30 A deal gone wrong.

In one of the abandoned buildings on the outskirts of Tokyo, there were two people in a room waiting for the other side to arrive. They were, of course, Harry as Lau and Giran. Potter chose his devil form and donned the best suit he had. Basilisks hid on his body - Helga and Rowena had already shrunk down to Godric's size - ready to attack at any moment. He didn't want to write to the Broker again, but he needed more Alchemy texts, and they were the hardest to get hold of. Old books were worth their weight in gold.

Giran promised to pay more than usual if this deal went badly and they had to fight it out, so Harry was ready for any bullshit. In the presence of Giran, he can only use his knives and Envy, so if the deal goes bad... Well, he will cross that bridge later.

The broker looked at something on his phone and put it in his pocket. He took a cigarette pack from his inner pocket and handed one to Lau, who accepted it and both men lit their cigarettes at the same time. The room slowly filled with smoke and the smell of tobacco.

"They're coming soon, so I'll tell you a little about our clients. We are dealing with a gang of jewelry robbers and they asked me to get a complete list of protection for one of the most expensive stores in Japan."

Giran took a drag of his cigarette and exhaled smoke from his nose.

"Sounds like some serious guys."

Lau took a deep breath and blew a couple of rings of smoke from his mouth. Gluttony didn't even let him feel the nicotine in his cigarettes, so he smoked to just maintain his image.

"Meh, not really. A bunch of crackheads with strong Quirks who only made a couple of raids. They're brand new, but they showed some good results."

The devil took another drag on his cigarette and scratched nose in thought.

"Any info on their Quirks?"

If they have already made several raids, then they should have been on the news. And that means that at least something should be known about their quirks.

"Of course, who do you think I am? There are four people in the gang. Leader, Poison Fist... Well, he can shoot powerful poison from the holes in his knuckles, if it gets on your skin, then in an hour later you will die without an antidote. Skinny and tall as a stick, long greasy hair and a huge nose."

"He won't be a problem."

Giran nodded and tapped the cigarette with his finger to throw the ash off.

"If you say so. I don't feel like dying yet, so you'll need to protect me from his attacks. Their front-man is Muscle Man, the guy has a simple mid-level Augmenting Quirk, nothing out of the ordinary. A freak with scars all over his face, you definitely won't miss him in a crowd."

Lau had already finished his cigarette and squashed it with his foot to extinguish it. The broker handed him the second one and he accepted it, placing it behind his slightly pointy ear.

"The Scarecrow is in charge of crowd control. His quirk somehow affects the minds of people and scares the shit out of them. Most likely this is a form of telepathy, since during the raids none of the gang members wear gas masks. The man lives up to his name and constantly wears a bag on head. Literal scarecrow."

"This... Will be tricky. Hmm... Does it affect animals?"

Giran blinked a couple of times and scratched his chin.

"I'm not sure. There was something about it in his file... Ah! Exactly! In one of the raids there was some kind of dog in the store, the Quirk did not work on it."

The devil nodded and felt Godric tighten around his shoulder. The Basilisk understood his silent order. Lau decided to light up another cigarette.

"The fourth is the brain of the operation, Bloody Rat. Small, fast and tenacious like a rat. You will recognize his face too. He's so problematic only because it is so difficult to kill him. He has no right ear and three missing fingers."

"I once knew a Rat-man... Now he is dead."

"Well, that's wonderful." he said sarcastically "Then the only problem is the guy with the Horror Quirk. If there is a fight, knock him out first. I don't need a reputation of a killer, it's bad for business."

The door to the room was thrown open and four people entered, Giran immediately got up from his seat and spread his arms wide to in greeting.

"Welcome! I hope your journey here was a pleasant one. Shall we conduct business?" he said with a wide grin, showing his teeth.

If Giran wanted to show himself as a showman, then he did it one hundred percent. Lau just shook his head, breathing smoke out of his nose.

Poison Fist looked around as if he owned the place and plopped down on the couch across from Broker, legs spread wide. Godric crawled up his body and began to peek out from behind his collar. The Scarecrow stood to the left of the gang leader, and Muscle Man to the right. The Bloody Rat remained standing at the door, looking around nervously.

"Get to the point, Giran. Did you get us the building's defense?"

"Of course." he replied, pulling a metal case from under his sofa and placing it on the table "And my money?"

Poison Fist grinned and snapped his fingers. Broker's face immediately contorted in horror and he fell back onto the sofa. Lau felt nothing and looked at the Scarecrow deep in thought.

'So it is poison...'

"Your life will be the price to pay for this information." he said with a satisfied grin, which disappeared immediately when he finally noticed Lau.

"Eh? And who the fuck are you?"

The red-skinned man smiled as he held a cigarette in his sharp teeth and exhaled smoke from the side of his mouth. He looked straight at the bastard's eyes and answered.

"Do you not see the horns and my pointy tail? Why, I'm the devil, of course!"

With these words, he flicked his tail like a whip and Godric immediately teleported and bit the Scarecrow in his palm. The man did not even have time to shout and fell to the ground, dead. Lau did not feel any remorse, this was far from the first time he had to kill. An eye for an eye, tooth for tooth.

"What the hell?!"

Muscle Man shouted, the black body of the Basilisk was impossible to see in the dark room, so for everyone present, the Scarecrow died after Lau's tail flicked.

"No one moves, especially you, fucking Rat. If I even see an eyebrow twitch, then you will be next." Godric imperceptibly climbed the devil's leg and again hid under his clothes.

Giran coughed loudly, finally able to breathe, and looked at his former clients with pure fury on his face.

"That's why I hate working with newbies! No fucking respect for their superiors!"

"I completely agree." nodded to Lau "And now you idiot, hit Scarecrow's face with your poison."

Poison Fist's eyes widened in shock.

"What ?! I won't... do this..." His voice was furious, but immediately weakened as the devil lifted his tail.

"Hey Lau, what the fuck are you doing? I'm not angry enough to kill them." growled Giran.

"The bastard is already dead, this is damage control. We don't want your reputation to suffer, right?"

"Fuck, you're one scary bookworm... Remind me not to piss you off." The broker nodded and took the case from the table "The deal's canceled. And we take your... Friend's life as payment for not being able to pay with money. Pray that I never see your ugly faces ever again."

He walked to the exit and leaned against the wall, waiting for Lau to finish his work. The devil at this time approached the Poison Fist, who was standing at the body of his dead gang member.

"Do it, or I will force you." he took the cigarette from his mouth and put it out on his own palm without even blinking "And then I will hunt you down in your nightmares until your very last breath."

His deep, cold voice sounded, sending goosebumps even down Giran's spine. The broker had been working with Lau for two years, he knew what his companion was capable of. Every time during the battle he saw something new. Of course, these were mostly mutational Quirks, different martial arts and a ton of weapons, but this... He had never seen such power before.

'I'm glad he's on my side...'

That evening, as Giran was selecting potential members of the League of Villains, his mind returned to Lau.

"No, I doubt he would want to work with them. He even hates dealing with me, heh... Hmm, what about Himiko Toga? The girl is nuts, but her skills are undeniable. Yes, she'll do just fine."

---

On the table in front of the green-eyed teenager were ten new books on Alchemy, only three of them were somehow useful and only one of them had something encrypted in text. The encrypted book was actually a thin old notebook describing the life of one skilled Alchemist, so Harry had high hopes.

He sat down at the table and began deciphering the text, writing everything down in his trusty black tome. A few hours later there was a knock on his door and the teenager quickly put all the books on the shelves using the shadow hands of Pride as usual.

Sleepy Karin entered his room, wearing her pajamas and holding a pillow, her blue hair tousled from sleep. She rubbed her hand wearily over her eye and yawned. Harry smiled at the expression her face made.

"Is something wrong, Karin?"

"...I had a nightmare. I'm going to sleep here tonight."

Harry's smile widened and he got up from his seat and walked over to the girl. Every time she had a nightmare, she came to his room, but usually by that time he was already asleep like a log. He sat down and lifted Karin into his arms.

"Of course, runt." he laughed.

"Don't call... me that..."

She said sleepily and fell asleep on his chest, Harry glanced at his watch, it was already deep night. He took the pillow from her hand and threw it on his bed, after which the teenager gently laid Karin on his bed and tucked her in. Basilisks - all three were now no more than 20 centimeters - immediately curled up together on her stomach. Harry's body was constantly cold and they would not miss the chance to warm up.

The owner of the four Philosopher's Stones looked for a couple of minutes at the girl sleeping in his bed along with the three most dangerous creatures on the planet. Then he sighed heavily and went back to decrypting.

'Fucking Alchemists and their codes. I want to sleep.'

---

In front of monitors on opposite ends of Japan sat two Masters, two Symbols of Terror and two old allies.

"I thought you already died of your injuries after your last fight with All Might." the lifeless and old voice of Ouroboros sounded from the speakers.

"I thought the same thing about you, my old ally. But I'm glad that brat couldn't kill you. To be defeated by a child, what a pitiful death for a being of your status."

All for One chuckled. Ouroboros's eye twitched slightly, but he continued to speak in the same lifeless voice.

"I recognize power when I see it. Edward Elric killed my body and the Ouroboros was born."

Fullmetal Alchemist was strong in spirit and could withstand his blows during the Promised Day. The blond teen killed him and sent him back through the gate, to his hated prison. But there is a way out of every cell, and the world's first Homunculus found it again.

"Well, Ouroboros, then we should catch up. Shouldn't we, old friend."

All for One learned about his teacher's survival due to the news of the capture of Sloth. The three-hundred-year-old Villain immediately recognized the fifty-year-old Homunculus, who has not changed since his 'youth'. He still remembered how Fath- Ouroboros created Sloth from a rather strong - at that time - owner of quirks.

"Yes... I found a very interesting owner of the Philosopher's Stones... His body is capable of holding several Sins at once, if not all of them, which should be impossible for any creature except me. Even the previous Pride was able to hold only two."

If All for one still had eyes, they would've widened in surprise.

"He already collected four. I hoped that the Sloth stone would become the final drop and his body would self-destruct, but apparently even a perfect being like me is capable of making small mistakes."

This raised the interest of the wounded villain. He knew how an enormous amount of power could destroy a body from the inside, which is why he carefully chose which Quirks he would steal.

"Ho... Do tell."

Ouroboros nodded and an almost imperceptible smile appeared on his face.

"Of course. You are, after all, one of my most successful children, Wrath."

The two villains smiled. There was not a drop of trust between them, they only used each other to achieve their own goals. They had no reason to betray, no reason to stab the other one in the back... Which made them perfect allies.

---

There was an explosion in the Orphanage, of course it happened because of Harry. To prevent any sounds from leaving the room, he covered the walls with his shadow, so his 'lab' was completely isolated from the outside world. The teenager frowned and looked at the destroyed table once again. He took his black tome from the bed and began to write.

{Test fire Alchemy transmutation circle number 195: failure.} After a moment of reflection, he continued {Test fire Alchemy transmutation circle number 196: the circle was created with a hexagram inside, obtained with the help of the triangle of air and the triangle of earth. In the center is a triangle of fire, the top of which is directed to the image of the flame. Below the hexagram is the image of a salamander.}

Harry put the book back on the bed and walked over to the table. On his palms were tattoos of the transmutation circles of transmutation - they appeared there with the help of Envy - to change simple materials. He put both hands on the broken parts of the table and red lightning flashed across them. In a second, the table returned to its original state and Potter began to draw a new transmutation circle on a huge sheet of paper.

"The current concentration leads to an explosion. I need to reduce it and change the shape of air..."

He again activated the circle with one hand, lit a match and a wave of fire flew into his face. Harry immediately removed his hands from the circle and fell into the shadow chair with a mad smile.

"Well, Todoroki, you just got yourself a rival in flames. Shit, that's gonna be so cool. I'm going to need more gloves to use this, not going to rely only on my lighter."

The green-eyed teenager took a piece of cloth from a pile of different materials in the corner of the room - he bought them specifically for the practice of alchemy, he did not intend to ruin the floor or walls in his room - and made gloves out of it from a flammable material. All he had to do to get a spark is snap his fingers. The transmutation circles of Fire Alchemy were already on the backside of his palms. Harry just looked at them for a second.

"In the rain, I won't be able to even get a spark out of them... Well, I have to carry a lighter around then. And now for my training in the forest."

Potter removed Pride from the walls and ceiling of the room and began to change. He put on his new shirt with a white collar, black jacket, pants and cloak of the same color. On his feet were his favorite reinforced suit boots. Apparently UA suggested that they, too, were destroyed during the battle with Sloth. Harry wasn't going to correct that mistake anytime soon... Or ever.

"How many days in a row have I been awake? Five? The Stone of Sloth sure is handy."

Harry's body was covered with red lightning and the next second a teenager with a cat mutation Quirk walked along the dark Kamino ward. He had black hair and ears, yellow eyes, bushy tail and very tanned skin. Numerous scars of various sizes could be seen on his body along with several tattoos. This was his second form. It was based on the scarred cat that Harry sometimes fed behind the orphanage building.

He resized his clothes using Alchemy, making them a little denser to keep the material. This form was fifteen centimeters smaller than his original one.

Lau turned the corner and the familiar scent of wet metal reached his heightened sense of smell. He discovered this ability of Gluttony quite recently and praised the Higher Powers that he was able to turn it off. The teenager quickened his pace and walked in the direction from which he felt this smell. He didn't like what the possibilities.

"...do you think you can just not pay?! Why do you think everyone in this area pays for the roof of the Black Tiger for shits and giggles?!"

'Well, fuck.' he turned a corner and saw the expected scene.

Three thugs were beating up a man. Two were holding him by the shoulders, and the third was hitting him in the gut.

"You owe us a million yen this month. If you don't hand it over by the end of the week, you're fucked up, okay?"

Even in the current Age of Heroes, organized crime was present in the cities. Yakuza, Russian Mafia, Mexicans, Chinese, there was even one Don from Sicily. He was especially cruel to the enemies of his family.

"I don't have... your money. Just... give me more time..." the man wheezed out.

"What, seriously? Then one of our guys will take over your restaurant, and you... We don't need you anymore."

A knife appeared in his hand and he wanted to stab the man in the stomach. But then a snap sounded in the alley and the right half of his body was burned by a wave of fire before he could strike.

'My control is still lacking. I need to visualize the end result even more accurately.'

"AAAAAAAH!"

He screamed, looking horrified as the molten metal dripped down his burned hand to the floor.

"Good evening, my dear bastards!" said Lau in a cheerful voice, drawing attention to himself.

Two bandits immediately threw the man to the floor - he lost consciousness from hitting the asphalt - and turned to the speaker, taking their guns out of their inner pockets.

"Who the fuck are you?! Don't even try to twitch, or you will get a bullet in the skull!

Asshole №1 shouted, his pistol hand trembling slightly. In his eyes, you can see that he had never killed a person before, Dumbass №2 was exactly the same.

"Oh my~. These are some very serious toys you have there~. Tell me where did you get them?"

"Juta, he burned Fatushi's to ashes! Shoot him already, what the fuck!"

"Why the hell am I supposed to do this?! You said that, so shoot him yourself!"

A second later, their hands were burned by Lau's fire, who attacked as soon as the two assholes were distracted by each other. This time, his aim was much better. He happily skipped over to their bodies and pulled up next to the screaming Asshole №1. He bent over the bandit's face and smiled brightly.

"Either you tell me who you work for and where your base is, or I'll burn your eyes. Got it~?"

"...Yes." he answered weakly.

'Well, it's time to cleanse the area of ​​filth.'