Chapter 134: (Bait and Switch)
Chapter 134: (Bait and Switch)
Chapter 134: (Bait and Switch)
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CHAPTER START---
"Something doesn't seem right here," Horizon says as the helicopter lands.
As they touchdown at the very edge of the Mt. Fuji Forest, both he and Endeavor step out.
Only two other people were here, Ryukyu, the dragon hero, and Best Jeanist, the fibre hero.
Standing in a small clearing at the start of this trail, with the completely dark forest ahead of them.
"What doesn't feel right?" Endeavor asks, he'd changed into his Hero Costume but kept his jacket out, just to keep the flames covered so they could properly approach.
The flames on his body were also off at the moment.
As the four Heroes meet up, with everyone aside from Horizon having a flashlight to navigate the forest, they can feel the cold night air warming up as Endeavor stands beside them."Has anything happened while we were waiting?" Endeavor asks his peers.
"Can't tell, we can hardly see anything," Ryukyu says. "The others should be here within the hour so we can get this strike started."
"First we need to find the base," Jeanist cuts in. "The people that were climbing the mountain only spotted Kurogiri and Dabi here, deep in the forest, but they saw them close to the trail and not near any clear base of operations."
"I see," Endeavor nods then turns to Horizon. "Do you sense anything?"
They all looks over to Horizon, seeing him completely facing the forest and ignoring them, to them he looked like a statue, devoid of any emotion or struggle thanks to his visor and relaxed posture.
But below that his mind was in immense pain as he was forced to process every leaf, tree, rock, everything for 14km in every direction.
Eventually he stops and catches his breath, keeping his composure to appear perfect and strong, the ideal hero.
"I found something, Shambles..."
All four of them immediately warp toward the mountain, appearing in large clearing that's torn up as if it were a dig site.
"Hng," Ryukyu stumbles and catches herself on Endeavor as her heels dig into the soft worked dirt. "A little warning next time please."
"He never gives a warning," Endeavor grumbles as he helps her up, "and yes, it is always that annoying."
As Horizon is walking around Jeanist takes out his phone to check their position, "he warped us 12km away from where we were. What did you find?"
"Look at this," Horizon says, and they all look over to him, seeing him looking down at the ground. But unlike them he didn't have any light, he was simply standing in the dark looking at the floor.
"Does your visor come with night vision?" Endeavor asks as they walk over with the flashlights.
"No."
"Do you naturally have night vision?" Ryukyu asks, now getting a bit creeped out by how strange Horizon is.
"No, just looks at this rock."
As they flash the lights onto the rocks, they notice its a large stone perfectly cut, with the other section missing.
"Was there a fight here?" Jeanist asks, looking around at the torn up dirt surrounding them. "This place does look like a battlefield."
"No this isn't from combat," Horizon says. "This rock wasn't cut by conventional means, its a spatial cut."
"Like yours."
"Like Warp Gate," he looks to Jeanist. "Show me the map of the trail those hikers said they were on."
"Here," Jeanist shows them all the map, and Horizon immediately notices something wrong.
"That's over ten miles away, they literally can't see or atleast identify villains from this far out, especially not since they'd be walking at ground level in the forest."
"You think they lied?" Endeavor asks.
"Hmm, anywhere Kurogiri is, I'd have to be, its a simply way to control what region I operate within."
"But there wasn't anything they'd want from your location tonight," Ryukyu says. "Unless---"
"All Might," Endeavor says.
"I'll call Nezu, there isn't anything here, and if they removed me to send him at Yagi then he's probably enough to deal with UA, even with Eraser Head there," Horizon says as he calls up Nezu.
"Him?" Ryukyu looks confused.
Horizon just points to the upturnt dirt at their feet, "this wasn't a battlefield, its a footprint, the league has some kind of giant they're confident in. You should call Pantu, tell her it was a distraction."
Endeavor nods and immedaitely begins making the call.
But even as Horizon was speaking to Nezu, he had to withold information.
All For One mentioned Gigantomachia to him, it was obvious that he saw that villain as second only to him among villains, and the name was a dead giveaway.
He just hoped UA could hold out until he got there, because he couldn't reveal that he knew any more than he told them, even if that means Yagi has to die to keep his secrets.
---Hiroshima, 9 PM...
Standing out on the balcony at All Might's tribute gala, Pantu had her phone to her ear with a dozen security officers around her.
"How sure are you?" She asks Endeavor through the phone.
"I agree with Horizon, its the most logical move to deal a blow to our society, killing All Might and destroying UA in one fell swoop."
Pantu barely thinks about it for a moment, "alright, I'll contact the others and have them prepare to defend UA until you and Horizon get there to finish the fight, but Endeavor."
"Hmm, yes?"
Pantu doesn't even look conflicted at what she was about to say, "if it comes down to it, don't sacrifice yourself for All Might, for anyone."
"What?!"
"Listen, this is the one thing he was never very good at, but you need to stop thinking as a regular hero and start thinking like our new #1. Losing him would hurt, but we can recover from losing a already retired hero than losing our new #1, there isn't exactly a list past you to fill that role."
"We have one more, and I've already urged you to simply give him a full Pro Hero License, UA is a waste of his time, he could be saving lives."
Pantu shudders at the thought, Japan could handle the League of Villains.
But she wasn't sure they could survive Horizon.
"Rules are rules for a reason, I won't compromise them for anything, even fo----"
"What the hell?!" One of the security officers exclaims, causing Pantu to give him an annoyed look before tracking his gaze to the sky above the city.
Looking up she sees a large purple cloud, a Warp Gate opening a few blocks away from this very building.
Above the city, looming above the innocence below.
"HEROES!" Shigaraki's deep and angry voice rings through the city from the Warp Gate.
"Endeavor?" Pantu asks.
"I can hear it, keep the call open."
"False defenders of hypocrites! Monsters no different from me, but allowed to exist because your government deems your violence as profitable!
Government sponsored thugs and killers!
And now two guests have come to this fraudulent nation of false idols, two kings of their own lands, visiting the kingdom of a fallen lord, a broken symbol!"
"How far away are you two?" Pantu asks.
"Horizon flew ahead but he's atleast two hours away, we aren't even at UA yet ourselves."
"Now to welcome these visitors to our unfair society, to greet them by letting them revel in their true violent nature.
Your two Kings, against our Rook!"
Shigaraki's voice stops for a moment, then All For One's sickly and deep voice echoes like thunder across the skyline.
"Gigantomachia, as Shigaraki says," the pre-recorded message commands.
"Kill Buakaw and Hodori! Show the other nations how hospitable this land truly is!"
"R?????????A??????????????????A???????????????????A????????????????????????????????????????A???????????????????????????????????R?????????????????????????????????????????W????????????????????????W??????????????????????????????????W??????????????????????????W?????????????????!??????????????????????!??????????????!?????????????????????????????????????"
A thundering roar causes most of the city to recoil in terror as something leaps out of the Warp Gate.
A giant with slightly tan skin, only standing at 12m tall as he lands into a nearby skyscraper like a cannonball, brining down the entire building and killing hundreds through sheer destruction.
The quakes shake her, and dust block Pantu's view, then the screams and destruction truly begin.
"Get here, now," even now her voice remains completely cold as she speaks to Endeavor.
Beyond her line of sight the fight instantly begins as nearby heroes throw themselves at the monster.
Before long Machia is already growing, now standing at 20 meters tall, a hulking frame with a mound of muscle on his back, like a living mountain.
A body covered in rough skin and a head of spiky brown hair. And most importantly, specially made pants that expand with him.
And as a few insignificant Pro Heroes were feebly trying to poke the giant, he stands up straight and leans back, taking in a deep breath through his nose.
"Heroes!" Machia screams as he immediately drops down to all fours and charges directly at Buakaw and Hodori's scent.
"Ma'am we need to leave," one of Pantu's security agents urges her as she scowls at the path of destruction moving toward her, tearing through multiple buildings.
"Get those two out of here first, before they---" she says, only to be met by her worst case scenario to become reality.
"We aren't leaving, he only wants us, evacuate the others," Buakaw says, already standing behind her. And by the time she turns around he simply jumps off the roof toward the fight.
"C'mon," Hodori gives her a playful look, "did you really think we'd take that no-combat order from our countries seriously, in a situation like this? Who cares what some stuffy people in suits want, we're heroes."
"No, we can't afford to---"
"You worry too much lady," Hodori cackles as he leaps off the roof. "Its time to have some fun!"
Pantu could feel her blood pressure rising by the second, keeping her stone faced façade as the battle begins. And only a few streets away in a dust cloud, a flash of gold causes her to squint as Machia is sent tumbling down the street.
And all the tremors caused by Buakaw's punch didn't make her feel any better, especially when Machia gets back up and charges back in.
'These idiots, having a few thousand people die is nothing compared to the consequences of having them fight, even if they win...I really wish we had another All Might,' Pantu thinks.
And just like that, the next stage in All For One's glorious plan begins, another domino is set...
END CHAPTER---