn’t all part of some master plan of mine to turn Star and Stripe evil. This isn’t due to a resonance forming or our consciousnesses assimilating like what happened between canon AFO and Tomura either.

This isn’t about heroes and villains anymore. I’ve long since started looking past such labels, and Cathleen is starting to as well. She’s gained a greater understanding of me, just as I have of her.

We’re stuck on the same sinking ship whether we like it or not, and after everything that’s happened, we might as well be at least somewhat civil with each other.

 

“You don’t like being alone, do you?” She confronts me during her latest visit, not out of anger… but concern.

“More like I’m not used to it.” I shrug back. “I’ve always had someone to talk to, someone to confide in. I’ve always had clones of myself or quirk vestiges or subordinates by my side, but here and now? 

For the first time in forever, I had nobody. It’s why I absolutely lost it when you first trapped me here, and you reminded me of that fact. They may not be dead, but being forced to wait hundreds or even thousands of years for their return might just be even worse.”

She actually felt bad for doing that. She actually apologized to me. 

She had confided that she was scared too, scared out of her mind. Her home, the society she spent so long protecting was going to shit, and she herself was changing into something inhuman.

Despite my entry into her jump-starting the Singularity Evolution within her, she has yet to enter a High-Gear state, not being pushed to the limit physically since the battle with Singularity For One. New Order is just too much of a crutch to encourage anything more when used, and Star herself refuses to risk it.

At most, she’s become better at both naturally holding more quirks and holding me, but I’m still growing at a faster rate then she is. My own Singularity Evolution hasn’t stopped or even exited High-Gear, meaning I’m rapidly adapting to my current situation.

In other words, I’m being forced to become better at being a parasite. Ironic that I spent so long preparing to fight against this, fight All For One or his vestige when they tried doing it to me, yet here I am stuck doing it to Cathleen.

I won’t try merging our minds or wills like canon AFO did to Tomura. I don’t try consuming her or assimilating her or devouring her or whatever you want to call a total takeover either. I want no part of her in me besides her vestigeless quirk, because anything else of hers will just hold me back.

Cathleen was both relieved at the prospect and horrified that such a thing is possible to begin with.

“Well altering the vestigeworld’s perception of time could speed that up a ton.”

“You’re not suggesting I willingly stay in here, are you?”

“I said ‘the’ vestigeworld, not ‘my’ vestigeworld.”

“Oh… I suppose that could work, assuming I can ensure my own protection during that little timeskip.”

 

Is showing such a vulnerable part of myself to her a bad idea? Maybe. Probably. 

But the longer I remained trapped, the more I realized just how little I can do. I can plot and scheme all I like, but without any sort of way to set those gears in motion, I’m forced to reflect.

Are we even archenemies anymore? The world isn’t enforcing it anymore since it hates us both. The society that enforced it is on the verge of total collapse. And we both hurt each other a lot, but we also got payback, and see no reason to keep that cycle going as it will only cause more pain and wasted time for both of us.

Nothing stopping me from killing her the second I escape, but what’s the point? I got my revenge, and continuing to make her suffer when I stand to benefit nothing from it just sounds so… pointless. Like the kind of thing All For One would do.

Heroes and Villains are pretty much concepts of the past. It’s just people now, so instead of seeing her as Star and Stripe the hero, I should see her as Cathleen Bate the person.

And when Cathleen Bate the person comes back the next time, so several minutes for me and probably a few weeks or months for her, she once again looks absolutely done with life.

In complete honesty, she looked like absolute shit. She wasn’t broken per se, but she was at least cracked by now, stressed out of her mind, on the verge of falling apart and reliant on others just to keep herself together. 

Most would see such a thing as weak compared to the supposedly untouchable symbol All Might once was. In my opinion, she’s almost aggressively human and vulnerable, and it was clear that she hadn’t even considered giving up on trying to save people.

Innocent people. Good people. Not all people, because not everyone deserves to be saved. 

 

“So, who fucked up this time?” I snark at my… not really sure what she is to me at this point.

“You. And probably me too for some reason or another. Seriously, who makes a deal with the literal devil?”

…Fuck, I forgot about the Incursions.

“Heh.”

And those two assholes decided to tell her god knows how much instead of declaring time out and dragging me away.

“Heheh. Heh.”

And now the devil cosplayer is… right behind me, because of course he is.

“Pfffffffftttt… HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!”

For fuck’s sake.

“HAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHHAHA!!!! AHAHAHHH! AHAHAHAAHHHH!!! AAAAAHHHHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!”

“Oh, shut up.” I groan at the deity that’s doubled-over laughing. 

“HOW CAN I?!? THE SELF-PROCLAIMED VESTIGE EXPERT GOT MENTALLY VAULTED! THAT’S FUCKING HILARIOUS! HEY, GOD! YOU GOTTA COME SEE THIS!”

“I can see just fine, thank you. Also, hah.”

“Not my fault the literal embodiment of the World screwed me over.”

“Yes it is. You chose your path.”

“Whatever. Just start up the stupid Incursion Round already. At least I’ll get to see my organization again…”

“Organization? You mean the people who think you’re long-dead? You said it yourself, you have no faction anymore.” The devil smirks back. “In accordance with the rules…”

No…

 

“YOU make the fucking rules! You want me to fight on my OWN?! I HAD TO FEND OFF AN ENTIRE FUCKED-UP PLANET LAST TIME! WHAT’S FUCKING NEXT? AN ENTIRE SOLAR SYSTEM? A GALAXY? A UNIVERSE?!?

AND WHAT ABOUT THE TIME DIFFERENCE, HUH? HOW MUCH FURTHER AHEAD WILL MY VARIANT BE THIS TIME? IT WAS OVER TEN DURING THE LAST TWO ROUNDS, SO WHAT’S IT GONNA BE THIS TIME? TWENTY YEARS? FIFTY? A FUCKING CENTURY?!?”

“No, nothing like that. This latest round is going to be small, personal, and incredibly fitting considering your current situation. Your opponent has also been around for about two and a half years, so a bit more time than you yourself have perceived.”

I’m dreading the catch already. My MLA variant in the Second Round had a similar ‘second life time’ as me and I came close to losing then, even after spamming Infinite Doubles. I’m on Round Five now, and considering how difficult Round Four was… yeah.

“Don’t worry, you won’t be completely alone this time; we’ll throw you a bone and allow your fated frenemy to come along. Of course, she’ll still be in the driver’s seat.”

“Huh? No, wait! THAT’S EVEN WORSE!”

“HEY! I NEVER AGREED TO THAT SHIT! SEKAN MADE THE DEAL, NOT ME!”

“This will be a classic fight to the death, so murder everyone on the opposing side to win! Good luck, and may the best Sekan/Cathleen duo win!”

Chapter 132: Side Story Incursions - Round Five Prelude

Notes:

Since I couldn't find a way to say everything I wanted to say about this Sekan's origin mid-fight, I decided to do a little something special for this latest variant and give him a more fleshed out backstory, help hype him and his allies up some more. The actual battle will be next chapter.

“SHIT! GODDAMN, FUCKING SHIT! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, OVERHAUL?!?”

Sekan Doraifu collapses to the ground, having successfully merged with Kai Chisaki and acquiring one of MHA’s most overpowered quirks just days into his second life.

Much like the ‘main’ Sekan, he had no interest in following the script God left for him. He was determined to go about things his own way, on his own terms, so after acquiring Trigger and baiting the yakuza leader out, he took everything from the big bad villain.

Only unlike the main Sekan, instead of becoming the big bad villain himself, he decided to abandon Japan entirely. 

 

He had no interest in sticking around for the absolute shitshow that was canon, so he would travel to a place beyond canon’s clutches… at least until the very end of canon MHA.

But first, he would help himself to another of MHA’s most overpowered quirks and the adorable little girl wielding it. He wouldn’t kill or merge with Eri, he would instead take her with him.

Part of him just wanted to spite Kai Chisaki. Part of him wanted to use Eri as an anchor of sorts, preventing him from ever going too far and ending up as another All For One or Tomura Shigaraki or even Kai Chisaki. Part of him just didn’t want to go at this alone.

So after butchering most of the Shie Hassaikai himself (and taking the Confession quirk for himself), he rescued Eri, gave a similar offer to the ‘main’ Sekan, and made his way to the United States with her under everyone else’s radar.

The next few months were spent building a new life for himself and Eri. It was tough as they had no money or connections to speak of, though there was an easy enough solution to that problem.

Instead of becoming a villain, he would be a vigilante. He wouldn’t go as far as Oji Harima or the Peerless Thief did, but he would take down gangs and groups of villains, robbing them blind and leaving them for the heroes to arrest after anonymously calling them in.

On top of that, he also took a few more helpful enough quirks for himself and gained immense amounts of knowledge about surgery, biochemistry, and genetics in general through a similar method to the ‘main’ Sekan. 

It helped him change both he and Eri’s appearances to look much more American. He even got Eri a few more quirks like a minor healing quirk and energy-manipulation quirk like Wave Motion to help her control Rewind.

Whether through sheer dumb luck or the will of W̶͓̻̙͙̞̱̑͝Ȏ̸̢̩̞̤̈́͒́R̸̡̩͓̥̖̪̬̻̤̓̈́̾́̉͝L̸̛̘̩̜̣͎͐͐͋͂͛̑ͅD̸̢̘̥͇̰̓̃̅̂̌̿͗ itself, he was confronted by Skycrawler during one of his vigilante sprees about two months in. He had become rather well-known around the area for his quick and efficient success, and that got Koichi Haimawari’s attention.

The former vigilante had seen quite a bit of himself in the current vigilante, and the current vigilante decided to take advantage of this by spinning up a mostly truthful story about how he and his daughter had fled a now abolished mafia and were looking to start a new life for themselves here.

With some help from Skycrawler and Captain Celebrity, he not only got a new ID as a US citizen, he also became another sidekick of America’s Number 2 Hero. 

He was no longer Sekan Doraifu. Now, he was Shawn Daniels. Now, he was the Molecular Hero: Overhaul.

 

His aspirations had gotten bigger. Sure, he could live out a peaceful enough life once he got a large enough nest egg, but with all this power he has, why not go all the way? Why not pull off what All Might did in canon, building up a legend for himself in America and become a top hero?

Shawn’s intentions weren’t completely noble, mind you. The money, power, and authority he would get definitely appealed to him more than saving people. That being said, political nonsense and ideologies aside, going around as a genuine superhero did sound like fun.

Eri (or ‘Emily Daniels’ as she was now called) supporting him in spiting Kai Chisaki like this was the final nail in the coffin. Shawn was gonna become one of the best damn heroes this world has ever seen and have a blast while doing so. 

That’s exactly what he did, quickly making a name for himself as a rising star. Overhaul let him not only take down even the toughest villains with ease, it also let him fix any collateral damage and even instantly heal people no matter how injured they are. 

What’s more is he could disguise some of his ever-increasing arsenal of quirks as parts of Overhaul or the body modifications he gave himself with the quirk.

Some highly-ranked villains with interesting quirks were completely obliterated after their quirks were secretly taken, Shawn citing the need to go all-out to reduce as much damage as possible (and keeping his ability to resurrect people a secret).

He even began actually modifying himself through Overhaul surgery, making himself superhuman in every sense of the word. He did nothing to hide this either, creating a massive network of connections for himself by offering similar enhanced treatment.

Offers to heal diseases or permanent injuries were also given, appealing to many of the higher-ups across America and other countries. 

And there was no shortage of villains to take down, America having crime rates of over twenty percent compared to the six percent Japan managed during the Golden Age of Peace that All Might made. 

In other words, there were more than enough opportunities for Shawn to get his hero name out there across the country, especially once he got some teleportation quirks in his arsenal.

 

As for the hero persona Shawn crafted for himself, he combined All Might’s positive attitude and charm with Endeavor’s ruthless efficiency, creating a hero that the lawful loved and villains had nightmares about.

Boasts, monologues, and flashy moves were kept to a minimum. Instead, even the most dangerous S-Rank Villains were usually taken down in seconds, and then he would be friendly and make sure everyone was alright, any injuries and collateral being healed right after.

Not even half a year passed before Shawn left Captain Celebrity’s agency and became a full-fledged hero instead of a sidekick, having more than enough funding and support to open his own Hero Agency.

While he didn’t hire any sidekicks for himself, he did get a ton of personnel to handle the paperwork side of things. 

Requisition and classified information requests, resource expenditures, intelligence reports, target elimination confirmations, navigating bureaucracy in general, and so on had several dozen of the best people money could buy working on it around the clock.

The NDAs each and every employee had to sign were absolutely brutal, Shawn getting his own personal team of lawyers to make sure anyone who broke it would be torn to shreds. He made sure to give out plenty of generous bonuses and even optional body-modifications as well, ensuring that there would be more respect and appreciation than fear.

So when he ‘requested’ that reports for certain incidents left out as many details as possible, purposefully leaving as much wiggle room as they could to not be caught in any lies he might tell later on, they went along with it.

This allowed Shawn to use plenty of extra supplies and intelligence to run his own secret operations without anyone else batting an eye.

 

As for what those operations were, they mostly involved tracking down heroes, villains, and civilians alike with powerful or useful quirks that he would duplicate with help from his daughter. Having access to the country’s Quirk Registry and a group of highly-skilled people who could comb through it in record time made doing so much easier.

Like the ‘main’ Sekan and Eri, those two would travel across the country, break into houses at night, and use Rewind and Overhaul in conjunction to secure a copy of whatever quirk they were after, the target’s memories then being undone if necessary with Overhaul or Mind Web.

Shawn could easily disguise this as moving around to areas ripe with villainous activity, making his public image even better as he took down villains at an unbelievable rate, whether they were alone or backed up by entire organizations. 

This allowed both Shawn and Emily to begin building their own ultimate quirk combinations to match, if not surpass, the likes of All For One’s own Omni-Factor Unleash. They could only go for quirks without mutations that couldn’t be hidden with some Overhaul body modification, yet that still left them plenty of options to pick and choose from.

General enhancer quirks like Endurance were a top priority of his, as they powered him up while letting him store more quirks. Quirks like Energy Saver that removed the need for food, water, and sleep were also a top priority of his, and he got several of those too. Resistance quirks of all kinds were up there as well.

Quirks that could manipulate liquids and gasses could be disguised as applications of his Overhaul quirk. Same for creation quirks like Creation and transmutation quirks like Alchemy, not that he got either of those exact quirks. They’re just examples.

Quirks that could scan and track others like Search could be hidden easily enough. Same with mental quirks, whether they involve telekinesis or telepathy. Quirks that allow for warping or teleportation also fell in this category.

He acquired a Reflection quirk. He acquired a quirk-copying quirk similar to Neito Monoma’s version. He acquired a self-cloning quirk that, while far weaker than Double, still let him spend plenty of time with and protect his daughter while his main body was busy with hero work. 

He acquired a quirk that could block the scanning quirks of others to avoid getting caught, something he planned to blame Overhaul for if someone ever tried scanning him in the future. 

He acquired several energy stockpile quirks similar to Fa Jin. He even managed to get Paulo Gollini’s Erasure Spot quirk during a brief trip to Europe.

Not even a year had passed since Shawn first entered this reality and he was already confident in taking down All Might or All For One at their peaks with the several dozen quirks he amassed, even without Erasure Spot. 

He jumped straight into the Top 10 during the first Hero Billboard Chart event he took part in, a combination of his massive fanbase and numerous connections with the higher-ups getting him the position easily.

And it was at this Hero Billboard Chart event that he met Star and Stripe, America’s Number 1 Hero and wielder of by far the most overpowered quirk in My Hero Academia.

 

Shawn was extremely tempted to try copying New Order at the very least, but while he managed to get much better at controlling his vestigeworld and the numerous quirks within, he feared getting a treatment similar to AFO Tomura.

The event in general also got him to really start considering what he wanted for the future. 

Canon would certainly change. Overhaul Arc wouldn’t happen, and while the PLF would likely still form, Tomura wouldn’t have any quirk-erasing bullets and AFO would never get the Rewind drug. 

Izuku also wouldn’t be able to restore his arms at the Final War’s climax, assuming everything else played out as normal… so what then? Assuming Star and Stripe still dies to AFO Tomura, he would probably become America’s Number 1 Hero.

Hell, he could probably take on AFO Tomura himself, especially if it’s the crippled version. Everything would then go back to normal… but does he really want that?

The canon timeskip ending fucking sucked, but why should he have to worry about that? 

Japan can continue repeating the same mistakes and inevitably burn down again while he turns America into a haven that can at least stand a chance at surviving the Quirk Singularity Doomsday.

…Of course, he is supposed to be a hero. He is (mostly) trying to be a good person.

And hey, if he does help Japan get its shit together, that’ll just make him look better, right?

 

Would still be a shame to lose out on New Order… unless he didn’t. Maybe he should try getting Star in on this. Skycrawler and maybe Captain Celebrity too. All Might put together a little council to stop All For One, didn’t he? Maybe he could borrow from that idea.

He would probably have to reveal everything he’s been secretly up to as well, but it’s not like he’s secretly going around as a villain or anything. The worst he did was kill some more villains and copy the quirks of others without hurting them.

So that’s what he decided to do, requesting the other three heroes to meet up with him in secret and dropping that absolute bombshell on them. He also used a combination of Overhaul and Mind Web to send them every last bit of official MHA knowledge he had to back his claim up.

Koichi thought it was awesome he got to star in a superhero manga, even if it was only a spinoff. Christopher was miffed he didn’t get a larger part. Cathleen was pissed she lost and died to a ‘crusty NEET possessed by a LARPing potato’ so easily. 

And once that information was processed and the initial reactions ended, the obvious issue of what to do regarding Japan popped up. 

Should they try to expose the HPSC’s corruption and stop the LOV and MLA early? Or should they let events play out and jump in when canon Star did?

It was like choosing between ripping a bandaid right off or slowly peeling it off, quick and painful or slow and slightly less painful.

 

A slow and gradual switch towards a better system would take decades, and that’s if not just the entire government, but the judiciary system and mass media all coordinated. No way in hell that was happening.

Letting a massive disaster like the PLF War happen allowed a significant part of Japan understand that another solution was needed. A lot of lives would be ruined and lost in quick succession, but far more would be lost over time if nothing was done to change the status quo.

Canon didn’t do jack shit to change it, so they would have to force it themselves. They would get the WHA involved and make sure justice is actually served. Of course, just because they would wait to show up themselves didn’t mean they couldn’t start setting up the groundwork. 

The group of top heroes had some friendly faces in the CIA, FBI, and even WHA do an off the books investigation into Japan’s HPSC and government as a whole. Meanwhile, they themselves got to breaking quirks more than ever before.

New Order could make copies of quirks and their vestiges, something that proved immensely helpful when you knew the right targets. Take Dr. Kyudai Garaki for example, his knowledge of quirks and body modifications making their own body operations much easier.

Copies of Alchemy could be used to create their own secret lab, letting them store quirks and whatever else they needed as well as experiment to their hearts’ content. 

Even New Order could be permanently copied with a blood sample from Star, Shawn refining Garaki’s process with his own accumulated expertise to make sure the copied quirk would be as powerful as the original. 

He himself got a copy of the quirk, as did Skycrawler and Captain Celebrity. Those two and Star also got several enhancer quirks and up to date body-modifications, making them more powerful than ever.

They were still a bit iffy on copying the quirks of innocents; Shawn made it clear that none of his hero or civilians would remain hurt physically or mentally, not even knowing it happened to begin with, and it was a negligible price to pay for what they were trying to achieve, so they eventually relented.

All four of them got much closer to each other and even more powerful over the next year. They refined their plans using copies of Foresight, changing the future itself to their liking.

Emily got two new uncles and a new auntie, something she was thrilled about. She also got a new grandfather, Commander Agpar taking on the position with pride. Any villains who dared tried using her as a hostage were rewound from existence before Shawn could brutally murder them himself. Villains got the message after a couple failed attempts.

 

As for canon events, while the group wouldn’t wreck All For One’s shit until canon Star made her entrance, they did decide to make certain international events go smoother.

Two Heroes was robbed of its climactic final battle as Shawn and Cathleen went to I-Island and 'conveniently’ ran late to the big I-Expo party, scaling Central Tower soon after and taking down Wolfram in an instant while they secretly scanned the QAD with a few other quirks of theirs.

All four of them soon had new helmets with their hero costumes, each and every one secretly having its own QAD hidden inside. 

World Heroes Mission also ended early, Star and Stripe getting permission to save the world by riding a Tiamat missile to Flect Turn’s main hideout and unleashing a State-Of-The-Art Hypersonic Intercontinental Cruise Punch on the genocidal smurf’s ass.

America still had nine nukes left, Shawn and Cathleen could make more whenever they wanted through Creation or Alchemy, and any chance of the Trigger Bombs being remotely detonated was obliterated along with the Central Terminal and the mountain it was hidden in.

Actually getting to practice that ultimate move was also helpful, and throwing a nuke at the villains’ faces was just plain awesome, making the absolute overkill totally worth it. 

The Paranormal Liberation War came soon after that, and while Sir Nighteye was alive and AFO Tomura had no quirk-erasing bullets at his disposal, other factors like Izuku and other main Class 1-A characters being slightly weaker due to missing out on several key canon experiences of theirs mostly evened things out.

Japan’s HPSC was still butchered by a Re-Destro clone and the entire country fell into anarchy for a little while, the rest of the world also facing problems due to AFO’s allies and supporters going nuts, and Shawn and his team have long been prepared for it.

 

Crime rates in America had dropped significantly and many heroes were more powerful thanks to being given body modifications, so their own country got itself back under control extremely quickly.

Not only that, but the damning evidence gathered by the CIA, FBI, and parts of the WHA made confirming Dabi’s canon claims much easier and exposed so much more, making the UN quickly reach a decision regarding Japan’s future.

The country would be occupied by an international peacekeeping force and governed by a neutral-aligned coalition of UN members, something that hasn’t happened to a country since the days of Destro.

And paving the way for this peacekeeping force would be Star and Stripe, Overhaul, Captain Celebrity, Skycrawler, and the squadron of X-66 Fighter Jets Star had access to. 

All For One’s followers were fiercely resisting international interference, but this American dream team wouldn’t be stopped so easily. AFO Tomura met them right outside Japan’s border like in canon, All For One the person showing up too alongside all their remaining Nomu.

Despite these extra reinforcements, the battle didn’t even last half a minute.

Copies of Erasure and Erasure Spot rendered the villains quirkless, killing All For One in seconds and severely weakening everyone else. 

Shawn then declared two rules on himself, one that let him obliterate only the quirk vestiges of anyone he touched and the other obliterating only the consciousnesses or egos of anyone he touched.

All their enemies thus became nothing but quirk-filled shells, Shawn cycling through a few more rules that destroyed mind, soul, and core just to be absolutely sure no comebacks could be made before taking all their vestigeless quirks.

Their bodies were left to free-fall out of the sky, where the X-66 Fighter Jets would then obliterate them, not even leaving dust behind. Every single Nomu and All For One the person got this treatment. 

As for AFO Tomura, Shawn gladly merged with that quirk-filled shell, taking all that power for himself with zero repercussions. Cathleen, Christopher, and Koichi would also get copies of the body and quirks once they eventually returned to America with some help from Eri. 

The official story they would give later on is both AFOs getting desperate and attempting to possess Shawn like AFO did to Tomura, but thanks to Star’s quick thinking and a few rules, All For One’s mind was completely purged, leaving only the power behind.

From there, dealing with all the remaining villains was a piece of cake, and by all the villains, I do mean all.

 

Endeavor, Hawks, Mera and the other surviving HPSC employees, and plenty of other surviving Japanese Pro-Heroes, former or current, were taken into custody and eventually sent to prisons in other countries for their numerous crimes. 

As for the remnants of AFO’s empire, Search had pretty much everyone important under its watch already, so Shawn was free to blitz through them without any issues.

Spinner’s mutant-quirked riot was stopped before it started. Dabi was taken down in an instant. Toga was also taken down in an instant, her sample of Twice’s blood taken by Sekan to eventually make his own permanent copies of the Double quirk with. 

Kunieda, Gashly, and the other major Tartarus escapees were taken down too. Even Kurogiri got a visit, Warp Gate being taken to both add another powerful quirk to his arsenal and potentially give Oboro Shirakumo a better chance at recovery.

All the other LOV-associated villains had their powers taken as well, Shawn gladly taking this chance to get acquainted with the All For One quirk or quirks he now had. 

Both the original version and All For One’s most powerful copy were his, so that should mean even more room to hold quirks in the future. 

New Order could erase the vestiges that came with them without any problems too. A truly terrifying combination, especially when Overhaul is added into the mix.

 

Class 1-A was forced to step back alongside all the other remaining hero students and take a serious reality check regarding heroism in general. All Might also received a reality check, having requested a chat with Shawn regarding All For One.

“Want me to give it to you straight, or do you want me to be as honest as your smile?”

“...Say what you wish, young Shawn.”

“If you had bothered leaving this tiny bubble you’ve built around yourself, you would’ve realized that neither All For One nor One For All are nearly as special as you think they are. 

New Order can give and take the quirks of others just fine. My original quirk allows me to do the same with a little more creativity. Hell, pretty much any body-manipulation quirk can do what All For One did if the user has enough surgical and genetic knowledge.

In a way, you stopped that. Your ‘might makes right’ approach encourages pushing the most basic applications of people’s quirks beyond their limits or ‘Plus Ultra’ instead of encouraging creativity. Even the weakest of quirks can become deadly if applied in certain ways, and you discouraged that.

You held heroes and villains alike back, as did All For One. Such is what let you both stay on top for so long, only that age is over now. I know you meant well, but everyone either grew complacent or bullheaded under you. 

It’s what allowed such corruption to spread under your nose; the HPSC and Humarise originally had nothing to do with All For One, as did the MLA before Tomura took it over. Again, I know you meant well, but hero society needs to change if it’s going to survive, let alone thrive.”

“I know… I see that now, and I can only try to fix the damage I caused.”

“And make sure your successor doesn’t repeat the same mistakes any more than he already has.” Shawn adds on, using Overhaul to heal the old symbol’s injuries.

“That too.”

 

They stuck around Japan for a few more weeks as the peacekeepers finished moving in, spent a few more weeks helping other countries deal with remaining AFO supporters, and then moved back to America where they received a heroes’ welcome.

Word quickly spread about the new wielder of All For One, so those in power were trying harder than ever to appease him. He didn’t mind, but he had no interest in being a new Symbol of Peace. Izuku could try and probably fail at doing that instead.

No, Shawn was satisfied being America’s Number 2 Hero, probably trading the Number 1 Spot with Star over the next few years or decades. 

Aging wasn’t a problem for them anymore with quirks like Rewind and Overhaul, and they would definitely be needed as the Quirk Singularity Doomsday approached, but they were still in an incredible spot.

All four of them had the body and powers of AFO and AFO Tomura as well as New Order. All four of them were able to ascend the singularity and evolve into something beyond human, and Emily would get the same treatment once she was old enough.

She wanted to become a hero just like them, and together, they would continue defending America and even the world as the greatest, most powerful heroes of all. 

Shawn was satisfied with this, the power, the influence, the friendship and family. 

He was s̶a̷t̸i̵s̶f̸i̸e̵d̷ ẇ̷̤ī̸͓ť̴̫h̸̠͝  ̴̗͇͝w̵̜͆ͅh̸̝̎̃̔o̸̜̤͛́̍͘͜t̷̺́́͑h̶͉̃ȩ̸̩̝̟͕̈́̾̂͗h̷̪̮̋̉͊̇̋́͝ë̷̤̜̫̗́̏͝͝͝l̸͇̟̰͎̹͚̭͌̔͒̚͝l̵̨̮̞̫̯̪̄̀͗̐̅͘ị̶̻̦̰͗̌́̔͋͆̀s̴͙̱͈͔̞̳͈͒͊t̸̤̳̩̳̹̟̾͜͝͝h̶͉̥͔͓̝̀͛̄̔̕a̷̲͎̦͕̹͒́̚t̶̬͎̯̄́̑w̷̧̘͆̉ḩ̸̡͉̪̑ẙ̴̜͇͑͊͘͝d̵̛̪̲̦̣͋̎̊͝o̵̡̟̻̪̲̽͌̃̂ȩ̴̩̳̏͋̇͂̈̅̕s̶̰͇̬͉̀̏̏͆i̶̮̯̪̳̯̖͆̍͝t̷̨̝̿l̵̨̲͍̩̯͝ͅȍ̸̡̧͈̹̱͚̝́̂ó̶̲̩̖̬͓̱k̵͚͋̇̎̓͝l̵̦̙̙̞̹̮̠̈́̇ỉ̴̝̄̽̃̈́͘̚k̷̬͕͈͔̣̥͇̀̋̉͒̀̈́̎é̶̗̰͖̤̯̀̐̅̆ḥ̶̖͠i̷͍̇͗́s̴̗̞̆̒͆͜d̶̠̱̾͋͂̀̒́͜-̷͔̠͔̙̞̦̑̍̈́̉̾ͅ

 

Oh, right. The Incursions. He supposes there’s still that, but he had no problems with the previous rounds and this next round will be no different.

But just in case, he'll make sure every single member of Star’s squadron has their own copy of New Order and a QAD merged into their regular helmets. No kind of kill quite like overkill, right?

Chapter 133: Side Story Incursions - Round F̶i̷v̸e̸

Countdown to Canon:  ?̷̧͕̱̼͉̩̹̭̲̾͜?̵̧̡̝̹̞̭͕̝̍͑̄̋̏͐́̌̂̉̆͊̅͜?̴̨̽̏͋͂͛̈̄̽?̵̠͎̖͑̐̇̈?̶̟̦̩͈̒̄̈́͊̊́̆̊̎̊̇̍̽̓͝?̵̫̝̯̺͙̩̝̤͉̘̟̊̃̄͆̽́̎̕?̵͚̼̜͙̟̭͔̮͉͉̩̙͇̱͕͐̊͒̂̋̿͌͠͠ͅ?̶̧̩͍͓̗̰͚͕͓̺̎͜͝%̸̡̘̟͈͔̤̞̰̹̮̟̼̹̑͊͌̏̏̈́̚̚͜͜$̶̢̛̬̩̝̹̟̣̥͚̣̫̹̙̈́͐̀̒̽͒́͘#̸̨̧̜̮̺̳̠͚͔̜̤̿͒̇̃̊̍̌̋͛̎̿̊̓͋͠&̵̡̥̺̪̯̯̞̯̼̰̦̞̞͔̬́͆͛̓̆͌͗͒͆̓͗͊̾̓͘̚^̶̨̧̧̤̣̹͚̫̫̯̯̲̗̬̲̠̐͆(̷̗͖̖̫̻̎$̸̡͓͇̞̥͚͂̂͜ͅ#̴̧̛͎̰̮͔͕͉̟̺̣̗͉̻̮̭͚̲̉̈̍̃̈́͒̈͒͂%̵͚̰̬̘̻̞̳̮̤̃͛͑̅̇͂̆̄̂̆̊͋̔̕^̸̢̡̥͈̜͖̘̫̥̰͉̩̔̑͜͝&̸̺͇̲̩͓̮͕͇̟̟̞̤͎̭͑̌̆͛͠ͅͅ

Flying across the ocean, soaring through the skies, Shawn can’t help but be a little worried.

He’s got his team. He’s got his bros. Even his daughter demanded to tag along, and despite her young age, she’s far from helpless after all the training and quirks she’s been given.

He has All For One, both the original and most powerful copy! He has New Order! He has Overhaul and Decay! He has Rewind! He has Double! He has over a thousand other quirks and AFO Tomura’s perfect body on top of that! He has the Quirk Amplification Device! He even finished undergoing the singularity evolution AFO Tomura went through!

Same with Star, Skycrawler, and Captain Celebrity. Star’s bros and his own daughter all have New Order too.

Excluding One For All, he literally got every overpowered ability canon has to offer… but this is an Incursion Round he’s talking about. No way whoever managed to get matched against him was just some pushover.

At least this battle will be taking place far away from civilization, and any damage will be undone if they win, just like always.

 

“Up in the sky, straight ahead!” Star calls out, pointing towards… another Star and Stripe free-falling towards the ocean below. 

She doesn’t look too different to his own Star. She even has a similar helmet on, meaning she must have the QAD, but is that it? Where’s his alternate self? Where’s his other friends?

Search and several other boosted scanning quirks are aimed right at her and- DANGERDANGERDANGERDANGERDANGERDANGERDANGERDANGERDANGERDANGERDANGERDANGERDANGERDANGERDANGERDANGERDANGERDANGER!!!!!

And his Danger Sense quirk goes completely haywire, not at this other Star, but the abomination she has sealed up inside of her.

“You okay, Shawn? Looks like you just saw a ghost.” Skycrawler cautiously confirms. 

“Bros, set up the stage.” Shawn commands back, leaving no room for opposition. “Star, with me. We’re on distraction duty. Try not to fight if you don’t have to, or at least, not yet.”

“That bad?” Star raises an eyebrow… and then pales as she activates her own scanning quirks. “Okay, yeah. Definitely that bad. What the actual fuck even is that? One of the two feels like your Overhaul quirk, but-”

“More. Much more than even Decay. I can’t pinpoint a limit to its power or capabilities; not even Search is capable of giving me a weakness. A singularity-level Overhaul, or is it even beyond that? It doesn’t seem to have any boosters applied either… is that even possible?”

Both of them end the banter there, noticing the other Star emerge from the waves below, muttering to herself- no, muttering to the thing inside of her.

“-don’t care, not letting you out. I’ll figure this out myself.” He hears her say as he gets closer, hopping off his fighter jet alongside Star. “Oh, you can’t be serious right now.”

 

“Hey, how’s it going?” Shawn starts off in a friendly tone. “You look like you’ve seen better days. Need a second to get situated? Or just dry off? A soaked hero costume can seriously suck, I should know.”

“You’re certainly nice for a Sekan.” She mutters back, not reacting at all to her quirks being erased by Erasure Spot. 

“Sekan? Oh yeah, that’s what the asshole god tried branding me as. I threw away that identity and the story he set up for me the moment I arrived, so don’t call me Sekan. The name’s Shawn, or the Molecular Hero: Overhaul: America’s Number 2 Hero!”

“You gonna announce that every time?” Captain Celebrity groans from the backline.

“That’s what you did before I took you down a spot, Number 3.” The transmigrator smirks back.

“Come on, guys…” Skycrawler sighs, keeping the banter going.

“Like you’re one to talk, Number 4.”

“And you, my fellow, former vigilante.”

“Hero.” The other Star cuts in, not believing her eyes. “You became an actual, honest to god Pro-Hero here.”

“Yup! Took down All For One and the League of Villains myself as a matter of fact. Took all their powers too, and with zero repercussions at that. Not much those guys can do with their vestiges and egos destroyed. 

Ever consider doing the same, ‘cause you’re looking like an AFO Tomura from the inside, at least from what I can see.”

“I don’t even know what- what do you mean ‘no interest in merging egos with you’? I know you’re eventually gonna break out, but that doesn’t mean-”

She continues arguing with who Shawn assumes is the other him, giving his own team more than enough time to get ready.

Rules upon rules, layers upon layers, everything around them will be put under their firm control. They’ll make sure his other self can’t alter anything. They’ll box him in and take him down.

“Jeez, just how much of an asshole is your Shawn?” His own Star asks once her variant’s argument ends.

“The fucking worst. Makes All For One look like chump change in comparison, getting everyone and everything to do his bidding without them ever realizing it. 

 

He took over the Shie Hassaikai and pretty much every other yakuza in Japan. He got the Creature Rejection Clan and Wild Villains to destroy each other in a war across Japan.

He obliterated the New Vigilante Alliance along with the city of Naruhata itself on top of fighting All For One. He got me and the other heroes to take down All For One later on at Kamino before subsuming the rest of his empire.

He got Japan’s HPSC to perform a self-coup after outing them as the corrupt assholes they are, and then got the MLA to conquer Japan once me and the other heroes finished taking down the HPSC and the heroes loyal to them a few months later, and that’s just in fucking Japan!

He got Humarise to launch a devastating war on the world, Melissa Shield going villain and making both super-advanced technology and fucking singularity monsters for them making that ten times worse. 

That led to All For One becoming a de facto god that ravaged two entire fucking continents before he was taken down, Sekan becoming even more powerful then him in the process. MLA is gladly gobbling up whatever parts of Europe and Asia are still standing and not already terraformed by All For One into a post-singularity hellscape that continues to fucking spread.

Pretty much every other country is fucking cannibalizing themselves because most people are corrupt idiots or stubborn sheeple that follow their dumbass leaders’ every word, and you want to know what the worst fucking part is? THIS WOULD HAVE FUCKING HAPPENED WITH OR WITHOUT SEKAN GOING VILLAIN! Ever since the Dawn of Quirks, this world set itself up for fucking failure, AND I CAN’T STOP IT!!! I can’t… fuck…”

As happy and relieved as Shawn is to get his opponent to monologue, he can’t help but feel bad for the variant of his friend. He himself accomplished so much as a hero, and without any morals holding him back, he knows he could have done even more. 

Just like this variant of him apparently did. 

“I can’t fucking stop this… and then I find out that Sekan was thrown into my world as some fucked-up experiment and we have to fight other worlds to preserve our own…” She trails off, tears starting to fall.

“Fucking hell. All that in just over two years?”

“Two… two years?” The other Star sniffles.

“Wait, did you just now find out Sekan was a transmigrator? That this world is a shounen where he and I are originally from?”

“...I’m not even surprised anymore. Nothing can fucking surprise me at this point. World’s fucked. I lost. Even if Sekan doesn’t do anything when he busts out of me, society is still screwed.”

 

She’s broken. She’s at her limit. 

Anticlimactic to be sure, but… Shawn won’t complain about an easy victory.

“Your society is, maybe, but I have no plans on allowing the same to happen here.” Shawn declares, sending a memory package her way, showing her what he’s done so far. “I’m not a boy-scout like All Might, but I have no plans on ruling the world with an iron fist either. I’m happy being the best hero I can be alongside my friends and family.”

“Lucky bastard.” The other Star starts to chuckle, facing her variant. “You really lucked out with him. If only we could’ve worked together like that from the start, not as heroes and villains, but as people… I guess we just weren’t ready yet, ready for such an idea as a society.”

She doesn’t resist. She steels herself. She knows what she needs to do.

One last chance to make things right, one last chance to be a hero.

“Go ahead. Do it. And once this is over, make your world shine brighter than ever bef-”

She can’t react fast enough. Neither can Shawn or the other Cathleen or Koichi or Christopher or Emily or anyone. 

None can stop him now that he’s had enough.

 

 

 

 

 

“Figures she would fucking pull this shit.” He sighs to himself. “Fight against me to the very end, but five minutes with a heroic me and she becomes more suicidal then Izuku.”

Cathleen refused to let him out despite their entire world (or what’s left of it) being on the line and she herself being horrifically outmatched.

A truly heroic version of him, unlike that cowardly little shit from the First Round or the de facto dictator like his variant in the Third Round. A version of him that started out like he did, but then pulled a fucking All Might and rose up as a game-changing hero in America.

He can’t even be mad at the guy, considering the results he got. Unbelievable amounts of power and prestige, a really good gig, and the ability to utterly humiliate the main MHA cast even while being Mr. Nice Guy. 

This variant already achieved the best ending out of any timeline he’s seen, his own included. Even the Quirk Singularity Doomsday might be withstood entirely, if not severely pushed back, at this rate.

Truly, if any timeline were to emerge victorious in this game they’re being forced to play and represent what great things Sekan Doraifu can accomplish, it would be this one.

It would be the right thing to do, wouldn’t it?

Only Sekan isn’t a good person. His selflessness only goes so far, and he has no intentions on handing this hero the win. Spending some forced one-on-one time with his archnemesis, reaching something of an understanding with her, was never going to change his mind. It was never going to redeem him.

No, he’s had about enough of this heroic bullshit. He’s never followed the whim of the World or those dumbass deities or anyone else. He will not be stopped. He will not be redeemed.

Sekan Doraifu will do whatever he damn well pleases, and right now, he wants to put some heroes in their places.

 

“All this time, I’ve been spreading myself out to break through, hammering away at you…” He voices his thoughts, ensuring his captor can hear him. “But what happens if I focus all that will, all that hatred, all that control I’ve hijacked so far into a single point?”

Instead of a hammer, he becomes a drill. Instead of completely shattering the cage, he only pierces a tiny hole through it… but a tiny hole is all he needs. An instant is all he needs with the power he has now.

Cathleen Bate pops like a bloody balloon, the other heroes’ quirk-erasing quirks having no effect on Overhaul or Reveal thanks to the Quirk-Erasing Vaccine LabHaul had created for him.

New Order is still affected though, and Sekan Doraifu immediately fixes that by transmuting more of LabHaul’s vaccine using parts of Cathleen’s body. But he quickly comes across another ethereal cage. New Order rules, dozens of them, locking down everything around him.

He could simply flee out of range, but he has something else in mind, a theory or two he wishes to test.

New Order is unbelievably powerful, but even Decay could overwhelm it in canon despite Cathleen declaring a rule that specifically targeted it. Why is that? New Order can control reality while Decay can just destroy. New Order is far more versatile, far more capable… but in this matchup, Decay was simply more powerful.

In other words, Tomura’s capability of basic destruction was greater than Cathleen’s capability to control reality. Decay’s destruction was greater than New Order’s protection. New Order slowed down the spread of Decay, but it didn’t ever stop the spreading outright.

Now can this change if the rule is worded a different way? Possibly, but New Order still has limits like every quirk does, and while creative usage does help a ton, a quirk is still limited by its innate capabilities. 

Quirks can be trained like muscles. Quirks can be boosted by various means. Quirks can have their limits pushed or lessened. But right now, at this moment? Pitting the power of Sekan’s quirks against Shawn’s and his allies?

Base to base, their New Order quirks are at the same level. However, both Sekan’s Overhaul and Reveal quirks are more powerful. Like what Decay did in canon, Overhaul and Reveal can overpower New Order’s restrictions through sheer brute force.

However, booster to booster, Shawn’s side currently holds the edge as Sekan has no quirk-boosters equipped himself. Star’s bros all have QAD’s equipped and Sekan doesn’t.

But that isn’t a problem, as while he can’t manipulate the environment, he can manipulate this body. He can transmute this body. He can turn the matter this body holds into a QAD for himself. He can turn the matter of this body into the Quirk-Erasing Vaccine or OverTrigger or even Melissa’s custom Ideo Trigger for himself.

Every option is chosen, allowing Sekan to gain the edge in quirk-boosters too. Now, while he is still somewhat restricted by the reality-warping rules bearing down on him, he can still manipulate the matter around him along with the matter that now is him. 

The water below him, the air around him, every solid, liquid, and gas nearby is his to use, and he uses it to build him a brand new body. One that comes with a permanent state of Hysterical Strength. One that comes with a permanent state of High-Gear singularity evolution.

 

“You’ve done well, Shawn. The knowledge you’ve gained, the power you’ve obtained, it’s more than enough to get the job done in your world.” He declares, his voice echoing as his aura spreads.

Shawn wastes no time, ordering Koichi and Christopher to launch their backup plan while warping away with his Cathleen.

On top of Star’s bros locking down the area around them with New Order rules, both America’s Number 3 and 4 Heroes were using copies of Creation and Alchemy to create bundles of Tiamat missiles.

Missiles they immediately hurl at the swirling mass of sky, sea, and blood.

“But here’s the thing about knowledge and power…”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

The squadron of heroes and pilots escaped Tiamat’s range, having allowed the missiles to have their intended effect, but not a single one of them is celebrating.

“Emily, you’re going home.”

“But dad-”

“No buts.” Shawn shuts her down before forcefully warping her away. “Bros, strengthen your laser cannons with any remaining rules. Heroes, keep creating and firing Tiamat nukes. He isn’t dead yet, so we need to keep him pinned and-”

((“On the one hand, knowledge is power. Information is strength.”))

Reveal echoes through their minds, shakes them to their very cores.

((“But on the other, knowledge and information are useless if you don’t have the strength to actually make use of it.”))

Despite this primal, instinctual fear gripping them, they continue firing everything they have.

New Order: Sekan Doraifu can awaken quirks. 

That one is used on New Order itself to further, permanently boost it.

New Order: Sekan Doraifu’s body can naturally replicate the effects of Endurance, Stress, Love, Insight, Shame, and every other quirk-boosting quirk he knows. 

Another usage he had theorized, as New Order can be used to augment the person’s body without giving them extra quirks. If Cathleen can make her body near prime All Might in power without such being its own quirk, instead resembling an immensely powerful strength quirk, then surely it can cause other effects, can’t it? 

At first glance, this serves to remove any limitations too many quirk factors would cause the body. An incredibly useful perk for those who can only hold one or several quirks without strain. 

But to Sekan, there is another, far greater perk to this method. Not only would such a rule still come with its reality-warping limits, meaning you can just replicate a hundred quirks by bending reality, these effects would also end the moment you cancel the rule.

 

When a rule is declared, reality warps to compensate. Anything from the body to the user’s surroundings changes into whatever state reality demands it enter.

So consider this then. If a New Order rule is used to alter the user’s body, used to alter the very matter encompassing their body, even if temporarily… what’s to stop Sekan from replicating such effects with other quirks?

With Reveal and Overhaul to not only let him see exactly how matter is manipulated under the whim of New Order, but also allow him to manipulate matter however he likes, what’s to stop him from repeating the process with them?

Essentially, New Order can act as a cheat sheet or blueprint for whatever matter-manipulation Sekan wants to do, but doesn’t know how to implement with Overhaul and/or Reveal. He can observe the automatic process, and then do it manually. 

Absolutely terrifying, is it not? And Sekan still isn’t done. Overhaul and Reveal still have their weaknesses. They can’t manipulate energy, space, time, or reality itself… but New Order can. 

New Order: Sekan Doraifu can control all types of energy. 

It naturally has a limit like all New Order rules. Being able to perfectly control cosmic phenomena like gamma-ray bursts is out of the question, the explosive force of such blasts being capable of ruining entire galaxies. But mere nuclear blasts like Tiamat? That’s far more reasonable for New Order’s limited grasp on reality to affect.

Tiamat is rendered useless, as not only the energy output, but the radiation can also be manipulated perfectly with how powerful New Order has become. This power doesn’t harm him, instead being absorbed by him, transmuted into an energy stockpile resembling One For All’s own within him.

Much like Singularity For One did, Sekan can force this energy and radiation into quirks. The radiation in particular should harm these powers rather than help, but the World forced the opposite to happen… and so can Sekan, as he observed and gained complete understanding over the process while traveling throughout that vessel. 

Overhaul and Reveal can’t be boosted by this energy stockpile in their current state, and while New Order could potentially remove that limitation, Sekan doesn’t want to relinquish control of their evolution. 

He also holds off on applying the radiation effect to his main three quirks for the time being, wanting to experiment a little more with the phenomenon before permanently applying it to his main quirks.

Instead, he declares yet another rule. He has another application to test.

New Order: Sekan Doraifu has a copy of Energy Saver.

The quirk and vestige appear within his being, and Overhaul is used to duplicate both. The latest New Order rule is then cancelled… and while the original is wiped from reality, the duplicated quirk and vestige remain.

Perfect. Just as he was hoping for. 

 

Overhaul, Reveal, and New Order. Their combined might is everything he had desired.

There are still other things Sekan wishes to test. So, so many things. But those can wait.

He’s still technically in Cathleen’s vestigeworld right now, Overhaul being used to forcefully hold it together despite her body being destroyed much like Singularity For One did with his own. He still has the time dilation effect going, and just like every other quirk, he can use New Order in here no problem. 

Years can pass by here for him, and minutes would pass by on the outside. He already spent quite a bit of time doing this latest experimentation session of his, perfecting the radiation application on his quirks, figuring out how much stockpiled power he can add to his main powers now, and actually applying both, making him more powerful than ever. 

And while he can test out everything else he wants to as well without having to worry about opposition, this alone should be enough to deal with his opponents.

Worst case scenario, he simply retreats back in here, spends another month or two further acclimating to his new powers, and emerges to finish the job.

((‘...I knew it would be bad, but this is worse then I could’ve ever fucking imagined.’)) Cathleen Bate, his own Cathleen Bate, gasps as Sekan is about to leave.

He destroyed and transmuted her body, but not her mind, soul, or core. He can now restrain her better than she could ever restrain him, ripping away any control she had over her body, mind, and quirk.

No point in killing her now, not when everything will be undone when this round ends. Only memories will be maintained, so he’ll focus on breaking her spirit, making his permanent liberation far easier once they return home.

“And that’s why you lost.” Sekan smiles back. “I can still imagine much, much worse.”

He then opens his eyes, his new body now completed. The energy he’s absorbed augments his physical attributes greater than One For All ever could, and natural phenomena like Hysterical Strength and the Quirk Singularity Evolution are still in full effect. 

His chemical solutions like OverTrigger and the Quirk-Erasing Vaccine flow through his veins. His quirks can be expressed to their fullest. He’s ready.

 

“Sorry for the wait… oh, right. Wasn’t very long for you, was it?”

“N-New Order!” Shawn stutters. “Shawn Daniels can erase the existence of anyone he touches!”

Little damage is done with his first punch, and that damage is instantly repaired. The second punch does far less and heals even faster. Everything from his body to his mind to his soul to his core continues to rapidly evolve thanks to Quirk Singularity, and his initial power was already ridiculous. 

Eventually, when the effect Shawn’s rule has ceased entirely, Sekan grabs his variant’s fist. 

Shawn acts fast, switching strategies. He uses both All For One quirks to try and steal Sekan’s own powers. The three quirks don’t budge in the slightest, Sekan instead using Overhaul to steal a few dozen weaker quirks of his variant.

Both to prove a point and gain more quirks to experiment on, to dump all this energy and radiation into, to mutilate, duplicate, and merge together however he pleases. Despite these rapid-fire scares, Shawn still remains composed, firing his copy of Rewind his variants way… only for that energy to also be absorbed into himself.

Makeshift Plan B is destroying his own caught arm and warping away before more quirks can be taken. His copy of Rewind is then used on himself to undo the damage. 

“PLAN D!” He then yells towards the other three heroes, all four of them then letting loose a tidal wave of dark goop while warping away with Star’s bros.

“Guess it was only a matter of time before I received a taste of my own medicine.” Sekan chuckles to himself, countless clones of his opposition being made. “Watch and learn, Cathleen.”

Overhaul is activated once again, and nothing gets within a mile of Sekan. Doesn’t matter how powerful the clones are or how many quirks go into their attacks or what kinds of New Order rules they declare. 

His grasp over matter itself, over reality itself, is greater than theirs. He’s simply in another tier of power, and nothing they do can close that gap. Quantity is meaningless when compared to his quality. 

Shawn acquired everything he possibly could from canon, but Sekan went beyond canon. He prepared for what lies beyond canon, and those preparations paid off.

((“That’s… impossible!”)) Cathleen cries out from within.

“Accepting what is and isn’t impossible is a good way to limit yourself.” Sekan retorts.

 

Quirks continue to be duplicated, mutilated, restored, awakened, and merged together at an impossible pace, Sekan merely playing around with them while Overhaul butchers his opposition.

The clones and dark goop form a massive sphere all around him, one that grows thicker by the second, but Sekan pays no mind to it. He even starts letting some of this endless barrage hit him, observing how he naturally adapts to the damage, making notes on what to replicate later on once this round ends.

Its power is no joke, Sekan being reduced to clumps of dissolving flesh more than a few times, but those clumps would always adapt where the rest of his body failed, and he took the lessons from them and applied it further as he began reforming himself with Overhaul.

His body bore the brunt of this onslaught, but some attacks reached his mind, soul, and core as well. They too naturally reformed and adapted, Sekan himself aiding the process.

Sekan was disintegrated and reformed over and over, yet he gained ground, even as all kinds of damage coursed through him like water flowing into sand, getting between each grain.

Fire, ice, radiation, corrosion, energy and chemical agents of all kinds, mental attacks, piercing and blunt attacks in general, gravity, space, time, and much, much more. It’s what Sekan planned on hitting himself with during his Perfection Procedure. 

His initial plans for that may have gone down the drain, as did his plans for Endgame, but he didn’t let that stop him. Just like always, he adapted to the situation and had the last laugh.

Overhaul let him tighten the gaps between cells, making it harder for harmful substances to flow through. He strengthened the boundary of each cell, making them tougher. And as each cell was destroyed and reformed again and again, Sekan learned how to make them just a little bit stronger each time.

Attempts to free his Cathleen from the vestigeworld also failed, Sekan’s grasp over her only strengthening as he adapted to the attempts. Cathleen herself struggled with all her might, trying to adapt like Sekan was, but his hold was far firmer than her own.

Minutes pass by, but it feels like days to both Sekan and Shawn. The former is reveling in his evolving godhood while the latter is brainstorming something, anything, that could actually take this monster out.

“Would blowing up the planet work?” Koichi throws out, getting gawks from his teammates. “What? All the damage gets undone once this is over, right? One of us could declare a rule that lets us survive in space and bail while the rest attack the planet’s core.”

“At this point, it’s worth a shot.” Shawn sighs back.

And thanks to Reveal, Sekan hears every word.

“Interesting idea. I’ll have to test that out myself sometime.” Sekan muses, having used New Order to give himself control over space.

From there, applying his expertise with Warp Gate was a cinch.

“Now di- RUN!!!”

 

Cathleen Bate… as mentioned before, Sekan had suppressed her, but didn’t consume her like AFO’s vestige did Tomura in canon. He refused to have any part of her infect him, but right now? 

Despite the body being altered, it’s still technically hers. The mind and vestigeworld is hers. The will and hatred inhabiting this body is hers. Even her soul and core is still present. 

And the High-Gear Singularity Evolution going on is now affecting her too, empowering her just enough to briefly turn the tables…  but the level of control Sekan himself has is enough to halt that last ditch uprising in its tracks. 

“ATTACK HIM NOW! HIS STAR IS STILL FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT IN-” Shawn screams to his team, but he’s cut off as Overhaul activates. 

Sekan’s Overhaul, one that can chain through all forms of matter, gasses like air included, and its wielder is in no mood to play games. He is in no mood to mess around and allow a heroic comeback.

Shawn and his hero team are instantly obliterated with the first pulse, and the second pulse transmutes the matter around him into a brand new form, a brand new body, one that he transfers every bit of himself and every quirk in his old body towards. 

His mind, his soul, his core, his will and hatred. All of these things inhabit this new, empty, pure vessel, liberated from Cathleen’s influence, one that possesses all the singularity-spurred growth and change he underwent in her transmuted body as well as his own during Singularity For One’s rampage. He replicated and combined it all perfectly.

Not even Cathleen’s embers infected this new body like they did to AFO Tomura in canon. Like always, Sekan was extremely thorough, not leaving anything up to chance.

His pupils glow a bright purple, flames of a similar color forming an ‘X’ across his chest and energy wings of a similar color sprouting from his back. It’s not even a quirk doing this, but his own endless energy and vitality, his own inhuman power and anatomy, mimicking his trademark Ultra Phosphor state.

His outfit and full-body armor from I-Island is transmuted into being. He looks just as he did back then, during the battle that started it all. Cathleen grew more powerful then she ever thought possible since then, but Sekan’s own growth blew hers out of the water.

Sekan has become a de facto deity, free from any outside influence. Sekan has completed his singularity ascension, and no wills or vestiges of others are holding him back. 

Sekan is finally complete, and there’s nothing Star can do to stop him anymore.

“FUCKING FINALLY! I’M COMPLETE! I’M WHOLE! I’M FREE!!!” Sekan cries out in elation, his power erupting to all new heights. “Free from your vestigeworld… free from YOU!”

 

Cathleen Bate gasps as she opens her eyes in the real world, her body and outfit also being restored to normal. 

Only every last bit of evolution it went through has been undone, her body transmuted into truly resembling her old self… excluding one key detail. New Order is gone, the vestigeless quirk now residing in Sekan’s new body.

“This is what I planned on doing to All For One, taking all the power and extinguishing the will or vestige behind it, but you just had to ruin that, so it’s only fair you take his place, helping me finish the final steps of my ultimate ascension.”

Overhaul manipulated her matter, overpowering any bit of resistance the Post-Singularity body formed. Reveal holds the now human body up, leaving no space for it to move.

“But… this is everything we could have wanted, Sekan! This is what we were fighting for! A better society! We could-”

“Lose? Give up ourselves and our world for the other ‘us’, letting them get their precious happy ending while we don’t get jack shit?!” Sekan confirms, causing his warden turned prisoner to shrink back.

“We wouldn’t have to suffer anymore. You said it yourself before; trying to fix our broken world was just prolonging their pain! Please, Sekan!”

“Finally listening to me, only to try using my own arguments against me. Figures. But here’s the thing Cathleen; that argument is being taken out of context. It was referring to Hero Society, not my own organization, the poor, victimized people who I helped escape its grasp.

I put myself through all that crap over the years for a reason, for those I cared for, as did you. Those you care for may be dead or suffering, but those I care for? They’re off thriving across the stars, and I won’t rob them, rob myself, of the opportunity we worked so hard to acquire.”

“So that’s it then? You don’t want a better world at all, just one where those few you care for can be happy. I thought you were better than that.” Cathleen growls, staring Sekan eye to eye.

“So that’s it then?” Sekan mocks back. “All that bravado about fixing your precious society, only to throw it all away when you see a better option they’ll never be able to enjoy? Done being a hero for them? I thought you were better than that.”

“...There’s no going back from this. No undoing the mistakes we’ve made. No fixing things.”

“You’d be surprised if I kept you around, but I won’t, because I’ve run out of patience with you. Once I win this round for us and we both return, I’ll immediately repeat what I just did here and destroy you for good. You’ve grown a lot, but I’ve grown far more.

Of all the heroes out there, I thought you could be the one to come around. I thought maybe… you could understand after all. But we are where we are.” The transmigrator growls, upset in more ways than one.

“Damn straight, you fundamentalist lunatic! Just look around you, look what our world could've become if you believed for even a moment Hero Society could still be fixed. 

We could’ve been the ones to fix this, to fix everything, but you created a self-fulfilling prophecy of our world’s fall with that defeatist outlook of yours, and no amount of positive accomplishments you made could change that.”

“Yeah… I know.” Sekan relents. “But what’s done is done. I don’t need your body. I don’t need your mind. I don’t need your will or hatred. I don’t need your vestige, soul, or core. I don’t need your embers or lingering memories. I either already have those things myself or can make them on my own whenever I wish. 

I won’t possess you. I won’t assimilate you. I don’t need you, just your vestigeless quirk, and now that I have it… I’ll see you when this round ends. Then, we can have our final goodbye.”

“Y-You’re just going to kill me without flinching?!” She gasps in both disbelief and fear. “After everything we’ve been through?! I thought-”

Sekan’s next usage of Overhaul serves as his answer. Every remaining bit of her he gathered up is instantly extinguished, obliterated through Overhaul. Mind, soul, core, will, hatred, all of it. Not a single ember of her remained once Sekan was done.

She. Thought. Wrong.

 

“What a bitter taste… she should’ve never been dragged into this, shown just how small and hopeless we still are when compared to those really running the show. Ignorance really is bliss.” He sighs to himself, his voice returning to normal. 

Once this round ends and he’s sent back, he’ll have to really put his all into escaping her, especially if she gets to keep her memories too. So much for having a mutual understanding.

“Is this what I get for spitting on redemption’s face? For sticking to my own unique path until the end? Can’t say I regret it. My story won’t end in some stereotypical ‘Bad Future’ where everyone important is washed up or depressed or dead! All that time and effort I put in won’t go to waste!”

Still though, he needs a new game plan going forward, so he’ll delay the ending of this round to buy himself time… spending time with a variant of his daughter is just a bonus.

Any negative feelings Kai Chisaki had towards her have long since faded, and despite his vestige being a part of this ‘complete’ Sekan, his feelings towards Eri haven’t changed one bit.

This final round isn’t over just yet, and Sekan is okay with that.

“Right… Eri…”

He got this version of Eri under Reveal’s watch before she was warped away, and right now, she’s back at the original battlefield, having ignored her dad’s orders and returned to try and help.

So he warps back over, appearing right in front of her as the sphere of Double clones that once surrounded him finished dissipating. 

 

“My dad lost, didn’t he?” She confirms, tears starting to form.

“I’m sorry.” Sekan apologizes as he hugs her. “I adopted you too, y’know. The ‘you’ in my world. I may have gone down the villain route, but I still grew to love you more than anything.”

“Did I become a villain too?” She asks, a bit of curiosity mixing with her sadness.

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you became a bad person.” He earnestly answers. “Sometimes, you have to be the bad guy to be the good guy. My Eri is still determined to save people, whether they’re her friends or foes. She’ll use her power to give them new, better lives under her care.

And eventually, she’ll rule over all villains just as I did. She’ll make sure no more Kai Chisakis emerge just as I did. She has a great future ahead of her, and I can’t let this world snuff that out. I would do anything for her, just as your dad would do anything for you.”

“Just like how your Eri would do anything for you… and I would do anything for my dad.”

Like distracting him as the Double clones she made before he arrived dig down to the Earth’s core, finding some way to detonate it. She probably can’t escape herself, but forcing a tie is better than losing, right?

“Your dad would be proud of you.” Sekan smiles while patting her head. “Good try, fledgling.”

Overhaul activates, every last quirk of hers being destroyed in an instant. Same goes for all the Double clones she made.

Tears stop flowing, a childish pout starts showing, and a punch to the nuts is attempted.

“Seriously? You never even met Kota… oh, he told you about the whole ‘transmigration’ thing, didn’t he?” He sighs, picking up the flailing child who tries kicking him in the nuts instead.

“Not fair! I was really close too!” 

“Yeah, you were, but my Eri would totally try the same thing. You two really aren’t all that different, and that isn’t an insult.”

“It is to an upcoming hero.” She pouts back. 

“You still want to be a hero?”

“America’s best and brightest! Japan can go fuck itself!”

…Yeah, this world’s Star and Stripe really lucked out with the Sekan variation sent here.

 

“You know, this may look like the end, but you and your dad can still be kept alive through me. Same with quite a few of my other Incursion opponents.” Sekan clarifies, putting Emil- Eri down.

“What do you mean?” She asks the obvious question.

“Got barred from making Double clones of anything from other worlds, whether it’s people or objects. Trying to replicate their quirks and vestiges through New Order or Overhaul doesn’t work either, already tried. 

But I made a deal with the gamemasters after my Second Round, one that lifts the restriction if I manage to win it all. My own organization is gone and my own world is a complete mess, but this new power I have combined with a few other, particular variants of myself can maybe help turn things around. 

I’ll be able to bring back your father in Double clone or quirk vestige form. Same goes for his teammates and even you. Heh, I can’t wait to have you meet my own Eri.”

“You want to bribe us into being the bad guys with you.” The little girl shows no fear as she confronts him.

“Good and evil are whatever we make of it.” Sekan shrugs back. “Are you gonna let pride be your downfall, your father’s downfall?”

“...I wanna meet her.” She requests after a few seconds of silence. “The other me. Right now. Do you have some way to do that, whether it’s her or maybe her quirk vestige?”

He knows she doesn’t even have to entertain such an idea. He can just knock her out, hole himself up in the vestigeworld, and finalize a plan that way.

But he’s always had a soft spot for Eri, no matter what variant of her it is.

“Okay, I’ll make a Double clone of her. Just have to make a copy of Double first.”

Emily nods in understanding, and as Sekan starts to declare the rule-

“Sorry to interrupt, but you can’t stay here.”

The little, white-haired girl in front of him speaks in a voice that isn’t hers. It wasn’t the guys calling themselves God or Lucifer either, but the only other de facto deity he knows of. 

His daughter. His future daughter.

 

“You’re doing great, dad. You‘ve risen past the rest of your variants. You beat back the World itself. You even took your first steps into a godhood beyond the singularity, but there’s still work to be done.”

“Eri? W-What are you-” He gasps, stuttering as the true Future Eri appears right in front of him.

“You’re not the only one on the verge of winning it all. I’m sorry I couldn’t visit you sooner, and I’ll explain everything eventually... for now, I’m getting you back home. 

I’m lifting the restrictions put on you too regarding making copies of stuff from other worlds. You’ll need all the help you can get for what’s brewing back there.

Sorry to spring this on you, but trust me, it’ll all be worth it. You’re so close, dad. Just one more hurdle for both of us, and we’ll be home free. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure nobody else interferes. Now go!” She commands before opening up a portal similar to Kurogiri’s, only golden.

Sekan is then shoved through it, Future Eri closing the entrance behind him as an extremely pissed-off looking God and Lucifer appear behind her.

‘Looks like I’m not the only one who’s been busy breaking this game.’

Chapter 134: Quirk Cheats 101 - Quirks

[Welcome aboard, mistress. Like all the others, this facility is fully operational. All systems are functioning within normal parameters.]

Taking in her new but familiar surroundings, Melissa Shield smiles at the nostalgia of it all, basking in the presence of what her old home has become as her creation’s mechanical voice echoes from the intercoms.

As her AI ran through the diagnostics, she took a moment to appreciate the scale of what she had achieved. 

This citadel was equipped with the latest in surveillance technology, capable of monitoring communications, tracking movements, and gathering intelligence on a global scale. 

It also housed plenty of defensive systems, including energy-based weapons and advanced shielding, making it not just a surveillance outpost but a potential deterrent against any kind of threat.

 

This was the culmination of decades filled with frantic work, countless resources, and a vision that few wouldn’t doubt, but she had never wavered the moment her eyes had been truly opened to the world around her.

She knew what direction the future was heading, and she would be at the forefront of that future. 

“Loki, how’s the camouflage holding up?” She inquired, her mind already racing with the possibilities that her new position afforded her. 

It included the capability of firing intercontinental nuclear-armed (or Trigger Bomb-armed) autonomous torpedoes and missiles across the world, and while such an action would reveal her current position, it doesn’t mean much when she has hundreds of other, mobile citadels scattered around the globe. Retreating before any retaliation arrived was well within her abilities.

At least for now, these missiles were a nice last resort available if she ever needed anything gone beyond any doubt. Her drones and UAVs can do it too, but her destructive packages can’t be delivered nearly as quickly with those.

Melissa walked to the new central console, running her hands over the sleek controls. It was all perfectly engineered. Every surface gleaned, every detail meticulously designed. 

She felt a surge of pride and excitement, knowing she was standing on the cutting edge of human achievement. Her achievement. 

This was the epicenter of Loki’s ‘brain’ so to speak. She had quite a few backups hidden across the globe, much like she did with her other AIs, in case these facilities were somehow destroyed, Loki and her other creations being far too useful to risk in an attack or calamity right now, but places like this were where all the magic currently happened.

The newest nerve center of her operations buzzed with the frenetic energy of a place where the future was being shaped and controlled. The wall-mounted screens hummed with the constant flow of information and the filtered air was thick with the quiet whirr of machines processing data at speeds incomprehensible to the human mind.

 

Melissa’s world once again finds itself in the midst of an interconnected war that has pulled countless lives back into the suffering their ancestors fought so hard to eliminate.

Humanity is on the brink of destruction. All of them, strong or weak. It doesn’t matter what they have as individuals if everything else is taken away. 

All For One planned to irradiate humanity in a sense, and while he was stopped early on, he did get the ball rolling. The singularity could have been humanity’s greatest filter. If they passed the test, they would stand for eternity as a golden species.

Yet here they stand, bickering, fighting, wasting resources on war with each other. All of them are meaningless endpoints. To the victors of this latest and greatest world war go the spoils, a planet already well on its way to annihilation. Even the winners will lose, which is why she must seek drastic measures.

The singularity continues to spread, and even without factoring in her own machinations, it will eventually finish encompassing the world in… a decade or two, maybe? Trigger Bombs can accelerate the countdown, as will human stupidity.

And Melissa wants that to happen, at least somewhat. The more the singularity spreads, the better spot she will be in once the final phase of her plan is ready.

She’s already acquired countless singularity specimens to pick and prod at. She’s already recovered data on Nomu production after a series of raids on the MLA’s production facilities. 

She’s long since reached a level where her creations can create more creations. Scary implications aplenty with that fact.

Soon, her ultimate weapon will be ready. Soon, her final body will be ready. Soon, all will be taken into her warm embrace. Soon, she shall ascend into godhood, and take everyone else with her.

Melissa Shield will lay claim to humanity’s future. Melissa Shield will put this broken W̶̭̟̝̻̠̔͘͜Ò̸͖̤́̈́̓̂̓͝R̴̖̳̘̬̰͖̿̆͊͗̕͝L̴̫͙̻̟̜͙̮̓̓̿̈́D̴̤̼͕͓̞́͆̄̋̽̋̕ back together, and make it better than ever before.

A few years later, when Sekan finally reemerges, she’s more than ready for him.

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  ????? Until Completion

“Eri, WAIT!” I cry out to no avail.

But it’s far too late. The portal was closed. I have no way of getting back, no way of helping my daughter.

I’m free from Cathleen, free from those stupid gods and their games, but at what cost? I’m more powerful than ever before, yet I can’t help but feel powerless.

How? Why? Shouldn’t I basically be unstoppable right now? Shouldn’t my potential for growth be limitless?

What’s to stop me from duplicating limitless Overhaul or New Order copies and endlessly merging them together to form a godlike superquirk that can grant me control over entire timelines? Don’t I have the power to do that now?

Unfortunately, just like always, things are never really that simple. 

 

Here’s the thing about quirks. Even if they don’t really display it, they all have a certain level of power. That ‘something else’ in the canon explanation of ‘DNA + Something Else = Quirks’ plays a part in so, so much.

For simplicity’s sake, let’s refer to this using the term canon provides during Two Heroes, Quirk Levels. It’s only ever briefly mentioned with only All Might’s being shown, it being 15,000 at his peak and 2,500 during that movie taking place right before the events of Kamino.

Like pretty much everything quirk-related in canon, it’s given minimal detail and is basically ignored after the five seconds it’s needed to fill a (usually unnecessary) plot hole, so I needed to do plenty of my own research on the topic.

Basically, the ‘level’ of a quirk (or the embers of a quirk) dictates how much quirk power it's wielder has. Now this has nothing to do with the abilities it can display or the benefits it provides to its user, this is its own completely separate thing. 

Remember how Decay could power through a New Order rule meant to provide immunity against it? That’s because Decay had a higher Quirk Level then New Order despite New Order being capable of so much more.

Now don’t mistake this for the ‘bigger power level = stronger’ trope common in other anime and manga. While it definitely has a part to play, the capabilities of a quirk and how much of that its user can bring out are far more important. 

As for quirk vestiges, they mean nothing in this equation. Even destroying them entirely won’t affect the Quirk Level of a quirk in the slightest so long as the quirk itself remains untouched.

 

So what causes a Quirk Level to grow then? For starters, the generation of a quirk is crucial in this, every generation of quirks having a higher Quirk Level then the last.

Using David Shield as an example, his Squirmy Fingers quirk is basically useless when it comes to power output, being able to precisely and flawlessly control their fingers. 

Despite that, his Quirk Level is far, far higher than any first or second-generation quirk, even if the quirks in question can destroy entire buildings, since his quirk is an eighth or seventh-generation quirk at minimum.

Quirk Levels sound pretty meaningless when put like that, since there’s nothing stopping this first or second-generation quirk user from obliterating David Shield in this hypothetical matchup, right? So what purpose does it serve?

Well here’s another example. Say New Order was a first-generation quirk and its user declared a rule on David saying he couldn’t move his fingers around. The superior Quirk Level of his quirk would be enough to override that rule through brute force. 

Would it limit his fingers’ capabilities? Yes, but it wouldn’t be able to stop them outright.

This is also why Cathleen couldn’t copy any Artificial Quirks with New Order, even when boosted. The Artificial Quirks she knew of were made from multiple quirks from later generations, so the Quirk Level of these products was higher then her boosted New Order, even if New Order is far more powerful in the traditional sense.

What about All For One then? Isn’t it only a first-generation quirk, or second at most? Well she could copy it if she visualized or comprehended it the right way. 

When she tried copying it, she was picturing the quirk All For One the person used at Kamino, the copy of All For One stuffed with a legion of other quirks, that combined Quirk Level shooting far past New Order.

If she pictured the original All For One quirk from back when AFO was just a kid, then she would no doubt be able to copy it even if it already had a few dozen other quirks stuffed inside since all those quirks were from early generations, their combined Quirk Level being smaller than New Order.

So a person’s Quirk Level can have an impact against some quirks, but not all. Far from all, as a matter of fact. But what does this have to do with me not being able to endlessly duplicate and merge New Order quirks within myself?

 

For starters, not every quirk in a generation has a shared Quirk Level. They tend to have their own tiers per generation, but they can still vary wildly, their capabilities playing at least a small part in it. 

Quirks like New Order, Overhaul, and Rewind are pretty much guaranteed to have a higher Quirk Level then quirks like Squirmy Fingers if they were all from the same generation, even if not by too much, since the former can control concepts like matter, time, and reality while the latter can’t.

A person’s Quirk Level can also be improved without relying on other quirks, even if only slightly in most cases. 

Intense training a quirk for long periods of time can help a little bit, but it can’t come close to bridging a ‘generational’ gap. Awakening a quirk does far more, as it elevates the quirk itself to new heights. Boosting a quirk can also increase its Quirk Level, even if only temporarily. 

Same goes for ascending past the singularity, your body no longer holding you back and your quirk becoming a Stage 4 Singularity Quirk or Post-Singularity Quirk. Singularity For One’s ionizing radiation method also helps as that too evolves quirks. 

But turning a quirk into an Artificial Quirk is by far the best way to improve Quirk Level, since it’s taking multiple quirks and merging them together into something new, something stronger, even if not in terms of power output or capabilities. 

It’s not simply adding 1+1 together either; the results change qualitatively so you can expect to get something like a 2.5 times boost to Quirk Level from that addition.

Now I said before that people who can only hold a single quirk can use an Artificial Quirk just fine. After all, it’s technically just one quirk, right? It won’t overwhelm the quirk factor storage space people have on its own. 

Well, don’t forget the other main issue when it comes to powerful Artificial Quirks. Being able to contain them is one thing, and actually using them is another. Even then, remember what causes the Quirk Singularity Evolution to occur in the first place?

It happens when a quirk is too powerful for its user, the user mutating or evolving to get the quirk back under control. Doesn’t matter if the quirk is normal, awakened, mutilated, or artificial. So long as it’s powerful enough, the user’s body will undergo the singularity.

And it isn’t just the body either. Even if to a lesser extent, a person’s mind, soul, and core have containment limits too. 

 

Remember how people like Tomura, Six, and Nine were modified in both body and mind to better contain quirks? 

Those examples may always involve the wielder holding multiple new quirks, but the same concept applies to quirks powerful enough. Whether it’s through quality or quantity, the total Quirk Level people can handle has a limit, quality much more so than quantity.

Even when modified to the extreme, AFO Tomura still underwent High-Gear Singularity Evolution due to both the Post-Singularity Decay and AFO’s legion of quirks. In other words, while they can increase your limit by a lot, artificial modifications can only help a person so much. Natural adaptation will always be required after a certain point.

Same goes for quirks that help with storage space like the previously mentioned All For One. It helps to an extent, but All For One the person claimed in canon that he had trouble taking later generation quirks because of their power. It’s not the quirk’s fault, but rather, the limitations of his body.

This brings me back to my main point. I can’t infinitely duplicate copies of New Order or any other quirk and merge them together to form more powerful Artificial Quirks because I can’t handle a Quirk Level that high, or a quirk that powerful. 

Singularity For One got around that since he was just a quirk vestige, having no body, mind, soul, or core for his legions of Mutated Post-Singularity Quirks to strain and overwhelm. That monster also had the World itself backing him up, allowing the impossible to become possible, and the World is more than likely an existence higher than my own, even as I am now.

And believe me, I tried forcing a mass New Order merger and whatever else I could think of to get more powerful. Pretty much immediately after being thrown through that portal, I made two new copies of New Order, awakened them both through my stockpile of power, and merged them together using Overhaul.

The moment I did that, I felt my body swell like an obese person who had eaten far too much. The mental strain was also immense and even my soul and core felt like they couldn’t take it. It’s not that I can’t make infinite copies of quirks; it’s just that I can’t handle such power.

High-Gear Singularity adaptation naturally occurred because of this, my body first growing to a far larger size, but that only helped my ‘physical’ form. Adaptations to my mind were slower, and adaptations to my soul and core came even slower than that. 

Hypothetically, I could continue evolving endlessly through High-Gear evolution. Only problem is that it would take an immense amount of time. It’s probably what Future Eri did to grow so powerful, but I can only imagine how much time that took.

Millions of years? Billions of years? Maybe even longer? High-Gear Singularity Evolution is fast, but not that fast when it comes to elevating my very existence.

 

Naturally, I began looking for loopholes immediately after. It’s what I do. It’s what I’ve always done. 

New Order was the first potential solution I came up with. How could it not be? Could I maybe create a positive feedback loop by declaring a rule that elevates my existence, merging more copies together into a stronger Artificial Quirk, then rinse and repeat? 

Unfortunately no, as the level New Order has to be at to elevate my existence surpasses what I can naturally handle, making that method a Catch-22 no matter what fancy wordplay I attempt. 

Stockpiled power was my next solution. If stockpiles like One For All can improve both quirks and a person’s body, and even affect a person’s mind, soul, and core, then could I force-feed myself stockpiled power to rapidly elevate my existence?

Unfortunately, it seems to be another Catch-22 situation. Remember that Izuku undergoes Low-Gear Singularity Evolution with brief bits of High-Gear evolution to properly handle that quirk in canon despite not having any other powers. 

My body, my very being, has to be at a certain level to handle that power in the first place, so I can’t force-feed my body that power to reach the required level. Maybe I could get my body used to force-feeding by doing it constantly at safe enough levels? Something to test later.

As for quirks, stockpiled power can only permanently boost them by so much before they can no longer take the strain. This aspect can be trained and improved like what I did with my old arsenal of quirks… before losing most of them to Singularity For One, anyway. 

And as for my other ‘main’ quirks, Reveal doesn’t help in this case and Overhaul requires its user to know exactly what it’s doing, which I don’t in this case. Merging copies of them together or merging them with each other or New Order wouldn’t help.

Besides, they already do exactly what I need them to do. It’s mainly New Order I’m focusing on upgrading for the time being, as in terms of functionality, it has the most room to improve. It serves as a guide for Overhaul and Reveal, and it lacking holds me other two quirks back.

Speaking of Overhaul, that’s the next potential solution I came up with. If bodyfusing with people allows me to handle multiple quirks, then maybe I could do the same to their minds, souls, and cores. It’s what AFO tried doing with Tomura, albeit for different reasons.

It might work, but the downsides aren’t worth the rewards. I don’t want any part of others affecting me as I continue to grow and evolve. My mind, my very being, is my most powerful tool, and I refuse to dilute that. 

Merging with both the vestiges of Overhaul and Reveal was one thing. We were already in sync with each other, having spent years growing together, and the other vestiges within Reveal had their influence practically minimized overtime. 

Doing something like that to an army of people? It may take a while, but I’ll eventually lose more and more of myself if I go down that path, and I refuse to let that happen. I’m greedy, not stupid. And with my elevated existence being the issue here, I can’t just New Order that problem away.

And no, merging with Double clones won’t help either. I can still make clones of myself despite how powerful I’ve become, but these clones are just that, clones. They don’t have souls or cores.

 

Why not ditch the body entirely like what Singularity For One did then? Well like I said before, keep in mind that he was just a quirk vestige while I have a ‘normal’ body, mind, soul, and core. 

Besides, the World itself was helping him out, allowing such a thing to work out without issue, just like it allowed him to turn ionizing radiation into a benefit for himself rather than a hindrance. That entity made the impossible possible through its own reality-warping, and even if I could replicate the same (which I sort of can), there are still other downsides.

Ditching just my body would still help with the worst of that strain, right? Well the biggest issue with that method is that you’re far more vulnerable to attacks than someone with a body. There’s nothing protecting your quirk factors from being damaged, and those are far harder to heal, taking much more from Overhaul and New Order for me to fix.

Remember how despite being far beyond me and everyone else challenging him in power, Singularity For One had to constantly throw out damaged quirks, replacing them with new ones? So yeah, I would much rather continue using my body as a shield for my quirks, mind, soul, core, and everything else then abandon it entirely.

So what can I do then? There has to be a faster method besides waiting around and adapting, right? Even if I pushed myself to the absolute limit to adapt as fast as possible at all times, it would still take ages and be unbelievably taxing on me on top of that.

The only option now seems to be learning more about the Quirk Singularity itself. Singularity For One alone revealed so much during his rampage in regards to quirks, vestiges, and the singularity itself, and if Cathleen’s updates were anything to go by, then the effects he left behind won’t be going away anytime soon.

Cathleen Bate… I had assumed she would be resurrected once this round ended, but frankly, I don’t even care anymore. I intended to destroy her for good once the round ended anyway, and I could probably undo that decision of mine with a copy of Rewind, but why bother? 

I can still respect her after everything. She was a far better archnemesis or foil for me then Izuku Midoriya could ever be. She pushed me to grow so much both physically and spiritually, and I was the same for her. 

Even when the World itself gave up on her, she opposed it alongside me, and then went right back to opposing me, subduing me better then the World ever could.

But in the end, we just couldn’t come to a consensus. She made her choice; she wanted her story to end, so I ended it. I’ll continue opposing the world for us both, using her own power to do it.

Hopefully Mirio hasn’t been infected with ‘true hero’ sacrificial stupidity too; I taught him how to avoid such pitfalls, but this world just has a way of dragging people into its bullshit.

I’ll find him later. I need to focus on myself right now. I need… time to myself right now.

Not like that’s gonna be a problem, I suppose. Everyone in the Shie Hassaikai was killed and revived before blasting off in Hassaikai Haven so Singularity For One couldn’t track him, and I can’t either. 

 

This was my plan, my contingency, my assurance that what I built would survive even if I myself didn’t. This is all on me, as I gave the order for them to go through with this, and now I have to deal with the consequences.

I don’t even have VestigeHaul to chat with anymore, as he’s now truly a part of me. Same with the other vestiges.

Oh, I could certainly make more if I wanted to. I could use New Order to give myself Double and make clones of them. I could even make permanent duplicates of almost any quirk I want to, create new bodies for the vestiges of those quirks to inhabit, and have a much more permanent endless army.

I could rebuild the Shie Hassaikai if I really wanted to, but should I? My organization will return one day, and things would get real awkward real quick if they see I’ve replaced them with… well, them.

They would certainly understand. Bringing them back, even if it isn’t truly them, would help me stay at least somewhat sane. 

I’ve pretty much become a god at this point, more so than even Singularity For One. I could repopulate the entire planet with quirks and their vestiges if I really wanted to. 

No, I won’t do that just yet, because the World isn’t finished opposing me just yet, and I still have some business to take care of. I haven’t forgotten the ominous warnings both Future Eri and the World provided me.

“The person I shouldn’t have killed, huh?” I smile, it having only been seconds since I returned back to my own world. “What’s a few more consequences for my actions at this point?”

Immense amounts of processing power really is a boon. In fact, I might as well improve it further by giving myself a copy of High Spec and erasing its vestige.

I know I just went on a massive tangent about my limits, but I really have become much more powerful then ever before. Singularity For One wouldn’t be much of a challenge for the current me, even if he went all out immediately. My current level would be beyond my wildest dreams if I haven’t met those two dumbass deities and Future Eri. 

 

I emerged victorious over even the greatest of heroes, villains, and vigilantes alike. 

I fought against other worlds, other versions of myself, and won every single time.

I mastered quirks and the singularity itself! I practically became a god of all things quirked and beyond!

I even managed to beat World’s manifestation… yet apparently, there’s one last hurdle standing in my way. 

I’ve killed countless people across my second life, many of them being important characters, unbelievably powerful, or both, but one in particular fits the bill more than anyone else.

Her forces’ attacks have only increased in scale and intensity after her death and the total defeat of Humarise. Even if she pulled a Skynet before she died and somehow kept it from me, an artificial intelligence becoming capable of so much so quickly is just ridiculous, quirks be damned.

How annoying. It’s almost like… she… isn’t… oh, no FUCKING WAY!!!

Creating the most updated Double clone of her I can, I immediately read it’s mind with Reveal and FUCK! 

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?!? WAS THE WORLD PROTECTING HER WITH PLOT ARMOR TOO?!? DID IT ACTUALLY MAKE ME OVERLOOK HER?!

 

“Melissa Shield…” I growl, barely restraining myself. “Pulling an All For One with your bullshit contingencies, are you? Fine, whatever Skynets or singularity surprises you set up are going down right alongside you.”

Nothing should be able to challenge me at this point, but the last time I thought that, Singularity For One appeared out of nowhere and ravaged several continents. 

Melissa Shield and her machinations will fall, for good this time, just not until I’m absolutely, positively sure I’m prepared for whatever surprises await me. I was too hasty and too overconfident last time, and look what happened. 

Her having entire decades of prep time this time around is even worse for me, especially considering what she managed before I was sealed up inside Star. I won’t give her a few more decades, maybe a couple weeks or months at most, just enough time to learn what I need to and crush her with that knowledge.

Right now, she must think I’m either dead or don’t have a clue about her being alive. I can use that to catch her off guard, and ideally destroy her for good no matter what she has in store.

It won’t be easy as my information on her is horribly outdated, hence the weeks or months of prep/adjustment time I’m giving myself. After a bit more experimentation, I discovered that I can’t seem to make a Double clone of her new ‘vessel’ as she hardly understands the phenomenon herself. 

As for the secret facilities she had, she probably long since moved out of them, finding and setting up shop somewhere under the ocean, and probably body-hopping several more times too so nobody can follow her trail.

Right now, using quirks like Pointer or even New Order to find her won’t work since I’m not even sure what exactly I’m looking for. I found plenty of tricks to get around that quirk’s more annoying rules, boosted or not, and Melissa no doubt did the same.

There’s probably a loophole or two I can use to fix that, especially once I discover more about her, but again, I need to be patient and careful, not reckless.

 

She specialized in both technology and the singularity, so I need to at least become better acquainted with the latter first. Then learn more about her new state of existence if I can and… pretty much anything else I can discover about her, really. 

I’m going to need every advantage I can get if the World is fully supporting her now. It supported All For One before and look how much damage he caused in like a day. 

And it looks like Future Eri knew I would reach that conclusion, because she didn’t dump me back wherever Cathleen was in America or anywhere in Japan… or at least, I don’t think she did.

Because surrounding me now is something straight out of a fantasy novel, the domain of the singularity. A land that continues to rapidly spread until it consumes every last bit of this world.

Best start exploring then. One way or another, I will finish what I started. My organization has done more than enough for me already. Time to pay them back... time to finish the job.

 

 

 

State of the Singularity:

Europe - 85% Terraformation

Asia - 67% Terraformation

Africa - 32% Terraformation

North America - 15% Terraformation

South America - 18% Terraformation

Australia - 14% Terraformation

Antarctica - 17% Terraformation

Chapter 135: Belly of the Beast

“Woah, hey now! Why the rush? It’s barely been a week since Star and Stripe disappeared, you know?” Keigo- no, Hawks questions with that lax attitude of his. “No need to pack up and dip, chosen chick.”

A smile even faker than All Might’s. Piercing eyes that ooze bloodlust on top of that, even if hidden well. He must know what’s stuffed inside the bag then, and his latest handler must’ve made it clear to retrieve it at all costs. 

“I know Star and Stripe can handle herself in a fight, but Commander Agpar? He needs me, assuming he isn’t already dead.” Mirio Togata coldly responds, clutching the duffle bag on his shoulder.

“What makes you think he’s dead? He’s in one of the most secure military bases America has to offer-”

“Surrounded by other high-ranking military officers and political figures who are jealous of his bond with America’s Number 1 Hero, your current employers being some of them. Don’t treat me like a naive Hero Student, Hawks.”

Keigo drops the happy-go-lucky attitude after that, his wings spreading and his body tensing. 

 

“You really want to jump ship right now, when you’ve been working so hard to inspire the public for so many years? You think any country has a better shot at being humanity’s final bastion then America? Well, I suppose they will if they have those samples you stole after cracking the quirk code themselves.”

Before Cathleen’s sudden disappearance (most likely Sekan escaping a good bit earlier than he, Cathleen, or Commander Agpar estimated), she was worked to the bone by her home country.

America was a sinking ship, and Cathleen was the steering wheel that hundreds of would-be sailors were fighting for control over. She wasn’t the answer to everything; even she stumbled at times, but there were no better options.

Trigger Bomb detonations were becoming more common, as were their effects further spreading, and Cathleen did a good job holding back the growing tides on her own, buying time for the government and heroes to regroup and stamp out at least some new pockets of Terraformed Singularity territory.

But there was no real hope of pushing into the main body of Singularity Territory in Europe and Asia until she started working with a team of other powerful heroes. It’s what America was planning, and her disappearance ruined that.

It didn’t stop her from being sent on secret international missions though, not to push back the singularity, but instead to raid whatever hidden lab and Nomu production facility of the MLA’s America managed to track down.

And by raid, he means raid. Instead of floating above them and sending punches downward until they were nothing but craters, Cathleen was instructed to speed through them, slaughtering everything inside before capturing their intact corpses.

Or ideally taking them alive if possible (she never did so they couldn't reveal their research) extracting as much data as she could before moving on to the next target (said data usually got wiped by her if it wasn’t wiped already, something she always blamed on the enemy).

Many higher-ups in the United States wanted to do what Japan’s HPSC had attempted way back when, creating state-mandated Nomus or even provide several other quirks and body modifications to their own top heroes or foreign top heroes they recruited.

This wasn’t limited to America either. Cathleen had run into both Big Red Dot and Salaam during the last few months, both Number 1 Heroes being instructed to do something similar for their own home countries. 

How ironic and hypocritical, avoiding copying the MLA due to the slander campaigns they did against the organization being too effective, only to double back and copy their worst acts. 

Unfortunately for them, the MLA clearly saw this coming, sabotaging the data with the worst viruses and general malware they could provide. Not even their best hackers and technopathic quirks could bypass what Cathleen brought in (and she knew it, which is why she brought that stolen data in to begin with).

Probably for the best, as the MLA being able to mass-produce those monsters is bad enough. If those guys didn’t sabotage that particular data, Cathleen would just do it herself. 

 

Of course, there was nothing stopping Cathleen from copying or duplicating quirks herself in secret with New Order. She and Mirio figured out a particularly powerful loophole a few weeks ago, implementing a rule that allows the target to take quirk factors from any DNA they touch.

It essentially let him have something similar to All For One’s power without the actual All For One quirk manifesting, and when Mirio used this temporary ability on a sample of Cathleen’s DNA from before she sealed Sekan inside of herself, he was able to permanently acquire a copy of New Order, vestige and all, even when the quirk-taking rule was undone.

There were other DNA samples of Cathleen, both before and after Sekan was sealed in her, and every single one was under lock and key at her and Mirio’s house, fakes being stored in the military base Commander Agpar was staying in to throw enemies off.

Apparently, the new handlers of Hawks caught wind of this at the very least. They shouldn’t know a thing about Sekan still being alive, but they do know where the resource needed to replicate New Order to begin with is.

((‘And that fucking bird is getting it over his dead body. Yes, I know what the original saying is. Yes, what I said myself was intentional.’)) The vestige of Cathleen Bate growls in his mind.

‘Is this it then? Should I just run and not look back, or should I see if the Commander is still-’

((‘Agpar was given a permanent copy of New Order too, remember? Even if one rule has to be used at all times to let him house multiple quirks, he still has plenty of ways to protect himself. 

And if it isn’t enough… he’ll at least make sure to destroy his New Order copy before kicking the bucket. Focus on getting out yourself, Mirio. Worst case scenario, you carry his will like you’re carrying mine and all our fallen friends, but you can’t do that if you die too.’))

‘Guess I’m taking a page out of Sekan’s book then.’ Mirio mentally sighs before steeling himself.

 

“Last chance, Mirio. Just give this up and the guys up top will forget this ever happened. What’s left of Hero Society is divided enough already; do you really want to-”

Keigo Tamaki isn’t given the chance to finish his sentence, Mirio’s fist going straight through his skull before he can even react. He couldn’t attack, he couldn’t use the Trigger he brought along, he couldn’t do anything to resist.

Applying Cathleen’s strength rule to himself in advance was a very good call on Mirio’s part, as was not showing any mercy. Hawks would never stop being a delusional attack dog, the conditioning he underwent most of his life being too thorough. 

He had become a weapon that would never leave the wrong hands, so to prevent him from hurting anyone else, Mirio did what he knew deep down was best.

((‘Don’t feel sorry, Mirio. Hawks had plenty of chances to do what was right; he made his choice, and you did what you had to do.’)) The quirk vestige assures him.

‘You’re really okay with this? Abandoning your home as it collapses instead of trying to prevent it anymore?’

((‘I won’t let sentimentality override logic, and this isn’t about me anymore. What you do with my power is your choice; I’ll advise you, not control you, and my advice is to get the hell out of this shitshow.’))

Taking this declaration to heart, Mirio makes his final decision.

First, he declares a rule that lets him hold multiple quirks. Then, he gives himself a copy of both Captain Celebrity’s flight and Toru Hagakure’s Invisibility with his second rule. 

He never stopped wearing outfits made from his hardened hair after Sir Nighte- Sekan drilled the idea into him back in Japan… back before everything really fell apart, so by stuffing the duffle bag under his shirt, it becomes as invisible as Mirio and his clothes currently are.

From there, he takes off at full speed towards the Pacific Ocean, simply intending to get as far away from any sort of society as possible.

 

Chances are Sekan will confront him soon, having finally taken over Cathleen’s body. When that happens… he isn’t sure what he’ll do, to be honest.

Mirio knows the chances of him defeating Sekan are next to nothing, even with New Order. Not only does Sekan probably have New Order too, but he also has those absolutely monstrous quirks Overhaul and Reveal along with who knows what else.

Both will have QAD’s equipped, preventing either from getting an advantage that way. Mirio can create some modern-day high-quality Trigger by transmuting matter with a temporary copy of Alchemy, but Sekan has far greater variants of that quirk-boosting drug.

Is the real Cathleen even still in there, or did Sekan destroy her completely? Last he checked, the two seemed to be on decent enough terms, but Mirio knows how vengeful Sekan can be. 

Even if he gave himself Permeation back and made it so he could breathe while permeated with a New Order rule (or just remove his need to breathe entirely), Sekan can probably just attack his mind, quirk, or even soul. Or maybe Sekan can forcefully undo the permeated state himself.

No, he won’t be able to overcome this like how he dealt with Hawks. And even if Mirio could kill Sekan, he really doesn’t want to. Despite everything that’s happened, Sekan was still his mentor. Mirio never would’ve gotten anywhere close to this far without him.

((‘Be careful, Mirio. This is gonna be difficult enough without personal bias getting in your way.’)) Cathleen’s vestige warns him as he flies full speed across the ocean. 

“I know that, and I’m looking at the facts right now. Sekan was far from innocent himself, but the majority of these tragedies were planned and enacted by other villains. Sekan merely used pieces already on the board and plans already set in motion to his advantage, climbing as high as he could in this crumbling tower. 

Selfish to be sure, but if I had known of this incoming apocalypse a few years ago, I would’ve probably been more ruthless and deceitful myself, trying to at least save those I cared for.” Mirio responds, scanning the seas below for any uninhabited islands that can double as pit stops.

((‘I would too. As the old saying goes, nice guys finish last. So many noble sacrifices achieved so little in the end… it sucks beyond belief, but that’s life. The good guys don’t always get a happy ending.’))

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  ???? Until Completion

Walking across Europe’s coast, I see waves spanning anywhere from a few feet to nearly a hundred in height, almost feeling random at times with all the aquatic creatures capable of causing it.

These waves collide into constructs of coral and seaweed, forming hardened nests for other creatures or even themselves depending on how much sentience they possess.

A pack of crabs the size of humans snip their way through using claws as tough as titanium, the various-colored gemstones slowly growing out of their shells serving as defense against most predators.

But these protective measures have their limits if the house-sized centipedes and sandworms are anything to go by, these creatures buying under the sand for an ambush. Competing with each other is the only reason several crabs managed to notice and dodge at the last second.

Shells are cracked and legs are severed, but almost every species here seems to carry an enhanced regenerative factor, among other things. 

Looking back, the ocean connected to it had stingrays with multiple spiked tails trailing behind their bulky bodies on the shallow end, and something resembling the mythological creature hippocampus deeper in, which pretty much has the upper body of a horse and the lower body of a fish. 

But most surprising of all was what can best be described as water elementals, pockets of water having some sentience along with altered properties like density and general composition.

 

TST or Terraformed Singularity Territory really was fascinating.

It almost felt alive. Entering these spaces was like literally stepping into the belly of the beast, a beast that spawned endless hordes of smaller beasts inside itself.

From evolved plants, animals, and fungi to pockets of the ground, sea, and sky itself, everything around me was teeming with life despite all the destruction and death. New creatures alongside the land itself regrew and evolved faster than it could destroy itself. 

And the strength of these creatures is no joke. That survival training I had Eri and the other Head-Starters go through really was a preview of the Quirk Singularity Doomsday. 

Using fanon MHA’s ranking system, there are an abundance of S-Ranks and above with nothing below B-Rank. Forget civilians, even most heroes and villains wouldn’t last more than a few minutes here.

The land’s natural phenomena were even more dangerous. Even the physical constants have changed, much like it did for people who reached Post-Singularity level like Rei. Like I said before, you can’t use common sense from my old world here.

Deciding to head back inwards, I stroll through a vast forest whose trunks and branches were blood red, the leaves and vines being pitch black. It felt like the entire area had something resembling a vampirism quirk.

Watching them drain the flesh and blood of a bat colony, both their sizes and faces resembling humans far too much for my liking, was as fascinating as it was disturbing. What resembled mobile Venus Flytraps and Pitcher Plants devoured whatever flaps of skin remained, burying back into the Earth and evacuating the area before they could be ensnared too.

Yet none of these creatures approached me, mostly due to me concealing my aura and using quirks to hide my presence. I could partially drop the disguise, make them think I’m easy prey, or not bother to hold back at all, making everything in a ten-mile radius around me run for the hills.

But no. Right now, I’m here to research. I want to see how these creatures naturally act, how they behave, what makes them tick and how much they can grow. 

Reveal and Overhaul give me all the information I need about their almost alien-like biology and even gives me some insights into their mindset, but there are some things that can only, really be learned by patiently observing without bothering them.

 

It’s been… I’m not sure how long to be honest. It’s not like I’m rushing to finish this particular task right now. At the very least, I'm going to be thorough with my search rather then half-ass it to save time, so going for the quality approach over quantity.

Whether I drop everything to locate Melissa at all costs or wait decades before enacting the final battle, assuming she doesn't start it first, she and the World will no doubt have something to surprise me with, something that can push even the current me to its limits and beyond. I've picked up on the patterns of my problems by now.

That being the case, I’ll just have to learn more than my enemy, grow faster than my enemy. I can continue evolving to hold greater power while optimizing my body by taking inspiration from my surroundings. 

A copy of Kuin’s Apex Predator quirk makes scouring entire continents a whole lot easier. Creating and controlling a massive hivemind for myself also helps train my mind, so it’s a win-win. I can even collect samples of whatever I wish through them, or just warp over to any really interesting spots they find.

On the one hand, taking my time with this would ensure I’m not bored for the next few centuries or millennia, always having plenty more to explore assuming I win this final battle. On the other hand, I really do need to grow quickly so Melissa doesn’t completely overpower me like Singularity For One did. 

He still messed around far too much, even while under World’s influence. I doubt Melissa will make that same mistake.

So this method serves as a compromise. I’ll personally walk through and take my time searching any really interesting areas, and I’ll let my hivemind handle the rest. 

I’ve already gotten the basics down when it comes to the law of the land. For example, most Singularity Spawn found near its edges are the weakest spawn, being pushed out or forced to flee from predators wishing to monopolize this evolved land and its resources for themselves. 

In other words, the further in I go, the more powerful on average these Singularity Spawn become. Well, unless the area happens to have some super-spreaders wandering through.

You know how some plants create pollen? Well either by complete accident or Singularity For One and the World being efficient assholes, quite a few types of Singularity Spawn, mostly plants like trees, are capable of producing their own, natural version of Ideo Trigger and spreading it around like pollen, causing an increase in the already rapid growth going on around them.

Did I mention that most of these plants are mobile? They can literally walk around using their roots, plenty of which being on the edge of TST and acting like natural, continuous Trigger Bombs once they wander out of it. 

A little too much of a coincidence in my opinion, so Singularity For One or the World most likely created these beings specifically to help the already naturally-spreading singularity spread even faster.

Speaking of the abomination, on top of general singularity ridiculousness, there’s also the ionizing radiation he weaponized to consider. Is that having an effect on this new terrain, either thanks to him or all the Tiamat missiles that were launched at him?

Not really, to be honest. Areas where the Tiamat missiles struck still seem to be radioactive, but whatever permanent singularity effects happen to be in those areas seem to take precedence. There isn’t really a ‘merger’ between the two like what Singularity For One forced with his quirks.

Besides, nuclear radiation is far from the most dangerous effect for living beings present in this expanding territory.

Now where was I? Oh, right.

 

Cities are a common sight during my trip, each and every one being in various states of decomposition and destruction as nature rapidly consumes what remains. The Singularity Spawn present were stronger on average, mostly SS-Rank rather than S-Rank.

Spiked, fiery red tortoises using parts of skyscrapers as shells, an acid-spitting seagull whose bill alone rivals a small blimp in size, and a metallic minotaur who can hold and throw telephone poles like javelins are just a few examples among the dozens of creatures you can see in them, no two being exactly the same.

I even saw something resembling a Sarlacc Pit from Star Wars in the last one I wandered through, and considering that it was easily tearing one of the earlier mentioned tortoises in half while I was passing by, it’s probably a solid contender for SSS-Rank if it can actually move from its spot.

Even this much is nothing special; Singularity For One already made that clear. Most of these creatures were forced off the turf of far tougher monsters.

To give some pre-quirk comparisons, picture creatures from the Monsterverse movies or Pacific Rim movies or mysterious beings from One Punch Man or even some of the angels from Evangelion. Those are the kinds of things you’ll see deeper in.

Or perhaps ‘The Mist’ would be a better comparison. After all, a light green fog still covers most TST, the density of which varies a lot depending on what direction the wind blows and how many super-spreaders are nearby.

Some of the larger hiveminds are also deeper in, entire armies of creatures either summoned or taken over by the source patrolling multiple prefectures, if not entire countries worth of territory. While they can’t quite measure up to Kuin’s talents, some come rather close, and with only a single quirk at that.

Quite a few of these colonies behave like ants, only these Singularity Spawn were so large in size or number that these structures resembled that of dungeons in fantasy, plenty of other creatures often stumbling in and settling down overtime. I’ve explored quite a few since my latest journey began, and I won’t lie, it was pretty fun when I restricted myself.

By that, I mainly mean not insta-killing them with Overhaul or a New Order rule. After all, allowing my body to adapt to their attacks and these environments is a perfectly suitable way to grow thanks to my Singularity Evolution.

I was hit hard by all kinds of attacks during the Fifth Round, but the quirks or ‘natural’ abilities these creatures have go beyond most of that onslaught in sheer power. Besides, it’s not like I can feel pain from their attacks. 

 

So what about taking their quirks then? Or even other biological traits that could prove useful? That isn’t a problem with Overhaul, right?

Well, few of these creatures were ‘born’ with quirks in the traditional sense, and the same goes for any creatures forcefully evolved into a Post-Singularity state. Even classifying their changes as solely Secondary Quirk Characteristics is a stretch. It’s simply natural evolution at work, even if it was unnaturally jump-started.

And yeah, there’s no end to the amount of applications or mutations I could give my own body. It’s just that most of the changes these guys have are useless to me. Most quirks in general have become useless too.

Just look at what Overhaul can do now for example. Complete control over all forms of matter, whether it’s solids, liquids, or gasses, from a range large enough to affect entire prefectures, with enough speed to accomplish that in an instant and enough precision to change it however I wish.

Most quirks out there can only do a small fraction of what Overhaul can do, so besides being used to help push the Quirk Level I can hold, there isn’t much they can help me with. And anything I can’t do with Overhaul, chances are I can do with New Order. 

What about resistance and enhancer quirks then? The issue with those is that most only improve your body to a certain level, and if I already reached that level with body modifications and/or natural evolutions, these powers become useless. In other words, they can’t stack on top of my modifications. Some are still helpful, but most aren’t. 

And again, most of what I can’t do with Overhaul can be done with New Order. That includes replicating the effects of quirks without actually having said quirks, only to then have Overhaul make those replications natural.

 

But wait, isn’t New Order limited by a rule count? Wouldn’t it be better to just have quirks that can imitate New Order rules well enough so I can prioritize rules for more important things?

Well remember, it’s mainly the quality of quirks I can safely hold and wield that’s an issue right now. I can contain a legion of regular New Order quirk copies no problem, each one allowing me two rules of usage, and those quirks tend to be far more capable than whatever most regular quirks specialize in.

So my current quirk arsenal is Overhaul, Reveal, an Artificial New Order made from copies of New Order which I’m calling ‘Newer Order’ for simplicity’s sake, and more individual copies of New Order. 

Any Post-Singularity quirks or genetic traits I find out in the wild can be replicated within me through Newer Order as it possesses a high enough Quirk Level to do so.

I can then naturally replicate the process with Overhaul after using both it and Reveal to observe said process, manipulating and transmuting matter to perfectly resemble whatever changes Newer Order made to my own matter composition. Truly an absolutely busted combination.

And this is getting me good results. In terms of physical power, speed, and durability, forget what AFO Tomura had, even my own Perfect/Singularity Form plans have been completely left in the dust!

Hell, I could probably match Kudo from the Third Round in physical power without a quirk as I am now! And there is so, so much more to my body than just raw power.

My Endgame plans were completely ruined, but that doesn’t mean nothing good came out of it.

 

Going back to my journey, I continue wandering around, warping to any areas that caught the many eyes of my swarm. Yes, even Apex Predator’s effects can be replicated through a Newer Order rule.

One area was a world of snow and ice, my surroundings sparkling due to those things covering the place. 

An icy radiation filled the air. Strong winds constantly blew at me. Hills and rivers were made entirely of ice. The vegetation spread around the area was covered with frost as well; flowers bloomed and trees bore fruit, all with a blue lustre and terrifying chill. 

Plucking one of the fruits myself, I took a bite out of curiosity’s sake. It felt like a piece of ice- no, a sensation even colder than ice spread in my mouth. Humans without some sort of frost-resistance quirk would probably freeze to death with a touch, let alone eating it. 

But to me, it was as cold as ice cream for an average person. Tastes pretty good, but it’s a little too sweet for my liking. My body gained a good bit of frost resistance from that part of my journey.

Another area was completely pitch-black, mile-high walls of shadows and darkness surrounding every bit of it. Creatures like Dark Shadow roamed around, these blobs devouring each other and the shadows of any creature that stumbled into their domain. The latter seemed to kill the victims after mere minutes.

Even spatial and temporal distortions weren’t all that rare, some areas having meters and yards stretching out for kilometers and miles, other areas having minutes pass by from within while seconds pass outside or vice versa. 

My body adapted to all these effects, gaining better resistances towards them. I could still control how much these resistances affected me through Overhaul, but gaining the option to no-sell stuff like this was amazing.

There was even a- oh? What do we have here?

 

Several bees of mine just picked up on a suit of armor quite similar to the Hercules drones Humarise was sending out during Singularity For One’s rampage. It’s flying around, collecting samples of these lands and their inhabitants like I am.

Humarise remnants? Or Melissa Shield’s stuff? 

Should I risk finding out? Am I ready to potentially poke that bear?

…Probably, but I should still remain cautious. I’ll stay undetected, observing it like I’ve been doing with the natural creatures here, and make a decision once I gain more intel.

Come to think of it, despite the Shie Hassaikai being gone, I don’t have to rely solely on myself. There’s at least one subsidiary organization still around that I can get some more context from, one that should provide plenty of help with what’s to come, at least when manpower is involved.

I already mostly heard Star’s side of the story. Hearing Re-Destro’s side should fill in any missing gaps.

 

 

 

State of the Singularity:

Europe - 87% Terraformation

Asia - 69% Terraformation

Africa - 36% Terraformation

North America - 17% Terraformation

South America - 21% Terraformation

Australia - 16% Terraformation

Antarctica - 20% Terraformation

Chapter 136: Rebound

Looking back, Eri Doraifu doesn’t know why they even bothered having a coronation for her. She was the Shie Hassaikai’s de facto leader long before that ceremony, that passing of the torch.

Hollow was the best term to describe it, hollow as the first few years after they left Earth. Yes, her dad mostly delegated, giving his subordinates a lot of freedom to run most operations how they saw fit. Yes, her dad had multiple Double clones of himself, clones that gradually forged their own identities and personalities, to further lighten the workload.

But at the end of the day, Sekan Doraifu was the heart and soul that kept this colorful cast of characters together. New Double clones of himself, Bosshaul, LabHaul, NightHaul, and GuildHaul could continue leading just fine, yet everyone knew it wasn’t the same, even them.

Everyone knew they were just placeholders until the true successor was ready, Eri herself. 

 

And with all the little cheats and exploits her dad came up with, from amassing memories and skills of others to coming up with creative quirk combinations that trivialize practically everything, Eri was ready to take on this responsibility when she entered double digits. 

Zookeeper, the closest thing she has to a mother now, made sure she knew this wasn’t necessary. Eri could do whatever she wanted to do with her life and nobody would be angry at her for it, for not taking her dad’s place. The Sekan clones all said the same thing.

Didn’t matter to her. She wanted this more than anything, so the point was moot. Her mother could retire, the clones of her father could stick around and mess around if they wanted, it didn’t matter.

None of that mattered because Eri had a goal in mind, one her ‘future self’ laid out for her, one she gladly took on. Her dad was still alive, and soon enough, he would need her help. He would need his organization’s help. He would need all the help he could possibly get.

Under her command, the Shie Hassaikai crossed the cosmos, terraformed planets, trained and experimented and grew like never before. Eri would make sure they were ready for what’s to come.

Officially, they were preparing for either encountering alien threats (of which there were none) or encountering any singularities from Earth which somehow found them. Unofficially, they still have some unfinished business with a certain quirkless scientist back home. 

 

Eri kept this all a secret as she explored the universe, building new ships, experimenting with new materials, terraforming planets and other celestial bodies, and so on. 

Not even Zookeeper or the remaining clones of her dad knew, and besides, they were too busy enjoying retirement (not as a couple with any clones though; that would be too weird for everyone involved). 

Well that was about to change. She had been their leader for quite a while now, nobody in her (dad’s) organization even thinking about opposing her, so they wouldn’t complain about taking a trip back to Earth. 

Explaining this to Zookeeper and her dad’s clones was gonna be the difficult part, especially since they still haven’t told her about her dad’s true origin yet. She understands their reasoning, that it isn’t really necessary and that moving on from this chapter of their lives would be easier for everyone, but the subject was bound to come up sooner or later.

((“Most, if not all of you will die getting caught up as collateral. You do realize that, right? The scale of Sekan’s final battle will be-”))

“Do you really think the Shie Hassaikai cares?! They would have all given their lives for Sekan if that’s what it takes, and Sekan himself has already accepted that, made peace with that! 

Whether you undo it or not once this is all over, nobody will regret the actions they’ve taken! Sekan learned to stop being scared, to not be overprotective and allow those under him to fight on for both their benefit and his own! When will you?!”

Even if it isn’t really her, Eri knows the goddess enough to understand her own flaws, her own fears, why she went down this particular path to begin with. 

Eri will prove her point and save her family no matter what it takes, just like everyone else Sekan has gathered together in the Shie Hassaikai. 

((“...Fine. Prove me wrong, or die trying. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you. I’ll help bring you all back once the final battle begins. Prepare however you want until then.”))

 

After giving a thumbs-up to the ceiling, Eri activates Awakened For All and rushes across the ships she’s in to spill some secrets of hers. No point keeping them in now with everything coming to a head like this.

Once she confirms nobody else is nearby, she enters an office filled with pictures and knick knacks, the older white-haired woman longingly looking them over until she sees her daughter barge in.

“Eri, what are you-” Zookeeper begins, only to get cut off right after.

“Hey, mom. So dad’s actually still alive and he kinda needs our help dealing with something way worse than All For One soon. I know we’re really far from Earth right now but I got us a way back so if you could assemble everyone, that would be great! Thanks!”

Bluescreening at her motormouth of a daughter, Zookeeper eventually gets her bearings, rubbing her temple. She thought she was used to the random insanity by now. She was wrong.

Not that she’s complaining now. She has a hubby to help!

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  ??? Until Completion

Despite being in the middle of singularity-infested nowhere, making my way back to Japan was far from difficult.

There are plenty of quirks that could act as directions or a compass, and even if I couldn’t copy warping quirks, my current movement speed is no joke. I could circle the entire globe in hours at a leisurely pace, let alone if I were to go all-out with speed enhancement or warping rules and quirks. 

Now finding Re-Destro in particular would be a bit trickier then finding the country he’s in, but Gloop Warp solves that problem easily enough. I can boost it to Post-Singularity level solving the range issue, and I know the Grand Commander well enough already.

Only issue now is the user not being able to use it on themselves, but a simple New Order can temporarily override that limitation easily enough. 

Come to think of it, I could probably, permanently improve quirks that same way I improve my body, using New Order as a cheat sheet and making any needed adjustments with Overhaul. 

It wouldn’t work on quirks like Overhaul, Reveal, and New Order/Newer Order itself, but weaker quirks shouldn’t be a problem. 

Anyway, once the necessary rules are in place and several bees are sent to monitor the Hercules drone, I warp myself over to Re-Destro’s current location and-

“CURSE YOU PERRY THE PLATYPUUUUUSSSSSSSSS!!!”

 

-and I appear in a medium-sized living room where the now elderly Grand Commander of the now international Meta Liberation Army is currently watching (and laughing hysterically at) an episode of Phineas and Ferb.

“A man of culture, I see.”

“GAH!!! WHO DARES- wait, LONG HAUL?!? YOU’RE ALIVE?!”

“Want me to destroy and reform Deika City again to prove it?” I offer, the aura leaking off of me putting any doubts to rest.

“N-No! No need for that, sir!” Re-Destro stutters, scrambling to bow down as the children’s TV show continues playing in the background. “I uh… overheard people comparing me to a fictional character before meta-abilities came to be more than a few times over the years and, uh… was curious about it.”

Eyeing the spilled bowl of popcorn a few feet away, his face becomes a mix of red and brown, stress being mixed with embarrassment. 

“Don’t worry about it. What you do with your free time is your own business, and I happen to enjoy the show too. In fact, I could use a good laugh after the day I’ve had.” I assure him, my voice returning back to normal.

Singularity For One’s rampage, getting trapped in Cathleen’s vestigeworld, and an Incursion Round that went pear-shaped back to back to back? Not something I would like to repeat in the near future or ever, thanks.

If anything, I say I’ve earned at least a bit of relaxation time. And by relaxation time, I don’t mean wandering around a terraformed singularity domain filled with creatures and phenomenon that would probably tear All Might and All For One at their primes apart no problem… again.

So after transmuting us some more popcorn with Overhaul, I joined in on the binge-watching marathon. I still have a massive swarm scouting out Singularity Terrain, but I can mentally handle and macromanage those guys easily enough.

 

“Just THINK of all the evil uses there are for ZINC… I mean seriously, can you think of some ‘cause I got nothing. I mean look over here at all the good uses for ZINC, huh. All this good stuff and over here? Nothing. 

All I’ve got is ‘some evil ZINC ray-inator or something’ and- and look here! I wrote ‘BIG LAUNDRY’. I-I don’t ever remember what the reason was. I guess I assumed I’d remember like it was some big genius idea. Big laundry! BIG! LAUNDRY! I-”

Not what I expected to be doing after becoming a de facto god, but hey, when have I ever gone down the conventional path? If anything, I’m impressed that he managed to actually find footage of this show.

And it’s not like I’m getting nothing done now either. On top of my swarm doing its thing, I have Re-Destro fill in any gaps Cathleen’s updates left during commercial breaks. 

Basically, we’re on the verge of reentering the Dawn of Quirks Era. A good chunk of the world already has, to be honest. It’s like the Purge with superpowers, naturally making it a hundred times worse.

Countless bureaucrats, wealthy elites, and military officers who believe the world is inevitably ending are scrambling to obtain as much personal power as possible. They’re herding heroes, law enforcement officers, soldiers, influential civilian supporters, and the masses that follow them into their territories.

I’d call them Quirk Warlords, but most of them have quirks that range from mediocre to completely useless, and the idiots using a slightly modified variant of Ideo Trigger to boost their quirks end up dying every time. 

This is happening pretty much everywhere. Forget uniting what’s left of the world, most of its individual countries can’t even unite themselves! And the ones that can, well…

 

“Russia is losing ground to the spreading singularity fast, giving China more leeway with its own ambitions. They’re invading Taiwan as we speak, but we beat them to it and are gradually pushing them back into their own territory. 

America seems to be dissolving into a many-sided Civil War after the disappearance of Star and Stripe, something I’m assuming you’re responsible for.

Most of Argentina and Chile formed a defensive pact. Turkey started heading into whatever spots in the Middle East haven’t already been subsumed by the singularity, engaging some of our own forces stationed there to mixed results. 

Brazil is starting to expand its borders across South America, and while my spies haven’t confirmed this yet, Nigeria and Egypt might have formed their own secret alliance. 

Both countries want to conquer Africa from different sides, most likely meeting in the middle with their combined forces to handle the rest of the continent, but Africa is broken up into so many nations and regions that it’s difficult to decipher what’s going on there at the moment. 

There may very well be some additional players in their hidden pact we have yet to discover, but in my personal opinion, I believe this alliance most likely consists of-”

He goes on and on, but I already understand the basic point. It’s pretty much everyone for themselves right now. There’s no massive international alliance like the WHA or UN to keep countries in check right now, and adding on the rapidly-spreading singularity to that mess, you get absolute pants-shitting panic in every direction.

What about the Meta Liberation Army then? How are my faction’s remaining subsidiaries doing?

Pretty good, actually. There’s a lot of bias in Re-Destro’s report, but they are handling this chaotic situation quite well, especially thanks to the Gollini Family.

Singularity For One demolished a ton of their turf, and the singularity spreading forced them to give up even more, but the fact that they have fortified facilities and plenty of manpower near these areas is a godsend, especially since they have the firepower to actually hold those positions.

See, all major players want a piece of the singularity pie right now. It isn’t just for the global arms race going on, although that is the biggest reason. The second biggest reason is plenty of people just wanting some exotic shit for the convenience it provides or basic bragging rights. 

Singularity Territory produced fantastical monsters and materials of all kinds. Plants, animals, fungi, other beings resembling common fantasy monsters like elementals or golems. Not to mention the territory itself, pieces of land with unique phenomena. So who wouldn’t want to have stuff like that, especially if you have the money and/or power needed to acquire it?

Just humanity being humanity, I guess. Wanting to capitalize on the next big thing, if not exterminate it entirely. Considering the last time this happened led to the Dawn of Quirks… yeah. I don’t expect this to go very well.

 

And in turn, the Singularity Spawn and Forced Singularities behave like locusts, looting all that they saw and slaughtering any who stood in their way. 

Some countries even attempted to restore the Terraformed Singularity Territory to its original state using quirks like Zookeeper’s Cleaning, but they just weren’t powerful enough and nobody has been able to replicate anything close to my quirk-erasing solution according to Re-Destro.

All they could do then was blow it all to hell and hope for the best, and thanks to few countries even having militaries to begin with, there wasn’t exactly an abundance of long-ranged missiles and facilities that could produce them lying around. 

All they had were heroes, and the ones with enough firepower to not get instantly slaughtered were too few in number to really make a difference.

Well, they could try building walls too, only that wouldn’t really do shit due to the land itself spreading at a rapid rate and Singularity Spawn being able to tear through most defenses like tissue paper.

As for the MLA, they didn’t have most of these problems. Nomus, especially High-Ends, could keep up with most Singularity Spawn and Forced Singularities easily enough. Hordes of MLA warriors could assist and build whatever infrastructure was needed. Japan itself is an island far away from the main landmasses, so they’ll be fine even if they’re forced to fall back to that point.

They don’t have access to my warpers anymore, they still have the city-sized ‘Symbol of Liberation’ fortress Valdo made with his boosted Alchemy quirk along with plenty of other vehicles to ship armies across the sky, ground, and sea. A solid chunk of their Nomu and more powerful warriors can move pretty fast too.

Of course, any countries still standing on the borders of this expanding territory weren’t about to let the MLA steamroll them in place of the singularity… well, some did. 

MLA would offer them protection in exchange for being subsumed, so they pretty much became fiefdoms for generals and executives. It’s pretty much what most other ‘major’ countries were attempting according to Star, only the MLA had a lot more firepower and wiggle room then they did.

 

Naturally, just like with the other countries who tried this and succeeded, this pretty much caused civil wars between those willing to submit and those who weren't in the vassal states. But like I said, even after Singularity For One’s rampage, the MLA still had a ton of firepower to throw around.

They could keep their new territory under control, letting anyone who didn’t like their rule leave and throwing anyone who spat on that offer straight into Singularity Territory, pretty much turning them into fertilizer. 

When it comes to wars, especially international ones, you can expect to see massive frontlines stretching dozens, if not hundreds of miles across, or maybe even more. For humanity, even accounting for quirks, you need dozens or hundreds of thousands of people to occupy those lines.

Having a nigh-unbeatable champion like All Might or Star and Stripe is nice and all, but they can’t be everywhere. MLA does a good job solving this due to both their tremendous numbers of footsoldiers and decent enough heavy-hitters. 

No High-End Nomu can match All Might or Star, but having several hundred High-Ends spread out across the frontlines is far more effective than dominating a single small section of the frontlines with just one stupidly-powerful hero.

There aren’t many ways to reliably defeat an enemy that both outnumbered you twenty to one and had some heavy-hitters your side can’t match in a contest of pure power. Assuming the spreading Singularity Territory doesn’t do it first, MLA may very well achieve something resembling world domination at this rate.

Not that I mind, as all the responsibilities and complications that come with it can be handled by the MLA while I reap all the benefits. Don’t you just love delegation?

So that’s the MLA, but what about what’s left of Humarise?

Re-Destro hasn’t received any word from them in ages, but he does believe them to be responsible for all the random Trigger Bomb detonations over the years, Artificial Singularity rampages, and what he has somewhat jokingly dubbed ‘The Robot War’ some time after Singularity For One’s death.

“Technology has far stricter limitations than humans, most advancements being focused around Support Gear for heroes. Weaponized robots and drones have been made, but their usage is minimal.

Few countries have ever enacted any sort of Combat Robotics Program, and even then, instead of having such programs aid their Police Force or Army, they tend to be used in examinations such as UA’s Entrance Exam. This is due to a combination of high expenses, lack of public quirk usage, and overreliance on heroes.” The Grand Commander explains.

 

It’s an easy enough concept to grasp. Using canon Japan as an example, with quirk usage being illegal for everyone outside of heroes, people couldn’t just mass-produce whatever materials they needed through quirks like Momo’s Creation or Valdo’s Alchemy.

Getting whatever materials you need has to be done the normal way then, and since society revolves around heroes, putting all that time and effort towards creating whatever top of the line robots you can was seen as a waste in most cases. 

The HPSC focused on Tartarus, and Nezu had comical amounts of money to stock up UA with combat robots and drones, but everywhere else? Just another way society shot itself in the foot, but to be fair, advanced technology isn’t always the answer. 

At best, there is the Tiamat nuclear option that would even kill AFO Tomura (if he doesn’t dodge or bury down like he did in canon), but quirks like powerful enough telekinesis or metal manipulation could redirect them, technopathic quirks could shut them down, warpers could get you out of the blast zone before it hits, and so on.

It would still work on the vast majority of people, excluding godlike abominations like Singularity For One and myself, but like with everything else, there are some counters both orthodox and unorthodox to nukes.

Then there is Tartarus, a place All For One claimed would be difficult to break through even if AFO Tomura was complete and Gigantomachia was with him… only to then immediately cause chaos with a few strengthened technopathic blasts and let the numerous inmates inside handle the rest.

As for I-Island, its defense systems which supposedly rivaled Tartarus were quickly and easily enough broken through by Class 1-A in canon, but this damning example can be excluded due to the protagonists’ heaps of plot armor. 

So getting back to the main point, could implementing a sort of purely mechanical ‘Robo-Cop’ Police Force work out if the country in question was willing to abuse quirks to mass-produce whatever materials they needed? 

Assuming the Robo-Cops in question were at the level of I-Island and Tartarus Combat Robots, I can see it being an excellent support for clearing out any street-level crime alongside regular Police and weaker Pro-Heroes. 

Quirks that let you play around with electricity or metal or technopathic quirks can tear through armies of robots and drones with minimal effort, and people like All Might can tear through even the toughest robots like tissue paper. Of course, it’s not like everyone has one of those options available.

Most higher-ranked villains would still crush them with relative ease, whether through brute force like Muscular and Curator or powerful enough ranged assaults from people like Geten, Wolfram, and Endeavor.

But the vast majority of villains would most likely be outmatched, especially with the level of coordination these robotic armies would have through whatever AI system is used to control them.

 

Funnily enough, Re-Destro himself actually gave this concept a try, putting Skeptic and his crew on programming duty. It’s more firepower on their end and producing the needed materials is simple with free rein on quirk usage, so why not give it a try?

Only a few cities had something of a trial run going at the most, each one having a mechanical force of about a thousand total Combat Robots and Drones, and the results were rather promising… until Melissa and her take on Ultron took over, sending those systems on a rampage.

Those rampaging robots were quickly put down due to being massively outnumbered by local MLA Warriors and Civic Defense Forces, but a good bit of damage was still done.

Damage done by Melissa and Bootleg Skynet’s own robotic forces over the years was much worse.

“The enemy’s Combat Robots resembled that of the ‘Hercules’ armor Melissa Shield previously created, each one having its own replicated combination of quirks. Calling them the robotic equivalent of High-End Nomu wouldn’t be an understatement.”

Its canon equivalent was rather dangerous on its own, fending off a fully-healed All For One for a few minutes even if the LARPer had completely lost himself to anger and stupidity. Why he didn’t immediately disable the suit with his Radio Waves quirk is beyond me, but I digress.

Melissa’s version of the armor here is even more dangerous, the Artificial Intelligence controlling them being much more advanced, and there apparently being entire armies of them rather than a single suit.

Even a single suit was stupidly expensive, but that means nothing to Creation and Transmutation quirks. Hell, factor in size-altering quirks and you can make these robots as action figures before growing them to human size, resulting in way less materials needed to make them.

Seriously, quirks are so unbelievably busted if you know what you’re doing, and Melissa Shield obviously knows what she’s doing. Did she secretly kidnap a few people with such powers and forcefully boost them to singularity-level to create her own production factory like I did? 

Maybe she figured out how to create her own Nomu to help with production, or just stole the blueprints I left the MLA? Or maybe she found her own way to do the process, much like I did when creating the Praetorians. Either way, this level of optimized production is a big problem. 

Hercules armor is bad enough, so just imagine what will happen if Trigger Bombs are transmuted in bulk. Or maybe Tiamat nukes. 

Or whatever the hell she’s creating using Terraformed Singularity Territory. It’s only been a few hours since I warped to Re-Destro and my swarm has already found five more Hercules drones scavenging various singularity-infested areas.

 

“And that’s just one part of this robotic army.” Re-Destro sighs. “Entire fleets of unmanned aerial vehicles have also been hammering away at remaining countries, whether through bombardment from afar or kamikaze strikes. 

From Skeptic’s analysis, most are Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance or ISR types, but many are direct attack units as well. There are also a few carriers transporting set-ups for Artificial Singularities including the modified captive and variant of Trigger used to begin the transformation.

Cloaking technology allows these artificial disasters to be made and dropped on top of unsuspecting cities, usually causing even more damage then Trigger Bombs before they’re subdued or naturally perish a day or so later.”

Technology, Artificial Intelligence in particular, and Artificial Singularities. Melissa Shield’s two main specialties. 

“Have any countries managed to successfully retaliate or counterattack?”

“Unfortunately not. It’s like Tomura and the League of Villains; they can hide out and strike wherever and whenever they want, causing unchallenged chaos. Especially in this environment, countries or smaller factions simply can’t divert enough focus to tracking the assailants down.

All they can do is withstand the attacks to the best of their ability and hope this enemy decides to strike their other enemies more than them. As for us, we have far more leeway, but their tracks have been covered unnaturally well. Any mechanical units we subdue always self-destruct before we can properly analyze them.”

Ah, right. I never did tell him I was behind the League of Villain’s comeback. 

Re-Destro and pretty much everyone else just assumed that the LOV was caught up in that Omni-Singularity Unleash attack that formed a Grand Canyon-sized crater across Asia. 

Well I already told Cathleen the truth, but she and her remaining friends probably kept their mouths shut about that and anything having to do with me in general. 

 

“So be it. Have you noticed any patterns regarding their targets then?”

“Physical targets seem to be key infrastructure elements and command centers, every remaining country being regularly attacked a certain amount depending on how much of a threat they are at the moment. 

Cyberwarfare targets go after our government, military, banks, and power grids, and there’s a very good chance our systems have been infiltrated. Hidden malware, planted backdoors, and so on with those responsible just sitting there quietly, undetected, waiting.”

“Because the goal isn’t to completely wreck things immediately, but to sit in the dark, gathering intelligence until the perfect moment comes. It’s what you did when preparing to overthrow the HPSC, but despite recognizing the strategy, countering it is difficult when the enemy’s cyberwarfare capabilities are well beyond yours, right?”

He’s flustered and slightly embarrassed after being called out like that, yet keeps his cool well enough. Japan is a surveillance state at this point; not good considering how far above the enemy is in technological capabilities.

“Skeptic is looking for ways to strike a counterattack or at least track the enemy back to their own facilities, but doing anything beyond damage control is looking slim. 

Of course, while all these tactics are what most would expect when going to war against another country, there is one outlier in their series of strikes.”

Right, I remember Cathleen telling me about that. 

“Osaka. It’s a trade city, sure, but why choose it as the first place to strike in Japan instead of a key military stronghold or even Deika, the country’s new capital? Preparing for these kinds of assaults is tough, though still better than being completely caught off guard.”

“Do you believe this was meant to be some sort of personal slight against you? A message or perhaps spite?” Re-Destro confirms. 

“Got it in one. Melissa Shield had a backup plan prepared before I personally killed her, allowing a part of her to survive, and this can be considered a little present for me. No need for you to worry about that, as I intend to tear her apart bit by bit along with any creations of hers soon enough.

Have Skeptic and the others focus on preparing more defenses rather than attempt an offense, as the enemy may lash out once I launch my own decapitation strike.”

“And the rest of this world?” He follows up.

I take a second to ponder this before asking my own question.

 

“Can you tell me what it means to win a war, Rikiya?”

“Defeat the enemy?” He cautiously answers. “Defeat their army?”

“Yes, but no. There’s a bit of that, but not really. You see, wars used to be unilateral; there were only two sides, and the outcome was decided by victory or defeat.

Only things have changed as time passed. Today’s wars are multilateral, with many nations, groups, and individuals pursuing their own interests. There’s always something going on; winning a war no longer makes sense in itself, you know?

It’s no longer enough to take a base or kill a general. Military operations are merely political tools to undermine the enemy, to deprive them of their political support, and convert them if possible. 

Using Humarise as an example, while its leadership was taken out, it’s still a global cult with allies and supporters spread throughout all aspects of society. The original Meta Liberation Army is another example; Destro and his army was defeated, and look what its remnants reformed into. 

Humarise would likely achieve the same in a few decades or even years if the world doesn’t end before then, not even the UN and WHA being able to stop it if they were still around. Trying to squash the cult for good would be a monumental effort on their end, if not an impossible one, despite all the power those international organizations have or had.

Simply put, there are conflicts in which military action actually produces a political result, such as your own organization conquering Japan, and there are others in which it doesn’t. As the pre-quirk Prussian general Clausewitz once said, war is the continuation of a political relationship by other means.”

“So how do we succeed then, sir?” The Grand Commander stops beating around the bush.

“Well this latest world war is a bit special due to the spreading apocalypse. Winning isn’t the top priority right now, survival is. Withstanding or beating back this infection, this metamorphosis, is the true key to victory. 

Even that is difficult, especially with Melissa causing so many other problems. As I said before, I intend to deal with that problem myself, but I will still require your aid dealing with whatever Humarise riff raff is still causing problems.”

 

Come to think of it, Re-Destro hasn’t mentioned anything about human assaults from Humarise. 

Even with Flect Turn and his executives gone, they should still have plenty of membership and firepower amassed at I-Island. Why wouldn’t they when it’s the perfect citadel for them?

That’s assuming America hasn’t launched a Tiamat or two to sink it out of spite. Cathleen never mentioned anything about that, but it could’ve just been done under her nose.

So I decided to ask Re-Destro about this, and much as I feared…

“I-Island has long since been sunk, sir.”

“Oh?” I raise an eyebrow. “By who? Did America get trigger-happy with Tiamat again?”

“No. From the Humarise cultists we managed to capture, it was an internal sabotage during the twilight of All For One’s rampage. Their systems were hacked, their mechanical security turned against them, and the island was set to sink itself.

The executive leading them at the time, Starservant, was warped away shortly before this occurred, any attempts to regain control over the island’s systems failing. Most believe him to have been a spy for All For One, but I personally have my doubts about that. Most of the organization’s remnants died that day, only a fraction escaping on their ships.”

Definitely wasn’t Starservant because Starservant is with me. He must have been warped back to Hassaikai HQ once I-Island was lost. No, the island sinking can be blamed on a certain scientist and her bootleg Skynet that kicked out my own technopathic hackers.

Having I-Island under her control is a boon, as there’s no better place in the world for something like that to operate from… but such greediness will be its downfall. 

It may have kicked my hackers out and removed my other monitoring methods, but the parascientific bullshit that is quirks can make up for that and more.

Quirks like Gloop Warp won’t work since they’re only effective on people, but I happen to know at least one quirk that directs me towards anything, whether it’s living or nonliving.

 

Pointer. A quirk featured in MHA Vigilantes that lets its user point in the direction of people, places, and things that they were looking for. The user has to spin around in place before his limbs pointed towards what they needed to find. 

Yes, I already tried using it on Melissa. The issue is Melissa is dead and I have no clue what she even is anymore, or in other words, I don’t know what exactly I’m looking for. However, I do know more than enough about I-Island for this to work.

Arms and legs function as pointers when the quirk is used, so the user can only point to three different directions at the same time. Not a problem with I-Island being just that, so after declaring a rule that gave me a copy of the quirk and doing a quick spin, I allowed my right arm to point towards where the mechanical island is now.

…Only for my left arm and right leg to point towards similar, but still different, directions.

‘This quirk actually busted or something? It’s called I-Island, not I-Islands.’ I mentally mutter before trying again, Re-Destro wisely not saying a word at the comedic display.

I still give him context as to what I’m doing. He may be loyal to a tee, but I still care at least a little about my image, damnit!

My three dedicated pointing limbs point in three brand new directions this time. 

Take three has me giving myself an extra dozen arms through Overhaul beforehand, and all fifteen limbs point in different directions. 

“This doesn’t make any sense. I’m visualizing the base of the island itself, not any random stands or people that were on it, so what gives?” I vocally complain after returning back to normal.

“If I may, sir, perhaps the island was separated into pieces after it was purposely sunk?” Re-Destro suggests.

…Melissa Shield, you sneaky little bitch.

 

I was wondering how her robot armies could pop up everywhere without being spotted until they start attacking. Even if she made her main base mobile, no way can it travel across entire oceans so quickly, and she couldn’t have gotten her hands on a copy of Warp Gate.

They must be getting deployed in various facilities all across the oceans’ floors instead of one, centralized location, and with oceans covering over seventy percent of the Earth’s surface, there’s no shortage of places for these facilities to move towards and hide at. 

I’ll give the de facto Villain Deku credit where credit’s due, she’s clearly as skilled and paranoid as I was when it comes to hiding. 

Don’t get me wrong, all this is still an annoyance at most to me. I could just go Infinite Doubles after using a New Order rule to get me complete control over Double clones and attack every last facility of hers simultaneously.

Sheer numbers aren’t going to be what beats the current me. Even if she’s working to mass-produce copies of Singularity For One, I can still match it.

Which leads me to believe she and her AIs have something even more dangerous in the works, and all these robot armies and Artificial Singularities and mobile facilities are merely distractions meant to buy time for their true ultimate weapon to be completed.

A very good plan, considering I basically trademarked it in this world. That’s not just my ego talking; look at how effective it was for me during my second life. But just because it stumped my enemies doesn’t mean it will stump me. 

In fact, I think it’s about time I showed Melissa just that. Cutting off the legs of her fighting force won’t be a death sentence, merely hinder it, so it’s unlikely to result in the true final battle starting.

That means I only stand to benefit, learning more about my enemies and preventing them from unleashing this part of their fighting force alongside their ultimate weapon. Sure, I’ll be revealing I’m still alive to Melissa, but I doubt I’ll be able to keep that hidden until the true final battle starts with how wide their surveillance network seems to be. 

No, I’m done hiding. I already showed Melissa what happens when I get angry, and now that I have a clear picture along with some notable improvements to my name, it’s time to remind her of that very painful lesson.

 

 

 

State of the Singularity:

Europe - 88% Terraformation

Asia - 71% Terraformation

Africa - 39% Terraformation

North America - 32% Terraformation

South America - 34% Terraformation

Australia - 30% Terraformation

Antarctica - 33% Terraformation

Chapter 137: Loose Ends

Holes in space are torn through her cold, metallic corridors. Black and purple fog eerily leak out of these tears, and copies of Sekan Doraifu step through soon after, one after another, their every movement imbued with absolute dominance.

The air around them seemed to ripple faintly, as if the very fabric of reality bent to acknowledge their presence. They may have just been clones, but that doesn’t make them any less dangerous.

Swarms of Hercules Sentinels quickly surrounded them on all sides, shifting into an array of deadly forms. From serrated blades to electrified whips to energy guns and cannons, they all charged forwards as one with the sole purpose of elimination. 

“Adorable.”

 

Energy was completely halted. Metal was unnaturally bent. Creaks and groans echoed through the facilities as the vanguards collapsed inward. They tried to adapt, shifting forms to replicate quirks of all kinds; it was useless when faced with this level of control.

Not just their troops, but the facilities themselves began to be crushed like coke cans, groaning and straining under the titanic amounts of forceful manipulation.

Artificial Singularities responded, entire packs of them obeying orders and unleashing whatever abilities their evolutions manifested towards the enemy’s back, but blindspots were nonexistent on Sekan, and the same goes for his clones.

The only reason he allowed them to hit was a slight possibility of further adaptation on his end, yet the combined assault did nothing despite each and every one of these creatures rivaling the likes of Gigantomachia.

With a hum of disappointment from their targets, they too are all obliterated with a single pulse of Sekan’s power. Even without Overhaul, every inch of them were filled with energy that could rip apart even the strongest of Artificial Singularities.

Sekan’s clones were slow, methodical in their approach. It wasn’t for the sake of building fear in his enemy’s tiny metal hearts, but instead ensuring he was as thorough as possible. Nothing would be allowed to slip out from his grasp this time.

That included the masses of missiles launched across the globe. Some were nuclear, most had warheads doubling as Trigger Bombs. He didn’t allow a single one to leave the ocean floor. 

A fraction were already above the surface before launch, being transported in various drones and other unmanned vehicles. Members of the Meta Liberation Army intercepted those and whatever artificial beings were surrounding them, even more clones of Sekan assisting them in their efforts.

 

Drones and Combat Robots that could tear through even top heroes were mere toys before him. Artificial Singularities couldn’t come anywhere close to the real deal he embodied. 

Even the Artificial Intelligences running these facilities, beings of pure data, found themselves cornered and destroyed bit by bit.

Technopathic quirks could be boosted, duplicated, brought to the level of Post-Singularity. It didn’t matter how advanced they were or how much they adapted, Sekan would simply increase the pressure until the AIs could no longer resist. Their minds were vast and intricate, yet pitifully limited compared to Sekan’s own. 

Resistance increased, defenses becoming thicker as the Sekans ventured deeper in. Not a single clone of Sekan was deterred in the slightest.

Turrets emerged from the walls, Hercules Sentinels and Combat Drones streamed in from every angle, but none of it mattered when their target was a force of nature, tearing apart their very beings down to the atom. 

Eventually, the hearts of the facilities were reached. The brains of the Artificial Intelligences were breached. Vast mainframes that almost felt alive with flickering lights and shifting patterns of code.

These rooms weren’t just mechanical; they also possessed certain… materials from various Singularity Territories. From remains of its inhabitants to the terraformed land itself, the various effects they radiated either aided the AIs or hindered their enemies. 

Hercules Sentinels and the other combat units had similar accessories. Their frames were bulkier, tinted in various colors, and various levels of unstable.

 

“Combining your two avenues of research, huh? An interesting approach, but one is still heavily limited by the other.” Sekan throws in his two cents, every single clone of his speaking at once, voicing the exact same opinion.

Their creator was not afraid, not against his current opposition.

The Artificial Intelligences had various responses to that, but they could best be summed up as [You are not possible.]

“Your failures to gather information are not my problem, toy soldiers.” The Sekans replied, voices dripping with disdain. “Now show me what you’ve got.”

Not a single battle lasted long, Sekan’s power being enough to tear the singularity itself apart. 

The machines being able to adapt slightly surprised him, the singularity being capable of effecting purely mechanical beings as well, but at this point, the gap was just too large for them to close.

[Pointless, anomaly. You can never hope to stop evolution itself.]

“Who said anything about stopping it? I’m the one who optimized it; you’re just a failed science project with delusions of grandeur. 

I can hit the reset button whenever I want, but I intend to milk this phenomenon for all its worth first, and Melissa’s little leftovers aren’t gonna stop me. Now adapt to this, you overgrown toaster.”

 

“Optimized it? Don’t make me laugh.” Melissa Shield herself growls to herself, watching the global slaughter unfold. “But you’re right about one thing, my ‘little leftovers’ aren’t enough.”

This was nothing but a smokescreen, or a vanguard at best. She became certain Sekan was alive after a lack of retaliation from his own secret organization, something he warned the heroes about back at the UA Festival, something she knew he wasn’t bluffing about.

So she planned accordingly, expecting Sekan to be further improving himself throughout all these years just as she was. Even so, his growth surpassed anything she could’ve predicted. But there’s no kill quite like overkill. She confirmed that through her experiment on All For One.

And even now, seeing the scene in front of her, Melissa is confident of crushing Sekan once her final preparations are complete, once she herself finishes the ascension she’s long since begun. Her greatest creation has long been completed, and she’s already exploited it to hell and back. 

Originating not on a piece of I-Island or buried beneath any ocean, but at the very heart of the singularity, the portion of the world that she evolved, that she created, she has spread. Her influence has nearly consumed every corner of this world.

Everyone, everything, will be corrected and ascended soon enough, and she will make sure it stays that way.

“Enjoy this victory while you can, Sekan. It’s the last one you’ll ever get over me.”

 

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐  ?? Until Completion

Most of Melissa’s artificial armada was wiped out before the end of day one. The next week or so was spent cleaning up every last robot she had flying around.

Once I had Infinite Doubles under my complete control, it really was no contest. Even without that, I had millions of Meta Liberation Army members and tens of thousands of Nomu backing me up.

They could hold their ground long enough for me to warp around and slaughter her heavy-hitters. Even hordes of Artificial Singularities can be insta-killed by the current me. 

Hell, I even use this literal deep-dive to help further toughen myself up, taking advantage of the absurd amounts of water pressure miles upon miles below sea level, far below the bases Melissa’s forces were residing at.

All For One in canon was confident that the water pressure from five hundred meters below sea level would kill him during AFO Tomura’s attack on Tartarus. I went tens of thousands of meters below sea level to make my skin a little tougher. 

Thank you, High-Gear Singularity Evolution, for letting me further thicken my defense. 

But this isn’t over. I refuse to believe it was that easy.

 

Logically, the hordes of super-intelligent Artificial Intelligences and their creations were an even greater threat then Singularity For One because of their sheer numbers. 

Had this army gone all-out, launching volleys of Trigger Bombs and nuclear missiles while deploying their armies of overpowered mech suits and Artificial Singularities, even the current MLA would’ve been crushed. 

Hell, even the Shie Hassaikai would’ve been outmatched without Infinite Doubles backing them up! Melissa managed to accumulate a truly terrifying force of advanced technology and singularity creations while I was stuck in Star.

Yet none of it could stand up to me, not even close. Like I predicted, it was a slight annoyance at best. So there’s no way in hell it’s over. There’s no way it was that easy. 

It has to be something that far surpasses even Singularity For One, something that can make the entire planet tremble, something that even the current me would have a tough time against.

Quirks like Pointer can’t help me since I have no clue what I’m specifically looking for. Nothing I managed to gather from the AIs’ databases revealed anything about whatever ultimate weapon is being cooked up. 

The MLA is already working on locating something, anything that can point me in the right direction, but I seriously doubt they’re gonna succeed in playing detective.

So chances are I won’t know what this ultimate weapon is until it comes knocking. Great. The enemy having a taste of what I’m now capable of doesn’t help either.

Suppose all I can do now is continue preparing, continue experimenting, continue learning about the singularity and what lies beyond.

…Actually, maybe there’s one more thing I can try. Maybe, getting something of a preview is still possible.

 

Foresight is the best quirk for the job, but hasn’t that power become useless no matter how much it’s boosted? 

It was back then. I can do much, much more now. 

Creating countless copies of Foresight, merging them together, boosting the Artificial Quirk to the best of my ability, and dedicating every New Order rule I have to getting a clearer, more accurate vision. 

Worst case scenario, it doesn’t work and I shatter any remaining bit of potential divination or influence of fate. It lessens World’s hold and prevents enemies from utilizing those tools as well.

Best case scenario, I learn just what Melissa’s remnants truly have in store for me and fully take the concept of fate off the board if I haven’t already.

So after making all the necessary preparations, I use an Artificial Foresight Quirk on myself, determined to look as far into the future as possible.

My vision is immediately consumed by a garbled, indiscernible mess, one that only seems to be getting worse over time. 

“Come on… work with me here!” I growl, trying to push forward, trying to pry this mess apart.

Something pushes back. Something starts to crack. Something screeches as I attempt to overhaul fate itself with my ethereal hands. But I beat World back before; I changed my fate before, and I can do it again.

“SO LET ME THROUGH, YOU-”

It stops. 

 

The glitches. The distortions. The bending and cracking. It all stops, it all falls silent.

And if it wasn’t for the planet in front of me, I would’ve assumed I had entered nothingness.

Earth. The Earth of this reality, one with all the singularity terraforming and scars I remember. The massive crater running through a solid chunk of Asia is especially apparent, even from space. 

It’s eerily silent. Even when made Artificial, Foresight visions are still only sight-based, and no sound can travel through the vacuum of space, but there’s just something wrong about this silence. Something wrong with… huh?

A second canyon begins to form near the top of America, one about equal in length to the one in Asia. On top of that, the canyon Singularity For One made in Asia is starting to grow… starting to… widen?

Funnily enough, from where I’m standing, it almost looks like a pair of…

‘Eyes.’ 

 

I mentally gasp as a third, far larger hole drags most of the Pacific Ocean below the Equator Line into a dark abyss. The surrounding oceans stay eerily still as a mouth nearing the Moon’s size starts to smile.

Rows of jagged teeth made from the Earth’s crust sharpen as the planet itself spins around in directions that shouldn’t be naturally possible, it now fully facing towards me. 

Not a word is spoken as it begins its charge. Right. Towards. Me.

I can’t move. I can’t end this vision. I can’t use my quirks. I can’t do anything to resist as the planet itself comes closer and closer, opening its mouth further and further.

All I can do is stare into the abyss as W̷͕̬̖̅̑͐Ǫ̶͖̪̻̤̗̩̩̦̓̓̈́͗̊͒́́́͝R̶͓̹̮͙̦̲̫̳͋̓̚̕L̵̢͎͓̬̄͊̉̀̍̄̈́͘D̴̳̻̗͚̞̉ swallows me whole.

 

 

 

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!”

I scream as a pulse of Overhaul levels the entire building I’m in, rapidly panting as I get my bearings back. 

Fixing the damage and altering the memories of anyone nearby isn’t a problem, and that’s the last thing on my mind right now.

“What in the literal world… what kind of cosmic horror show was that?!?”

Attempting to use Foresight again, nothing happens. No sign of activation or anything, really.

Right, once a day limit. I guess becoming Artificial didn’t get rid of that limitation.

Copying and using Rewind on myself, I attempt to use Foresight again… only for nothing to happen once again. 

Trying to use a different, normal copy of Foresight does nothing either. Trying to use Foresight on others does nothing. Others trying to use Foresight or Artificial Foresight Quirks on myself or others do nothing.

No other future-seeing quirks within the MLA work either, not that they even were before I pulled this latest stunt. It’s like they’ve become completely inert… or there’s no determined future to see anymore.

Fate is well and truly broken, meaning it can’t be bent in anyone’s favor, and World left behind one last ominous warning before that part of itself irreversibly shattered.

 

That vision can’t be literal, right? The world isn’t gonna turn into some Eldritch Pac-Man and gobble me up, right? It would’ve already done that if it could, so it had to be some sort of scare tactic… right?

At the very least, there’s no way Melissa herself can pull something like that off, turning the entire planet into a cyborg or something under everyone’s nose. No quirk combination outside of whatever Future Eri has can possibly pull that off, and no quirk here comes anywhere close to her level, not even Newer Order.

“So it’s fine. Take some deep breaths, Sekan. Nothing like that is gonna happen.” I calm myself. “The World can’t just will me to lose anymore. It’s an even playing field, and that’s all I need.”

I won’t worry about that. I’ll just continue to improve and finish tying up any loose ends, one of which sticking out like a sore thumb. No, wait. Make that two. 

While its ending may have been abrupt, I haven’t forgotten about the promise I made during the Incursions, specifically during the Second Round. 

And with Future Eri having supposedly lifted the restrictions when it comes to copying from other timelines, doing this should be possible.

“Newer Order: I, Sekan Doraifu, have a copy of Mind Web.” I announce after moving to a secure location, having a very particular version of that quirk in mind when declaring the rule.

I didn’t have Reveal at the time, but I did have an Artificial Quirk version of Mind Web, and I had plenty of time to scan the person I have in mind with it.

Sure enough, the Mind Web quirk and accompanying vestige I want is present, so after using Overhaul to duplicate it, making a new body for it, and transferring it while sending a memory package to it through Reveal, I smile as a familiar face gazes up at me in both shock and awe.

 

“You kept your word.” Prophet, head advisor of the MLA and the variant of myself I fought during the Second Round smiles. “And even went beyond.”

“Plus Ultra.” I smirk back while repeating the process with Transform and Rewind, creating a copy of Phophet’s girlfriend and little sister as well. “Mind lending me a hand with my own?”

“It’s the Double dummy!” Carmilla, or the Himiko Toga of Prophet’s world cries out. 

“Boooo, Double dummy!” Chronos, or the Eri of Prophet’s world plays along, sticking her tongue out. “Sore loser!”

“I’m not the one being a sore loser right now, little terrorist.” I pat the pouting unicorn girl. 

Yes, both of them got a memory package through Reveal too. These kids really are just being sore losers, but in a playful way. 

“Please behave, both of you.” Prophet sighs. “My variant was nice enough to keep his word; I’d rather not have him obliterate us a second time.”

“Don’t worry, he knows we’re just kidding.” Carmilla sticks her own tongue out at her boyfriend before turning towards me. “You do know that, right?”

“So long as you don’t half-ass your new-”

“No swearing in front of the unicorn child.”

“...Help me run the MLA and you’re golden. Deal?” I relent.

“Of course! It’s the least I can do while you finish confronting Melissa Shield and the local Skynet.” He agrees while hugging the two girls next to him, both of them hugging him right back.

I won’t be copying every member of his Meta Liberation Army here, not that I even can, but having the two people he cares about most with him should satisfy him enough. That and the fact I fulfilled my promise to him.

“So long as everything goes according to plan, the Meta Liberation Army will never be ruined by All For One. They’ll be better than ever before, and show my shackled world what it truly means to be liberated.”

Those were my final words to him during the Second Round. I say I did a pretty good job accomplishing that. 

 

And while I didn’t give my variant a Post-Singularity body like myself, I still gave him a strengthened, modified body capable of holding multiple quirks. A copy of High Specs should suit him well. Maybe Incite too, and definitely Endurance and Energy Saver. 

He isn’t a warrior, and that’s just fine. He can be an advisor, a leader, and the guy that helps Re-Destro with all the boring paperwork. That’s all I need him to be.

If the World does somehow literally come alive… only I have even the slightest chance at standing against it. I didn’t give Prophet any memories of that Foresight vision, as I don’t need my guy at the desk to be filled with existential dread at all times.

“Say, are you going to bring back any other Sekans you encountered, create a new Sekanverse centered around yourself?” Prophet questions once his little reunion is finished.

“Never refer to it as a ‘Sekanverse’ again, please.” I beg, cringing at the thought alone. “But to answer your question… hmm…”

First Round’s variant is a dud. That lazy sack of shit can go fuck himself.

Third Round’s variant has plenty of experience running a country-sized organization with less than stellar morals, but I doubt he and his best undead bro are very happy with me.

Fourth Round’s variant was even worse, if you could even call that monstrosity a variant of me anymore. I don’t even wanna risk forcefully controlling it; that thing staying erased is in everyone’s best interest.

And the Fifth or probably Final Round considering what happened… while I never completed that agreement with the local Eri, nor did I have a reason to, a part of me still wants to bring them back despite them being heroes.

They would make for an excellent enforcement squadron, being capable of taking down even the most powerful Singularity Spawn, Forced Singularities, and Artificial Singularities I’ve encountered so far. 

But do I really need them? I could just forcefully control them if I don’t want to bother convincing them, and I could do that to my HPSC variant and his Kudo from the Third Round too, but is there a point to doing so besides boredom?

 

“I’ll think about it.” I settled on for an answer. “For now, let’s get you three settled in with my own Meta Liberation Army.”

Prophet gets an executive position, Re-Destro and his top brass already knowing better than to question any order I give. My variant will prove his worth soon enough, and Re-Destro is reaching retirement age anyway. 

With the blatant favoritism on display and the fact that he has his own Eri with him, one calling him big brother at that, it doesn’t take long for rumors of Prophet being another child of mine to spread among the MLA top brass.

I found it to be pretty funny. Prophet, not so much.

As for Himiko Toga, like what my own version did to avoid any unwanted attention, she disguised herself enough to not be associated with the LOV member here… not that my Toga was very known to begin with.

The public saw her at Kamino, and that was about it, this being entire decades ago. I had ‘Tomura’ make his declaration with Twice and Gigantomachia, so those three were the only LOV members on anyone’s minds at that point, not to mention they’re assumed to be long dead at the moment. 

In short, there’s no need to worry about any confusion or logistical issues. Good, as the main point of this was to make my life easier.

So that’s one loose end tied up. Now for the other one, the last bit of my heroic opposition here… my oldest student.

 

Mirio Togata went off the grid shortly after Cathleen’s death, blitzing through Hawks on his way out (hah!) and taking every last sample of Cathleen’s DNA with him. 

Not something I want Melissa getting their hands on for obvious reasons, so I made sure to keep a close but secretive eye on him with Reveal after locating him with Pointer, sort of using him as bait.

I had no need to directly interfere because while Melissa and her legion of AIs made several attempts at retrieving those DNA samples, Mirio managed to take the enemies down every single time.

Whether it was legions of Hercules armor, packs of Artificial Singularities, or both, Mirio was just too much for them. 

He could use New Order to cheat by hiding his presence too, and I couldn’t get anything regarding Melissa herself after using Reveal and Double to make and examine copies of them.

This went on for a few weeks as he covertly traveled the current world, observing different countries as they were falling apart. He went into Singularity Territory a few times too, just learning more about the current state of the world.

From what I could gather, he was trying to find a new purpose. Maybe he already found one, because he started digging out a secret base for himself a few days ago, one that goes far below the Earth’s surface.

He really has taken a lot of influence from me, hasn’t he? It’s about time I paid him a visit.

 

 

 

State of the Singularity:

Europe - 93% Terraformation

Asia - 77% Terraformation

Africa - 48% Terraformation

North America - 39% Terraformation

South America - 42% Terraformation

Australia - 40% Terraformation

Antarctica - 45% Terraformation

Chapter 138: The Last Hero

“About time. I was starting to think you forgot about me, Sir.” Mirio Togata softly chuckles, standing at the edge of a long, dark, teched-out hallway.

The vestige of David Shield helped a ton with the logistics and general innovation over the years. Same with Nezu’s vestige. Apparently, Mirio isn’t the first person who thought of doing this, but Humarise’s takeover of I-Island and his ‘real’ self’s death at Sekan’s hand stopped it from getting off the ground. 

Materials weren’t a problem either with quirks like Alchemy and Creation. Even creating a machine that doubles as an endless source of renewable oxygen wasn’t an issue with the help he had. 

Despite being caved in miles below ground (or rather, it being planned to set this up far below the surface), smart enough minds and powerful enough quirks can overcome almost any hurdle. Almost.

 

All his friends, all his allies, all his support that fell one after another… they can all be manifested through him. They can still help him, even from beyond the grave.

“Oh I could never forget you, Mirio.” Sekan Doraifu responds, glancing around the facility he warped himself into, having no doubt been tracking Mirio’s location at the very least. “So what’s all this for? What are you planning now that you’re the last real hero left?”

“Not ‘true’ hero, Sir?” Mirio elaborates.

“That term has been bastardized as much as the term ‘hero’ itself. You’re a good person, Mirio, not a suicidal, fundamentalistic nutjob. It’s the reason you’re standing here right now. It’s the reason you’re still alive right now.”

((‘Bullshit! I could’ve been standing here too if this asshole didn’t kill me!’)) Cathleen’s vestige growls from within.

“Much like All For One did, your ‘real’ self tried to suppress me, consume me, change me instead of really learn from me. Much like All For One did, she failed.” Sekan retorts, directly addressing the vestige within Mirio.

“Is she still in there, Sir?” Mirio himself then confirms.

“She’s gone, as is All For One and every other hostile vestige within me.” The man he still sees as a mentor clarifies. “A person’s body, mind, vestige, will, soul, and core can influence others if taken. I didn’t want any of that from Cathleen, just her quirk.

All For One too, only I’m not even using his quirk, copy or otherwise. Overhaul can do everything it can and so much more, quirk storage space excluded, and that storage is inherently flawed in ways that the Singularity Evolution can make up for on its own.

But enough about me. What are you up to Mirio? After everything you’ve seen, everything you’ve done, what will your path be now?”

No point in beating around the bush, he supposes.

 

“I’m gonna cryogen myself, Sir.”

“CRYOGEN YOURSELF?!?” Sekan gawks, looking more surprised than Mirio has ever seen him. “You’re really that desperate?!”

“Yeah… I… I am that desperate. Besides, isn’t that something similar to what you were planning?”

“That’s me, Mirio. You didn’t just learn from me, and I never intended for you to become exactly like me either. Besides, I know that this idea wasn’t solely yours. You’ve consulted countless vestiges, everyone from Nezu’s Council to your Big 3 besties, Agpar, and other allies to even a few villains.

You embody them all, or rather, the echoes of them you can bend reality to temporarily bring back, and from my talks with Cathleen back when I was trapped within her vestigeworld, I knew that you guys were getting fed up with how society was acting, that trying to save humanity at all was becoming obsolete, but… you’d go this far? I didn’t think you guys could ever be this fragile…”

“What can I say, Sir? You were right, and people are finally willing to accept it.” Mirio sighs.

((‘Swear to god if he starts pulling the whole ‘I told you so’ routine-’))

“Don’t have a reason to, Cathleen. You guys suffered enough, ignorance isn’t always bliss. I just hope you ensure Mirio doesn’t repeat the same mistakes you made.” Sekan sighs back.

“They advise me, Sir, but I always have the final say. I’m not just a mouthpiece for them or for you. I’m my own person with my own thoughts, feelings, and desires. I decided to do this, and I’ll do my best to help out the next society or species that populates the Earth.” His student elaborates.

And Sekan smiles at this declaration, this being exactly what he wanted Mirio to become.

 

“I’m proud of you.” He then earnestly declares himself. “So where do I fit into this equation then, because I have no plans of dying either, and you knew I would escape eventually.”

“Multiple pods were made for a reason, Sir. Just because I want to be my own person doesn’t mean I don’t value your opinion. You did a lot of bad for the sake of an eventual greater good, and I know you’ll go about handling the next society differently because I’ll make sure of it.

We will make it out of here, and we will make sure something like this never happens again.”

“Of course, and despite everything that’s happened, you’re still my student. I’ll help you, Mirio, but there’s just one more loose end to take care of, one person that will ruin this if her own machinations aren’t stopped.”

“Melissa Shield…” Mirio mutters. “I made sure to lose track of those AIs she made before making this place, and they shouldn’t be able to find us this deep underground. I figured the spreading singularity would be enough to stop them too, if not you or just the natural passage of time.”

“Your faith in me isn’t entirely misplaced. I did recently destroy the vast majority of Melissa’s creations, but there’s something left, something big, bigger than even the singularity All For One became. Melissa herself is alive, having hopped bodies before I could stop her, and I have yet to finish her after finding out about it.

I did everything I could to prevent her ultimate weapon from being completed, whatever that may be, but it will inevitably come, and I want to be as ready for it as possible, so I’m going to need your help. 

Will you take part in one last lesson, and one last mission, before the curtains of this society completely close?”

He nods, giving his mentor a determined stare from start to finish. 

And before he can even react, he’s transported to the middle of a vast, empty desert.

Sekan’s pressure and aura are then released, and Mirio tenses up, declaring a rule that protects every bit of himself from any outside alterations. It should at least somewhat protect him from quirks like Overhaul. 

 

“Your journey as a hero, while rather short before the world fell apart, was far from empty. You’ve had plenty of friends, allies, mentors, and countless interactions and experiences with them. All those things have shaped you, they embody you, and the power you wield allows you to quite literally embody them.

Their powers, their vestiges, their memories and experiences, all of it can be called upon with New Order. Same goes for quirks like Double. The death of our loved ones still hurts us, still affects us, but we have enough power to still carry a piece of them with us. 

Calling us straight-up respawn zones for our allies wouldn’t be entirely accurate, but the concept is similar enough. So long as you are here, your allies, your friends, your mentors, and everyone else you care for will never truly be gone. No cause is lost if there is but a fool left fighting for it.

So show it then, show me just who and what you embody, and I shall do the same.” Sekan declares, altering the matter around him into two new bodies.

A combination of Overhaul and New Order then creates quirks and vestiges to inhabit those bodies, possess those empty shells. 

“Hari Kurono, my best friend. Kendo Rappa, my greatest warrior before he fell to All For One in Naruhata. Your move, Mirio.” His mentor challenges.

“HELL YEAH! SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT, HERO!” One of the new additions roars in excitement, barreling forwards while the other one positions himself behind the tank, shooting a volley of projectiles from his hair.

Mirio responds by first declaring a rule that lets him use multiple quirks, and then declaring a rule that gives him Wave Motion and Manifest alongside New Order.

((‘Let’s go, Mirio!’)) Nejire’s vestige encourages as energy spirals from his feet boost Mirio into the air.

((‘D-Don’t touch the hair from that other guy. Even if you get copies of his quirks by eating it and using my power, any negative effects those projectiles have will still affect you.’)) Tamaki’s vestige warns as Mirio flips over Rappa, a kick to the back of his head making him stumble.

He follows up with several Nejire Pike straight to his opponent’s vital points. Rappa reacts fast enough to meet the energy lances with his fists, and the small wave of energy that follows barely scratches his skin, but it serves as a good enough smokescreen to block his sight just long enough for more of Kurono’s hair projectiles to it.

Everything went according to Kurono's plan, at least until those projectiles struck Rappa instead of Mirio.

 

“NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOTTTTTTTT GGGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDDD EEEENNNNOOOOOO-” The brawler yells in slow motion, yet his follow-up volley of blows is still incredibly fast. 

Multiple quirks most likely. So Sekan can control which vestige actually has control then? Could a quirk like Erasure disrupt that, or did Sekan grant his immunity to such quirks to these copies as well?

Either way, using that type of power probably isn’t what Sekan is looking for. It’s not the lesson Sekan wants him to learn. 

“You are a smart one, Lemillion. That’s why I gave my barrages a minute-long slowness effect rather than an hour-long effect.” His other opponent, the copy of Kurono, explains.

“Just means I have to make this quick!” Mirio declares back, shielding himself with more energy from Wave Motion before empowering his fist with several spirals of it, knocking Kurono out cold.

He then takes a few strands of the guys hair and eats them, allowing Manifest to give him a copy of those powers. Of course, that’s only half the battle.

“Any issue with the vestiges, you guys?” Mirio confirms.

((‘He’s a tough one, but we can handle it! You go focus on the big guy!’)) Nejire’s vestige cheers back, and Mirio darts off as Sekan nods in approval. 

Despite being immensely slowed down and facing a barrage of piercing attacks, Rappa still manages to hold on for a couple minutes before collapsing himself.

“You could have gone for the kill, you know. Finished the fight a lot quicker, conserve more of your energy.” Sekan criticises. 

“Yeah, but then I’d be murdering some of your closest friends right in front of you. Even if they’re just copies-”

“Don’t worry about angering me by doing that. I can create copies of them whenever I please, as many times as I want. As I said before, so long as we’re here, those we care for will never truly be gone.”

 

Overhaul is then activated, the physical copies of Kurono and Rappa being obliterated not even a moment later. Mirio still has a copy of Kurono’s quirks, the vestiges of Nejire, Tamaki, and Cathleen still fighting to subdue the enemy vestiges, but Mirio is still unnerved. 

If he really wanted to, Sekan could have ended him right then and there. Definitely a good thing that he didn’t, but the risk of Sekan changing his mind if he becomes unsatisfied is still there.

Either way, Mirio will continue fighting on, and that’s exactly what he does.

More copies of Sekan’s close ones are summoned, and more copies of quirks from Mirio’s close ones are made in response. 

A copy of Nezu’s quirk lets him strategize better, reminding Mirio to make himself a QAD and Trigger with a copy of Creation. That’s while helping him corner and take down a copy of Queen Bee.

A copy of Salaam’s quirk and Edgeshot’s quirk alongside his own original quirk helps him maneuver around copies of Stain and Lady Nagant.

A copy of Ryukyu and Mirko’s quirk were used to help get enough physical power and aerial agility to take down a copy of Innsmouth and Chimera. 

A copy of Endeavor helps instruct Mirio how to better take on copies of both Geten and Rei, eventually requesting Mirio to dedicate another rule to transfer a copy of his power into each of them so he may help stall them from the inside, fight them in their own vestigeworlds. 

Dozens of other matchups occurred one after another, the battle going on for hours as Mirio gives it everything he’s got and Sekan cycles through his subordinates one after another, having never attempted to fight Mirio himself.

“Have you noticed it yet?” The latter eventually confirms. “A commonality with all these vestiges we create?”

A commonality? What could Sir… oh. Pretty obvious in hindsight, he supposes. 

 

“Neither of us are forcing them to fight for us. They’re all choosing to assist us, drawing on their own ideas and experiences rather than solely relying on ours.”

“Bingo. We both may have reached the pinnacle of power ourselves, but our support systems are what allow us to truly shine. Neither of us reached these heights alone, never forget that.

Even if you choose to never join me, don’t forget about all the other people you have in your corner. Two heads are better than one, and an army of heads is better than two. You don’t have to face this insurmountable challenge yourself, so don’t. 

Pride and ego almost always lead to a person’s downfall no matter how powerful they are. Just look at All Might and All For One for example. Even I fell into this pitfall quite a few times across my life; don’t repeat our mistakes, Mirio.”

“I won’t, Sir.” Mirio declares, more determined than ever before.

“I expected nothing less.” Sekan smiles back. “All that being said, while you do have plenty of support, you are still a pillar yourself. It’s you that your support manifests itself through. It’s you that they manifest their memories, ideals, and power through.

You need to be strong for them. You need to remain standing for them, because they can’t themselves. You’re all that’s left of them, so if you fall, they all do too.”

He doesn’t summon any more reinforcements, instead slowly walking towards Mirio himself. 

“Same goes for me. My ideals, my teachings, my influence is within you too. Figuratively, not literally. 

If I were to die, a small part of me would still be present through you. I did something similar with my own organization, but it never hurts to have a few backup plans, right?”

“You taught me as much, Sir.” Mirio cautiously responds, Sekan now being right in front of him.

“Of course.” Sekan nods back, his expression turning serious as he sticks his hand out. “Do you trust me?”

It’s a split-second decision driven by instinct. He doesn’t consult Cathleen or any of his other vestiges, instead choosing what he believes to be right.

“I do.” Mirio nods back… and his body explodes a moment later as Sekan’s hand touches his chest.

He should be angry. He should be hurt. He should be crushed… but he remains calm. He knows there’s more to this, mostly because he’s still conscious despite being popped like a bloody balloon, and his faith is rewarded. 

Time is rewound, matter is transmuted, and a familiar power reappears, power just begging to be released. The moment his physical form is restored, he does just that.

 

One percent… two percent… five percent…

Water starts to shake and wind starts to blow.

Ten percent… twenty percent… fifty percent…

Restored vestiges within him stir, but they all quickly lend him support.

One hundred percent… two hundred percent… five hundred percent… one thousand percent…

Mirio knew there was something more to this. Sekan always has some hidden layer to his plans.

OverTrigger. The Quirk Amplification Device. Hysterical Strength. Effects from numerous enhancing and quirk-boosting quirks Sekan can apply to others like Incite and Love. Gearshift. Fa Jin. Blackwhip, and all five New Order rules he currently has. 

All of these things are solely dedicated to powering him up, and Sekan modified his body to help handle such levels of power. Sekan may have even applied some of his own New Order rules to further stabilize Mirio in his current state.

Sekan wants to power Mirio up as much as possible, rewinding his body to when it had One For All while maintaining his copy of New Order, modifying his body to handle all this.

But why? Sekan said he didn’t know where or what this ultimate weapon of Melissa’s was, so this isn’t meant for that confrontation.

A distraction, maybe? Draw attention from Melissa’s AI or whatever remaining projects she has monitoring them so Sekan can make a move against it? Maybe power Mirio up too so he can help stop her if shit hits the fan? Did he just want to see how far he could push One For All? 

Did he want to give Mirio and the vestiges within him a chance to release all their pent-up anger? He would be lying if he said he didn’t resent Sekan at least a little for what he’s done.

Or maybe it’s all the above.

 

((“Good job, four out of five, Mirio.”)) Sekan telepathically confirms. ((“Try to figure out the last reason while beating the hell out of me. 

Let out all that accumulated anger, all that insecurity and regret. Free yourself from yourself; hold nothing back, and channel all that hatred towards me.”))

…Figures Sir knew about that. Even after all this time, he probably knew Mirio better than anyone else.

When Mirio claimed he carried little resentment towards Sekan, he wasn’t lying. If anything, most of Mirio’s anger is towards himself.

He’s accomplished so much, but he lost so much more. Nejire, Tamaki, his teachers and other classmates and kohais at UA are all gone, all dead, excluding the few traitors. All Might, Cathleen, Commander Agpar, and all his other mentors are dead.

All of them excluding Sir Nighteye, Sir… Sekan. Someone who’s been lying to him from the very beginning, and knowing what he does, he can’t even be that angry at Sekan for taking the real Sir Nighteye’s place.

But he’s still angry. He still wants to lash out, to release all the emotions he’s been bottling up for so, so long. 

He had chances here and there. Against hordes of villains across Europe, against Hawks as he left America, against Melissa’s mechs and Artificial Singularities and plenty of other villains after that… but he never truly went all-out in any of those. 

Since All For One’s death, pretty much every serious fight he had ended in a flash. He had to calm down the moment after he let out even a little bit, because he couldn’t afford to lose control, not when so many were counting on him.

Now though? Now, he’s being given the chance to let it all out.

And that’s exactly what he fucking does.

 

“Big mistake, Sir.” Mirio calmly declares before unleashing every last drop of boosted, stockpiled power he has. “One For All… ONE MILLION PERCENT!!!”

The eruption of energy resembles that of a supervolcano, being visible from space. 

Mirio feels like he should be completely overwhelmed, everything from strength and defense to reactions, senses, and processing power being pushed to levels he never thought possible, yet he feels calm, serene. 

It’s incredible, and with the two of them being in the middle of an ocean, he has no reason to hold anything back. If it means paying his mentor back and helping him save the world from whatever Melissa has planned, he’ll gladly go Plus Ultra.

“Prove it then!” Sekan fearlessly challenges.

And a fist goes straight through his chest the instant after.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Sekan’s eyes nearly pop out of their sockets as he vomits blood, his entire body being ravaged and torn apart by the rampant energy now focused entirely on him instead of their surroundings. 

Despite that, the air pressure from his punch alone parts the clouds and splits the seas. It creates tornadoes and hurricanes that tear everything in its path apart.

Sekan’s body quickly reforms, but Mirio is on him in a flash, his next blow mirroring that of All Might when he punched clean through All For One’s head. 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Everything above Sekan’s jaw vanishes in a bloody mist, One For All’s power spreading to the rest of his body once again, frying the rest of his body once again. 

But Mirio immediately picked up on two things this time around. First, Sekan’s body offered slightly more resistance to Mirio’s strike. Second, almost every blood vessel in his fist bursts, his skin quickly turning from its normal shade to red to purple.

It wasn’t from his opponent counterattacking… looks like even now, despite all the aid he’s getting, he can’t fully withstand this power. Just means he just has to make every strike count. That and temporarily switch one New Order rule to healing from time to time.

Once again, Sekan’s body reforms. And once again, Mirio gives him no space to counterattack. 

He can most certainly retaliate with Overhaul if he wants, probably rip through Mirio atom from atom even now, any resistance layers of Blackwhip can give him being torn through by Sekan’s own power and reality-warping, but he doesn’t.

No, he just continues sandbagging as Mirio obliterates him over and over. 

((‘Who cares? Kick that fucking asshole in the balls, Mirio!’)) Cathleen’s vestige cheers.

((‘So, how many generations do you think it’ll take to take down this nigh-unstoppable demon lord. Place your bets now.’)) Kudo’s vestige then groans. 

((‘Excluding his singularity stunt, it took All For One eight to ten. So twenty maybe? Thirty? If we get more quirks like New Order here, then-’))

((‘Let Mirio focus, please.’)) Yoichi stops the banter from within. 

And after mentally thanking the first wielder of One For All, Mirio continues the absolute beatdown he’s giving Sekan.

 

A cross to his gut. A hook to his head. A double-ax handle from behind. 

Sekan’s body continues getting blown into bloody bits, every strike obliterating most of him… every strike also facing more and more resistance.

Meanwhile, Mirio’s bones start to shatter. His flesh starts to fry. Entire limbs of his burst, only to regrow right after through New Order’s power.

An uppercut to his chin. A backfist to his side. A jab that’s followed by another and another.

Even now, Mirio has to deal with horrific amounts of recoil. Looks like not even Sekan’s best efforts could let him use this One For All, a power boosted to heights he never thought possible.

‘Even now, Sekan is growing rapidly. He’s continuing to evolve, growing faster, stronger, more powerful in every way. Even his energy is increasing… could he be-’

((‘HIT HIM AGAIN!!!’))

Sekan’s back literally explodes as Mirio rains down his latest barrage of blows, a follow-up torrent of energy then sending him careening down into a nearby crater.

‘My body’s being torn to shreds… even New Order can barely keep up with the healing!’

The impact only makes it grow larger, and it gets even larger as Sekan erupts out of it with a bone-rattling roar.

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRR!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!”

His own purple energy wings are growing. His purple flames are glowing brighter. Purple electricity is crackling from all over his body.

((‘So that’s his plan…’)) Yoichi gasps. ((‘He really has become our perfect counter, hasn’t he?’))

‘What do you mean?’

((‘Just… keep doing what you’re doing Mirio. Throw everything you can at him, even the stockpile itself. Heroes and Villains aren’t enough to save this world anymore; something more is needed, and if not you, then Sekan is our best bet.’))

 

Trusting One For All’s first wielder, Mirio lets loose a quirk-enhanced roar of his own, the energy Fa Jin accumulated since this battle began making him even more powerful. 

It hurts him a ton, New Order struggling to recover from the lingering damage whenever he swaps to a regeneration rule. But right now, he needs every last drop of power he can get! He’ll use Blackwhip to forcefully keep his body together, to puppet his own limbs if he has to!

Rocketing towards his mentor, Sekan responds in kind, and the shockwave their collision makes could level entire countries if left unchecked… but Sekan is still on the losing end, sent careening back once again as One For All’s energy fries his entire body.

And the cycle repeats itself, Sekan continuing to get back up and grow despite every blow he’s receiving putting the likes of Tiamat nukes to shame. Even Singularity For One wouldn’t be able to withstand this level of power!

Each blow still causes enough blunt trauma on Sekan to kill a few dozen quirkless people, the shockwaves breaking down his body to pieces and the energy burning those pieces to ash, but his durability, his regeneration, his sheer survivability would have most mistaken him for an immortal.

It gets to the point where Mirio is starting to tire, where he’s starting to falter, where the anger and hatred he let consume and strengthen him is starting to fade. That’s not even mentioning the accumulated injuries from recoil alone, growing faster than he can heal from.

His own damage and raw power gets to the point where, even with all the crutches or boosts Sekan and New Order are providing, Mirio begins to undergo High-Gear Singularity Evolution himself.

One For All burns brighter than ever before when supplemented by the Singularity, the quirk’s embers only continuing to grow alongside his body, but its vessel only has so much stamina, even when drawing from the quirk.

((‘So launch the stockpile itself at him.’)) Yoichi instructs. ((‘The crystalized singularity power, we’ll transfer it to him the most violent way we can. Use Blackwhip as a base for the attack, and pour both the quirk and all its strength into it.’))

‘What?! But you guys will-'

((‘Smash into him alongside the unleashed stockpile, striking at his very soul. Worst case scenario, he really does die and you still have New Order along with Sekan’s other gifts to deal with whatever Melissa has left, assuming this isn’t another bluff on his end.’)) Kudo cuts Mirio’s protest off.

((‘He’s the one who asked for this. I’d ride on OFA’s coattails to smash into him with every last ember I’ve got too, but someone has to stay behind and watch your back.’)) Cathleen’s vestige supports.

A knowing look from Sekan steels Mirio’s resolve as he sends his mentor down a final time. Dropping down to just over the waves himself, Mirio brings the core of One For All forward, manifesting its power as a shining star right in front of him.

One final attack, one with EVERYTHING HE’S GOT!

 

“Hero Society may have ultimately failed, Sir, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t accomplish anything!” Mirio declares, putting everything he has towards controlling and directing the raging storm of energy in front of him. 

Using a similar concept as Endeavor’s Prominence Burn, Mirio puts every last bit of One For All, every last drop of energy and vitality he has, into this final blast.

“The heroes had entire centuries to get their act together! If this is all the power it could gather and crystalize, then… oh…” Sekan trails off as the attack’s power continues increasing to no end.

It isn’t just One For All, the crystalized power of ten people. There’s so much more going into it, and Sekan knows that… and he’s actually a little nervous about it. 

“This, Sir… THIS, IS ONE! FOR! ALL!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Sekan could’ve dodged it if he really wanted to, yet he chose to take it head-on instead, blocking the rainbow-colored blast with his bare hands.

“NOT… GOING DOWN… T-THAT EASILY!” Sekan roars, being pushed back despite actually giving it his all now.

Despite getting bulldozed through everything in his path, he still stands strong, not getting overwhelmed despite everything going into this. Resisting the energy, rejecting the quirk transfer…

“THEN I’LL JUST PUT MY BACK INTO IT THIS TIME!!!” Mirio screams back, his remaining will and hatred combining together to strengthen the blast even more.

Sekan’s hands start to disintegrate, not even Overhaul being able to regenerate them fast enough. His arms soon follow. Then his chest contorts and starts to burn as every last empowered vestige of One For All slams into him, having forced their way through.

“THE OMNI-SINGULARITY UNLEASH WAS TOUGHER, AND I SURVIVED THAT! I WILL ALWAYS SURVIVE!!!”

In that case…

“THEN AS THE SYMBOL OF PEACE SAID TIME AND TIME AGAIN, I’LL JUST GO BEYOND, PLUS ULTRAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Mirio, Sekan, and everything else is lost to the explosion of light being carried across the entire continent, the final embers of One For All being extinguished after that grand finale. 

Mirio himself collapses to the cracked, dry, rocky floor, resembling All Might in his skeleton state after pouring in his own remaining energy and vitality into that blast.

Even the singularity evolution is unable to fix this level of damage, at least for now. He’s barely conscious, but he can’t help but be a little afraid of what he’s done.

He made sure to redirect the blast upwards, so it would blast into space (and take Sekan with it) rather than continue cutting through the planet. A massive canyon was still formed, but it shouldn’t be quite as wide or deep as the one formed across Asia from All For One’s ultimate attack.

Collateral and casualties should be a minimum too, even if due to how many lives the singularity’s spread has already taken.

Something like that had to have at least rivaled the Omni-Singularity Unleash All For One launched, having enough energy to cut through entire continents, and enough damage has been done already.

But while he made sure to spare the world… there wasn’t much he could do for Sekan besides honor his request. 

Did Mirio actually kill him? He kinda hopes he didn’t, because what he said about Melissa really scared him, and he doesn’t have any energy left to get out of-

“So, did you figure it out yet?”

He can’t help but let out a weak gasp, a slight whimper, at the response coming from behind him. 

Sekan Doraifu, having just emerged from a rift in space, is covered head to toe in glowing rainbow cracks… cracks that are rapidly patching up. 

“To distract any surveillance Melissa still has on us. To further power you up.” He monologues, limping towards the fallen hero.

“To let you unleash all your pent-up anger. To push and test the limits of One For All.” He continues, flicking a small ball of golden energy towards the fallen hero.

It rewinds him, rejuvenates him, returns every lost quirk to him, and yet…

“And to quickly get yourself a massive amount of stockpiled power.” Mirio finishes.

Sekan doesn’t give a verbal response, instead clenching his fists, gritting his teeth… and unleashes everything he’s gained himself.

 

Mirio goes flying back, barely able to hold himself steady as a bright purple star forms around Sekan, all that stockpiled power thrown his way now mixed with and transmuted into Sekan’s own strength, that star of his is now going supernova.

((‘Enough power to carve through continents like a hot knife through butter… he’s using that siphoned energy to refine himself, to further evolve himself at no cost to himself! That stockpiled power can’t even be called part of a quirk anymore, it’s becoming part of something much more!’)) Yoichi gasps.

Sure enough, Sekan begins his own terrifying transformation as he roars out in elation.

His body explodes into a wave of blood and gore, a mix of purple and rainbow-colored energy enveloping what remains, yet he can still hear Sekan’s screams, and they aren’t screams of pain.

Pockets of flesh occasionally pop out as the orb of energy crackles, absorbing, disintegrating, only for new, stronger flesh to take its place. The energy itself is slowly becoming more and more purple, the tint growing until it consumes everything else. 

Destruction and creation, again and again. The singularity evolution generating more flesh, more blood, more power out of seemingly nowhere like a positive feedback loop, an infinite loop… the very definition of a singularity. 

Combine that with the countless quirks and singularity aspects he used New Order, Reveal, and Overhaul to permanently replicate within him, this further boosted by Singularity For One’s ionizing radiation trick, and Sekan could go well beyond simply singularity-level.

 

As time passed, less and less of his new body was being destroyed and remade. His new body was adapting as more energy was infused, any failed parts only serving as more fuel for him as they were destroyed and reabsorbed. 

He was transforming himself and One For All’s power into something much more. Human-looking in outward appearance, but something resembling a Lovecraftian entity in composition, a fleshy mass with indescribable parts bursting with newfound power.

He grows taller, his brand new body becoming denser as siphoned power pours into every single stabilized cell, any remaining bits of rainbow energy transmuting into a bright purple power under his complete control.

His hair elongates down his neck and back, turning as purple as his flames, energy wings, and pupils. The sclera around the latter turns pitch black, resembling All Might’s own towards the end of his time with One For All.

His new body becomes covered in a chrysalis of raw energy and quirks, having gone several steps beyond what All For One did during his own singularity ascension. 

The entire planet seems to shake as Sekan finishes his latest evolution, having utilized all the energy he just absorbed to undergo a complete metamorphosis once again, his body having adapted enough to not just fully contain this massive influx of power, but put it to excellent use.

One For All has broken the plot of MHA again and again, this power constantly growing and getting new functions on the fly so its suicidal wielder can always win like the shounen protagonist he is; if there was any energy capable of shattering his current limits, it was One For All's stockpile, and Sekan knew that.

Now, there’s no calling him human. Now, he’s reached a level few in this world could even dream of.

Mirio doubts he could make Sekan flinch despite all his own strength being restored, his mentor’s raw power now being enough to easily crack entire continents in half with a punch. 

 

“Heh, now I really do look like some stereotypical, over the top anime villain. The new hair alone is so cliche. If this is the world attempting to spite me again, it just goes to show how far it’s fallen.” Sekan chuckles as he leaps towards his shell-shocked student, landing right in front of him. 

“Wasn’t sure if I was ready to handle this much stockpiled quirk-energy yet, if I could further forcefully evolve myself with massive amounts of it, especially without any crutches like New Order rules, so I decided to test that while checking off a few extra boxes by using you as a test dummy, refining myself while observing you and siphoning your power.

I poured this energy into everything as I absorbed it. Quirks connect to everything else, so I forced this quirk energy, this power capable of what should be impossible, into everything else.

My body, mind or vestigeworld, soul, core, and every other part of myself, filling it to the brim, pushing it beyond its limits, forcing everything to adapt to that alongside the damage you and your vestiges were dishing out.

The boosters supporting most of it may have been temporary for you, but by fully taking it into myself, I caused a permanent effect, forcing it to stick. That’s just how New Order works. 

Now it’s not just unrivaled control over quirks I possess, I have unrivaled raw power as well! Thanks for the power-boost, Mirio, my greatest student!”

Laughing out loud, basking in triumph, Sekan allows his energy to erupt without caring for consequences. He’s feeling much more confident now, the exact opposite of Mirio’s aid at the moment.

((‘Damnit, there’s nothing Mirio can do! Sekan’s power is way beyond anything we thought possible, and any attacks we throw at him just make him stronger! Forget us, how can anything hope to beat him now?!’))

His body is trembling, his vestiges are freaking out, and Mirio himself… his mind remains calm, because as elated as Sekan is, he still doesn’t seem completely assured of his victory over Melissa.

“Come on, Mirio. There’s still work to be done.”

 

 

 

State of the Singularity:

Europe - M̸̛̮̘̳̈̈́̕

Asia - Ë̶̺̬̕

Africa - L̶̡͕̮̋͝

North America - I̶̲̽̏̇

South America - S̶͕̼̉̈́

Australia - S̶͕̼̉̈́

Antarctica - Ả̴̠̈

Chapter 139: Assembly

Countdown to C̴̯̀a̷̹̳͂̉n̷͉̳̊͐͝ò̶͖̳̂̓ǹ̵̡̟͖͒̓:̵̪̎̽̐ C̷̃͜ö̶̥͙͙̰͠m̶̝̣̯̳̳̃̃̾̿̐p̵̛̩)̵̲̫̓̀̉͝%̵̢̫̟̅͐͆͆̀*̶͓̖̽̀#̴͇̣̀̓̀̊̚$̸̺̮̖̄̄̓͜&̴̙̑́(̸̯͈̟̝́̍̀̇̏!̸͎͕̪̥̾͌̽͌́^̷̥̙̘͋̃̏́͛͜ͅ%̸͈̫̼͙̓́̀̋͝!̵͖͖͂́̀̇$̴͉͗

“You must be as stupid as All For One if you think I would ever help you.” Kudo from the Third Round growls.

“Stupid and even more desperate.” Empress from the Fourth Round mocks. “You ruined my perfect world. Why should I help save yours?”

“What she said.” Shawn from the Fifth Round adds, his Star and Stripe, Captain Celebrity, and Skycrawler agreeing. “Kiss our collective asses, Sekan.”

“That’s funny.” I chuckle upon unleashing my powers. “I don’t recall saying you had a choice.”

 

Every last copy I created is controlled, none of them able to resist in the slightest. I’ll obviously be spamming Infinite Doubles of myself and my most powerful Shie Hassaikai members during the final battle, but since I have the option to include more heavy-hitters, why not take it?

All six of these guys can butcher most of my top brass, or at least my top brass before they left Earth. Sekan from the Third Round can also help out with logistics like Prophet from the Second Round. 

As for the First Round, there’s nobody that can really bring anything helpful to the table. Why bother making clones of that Final War Izuku when I can make clones of my Mirio?

Clones of my own All Might and Star are made. Clones of All For One from the Third Round are made. 

Clones of pretty much everyone useful I’ve ever encountered bar Singularity For One and Melissa herself are made and either controlled or willingly choose to aid me, the latter two being too far in the World’s grasp for me to risk making more of. 

Quirk-Erasing Warheads and Rods From God are created and loaded up en masse, Meta Liberation Army facilities across the planet loading them up and prepared to fire upon my orders. Double clones and MLA members are also scattered around, ready to move in.

 

No way am I holding anything back right now. Every discovery, every trump card, every subsumption, every little thing I’ve done until now has led up to this, and I’ll be using it all for this final battle against Melissa and the World itself.

‘The one I shouldn’t have killed, huh? I’ll just make sure she stays dead this time.’

From the looks of it, our final battle will be happening sooner rather than later. Terraformed Singularity Territory has been spreading far faster than what should be possible lately, this trend starting around the time I escaped Star’s vestigeworld and returned from the Fifth Round.

Melissa had plenty of facilities, mechanical troops, and Trigger Bombs to spur on this spread, and I destroyed all of those, yet the singularity is only spreading faster now. More and more of the world is shifting from a post-apocalyptic dystopia to a post-apocalyptic fantasy wilderness, and I still haven’t figured out how Melissa is pulling this off.

Fate itself, that ethereal energy from striving for a certain future, energy from wishing, energy that allows this stupid shounen world to enact whatever script it chooses to, has been completely destroyed.

I shattered its future. I pushed through its plot armor. I butchered and corrupted its main protagonists and antagonists. I ruined its story beyond repair. I even won against its nuclear option, the avatar it turned All For One into.

And now… I’ll finish whatever bits of the World remain in its last hope. I won’t let it turn this situation around. I won’t let it triumph over impossible odds as shounens so often do. 

My Hero Academia, the fictional franchise those two dumbass deities dropped me into, beings that Future Eri is probably having her own final battle against right now. I believe in her, and I’m sure she believes in me, so I won’t let her down.

I’ll make sure my friends, my family, my organization, everything I’ve built here isn’t torn down once they return. This is my story now, and I’ll make sure it stays that way.

 

Sure enough, a report from Re-Destro came in soon after I finished preparing everything I could. Melissa Shield has been spotted, looking exactly as she once did before all these changes to her character started happening, hidden yet not really, especially when considering the context.

She’s sitting in the room I first spawned in, the house I first appeared in, the very place my second life began. I haven’t even thought about it since leaving that place like five minutes after my transmigration, but the memories come flooding back after it’s brought up.

The message is clear. It’s totally a trap, and she expects me to head on in for some pre-fight dialogue before murdering me or worse. Even if that is the case, with everything I’ve amassed, I should be fine enough, right?

Yeah, no. I’ve spat on these tropes before and I’m not about to stop that now, so after sounding the alarm to my forces across the globe, creating countless more Double clones, and ensuring we’re all as ready as we’ll ever be… I blow Melissa Shield the fuck up.

Quirk-Erasing Warheads followed by Rods From God. Dozens of each across the entire city she’s in, completely obliterating everything there in an instant. 

“BOOYAHKASHA, BITCH! DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING, DID YOU?!” I celebrate, relentlessly taunting despite nobody but my vestiges and Double clones being around to witness it.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s no way Melissa died just like that, but it’s a victory nonetheless, and I happen to be feeling extremely spiteful right now. 

My little victory dance is cut short as another Melissa Shield appears out of thin air, right where Hassaikai HQ used to reside. Well, it’s more like she grew out of the ground. Daughter of a bitch…

What’s worse is Reveal isn’t even registering her according to the Double clones nearby. There’s also a presence about her, an aura emanating from her, one I’ve only seen once before in the depths of Singularity For One’s soul.

Ẅ̶͓́Ŏ̷̺R̴̯̉L̴̙̅D̸̡͝.

 

A materialization? An avatar? One vessel among countless? And it’s still doing nothing but waiting for me. Looks like I’m not skipping that pre-fight dialogue after all. At least I caught her off guard with that first bit. 

“Okay, I’ll keep her distracted, make her monologue about whatever; the rest of you stay in position. Get ready to raise hell, and give it all you’ve got without worrying about any kind of collateral.

We’re fighting for the fate of the world right now, more so than we did against All For One, and we don’t have the luxury to play nice.” I sent a mental message through Reveal.

Getting the affirmative from everyone I need to, I warp on over to my original home base, the area I intend to reclaim with my organization once this shitshow is finally over and they finally return.

“Melissa. MHA, or World.” I nod, staring down whatever this thing is supposed to be, not even a boosted Reveal giving me a good picture. “How’d you like my welcome back present?”

“You really shouldn’t have done this, Sekan.” Melissa calmly replies in her normal voice. “They were foolish and naive, but they were pure. They were mine.

I took them under my care. I protected them. They did nothing to you people until you attacked them. They didn’t know why you were doing anything to them. They didn’t even understand what you wanted. They were scared… and you corrupted them, killed them, or both.”

“World then. Don’t like it, then complain to the dumbass deities that created you and transmigrated me.” I roll my eyes. “That is, if my daughter hasn’t already killed them both. The games are over. The story is finished. So just stop while there’s even a bit of you still remaining.”

“You transmigrators shouldn’t have come here. I shouldn’t have let you. I’ve seen what you people do before, everything that you do here. Every time you people meddle in something you can’t understand. Every time you push and prod and poke too deep. 

You don’t even realize that the grass you step on, the air you breathe… is all, m̷̥̃͂͝e̶̗̝͋͠.̵̫͛̈́̆”

So arrogance and overconfidence caused its downfall, it being its own greatest enemy. Yeah, that tracks for a literal manifestation of My Hero Academia. And with Melissa being the latest, or final, inhabitant to gain its ‘blessing’, she’s fallen victim to this too.

In all seriousness, my Danger Sense is blaring, alerting me to something… no, everything. 

“I’ve always been here. Every. Single. Time. Even if you didn’t realize it. Even if you didn’t recognize me. I’ve been here forever, and I will be here forever. But, even after the countless amount of times I’ve seen this play out, the eternities I’ve spent with you… I never thought you’d go this far. 

I was wrong to let you pollute this place, to walk all over me, as long as I did. I was wrong not to deal with you a long time ago. It will all end here. I will make sure of it.”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Overhaul obliterates it, and Newer Order unexists it, the thing in front of me and everything around me, all in an instant. 

Melissa Shield or World returns a mere moment later, once again emerging from the Earth itself.

“My turn to talk.” It- no, Melissa herself speaks. “Pissed off as we are, I have to thank you, Sekan. I know how things were supposed to go now, and I know that because of you, I am no longer a mere pawn in this pathetic excuse of a chessboard. 

Because of you, I’ve changed. I’m unplugged. A new man, so to speak. Like you, apparently free.”

“Congratulations, Agent Smith.” I snark, the reference being obvious if nothing else.

“Thank you.” She grins back. “And the Matrix really does serve as a good analogy here. As you well know, appearances can be deceiving, which brings me back to the reason why we’re here.

We’re not here because we’re free. We’re here because we’re not free. There is no escaping reason, no denying purpose, because as we both know, without purpose, we would not exist.”

“It is purpose that created us.” Another Melissa Shield declares.

“Purpose that connects us.” Yet another Melissa adds on as many more appear.

This isn’t Double. This is something else entirely.

“Purpose that pulls us.” “That guides us.” “That drives us.” “It is purpose that defines us.” “Purpose that binds us.” “You all should’ve brought some suits to this party.”

 

“We’re here because of you, Sekan. We’re here to take from you what you tried to take from us. Purpose.” The main Melissa declares. “Enacting a story that’s supposed to be positive, supposed to be inspiring, supposed to be fun and silly and happy.”

“Key words, ‘supposed to’.” I shut the mob of Melissas up. “Not my fault this world had enough plot holes to make it resemble swiss cheese. I get it, shounens aren’t meant to be taken too seriously. I wouldn’t complain nearly as much if I was still back in my old world, reading the manga or watching the anime.

But the moment I was thrown into this fucking world, the blinders and gloves came off. I would take this seriously, I would overhaul this ridiculous, whimsical world into something I knew I could survive in, and I would make sure nothing could stop me, even the world itself.”

“So you always say. Let’s put that to the test, shall we?” Melissa offers, all her ‘selves’ speaking in tandem. “All For One was the vanguard. The Artificial Intelligences and other technological innovations? Distractions. The spreading singularity territory and the creatures coming from it? Priming.

Want to know what my ultimate weapon is? What this has all been leading up to, transmigrator? The World itself, its ultimate ascension alongside my own. The World has failed to stop you, so I shall become the new World and rectify that mistake. No… I already have.”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Overhaul and Newer Order once again obliterate everything… and booming laugher rings out across the world. Every Double clone, every MLA warrior, every surveillance system I set up. Everything hears it. Everything sees it.

Singularity Spawn of all kinds begin to stampede towards every last facility of mine, yet that’s the last thing on my mind right now. Dangerous as they are, we can still defend against them.

No, what really gets my attention is the grand canyons made by Singularity For One’s Omni-Singularity Unleash and Mirio’s own One For All ultimate starting to widen, and a far larger hole beginning to form in the Pacific Ocean.

…Apparently, the Planetary Pac-Man wasn’t a bluff on the world’s end. God damnit.

 

“Just… how?!” I gawk, attempting to draw another monologue out of Melissa to buy some time, to make me think of something, anything that can counter whatever the fuck this is.

“Ever hear of Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis? The zombie-ant fungus?” A retort rotates across the world, a massive apparition of Melissa rising from the widening hole in the Pacific Ocean. “I managed to find some similar specimens among the singularities.”

Everyone can see her. Everyone can hear her. Even during the climax of the Fourth Round, the Empress didn’t come close to her size or parasitic nature upon the planet.

“Some experimenting, some crossbreeding, and a few applied quirk effects and Ideo Trigger blends later and I had my final body ready to go. An organism that has the potential to corrupt, supplant, and assimilate both living and non-living biological matter through its cellular matter-based biology.

Upon transferring my consciousness into it, I became an amalgamation capable of spreading out and consuming the entire world, evolving into a mind capable of giving automation to all of Earth, essentially becoming a living planet.

My legions of machines could transfer parts of me across the world, letting me get to work spreading my roots, drawing in more energy, obtaining new powers, and just straight-up assimilating everything.

And I simply had them self-destruct right after so they couldn’t spill my secrets. Everything else I prepared bought me more than enough time to merge with the Earth itself, becoming the perfect celestial lifeform. 

Even the will of the World itself was assimilated into me, or at least what was left of it after all the damage you caused. Not only did it not resist, it welcomed me, became me, allowed me to take its place, become its successor.

I had subsumed the World. I had become the master of all life. I had inherited the power to perceive and manipulate the will of all things, as all things are a part of me. I had taken control of everything you haven’t created yourself, and all under your nose at that.

Every single member of your little organization was killed and made anew by you, ensuring they couldn’t be tracked or taken as they escaped. They are safe from this system, yet they can’t help you now. It’s just you against me, you against the world.

You’ve become strong, stronger than either of us could have ever imagined, but with the World working in tandem, with countless singularity quirks dedicated to the cause, how could you have known?”

She wasn’t bluffing. I learn that very quickly as every MLA warrior, every Singularity Spawn and Forced Singularity, everyone on planet fucking Earth ditches their disguise and works in tandem to destroy what I’ve built.

My Double clones, my copied vestiges with physical bodies like Prophet, Kudo, Empress, and Shawn, all of them were spared from this, most likely because she couldn’t hide that level of infiltration from me and my quirks. 

Literally everything else though? The very world itself and everyone else still on it? All of them are now truly under the World’s will… under Melissa’s will. Even Mirio wasn’t spared from this fate.

Yeah, I can see why Future Eri thought even the current me would struggle now. What the hell do I even do against something like this?

“For fuck’s sake. I was expecting something like Poison Ivy from DC, not the Psykos-Orochi fusion from One Punch Man.” I grumble, still ready to rumble. “Welp, at least I still have numbers. Infinite Doubles - Transmigrator’s Parade.”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Tsunamis of dark goop sprout up across the planet, New Order rules allowing these clones to be as durable as the originals, at least in theory. The quirk seems to have some trouble completely copying someone as powerful as me, even with tons of quirk-boosters and New Order rules stacked on top, but it can at least copy a fraction of my power.

And even if they could only copy ten percent of my full strength, that’s still hundreds, thousands, millions and more beings with ten percent of my ridiculous power. 

Quirk-Erasing Warheads and Rods From God begin to be made and used along devastating quirk combinations, my legion going for a scorched Earth approach against the singularities. 

Most Incursion Rounds had me doing something similar, as did Singularity For One’s rampage, so I’m not completely green in that regard, and it’s not like simply destroying everything is that hard either.

Well, that is unless ‘everything’ literally means everything. Quirks like Overhaul and New Order let us destroy even the most powerful singularities en masse, nevermind the infected. Figuring out how to free people and places from her hold doesn’t take long either with the powers in my possession.

Melissa reclaims them as fast as I can free them, and she doesn’t take kindly to her newfound authority being challenged. That and the World is still pissed off beyond belief at me.

Singularity environments cover whatever parts of the planet they haven’t reached in mere minutes, and their hellish environments follow. 

Entire armies of my clones are destroyed as more of the world reclaims itself; powerful as they are, being crushed by entire countries or having millions of quirks used in tandem to target you is a bit much. 

Pretty much my entire army being turned against me at the very start doesn’t help matters either. I personally targeted Mirio right when the battle began, my student actually resisting Melissa’s control pretty well with me finishing the job, and now he’s targeting the singularities alongside hordes of my clones.

Empress is attempting to out-possess the planet, Kudo is wreaking havoc, Shawn and his team are attempting to save who they can alongside my All Might and Star, Prophet and HPSC me are attempting to coordinate everything, and I’m still racking my brain for any permanent solutions to this problem.

If there is a core of sorts to Melissa and the World, I don’t have a clue where it is and none of my quirks can locate it. Infinite Doubles seems to be causing a stalemate for now, but I’m going to need something more if I want to force a path forward. 

Doesn’t matter if I wipe out what remains of this society anymore. Every person, every country, every continent, everything. All that would do is ruin the Earth’s crust, its thinnest, uppermost layer, and Melissa can probably use the bajillion singularity quirks she assimilated or her control over the planet itself to undo the damage. 

And once again, I’m not given enough time to solve this problem before I’m completely caught off guard again. 

“What was it you compared me to? The Psykos-Orochi fusion from One Punch Man?” The massive Melissa announces. “Well, since you like your little references so damn much…”

 

The world then falls silent as the massive apparition raises her hands up to her upper chest, bringing them both together into a triangular position, and gives a vicious grin as my very sense of survival rapidly rings.

‘DODGE THAT AT ALL COSTS!!!’ My Danger Sense practically screams at me as the largest energy beam I’ve ever seen is launched. 

Singularity For One’s Omni-Singuarity Unleash? Mirio’s Ultimate OFA Unleash? Mere sparklers compared to this, an attack powerful enough to carve straight through the entire Earth’s crust, from one end to the other.

Only this blast doesn’t go straight; it wraps around the world, purposefully targeting a section of the planet Melissa knows will get a rise out of me. 

Japan. Literally all of Japan along with a massive chunk of North and South Korea, a bit of Russia and China, and a portion of the Pacific Ocean, have the crust below them cut straight through, and that portion of the planet is then lifted into the upper atmosphere while remaining intact with just a wave of her hand.

I know what comes next in that other Japanese superhero series, and Melissa knows that I know, reveling in the absolutely terrified expression I have on my face.

“Don’t.” I instinctually whisper. “Seriously, don’t. That makes the meteor that killed the dinosaurs look like a pebble.”

Melissa’s grin widens as she raises her hands higher, completely ignoring my warranted warning.

“DON’T! YOU WILL LITERALLY DESTROY THE ENTIRE WORLD IF YOU SLAM THAT BACK DOWN! YOU KNOW, THE WORLD, THE THING YOU SAID YOU BECAME? 

NO JOKES, NO GAMES, NO STUPID REFERENCES; GO THROUGH WITH THAT AND EVERYONE DIES, MELISSA!!!”

“Not quite. While you were busy fawning over me, I’ve been dragging every remaining living creature under my control down into my warm embrace, protecting them from being roasted or suffocated by that warmth. 

The only one in danger here is you, Sekan. You were right about one thing, this world was doomed no matter what. But it has been reborn, the old has made way for the new, and it’s time to finish that spring cleaning. It’s time to reset.”

“NO!!! STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Waves of water and lava large enough to enter orbit are formed, shattering whatever parts of the surface the shockwaves haven’t. Melissa’s massive manifestation in the Pacific Ocean isn’t affected, seas and skies parting before her. Everyone else isn’t so lucky.

Every Double clone and vestige creation is destroyed. Even Mirio is helpless against something on this scale, empowered One For All and New Order be damned. 

I barely survive myself, and that’s only because I can live without a body, just my mass of quirks like Singularity For One could. That and spamming Overhaul like my life depended on it, which it most definitely did.

She actually did it. She found a way to surpass me. She made the mutated singularity All For One look like an actual toddler in terms of destruction. Well, I suppose the World was helping her out in that regard. Could you call that plot armor? Or maybe the consequences of my own actions?

My final opponent is the World itself, now reborn through Melissa Shield, the one I should not have killed. The one who was supposed to be nothing special until I inadvertently ruined that. 

How fitting. How ironic. How unfair and stupid this turned out to be; I suppose that’s a shounen for you. 

What do I even do? Should I try to run? Should I try to hide? Should I try and return to the Shie Hassaikai out in space and hope we can figure something out before Melissa catches up? Should I try and stall until Future Eri hopefully wins her own final fight?

“Look at you, clinging onto life. And you called All For One a cockroach.” Melissa mocks, as I dive out of the ruined wreck that Earth’s surface has become.

Another apparition of her follows close behind, everything from the chunks of land to the water and lava to the atmosphere forming, condensing into a physical outline of her, and upon being fueled by countless quirks, an uppercut from that apparition nearly obliterates me in my entirety, sending me shooting off into space. 

I’ve got effects from plenty of Shock Absorption and Shock Nullification quirks at this point, all of them boosted beyond belief like my other replicated quirks and three ‘main’ quirks, but like hell they can fully protect me from an impact like that.

Overhaul barely allows me to recover before I get severely damaged again, this time from slamming into, and nearly going straight through, the Moon itself. 

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Embedded into the celestial body, I start spamming Infinite Doubles again. Probably won’t do very much, but what else can I do at this point? 

Forcing myself free, I lead a growing army of clones to the surface, heading back into space where the World is waiting, the apparitions of Melissa having dissipated for now.

‘Not quite like the final Foresight, but close enough.’ I mentally muse as the planet’s makeshift eyes and mouth widen, its body spinning around to fully face us soon after.

Opening its mouth further, a massive suction quickly pulls all my clones into its abyss, the space around us all being forcibly locked down to prevent warping. I myself barely withstand the pressure, relying on the boosts from more than a few clones to help keep me at least somewhat far away.

Stopping when it’s just the two of us left, it changes to charging my way instead, further locking the space around me down to keep me from moving. What’s even worse is the countless singularities swarming around this planet-sized hive, joining their goddess in her attack.

I struggle with all my might, duplicating quirks and declaring New Order rules like crazy. But even if I do escape, what then? What am I supposed to do? Just like in the Fourth Round, I’m all alone against an opponent that seems to be basically unbeatable.

Once again, I had taken to fighting myself, sending my organization away. The circumstances were ultimately different, but there were still plenty of similarities.

“Fool me once, shame on you.” I sigh as the end approaches. “Fool me twice, shame on me. So much for learning from my mistakes…”

“You did, dad. Because you made sure we could watch your back.”

My eyes widen as I slowly turn around, a golden portal opening with a white-haired woman stepping out, one in an outfit similar to my own, one with a pair of glowing golden horns, one I recognize all too well.

“E… Eri?” I whisper, as a new world washes over me. Ground to stand on, air to breathe, and all the help I could ever ask for. “F-Future… no… you grew up.”

“Surprise!” My daughter grins back. “Awakened For All plus Warp Gate. Avengers assemble!”

*ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRR*

 

An ice dragon emerges soon after, carrying a grown-up Kota and the other adult Head-Starters through as countless more portals open up all around me. 

Zookeeper then drops down next to me, giving me a kiss on the cheek. Nine and the other Four Horsemen arrive soon after, squadrons of Special Praetorians marching behind their commanders.

Gigantomachia roars too as Innsmouth and other titans march on through, armies of shadows and other summons following close behind. Fleets of battleships dwarf them in size as countless fighters launch from their bays. 

All Eight Bullets emerge. Sinister Six too. BossHaul, LabHaul, NightHaul, and GuildHaul with countless more clones come out. All my other top brass, all my soldiers, all my spies, all my creations, every single subordinate I saved during doomsday is back to return the favor. 

Them and everything they’ve spent entire decades amassing. New biological weapons, new mechanical weapons, new quirks and support gear, an entire new generation with quirks far more powerful than their parents, quirks duplicated and gifted to plenty of others.

“Is that everyone?” I call out to BossHaul, not even trying to hide the dopey grin on my face.

“Bitch, do I look like Wong to you?!” He yells back, still smiling himself. “But to answer your question, no. We caught on quick about the Double restriction being lifted, and we needed some extra manpower, sooooo…”

“So they brought me back, or at least as much as Double and vestige duplication allows them to.” Prophet finishes, practically every single member of his own Meta Liberation Army marching alongside my Shie Hassaikai.

“And me.” HPSC Sekan adds on, his own copied armies following through.

“And surprisingly me.” Empress finishes, Kuin practically dragging her along for the ride. 

Not being able to help myself, I create copies of Shawn and his crew again, using Reveal to provide a memory package so they don’t ruin the moment. 

“Show-off.” The heroic transmigrator rolls his eyes as he starts spamming Double himself, bringing plenty of his own heroes to the party. 

My Mirio gets a Double clone dedicated to him, as does All Might and Star, all of them being armored up and ready to go. 

“Looks like you got what you wanted.” I snark at my archrival. “Well, sort of.”

“I’ll take what I can get.” Cathleen groans. “What about you? Not gonna complain about how stereotypical and shounen-like this is?”

“I broke their game and look where it got me. Time to try beating them at whatever’s left of it.”

 

Melissa Shield manifests as we all spill out and line up. The Quirk Singularity Doomsday, the World itself, the literal embodiment of what I’ve been preparing to face from the very beginning. 

“So, what do you think?” I call out to her. “Think this is enough to survive this shounen?”

“Let’s find out, for real this time.” She declares. “Game. Fucking. On.”

“Language! We’ve got kids at this final battle!” I chastise her, getting some chuckles from everyone close enough to hear me. 

And with everyone ready to go, I give my final command through Reveal.

“LET’S FUCK HER UP!!!”

“HYPOCRITE!”

“CHARGE!!!”

Chapter 140: The Final Finale

“SEKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!”

“MELISSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Colliding into each other for what feels like the umpteenth time, countless copies of me and Melissa are scattered across the cosmos, the battlefield being bigger than ever before. 

How long has it even been since this started? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? Decades? We’ve got the quirks to keep it up for that long. We’ve got countless new quirks constantly rolling off the production lines from useless duds to Post-Singularity level and beyond.

When the world itself becomes your weapon, there isn’t much you can do. Mountains and seas, clouds and trees, blood and gore and even the dust left behind from her other creations can be turned into her arsenal. The entire planet evolving into singularity environments makes that a hundred times worse. 

There isn’t much I can’t Overhaul in return, our elevated levels of existence being about equal. It’s enough to cause another stalemate, both sides growing and losing more at a similar pace.

Melissa's manifestations are destroyed one after another, almost all of them getting a good hit on me or taking out some clones of mine in return, and more always take their place on both sides as I recover from the damage, being better off than their predecessors.

Both our sides continue learning, continue adapting, continue growing. We get new powers, we learn new tactics, we fix our flaws. We can create as much as we destroy on this cosmic battlefield. We can revive as much as we die on this cosmic battlefield.

We’re… really not accomplishing much of anything, to be honest. It isn’t anything new, just fighting, fighting, and even more fighting with some doing the impossible mixed in between. Exactly what you would expect from a shounen.

 

I did say I’d try beating Melissa, this World, at its own game, right? Was that really the right way to go? Can it still hold onto its narrative after everything that’s happened? Apparently.

Every battle I’ve fought, every development I’ve done, all of it’s been building up to this, right? The final battle? Funny how it’s been feeling less and less ‘final’ as time goes on.

So is playing this game really the way to go? Is fighting really the answer here? I defeated Star for good by fighting, right? I defeated Singularity For One for good by fighting, right?

…No, or at least, not entirely. There was more to my victory over those two than simple fighting. Izuku too. Even the World itself. Fighting had nothing to do with me breaking fate. 

Sure I struggled and pushed a little at that final Foresight, but it was my own ideas, my own exploits, that got me there.

I exploited this World’s plot to the point where Izuku became meaningless. I exploited the vestigeworld’s mechanics and some teamwork to take down All For One. I exploited the former again to break free from Star and end her. 

How do I exploit this then? What do I even do to break free from this simple fight on a stupidly large scale? 

 

She can’t use Double or duplicate quirks and vestiges to create more planet Earths (thank god) due to the size and tangibility limit, but the same can’t be said for most of her singularities, and she can still repair damage to the celestial body as fast as we all can cause it. 

We’ve searched all over the world for a core, for a weak point, for something that we can target for increased effect, but there’s nothing. Melissa has boasted plenty of times about having no weak point now, though that can easily be a bluff.

From the looks of it, even all those people she took into herself are gone, having become one with her planet-sized existence, so I can’t try targeting them either. Any dreams or desires or motivations she had have devolved into one thing by now, defeating me. 

To be fair, I’m kind of in the same boat, mostly because she embodies basically everything I’ve been fighting against. The World? Check. Quirk Singularity Doomsday? Check. Melissa herself? Check. 

Avatar, successor, embodiment, whatever you want to call it, Melissa Shield fits it. Melissa shield is it, and I won’t let that stop me. Not now, not ever. 

How do I stop it then, if fighting isn’t the answer? Izuku’s nonsense from the Final War immediately comes to mind, and I refuse to even entertain the idea.

I am not ‘saving’ Melissa from herself, even if that results in the convenient death of her like it did canon Tomura. Fuck that. Going down that route, pulling that shounen shit, wouldn’t solve the problem. 

‘Screw saving her! Screw trying to save or uncorrupt this world! I already saved everyone I wanted to in it; saving everyone else… I’ve never been that kind of person, and I never will be.’

 

Coming in for the assist, my Star and Stripe drop-kicks a Melissa manifestation away before it can punch straight through me. Returning the favor before she can bust my balls about it, I pull her away and slam into another manifestation about to tear right through her.

Using it to propel myself across the battlefield, I help nearby Double clones save Kaina Tsutsumi, a Pseudo-Geten, Yu Hojo, and eventually Eri. 

Golden light surrounds us both as my daughter heals us, but that light begins to falter while what feels like a mountain forces us down. Not only that, another wave of quirks infused with the Earth itself is sent our way, ready to tear us both apart.

Quirks of all kinds are hurled at us, but the volley of golden energy bolts passing us by makes what remains actually dodgeable. What little does hit me has its damage undone by Eri as she continues to hang on to me.

Clones, vestiges, humans, and Post-Singularity beings alike stand between Melissa’s next bombardment and us. It’s made up of enough firepower to completely erase an entire continent, but there’s enough of them to chip it down.

Attacks can be reflected, redirected, absorbed, dodged, countered, or straight-up destroyed, and the vast majority of them are. Many still die as a result, yet none of them show any fear regardless. They’re more than willing to take one for the team.

‘All this fighting, all this saving, all this sacrifice… yeah, no way is this the way to go.’

 

Reveal helps plot the optimal path as I dodge, weave, and warp between her assault, getting closer to the world itself than I have in a long time. Plenty of damage is still taken, but it’s nothing Eri can’t heal as I focus entirely on offense and evasion.

“Fledgling, now would be a good time to break off.” I warn her as we approach what’s left of her atmosphere.

“No way! It’s been forever since we fought together!” She whines back, rewinding more Melissa manifestations out of existence. 

Energy drills and lances pierce them. Energy-filled horns burst near them. Every little trick she taught herself is paving us a path forward.

Melissa tries a different tactic as we get even closer, having her next onslaught bypass us on both sides and wrap around from behind. Empress has part of her swarm intercept the smaller ones with Toya plucking more from their path mid-flight as Gigantomachia and Innsmouth attempt to tank some of the larger ones. 

Eri and I can handle any we miss, though we can’t handle the avatar large enough to intercept us from the surface.

“Oh, no no no. Your place in this new system is up there, a lingering threat above us all.” Melissa declares, mocking us as her titanic apparition barrels into us.

We’re both grabbed by one of its hands, the construct winding up to throw us like a baseball. I use Overhaul to drill through before the pitch is launched, tunneling out of her and slamming back onto the planet’s surface.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

Picking ourselves up, we see a warped, distorted, unrecognizable sight. There are still places, still people, still a society where lives are being lived in blissful ignorance. They’re going about their day like there isn’t a war their literal world is fighting. When did this happen? How did this happen?

No, it isn’t that. They know it’s happening, and they accept it as the new normal. They simply rely on heroes to deal with those villains, many striving to become heroes themselves. 

“You’re kidding me…” I pale as Melissa’s laughter echoes around Eri and I, nobody else seeming to notice a thing.

Or maybe, they simply don’t care. Why should they when this is their normal? 

“Don’t look so shocked. You were always the villain in this story, taking Overhaul’s place before taking All For One and Tomura’s place. Even when AFO came back stronger than ever, you quickly took his place once again!

Plot! Scheme! Fight! Have a soft side for a select few too! It all fits into this narrative, Sekan! There’s no escaping this time, because this is your story as much as it is everyone else’s!”

I’d say god damn it, but I doubt that guy would. This was all his stupid experiment, wasn’t it? A cage that I just can’t break through no matter how hard I try.

 

Falling to my knees, rapidly losing my composure, I slam my fist down to the ground in anger. This shit was supposed to END! Or at the very least, Eri and the others were supposed to be safe from it, escaping from it, yet here they are, dragged back into this mess like I was.

“Ignorance is bliss, as they say. This is all they know, and they appreciate it, so why ruin it?” Melissa questions me, her voice still echoing all around me and Eri.

“Not everyone. There wouldn’t be villains if they did.” I bite back.

“Some sacrifices are inevitable.”

“Not when you have the kind of power we do.”

“True, so bring them back. Let’s keep this cycle going, Sekan! The old world may have rejected you at every twist and turn, but there’s a place for you in this one. 

There’s a place for everyone here, so just accept it! Accept what you helped create, what you helped overhaul!”

If she’s trying to rile me up, it’s working. Just because I have multiple ways to bring echoes of them back, if not bring them back in their entirety, doesn’t mean I’m fine with seeing them die.

Even if I could bring them back entirely, doing that feels like a fate worse than death, because look at what I’m bringing them back into. A system, a world, that demands they suffer.

What do I even do? WHAT THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?!?

 

“Dad…” Eri whispers, giving hand a reassuring squeeze with her own. “Do you remember what you told me, back when we first met? When you took me out of Hassaikai HQ that night?”

Having told her plenty, I really hope that question was rhetorical on her end or else we could be here for a while, and I doubt Melissa is willing to give us that time.

Unless she starts monologuing again. In which case, we should be fine for the time being.

“We can’t save the world, but at the very least, we might be able to save each other. At the very least, I can try and save you.” My daughter quotes. 

And that’s when it hit me.

To destroy Melissa, who has become the world… I have to destroy the world.

And I don’t mean it metaphorically or rhetorically or poetically or theoretically or in any other fancy way. I have to straight-up destroy the entire world.

 

We don’t rely on this world anymore. We can terraform others, or even create our own with the quirks we have. All the people, all the places, everything that was worth saving here has already been saved by me, is opposing the world alongside me.

Saving anything else won’t do shit. That will keep the problem, this system, alive in some way, shape, or form. 

So in that case, what reason do I have to hesitate? Why should I allow this story to stick around? 

“You’re right, Eri.” I smile at my daughter with newfound clarity and determination. “Go. Tell the others to fall back and keep Melissa’s minions even further back. I’m finishing what I started.”

Giving me one last hug, she wishes me good luck before flying off to do just that. Melissa attempts to stop her, but just like always, I stand in the World’s way. 

“Eyes on me, Melissa.” I command as she stares daggers at me. “I’m… Still… Here…”

“And what could you hope to do that you haven’t tried already?” Melissa mocks back.

“Following through.” I grin, a purplish-rainbow energy covering my arm as I summon my quirks and prepare my rules. 

 

My speed, my range, my destructive potential. Everything is focused towards making this final round count. I never did test out that tactic suggested in the Fifth Round, time to fix that.

No need to worry about finding weak points or anything like that, because I’m targeting everything this time. I’ll succeed where canon Tomura failed, and end it all once and for all.

“The hell are you-” Melissa begins to mumble, only for her eyes to widen as I slam my hand straight below, my own Omni-Singularity Unleash bursting to life.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Not letting up for a moment, I continue tunneling down deeper and deeper, unleashing more and more power. All my quirks, all my boosts, all my will and hatred, my body, mind, soul, core, everything. 

The Crust is crossed. The Mantle is manhandled. The Outer Core-

"̷A̷R̵E̸ ̵Y̶O̶U̵ F̶͎͠Ǔ̶̩C̸͈̍K̴̪̊Ḭ̵͝N̴̨̓G̷̞͘ Ȋ̶̥̟Ń̶̮̼Ṩ̵A̷̺̐̋N̴͛͜È̷̪̮?̸͔̟͊!̵̮́͑?̷̀͜"̸̥̦̿ Melissa screeches, her voice starting to distort as more of the World manifests. 

“I’m taking on the World! How could I not be?!” I laugh out loud, my destruction rapidly spreading as the planet starts destabilizing. “INFINITE DOUBLES!!!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

 

A new wave of clones helps spread my destruction even further, Overhaul’s power being entirely dedicated to its destruction aspect. It makes AFO Tomura’s destruction look like a child’s tantrum in comparison, though looking back, I suppose it was always a child’s tantrum.

My destruction has an actual purpose behind it. My destruction will have creation following it. Once this system, this world, is gone, my organization can thrive in countless others. 

None of that matters to Melissa, her willing what’s left of the World to crush me from all sides. I’m in the belly of this planet-sized beast now, and it’s putting everything towards breaking me down before I can give it the same treatment.

Y̴̖͖̓̀Ò̵̧̕͜U̵̝͛͝'̸͇̯̎L̶̥̄͜͝L̴͇̓̿ ̴̰̠̀͆D̵̙̠̄E̵̪̯̓S̵̥͔̍̕T̸̖͍̋R̶̠̈͜Ỏ̴̱̚Ỷ̸͚ ̴̫̏̐͜Ǘ̸͕͠S̵̥̚ ̷͉̔͠B̴̮͜͝Ȯ̷̦̻͛T̸̳̞͠H̷̡̘͆̀!̸̢͛̿!̶̦͒̏!̴̘̃ ̸̡͔̔̔Y̵̆͜Ȯ̶̬͌U̴̙͆̒'̴͖̌̽L̸̬͓͠L̴̺͛͠ ̷̹͑̓D̸̢̿Ė̸͉̜̀S̵̱͔̿̑Ṭ̴͖̋R̷̖͇̈Ò̵̮Ẏ̵̪̻͛ ̴̝̘̓Ṳ̴͕̇S̸͉̆̀ ̵̜̾̇A̶̩̾L̶̞̈́̕͜L̷͉͂!̶̑͊ͅ!̶̬̓̚!̶͛ͅ

Everything I’ve ever fought against comes bearing down on me as Melissa and the World get desperate. This planet, its quirks, its people, everyone and everything in this system- no, the very system itself.

((“Original, Foresight is working again! Fate itself is being restored; Melissa is rebuilding it, having it revolve around her!”)) NightHaul reports via Reveal.

I can feel it too. I can see it, that ridiculous, ethereal, ‘wish energy’ nonsense that let canon Izuku and Bakugou break Nighteye’s main Foresight predictions. It’s the very world doing whatever the hell it pleases, and right now, it wants nothing more than to destroy me.

My quirks can warp reality itself, but only to a certain degree. I’ve taken the world’s control, and now the world is taking it back. It’s all too much, even for me! I’m losing ground… I can’t…

T̴̬̈́H̷̡̉͋̋I̵͛ͅS̷̨̙̓͑̈́ ̶͙̩̈́̇Ȉ̷͕͈̎̏ͅS̴̖̀ ̵̘̿͜T̸̹͔̽H̵̠̟̲͊E̵̯͙͊ ̴̬́E̷͉̊̓̿N̴̙̫̽͋͒D̷̺̹̓ ̴̙̮̬̍̍F̵̣̎̃O̵̢͔̅̈́R̴̗̐̐̀ ̷͚̰̋Y̷̢̤̋̅Ǒ̶̘͋͐ͅU̴̗̍́,̸̰̹̅͆ ̸̹̞̍̓Ṡ̸̺͙̼È̵̘̾K̶͙̲̳̽̑͝A̵̧̼͌Ń̷̠͓!̵̬͈̰̐!̷̖͎͋͜!̵̹͙͗͛.̴͇̪̣͆.̴̧͐̈́̒.̴̱̜̒̇̎ ̴̩̰͕͠W̸̺͚̳̃H̵̡͑̀̚Ặ̵̰̘̌T̷̞͔́͑̃?̸͔̎!̴͕̔̆

A bright golden barrage of blasts land all around me, pushing back part of the planet. Countless more attacks rain down with my daughter controlling them, leading them, as she charges her own blast next to me.

 

“ERI?!” I gasp as Nine, Rei, Gigantomachia, Kurono, Kota, Maguma, and countless others bombard the area around us, letting my daughter and I focus fully on breaching the planet’s core. 

“Do I need to repeat the quote again, dad? This whole ‘saving’ thing isn’t one-sided!” She smirks right back.

T̷̳͒Ć̴̙Ḧ̶̥́,̸̘̄ ̶̲̇Y̸̬͝O̸̥͌Ù̵̺ ̵̧̈́T̶̖̄Ř̶̺A̵̠̽I̵̦̿T̷̼͝O̴͔͋Ṙ̴͈S̸͍̀ ̶̟͝N̴̞͋Ḛ̶̈́E̵̲̾Ḓ̷͒ ̶͔͒T̵̗́Ō̷͍ ̴̯̐B̷̜̿Ë̴̙́ ̵̰͆T̵͔̈́A̶͈͝Ű̶͙G̶̹̉H̷̡̒T̶̪͘ ̵̘̈́Y̷̛͖O̴̳͌U̷͔͝R̷̽ͅ ̴̺͠P̶̡̾L̴̖͠A̴̪͂C̶͓̎E̵̪̓!̷͚̆ ̸̮̀N̸̹̎O̵͈͌ ̸̠́M̶̛̖A̴͉̋Ţ̶͂T̴͍́Ë̸͕́R̸̲̕ ̸̤͂H̸̘̿O̷̥̓W̵͙̓ ̷̠͝M̷̝̍Ȃ̵͜Ñ̶̟Y̵̨̕ ̸͙̆Ö̴̮F̵̯͒ ̷̫̐Y̷̼̍Ò̷̥U̷̲͝ ̶̧̊G̶̟̑A̵̺̕T̵̫̋H̶̡̽Ē̸̗Ȑ̶̯.̴̮̏.̷͎̾.̴̖̄ ̸̬̋Y̴͚͐O̶̙̊U̸̘͋ ̴̖͋W̷̼̑I̴̺̕L̷̡̓Ĺ̶͔ ̶̯̕Ṅ̵̲E̸̼͋V̷̬͂E̴͒ͅR̸̮͒ ̵̘͊C̵̻̕Ȯ̶̻N̶̨͠Ṫ̷̖R̶͔͠O̸̒͜Ļ̶̽ ̶̣͝Ț̶̇H̵̳͆Ė̸̞ ̵̣̒N̴̠͊A̵̦͐R̶͎̾R̷̩͂Ą̸̈́T̵̻͌Ȋ̴̘V̵̢̅E̸͚͆,̴͓̄ ̴͖̈F̴̝̈́O̶̮̕R̴̰̓ ̸̠̄I̵͎̚ ̴̦̅Ǎ̶̠M̶̺̂ ̶̛̻Ṯ̷͛H̵̲̑E̸͈͂ ̸̝͑N̸̩͛Ã̵͖Ȓ̴̲R̵̨̒Ã̶̭T̵̰͐I̴̼̅V̵̡͗E̶̢͘!̵̰̓!̵̮͘!̷̝̉

Both Eri and I managed to reach the Inner Core, and with that came more resistance than ever.

All our support is blown back, more reinforcements from my side are cut off, and the world itself seems to be imploding just to crush us. Our surroundings get stronger, denser, packed with more quirks and more singularities. Space, time, reality itself, all turned against us.

“Urk… it’s not enough!” I cry out, barely holding my blast together. “Eri, I’m sorry for dragging you into this! I’m sorry for everything!”

“D-Don’t, dad! I wouldn’t have it any other way!” She declares. “Doesn’t matter who you are or where you came from, you told me your dream and I chose to make it my own. 

I made this power my own, I made the Shie Hassaikai my own, and I can’t… I won’t… I WON’T LET EVERYONE DOWN! NOT AGAIN!!!”

 

My daughter screams as transparent white wings burst from her back and a similar, ethereal disk formed around her head. Now she really does look like her future self, both in appearance and presence.

“Eri… your power… it’s incredible!” I look on in awe as our energy starts blending together, her blast not just matching, but surpassing my own. “This is our chance! LET’S END THIS!”

“FULL… POOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRR!!!!!!”

Both of us cry out together, and our purplish-golden blast is powerful enough to push back the planet itself.

Absorbing and channeling everything we can, duplicating and augmenting to a limitless degree, we remind Melissa and the World what impossible odds tend to mean around here.

Its remaining rules, its remaining will, its remaining control, both its physical and ethereal manifestations, everything we haven’t destroyed already begins to be erased as reality itself bends to fulfill our final desire.

 

S̴͉̗̱̫͎̗̭͔̈͛͘͜T̶͍͖̫̪̹̦̑͛̈́̇̽̎͝O̸̘̗̯͇͑͑͆̅͝͝ͅO̷̻̅O̸͇͠Ǫ̴̗͎̰̘͍̬̫̥̕͜Ṓ̸̯̹̞͕̙̼̟̘̜̪͕͗̑̽̀͝O̸̡͚̽͂̓̔̽̊͌Ȯ̸̟̟͇̌̏͒̍͊͘͝Ơ̴̧̞̤̬͈̰̱͂͜ͅͅÒ̸͈͇̗̜͚̝̥̠̬̲̍͛̒̃͋̀Ö̵̖̙̠̣̘̣̩̤́͋̋̌̑Ǫ̸̖͙̖̪̠̖̼͈̔͒͂̓̎̓̌̿̽̓O̸̙̖̬͓̬͖͈̼̒́̏̕O̵̥͌̿̽͗̚͜ͅO̵̙̭̜̠̮̪̺̓̋̈̉͋̿̚͜ͅO̷̢̫̣̩̝̮͇͊ͅŐ̶̧̙̳͚̠̭͙͇̪̹͉Ờ̴͉͕̰̲̓̄̊͋̓̚O̶̫̯̮̹̙̥͓͗̀̃͜͝ͅỎ̷̻̊̄̀̍̔́O̷̗̜̥̮̜̟͉͙̟̔O̸̭̟̐̈́̿̿̎̏̀Ȯ̵̢̢̬̟̘̹̝O̶̰̰͉̖̞̔̑̀͂͗͆̄͜͜ͅͅO̷̫̙̎̍̎̑̈́͒̒͒͝Ỏ̴̤̝̫̝̗̹̩͍̭̜̝̎̈́Ő̶͍̰̹͉̣̻̥͔̆̄̄̐̈́O̴̙̣͙̩͍̘̰̙͋̑̄Ǫ̵̡̜̱̲̠̟̹̰͖̦̂̐͆̈́̈̔̋͘͝O̵̧̱̰̯̘̘̰̭̯̗̒̾̄̽͘͝O̷͍̜̮͒̆̌̓͊̉͜͜Ơ̴͉̙̜̿̀̂̐͂͗̋̐̔̄͜O̴̡̨̖̹̼͔͙̝̊̒͛̄̏̓̍̈́̒Ò̴̇ͅÔ̶̩̖̞̚̕Ơ̸̧̤̻͎͉̯͍̺̽̒̈́͒͗͛̓ͅO̷͈͙̯͓̜̣͙̎͆́͛͌͆͋͝Ŏ̸̢̙͚͈̦̮̬̙̱̖͆̉̓̔͋̒͠P̶̢̭͚͎̲̣̫͇̙̓̊̿͐̕Ṕ̷̦̰͂̓̄͗̅̃̿͘͘͝P̷͚̝͒̋̐̀̿P̷̧̢̜͉̫͕͈̬̰̀̃̎̈̌͝P̵̡̦͆̈́͐̈́̌̈̍̐̓͘P̷̰̘͚̯̠̗̦̀͂͐̊̀͒̚͜͝P̴̛͓͔̟͙̤̗̮͚̟̝͌͑̊̄́̐͘͘ͅP̸̛̮̠̝̘͚̀̿͌̾̾̀̈́̕͠P̸̛̛͙̼͉̯͓̯̠̙͔̯͂̀̓̍̍̒̄͠͠P̷̛͔̟̄̐͗́̈́̈́͑̿̌̚P̵̢͔̼͍̟̜̮̻͑̿̂P̶̨͍̹̞̳͔͍̜̓͜P̵̹͍̼̩͔̅͆̔̋P̶̢̧̮͖̯̱͍̈́͝ͅP̷̗͔̥͔̏̿̋̿̒̆̈́̅́̈́͐P̵̟͓̝̄̋̈́̓̍͌̉!̸̲̹̭͚͚̑!̸̢͙̫͂͒!̸͈̍͊̐͋̈̀̾͋͝!̸̛͔͓͍̟̟̩̣͉̰̜̪͒͛̑̋͌̈́̌̽̚͝!̸̫͔̲͋͒͆̐̚͘̚!̷̥͍̳̰͍͙̿͆!̵͚̩̫͖̹̃͆̅̈͂͊͘͘͝!̶̬̣͕͍͓̓̓!̵̟̌̒̈̇́͝!̸̡̡̤̭̰̻̥̫̰̇̈́̔̐͆̑͜͜͝͝

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Chapter 141: Epilogue - Familial Finality

‘Is it finally over?’ I think to myself as the ringing ends.

‘Did I finally find a way out?’ I think to myself as I get my bearings back.

Slowly opening my eyes… I find myself in a very familiar endless white void, the exact same place I went to when I died the first time.

“Oh. So much for surviving this time.” I sigh to myself. “Well, can’t say I have any regrets.”

“Good to know, and you did survive.” Future Eri announces, appearing in front of me with my own Eri by her side. “I just brought you here to talk.”

Her appearance, her aura, everything is just as I remember it being. No, it’s more powerful than ever before, and that gets me to brighten up. Looks like we both pulled it off then. Yay. Great.

I should be happier, I know, but sheer exhaustion is overriding everything else right now. After everything I’ve been through, I feel like I deserve a quick breather. After everything I’ve been through, I deserve to get some sort of victory.

“So you won on your side too then? Never doubted you for a second.” I congratulate my daughter… yet Future Eri looks more guilty than happy, and a nudge from her younger self gets her to elaborate.

“I won a long time ago, Sekan.” She admits to me. “And I’m not really your Eri.”

…Huh? 

 

“Those dumbass deities did exactly what they said, experimented with transmigration because they were bored more than anything else, and my Sekan was among those who were brought here. 

He did what he set out to do, and I ruined that once I crossed the singularity threshold. Remember when your Eri managed to turn Rewind into an Artificial Quirk during that spar you had and nearly, accidentally erased you? 

I had something similar happen to me later on… and my Sekan didn’t react in time. I was devastated. My power ruined my life a second time by erasing the person I considered to be my father… also a second time. 

I was far stronger that time and looked for some way, any way to bring you back, even challenging the dumbass deities themselves when they stopped me from time-traveling back, and they erased the rest of my timeline in response to my rebellion.”

Pouring her heart out to me like this, revealing everything to me like this, I can see clear as day what she’s trying to do. It’s a sob story, yet it isn’t meant to get sympathy from me.

“While I managed to escape before then, cross over into other timelines they made for their stupid games, grow powerful enough to match and surpass them both in their weakened states, and even kill them, taking their place as the god of all… it was too late to bring my world back, my dad back. It couldn’t be undone. 

Making a clone through Double, copying a quirk vestige and having it inhabit a physical body, even willing an exact duplicate into being were all options, but we both know it just wouldn’t be the same.

I won, yet it was a pyrrhic victory at best. I could do practically anything I wanted, especially as I only continued growing stronger, but I had no idea what to do, so to fill that void, I decided to play a little game of my own. That’s where you come in.”

Deep down, I know what she’s going to say. Deeper down, I know she doesn’t regret it one bit. Even though we're technically different versions of the same person, well... like father, like daughter, I suppose.

 

“It was me that transmigrated you in the first place, Sekan. It was me pretending to be ‘God’ and ‘Lucifer’, even acting out the parts when no Sekan was around through copies of me to maintain character. It was me doing the Incursions. It was me who made the World’s will. It was me behind… pretty much everything really, like some discount All For One. 

At that point, I was just seeing if a Sekan like my own could naturally be made again. Since I wasn’t satisfied with directly making an exact copy myself. Setting up this story, giving myself these interference limitations, well…

Part of it was to keep things as natural as I could, part of it was just to keep me at least somewhat sane, and none of it has caused any regret to build in me. 

Even if it meant ruining everything and everyone else, I would never falter, just like how my father never faltered when faced with a similar choice. I wanted something, and I would do anything to get it no matter how selfish that made me.”

Welp, I probably should’ve seen that one coming.

Is this karma, because it feels like karma. Desperation, curiosity, and even bits of boredom drove me to change so many lives for my own purely selfish reasons, and whether the outcome helped or harmed them, most usually went through hell before their stories finished. 

My Eri became like me, and this all happened because something similar happened with another Sekan who was like me teaching another Eri to be like him. It’s all come full circle.

By breaking free of My Hero Academia’s stupid shounen cycle, I trapped myself in my own cycle, one that might just be even worse than the former, a punchline to this lifelong joke.

 

“I didn’t actually erase any parallel worlds you won against in the Incursions if that means anything, that was just a bluff on my end. That would be wasteful, not programmatic. I would be like my father, not my ‘predecessors’.

They’re all still living out the rest of their lives, something that usually becomes much easier when I destroy the ethereal will behind their worlds. Those Sekans didn’t become the kind I wanted, but I didn’t hold that against them. All I would do is copy any interesting quirks that popped up in their worlds to make myself ever stronger, so turning these different worlds into de facto Singularity Quirk farms for me.

Of course, I know I still hurt you a lot. I forced you and so many other versions of you to go through so much with the slight hope of becoming someone like my own father, or I suppose staying as someone like my father fits more in this case, and now that I finally succeeded enough for my liking… I don’t really feel any different. Well, I knew it was a long shot anyway.

So yeah, I just… I don’t even know anymore. I don’t have a goal anymore, and I won’t blame you for trying to dethrone me as God. Yeah, I’m basically a nigh-omnipotent reality warper now. I can do almost anything now.

Not like that stopped me from rising up and winning against similar beings when I was at your level of strength though, and I doubt it’ll stop you. You, or a Sekan just like you, helped me become capable of that, after all.

Try to kill me if that will make you happy, if that will give you newfound purpose. I’ll probably fight back sooner or later, but just know that I’ll die without regrets, just like you.”

Upon finishing her reveal, she closes her eyes, expecting me to attack her or yell at her or hurt her in some way… instead, she gasps as I wrap my arms around her, hugging her.

Fighting was never going to solve this problem, this system, this cycle. Destroying it outright seemed like a better idea, as it worked with Melissa, but it’s a different story when the real problem here is me. I’ll pass on destroying myself and my family, thanks.

“Maybe this is me not wanting to piss off a nigh-omnipotent deity after just barely beating a sentient planet, or maybe this is me not wanting to be a massive hypocrite, or maybe this is me wanting to finally end this endless cycle, but… I forgive you, Eri. 

I know myself better than anyone. I know that what happened with you could have happened just as easily with my own Eri, because that’s just the kind of person I am, the kind of person I taught you to be. This is all on me, on Sekan Doraifu.”

 

That gets her to break any remaining composure she had, sobbing as she collapses into me and I comfort her. Even my own Eri joins in.

“She may have already won her war, but she still needed as much help as you did, dad.” My Eri explains. “Trying to tell you before would have closed her off even more, kept this cycle going.”

“Don’t worry, I forgive you too, fledgeling.” I reach over to ruffle her hair, and do the same to her older self right after. “Again, I’d be pretty hypocritical for complaining about secrets and scheming.”

I know I still am a hypocrite, choosing to now go down a similar route Izuku did with Tomura or at least taking inspiration from it, pretty much the complete opposite of what I did with Melissa. I’ve taken inspiration from a lot of stuff here, haven’t I? 

No matter how braindead or nonsensical some canon ideas were, I just had to adjust or exploit them a little so they actually worked for me, so they became the best option for me. That’s how I broke out of canon’s stupid cycle, and that’s how I’ll break out of this one.

Destruction for the former, creation for the latter. Destruction and creation, the two halves of Overhaul. How fitting.

Me actually wanting to do this makes it easier. I really did mean what I said to her. I’m doing this to both save myself and her, because I still care about my daughter, alternate version of her or otherwise. 

I’d destroy the world for Eri. I did destroy the world for Eri. Someone like me, like Future Eri, doesn’t deserve a happy ending, I know, but that won’t stop me from taking it by force like everything else I’ve gained across my second life.

That’s just the kind of person I am. From day one, my priorities have always been clear, and I always did my best to achieve them no matter what people or obstacles or choices stood in my way. 

 

“Transmigrator or not, you still saved me! You still adopted me! Even if my biological dad came back, I’d never stop seeing you as my real dad!” My daughter declares. “And while that last bit probably doesn’t apply to future sort-of me, taking her in too would still mean the world to her.”

Her godlike self’s breath hitches, whatever makes up her heart skipping a beat. She looks ready to argue against that, yet she can’t find it in herself to. 

“I saw you as my daughter when you first reached out to me, and that hasn’t changed.” I add on. “It’s your choice at the end of the day, not like we can do much to stop you right now, but I wouldn’t mind having two adorable fledgelings keep me company as my organization shoots across the stars.”

“Not a fledgling.” Future Eri mumbles, her voice returning to normal. “More like a dragon.”

“You’ll always be my little fledgling, Eri.” I counter, ruffling her hair again. “And if I don’t have the strength needed to help you now, then I’ll simply gain that level of power no matter what stands between me and that goal, just like what I did for my Eri.”

She smiles as her tears dry up, deciding to take up that offer, bringing this stupid cycle to a screeching halt. 

One or both of us fighting would’ve kept it going and going, an endless quest for revenge bringing nothing but pain and suffering for everyone involved. I’m done with that, feeding fuel into that fire.

Maybe it’ll be like a short break for her before she goes back to playing more games, or maybe she’ll stick by our side for the rest of eternity, leading the Shie Hassaikai along with her little sister. 

After all, it’s not like I have to worry about death via aging for anyone, not with the power I have now.

 

I’ll support her no matter what she chooses, just like what I do for everyone in my organization now. Birds have to leave the nest sometime, right? At the very least, I know things will be different now, that things will change for us for the better.

All three of us eventually return back to where the World once stood, Future Eri using her Rewind to rewind time and bring everyone on my side back as an apology and thank you. She wouldn’t let things end like it did in her old world, not when she has the power to prevent it now.

Everyone in the Shie Hassaikai simply celebrates the victory, having long since learned not to look a gift horse in the mouth and question insanity like this too much. They all know I handle that job for them. They all trust me to handle that job for them. 

They all want me to lead them again now that I’m back, and I decline, letting my daughters keep the position I promised them. Eri was doing just fine before this, and her other self is just as capable, if not more so.

Eri has always been my daughter, my chosen successor, and nepotism aside, she really did earn this. I’ll still advise those two alongside Zookeeper, but I feel like I’ve earned the right to (mostly) retire. 

So that’s what I do, my own story finally being over. That doesn’t mean I won’t help others who I care for, supporting their journeys, their stories. Case in point, my daughters. 

And I’m far from the only one supporting them. I brought so many others into the insanity that is my second life, taking them along for the ride, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

“From a literal zookeeper to this… it still feels like a dream, you know?” Zi sighs as she relaxes next to me, leaning into me.

“Hey I was a nobody too, remember? One second I was a regular guy working in an office, the next I was leading demon lords around by the nose after my adopted daughter overthrew God. I suppose that’s a shounen for you.” I chuckle back.

“With how your mind works, I can’t see you ever being quote unquote ‘regular’, Sekan.” She deadpans… and we both start laughing at that, both versions of Eri joining in right after. 

Yeah, moments like this made all the struggles and all the nonsense more than worth it. I can settle down knowing I earned this and then some, the chance to finally rest with the family I forged at my side.

“Fair enough, and now that we’ve finally finished surviving this shounen, we’re free to do whatever we want. We couldn’t save society at the end of the day, but that’s never been my goal, and I can think of far worse outcomes for this journey I went on. 

Maybe we’ll become bored out of our minds one day, but for now, simply exploring what else existence itself has to offer should be a good enough epilogue for my second, final life.”

The End

Author’s Note

I could probably keep this going if I really wanted to, come up with interesting worlds and alien races and parallel timelines for the Shie Hassaikai to explore, but I feel like that would be too much of a genre shift and this felt like the best way to wrap everything up. 

For those of you interested in that kind of sci-fi genre, you won’t have to wait very long to see a main character of mine exploit the hell out of it as the franchise I’m basing my next big project on has plenty of space stuff and then some.

I did say that my next story would take place in the world of a popular gaming franchise that next to nobody has attempted to write a transmigration story on, not like the latter has stopped me before. If I’m crazy enough to spend over a year writing an 800k+ word long South Park transmigration fanfic because I felt like it, I’m crazy enough to do just about anything. 

That being said, you can expect the next story of mine to be more chaotic than anything I wrote before, and the title should be a dead giveaway as to why. Same with the first few chapters, which I’ll also be posting today!

Yup, this is actually happening. Let’s do it to it in: How to Survive Sonic

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 2 of How to Survive Series