Art of Death

**Art of Death** is an issue on BNHA: United in the Alabasta Arc.

## Sypnosis

The festival at Tokyo is underway, with all four communities coming together in celebration for the first time in years; while some pacts are renewed, other deals will come at a much steeper price.

## Plot

In a flashback, a man and woman find their way to Tokyo and quickly integrate into the community. Years later, they make some crafts and board a motorcycle to the festival at the area. After getting lost in the woods, they are ambushed and killed by Spectre and Frankenstein, who then proceeds to scalp the latter.

In Tokyo, Kellan King addresses the crowd and declares they've finally accomplished Tempest, Glitch, and Angel's dreams of reuniting the communities. "Let the festivities of new beginnings begin!", Kellan says. As everyone celebrates, Reagan, Scarlett, and the convoy arrive. Blister scolds Lagtastic for running away while Scarlett greets Kellan, who's shocked to see her. "I was in the neighborhood", Scarlett says. Diane and Kellan marvel at how much Vertigo has grown while Reagan spots his brother, Heath, among the group. "The plan was to bring Oliver... just Oliver," Heath says angrily to Reagan.

Inside the theater, Monochrome convenes the leaders and tells them she's finally ready for Tokyo to help out. "We're here now," she says. Baz Hastra announces Tokyo is willing to grant asylum to Monochrome, but Heath warns if her "friends" retaliate it'll be against the heroes. Monochrome reminds her that none of them were trusted when they were first introduced to the Crusaders, and Heath relents.

They all agree to send some of their own to Tokyo to guard against any potential attacks from the Villain League and Scarlett decides to re-establish the charter, establishing that an attack against Tokyo counts as an attack against all of them. Kellan then retrieves the original charter as Reagan and Tempest finally make up. They all sign the charter, and Scarlett tells Leo Baudelaire he should sign for Tokyo as the head of the council.

In the festival, everyone enjoys trading goods, learning survival lessons, playing carnival games, fireworks, etc. Vertigo shows Monochrome around and then Kellan tells them he hopes to see them at the movie tonight. Rory tries convincing Heath to perform with him. Rory accidentally calls Ena his girlfriend, but she decides that it's ok. Frankie emotionally tells Scarlett how upset she is that she left without saying goodbye and Scarlett apologizes but says she had to protect the people. Glitch informs Dr. Monroe he's going to leave for patrol with the first group and he tells her he has some news to tell her when they're all back at Tokyo. Ryiah apologizes to Lagtastic for ratting him out but he forgives her. Static and Seeker introduce themselves to Monochrome and tell her that Ryiah has a thing for Lagtastic, making her uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, Reagan, Scarlett, Blister, Stardust and others leave the festival to go to Tokyo and leave some soldiers in case of a possible attack. In the woods, they encounter Timewarp, Brandon, and D.J. and find a hilltop wagon overturned, but no bodies. Scarlett, Reagan, Blister, and Emily decide to track for any possible signs of survivors while Stardust and the rest head to Osaka and D.J. and his group patrol the villains outskirts.

At night, Reagan and the group get attacked by villains. They take them out one by one until the rest surround them. Frankenstein emerges from the trees and tells them to drop their weapons. "You just had to give me the girl," he growls at Reagan, telling him their deal is off.

In a flashback to earlier that day, Spectre walks in disguise at the fair, wearing the dead woman's clothes. Meanwhile, Ronnie Glockster tells Puppetmaster that he's collected radio parts to make it easier for the communities to communicate with each other. Later, Scarlett tells Reagan that despite her pregnancy, things don't need to change between them and they are still friends.

Elsewhere, Static assures Seeker he likes her. She kisses him on the cheek and he leaves to check on the pipes, asking her to save him a seat at the movies. Nearby, Kellan introduces himself to a disguised Spectre. She presents herself as "Annie" from Australia and asks him to show her around. Later, at the movies, Seeker worries about Static not being back yet. Suddenly, Spectre sits down next to her and quietly tells her not to say anything.

Later that night, Frankenstein, whose currently out of disguise, approaches Tempest and the group tied to a tree. He tells them he ran into trouble on the road as he wipes his bloody knife on his shirt. Scarlett warns him if he tries to get Vertigo back they'll respond in force, but he assures her Vertigo isn't his concern anymore. He takes out a shotgun and tells Reagan to come with him alone.

At dawn, Alabaster leads Reagan to the top of a cliff overlooking a building where a massive horde of villains walk beneath them. Alabaster says Reagan's communities are a joke and that his way of life is best for his people. He then tells him his friends at the festival are fine, but the next time his people cross into his land he'll release the horde into theirs. He clarifies he marked the border and Reagan asks if he killed Vertigo.

Flashback to earlier that night, Spectre confronts Vertigo about being a traitor but she tells him this is a better way of life. He then threatens to kill her if she doesn't leave and Spectre tells him he was never one of them. Vertigo breaks down in tears as Spectre leaves. Back in the present, Spectre tells Tempest she didn't kill Vertigo and doubts he can protect him. He tells her she's wrong and leaves.

Minutes later, Vertigo heads back to the group and finds out that Reagan and Heath went missing seconds after the villains attacked them.

In the headquarters, Alabaster asks Anne about Noah. "I want to be alone," Anne orders him, but a villain accidentally witnesses her crying. She stabs him in the neck, making sure no one sees her being weak.

On their way back to the Kingdom, Tempest, Vertigo, Monochrome, Stardust, and Scarlett find a decapitated and bloody Alabaster on a pike. His blood splattered on the floor leads them to a nearby hill, which has eleven pikes in the ground. Each spike has a severed head stabbed on top of it. The group walk devastated towards it and look in horror at the victims: Static, Emily, Ryiah, Timewarp, Ryiah, Leo, Diane, Baz, Ghostslinger, Liam, Adeline Dixon and Frankie. As they see each head, a flashback reveals people at the festival asking others where they are. As Tempest sees Leo's head, he rushes over to Stardust to stop her from seeing it, but it's too late. He comforts Stardust and tells her to look at him, but she is overwhelmed with emotion.

Later, in the Kingdom, Tempest addresses the crowd to deliver the tragic news. He tells them that Spectre left him alive to tell a story of the evil that happened and to drive the communities apart again. Instead, Tempest tells a very different story: before the end, the prisoners were found by Static, Emily and Ryiah, who gave them the chance to fight back. The victims fought like hell to the end, protecting each other like family even though some of them didn't even know each other. Though they failed in the end, they died heroes which is how Tempest wants them to be remembered and honored. In flashbacks, Static, Emily and Ryiah. are seen arriving to help, Timewarp grabs a knife and kills a villain that tackles Baz, who still kept a smile on his face after his death, Adeline protects Liam, who is still tied up, Ghostslinger and Frankie fight a villain together, Diane fights and kills villains using another dropped knife. Despite his injured leg, Leo stands up bravely and defends Diane. Just moments later, Spectre and Alabaster arrive to interrupt the fight.

Sometime later, Tempest and Stardust return to the border. Stardust leaves the necklace Leo made for her on the ground by the pike that once held his head and as the two walk away, snow flurries begin to fall.

In the woods, Reagan scouts the area and kills a few spare villains before coming across one with a slit wound in its throat, Heath. Reagan breaks down in shock at the sight of his ruined brother. When Heath tries to attack, Reagan tearfully stabs him in the head multiple times out of rage before falling to the ground, sobbing at the loss of the only family member he had left. The episode ends with him staring in misery at the now-finished corpse of his brother.

## Deaths

* Unnamed Couple
* Alabaster Klingen (Confirmed Fate)
* Alexander Green
* Emily Quinn
* Charlotte Smith
* Ryiah
* Leo Baudelaire
* Diane King
* Baz Hastra
* Ghostslinger
* Pchai Bennington
* Frankie Jones
* Adeline Dixon
* Heath Dixon (Alive & Zombified)