Blossoms of the Dark

LX Shouto: Against

I fall from the sky land face-first onto the compact ground.

My half-helmet of my hero costume shatters on impact.

I'm irritated beyond comprehension.

I get up and look around to see that I'm in the landslide simulation zone, and I'm not alone. About four or five villains are here, and they're ganging up on me.

Just looking at them is enough to incite my anger further. But I need information about why they want to kill All Might and how. I release my ice on full blast. Everything but their ugly faces is engulfed in a thick layer of ice. "Don't you have any mercy for kids? Pull yourselves together. You're grownups, aren't you?" They try to break free, but it's pointless. I continue talking. My voice is just as low and full of disgust as before. "Scatter us and kill us, huh? Sorry to say it, but to me, it looks like you're just a load of mooks who don't know their quirks from their rear ends."

One of the villains starts complaining. "You bastard! The second I can move, I'll- Is he really just a kid? Ow! Ow! Ow!"

I walk leisurely towards the lot of them. I recall what the hand-mask guy said: he brought so many criminals along with him. At first blush, I'd surmised they thought they could overwhelm even elites with sheer numbers. And they thought they could just pop open the lid and use us as pawns ... what a motley of goons. From the looks of them, the number of actual threats here caps at four people, maybe five. That's my estimation ... I need to rile them further. I crouch and sit down as a show of power. "Yo. At this rate you guys will gradually succumb to death by necrosis. But since I'm aiming to become a hero, I want to avoid doing horrifying stuff like that as much as I can. So what's the basis of your plan to kill All Might?"

They respond with insults instead. I expected as much. "I'll ask only one more time. Why do you want to kill All Might, and what are your roles in this attempt?"

"Like we'll tell a runt like you anything!" one spits.

"Just get lost you piece of trash!" another shouts.

I'm losing my patience. I burst out more ice, which slowly envelops their faces. "Start talking or else I'll freeze you all to death, hero ambitions be damned."

They finally break.

The one who called me a "bastard" starts opening his mouth. "This was Shigaraki's plan. The starved-looking guy who walks with a rock hand all over his face. It was his idea to kill All Might. The warp thing with him is Kurogiri. Both of them made a deal with us: we attack the Pro-Heroes and students if they try to get involved in exchange for money." His voice quivers a little.

"So you guys were the backup? How do Shigaraki and Kurogiri plan to assassinate All Might then?"

He continues, "They said they found a way to kill him. Some invention of theirs, capable to withstand all of All Might's punches and kicks. They're waiting for All Might to show up so that they can show off this invention."

I'm stunned, though I don't show it. An invention powerful enough to take on All Might. Possibly kill him. I have to go. I have to find the others. Maybe not All Might, but we all just might be killed if this invention is that powerful.

I leave the landslide zone and villains in their frozen state.

They shout, "Hey kid! We gave you what you wanted! Now unfreeze this or whatever!"

I look at them over my shoulder. "I don't make deals with villains." And I race toward the center of the battle, the fountain.

Midoriya, Bakugou, and Kirishima are already there. So is All Might! Thank God! But Shigaraki and another person with them. No, not a person. A thing. An enormous, blue, muscular thing. It's in Kurogiri's double warp gate, with his arm protruding from one portal and torso and legs from the other. That arm is clutching All Might. The sight is terrifying. For a moment I question whether we can win this battle. But I have faith in All Might. He'll defeat Shigaraki, Kurogiri, and whatever the hell this thing is. "I heard about you bastards' plan. About each of your roles in your scheme to kill All Might. The Symbol of Peace won't go down as easy as you clowns."

Midoriya, Bakugou, Kirishima, and I gang up.

It's us against them.

Heroes against villains.

Life against death.

Bring it on, you low-life rats.

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Image URL: https://64.media.tumblr.com/94168a7feb1876cf576c1b7a611b398f/8747330cc53baf6e-ef/s1280x1920/5bcaea856e5c9a4c9dc1ea248f0dd4eea3633d22.png

Note: I have copied some dialogue from one of the English-translated versions of the manga. The link to the chapters are here: https://bokunohero.online/manga/boku-no-hero-academia-chapter-14/ ; https://bokunohero.online/manga/boku-no-hero-academia-chapter-16/ ; https://ww1.bokunohero.online/manga/boku-no-hero-academia-chapter-18/