Chapter Text
The date is April 20, 21XX. Tokyo Big Sight's 22,000 sq ft. Atrium is bustling with activity, filled to the brim with people pushing past each other as they make way towards the different booths systematically scattered around.
The sound of cheerful noises and excited chatter echoes throughout the enclosed space. There is a wide variety of people within. Some are decked out in hero merch, others are cosplaying as their favorite and most popular pro heroes. There are others who seem to be a little out of place with their casual clothing and lowered gazes but their manner of speaking when they approach a specific hero booth is proof that they are just as at home as the others.
A stage is set up in the middle and three large screens are put up in the air showcasing three different video footage. They are all similar in that they feature the top ten most popular heroes in terms of strength, personality and looks.
By the entrance are different-sized statues of the top ten pro heroes in the Hero Ranking for Japan. Each one is well-made and is popular with the people as they are not without someone posing almost every thirty seconds.
The date is April 20, 21XX and it is the Fourtieth HeroCon. Nothing seems out of place. Security is tight and no one expects anything to happen. After all, what villain would be stupid enough to launch an attack in a place where over thirty pro heroes are gathered together.
The convention is in full swing by the time ten o'clock arrives and everyone is relaxed. Even though security remains to be tight and the production crew are busy preparing for the arrival of the pro heroes in the afternoon, they are just slightly unguarded.
All speakers suddenly quiet down and is replaced by the loud screech of static. It is loud enough to be painful that all noise is drowned out. Others who are more sensitive to sound faints.
When a full minute has passed and the static sound disappears, the screens display are replaced by an avatar that sported a dark-blue top hat, a gold-rimmed monocle on its left eye, and a visible dark-green hair fringe peeking out of the top hat. There are two fingers crossed over his lips. The words 'March Hare' are written underneath the avatar and glitches occasionally.
"What the...?"
"What's happening? Is this part of the program?"
"Ehhh? Are they going to play that game?"
"What the heck?"
The hushed whispers turn into panicked and excited chatter. The security inside the Atrium calms the crowd and reassures them that everything is alright. They are broken by the sound of laughter that is followed by a speech.
"Hello. Hello. Is everyone having a great day?"
Confused looks can be seen being exchanged throughout the faces of the people inside. No one from the production crew seems to care. Everyone starts to assume that this is part of their new program that had been hinted to be revealed today.
"Aww. No one's answering me. I'm feeling quite sad now. Maybe I should try again."
There is nothing threatening about the voice. It's soft and gentle and just enough bit of cheer that it doesn't sound fake.
"Hello everyone! Are you all having a great day?!"
The resounding answer is loud and cheery.
"Since today is a very special day, we wanted to make things more interesting and liven it up a bit before the heroes arrive. I've made a game that I'm sure you all would love to play. Do you guys want to participate in it?"
Another resounding cheer fills the Atrium and excited chatter begin to filter through as some wonder what the game will be about.
"Yey! This going to be fun, I promise! The first round is a variant of Twenty Questions except this time, it'll be all about pro heroes. Anyone can answer. We'll know who answered correctly or not. Those who answers the questions perfectly get a surprise prize from yours truly. Those who fail, don't be sad, there's another round for you guys to play and try your luck."
There are some murmurs and grumbling but in the end, everyone is far too transfixed and interested in this sudden game. A clap echoes throughout the room and the owner of the voice begins.
"Yosh, here goes! Question number 1. Who was the most popular hero who dominated the top spot for the popularity ranking in terms of raw power, strength, charisma, technique and number of saves for over twenty years?"
The answer is immediate.
"All Might!"
"All Might, duh! That one was so easy!"
The chime of a bell rings and the avatar's crossed fingers are now forming a circle.
"Yay, everyone got it right! Don't worry, it'll get harder as we go up."
"Next, what year did the Golden Batch graduate from U.A.?"
"Who was the one who dealt the killing blow to All for One?"
"What is pro hero Nyx's true gender?"
The questions seemed harmless and nobody took notice of it, merely enjoying theirselves at the distraction until they reached the eighteenth question.
"Here's the eighteenth question. Who knows who is the pro hero that is guilty of quirk marriage, domestic abuse and has a tendency to violence when subduing villains?"
The question surprised everyone and were all rendered speechless. The voice giggled when no one spoke even after a few minutes have passed.
"Aww, no one knows the answer? That's too bad. Let's move on to the next then."
Nobody spoke.
"Nineteenth question. Who is the pro hero that killed a fellow pro hero?"
That got a reaction from the crowd and panic slowly seeped in the heart of the crowd. The voice giggled again.
"No one wants to answer again? Aww, spoilsports. Then here's the last question! Who among this crowd is actually accessory to that said murder?"
Suddenly, everyone was running towards the exit. Some were unlucky and got trampled on in the ensuing stampede. Unfortunately for them, the doors would not budge. Screaming ensued with others demanding just what was happening at the moment.
"If this is a fucking game, this ain't funny!"
"What the fuck?! You don't go slandering our pro heroes like that!"
"Oi, oi. I don't know anything about any murders."
"What the...?"
"Fuck, call the heroes!"
"Shit, open the doors! This isn't funny now!"
The owner of the voice laughed again. This time, it wasn't quite as warm and as gentle as it first was. It sounded soft but edgy with a promise of pain and hid something sinister.
"Tut tut, the game's not over yet. Why are you guys leaving now? Don't you guys want to play with me now? Don't be like that. Hey, hey. Today's a really special day. Let's have more fun!"
"Fuck you! This game ain't no more fun. I want out you shitty villain. Fu-" The loud voice was suddenly cut off and replaced with a 'pop' sound that echoed loudly throughout the whole place. Something red sprayed in the air and splattered through the ground.
A woman nearby the person who had spoken had fallen on the floor, clutching her bag in front of her. She was shouting and covered with blood. A slumped body with a large circle carved out of their chest lay bleeding beside her.
"What...?"
"He... His chest exploded!" Someone screamed. Everyone remained rooted to their position, unable to move from the sheer pressure and intense bloodlust that enveloped the whole area.
"Tut tut. That man was rude. I wanted to play more. Aww. That wasn't supposed to happen. I'm going to get scolded really badly for that. I'm sorry."
No one answered. It wasn't like they could speak even if they wanted to.
"Anyway. Let's play another game."
The bloodlust disappeared and everyone was suddenly free to move. As if on cue, they all began rushing towards the doors again, some using their quirks to try and break the glass doors. It was futile.
Nobody noticed the avatar on the screen changing its expression into one that looked angry while pouting at the same time.
"Wrong answer. Now I have to kill all of you. Tsk. How troublesome."
In a blink of an eye, everyone fell on the ground, their chests hollowed out into a large circle. Blood flowed onto the tiles, covering it red. There didn't seemed to be a single body left alive.
An exasperated sigh filled the now deathly silent hall.
"They should have just played the game. Tsk. Ah, he's gonna scold me so bad for this. Hehe." It was followed by the sound of static before everything resumed to normal again as if nothing had happened. The only difference was that this time, there was around 400 dead bodies littered on the ground.
A few minutes later, someone moved from underneath the fallen table and moved away the sheet that had covered her. She rubbed her aching head. She frowned. The stench of blood was strong and made her feel sick.
Turning around, she was met with the gruesome sight of dead bodies littering the Atrium's pristine floor. The tiles were red and she couldn't see a single spot that was not coated with the fluid. She turned to her side and retched.
Amane Mei wiped her mouth and shakily rummaged in her bag for her phone. She dialed the emergency hotline.
"H-hello? I... I'd like to r-report a v-villain attack. It happened at the Tokyo Big Sight's Atrium. No. I didn't see what happened. When I... When I woke up, everyone was lying on the ground. There's so much blood and I think... I think they might be dead."
She sobbed.
"P-please hurry."
Her hands were still shaking. The smell was overpowering and she vomitted again. She breathed shakily and closed her eyes, curling into a ball while sitting. Tears stung her eyes as she wondered why she was even left alive.
Help arrived within ten minutes. The police officers cordoned the place off while the pro heroes circled the place to ensure that no one suspicious was around.
When they entered the Atrium, it took several tries before the door even opened. The smell of blood was so strong that it made them all take a step back.
The sight that met them inside, however, was enough to send shivers down their spine. It wasn't just a villain attack. It was a massacre, a bloody and gruesome massacre.
"Uravity, please float yourself and survey if there are any survivors. Sasaki-san, please call the forensics department and have the medics on stand-by."
Uravity nodded her head and floated inside. Although she had seen gruesome things before in her line of work, this took the cake. Even with the League of Villains attack almost nine years ago and the causalty totalling over a thousand, it had happened in a course of nine months. She had never seen a massacre this large nor a villain capable of murdering this many instantly.
She knew it happened instantly. There were no signs of struggle or quirk usage anywhere except the doors and the windows. And the way they looked was as if they suddenly slumped down all at the same time.
"Anyone there? Mei-san?" She lowered herself towards the spot that remained spotless.
A few minutes later, she emerged with an unconscious but otherwise fine woman in her arms. When the medics had taken her off from Uraraka, she turned towards Kirishima, her eyes hazy and with rage simmering just below the surface.
"Eiji... I don't know who did that or why, but I swear to Kami I won't rest until they are locked away." She clenched her fists. Kirishima's face was tight but his hands were warm and reassuring.
Uraraka wiped away the stray tears on her face. She turned away when the bodies were slowly bagged and brought out of the place.
"There were children there." She murmured and she saw Kirishima's eyes blaze.
"I know. We're gonna nail this fucker, Ochako. That's a promise."
She nodded, her heart tightening with resolve. When another body bag that was small was carried out, she turned her eyes away.
Her eyes caught something green for a moment before it disappeared. She shook her head.
"Aww, Kacchan's going to scold me so terribly again." A dark-green haired man said, slumping on the table with a despairing expression. He was staring at a purple-haired man who looked as if he hadn't slept in years.
"Don't look at me like that. I won't cover for you, you know. You're the one who went and killed 400 people." The man said while eyeing the dark-green haired man dirtily. The latter frowned and pouted.
"But I just wanted to give Kacchan a gift!" He said while twiddling his fingers together.
"HUH?! You know he would appreciate it more if you keep yourself out of trouble instead, right Izuku?" The purple-haired man said exasperatedly. Izuku's pout remained in place. It was a complete contrast to the fact that he hqd just murdered around 400 people.
"I just wanted to make him happy. I didn't mean to kill that many."
"Seriously?"
"Ahhh, it doesn't matter. All of them are liars and they all played a part in hurting Kacchan, anyway!" Izuku said, sitting up and pumping his hand slightly in the air.
"Who played a part in hurting me?" A blonde-haired man in a suit sans the coat walked up towards the them. His red eyes scanned the two men with a calculating gaze.
"Ah, Kacchan. You're awake?" Izuku laughed nervously. Kacchan narrowed his eyes even more and walked towards Izuku's chair, looming over him.
"Oi, Deku." His voice was low but it was enough to deliver his point.
"Shinchan!" Izuku said while reaching out towards the purple-haired man who looked at him exasperatedly.
"I'm out. I'm gonna go sleep." Then he was gone.
"No!"
"Deku. What. The. Fuck. Did. You. Do. This. Time?" Kacchan asked, his voice nearly becoming a growl. Izuku gulped and laughed nervously.
"Uh... I may have hijacked the HeroCon and uhh..."
"Huh?"
"I uhh... I used my quirk and accidentally killed everyone there."
"You did what?!"
"Ahhhhh! Don't kill me, Kacchan!"
The date is April 20, 21XX and nobody knows it just yet but it would be the beginning of the end of their world as they know it.