Piercing the Light

**Date Completed:** February 14th, 2018
**Previous Role-Play**: Pills and Potions
**Next Role-Play**: Disrupting the Oldest Lineage: Omoikane's Unbelievable Declaration
**Users Involved:** User:KamiGuru, User:KontonMan
**Setting:** Tokyo
**Characters Involved**: Zacharias Codiaz, Seiraima Makaze, Minori Ryota, Daisuke Eiji, Blazeken, Electron, Kurohime (*Mentioned*)

## What is Justice?

Zacharias Codiaz, known to the world as **Sagittarius**, was doing what he did best. He was terrorizing a city, simply for the joy of it. Of course that wasn't the only reason, there was the fact that he needed to search for one of those...

He kept attacking the city relentlessly, even sending a building crashing down, killing many people in the process. He laughed, his baritone voice sending chills down the spines of the civilians. "Where are your heroes now?!" he spat, continuing his tantrum.

Seiraima Makaze, also known as Pro Hero **Super Storm** was relaxing in the office, chatting his time away with his other fellow members of H.O.P.E, talking about their favourite rescue ops. Everything seemed as if all was well, until the sirens started blaring, the sirens emitting a green light. Super Storm cursed under his breathe, green light meant that a Supervillain was wreaking havoc. Super Storm got to his feet and ran past the other heroes, calling out to them. "I'll need back-up! Send the bubble boy!" he called out, using his nickname for one of his comrades.

As the sirens echoed and the green lights flashed, Minori Ryota understood it was his time to report for duty. Still a young hero determined to make a name for himself, he was eager to partake in every situation. But as Super Storm demanded that "Bubble Boy" joined him in battle, Minori could not help but feel a bit patronized. "I'm not a boy,and my name's Pop Pap!" he thought outloud angrily before rushing to follow his comrade.

Super Storm laughed, syncing their comm channels to eight. "I know, it's my way of messing with ya, pal." he responded through the comms. "We're heading to central Tokoyo. That villain Sagittarius or whatever is wreaking havoc." he began. "Time to kick some ass." he said as he landed, beginning to search for the villain.

Sagittarius was happy when he spotted Super Storm. That meant that this whole event would get publicity, and that this would make him more feared by the public. He hopped down, creating a crater as he stared down those that opposed him. "You heroes from H.O.P.E stand no chance against me! You should go back and get Hercules or someone to fight me!" he teased, before getting serious. "Now, come at me. See if you can land a hit."

Unlike Super Storm, Minori took a different approach. As a search and recovery hero, Pop Pap prioritized the safety of civilians over the combat of Sagittarius. From the skies, Pop Pap began to produces hundreds of bubbles. These bubbles, while small at first, would expand in size upon making contact with any thing, inanimate or animate. Collapsing rubble, injured people, among other things, were then suddenly raised upwards to the sky. "Do it Double S!" Pop Pap yelled, instructing Super Storm to send the bubbles away from the scene with his quirk.

Super Storm nodded, summoning the winds to blow the bubbles away, far from the landscape. As they flew away, Super Storm turned towards Sagittarius. "You're going down!" he yelled, pointing a finger towards Sagittarius.

Sagittarius laughed. "I'm going down?" he asked, shaking his head. He raised his palm to the air, and from it thousands of arrows shot out, all of them piercing the bubbles. "Aren't they going down?"

Pop Pap would smirk at the sight; the bubbles he produced were no ordinary bubbles. Pop Pap's bubbles were unique in the fact that the bubbles could not be popped from the outside. As the arrows pierced the outer layers, the bubbles did not burst, rather the arrows decelerated inside the bubble preventing any harm from the structures of people within them. "We gotta get them out of here!" Pop Pap yelled, placing his left hand on his right arm, before producing one humongous bubble the would encase all the smaller ones within it. "Again!" Minori demanded of his teammate, hoping this time their combo would be successful.

Super Storm nodded once more, sending another gust towards the bubbles, sending them flying away. "You will fall today, villain!" he yelled towards Sagittarius. The hero began to manifest wind into his palms before pointing them towards the villain. "Super Wind Cannon!" he yelled, sending a large and immensely powerful gust of wind straight at Sagittarius.

The villain only shook his head, putting his forearms out as a shield. The winds crashed into Sagittarius, ripping off chunks of the ground, and dust filled the area. As the dust cleared, it revealed an unharmed villain. "That attack may defeat many villains at once, but your attack is no match for my defensive prowess." the villain began while shaking his head in disappointment. He turned his attention to Pop Pap. "Your bubbles are stronger than anticipated. However, I did take that into account."

As soon as Sagittarius finished uttering those words, he tapped one of his hooves against the ground and the arrows, which had pierced the bubbles, released a toxin from their arrowheads, beginning to kill those who were living within. "Like I said, you two are no match for me."

In this regard, neither Pop Pap nor Super Storm were qualified to help those who were poisoned. Fortunately, he was already sending those to Atom's headquarters, the number one science and medic center in japan. "Kurohime, make sure you send word to Atom's people that those who were recovered have also been poison." he warned H.O.P.E's communications gal through his suit's microphone. Shifting his attention back to the scene, Pop Pap began to survey the area again to verify that were not immediate threats to the general area or nearby people. "Alright super, I'm coming!" Pop Pap exclaimed, as he descended to Super Storm's side.

Super Storm cursed as the arrows popped. "You son of a--" he began, before Pop Pap interrupted his train of thought. Super Storm nodded. "We're going to defeat you, Sagittarius!" he yelled, before launching himself into the air. Once in the air, Super Storm laughed. "You're going to di--go to jail!"

Super Storm raised his arms into the air, and wind began to swirl around, condensing intself to become smaller and smaller until it couldn't. From there, more air surrounded it, forming a large orb with an explosive center. "Super Giant Explosive Wind Orb!" the hero yelled, throwing the attack towards Sagittarius.

Sagittarius only thrust out his ams in retaliation, somehow managing to *grab* the orb, and attack which had been regarded as one of Super Storm's more powerful techniques. "Pathetic." the villain said, throwing the orb straight into a building, utterly destroying it. He stomped one of his hooves into the ground, causing a large chunk to fly upwards. Sagittarus quickly stood on his hind legs before heaving it at his opponents at astonishing speed, before landing on his hooves once again.

The projectiles were heading towards the heroes at incredibly speeds, but were not too fast for Minori. As they headed his way, Minori once again produced bubbles that would stop the projectiles and suspended within the orb. "It seems this guy is strong against long range attacks. We need to get in close." he whispered into his mic, allowing his partner to hear the comments without the villain intercepting it. "You continue to distract him and I'll get in close." he finished, before twisting utility on his wrist. After twisting it for about a second, Minori shot another bubble; one that was filled with a white substance inside. Grabbing the bubble with his hand, and then somehow popping it, white smoke was released masking Minori's location.
Super Storm quickly launched forward, easily weaving through the speeding chunks of the ground. "Super Drill!" he yelled, spinning like a tornado straight towards Sagittarius' chest. But Sagittarius easily countered, using the side of his arm to send Seiraima launching back into the smoke. The villain sighed. "Come on heroes!" he began. "Where is your spirit? Where is your strength?!"

Minori kept his location secret, yet to make a move. "Keep it up super I'm almost ready." he whispered into the the mic in an unknown location. He needed Super Storm to keep the villain occupied for just a bit longer.

Super Storm didn't react, but he received the message. "Sagittarius, you're doomed!" he announced, the wind beginning to swirl around him. "Super Wind Army!"

With that, clones of Super Storm composed of wind appeared, and they charged towards Sagittarius. It was fifty to one, the clones never stood a chance. Sagittarius decimated them, piercing them with arrows, stomping on them, headbutting them and many other brutal tactics.

"Come on heroes," he began once again. "Fight me as if your life depends on it! Because it does!"

And thus began Pop Pap's assault. The first attack was not one that was tangible but rather, one of incredible decibel; a bubble several meters above him burst and released a piercing sound that would paralyze most due to the loud volume and high pitch. The two heroes would find themselves immune to the effects due to their suits custom design in preparation for moments such as the latter. Almost immediately after, another bubble would emerge directly in front of the villain but with it's contents different than the first. As this one burst, a white bright light would hopefully overwhelm Sagittarius' sight and make him even more vulnerable.

Finally, Pop Pop would emerge behind him with another bubble at hand, hoping to incarcerate his foe with it. "Do it!" he yelled into the microphone, insinuating that Super Storm send a powerful stream of wind towards the foe to push him into the bubble, which should be more effective now hopefully due to his disorientation. But even if the push did not succeed, Minori drew closer to the opponent, and the moment he'd make contact with him, the bubble would envelop him.

"Gah!" Sagittarius exclaimed as the ear-ringing noise invaded his head. Then came the blinding light. Sagittarius was incapacitated, and he knew what that meant. The heroes, being the immature people they were would use this moment of weakness against Sagittarius. That meant Sagittarius had to discern whether the attack would be short or long range. Or it could be a mixture, a short range or a long range, as there were two heroes. As he felt the wind begin to pick up, Sagittarius smirked. They may have temporarily taken away his sight and hearing, but not his sense of touch. With that in mind, Sagittarius determined that Super Storm would be performing some sort wind attack while Pop Pap might do something with his bubbles. As the wind began to push him back, Sagittarius inferred that it was some sort of trap. As the wind began to pick him off of his hooves, he dug them into the ground before launching at Super Storm with a newfound source of berserk speed. "Blazing Headbutt!" the villain yelled, hopping multiple feet in the air and digging his head into Super Storm's gutt.

Super Storm felt immense pain surge through him as he was sent launching backwards, straight into a building. The building was now heavily damaged, with rubble falling down. "Sub-Core 48 is damaged." the suit's A.I said to Super Storm. "Scanning...infrastructure of building is heavily damaged. Building will cave in within two minutes."

But Super Storm could barely move, he was pretty sure a rib had been broken. Then he knew what he had to do. "Suit, activate protocol S.S." he muttered, before the suit began to vibrate, injecting him with a certain substance, one of great power yet risk. Energy surged through the hero, filling him with newfound strength. Super Storm flew out of the building with immense speed, slamming his fist towards Sagittarius. The villain countered, using his forearm as a guard, but he was still knocked back. "You're going down!" Super Storm yelled, his voice different somehow. "In the name of justice, I will do anything for it! Even cast aside my own principles!"

Sagittarius chuckled as he rose to his hooves. "Not bad heroes, maybe I can start to try in our battle now."

As Sagittarius managed to keep his footing and then propelled himself forward, the wind that trailed behind him would send Pop Pap flying int opposite direction. "Where the hell did all this power come from!" he mumbled, pressing his mic to alter the recipients of the following message. "We're going to need back here, I'm out of my league and Super Storm can't do it on his own!" he yelled, informing the entire H.O.P.E organization or their dilema.

The villain smirked, pointing at Super Storm. “I wonder where you got that power from, hero.” Sagittarius began. “Perhaps…oho, you’ve taken *those."* the villain realized. “Perhaps you migh—“ Sagittarius began, before being silenced by a much more powerful gust of wind Super Storm would have even been able to produce appeared, sending the villain flying past Pop Pap and into a building, which then crashed in onto itself. The destructive capabilities Super Storm now possessed, it was obvious to any observer that it was not his own natural power. It was a power that only a certain substance would be able to provide to a hero like Super Storm.

The building rumbled before Sagittarius launched out, laughing of all things. “Impressive, your powers tripled, no quadrupled suddenly. Is this your justice?” the villain teased, pointing a finger at Super Storm. “Come at me, weak one!”

Super Storm seemingly appeared next to Sagittarius, the heroes speed much faster than before. The hero released another gust of wind, one of the same caliber as the previous. Yet it did nothing. “You’re going to have to do a lot better than that, hero. I understand how that technique works, and how I can essentially nullify it’s damage.” Sagittarius boasted, slamming his fist into the heroes gut. The hero launched backwards, before recovering mid-flight. The hero roared out in anger, sending multiple gusts towards Sagittarius, the villain protecting himself from each and every one of the heroes attacks.

Super Storm cursed loudly. “More! I need more!” he yelled at his suit’s A.I, the suit beginning to pump more of the previous substance, those Detonators, into the hero. By simply remaining afloat, the wind roared violently around Super Storm, his power having transcended beyond what would have been imaginable. “Justice Wind Sphere!” the hero yelled, multiple spheres of condensed wind manifesting above him, larger than should have been conceivable at Super Storm’s power. The spheres shot towards Sagittarius with unimaginable speed.

All of them collided into the villain, causing a massive explosion which sent the villain soaring into the air. Super Storm intercepted the villain as he flew upwards. “Justice Arm Cannon!” the hero spat as wind began to swirl around his arm, causing pieces of rubble to shoot towards it. Super Storm slammed it into Sagittarius’ back, sending him blazing towards the ground. The villain collided with the pavement and created a humongous crater, sending an ear-rattling sound throughout the area. It was a phenomenon beyond imaginable, Super Storm driving Sagittarius into a corner.

As Sagittarius rose to his hooves, Super Storm was already there. “Justice Arm Cannon!” he yelled, going to slam his arm into Sagittarius. The villains somehow countered, grabbing Super Storm’s forearm and negating the attack, sending large shockwaves throughout the area, causing large cracks to manifest into the ground. “Not good enough, Super Storm.” Sagittarius calmly stated, slamming the hero into the ground.

“Three ribs have been broken. Further analysis suggests that your arm bone has been shattered.” the A.I told Super Storm as he laid in the ground, groaning in pain. A normal person, a normal hero would have given up. But Super Storm would not let himself go out like this. He would defend the world from this villain, even if it meant throwing his future away. “More.” he muttered, the suit pumping more Detonators into his bloodstream. “More…” he said once again, causing even more of the substance to enter his bloodstream. Anymore and it would end his life within the hour, but give him more power than would have ever been imaginable. More than enough to take Sagittarius in.

“MORE!” the hero yelled suddenly, his suit filling his bloodstream with power. The suit began to crack, simply from the sheer aura of power the hero began to exude. He rose to his feet instantly, slamming the back of his head into Sagittarius’ jaw. The impact sent the villain flying into the air, and almost immediately Super Storm was at Sagittarius’ endpoint, slamming him with such force, something seemed as if it shattered. Sagittarius launched forward, and Super Storm intercepted again, sending him back to his origin and repeated the process. Super Storm was playing ping-pong by himself, the ‘ball’ being Sagittarius. After doing this for minutes, the hero slammed his elbow into Sagittarius’ back, sending him crashing towards the ground; sending him far into it.

Super Storm landed next to Pop Pap, their suits syncing up their comms and display screen, which would show each other their vitals. “Bubble Boy, this is the end.” he said, energy beginning to crackle around Super Storm. “Nice knowing you.” the hero muttered, flying towards the limp body of Sagittarius.

The villain rose, a jolly laugh leaving his body. “Bwahaha! That actually hurt!” the villain stated, cracking his knuckles. “You almost broke a few bones.” Sagittarius spat, spreading his arms out. “Hit me with your best shot.”

Super Storm snarled as he raised his hands into the air, a small sphere beginning to manifest above the hands. It seemed to be condensing volumes and volumes of air, storing it all in a sphere the size of a tennis ball. “RAGH!” the hero yelled in pain as he redirected all the backup power in his suit to the sphere above his hands, mixing lightning into it as well. He brought his hands down in front of his chest, his palms facing towards Sagittarius, whom was in front of him. “Justice Roar!” the hero exclaimed, releasing the spheres energy in a single beam towards Sagittarius. This was his final trick, Super Storm’s ace in the hole. It was the product of mixing those drugs and all of his power, it had to defeat the villain.

Sagittarius brought out his arms in front of him as a shield, using his forearms to guard his face. The beam collided with his forearms, pushing him back ever so slightly. But then the force increased and increased, and Sagittarius began to try to hold the beam back. The scent of smoke filled the air as the beam began to burn Sagittarius’ flesh. “E-E-Enough!” the villain yelled, spreading out his forearms. As the villain did so, the beam continued its path until Sagittarius quite literally slapped the beam, causing it to bend away from him. The beam continued its path and collided with a skyscraper before utterly decimating it and the other building beside it to dust.

As the smoke cleared, Super Storm was on his knees panting. How did that not work? All of his strength, all of those drugs…were they for nothing? He looked up to see Sagittarius standing in front of him, the villain smiling. “Not bad at all, it seems as if you weren’t as bad as you seemed…*Seiraima*.” the villain said, grabbing Super Storm by the head and lifting him up. Super Storm was not only angered but confused. How did the villain know his true identity? Super Storm rarely told others his true name, even when he was out of costume. He had only told a few people, his family and the person he had bought the drugs from. That meant that…Sagittarius was *him*.

“Y-You…” Super Storm muttered, ending his struggle. “So you figured it out. Perhaps you’re not as dumb as you make yourself to be.” Sagittarius responded.

The villain turned to face Pop Pap and smiled. “One down.” he stated, before crushing the skull of Super Storm with his fist, dropping the corpse to the ground.

“One to go.”

While the whole fiasco was going on, Pop Pap could barely keep track. There were moments of clarity that made him partly aware of the situation, but most of it was a blur. His inexperience in battle made it very hard for him to predict what they were going to do next. Super Storm's attacks were so powerful Pop Pap needed to place himself in his own bubble to protect him from his ally's attacks. He attempted to come up with a plan to support his comrade, but he soon realized all he could do was watch. "Come on Super Storm you can do it." the moment of desperation had made him ignorant to the fact that Super Storm was steadily increasing strength.

But after a while, even in the eyes of a mere novice, Pop Pap could tell the tides were slowly moving toward the opponent's favor. He urgently yelled into his mic, "Where the hell are you guys, Super Storm doesn't have much in him." Several heroes responded but he knew none of them would make it in time. He quickly left his bubble and rushed towards his defeated friend. "I swear in the name of everything I hold dear, if you kil-" his sentence was interrupted by the sight of his teammate being grabbed by his head. "No!" he scram, as he saw his teammate and friend murdered in one of the most gruesome ways he could've.

He fell to his knees immediate after and hurled. He panted desperately. "Code Black..." His voice trailed off, but the mic captured his remark. In the H.O.P.E hero organization, code black meant one thing; death of a comrade. This mission had suddenly taken priority of all other ongoing missions. It was against their code, their motto, everything the agency stood for. Pop Pap attempted to stand by fell into his own spew face first. "Shit...What the hell...I can't move." he thought. His body was in shock.

Just as it appeared all hope had been lost, a glimmer of light began to shine.

## Light Shines Brightest in the Dark

Suddenly, H.O.P.E heroes were emerging left and right. Rookies and veterans of the hero group around the two. Suddenly Pop Pap disappeared from his spot.

"Super Storm, I will not let your death be in vain." Electron, the electric hero who was ranked 31th, yelled.

"Super Storm...." a tear rolled down her eye. "This man will pay for what he has done." Blazeken, the 19th ranked heroine, spoke angrily.

Among there were plenty other not as well known H.O.P.E heroes. They all had their sights on the one man. Sagittarius.

Then, in that instance, there was silence. From the skies descended the world's most famed hero and the leader of the organization; Hercules. He landed several meters in front of the lethal villain insinuating that he'll be the one to fight him. "I've fought plenty of villains in my life, and rarely do I ever bare any hate towards any of them. But today." he paused, "Today, I can say I hate you with every bone in my body." While his mask covered his face, rage and anger would describe his current state. He gazed backwards, towards the heroes who were able to retrieve the mentally weakened Pop Pap. "I'm sorry..."

Sagittarius smiled as he observed the multiple heroes that had arrived on to the scene, his smile transforming into a maniacal grin. All these heroes, all of this power…perhaps Sagittarius may have to had tried for the first time in a while. He observed the incoming heroes and broke out into laughter once he sensed him. The incoming energy of such great power, the energy of Hercules. Never before had Sagittarius felt such elation rush through him. The villain applauded after Hercules had finished speaking. “You measly heroes can not stop me, the only one here who has a chance is Hercules.” he spat, turning his attention solely to Hercules. “You hate me? Why is that? Is it because I killed that man, Super Storm? How could you ever defend someone who was willing to cast away their own morals? Their own future as a hero in order to take me in? You need to forget about this man, he’s just another passing gust of wind.” the villain joked. Immediately after, killing intent began to exude from Sagittarius, enough to make rookie and some more experienced heroes cower in utter fear, yet it seemed as if Sagittarius was as jolly as ever. “Come at me, heroes! Give me a challenge!”

After a long gaze at his former pupil, Daisuke's attention shifted back towards his opponent. Killing intent meant nothing to the seasoned hero. Almost everyone he fought held some hatred and killing desire towards him thus he did not even flinch. "Scatter!" he instructed, the other heroes would then dispersed and gave the two combatants the space they so needed. Hercules then began to break down his target. "Super Storm's wind wasn't able to break through defense, so long range isn't an option." he continued, "They also tried close combat but didn't make much progress there either." Hercules contemplated. "Fuck it, nothing ventured, nothing gained!" he concluded, before dashing around his target in a circle. After images of himself began to emerge, making it hard for his opponent to track him. "Let's see what you can do!"

Sagittarius laughed. "Even that weakling Super Storm was faster than that!" he stated, slamming his foot into the ground. It seemed trivial, but Sagittarius had sent hundreds of arrows into the ground, which came launching out from beneath the many afterimages, in hopes to strike the hero. Of course, Sagittarius knew that Hercules would evade that rather easily. The hero was most likely holding back right now, as was the villain. "No need to hold back, I'm the one man who can handle your strength, Hercules!"

As a search and recovery hero, Hercules found himself rarely ever fighting someone who is able to fight on par with him. It was habit to hold back. But it was clearly time to lift those restraints. As the arrows emerged from beneath all images of Herucles would suddenly disappear.

"Where did he go?" Electron asked, unable to track his superior due to the spontaneous increase in speed.

"In the sky!" Blazeken would respond. As a long term partner of Hercules, she was knowledgeable on Hercules' tactics than most. At that moment a smile emerged on his face. "He's in combat mode..."

In the sky, Hercules' suit began to transform. Heavily armored his suit became as new adjustments were made. As H.O.P.E's leader and the number one hero in the world, Hercules had access to suits that were far beyond the norm. To complete his transformation, a sided blade and a shield emerged on both arms. "Let's do this." he told himself, descending to the battlefield. Arching his left arm, he swung his blade with great force, summoning a slashing projectile; the attack did not only contain supreme force but the utmost precision which would make for a powerful attack.

Saggittarius laughed in excitement as Hercules came crashing down. He responded in kind, deciding to no longer hold back. He slammed his head against the slashing projectile, splitting it into halves which flew towards Electron and Blazeken. He pointed at Hercules. "That wasn't good at all!" the villain spat, pointing his palm towards the hero. From his palm, a large golden arrow appeared. It simply floated before it launched towards Hercules, aiming at his heart with speed and force.

"The bastard is more durable than I thought" Hercules contemplated, landing on his two feet about three meters away from his target. As Saggittarius summoned his golden arrow. While he could have easily dodged the arrow, he was weary of those nearby. Thus he used his shied to stop the arrows course then chopped the arrow with his blade. He would then immediately leap back, recalling Pop Pap's scouting report. "I hope you didn't plan taking me out with poison." he spat, bait his target. As he spoke, Hercules began to think of a new approach. "I guess I'm going to need to use *that*."

Sagittarius smirked. "I see that a basic attack like that wouldn't harm you." the villain responded, cracking his knuckles. The tufts of fur on his elbow glistened in the sun. "Thousand Arrow Barrage!" Sagittarius yelled, his palms facing Hercules. From them, arrows launched out rapidly at berserk speeds straight at the hero, some of the arrows deviating from their flight pattern to strike the two other heroes, Electron and Blazeken. Using the arrows as cover, Sagittarius closed his eyes; beginning to collect the necessary energy for *that.*

As the hurricane of arrows headed towards the number hero, Hercules regressed back to his initial form. No armor, shield, or blade at his disposal, Hercules was completely vulnerable.

"What is he doing?" Electron yelled, weary of his leader's safety.

And for the first time Blazeken was also confused. "Whatever you're thinking of doing, it better work." she thought.

Pop Pap would eventually rise to his feet. "He's abandoning all defense. That could only mean..." his voice trailed off once again. But he was probably the only hero present who knew what was about to transpire.

Clocking right arm back, it appeared Hercules was preparing to punch the arrows, an unwise choice. "Justice is not strength. Justice is fighting for good. Justice is not something that can be easily understood Justice is...." he began, with the arrows only being inches away from his body. Then it happened, in a literal instant, Hercules disappeared from his location and reappeared right in front of his target. "Hope." he concluded before directing a powerful punch into his opponent's chest. "Justice Fist!" he chanted. His instantaneous speed would surely catch his opponent off guard. This was what Hercules' true combat power looked like.

All the heroes spectating were in awe of the sight. None of them were even able to see Hercules' movement. But they had little time to process what they had just viewed as their leader left the arrows for them to stop. "Unison counter!" Blazeken ordered, as each hero launched an attack that would prevent the arrows from making any further distance.

From the ground, Pop Pap would almost smirk. "He's lagging..."

The fist slammed right into Sagittarius's chest. For a moment nothing happened. Then Sagittarius flew backwards, crashing through multiple buildings, causing major collateral damage to their surroundings. As Sagittarius came to a stop, he rose to his hooves gingerly. Never before had someone managed to strike him with that much force, it was obvious why Hercules was the number one hero. He laughed manically. "This just gets more fun with every passing second!"

"Justice is not hope!" he yelled, his loud voice reaching the heroes despite the considerable distance. "Justice is doing what is right, even if it seems wrong. Bringing those that plague the world to an end! You are that plague!" the villain spat, bringing his left arm back in a similar manner to Hercules. "Let me show you...my justice."

"Zodiac Fist!" he yelled, suddenly launching himself straight towards Hercules with blazing speeds, faster than when he had slammed his head into Super Storm's gut previously. His fist flew straight towards Hercules' chest, hoping to send him flying back in a similar manner to what Hercules had done to him.

The spectating heroes were not surprised at the the result of Hercules' punch. Actually, they were surprised that Sagittarius was able to stand after the attack. Some of the heroes heard Minori mumble about Hercules' power and began to ask him what had occurred. "Well..." Pop Pap began but then realized he needed to be cautious. "It's complicated..."

What he could not say was the truth about Hercules' quirk, no, quirks. While Pop does not know the exact details, Hercules was born with a quirk known as Lag . But later on he'd obtain another quirk known as One for All, which would take him to the top.

"Just know, when it comes to hand to hand combat, he's uncheckable." Pop Pap commented.

As Sagittarius dashed toward Hercules with insane speeds, Hercules did not move an inch. Just as his fist was about to make contact with Hercules' chest, he'd instantaneously disappear and then reappear in another spot perpendicular to his opponent. The number one hero would grab the villain by the wrist to stop his movements. As a result a powerful gust of wind was released. "Surrender, you're not ready to face me."

Sagittarius smirked. "Are you sure about that, Hercules?" the villain teased. As Hercules grabbed his wrist, Sagittarius did the same, using the same hand to grab Hercules own wrist. With his free arm, he went to jam his elbow into Hercules' gut, with the same force and power of his first incoming punch. To further increase that force, Sagittarius forced his body to take a step in Hercules' direction, which would move his center of gravity closer to the villain for a greater force and impact speed.

Letting go of his opponent's wrist, Hercules was disappointed by the sight. Once again, he refused to move an inch. As Sagittarius'elbow made it's way to Hercules' gut, once again Hercules completely disappeared, revealing that the technique was indeed some sort of teleportation ability. But rather than targeting opening, Hercules appeared by Super Storm's corpse. "I'm sorry I took so long...." he picked the body up, and took him to one of the many H.O.P.E heroes. "I don't enjoy combat..." Hercules began, "But I'll do whatever it takes in the name of justice."

Sagittarius cursed. Was Hercules better than him? No, he wouldn't allow for it. Sagittarius concentrated, not focusing on Hercules' physical presence, but on the surrounding area. With a plan in mind, Sagittarius launched forward. "Zodiac Fist!" he yelled, bringing his fist towards Hercules. It was only centimeters when he realized that the hero would vanish. Using the stability gained by having four legs, he suddenly halted, spinning in a circle with the force of a Zodiac Fist, hoping to strike Hercules.

First post gonna be a lil long cause setting it up

Sagittarius cursed. Was Hercules better than him? No, he wouldn't allow for it. Sagittarius concentrated, not focusing on Hercules' physical presence, but on the surrounding area. With a plan in mind, Sagittarius launched forward. "Zodiac Fist!" he yelled, bringing his fist towards Hercules. It was only centimeters when he realized that the hero would vanish. Using the stability gained by having four legs, he suddenly halted, spinning in a circle with the force of a Zodiac Fist, hoping to strike Hercules.

Hercules prepared for the assault. Dashing towards the opponent himself, Hercules was weary of the other heroes well being. "Another frontal attack, this'll be over quick." he thought as he teleported perpendicular to his opponent once again. To his surprise, this time his opponent was ready. "Defend!" he told himself, using his arms to protect his torso. The attack would resemble his own, sending him flying quite the distance.

But as he soared through the skies, he suddenly disappeared again. Re-emerging in -front of the opponent, he took on a flying kick position. Unlike most teleportations, it appeared he had built up momentum, and was acclerating towards his opponent already. "Justice Kick!"

First post gonna be a lil long cause setting it up

Sagittarius cursed. Was Hercules better than him? No, he wouldn't allow for it. Sagittarius concentrated, not focusing on Hercules' physical presence, but on the surrounding area. With a plan in mind, Sagittarius launched forward. "Zodiac Fist!" he yelled, bringing his fist towards Hercules. It was only centimeters when he realized that the hero would vanish. Using the stability gained by having four legs, he suddenly halted, spinning in a circle with the force of a Zodiac Fist, hoping to strike Hercules.

Hercules prepared for the assault. Dashing towards the opponent himself, Hercules was weary of the other heroes well being. "Another frontal attack, this'll be over quick." he thought as he teleported perpendicular to his opponent once again. To his surprise, this time his opponent was ready. "Defend!" he told himself, using his arms to protect his torso. The attack would resemble his own, sending him flying quite the distance.

First post gonna be a lil long cause setting it up

Sagittarius cursed. Was Hercules better than him? No, he wouldn't allow for it. Sagittarius concentrated, not focusing on Hercules' physical presence, but on the surrounding area. With a plan in mind, Sagittarius launched forward. "Zodiac Fist!" he yelled, bringing his fist towards Hercules. It was only centimeters when he realized that the hero would vanish. Using the stability gained by having four legs, he suddenly halted, spinning in a circle with the force of a Zodiac Fist, hoping to strike Hercules.

Hercules prepared for the assault. Dashing towards the opponent himself, Hercules was weary of the other heroes well being. "Another frontal attack, this'll be over quick." he thought as he teleported perpendicular to his opponent once again. To his surprise, this time his opponent was ready. "Defend!" he told himself, using his arms to protect his torso. The attack would resemble his own, sending him flying quite the distance.

But as he soared through the skies, he suddenly disappeared again. Re-emerging in -front of the opponent, he took on a flying kick position. Unlike most teleportations, it appeared he had built up momentum, and was acclerating towards his opponent already. "Justice Kick!"

Sagittarius took in a deep breath, preparing himself for the attack. He dug his hooves into the ground, which would give him even more stability than the villain already had from having four legs. He used his forearms as a shield, taking the kick. Shockwaves launched outwards in a destructive manner, cracking the ground and sending shivers down the spines of those nearby.

"I'm not done yet!" Hercules chanted, before disparearing again. His location was different this time, rather targeting his oppoent's more human half, he went for the horse half. Targetting the region between the two hind legs he yelled once more. "Justice Fist!"

Sagittarius launched into the air faster than most could track, avoiding Hercules' incoming attack. As the villain landed he laughed. "That would've hurt, now wouldn't it?" the villain jested. He looked at the sky. Only a few more minutes until he could release it. Sagittarius launched forward at great speeds, before halting instantly in front of Hercules. "Zodiac Clap!" he yelled, slamming his palms together. From it, Sagittarius released multiple shockwaves of great power, equivalent to that of Super Storm's Justice Cannon.

Hercules was well adept in fighting wind and shockwave based attacks. Hitting his chest before his opponent's hand made contact, his back suddenly sprouted wings. Using his newly equiped wings, he'd stretch them out and allowing him to glide with the shockwave; the force of the attack dealt to him was minimized as a result. Now airborne, Hercules spat, "Too bad horses can't fly..."

Sagittarius cursed. One more minute. He launched himself into the air, smiling. Before gravity would take its hold, he began to spin rapidly in a circle, causing the area around him to spark slightly. He slammed into the ground and began to bounce around at rapid speeds. Faster and faster with every passing second. Eventually, he was only seen in the split second he chose to change directions. Suddenly, with out warning, Sagittarius launched towards Hercules from his back, hoping to send the warrior flying.

If it were not for his wings, Hercules would have almost been certainly hit. Fortunately, his new air support granted him the mobility require for his quirk. Hercules vanished once again, and emerged right above his target, who would find himself less mobile now that he was in the air. With his arms clocked back over his head, and his hands intertwined, he prepared to smash his target's head with lethal force. "Go to hell..." he stated calmly.

Sagittarius smirked, his plan having worked. He had embedded two arrows into the bottoms of the wings. He snapped his fingers, causing for the arrows to explode.

"Shit!" Hercules exclaimed, upset about the destruction of his wings. But this did not stop his assault. Already acquiring the position required to punish his opponent, he simply muscled through the explosion; his suit taking obvious damage,. But with his opponent not moving or avoiding the attack, Hercules' attack was a success. His empowered hands made contact with Sagittarius' head.

Sagittarius flew straight into the ground. Was this the end? No, the villain wouldn't go out this easily. He jumped back out, rubbing the top of his head. "That hurt..." he murmured, smirking. He raised his arm in the air and summoned the Stellar Bow. He nocked the arrow and aimed. The best ability of his bow is that it took the force of their opponent's average technique, and multiple it by ten. With that, he launched the arrow straight towards Hercules, at almost instantaneous speed.

Hercules was incredibly surprised that Sagittarius was still able to stand. He wondered how much longer his opponent could maintain this incredible state; it was quite obvious that this was a transformation quirk. He then realized his predicament. Not expecting his opponent to rise so quickly, Hercules found himself in a tough spot. As the arrow was nocked, many of the other heroes realized the number one hero was endanger. Many of them began to target the villain before he could attack, but none of them could match the speed of the arrow.

The events that had transpired were beyond what anyone could attempt comprehend. The arrow was long since gone, probably hundreds of miles out and Hercules was no where to be seen.

"What the fuck!" Electron yelled, assuming his superior was defeated. Roars of anger from other heroes soon followed.

Pop Pap did not partake in these cries, rather he surveyed the area. "Come on, come on, come on!" he spoke, trembling in fear of the worst case scenario. But then he saw it. The massive crater that led to the deep into the ground. How could they missed it. "Hercules!" he yelled, using what little energy he had left. And for a moment, he felt all was lost. But then, he rose.

The number one hero emerged with more wounds than anyone has ever seen him with. The torso part of his suit was completely gone, his abdomen was completely swollen; it was black in color, and blood dripped down from his mask. "I've really fallen off when it comes to combat, eh?”

Sagittarius was confused. How did the hero avoid that arrow? It was his trump card, a sure fire victory. Yet it had failed, much to Sagittarius’ disappointment. It was then that Sagittarius would have to stall again for another chance to use the bow. It was the only way he could beat him. As Hercules’ baited him, it worked. “You fucking bastard!” the villain roared, charging towards Hercules. It was halfway through that charge that Sagittarius realized that if he continued this straight-on barrage on Hercules, his transformation would revert, and reveal his true identity. He’d fail, he’d fall. But the villain knew that if he limited his movement drastically, he could stay in this form of at least a few days. The villain suddenly halted in front of Hercules. Staring down at the hero. It pained him to do what he would do, but he knew he always had another chance. He got on his four knees, and raised his hands over his head. “I...surrender.”

## The Bitter End

The two words were like music to his ears. While he tried his best not to show his fatigue, Hercules was certainly tired. A direct shot of his total strength was no easy feat, even for himself. He raised his hand, insinuating that the other heroes come to his assistance. "Proceed with caution, I don't want anymore deaths today..." he sighed, before directing his attention to the traumatized Pop Pap. "Seems flying solo has overwhelmed ya?" he joked, hoping to raise Minori's spirits. Then his voice took on a deep tone. "I'm sorry. I should've been here..."

Electron and Blazeken would be the first to attempt to restrain the beast. "You're going away for a long time chump" Electron spat, attempting to place static electricity cuffs around his hand and legs.

Blazeken would then follow up by attempting to brand Sagittarius with one of her Fire Emblems. "I dare you to try and escape..." she told the villain. Other heroes would circle around the villain to help restrain the beast.

Sagittarius launched to his hooves. "Go ahead with the cuffs." he began, before turning towards Blazeken. "Don't you dare put that emblem on me. Wouldn't suit my apparel. And if you do come and try to put it on me again...I'll kill you." he spat, letting the cuffs be put onto him. "Got that?"

Her body trembled a bit; she knew what the beast was capable of and was quite certain he could probably kill her. Thus, she refrained branding him. She felt disappointed in herself as a result.

Other heroes would begin to place their restraints on the beast to prevent him from moving freely in any way.