51 Phantoms Dance: Ch 2

"Oh Fuck! Oh Shit! Things are getting real, dude! We're all gonna die!"

-Sulphur, AKA "Mustard". Right as "Things got real, dude", and "we're all" died.

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!

'MURICA! FUCK YEAH!

*Sips Very Burnt Hot Chocolate*

Now Bak to this chapter.

Ah, I do love seeing a good plan come together- the story pieces are all lining up, and I know I say this every time something big happens, but it's because it's true! As they all fall into place they stay in place, and can ping off one another for maximum effect.

One thing I didn't see coming, however, was the overwhelmingly positive response to Kuin and Ibara, with comments calling either one "best girl" and even one brief argument about it. At this rate I might have to make a poll, just out of curiosity, who's best girl? Ibara, Kuin, or Jeremy? 

The reception to Bakugo is split all along the various lines, some hate him, some are meh, some approve of his attempts to pull himself from the "Endeavor" path- but that's exactly what I was going for, so A+ on my end. Just because someone says or tries to be better, doesn't mean you should magically forget everything they've done. 

Also- how can he be a better person if he isn't even aware of what his past actions have caused? 

As far as he knows, Izuku's just some "doctor or something" that doesn't want to see him anymore.

…I mean, he's not wrong .

-Rain of Sins-

-Phantoms Dance: Ch 2-

It was a grand day! The best of days! It was the day that his life's work finally came to fruition! The government had even announced it a national holiday, that's how good of a day it was!

And it was such a good day, that the world had decided to give him one last treat, an appetizer before the main event. A free opportunity to wrap up loose ends, and put to rest the source of countless headaches over the years.

"What is it, Shoto?" Endeavor's voice echoed through the oversized hallway. "I have important things to do, and you're standing in my way."

He could just walk around his son, the hallway was large and the boy was skinny. But that wouldn't be as satisfying, would it?

Shoto clenched his hands and held back a shiver, his father was never this upbeat, and it set off every warning bell in his head.

But he didn't back down. He couldn't back down. He had to say something, and if he didn't say it now , he'd never be able to say it again.

"You don't deserve this." Shoto said bluntly. "You'll never deserve this, and no one will ever truly think you do."

Endeavor blinked at him in surprise, bewildered at the statement.

Shoto braced himself for the coming anger, the fury that would erupt for him having dared to talk back to his father.

"Ha!" Instead Enji just leaned his head back and barked a laugh. "HAHAHA! Don't deserve this? Really?"

The Hero spread his arms, gesturing to the world around them. 

"The largest stage in Japan, rented out for me . The top hundred Heroes gathered to stand before me . Every TV station in the country is waiting with thousands of cameras, for me ! The world waits with bated breath to dare catch sight of me ! For my achievements! For my work! For my name! For ME ! For the man who overcame All Might himself! The Hero who triumphed over a demigod! The Symbol of Peace, bested, after years of backbreaking effort, by ME ! And you say I don't deserve it!?"

"YOU DON'T!" Shoto shouted, surprising himself with how loud his voice was. "Not after what you did to Mom! Not after what you did to me and my siblings! I'll-"

"You'll what?" Enji leaned in, a vindictive grin on his face. "What? Go on, tell me? What will you do? Continue your temper tantrum and only use your ice? Finally grow a real spine and drop out of Hero school to spite me? Why should I care about any of that?"

"B-Because…" Shoto took a frightened step back, his gut flipping, as he came to a horrifying thought.

"Your only purpose, the reason for your conception, was to carry on the torch and one day beat All Might. That's it ." Enji stood back up to his full imposing height. "But I beat All Might. I did it. Me! Do you know what that means? It means your rebellious temper tantrum to only use ice, all your shallow ways of getting back at me for all these years, they're pointless now… Just as meaningless as you. "

The Hero smirked, an all too satisfied look on his face as his son stumbled back with wide eyes and a pale face.

"What's wrong, Shoto?" He asked in a condescending tone. "Isn't this what you wanted? You're free. No more training, no more responsibility. I have no need for you anymore. You can leave! You can take your siblings and your mother as well, and just walk away from it all."

Enji laughed and shouldered his way past his son.

"I want nothing to do with you anymore."

Shoto crumbled from the shove, catching himself on the wall as he slowly slid to the floor, his legs giving out beneath him.

"Weak." Enji snarked, one last passing remark before he walked off. "Just like your mother."

He rolled his shoulders as he turned the corner, savoring the feeling of finally getting his biggest headache out of his hair.

He raised an eyebrow when he found another UA student standing in his path, a girl with long leafy hair. This one wouldn't give him nearly the same satisfaction of interacting with. Again, the hallway was large enough that he could just walk around her, but that would send the wrong message.

"Move." He growled.

The girl stepped to the side slowly. 

"The Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming. Psalms 37, 13." She whispered.

Enji just snorted and shoved his way past her, making sure to knock her in the shoulder.

Ibara glared at him as he walked off, but bit her tongue and said nothing else, instead turning and rushing back to Shoto.

She slid next to her friend and, with only a moment of hesitation as memories of ice flashed in her mind, pulled him into a hug.

"Don't listen to him, you're not pointless, you're not weak, you're brave. You're so, so brave.." She whispered to him. "I don't think I would ever have the courage to do that if I were in your position."

"I-I don't get it, th-this is what I w-wanted. I-I can get everyone away from him… so w-why am I-?" 

"Because." She said softly, hugging him tighter. "He's your father."

Shoto didn't respond, he just wrapped his arms around her and sobbed quietly into her shoulder.

-Rain of Sins-

Today was a good day, the day of his ascension! 

…But the number of people deciding to block his walk to the stage was starting to get on his nerves.

"Endeavor." An old Samurai in black armor nodded to him in greeting.

"Yoroi Musha" The fire Hero greeted with far less enthusiasm. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to have a word with you before you stepped out on stage to become the new top Hero."

"Of course you do." Enji scoffed. "Let me guess you're here to give me some speech about morals and honor, and how I need to inspire people to be even better than they are? Shouldn't All Might be doing that? Where is that idiot anyway? Did he run off in embarrassment that I've finally beaten him? Worried that I'd rub it in his face after all these years of condescending talking down at me?"

"No, but that is what All Might would talk to you about, isn't it?" The number nine Hero smiled, his bear crinkling in brief amusement. "I'm here because I wanted to address some of the more… interesting headlines you've generated, and I figure it would be better to do that before you replace All Might."

"THat was all nothing but bad press, and some overblown events taken out of context." Enji scoffed and waved off the concerns. "Everyone has them occasionally."

"And yet none seem to have them as much as you."

"Because I was number 2 for so long! I had more attention than the rest of you, but lacked the respect of the number one title! The thing that makes All Might untouchable to the public!"

"I think it's a bit more than just being number one that causes All Might to command so much respect…"

"THEN WHAT WOULD YOU DO? HUH!?" Enji sneered and poked the samurai's chestplate, the metal hissing and it melted slightly. "If a few clickbait headlines caused everyone to turn on you, and start slandering you, what would you do differently then, huh!?"

"Well…" Yoroi paused and stroked his beard in thought, really thinking about the question. "In that case I think I might just resign."

"W- What !?" Endeavor stepped back in shock, not believing what he'd just heard.

"I'm an old man, Endeavor." Yoroi sighed. "The oldest active Hero in Japan, in fact. My generation became Heroes for very different reasons than yours did. To protect our families, to provide stability to our cities, even for self defense- not for fame, not for glory, and certainly not for money. The mortality rate for us back then was… too high for anyone to be in it just for money. We lived in a world before All Might, and not many seem to remember how it was. Even with things becoming worse here recently, with the League and all, Japan is still a paradise compared to when I was a child."

He chuckled softly.

"There's a grocery store on every other block, filled with food. Clean water runs to every house, and no one has to worry about old, unmaintained, pipes contaminating it. Organized gangs have been pushed back to the ghettos, leaving the vast majority of society free of their violence. Children can walk to school safely and get an education that guarantees them a path to a stable life- they'll never have to worry if they'll one day be forced to sell themselves on the street just to eat. Every reason that I first picked up my sword for, has been resolved, and I only stay here as a Hero because I think it's the right thing to do. If the public really stopped wanting me here… Yes, I think I would resign."

Yoroi sighed, his age seeming to weigh him down more than his heavy armor, and Enji's mind whispered a quiet thought of what this ancient Hero might have looked like in his prime.

"I've seen the world as it was before All Might, before the symbol of peace, and you're now stepping up to fulfill that role. I just wanted to make sure you understand the scope of what that means." The old samurai gave him a pat on the shoulder before he took his leave.

"We all only have so many days to our name. Make yours count."

Endeavor watched the old Hero walk away with a gobsmacked expression, before scowling and shaking his head.

What did that old fool know? He was a relic of a past age, literally! He was in the ranking before anyone even had to compete with All Might, and he had never broken past rank 9 to this day! 

No, he had earned his position! And it was time to show the entire world he deserved it.

He stepped out of the tunnel, and into the light.

-Rain of Sins-

Hidden behind the stage, Martin and Dixie watched Endeavor strut up to the podium with a wide grin, soaking up the applause and attention like a sponge in water.

As he stepped up to the microphone, he almost reluctantly held up a hand, quieting the audience.

"Today…" He began. "-is a great day. It is a day of celebration! A day that will be marked in history! A day that every person here will long remember! But it's bittersweet… Because today as I step up to the top, it ends an era… And we have to say goodbye to the reign of someone we've all looked up to for a long time."

He paused, letting a dramatic second of silence hang in the air.

"Because today the Hero Endeavor is retiring."

The audience erupted into hushed whispers, and Dixie raised an eyebrow.

Enji shook his head sadly.

"Endeavor was a great Hero, but by his nature, he could never be the best. His very name was a statement, a declaration of his struggle, his endless endeavor to climb to the very top. But at last… his struggle is finished. 

"Society doesn't need him any more, instead, Japan needs a new Hero, a new Number One! Not just a symbol like All Might has been, but a PILLAR! A Hero to hold up the WORLD!"

Flames erupted like a volcano, fire blooming high into the air and licking the truss that arced overhead, heating the metal to a dull red glow. The audience raised their hands to shield their eyes from the incredibly bright light as heat blasted over them, and Dixie, anticipating something like this behind his sunglasses, raised a second unimpressed eyebrow to join his first- an expression mirrored by his boss far away in her bunker.

The display died down to reveal Enji's mask had disappeared, instead he was using his focus to maintain a vibrant crown of flames on his head.

"Many thousands of you came here today, from all parts of the nation to join in the ceremony, but I also recognise the millions of others here with us through their televisions and phones. All of you, near or far, have been brought together for one single reason! It is hard for me to find words in which to tell you of the strength which this knowledge has given me.

"This Coronation, MY Coronation, is not just a declaration of our hopes for the future, but a symbol of power and splendor that will uphold all of Japan! For today! For Tomorrow! And for the many years that I stand as the new Number One Hero!

"The many years that I stand as KING! "

The crowd erupted in applause and jubilant cheers.

"All that to change his mask to a hat," Martin scoffed. "Where'd you pick him up again, the circus?"

"Emergency room, actually."

Both men snapped to attention, bickering put aside, as the coms they had in their ears flickered to life.

Of course they didn't need a warning system to tell them something was wrong, when a giant purple portal opened up over the stadium and started dropping villains out of it.

"I suppose that's our que." Martin hummed.

"Just open a portal and pour out, exactly like the USJ and the festival." Dixie shook his head in disbelief. "These guys really don't learn, do they?"

"Is there anything to learn from when it's only ever resulted in success?" 

"Fair point." Dixie shrugged as he turned away from the window and began walking off. "I have a train to prepare. You need to hurry and get our bait out of here. It wouldn't do for our new number one to die on his coronation day."

-Rain of Sins-

Wake up, I'm a bullet loosed-

Into the heart of a wretched age!

I breathe just to beat and bruise-

An evolution of the burnin' rage!

Dabi questioned his life choices as he took a sip of sprite from a colorful MbRonald cup. 

Really, what happened? He had joined the league to kill his father faster, but here he was sitting in a car listening to Mustard sing along (poorly) to a collection of "cool" rock songs that shook the car with how much base they had- which was somehow a more bearable situation than being with the rest of the "Vanguard" in their doomed frontal attack.

Mustard, the kid who insisted they pick up MbRonald's on their way to commit an act of terrorism, and had dragged him to watch those mind numbingly horrible movies, was somehow a more palatable option to be around than the rest.

What was the world coming to?

Gonna get mine!

Get outta my way!

There's gonna be-

GONNA BE!

Gonna be hell to pay!!

Yeah. No. Fuck this.

"Hey!" Sulfur complained as Dabi turned the volume to zero. "Dude, c'mon, I was jamming!"

"And I was losing brain cells." Dabi said as he leaned back in his incredibly comfortable leather chair (where the Hell had Mustard gotten this car?) "Besides, we need to listen for when Shigaraki's plan goes horribly wrong."

"Goes wrong? Wait-" Sulfur gasped. "Dude you're so right! How did I not realize?! This is totally a trap! Like every story has the big events go horribly wrong! We've been played!"

"What? No! It's not a trap dipshit, this is too big of a public event for it to be a trap." Dabi pointed at the event through the window, and the smoke that was already beginning to plume from the location. 

"There's no way that building isn't full of every big name Hero in this country, and Hand-Face just decided to storm it through the front gate. What we're gonna do is sit here, wait a few minutes for things to escalate, then drive around the back, and while the League is getting their faces flattened by All Might and the top ten, we jump Enji in the chaos when everyone's too busy to help, we kill him, and we get out."

"...Who's Enji?"

"Enji Todoroki. Endeavor. The guy we're here to kill! Does that sound familiar?"

"Oh! Endeavor! Pfft, dude, why didn't you just use his real name?"

Dabi was about th*i*s close to reaching over and strangling Mustard before the burner phone they were using for the operation went off.

Dabi raised an eyebrow, Mustard just shrugged and opened it.

"THEY'RE ESCAPING!" Tomura's voice shrieked, only audible over the sound of combat in the background by how shrill it was. "BLACK VAN HEADING WEST! KING IS STILL TOO INJURED TO FIGHT FROM THE FESTIVAL! HE'S RUNNING AWAY! CATCH HIM!"

"I see it!' Mustard shouted before Dabi could voice any of his very numerous thoughts, closing the phone and slamming on the gas pedal with enough force to send an unbuckled Dabi slamming into the passenger side door.

The engine roared and the tires squealed as Mustard jerked the car left out of its parking spot and into traffic, gunning it from zero to 200 as fast as it could get there.

"Holy Shit!" Dabi cursed as they began swerving around cars that honked frantically at them, desperately trying to pull on his seat belt that had decided now was the perfect time to lock. "Do you have ANY idea how to drive!?"

"Of course I do!" Sulfur cheered as he sped a red light, missing a van by mere inches, and only because the other driver had hard braked in panic.

"You mean like how you said you knew how to shoot!?"

"Exactly!" They hit a speed bump, causing the car to go airborne for several seconds, "I've seen like a million car chase scenes, I've got this!"

A thunderous horn bellowed as they turned a corner into a direct collision course with an 18 wheeled semi-trailer truck, and Dabi's life flashed before his eyes before Mustad pulled the emergency brake lever, yanked the wheel as far left as it could go, and drifted into a parking garage, sparks flying as their back bumper scraped the side of certain death.

Mustard held the drift, swerving the car left and up a circular ramp, slowly bleeding speed as they climbed several stories until finally coming to a perfect stop on the parking garage roof.

For a brief, beautiful moment, everything was still. The car was parked, the wheels were smoking in protest but weren't spinning, and everything was just… still .

"Just like in Mariyo Kart and Fordza." Mustard hummed, drumming his fingers on the wheel. "Now where is- Ah! Good, I was worried I might have read the map wrong!"

Dabi followed Mustard's gaze to see a large black armored van escorted by police cars, hurling down an empty raised highway… a highway that was quite a bit lower than them, and had a turn that came suspiciously close to the parking garage they were on top of…

" No! " Dabi hissed as he realized what the maniac was planning. "We're getting out, swapping seats, and I'm going to drive us onto the highway in a way that's not suicide! Then, once this is done, I'm going to kill you, and break open your skull to see if you actually have a brain."

"Ha!" Mustard laughed at the friendly joke, but was pressed for time, so decided to forgo ribbing back. "Nah dude, that wouldn't work, they blocked off all the on-ramps already." He held up his map app, and Dabi nearly fainted at the realization that he had somehow fished out, unlocked, and had been glancing at his phone during all that. "We've gotta be creative if we want to get on, but trust me, I've got this."

" Fuck No! Let me oOO OFFF-!!"

The car lurched forward, flakes of rubber flying off the abused wheels, and rapidly gained speed as it sped across the roof, until suddenly-

"WOOOOOOOOO!"

"HOLY SHIIIIT!"

-There was no more roof.

 For a brief moment the car flew, challenging the world itself and all who would dare question its quest- it's RIGHT to ascension. Triumphing over physics through sheer kinetic force.

But the moment was just that, a moment, and the cold claws of gravity gripped into the vehicle's steel frame and tore it from the sky. 

Like an angel stripped of wings it plummeted to the earth, but unlike a graceful angel, it was a several thousand pound giant chunk of metal, rapidly approaching terminal velocity, and about to absolutely ruin the day of whatever unlucky bastard happened to have the made the profoundly stupid mistake of being on the ground that day.

The unlucky winner of today's top prize of "Fuck You" was the leading leading car of the HPSC transport vehicle collum.

Although he would never know it, Girian's incredibly reinforced escape vehicle would prove it was worth the ludicrous money spent on it, surviving the world's first aerial car crash with only moderate denting all along the front, a cracked windshield, and some screws knocked loose.

The other car by comparison, a standard police car that, like 99% of all cars on earth, was made mostly of light metals for better gas mileage, folded in on itself like a soda can.

Dabi grunted as his whole world lurched , the seatbelt bit into his skin, and his neck stung as his head sloshed forward, meeting an airbag that, no matter how soft, was expanding into his face at 28 miles per hour.

The car shook, its frame shuttering as its solid rubber wheels impacted the concrete, and a horrible scraping noise of metal on rock hammered his ears as they pushed the crumpled police wreck across the pavement.

The rest of the convoy swerved in panic, narrowly avoiding a pileup, missing them in some cases by mere inches.

Then, just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, they slammed into the guard rail, the reinforced concrete wall that was built specifically to keep cars from falling off the suspended highway, at full speed. And Dabi was made to experience the unpleasant sensation of going from very fast to completely still in an instant.

…And once again, everything was still…

At least for a few seconds.

The mangled wreck of tangled metal and plastic that had once been a cop car, groaning and creaking as it slowly tilted, before tipping over the ledge and falling the the ground below with a horrible crash- revealing a mostly destroyed guard rail.

"…When we get out of this car." Dabi said in a low voice. "I'm going to throw up. Then I'm going to cremate you."

"Yeah, that really wasn't my best idea, was it?" Mustard groaned as he yanked off his helmet for fresh air. "Ugh. But hey, we're on the highway, and if it looks stupid, but it works, then it isn't stupid."

"I don't think I have ever disagreed with a statement more in my life, than at this moment."

"Honestly, I don't blame you." Mustard put the car in reverse, slowly backing away from the ledge and straightening them out on the road. "But we've got work to do. So let's have ourselves a car chase."

Dabi was much more prepared this time when Mustard floored the gas, and they sped off.

It didn't take them long to catch up with the convoy, which was forced to slow down to accommodate the heavy armored van at its center.

"Alright so here's the plan." Mustard said as he leaned back and rummaged around in the back of the car, keeping one hand on the steering wheel. "I have a bunch of guns and stuff back here, and you have your fire. We roll up, blow 'em to Hell, and take out Endeavor before he even leaves the vehicle."

"That is the least planned out plan I've ever heard." Dabi rolled down his window, a grin on his face. "But I can't say I don't like it."

"That's the spirit!" Mustard laughed as he pulled forward a belt fed machine gun, and leaned it precariously out his window, balancing on the seam. "These assholes got nothing on us!"

The convoy had noticed them approaching (how could anyone miss their entrance?) and the escorts began falling behind, forming a buffer between them and the van that King must have been in.

There were three cop cars, and two unmarked black SUVs that matched the aesthetic of the van- which meant they were almost certainly the Safety Commission's. 

The window of one of the cop cars rolled down and a river of sand jumped out of it, reforming into a Hero on the roof and launching himself at the Villains in a wave of sand.

Dabi's grin was feral as he leaned out the window and, without having to worry about any allies being caught in the crossfire, pulled on his quirk and just let loose .

It was like a flash bomb going off, as a tsunami of sapphire flames erupted on the highway- a rain of smoking glass pebbles following it.l

"WOOOO! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" Mustard shouted as he joined in and opened fire.

"COME AND GET COME, BITCHES!" The .50 caliber rounds tore through the thin frames of the cop cars like wet toilet paper, causing them to either start smoking as their engines were hit, or in the case of one with a ladybug Hero in it, swerve out of the way and crash into the guard rail.

Mustard jumped as a bullet impacted his windshield, cracking the reinforced glass, it was soon followed by many more, and several bouncing off as they tried to aim for the open window.

Men and women in suits were leaning out of the black SUVs and taking shots at them with pistols.

"Aww, how cute." Mustard brought his weapon to bear. "Let me show you a real gun!"

Once more the small turret erupted, causing the suits to duck back inside their vehicle, but unlike with the police, the bullets only dented the metal without causing any real damage.

"Shit, this thing's armored."

"I got it." Dabi said, cracking his knuckles and lobbing a ball of fire that exploded on contact, making a flaming wreck that careened off the road in panic.

The other car took notice, quickly sweeping left, and getting on Mustard's side of the car, away from Dabi's line of sight.

That wouldn't stop him from taking it out though.

"Ram it!" The pyromancer shouted.

"You got it, Boss!" Mustard jerked the wheel, slamming into the SUV and causing it to swerve into the last remaining cop car, and have them both spin out.

"Nice!" Dabi laughed and held up his hand. "That was sick!"

"That was fucking awesome!" Mustard whooped as he high fived his friend. "It's only the big one left."

"Let's smoke 'em!"

"Yeah!"

Mustard hit the accelerator and maneuvered them right behind the big van. They lined up, and with a nod to each other, opened fire.

"BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!"

"FUCKING DIE!!! "

A hail of bullets and a torrent of furious fire smashed into the back of the van! Continuous! Relentless! Unyielding!

But when it cleared, the car was almost completely unmarked.

"What!? What the Hell is that made of!? The tires should be goop!" Dabi shouted as he launched another wave of fire, only to get the exact same result.

"Probably plot armor and bullshit." Mustard tisked before letting go of the wheel and climbing into the back seat. "Here, take the wheel for a second."

"Hey!" Dabi shouted as he dove for the steering wheel, and pulled the car back into lane. "What the fuck are you doing!?"

"Pulling out the big guns!"

"What the Hell do you have back there?"

"A lot."

Mustard's non-answer said more than an entire essay as he opened a hatch to the roof and hauled up a green duffle bag.

"What are you doing up- Wait, is that a rocket !?"

Mustard chuckled evilly as he lifted his RPG to his shoulder, the duffle bag flying off in the wind. "Say hello to my little friend."

He pulled the trigger and the rocket shot forward, exploding in a giant cloud of smoke as it hit the back of the van.

But as the smoke cleared, the only damage it had done was make a pretty big dent.

"Oh come on!" the gun nut waved his arms in frustration. "That should have worked!"

"Wanna try ramming it?"

"I don't see any other options."

But before the duo could resort to less intelligent options, a large black form dropped from the sky in the distance, shattering the road as it landed.

"BRAKE!" Mustard shouted, climbing back into the car. "BRAKE! BRAKE! BRAKE!"

Dabi reached down, punching the pedal with his hand, and the beat up muscle car bucked, tires skidding and leaving thick black marks along the road as it slowed down.

The van, however, didn't stop.

…

It was a bad decision.

The armored van that had shrugged off a rocket smashed into the creature at nearly a hundred miles an hour, and lost.

Decisively.

The front crumpled like paper, the back lifting up as it flipped tail over head, launching itself over the creature and crashing upside down, sparks flying as it slid to a stop.

Mustard and Dabi watched with wide eyes as a pillar of gray foam erupted next to the large lizard-like creature, revealing a man in a black coat.

" Holy shit! " Sulfur whisper shouted. "That's the guy! The Guy! The Shade! The Sovereign of Sin! We're fucking screwed!"

Izku paid the two no mind as he slowly walked towards the overturned van, his metal boots clicking loudly on the pavement, crunching as they stepped over rubble.

He snapped his fingers as he came to a stop in front of it.

"Jeremy, open it."

His loyal pet growled in delight as it stalked forward and grabbed the back door with one giant hand, and ripped it off like it was a plastic toy, revealing-

" What!? " He hissed.

An empty vehicle.

-Rain of Sins-

"I told you they would chase it." Nezu hummed as he took a sip of tea.

"And I told you not to underestimate how effective sleight of hand can be." Kinoshita, head of the HPSC scolded him. "Not everyone has the brainpower to analyze things down to the detail every second, like you do."

"I suppose…" The principal drummed his paw on the table. "Though they are slightly short of where we wanted them."

"They're still in the abandoned district, and are well within the circle we drew as acceptable, everything should reach them in workable time. And we have confirmation that the League's warp user is caught up in the main assault, they won't be getting out of this one."

"Fair, I guess I've become something of a perfectionist without any real recent challenge."

"You've always been a perfectionist."

Nezu huffed but didn't retaliate, instead he leaned forward and pushed a button on the intercom on the table between them.

"Close the noose."

-Rain of Sins-

Izuku stared at the empty van in silence, and the large space heater attached to the wall that was running on full blast- the thing that had tricked his thermal cameras into thinking there was a fire quirk user in the car.

There wasn't even a driver! It had been running on autopilot the whole time!

They knew !

Where was Endeavor? Where was King! ?

-Rain of Sins-

"I'm not leaving!" King shouted.

"Yes you are!" Dixie hissed, frustration evident in his voice as he coerced the uncooperative Hero underneath the stadium.

"There are Villains attacking!"

"And you're completely useless against 'em as you are!"

The security chief shoved the Hero around one last bend to reveal a huge open room, with an armored military train sitting on a set of rails. It was so long that it wasn't all in the room, with its length disappearing into the two circular openings in opposite walls.

"I'm the best! I am KING!" Flames flared as the King roared. "I can fight them all by myself!"

"Until you're fully recovered, you ain't nothing but a fucking propaganda piece !" Dixie grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him down to eye level. "Now get on the fucking train, or I'll shoot you in the kidney and pull you on there myself!"

Gunshots and the sound of combat echoing down the halls provided enough of a distraction for Dixie to shove the Hero through an open metal door and slam it shut behind him.

Dixie reached into his coat, one hand pulling out his Desert Eagle, the other a walkie talkie.

"VIP's on board!" He shouted into the mic. "Get out of here."

" Negative sir. " The mic radioed. " Standing orders are to evacuate all high priority personnel. We can't leave until you're on board. Over. "

"I'm overriding that! Get this hunk of scrap moving! We're about to be real busy down here!" Dixie threw aside the walkie talkie, not waiting for a response, and brought his gun to bear on the hallway he'd come out of.

The gunfire had stopped, and considering how many baddies were out there to shoot at, that wasn't a good thing.

The train rumbled, its engine hissing out a burst of steam as it began to slowly pull forward.

And not a second too soon.

Emerging from the hallway, covered in blood, was Tomura Shigaraki himself, flanked by a purple man made of mist, a titan of muscle, and ten or so grunts.

The maniac giggled as every gun in the room swiveled and pointed at him.

"So you're the floor boss of this Dungeon, huh? I'm surprised, it's not very often that NPCs try to trick me. You were rather clever, but not clever enough…" Tomura grinned and flexed his hand. "You'll die for that."

William Dixie, chief of security for the Safety Commision, squeezed his trigger at the threat he damn well knew was miles above his weight class, and all Hell broke loose.

-Rain of Sins-

At the USJ, at the sports Festival, again and again the Heroes had been outmaneuvered, overrun, and only hung on by the skin of their teeth. But there had been a simple reason for that- and it wasn't because a bunch of wannabe hoodlums picked off the street could match the best the Hero industry could offer, or that some teens with a few grams of Trigger in their systems for a buzz could rival the results of years of training from the best academies in the world.

Up until now the Villains had been picking the terms of engagement, amassing their forces for large singular attacks where they would have overwhelming numerical superiority.

That was something that could easily change.

If a long list of every available Hero across Japan, including the best in the country, were to be deployed and concentrated in just two or so locations- say, for example, half at the main fight, and half in a secondary ambush, well, the numbers would be much more even and the vast difference in quality would make itself known.

And if the Heroes ever managed to get a numerical advantage ? Well… With the sole exception of a certain surviving Quirk Warlord, any normal Villain who found themselves in such a situation would be Totally. Fucking. Screwed.

So keep that in mind when hundreds of Heroes sprung from their hiding spots in old abandoned buildings, and rapidly encircled them, with some of the largest names in the top ten taking point, and heavy safety commission equipment rolling up behind them.

Izuku eyed it all with a calculating gaze, Jeremy growling as he hunched up beside his master protectively.

Tires squealed as a trashed muscle car skidded to a stop behind him, and two of the hooligans that worked for Shigaraki hopped out, seeking protection with the "big bad".

"Hey, tall, dark and brooding." Dabi said as he took up a defensive position in the circle. "I really hope all those crazy conspiracies about you online are true, because this isn't looking good."

"Ah, shit dude." Mustard whimpered as he rushed to take cover behind his car, the four duffle bags slung over his shoulders rattling as they bounced. "This is bad, really really bad! We're screwed! We're dead! It was a trap! I told you so! We are so done !"

"Done?" Izuku asked, almost offended, as he looked over his shoulder. "Do you have any idea who I am?"

"The Sovereign of Sin?" Mustard said hesitantly.

"The only S rank Villain currently at large?" Dabi offered.

"Hamk!" Jeremy barked.

"I'm the most accomplished geneticist to ever walk on this planet, 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."

He turned his attention away from his starstruck guests, and up to the dark clouds rolling overhead. Occasionally lightning would flash from within the belly of the storm, but it was being kept at bay by the flock of quirked birds circling overhead. Right now it was nothing more than a light drizzle, that could and would change with a snap of his fingers, but right now he didn't want a full downpour.

Heavy rain did horrible things to insect wings, after all.

Izuku's eyes lit up as he sent out a simple message.

"Bring them down."

Almost at the same time that the Heroes began charging at them, hundreds of black shapes burst from the clouds they had been using as cover, diving to the ground like winged torpedoes.

Ingenium, the speed Hero was the first to reach them, but before he could make contact he was tackled to the ground by… well, if Izuku hadn't been the one to make them, he would have thought it was a demon of sorts.

Finally out of the growth tank, it was revealed in all its mutated glory.

It was humanoid, reaching six feet in height, with uncanny long arms that contained a third joint, and ended in long clawed fingers. Its legs ended in black talons instead of feet. And instead of skin it had a thick boney exoskeleton that had an exceptionally high concentration of carbon and iron in it- a primitive recipe for steel, that gave it a slightly metallic shine, and the durability to match. 

This led to one of the more eye-catching parts, instead of a human head, the creature had a dull gray skull, both an exoskeleton and endoskeleton layering atop each other to protect the brain inside. It lacked a mouth, the faint sealed jaw line ensuring that even if one of the creatures escaped the feeding tanks of the lab, it would starve to death before it could cause any major damage. And in place of eyes, it had two pitch black emotionless pits. A dark protective film covered two compound insect eyes that saw in thermal vision.

… Oh yes, and then there was also the giant inky black wings that sprouted from its back and really drove home the whole demon/fallen angel vibe. A coincidence, I assure you, it's just that having your rapid response backup being able to fly, is too convenient to pass up.

"That is a Crow ." Izuku explained to his guests before they could come up with some other horribly inaccurate name that would further fuel the rumors he was some sort of satanist. "And this ," He gestured to the forms falling from the sky like black rain upon the Heroes. "Is why they fear me, even when Tomura is so much more of a direct threat."

The rain of Crows slammed into the army of Heroes, and everything collectively went to shit.

Izuku took his opportunity and rushed at the most immediate threat, a distracted Mirko, who kicked at him in panic. But just before she could make contact, he exploded into a cloud of black fog.

"Holy Shit!" Mustard called out. "He really is a fucking ghost!"

Izuku slid under the kick, unseen entirely except for his glowing eyes, as the vents on his gauntlets pumped out a cloud of Entropy gas from the compressed tanks on his back.

Kuin had once asked him why he hadn't given himself an offensive quirk, and he countered her by asking her why he should? 

After all, why hook his ability to a quirk, when his best weapon was ensuring no one fighting him had theirs.

He launched himself to his feet with his tail, his clawed gauntlets scraping her back with the momentum, before quickly ducking away from a poorly aimed kick.

Mirko hissed and squinted into the thick fog, her eyes couldn't make out anything, but her ears easily picked up on Izuku's heavy boots. She launched herself in the direction of the footsteps, leg sweeping around to crush him, only to get blindsided as his metal tail smashed into her side like a batter ram. It looked like the fog itself had struck her from any observer's perspective, from how well the sleek matte black metal blended in with the cloud.

Mirko was sent skidding, but easily turned it into a controlled roll, and used the momentum to jump into a crouch.

But before she could launch herself back at Prometheus, something impacted the back of her head and slammed her face into the concrete.

"Hey Bunny!" Kuin grinned, her fangs showing as she squatted like a thug on top of Mirko's head. "I heard you have the best thighs in town. I came to disagree."

The Queen Bee jumped, avoiding a kick that truly showed off the rabbit's flexibility, and used her wings mid air to make sure she landed perfectly.

"You're fucking dead." Mirko growled as she climbed to her feet.

"Well you might want to ask him about that, first." Kuin lazily pointed to the side, and that was the only warning the rabbit Hero got before Jeremy slammed into her like a train, and sent her flying through a nearby building.

"Good boy!' She cooed, buzzing into the air to give him a head pat. "You get extra chocolate when we get back to base!" 

The oversized lizard doggo barked in excitement.

"But before that, let's beat up some Heroes." She grinned wickedly before launching herself into the fight alongside her boss, Jeremy right behind her.

It was chaos, and Kuin loved it!

A dual sword wielding Hero spun, lopping the head off one Crow, cutting another in half, before being dragged down by a third.

A machine gun next on one of the rooftops spat out led, cutting Crows out of the sky, before being erased when that gas mask psycho over by the car shot a rocket at it.

Best Jeanist twisted his hand, closing a noose around the Crow he was fighting, snapping its neck before pivoting and throwing a net to save a nearby Hero who was being carried off. 

A streak of red flashed overhead as Hawks weaved in evasive maneuvers, crimson feathers flying in all directions as more and more Crows swarmed after him.

A black tank burst through a ruined building, crushing a Crow under its treads and firing an explosive shell into the air as an impromptu airburst round that painted the area in mutant blood, but could only swerve side to side in a desperate attempt to shake off the three Crows hooked onto its top, and slowly clawing through its armor.

"COME GET SOME!" Mustard shouted as he pulled back a long metal pin he'd looped through the triggers of four automatic guns, casting the great spell of 'Fuck everything in that general direction' .

A Hero waved his hands, carefully controlling a small tornado that deftly swept around his allies and tore up Crows. The tornado wobbled, glowing blue before exploding in a ball of fire- revealing a smirking Dabi who snapped his fingers and cremated the wind bender.

Jeremy crashed fists with Powerlifter, Muscle Man, Sumo Sam, Swole Man, and at least three other strength quirk Heroes, easily holding his own in the powerhouse throwdown.

A huge swarm of bees buzzed around, stinging Heroes with Entropy doses, and being an absolute menace.

Kuin grit her teeth as she grappled with a cat mutant, the furry abomination making a mockery of her childhood cartoons as it hissed at her with a face that landed right at the depths of the uncanny valley. But no matter how many times her bees stung her, or where Kuin hit her, the walking rug wouldn't let go of her throat , and she was starting to get light headed.

A loud gunshot to her side put a quarter sized hole in the Bitch's head, giving Kuin the opening to throw her off.

The Queen Bee looked over to see who had stolen her kill and-

"Oh God no…" Her eyes widened as her host's memories played out in her mind. "Not you ."

"Ah, I see my Villainous reputation precedes me." Mustard chucked with the fakest suave voice she'd ever heard. "Fear not madam, I am a gentleman, through and through."

"You're about to be though and through on my shiv if you don't stop talking."

"Ouch. Okay, point made, you don't have to- wait, is that a mask?"

"What? This?" She tapped the thin glass that covered her face. "Yeah, it's a filter for if I get caught up in that ." She jabbed her thumb over towards the moving cloud of Entropy where izuku was.

"Awesome!" He cheered. "Finally! I can actually use my quirk without hitting my allies!"

"Wha-"

A purple gas erupted from the boy, filling the area around the, and causing the Heroes in their immediate vicinity to fall to their knees, coughing as they struggled to breathe.

"...Huh." Kuin blinked in surprise. "That's actually pretty useful."

"I know right! I'm awesome !"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

Meanwhile, across the clearing, Izuku was fighting Heroes.

He was fighting Heroes ! And he was holding his own. (sort of)

His upgrades had brought him to their level physically, above their level in most cases, since Heroes tended to overly specialize in one specific aspect like speed, whereas he was much more rounded. But they had years of training and experience, something he was lacking heavily in, but he was more than willing to use every last trick his enhanced mind could come up with to even that advantage.

A thick cloud of Entropy billowed around him, taking away their vision, while also weakening their quirk and making them sluggish. A concentrated shot from his gauntlet, or a sting from Kuin's bees, would amplify that effect tenfold.

His eyes shone through the fog, giving them a target for their attention, and providing the perfect distraction for his tail to blindside them from the other direction.

He fought evasively, throwing himself at every opportunity, and slipping away if things even began to look somewhat even- more than willing to call over Crows to keep his opponents off balanced, or even just as distractions to run away.

He attacked from behind, he threw dirt in their eyes, and picked fights where the Heroes were already struggling with Crows, all while never straying far from Kuin and Jeremy, his Bishop and his Rook.

He fought dirty, taking full advantage of having one more limb than his opponent, and he never fought fair.

But he wasn't here to fight "fair", he was a Scientist, he fought smart, and he was fighting to win .

-Rain of Sins-

Far above the carnage a lone black chopper flew overhead.

"Well, this was unexpected." Martin sighed as he watched everything unfold below. "It's a good thing we over prepared, just in case he had a trick up his sleeve. Give it another hour, and I'm positive this situation will be under control. We have some of the best men and women in the nation down there, and those bird things are thinning out rather quickly. But that's the problem, I suppose."

Martin frowned.

"We don't have an hour, this was to trap him, and with the mess this has turned into, there's no way we'll be able to stop him if he decides to make a break for it. I don't suppose you've figured anything out yet?"

The scrawny blond man next to him sighed as he lowered the binoculars he'd been using.

"Some, but not as much as I'd like to."

"This whole opening operation was to face him to show his hand, and give you an opportunity to study his fighting style, so you wouldn't be caught off guard by anything."

"I know, it's just-" The blond pinched his nose as he tried to format his words. "That fog makes it hard to tell, but it's almost like he doesn't have a fighting style. All of his attacks are rigid, like he's studied how to throw the punch extensively, but doesn't feel it. None of it flows. It's less like he's fighting in the moment, blending between trained attacks, and more like he's picking from a bunch of choreographed moves for whatever he thinks is best for the situation, then pausing and picking another one."

"Doesn't that imply he's a novice to fighting?"

"Or he's intentionally doing it, because there's no specific fighting style behind it, and no exploitable pattern."

"That is troublesome." Martin hummed in thought. "I can buy you more time if you need it."

"No." The blond shook his head, putting aside the binoculars. "There's nothing more to observe. We already know what the gas does, and we know his general capabilities, this just proves that what makes him dangerous is what he can make, not necessarily what he can physically do."

The blond gave a brief wave before slipping out the helicopter, and plummeting to the ground.

Everyone's attention was drawn upwards to an explosion of steam in the air.

Like a falling star of gold, All Might descended, crashing into the pavement in a crunch that caused it to explode into a spiderweb of cracks. The impact blasted away Izuku's cloud, and he let it, turning off his pumps to prevent it from reforming.

It was exactly like every fantasy Izuku used to have, of All Might THE Hero, coming to help him, to chase off his bullies and tell him that even he could be a Hero…

Life, it seemed, had a truly tasteless sense of irony.

"Wow, they really want you dead." Kuin whispered to him.

"It would appear so. It would appear so..." Izuku siad, his eyes locked on the titan of myth. 

"VILLAIN!" All Might boomed. "Surrender now, you're completely outmatched now that I AM HERE!"

"All Might!" He called out. "I have a different proposition. Gather your fellows and leave, I'm only here for Endeavor. Or King as the prideful imbecile has decided to name himself." 

"What joke is that!?" All Might held up his hands in a boxing stance, even something as simple as clenching his fists, causing a small gust of wind. "You want me to step aside and let you freely kill one of the greatest Heroes in the nation, while terrorizing the population!?" 

"No." Izuku responded, deadpan. "I want you to step aside and let me freely kill a Murderer and a fraud who has somehow tricked the world into believing he's a Hero." 

"Endeav- er, King, may have his flaws, but he's no murderer! He's a Hero! Someone who risks their life for innocents!" 

"You… you genuinely believe that, don't you?" Izuku narrowed his eyes at him, and seemed somewhat caught off guard. "Wha? How ? How can you be so caught up in your idealistic beliefs that you're physically blind to the world around you, while at the same time being so hypocritically fatalistic to the point of nonsense about other parts of your ideology??"

"NO MORE STALLING! You work for Shigaraki, for the League of Villains! You hate me, your whole goal is to kill me and topple society! Well here I am! No more games, no more civilian targets! COME AT ME!"

"Hate you? Don't be so full of yourself. I dislike you, yes, but I don't hate you."

 Izuku scoffed. "Don't get me wrong, it's a very strong dislike, but it's not hate. You stand on top of your golden tower of fame and lie to the world. You lie about your strength, you lie about how good this Hero system really is, you lie that 'Anyone can be a Hero' , you lie that you can save everyone. All in a desperate attempt to keep society stable, to keep the boat from rocking, to uphold the mask that keeps Villain attacks from running rampant, and to spare the world from the absolute anarchy that would result from truly unrestrained quirk conflict."

Izuku chuckled weakly. "No, I can't hate you for that, not when I can't honestly say I wouldn't have done the same if I were put in your position. However…" 

The Scientist sneered and pointed a clawed finger at his old idol. "I despise what you stand for ! A might makes right world, where your entire future is determined solely on the quirk you were born with! Where hard work and talent are afterthoughts to your number in a genetic lottery! Where the weak and the quirkless are thrown aside as lesser beings , told to toss themselves off rooftops, and expected to worship the ground the lucky walk on, as fawning sycophants!"

All Might flinched, the words cutting past his facade, and stabbing deep into far distant memories of a different life, from before he met Nana.

"ENOUGH MIND GAMES!" The Hero roared and launched himself forward like a cannonball, his form blurring, and the street behind him exploding from the force of his jump.

A black wall of hateful red eyes and vicious claws leapt into his way, but unlike at the USJ, he was anticipating it this time.

All Might pivoted, sliding just left of a decapitating clawed swipe, and bellowed a war cry as he threw his entire body weight into a vicious right hook that transferred all his momentum into a single kinetic impact.

Jeremy shrieked as he was sent careening back, teeth flying from his mouth, as the bone of his skull shattered into several pieces.

A black cloud of insects descended from above like a waterfall of chitin and stingers.

All Might raised his hands, bringing them together in a clap that not only blasted the swarm away, but slid Izuku backwards from the air pressure.

He walked through a firestorm from Dabi without even flinching.

A glancing blow from the edge of a jab sent Mustard skipping down the street, clutching his stomach in pain.

And the air pressure from a single swat sent Kuin crashing into a wall like a bug,

"Stand Down!" Izuku barked at the Villains. "You'll only get yourself killed."

"But Sir!" Queen Bee protested as she pulled herself to her legs.

"No! No buts! Let Jeremy buy us time with All Might."

The Lizard roared as it launched itself back towards its old foe, already regenerating its grievous wound.

"Didn't he already beat Jeremy though!?"

"I am well aware of the previous outcome." Izuku brought a hand to his head, the glow from his eyes ramping up. "He already proved he can defeat Jeremy back at the USJ, and as much as I want to see the results of his new upgrades, I can't afford to test my luck today. But we don't need him to beat All Might, we just need a little more time and-"

Izuku was interrupted by a horrible shriek that reverberated from above them, loud enough that it rattled windows, and could be felt in the teeth of everyone nearby.

All eyes drifted upwards in horror as a giant glob of gray foam snapped into existence, green water pouring from it like a waterfall.

And from the depths emerged a monstrosity the likes of which had never been seen before.

It was enormous, its body alone easily as large as a blue whale. It was covered in thick dark scales, and had spiky protrusions all along its back.

It had eight legs, the back four were reptilian, thick and muscular, made to hold its enormous bulk, covered in scales and with great talons on the end. Its third pair were slimmer than the back two, more nimble and quick, but what really caught attention was the giant scythes that ended them, each as long as a bus. The final pair of legs were rather small, with a single pointed claw on the tip, used mainly for holding prey still as its dual heads devoured it.

Two enormous heads swiveled on serpentine necks, each with a split jaw and rows of serrated teeth. They had horns, short so as to not get tangled, but sharp and useful for puncturing. And each had two sets of red eyes that stared out angrily at the world outside its birthing tank.

And a long prehensile tail stretched out behind it, three clawed "fingers" opening and closing into a fist.

"This is Project Rapture- the first working prototype to be exact, it's far from what I hope it to one day be, and was more of a proof of concept than a real attempt. Think of this as a rough draft of sorts." Izuku paused and took a moment to consider the creature. "But I suppose that's a bit of a mouth full to say in conversation, and calling every attempt from Project Rapture a "Rapture", would get confusing… So how about we just call this one… Charybdis ?"

The creature reared its two heads back and roared , shaking the city by its voice alone.

"Oh yeah, in case you were wondering what it is, it has eight eyes, four on each head, and eight legs- so it's technically an arachnid."

-Chapter End-

Oh yeah, things are getting real!

And we haven't even seen what's been happening back at the main event!

Meanwhile here in mousetrap square, the HPSC and Nezu set up a trap for Izuku, who counters it with his own trap, so they counter his trap with their backup trap, which Izuku counters by slamming his big red TACTICAL NUKE button.

All Might, most of the top ten, and a ton of minor Heroes- against a fucking Kaiju, a bunch of bio engineered killing machines, and Izuku's rag tag group of losers (and Jeremy).

Ha! Everyone was so busy wondering if Izuku was gonna poach Toga, that no one expected the backhand, and noticed the growing divide between Dabi and Tomura.

They're not adopted officially yet, but I mean c'mon, they were in the Avengers "stand in a circle and fight together" scene.

Also, roping back to the beginning, poor Shoto. 

Here Enji got pulled to number one without the humbling experience of watching the All Might AfO fight, Shoto grow on his own, and then only becoming number one because AM retired fighting a Villian he couldn't even hope to scratch…

Yeah without that, the title just inflated all of his worst traits.

F for Shoto, at least he has a real friend.

-Next Chap: two weeks-

Join the discord, to see my terrible rough sketch of the big monster, as well as a shit ton of shitty memes, crappy references, and all the hentai that Charnel keeps posting.

https://discord.gg/Hy7g6UqGQd