2:18 AM – Kamino Bar, Exploding with Flames
Dabi hurled another wave of blue fire, laughing as Endeavor barely blocked it.
"Come on! Scream a little more, old man!"
Suddenly, the bar lights flickered, a distortion buzzed in the air, and a cold, rasping voice echoed directly into Dabi's earpiece:
"Dabi."
Shigaraki's voice. Dabi's expression twitched.
"Stop playing with him," Shigaraki commanded. "You're wasting time. End this. Now."
Dabi scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Relax, boss. I'm just getting warmed up."
Shigaraki's voice grew sharp, irritated.
"We don't have the luxury to joke. Finish him or retreat."
Dabi smirked, flames crackling along his arms.
"Retreat? While I'm having fun? Nah. I'll take my time. Let the old man burn a little."
A beat of silence.
Then Shigaraki muttered darkly, "You're pushing your luck, Dabi. Don't forget who you're working for."
Dabi chuckled, the flames dancing brighter. "I remember, boss. Just sit back and enjoy the show."
Shigaraki's tone was cold and final as he turned away, leaving Dabi to continue his attack with a chilling determination.
"…if he dies, he dies."
Tomura turned to Oboro, who hovered near him, palms glowing with a faint warp energy.
"Oboro. Open a gate. Teleport Dabi back to the lab before he screws everything up."
Oboro nodded, concentrating. A distortion stretched in the air, crackling.
then snapped.
Nothing.
Oboro blinked, confused. His warp quirk refused to activate.
"W-What? I can't… It's not responding."
Tomura frowned. "Try again."
Oboro tried once more, but the warp energy continued to resist his commands. Panic began to rise; he focused harder, sweat beading on his forehead.
A faint sphere of black mist formed…
…then collapsed instantly, like something smothered it.
Oboro's voice trembled. "Something is blocking my warp. Someone is here."
Before Tomura could speak, two silhouettes dropped from the rafters.
Dust settled. Boots clicked on the concrete.
Oboro stepped back as two figures emerged through the dim hallway light:
A man with a tired scowl, dark hair tied back, and a scarf floating around him like a living thing.
Shota Aizawa, alias Eraserhead.
Beside him, a tall blond with a neon jacket, eyes burning with grief and fury.
Hizashi Yamada, alias Present Mic.
Aizawa's gaze locked onto Oboro with a cold, razor edge.
"That warp quirk…"
Present Mic stepped forward, voice low but trembling:
"Oboro… you're supposed to be dead."
Oboro froze.
Tomura clicked his tongue and stepped back defensively.
"Eraserhead… Present Mic… You weren't invited."
Aizawa activated his quirk, eyes glowing red. Oboro's warp energy flickered and died instantly.
"We're not here for you," Aizawa said coldly. "We're here for him."
Oboro stared at them, stunned, trembling as memories he didn't understand flickered like broken film.
Present Mic's voice cracked.
"…Oboro… It's me. Hizashi."
******
1:58 AM
The forest surrounding the hidden lab was silent, choked with fog and the smell of damp earth. Hana crouched behind a thick cedar trunk, eyes fixed on the faint glow of the facility's outer security lights in the distance. Her team waited in a tight formation:
Miyako, adjusting her hacked tablet. Tomo, checking the comm frequencies. Masa, scanning the forest with his tracker and two silent operatives, barely breathing. They were all ready for the signal to move forward towards the facility.
The tension was sharp enough to cut.
Hana lifted her mask slightly, whispering:
"Operation starts in thirteen minutes. No sound. No lights. No mistakes."
Masa glanced at his tracker. "Internal patrol is rotating right now. Our embedded operative confirms the eastern hatch will be clear when the loop activates."
Tomo smirked quietly. "Camera blackout ready. We'll have a two-minute window. After that, we're blind."
Miyako exhaled slowly. "And if they upgraded security?"
Hana didn't look at her.
"Then we improvise. But we move."
A branch cracked somewhere deeper in the woods. Everyone froze. Hands slid to silencers.
Hana raised two fingers and held the position.
Seconds dragged like hours.
Then Masa whispered:
"Just a deer."
Tomo rolled his eyes, tension bleeding off his shoulders.
"I really hate nature."
Hana didn't relax. She stared at the facility ahead, the looming gray structure half-swallowed by fog, and felt the weight of what they were about to uncover.
"Remember the objective," she murmured. "Files on the Nomu project. Collaborator list. Shigaraki's chain of command. We cannot fail."
Miyako's voice dropped low:
"And if we run into the humanoids?"
Hana's tone turned to ice.
"Avoid. Evade. Escape. We are not engaging monsters tonight."
The wind carried the faint hum of distant alarms deep inside the facility, barely audible, but there.
Something was happening inside.
Hana's eyes narrowed.
"Whatever is happening in there… it'll work in our favor. Chaos means blind spots."
Tomo gave a thin smile.
"Then let's borrow the chaos." Hana checked her watch.
2:00AM, It's time.
"Masks on," she ordered softly. "We move on my signal. Stay low. Stay fast. Don't break formation."
The team rose silently, shapes dissolving into the darkness between the trees.
The mission had begun.
Hana's team slipped through the eastern maintenance hatch just as Tomo's blackout hit. The metallic interior swallowed them in cold silence. Pipes dripped. Distant machinery hummed.
Hana gestured forward.
"Formation Delta. Move."
Miyako looped the cameras. Masa followed the tracker signal from their embedded operative.
Everything was going smoothly.
Until 2:18 AM.
2:18 AM – Explosion
A violent BOOM shook the facility. The lights flickered, sirens blared, and dust fell from the ceiling.
The team froze.
Tomo hissed:
"What the hell was that?"
Miyako quickly checked the surveillance stream. Her eyes widened.
"An explosion? No something is happening here."
Footsteps echoed fast and panicked, coming straight at them.
Hana raised her weapon. The others followed.
"Quiet. Someone's coming."
The figure burst from the smoke.
Hana fired, but the person dropped to their knees, hands up. "Wait, don't shoot! I'm not here to harm you," the figure pleaded, gasping for breath. Hana hesitated, lowering her weapon slightly. Miyako stepped forward, her eyes narrowing. "Who are you, and what do you want?"
"Wait! It's me!"
She is their spy, Kaori, the embedded tracker operative. Kaori quickly removed her disguise, revealing her true identity. Hana and the others lowered their weapons, recognizing their ally in the midst of chaos.
"Kaori? Report. What happened?"
Kaori's face was pale, breath sharp and frantic.
"A hero is attacking the Lab base… but that's not the problem."
Hana frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern. Kaori took a deep breath before responding.
"The doctor panicked. Because they are also attacking the league and can't come here."
Elsewhere in the Lab Medical Wing
Dr. Garaki's fingers trembled over his console, speaking into a secure channel.
"Shigaraki! Shigaraki! We have a breach; heroes are fighting your men! Come back right now, damn, it's escalating! I need support immediately!"
A distorted voice answered.
"Calm down, doctor. Right now, we are trying to go back, but things don't go the way I want."
"Tomura Shigaraki," he says, annoyed. Dr. Garaki's heart raced as he realized the gravity of the situation. He knew they were in deep trouble if Shigaraki couldn't make it back in time.
"So Endeavor is fighting."
Garaki's breath hitched. The thought of the number two hero being involved only heightened his anxiety. If Shigaraki didn't return soon, it could mean disaster for their plans.
"He's destroying everything in his path. Dabi isn't taking it seriously, and it's right now impossible for us to use the portal."
Shigaraki sighed. The urgency in his voice was palpable as he continued, "We need to come up with a new strategy, and fast."
"If things keep going like that, I will have to act. And I really don't want to have to make that Chapter Nine: Infiltration (2:18 AM)."
He tapped the comm.
"Dabi. Stop joking. Finish the fight now." Shigaraki's frustration was evident as he waited for Dabi to take the situation seriously.
Back to Hana's Team
Hana felt her stomach twist.
"A hero… attacking the League… now? Why? And what about that explosion?"
Kaori shook her head.
"I don't know for the league. But the explosion came from a security purge. They're locking down everything. I barely escaped before the doors sealed."
Tomo cursed under his breath.
"Does that mean Shigaraki knows about what is happening here?"
Kaori nodded desperately.
"Yes. And the doctor was the one who alerted Shigaraki. So we need to act fast."
The facility lights went red.
LOCKDOWN INITIATED.
Hana exhaled slowly. "We need to find a way out of here and regroup," Hana said, her mind racing with possibilities. "We can't let Shigaraki get his hands on whatever the doctor was working on."
Her eyes sharpened, voice low and commanding:
"We finish the mission before they come back."
2:39 AM
The facility lights strobed blood-red as sirens wailed through the steel corridors.
"LOCKDOWN – ALL WINGS SEALED"
Hana motioned the group forward.
"We stick together and stay focused," Hana said firmly, her eyes scanning the darkened hallways for any sign of danger.
"We can't afford to fail now." With determination in her voice, she led the way, determined to complete their mission and escape before it was too late.
"Kaori, how much time before we arrive at the server wing?"
Kaori checked her watch, the dim light reflecting off her glasses as she replied, "Approximately five minutes if we maintain our current pace."
Hana nodded, urging the team to move quickly as they navigated through the maze-like facility towards their target.
Tomo checked his comms.
"If the doctor initiated a purge, they'll wipe every file in minutes."
Miyako cursed under her breath.
"Then we run."
2:47 AM – Stasis Chamber Hallway
The temperature dropped. Cold mist drifted from a long row of reinforced glass pods.
Masa felt his blood freeze.
"Hana… these pods… They're active."
Hana stepped closer.
Inside the tanks, shifting silhouettes. Malformed. Humanoid. Barely conscious.
"Nomu," Hana whispered.
Kaori whispered urgently:
"They weren't supposed to be awake yet! The explosion disrupted the stabilizers."
A faint, muffled thud hit the glass from inside one of the pods.
Tomo swallowed hard.
"Let's not be here when they open."
Hana's voice was firm.
"Then don't stop moving."
They picked up speed.
2:53 AM – Approaching the Server Wing
Kaori stopped abruptly and threw an arm out.
"Wait."
Footsteps echoed ahead, erratic, heavy, and panicked.
Hana signaled the team to take cover behind stacked crates.
A lab technician stumbled into view, covered in soot and blood, clutching a datapad.
He was muttering frantically:
"Purge failed… Nomu waking… The doctor said heroes are coming… Shigaraki will kill us all…"
Kaori quickly whispered:
"We need him. He has clearance."
Hana nodded.
"Tomo, take him quietly."
Tomo moved like a shadow, a hand over the tech's mouth, a pressure point strike, silent.
He crumpled. Miyako grabbed his keycard.
"Perfect."
2:56 AM – Server Room Door
The reinforced sliding door towered over them.
Hana turned to the team.
"Once we're inside, Kaori and Masa secure the hallway. Tomo starts the transfer. Miyako monitors the purge process. I'll watch your backs."
Alarms blared louder. The ground vibrated.
Kaori gasped.
"The Nomu pods… Something is breaking loose!"
Masa tapped his tracker.
"Movement: multiple units waking up on level three."
Hana pressed the scientist's palm against the scanner.
"Then we're out of time."
The door slid open with a heavy clank. Blue server light spilled out.
They rushed inside.
But they barely had time to breathe before a metallic groan echoed through the hall.
KRRRRR SHAAAAAANG!
A reinforced containment door buckled outward. Something huge slammed against it again.
Kira… "Oh hell no."
The door exploded open.
A Nomu, half-formed, tubes still dangling from its spine, crawled out like a rabid beast. Its eyes rolled wildly, muscles spasming; it wasn't stable.
It roared, shaking the corridor.
Hana "Tomo! Move! We don't have time!" Tomo grabbed Kira's hand and pulled her towards the console, adrenaline coursing through his veins. The Nomu's erratic movements indicated that it was a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.
Tomo was already at the main console, fingers flying over the interface.Red warnings flashed everywhere.
DATA PURGE INITIATED—T-MINUS 03:00
"Of course… they're wiping everything!" Tomo says with an annoyed tone.
He ripped open a maintenance hatch and plugged in his extraction drive. Sparks flew.
Hana (over comm): "Tomo, we've got a Nomu loose. Make it fast!"
Tomo "I am making it fast! Someone just triggered a full self-destruct protocol on the servers; this is deliberate!"
Tomo's heart raced as he hurried to download the crucial data before it was lost forever. With each passing second, the countdown to destruction seemed more ominous.
The progress bar crawled.
12%… 19%… 27%…
A heavy impact hit the server room door.
Tomo froze. He knew he had to focus and finish the download quickly, despite the chaos unfolding around him. The pressure was on, and failure was not an option.
Another thud. Tomo's hands shook as he typed furiously, sweat beading on his forehead. The data was almost halfway downloaded and he know that he need to make it fast because.
Something was coming.
Cross-Cut—Dabi vs. Endeavor
Outside the city, the flames of the battle turned the sky orange. Dabi's blue flames clashed with Endeavor's intense heat, creating a spectacle that could be seen for miles. The two powerful fire users were locked in a fierce battle, each determined to prove their strength and dominance. The outcome of this showdown would have far-reaching consequences for the future of hero society.
Dabi laughed, blue fire spiraling around him like a demon's halo.
Dabi "C'mon, old man. Burn hotter. Or die."
Endeavor, bleeding, with cracked ribs exposed through his suit, forced himself up.
Endeavor: "Touya… ENOUGH!"
He launched forward, and Dabi intercepted him with a column of hellfire, melting the pavement.
The heat was lethal.One more misstep and one of them wouldn't be walking away.
High above, Shigaraki watched, impatient, twitching.
Aizawa vs. Oboro
In the main corridor, Oboro tried once more to open a portal, but again, nothing happened. His hand trembled.
Aizawa, with his capture weapon at the ready, stepped forward cautiously. Aizawa:
"Your quirk won't work on me, Oboro. Surrender peacefully." Oboro's eyes narrowed, determination flashing in his gaze as he prepared for the inevitable confrontation.
And then he heard it.
"Oboro."
He turned. Present Mic stood there.
Present Mic's eyes were locked on him, wide with disbelief and heartbreak.
Present Mic "...You're alive."
Oboro's expression remained impassible. Nothing came back, no emotions, no memory; for him they were just strangers.
Aizawa stepped forward. "Oboro, we can help you," Aizawa said softly, his voice filled with a mix of concern and determination.
"Come back. Please. You don't belong with them."
Present Mic clenched his fists, voice shaking.
Oboro looked down. His hands shook. His quirk flickered. He doesn't know why his hands are shaking. He didn't know what to do.
Shigaraki's breaking point was fast approaching, and Oboro could feel the pressure building. Aizawa's words echoed in his mind, but he couldn't shake the feeling of uncertainty and fear that consumed him.
Back outside, Shigaraki clenched his teeth as the doctor's panicked voice shrieked in his earpiece about the lab breach, the Nomu escaping, the spy, and the heroes.
Shigaraki: "Shut up. I've had enough. " He raised his hand, ready to obliterate everything in his path. Oboro knew he had to act fast before it was too late.
Dabi hurled another blast at Endeavor, ignoring Shigaraki's earlier warning.
Tomura's fingers twitched. His patience evaporated.
Shigaraki: "If you idiots won't end this." "I'll do it myself."
With a sinister grin, he prepared to unleash his destructive power upon the chaos unfolding before him. The heroes and villains alike braced themselves for the inevitable devastation that was about to be unleashed.
At the Edge of the District
Inside a car parked two streets away, Grey watched the readings spike on his custom scanner. Watching the whole scene.
He exhaled sharply.
"…Oh, not today, my friend."
He flipped open a red safety cover. His thumb hit the button.
BEEP.
BOOOOOOOOM!
A massive explosion ripped through a side wall of the bar, the League's safehouse entrance disguised as a collapsed building. The blast was perfectly controlled but violent enough to shake the entire block.
Dust and debris blasted outward, knocking everyone and even some of Shigaraki's lieutenants off their feet.
Everyone froze. Grey smirked, satisfied with the chaos he had caused.
Even Shigaraki collapsed with a shock for half a second.
Dabi blinked mid-attack.
Endeavor shielded his face from the shockwave.
Inside the Lab—Seconds Before Impact
Tomo's download hit 91% as the server room door buckled under the Nomu's pounding.
THUD.THUD.CRACK.
Tomo whispered to himself:
Tomo: "Come on… come on…" Just as the door gave way, Tomo's download reached 100%. With a quick click, he initiated the shutdown sequence and braced himself for the impending impact. The Nomu burst through the door just as the system shut down, causing chaos and confusion in its wake.
Tomo quickly grabbed his gear and made a run for it, screaming to Hana, "It's done; we can go." Hana, who had been waiting anxiously outside the server room, nodded in relief and followed Tomo as they sprinted towards the emergency exit. The sound of destruction echoed behind them as they escaped the lab, their mission accomplished.
After the explosion
Everything stopped.
A strange silence. A pressure in the air.
Shigaraki staggered backward as a golden phenomenon materialized behind him, a bright, pulsing silhouette like a figure made of compressed lightning.
Dabi froze mid-step. Endeavor's flames flickered. Even the Decay wave halted in place like time stopped obeying.
A voice deep, layered, and ancient spoke behind Tomura.
??? "Tomura… step back."
The voice was commanding, yet filled with an otherworldly calmness that sent shivers down Tomura's spine. He hesitated, unsure of what to do next as the golden figure continued to pulsate ominously behind him. The presence exuded power and a sense of foreboding that made Tomura's heart race. He could feel the weight of centuries in that voice, urging him to heed its warning.
All for one
… but this one for all wasn't like in his prime. He was, like, mutated.
Tomura's eyes widened not in fear, but in confusion.
Shigaraki… "Why are YOU here?"
The figure chuckled, a sound that seemed to echo through the very fabric of reality.
The golden silhouette reached toward him, energy wrapping around his wrist, pulling him back from the Decay wave he unleashed.
A whisper echoed: "You have much to learn, young one. Your destiny is intertwined with mine, whether you like it or not."
Tomura felt a shiver run down his spine as he realized the true extent of the connection between them.
"You're not meant to die here."
Grey was watching everything from his car. He didn't move a muscle.
He sat relaxed, eyes fixed on the holographic screens fed by overhead drones.
One screen zoomed in on Shigaraki being pulled away by the luminous figures.
Grey raised an eyebrow.
"Well… that's new."
Another drone tracked Dabi and Endeavor, both stunned. Another watched heroes closing in. Another scanned the wrecked bar for secondary heat signatures.
Grey didn't interfere. Neither did he panic.
He just watched. With a smile.
Grey "Things are taking another way."
All the noise attracts attention; sirens wailed in the distance.
Then closer.
Then right overhead. Grey calmly reached into his pocket and pulled out a candy, pressing a button that deactivated the drones before starting the engine. He began to drive, still smiling, as the sound of approaching footsteps signaled the arrival of law enforcement.
WHUP-WHUP-WHUP-WHUP
Police helicopters burst over the rooftops, spotlights slicing through the smoke.
A loudspeaker blared:
"This is Hero Command! All civilians evacuate immediately!"
Dozens of hero-unit vans swerved into the district perimeter.
Camera crews leapt out, broadcasting live.
And then
A blinding streak of gold shot across the street, right in front of the cameras.
The glowing silhouettes around Shigaraki flickered.
and ONE clear, unmistakable figure stabilized.
A tall, muscular outline made of pure golden energy.
Reporters screamed:
"IS THAT ALL FOR ONE?!"
The world saw it.
Everyone saw it.
Even Tomo, through shaking cameras in the lab.
Even Hana.
Even Grey, who simply leaned back in his seat and whispered:
"And there it is. What comes next?"