Chapter 24: Stain is here!
I had spent hours testing out the potential of the "new recruits".
Be it by facing them all together or picking them in one-one battles.
You might be curious about how they fare.
Well...
They were so clumsy and simple minded that I wondered if they had just enrolled into the life of villainy.
Sure, some had interesting quirks and aptitudes, but I easily wipe the floor with them without even needing to boost myself with OFA.
Static skull and Hydro were technically the ones that fared better against my flurry of strikes and could still hold their own when I ordered that no quirks were allowed.
Vanisher and Stretch were capable enough as well. The former had thankfully showed signs of regaining his nerve while the latter had a good head above his shoulders and was able to strategize and adapt.
Amongst the small group of girls, most of them weren't capable of properly handling combat situations.
Drills and Medusa still insisted on continuing training. But Mute and Ringtone had better use as support for the league in my opinion.
Unfortunately, the pure mutants types were mostly a massive disappointment.
The birds-like weren't that used for flight, which was dumb as fuck. The hound and hog didn't know how to properly make use of their sharp senses, nor the lizards had much going for them like poison or vision.
Sharp shark for example, the one that almost chomped Midoriya's head off during canon, wasn't capable of breathing under water.
...
I rather not continue with that line of thought.
Seriously, when comparing them with the regular students that I saw during U.A's entrance exam, it's obvious that all men aren't created equal.
But still, I was determined to get something out of this.
I had noticed that the high levels of frustration that I've been building up, were due to the stress that I was under thanks to the hundreds of clones I had sent out all around Japan.
The week is about to end, so this headache won't last much longer.
To be fair, it was an excellent plan on paper, but I still haven't gotten something that could help me strengthen my mind.
"Photographic memory" and "memory recall" were a double edged sword in scenarios like these.
"High spec" should mitigate this issue.
Or I don't know... just make it worse. Much worse.
Anyway, gotta dodge a terribly telegraphed punch.
I slapped the oncoming attack to the side and elbowed Stone fist in the face. He immediately retreated while blood began pouring out of his nose.
Might've broken it.
I flip backwards in time to evade Blockstone's charge.
Landing on my feet, I kneeled just in time to evade Slim steeler and Lady claws' attacks.
I gut punched both of them and landed a split kick straight to their necks. Knocking them out.
When a hand came out of the ground attempting to grab me by the ankle, I side stepped it and kneeled over it.
Hearing Static skull's muffled cry of pain, I spun to the side right before Vanisher tried to tackle me to the ground and pinned him to the ground.
When the next wave of contenders approached, I simply raised a hands in a gesture to make them stop. "Enough. Training is over."
Looking around, I saw everyone panting and collapsing to the ground due to exhaustion, I remembered that even not intentionally using OFA, It still left me with inhuman levels of stamina.
"To those that I taught some first aid lessons, go pick your fellow comrades that have been injured. You are dismissed for today." I tightened my mask while moving towards my weapons and boots spikes that I had stored away before training the small frys.
Noticing some stares of doubt towards me, I spoke again. "To those wishing to leave, as far as I'm concerned, you may do so. Avoid sticking out too much for now and I better not find you committing petty crimes again."
After hearing them whispering amongst themselves, I gotta say I wasn't surprised after seeing some of them leave.
These bastards were recruited to help kill All Might, and yet, they still had reservations regarding this whole high tier villain organization stuff.
Bunch of amateurs.
But the ones that stayed were the ones with most potential in my opinion.
My top lieutenants: Static skull, Hydro, Vanisher and Stretcher.
And the monstrous cuties: Mute, Strangler and Ringtone.
Foursome, Drills, Medusa and Rainshot.
Everyone else that stayed hadn't reached my expectations yet, but are at least on a promising path.
Muscular just stood there on the opposite side of the storehouse, staring at me, probably gathering enough courage to face me again in a fight.
It seems that "Blood curdled" does leave some side effects on its targets.
Hell, even Endeavor and Gran Torino almost shit their pants when Stain went berserk during canon.
The former being strong enough to easily burn muscular to cinders.
Regardless of that, the time to complete my next mission as Stain had come.
Almost telepathically, Kurogiri opened a Warp gate and called for me. "Ah, hero killer stain, I apologize for my lateness. So, you wish to return to Hosu city?"
I stared at him for a moment, wondering why would this half baked Nomu be acting suspicious.
Not really caring to investigate, I replied. "No, send me to Jaku city."
"As you wish." He nodded after concentrating for a while and opened another portal.
Looking back now, his timing only points out that there were cameras hidden around the warehouse.
Have I caught AFO attention?
I can work with that.
Anyways, back to my mission.
After passing by Kurogiri's warp gate, I landed on the rooftop of a tall building.
Breathing in the cold wind and stretching a little, I went to catch a bigger fish this time.
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Meanwhile, at Shigaraki's lair.
Watching a footage, on his brand new set of computers, of his new minions being put to test, he couldn't deny Stain's combat capabilities.
He had laughed at Eraserhead while considering that his quirk only served to annoy him. But now seeing a quirkless individual single handedly face dozens of villains without negating their quirks... that was an impressive sight to behold.
And that infuriated him.
After his bold plan of attacking the country's most advanced prison, all the media and the press talked about was the threat that was The Hero Killer. They completely ignored his Nomus and his league.
"Impressive indeed." A familiar voice spoke up through his computer speaker.
"Master." Shigarki recognized. "You've seen this? I mean..."
"I have. This killer of heroes is one of a kind indeed." His tone shifted a little before continuing. "Unfortunately, it seems from what you've told me he is an independent agent."
"Yeah, I don't like that arrogant hero killer." Shigaraki remarked furiously. "I must destroy him before he undermines my authority towards my own league."
"Patience." The voice said, surprising Shigaraki. "Although this individual appears not to be entirely reliable, his skills and experience are undoubtedly invaluable to you. Isn't it true you were expecting that from the time you've chosen to approach him? Not having him under your banner will certainly be a loss of a significant boost to your league's notoriety."
"So, what are you suggesting master? Should I just ignore his insolence and watch him take ownership of my own league. I want to destroy him." Shigaraki questioned a little annoyed.
"If that's what you wish, then I've arranged the perfect opportunity to either get rid of him or gain his unquestionable loyalty." The voice reassured Shigaraki. "The question is, which one will you decide."
"When should I expect this "opportunity" to take place?" The man-child asked while scratching his neck.
"Tonight." Was the answer given.
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Running through Jaku city's rooftops, I managed to hear a live broadcasting through a large LED display on the nearby building.
"Heroes around the country have been brutalized by a vigilante. I consider this crime to be the most atrocious act of cowardice and villainy in recent history." A tall, lean-built man wearing very formal clothes was making an announcement. "I will not rest until the criminal and all his accomplices are brought to justice. Stain, I will hunt you down. I will find you!" His name was Esa Torrappu, a high rank commissioner that I was tracking due to his secret tie with the black market. "I got a pretty good idea of what your motivations might be and I can guess what you are hoping to achieve. However, what you are doing right now is evil."
This petty spectacle just served to reveal his location to me.
Jaku Central News.
Not far from here.
But thinking about it.
I've never considered myself a true mastermind of strategies, but seeing how everything was going as smoothly as it was, I knew right there that someone was trying to lure me into a trap.
I've seen this scenario once, and if not for "memory recall", I might've interpreted it as a mere feeling dejavu.
But regardless, knowing it is a bait doesn't change the fact that an opportunity had presented itself to me.
Only one way to find out if I have what it takes to make use of it.
Recreating Stendhal's iconic mask with Momo's quirk, with some minor but relevant alterations, I wore it without restraining my hair in a ponytail.
My pants and the bandages wrapped around my arms were made of a special material that I've managed to get from my classroom teacher.
While listening to my target's voice getting far away, I made my way through town.
——————————————————————
As my alter ego went to accomplish his mission, at the Genius Office, Me and Momo were enjoying our last day of internship.
It was already night, Best Jeaniest had requested that the two of us finish responding to every email and letter that had commented about our performance during patrol.
He didn't want to risk us patrolling at night due to recent events.
"Look Neito, another one complimented me for the way I dealt with that robber." Momo told me with her cute expression. "Oh, and said you were very dashing and supportive by shielding the bystanders from that criminal."
I smiled at her. "That's excellent! Who would've thought that we would be so well received around her."
"Yeah, we had such a great time that this week seemed to have passed in a second. Only bad memory was how those individuals kept taking pictures of me everywhere I went." She commented with a pouting expression.
"I know how you feel, even though I was glad to be appreciated, those fangirls followed us almost the entire week." I sighed, never believing that I would get tired of being called handsome.
Momo stared at me. "You certainly didn't seem to mind them. In fact, didn't you show off to them a little?"
I chuckled remembering my stunt with the pigeons. "I guess you're right. Still, lately I have been feeling a little tired." Noticing Momo's worried expression I added. "I don't mean physically, I'm afraid the stress is mental. To many clones, to many lines of thoughts."
"You shouldn't have pushed yourself that much. I can't watch the news without seeing you rescuing some stray from a tree or extinguishing a fire." She placed a hand over my shoulder. "I can't pretend to comprehend how things are to you. I don't know anyone that might."
"It's alright. I work better under pressure." I chuckled and sent my last email. "Aaaand finished. How's your pile?"
Momo had a worried expression. "Almost." She turned to her monitor. "You know... my family is planning a commemoration for my first experience of hero work would yo-"
Before she finished speaking, I simply smiled at her and replied. "I would love to."
She blushed a little before nodding happily.
Our attention was drawn to the largest Tv on the office.
"Breaking news! Police forces have surrounded the infamous hero killer during his latest assault." The reporter was informed while recording from a helicopter the Jaku Central News. "It seems that authorities have tracked a potential target of the brutal vigilante after thoroughly investigating their own. Commissioner Torrappu has made a deal with authorities to receive penalty reduction."
The image of the building showed the last floor filled with officers cornering an individual sporting a dark combat suit, plated with metal armor across his body to holster his multiple weapons.
Stain's blood-red scarf flapped as wind blew past the crowd in front of him.
"He's the one from that prison break." Momo commented while shivering a little. "Can't believe they have taken that long to catch that monster."
"Not yet." I said, drawing her attention back to me. "Why aren't they rushing to overpower him? Or taking him out with sleeping gas?"
"What do you mean?" She asked with confusion plastered over her face as she turned to inspect the broadcast. "He has nowhere to run."
"Look closely, they are making a show out of his capture." I pointed out. "That's bound to not end well."
Before Momo could say anything, the familiar reporter spoke again. "It seems we have sound... and image."
The sound of the chopper's spinning rotor gave space to the audio transmission.
The police officers weren't alone.
A heroine was there.
"It's past the time that someone takes you out, vile villain. Know that I, Ms. Prize will not allow your reign of terror to continue." She announced while holding her own mic.
Clearly my other clone took the cue, his expression now morphed into pure disgust.
"Surrender now!" She demanded while posing to the cameras, feeling very confident with the floor filled with officers fully protected and armed.
"No." Was his short answer before stepping away from a net that has been launched at him.
He then rolled forward, disarming and knocking two officers out before being barred by a wall of rioting shields.
"Defiant to the end, huh!" She chuckled. "You won't run away like the rest of the deplorable villains that cry and swear you won't do it again. You are a genuine villain, just like I'm a genuine heroine."
"The only thing that you and I have in common, fake, is that we both are about to never see each other again." He stated with repugnance oozing from his voice.
The heroine laughed. "Yeah, you are right! The new prison they will put you in will be twice as guarded as the one and your vile associates had broken in recently."
"No, I will be on my way soon." He announced.
"How do you imagine that's going to happen?" She fell for his bait.
"After I put my hands around your neck." He replied coldly.
Ms. Prize and the officers were clearly affected by that threat. "Don't be a foolish, wicked villain. Whatchya gonna do, huh? I've swept this place. You've got nothing!" She shouted, having a hard time resisting the subtle use of blood curdle. "No quirk and no allies to back your lone sorry ass. Nothing but your bloody knives and your fancy karate gimmicks. These gentlemen have guns." She pointed to all the equipped officers filling the place. "And I have..." She began shining. "The power of righteous light on my side."
The officers hold their weapons higher, I saw dozens of laser sights being aimed at Stain.
"No, what you have are bullets, and the hope that when your guns are empty I'm no longer standing, because if I am you'll all be dead before you've reloaded." He announced, completely ignoring our initial plan. "As for your flashlight... it won't make a difference once I have my hands on your neck."
"You've got a death wish or something?" She shouted. "You leave me no choice, you are too dangerous to continue living... hero killer."
I would feel sorry for this fake heroine if her past wasn't as damming as I discovered to be.
What came next was completely mayhem.
I can't believe that the news channel was still broadcasting this when clearly the situation had escalated and gone out of anyone's control.
Wasn't Japan supposed to be very strict with this kind of stuff?
I guess the reporter I've contacted after the sports festival didn't really care about it.
"Momo, don't look." I covered her eyes and she didn't even protest.
Ratatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatat! Ratatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatat! Ratatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatat! Ratatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatat!
...
Ratatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatat! Ratatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatat! Ratatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatat! Ratatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatat!
...
Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click!
After the chaotic shooting had ended and the dust had cleared, everyone was shocked to watch the infamous vigilante, still standing after everyone's magazines had been emptied.
Though now, he had countless holes spread all over his gear.
Although most shots had been concentrated on his steel chest armor, his arms and legs weren't completely unharmed.
Despite its bulletproof property, getting hit by one wasn't pleasant at all.
As a fellow clone, I knew how much pain he was feeling at that moment, only to know that regeneration would make it a thousand times worse.
Regardless of how much agonizing pain he was feeling, his results couldn't be neglected.
I'm sure that the entire Japan was watching this event, especially because I saw how the internet was going crazy.
With blood dripping to the ground over the broken blades he had stored in the front of his vest after the gunfire, the vigilante raised his head slowly while wearing his bulletproof mask and said. "My turn."
Stain then proceeded to brutalize every single one of the armed men and women with his bare hands before they had the chance to reload.
As if the maddening pain wasn't impacting the least of his movements, Stain broke necks and stabbed anyone standing between him and the heroine with the knives that he pulled from his wristguards.
He clearly was breaking records of speed moving around hacking and slashing.
As the agents of law and order desperately attempted to reload their weapons, Ms. Prize felt unable to move.
My clone could've used "lizard tail" or "hardening" to avoid fatal injuries, but since I haven't mastered its subtle use he went with theatricality instead of deception.
Momo couldn't handle it any longer and we had to turn the Tv off.
While I reassured her that everything will be alright, I warned my clone that other pros are bound to be heading to his location now.
——————————————————————
Finally regaining her movement, Ms. Prize rose both hands and short blasts of concentrated light towards the demon that was just finishing the last of the officers standing.
He initially evaded her first attacks, but then decided to shrug it off and approached her while still bleeding over the floor.
"Die! Die! Why won't you die?... Why won't you die?" She shouted desperately as her hands began to over heat. "Your armor clearly hasn't blocked all those bullets. You have clearly lost too much blood... and yet..."
Stain suddenly grabbed both of her hands and diverged her last blast to the side. "Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea, Fake. And ideas are bulletproof." He stated before swiftly breaking her wrists.
Ms. Prize cried in pain and fell to the floor. "Why do you keep calling me fake? That's not my name!"
Stain noticed a camera dropped on the floor close to him. "Fame..." He stomped over it, cutting one of many cameras broadcasting that moment. "Money..." He turned to her with a cold stare that sent shivers down her spine. "That's what all of you who call yourselves heroes are really after. But you bastards are not heroes!"
Before she had a chance to reply or said anything, Stain grabbed her neck and began strangling her on live broadcast cast. "Die!"
To her credit, despite having no real chance to overpower him, she put up a fight instead of begging for mercy.
Moments before the light left her eyes, she managed to remove his bulletproof mask from his face.
Not that he even attempted to stop her though.
After hearing her neck snap, Stain released her and turned to leave.
"Everything I do, It's to create a stronger and just society." He muttered while struggling to stay on his feet after the adrenaline rush left him. "Until this world realizes its mistakes, I will continue my work."
He looked around.
All those corpses, all those lives that didn't deserve to die that he had taken...
And loads of his blood spread around everywhere.
He heard stepping sounds coming from the building stairs, most likely signaling that his time was up.
Before he had the time to say or do anything, a flash of light moving at high speed appeared on the horizon and quickly broke through the building's walls.
Stain instantly recognized the heat signature that came with it.
"Hero killer!" Shouted a bulky angry man set on fire as he prepared to attack.
"Endeavor... you fake!" Shouted Stain, not really believing the lucky opportunity that had fallen over him.
Just then, the building's stairs doors burst open and a large group of local heroes came to confront him as well.
"These streets must run with the blood of the hypocrites. Hero, I will reclaim that word." He shouted after picking some of his blades from the ground. "C'mon, just try to stop me you fakes!"
And just like that, the fight continued.
Endeavor was fierce and unrelenting, his fire blasts were precise and devastating.
The others heroes weren't that much, but still, every moment they distracted him made evading Endeavor's attack a pain in the ass.
But he couldn't forget why he took the bait.
This was a declaration.
To send a message, not only to all Japan...
...but to the entire world.
Ignoring everyone else aiming for his head, Stain blitz through anything on his way and jumped on the number two hero.
While flipping over him and dodging his hellfire, Stain stabbed him over the shoulders and stood behind him while trapping him just like he did with Muscular back at Tartarus. "This society overgrown with fake heroes, and criminals who wave their power around idly, should all be purged!"
Before he had the chance to finish him, Endeavor used his last resort.
Bursting himself on flames, an explosion pushed Stain back just enough so that Endeavor could turn around and launch a flashfire fist at his opponent.
Already past his regular limits, as a human and as a weaker clone, Stain managed to draw his sword and slash it upwards at Endeavor's face.
Not sure if his attack had a sliced flash, Stain was blasted out of the hole on the wall made when Endeavor arrived.
This time, the fire had hurt him so badly that the damage was much greater than the bullets he had tanks not an hour before.
Feeling the wind blowing past him as his scarf flapped furiously, Stain wasn't capable of picking the steel wire he had with him to swing back to the building.
In the end, he had accomplished what he had planned.
But before he had the chance to break character and open his own warp gate to somewhere safe, someone else had caught him mid-falling.
——————————————————————
As soon as he crossed the portal, his momentum had been reduced by a pillar of water that had been shot upwards.
Sinking inside it, he noticed that the body of water was beginning to fall apart top to bottom.
Reaching the ground, he was released from his water containment.
He coughed water once or twice, fighting to stay conscious without having to heal himself.
"Well, it seems I've misjudged you, hero killer." Remarked someone with a familiar hoarse voice. "Again."
Stain raised his head and couldn't help to grin. "Kid... send me back."
But before he could receive an answer, he fainted.
"Quick, take him to master. His injuries aren't looking good." Shigaraki ordered Hydro and Static skull, who despite wanting to grunt in annoyance of being ordered, obeyed so that their boss could be healed properly.
As the two villains carried Stain away, Kurogiri noticed Shigaraki's maniacal smile gave space to some chuckles.
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(03/12/2020)
*Hope this chapter is of your liking. Anything you wish to ask, feel free to do so.
Thanks as always for your attention and please be safe.
Any problems with my writing, just point them out and I will correct them as soon as possible.
** I apologize in advance if there are too many spelling or grammatical errors in this chapter.
*** What did you think about my reference in this chapter? Did I overdid it a little?
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