Chapter Text
Time really does pass quickly.
Cities are now almost completely destroyed. I still remember when people used to walk calmly through them, on their way to work, taking their children to school, or simply going about their daily routines.
That is nothing more than a shadow of what it is now...
I move between buildings that look as if they're about to collapse and turn into rubble, trying to clear these areas. Criminals just don't seem to stop appearing; it's as if for every one I manage to take down, ten more show up. I wish I could cut the problem off at the root, but I still haven't managed to reach it.
Stopping for a moment, I pick up a newspaper lying on the ground. It seemed the wind had carried it there. Staying informed about what's happening in the rest of the country isn't a bad idea after all. The paper is no more than three days old. Apparently, heroes are scattered across different regions of the country, trying to capture villains and escort people to shelters as quickly as possible, those shelters used to be academies.
—Huh. Now they see me as a murderer. Ironic. —
"Izuku Midoriya wanted for murder." I wonder, if someone like those who are now fighting criminals on their own were to see me, what would they do? Would they threaten me? Will they try to attack me?
I don't think about it any further.
I don't care.
They can believe whatever they want about me.
I know what I did was the only option. I wasn't going to allow more lives murdered in that place, even if it left scars behind.
I never thought they would take advantage of the chaos of the battle against Shigaraki. It didn't even cross my mind that it could be a distraction. Their real plan had always been to have high-end Nomu attack Tartarus, freeing the villains imprisoned there.
Hawks had murdered the criminal known as Twice, while Dabi, or now known as Touya Todoroki, revealed the truth about Endeavor, about how he had abused his family for so long... Everything happened so fast that no one managed to stop it.
People lost faith in those they once admired, while those just abandoned them, unable to bear the weight of their own actions, heroes who helped only for recognition, feeding their egos more and more until they collapsed. Without heroes, the crime rate raised to the point where several cities ended up like this, and people who once feared villains decided to fight back and defend themselves.
Danger Sense.
I stop for a moment, descending along the walls of the buildings into an alley, realizing how one of the quirks granted to me by One For All activates once again, signaling that something is happening nearby.
"Get away from us!! W-We're not afraid of you!!"
It's a scream coming from the exit of the alley. I don't any waste time and move to see what's happening. This scene has already become something common across Japan.
"I-I'm warning you!! D-Don't come any closer!!"
An adult blonde woman was surrounded by several criminals, with a small girl taking refuge behind her. The woman was using her own quirk, which seemed to create small spikes all over her body, but even so, it wasn't hard to notice the fear she felt.
No matter how much people try to handle this on their own, I know they must be terrified. I understand them, If I was them would be terrified too. And that's exactly why I'm the one who has to stop this from continuing.
I acted quickly, heading straight toward the criminals and engaging them head-on, without giving them a single chance or moment to breathe.
Some time later...
As expected, the police are still taking too long to arrive.
More than an hour had passed since I took down those criminals, and the woman had managed to contact the authorities to report the criminals I had restrained and tied up.
Even so, I always stay to watch over the area until they arrive, just in case. The Danger Sense doesn't alert me unless criminal activity is about to cause real disaster.
*Sigh*
I need to eat something and rest. I've been patrolling all day...
Once the police finally left, taking the woman and the girl with them, I stayed on the rooftop, sitting down and grabbing the backpack I always carry with me.
"If I want to put an end to this then I should track down the most dangerous villains who escaped from Tartarus."
I still haven't gotten used to eating alone. Who would've thought, I miss Kacchan's irritating yelling. I wonder how everything is going at U.A. I hope they're okay. It would be terrible if something happened to anyone, especially now that the government has decided to use the students as weapons against villains.
"The first step will be locating the members of the League of Villains who escaped that day. I can't waste any more time... in just four months they've managed to cause all of this."
Just as I stood up and slung my backpack over my shoulder, the Danger Sense flared up violently, warning me that something was wrong. Feeling a breeze strike me from behind, I moved to the side, dodging my attacker.
"Is that a...!?"
Its wings beat powerfully, forcing me to look up toward the sun, thankfully blocked by its strange silhouette, creating an utterly unpleasant sight.
"A Nomu!?"
Seeing it made me remember the Nomu that attacked me before, one that Stain, the Hero Killer, had killed without hesitation. But this one was larger, its skin darker, like the ones that had fought All Might and Endeavor.
"A high-end? This could be good. It means someone sent it, and that someone might be nearby... it could even be a member of the League of Villains"
At that moment, I didn't notice that something was wrong. The creature's condition was strange. I could've sworn I remembered that the skin forming the wings that allowed it to fly was decomposing right before my eyes.
"Damn it, here it comes!"
That was my first reaction as the beast, made from multiple quirks, dove straight at me. I jumped backward to dodge it, and when it struck the ground on two human-like legs, I got a much clearer look at it, its massive size, standing upright, its pronounced musculature, and the two wings emerging from its arms.
"Its skin tissue is damaged in different parts of its body... But why?"
That was my first thought, but I didn't have time to dwell on it. The Nomu lunged at me again, trying to attack, but I was faster and more agile, striking first.
A direct blow to its head, with enough force to knock it off the rooftop. But that only complicated things. As it fell, the Nomu recovered and used its wings to take flight over the city.
"I can't let it get away!"
I moved across the rooftops, running and jumping, surrounded by the residual energy of One For All, using it at ten percent to keep up.
That thing hurled debris from a ruined building at me, grabbing it mid-flight. To create an opening, I used Black whip to catch the rock, spinning and throwing it back with twice the force. The impact threw off its movements, and I took advantage of that.
I leapt onto its back, securing myself with Black whip, and that's when I realized something. Its skin wasn't damaged from battle—it was in the middle of decomposition, emitting a truly disgusting stench.
"What the hell is this??!"
I asked aloud, but quickly refocused, remembering my situation. Using smokescreen, I generated a thick mist that completely blocked the Nomu's vision—but not mine—which I used to my advantage.
I guided its movements with Black whip, but something was off. I was certain it was a high-end Nomu, yet it wasn't giving me much trouble in combat.
"I'll have to force it into an emergency landing!!
Blinded by the mist, the Nomu flew straight into a nearly ruined building, crashing into it while I fell from its back.
"Where is it?"
I wondered mid-fall as the collision kicked up a massive cloud of dust. The creature burst out of it, diving toward me to capture me, but that worked against it.
Once again, I used the quirk of the fourth user of One For All, grabbing the creature and pulling it towards me. At the precise moment, I struck it with both feet in the chest, switching our positions midair, sending it falling backwards while I prepare to use it as a cushion for the impact.
...
"Shit..."
That was the first word I spoke after the fall. I was fine—but the Nomu... was another story. It wasn't moving, and I didn't understand why. As a high-end, it should have had a regeneration quirk to survive something like that. Instead, I felt sick looking at its skull split open, parts of its body shattered by the impact—and rotting.
I stepped away from its body, feeling some pain in my legs from the fall, which had luckily been cushioned by the beast. It seemed dead, giving me time to analyze it and search for answers to the questions filling my head.
But then something snapped me out of my thoughts—nearby screams, and at the same time my Danger Sense went berserk like never before.
"What's happening?"
At first, I thought the screams were because of the scene someone must've seen it. The Nomu's blood spilled across the ground and on my suit was horrifying. I figured people might threaten me or attack me at any moment.
But it wasn't that.
"This can't be real..."
I understood then why people were screaming, many of them turning into cries of pain and suffering. People were running towards me, not to confront me, but to escape something that terrified them, something chasing them, something beyond anyone's comprehension.
People attacking others without mercy, biting into their throats and making them bleed out.
Cannibals.
Hell was unfolding right before my eyes.
And I...
I was frozen in place.