Bite the Bullet

**Date Completed:** July 3, 2018
**Previous Role-Play**: Relinquished Emotions
**Next Role-Play**: Sympathy for the Devil
**Users Involved:** User:KamiGuru, User:KontonMan, User:ScarletPlumage, User:Dragon Lord Erin, User:Legendary Super Saiya-Jin 4,User:Ultimate Domon, User:Abbadon the Chaos King, User:Kasumi12346, User:KingAtum00
**Setting:** Izu Oshima
**Characters Involved**: Issac Clarke, Satoru Misawa, Shigai Daija, Ibara Takukeizou, Benjamin Blackwell, Akio Yamamoto, Otohime Watatsumi, Jamison Stevenson, Kenta Noboru, Hoori Sakuya, Isabella Fernandez, Akio Yamamoto, Kurono Masamune, Hikaru Miyamoto, Hachiman Kurokami, Ichiro Makoto, Nobu Orochi, War, Death, Famine, Disease, Jiro Makoto (*mentioned*), Daisuke Eiji (*mentioned*), Minori Ryota (*mentioned*), *The Don* (mentioned),

## Bite the Bullet

There was ominous tone throughout Japan, as if some evil had overtaken it. A sort of darkness that had been growing, expanding, enveloping everything in its path for years. But beneath all that darkness and lingering threat was a small light, one that grew brighter by the day. A light that gave people some security, some hope, that one day the darkness would no longer be present. And today, today was the day the light would outshine the dark, and lead to a better path.

For the past decade Japan has been at war. Not a war against other nations that threatens humanity as we know it but an internal struggle. The War on Drugs has taken its toll on the world's hero capital presenting a challenge that some of the globe greatest gladiators could not defeat. And for this reason, Japan has been losing this war. Three out of every ten kids fall victim to the fatal opiate. Fifteen percent of Japan's heroes have fallen victim to their urges and used the drug. And the numbers were rising. Some nations sent their own to help Japan put an end to this, while others turned a cold shoulder. Japan looked like a lost cause.

But right when all had been lost and many were ready to throw in the towel, two heroes managed to achieve the impossible and win one battle. With victory no longer seeming to be impossible, a newfound courage was reborn in the hearts of many. Left and right more head way was made. While there were some bumps in the road, at first the dream seemed impossible, then improbable, now victory seemed inevitable. In one day, three major steps forward took place. Lady Faith was finally looking up.

But rather than leaving everything up to chance, Japan's heroes took it upon themselves to unite and finish this war once and for all. The same night, all those who were involved in the fight against the cartel and along with a few additional others, were invited to launch a final assault against the cartel. In a secure government facility, the group of heroes were told to rendezvous at the location at midnight to discuss the assault.

Already present was government hired British intelligence officer, Jamison Stevenson along with ATOM's lead scientist Kenta Noboru. While neither were directly involved in the take down of any Omoikane Cartel base or operative, the two possessed information nobody else could provide. Expecting some of the heroes to arrive earlier than most, the two were station right before the scheduled meeting time. The room was a basic conference room with more than twenty seats.

"So today is the day is it" Jamison question, attempting the break the silence with the famed doctor. "Do you really think the heroes will put an end to this war?"

Half asleep, Kenta leaped from his seat due to the detective's comment. "Oh god, I thought I was about to be eaten by the world's most horrendous lizard." he panted before taking his seat once again. "What the fuck did you say? Better yet, who the fuck are you?" Kenta responded before pulling out his flask and taking a large gulp.

"We will or die trying," said Otohime as she walked into the room. Hoori Sakuya and Otohime Watatsumi were on the first heroes to arrive and both in their hero costumes, which was a very rare sight and a sign that they were planning to take this seriously, and took a seat. Just the other two Otohime and Hoori didn't take part in the take down of the base, but Otohime was responsible for killing a villain who not only had a lot of the drugs on hand, but also had some hostages. Not to mention how Otohime is well know for her tremendous power and knowledge and no doubt whoever asked her to come was thinking that that power and knowledge might be useful.

Otohime was more quite than usual and had a far off expression that suggested she was deep in thought more so then usual and presumably about how she had to kill Raijū several days prior. She truly didn't want to kill the man, but unfortunately he saw no other options. When the two sat down they began talking amongst themselves and by the sound of it they were arguing, which made the room feel even more ominous due to how infamous Otohime's violent temper is. At any moment se could become a danger to everyone in the room. Thankfully for now, it sounded like their argument was not that serious and more like a heated debate.

"Look I'm telling you spaghetti and meatballs was made by Americans, not Italians." An angered voice called out as two men entered the room. One was absurdly tall, towering over the other. It was none other than Ibara, **The Inquisitor**, the man famous for quite literally cleaning Italy of all crime. Alongside him stood a shorter man, though still tall to most, wearing a suit of armor. It was none other than Dragon King, a hero known for his distinct armor and lance.

"Look all I'm saying is that it seems so odd that spaghetti and meatballs isn't Italian. It's advertised in media as being extremely Italian." Dragon King replied, following Ibara into the room.

"Greetings all." Ibara spoke quickly as he took a seat and turned back to Dragon King. "Look Ryuujin, I'm Italian. I think I know my own culture. Also the media lies all the time. Even the ShineSpark Burst ads are telling us that drinking one will reform a villain and you know that's not true." Ibara huffed, leaning an elbow on the table.

"Yeah yeah I know. I'm not doubting you, it's just weird to think about considering that's what I knew all my life." Dragon King responded, letting out a chuckle.

Excalibur was the next to walk in. “That’s strange.” he murmured. “She usually answers my calls. Is she okay?” he wondered to himself, pressing two fingers to the side of his helmet to end the call. His blade was sheathed to his side, and was wearing his suit. He took his seat and looked around, heroes from across the world, here to end the war on drugs. “Salutations to everyone.” he called out.

Igneous, one of the newer heroes, made his way into the conference room. "Looks like we're finally going to end this once and for all." Igneous muttered as he folded his arms and sat down in one of the many chairs. "So, I hope you all have taken into account the possibility that all of us may not survive." Igneous stated, as he observed his fellow heroes and eyed them all intently.

"What a horrible thing to say." Platinum Paragon spouted, as he flew into the room slowly and descended with grace. "If we go in with that type of mindset, that will only increase the chance of that happening." The young, if not the youngest hero in the room, spoke with a serious tone in his voice. "So let's refrain from thinking any thoughts like that." He said as he made his way towards a chair and sat down in it.

Tigerheart, a man who generally would make a point to arrive as quickly as possible, trailed into the room after his fellow GUILD members, uncharacteristicly late for the Tiger-masked Hero. He was seemingly less enthused to be working with other Hero offices that he was unfamiliar with after his latest experience had went awry, and he seemed far more quiet than usual. Tigerheart sat down next to Platinum Paragon, arms folded as he waited for the remaining heroes to arrive.

The Guardian walked into the conference room shortly after Tigerheart, dressed in his usual attire in all it's arcane symbolism and splendour. His golden eyes seemingly darting around the room, Issac took note of each of the heroes called into this facility. Quite a few of them were powerful and renowned in their own right; a good thing considering the task to be undertaken. Nodding at his fellow GUILD heroes, Issac would take a seat himself near the area it appeared his Office had indirectly chosen to be their collective hub. Considering the fact that it was midnight before hailing everyone, for his greeting, Issac decided to go with a simple, "Good morning everyone."

Spinal Tap followed into the room after his fellow GUILD members, moving at a somewhat brisk pace due to not wanting to seem like he's in a hurry, since it would make him look strange, yet also not wanting to be the last person of the group to sit down, so that he wouldn't draw any extra attention to himself from being the last one standing. Upon sitting next to Tigerheart, he gave a brief wave to everyone else at the table, not wanting to seem impolite, before silently waiting for the discussion to commence.

Without further delay, The Alpha Female had arrived. Before stating a word, she quickly surveyed the room. "As I thought..." she took note that none of the H.O.P.E heroes were present. "Greetings and good morning to you all. Does anyone know if anyone from H.O.P.E will be join us? Particularly Hercules." While she did not show it, she was glad the number one hero was not present. It was nothing personal, but if he participated in every act of heroism, then it'd be nearly impossible for her to reach number one status. She also had great faith that this team of heroes would be sufficient enough to get the job done. Noticing that hero who ranked only one above her had flocked to an area of the table in which all his office allies could sit, she made her way to the "head" of the table. "So, if this is about everyone. How about we get this started?"

As everyone arrived, Jamison was quite surprised by the small number of heroes. "Such a powerful group in Omoikane. But only eight pro heroes. And only one that's top five, what is the Japanese government thinking." he thought to himself. "Even if they were attempting to keep it under wraps, ten heroes would have been more feasible. Eight might be cutting it a bit thin." Jamison would then gaze at the scientist who had once again fallen half asleep. "To answer your question La Mariposa, the H.O.P.E heroes are still suspended and review for possible malpractice. Thus, they'd be risking their hero licenses to be here." he told the female hero, before introducing himself.

"My name is Jamison Stevenson, and I am one of the best detectives, check that, The Greatest Detective you have available to you." he began, sounding quite confident in his abilities. "While you guys have fought Omoikane head to head, I've gone behind the scenes to pick up on their trail. And thanks to your help, I believe I have solved this puzzle." He took a moment to pause for dramatic effect. "But before we get to that, there are a couple of things we must discuss first."

As if on queue, a dark skinned male entered the room. "Hell-o, my name is Abeo Ebubechukwu, also known as the Peacekeeper. The Hero Association has appointed as a resource for you to use in this mission." while he knew the language, his ascent was not native. "Before, we discuss our assault. It seems fitting that we discuss the information we have collected independently that might contribute to the cause." he began, awaiting anyone's response.

"Whoo alright, good speech Jamison." Ibara cheered as he turned to the table. "So I'm the one that got this all kicked off originally, found and secured a ton of detonators. Dragon King came in too to help me rescue the workers and lift out the detonators. Most of the information that started this was from that bust. Samples of the drugs, reports from people working in the place. Two of their quirk users. One man got away though, Hitoshi, has a smoke screen quirk and seems to be an expert in silent killing. I know I'm brining a new toy in case we run into him again."

"That really sums it all up, as Ibara said I was only there for the end of it." Dragon King continued. Resting his arms on the table.

Given the opportunity to speak but not without noticing the action taken by the heroine sitting a rank below him, Issac simply raised his eyebrows in curiosity before beginning to speak."Representing my office, GUILD recently came into conflict with the twins referring to themselves as the Magno Bros, formerly ranked collectively as the world's seventh greatest hero by the Hero Association. While at first it appeared that we were going to attack what appeared to be the largest stronghold yet discovered, instead the "heroes" revealed their true colours, instead being allies of the infamous cartel responsible for this drug trade. We apprehended them both, but I decided that they were too connected to not know something valuable."

*Earlier that Day*

Ichiro woke up abruptly. His injuries treated but he was cuffed to the table. "What the hell happened?" he thought, before everything came flooding back in. "So we lost, huh." he concluded. Then only moment after he was in an interrogation room. "So this is how it's gonna be. Let's negotiate!" he spoke, hoping someone would enter the room.

"..Negotiate? Heh." The sound of someone cracking their fingers would resound against the walls of the room, as a familiar figure would enter, his silver hair reflecting the sole light in the chambers and his eyes locked directly on Ichiro. "This is how it's going to be indeed. I'm not so sure I can be so easily persuaded. You know where I stand." In the place of the ever-present smirk civilians were accustomed to seeing, the now revealed Issac's countenance offered none of that to the cuffed "hero"; no sort of comfort or sympathy could be found for Ichiro to draw from. There was no happiness in Issac's demeanour coming into this room. In fact, Ichiro would be forgiven for thinking he was an entirely different person if it wasn't for his tangential reference to justice.

"I have information you need, desperately and you have plenty to give me." he began. "In an act of good faith, why don't you show me my brother is okay. If you do that, I'll reciprocate the gesture."

"Trying to take a position of power in this interrogation are we? ..Do you really think I'll immediately believe your words after the stunt you just pulled? I have no reason to believe information you simply give to me is accurate." Issac retorted. The man had just tried killing an entire village of civilians and was perhaps the most pretensive hero he'd met in his career, and "offered" to freely give up information? "You're under the obligation, I have no reason to show you anything if I don't trust that you'd be co-operating. For real this time." Issac remained unchanged, serious. It was an interrogation room, not a gift exchange.

"Would you like to know where we got our little ape friend. I'll tell ya. As a gesture of good faith." Ichiro began, realizing he was losing Issac. "I don't know if the dude who beat our "pet" noticed this but, the thing around of the ape's neck was controlling it. It's collar generated by a quirk. And you could verify that if you still have the ape's corpse or with your ally for that matter."

"..I don't think we'd know about the Detonators without knowing about the collar to some extent. What I actually learned from that, is that it's generated by a Quirk. Who found the ape?" As Ichiro appeared to be a bit talkative, Issac decided to throw a funnel question in the mix, testing the waters to see if he'd slip this early.

"You shouldn't be worried about the ape. They got a whole zoo of creatures with quirks. Been collecting them for years." Ichiro would then cut himself off as he was realizing he had already said too much. "If ya want more, show me my brother's okay."

Issac snapped his fingers as he lit up a screen nearby, showing Jiro similarly cuffed, face down in a room that appeared distinctly different from this one, throwing off any sort of idea of the distance from his own cell that his brother was being held. Seemingly recording this information without pen or paper, Issac took note of Ichiro's words, while snapping his fingers shortly after to avoid the chance of some sort of communication again as the screen seemingly flickered off. "You good now?"

While skeptical of Issac's projection, he had nothing else to go on. "See, now that wasn't so hard. Let's continue negotiating. How much information would it take to get my brother full immunity?" he asked, with a serious look on his face. "He really was just following orders from me. He refused every step of the way. Despite his arrogance, he's actually a promising hero."

"Seemed pretty confident in your plan to me, according to my allies." Issac responded calmly. "Leaving one of you free only spells a future calamity to me. Why would he still go along with it given his personality? Specifically the obstinacy and arrogance you just mentioned." The prisoner's dilemma was a concept in game theory Issac was quite familiar with, noticing Ichiro attempting to reverse it on him.

"As a hero you don't believe in second chances? I think it's absurd to believe you must go through life without making a mistake. And for him, that's all this was. A mistake. Let him go free and we'll tell you everything." He stated his terms.

"I believe in second chances. You beat around the bush. Such a mistake doesn't appear to be in your brother's character, assuming he's as heroic as you claim. Tell me, why would he have gone along with it?" Issac needed a definitive answer to this, something. Using his language and knowledge of the power of each word in the question to extract as much information as possible, Issac awaited a satisfactory response.

"You don't know. They're monsters, not even humans. Their highest ranking officers, the four horsemen. I don't even think Hercules could beat one of them, let alone all of them." Chills began to run down his back. " And the don. He's the devil. Those five...creatures, can force you to do anything. Even against your will...." fear fell deep into his eyes.

"So he was forced by powerful villains." Issac put aside the statement about Hercules, chalking it up to Ichiro's own fear of these heroes. The fear appeared to be genuine, and according to the HUD of his uniform, his vitals appeared to show that he appeared to be telling the truth. Information on the "four horsemen" and the "don" fit quite squarely in what he was going after. It gave Issac an idea of the organizational structure of the Cartel, and a few noteworthy individuals. "I'll see what I can do."

"Considering that Jiro threatened to kill Spinal Tap and me plenty of times, I'm not exactly buying that it was just down to intimdation, he sure as hell isn't heroic, fake heroes like them deserve whatevers coming to 'em," Tigerheart responded after Issac's explanation. "And even if they were bullied into it like he says, they seemed pretty happy to do it. I doubt any real hero would be swayed like they were. The Four Horsemen and the Don sound dangerous sure, but those two just didn't have the heart to be a Hero." The normally cheerful Tigerheart added further, speaking in a harsh tone without any of his usual flair. He took the concept of heroes extremely seriously thanks to his grandfather, and it was clear as day that he held no sympathy for the Magno Bros after their actions, no matter what the cause was.

"They put the lives of innocent men, women, and children at stake. I personally saw what happened to the civilians, what that ape was gonna do to them... and it was ruthless." Igneous spoke, after hearing what Issac had to say. "So I'm not buying the notion that it was all just pure intimidation either. Just like Tigerheart said, no true hero would be swayed that way. So they clearly weren't fit to be heroes in the first place." Igneous said seriously, his arms still folded, as he vented what was on his mind. "To be honest, they're lucky I wasn't there. I wouldn't have left them in the condition they're in now." The clearly angered Igneous said to all of his fellow heroes.

"Well, let's look on the bright side, at least all the civilians are safe now and the Magno Bros are in custody." The young and bubbly Platinum Paragon stated with positivity in his voice. "I do agree with Tigereart though, no real hero could be swayed that way. I'd rather die than commit the heinous crimes that they have, and I truly mean that with all my heart." Platinum Paragon belted to everyone with a smile on his face.

By the time the last few people were coming in Otohime and Hoori's argument was beginning to die down and it had died down completely by the time Jamison spoke. The small scowl on each of their faces suggested that the argument was far from over and no doubt they would continue their argument when they got home after the mission. Maintaining the scowl on her face, the highest ranked Gray Hero: Ryūhime, took a look around the room right before Shigai spoke. When she saw that she was the only Gray Hero in the one she sighed softly and thought to herself, "No doubt this will be a pain. I know very few Pro Heroes who respect the way of thinking of a Gray Hero." When Shigai began speaking she paid him her full attention, but there was a tinge of sadness on her face. The fact that his hero name was the same as her father's given name, Ryūjin, always made her sad and it is why she never calls him by his hero name regardless of the setting. Otohime stayed quite for most of the conversation, but after Platinum Paragon spoke she could keep quiet no longer. "Ignoring how unheroic everyone here is talking, so far all I have been hearing is one assumption after another and irrational biased assumptions at that. Do you know for certain that he wasn't intimidated? Do any of you know what he was thinking? Take this from a Gray Hero who has been more than willing to do awful things to protect the innocent including torturing villains, it is not wise to focus only on the action. You have to widen your lens and look at the big picture. No one here knows exactly what he was thinking and for all we know he could have a perfectly rational explanation for all of this," Otohime said; making her Gray Hero ideals known.

Excalibur nodded. "I caught this one guy, Akatsuki. He had ties to the Omoikane from what I got from him. Production's pretty crazy, they have to be making hundreds a day, if not more." the hero began, his voice slightly robotic due to his suit's capabilities. "From my research, the Omoikane need to have some sort of funds. Maybe from multiple companies, companies we wouldn't expect. Hell, maybe even a tech company."

"Controversial topic coming up, but take a look at Super Storm. He was said to have taken Detonators. He had to have gotten it from someone, someone with a higher standing in life. If he bought it from one of the street dealers, the news would've gone public. According to all this, and my gut, I think there are a few businesses that are helping this damned Cartel."

Platinum Paragon paused for a moment, taking in everything that the Gray Hero Otohime had just said, and his first reaction was nothing more than a loud sigh in disgust. "...We're being unheroic? As well as irrational and biased? How can you even seriously say that with a straight look on your face?! Did you know that the Magno Bros tried to take out their fellow Pro Heroes and put the lives of innocent civilians in danger?!" Paragon shouted vehemently as he stood up and stared at Otohime, clearly emanating anger. "Even if he was being intimidated, that's no excuse for doing what they've done!" Paragon vented, clenching his fists tightly and staring Otohime down.

While Paragon argued with Otohime, Igneous simply continued to sit calmly in his chair and observe the argument at hand: Not having much to add and all, and partially understanding where Otohime was coming from, considering he has done many things that are considered immoral or unethical for a Pro Hero.

Not interested in hearing any disagreement between her allies especially at this early stage of the assault, she took it upon herself to put the argument to an end. "That's enough." she said calmly, but with a hint of aggression behind it. "You're both entitled to your own set of opinions but neither of you are entitled to your own set of facts. They say an argument without all the facts will just lead to a meaningless result. So let us continue discussing the facts we've collected." Isabella paused, hoping the two heroes would understand. Then she'd continue with the information she's acquired during her fights against the cartel. "After defeating the CEO of Katango, Nobu. I also had the chance to ask him a few questions."

Isabella walked into the interrogation room, where the recently captured CEO of Katango was restrained. “Give me five minutes.” She told those who watched outside, who were unable to get anything from Nobu.

“Oh dear, it’s you Isabella. Have you finally realized I’m just a pawn in all of this and decided to set me free.” Nobu spoke, well aware he wasn’t going anywhere any time soon.

Isabella could not help but smirk at his comment. “Not even close.” She began, before getting straight to the point. “I don’t doubt that you were just a pawn. But a pawn certainly knows more than the enemy Queen. So instead of pledging blind loyalty to the cartel why don’t you make amends and tell us what you know.”

“The information you desire is actually at the tip of my tongue, just need a little incentive for it to make it’s way to you.” He responded, bidding his hand at an attempt to cut a deal.

“Do you know where I can find the cartel’s Main Headquarters.” She questioned, paying little attention to his previous statement.

“The base in Oshima seems rather large and secure.” He responded, as if he did not realize he had just dropped his highest card.

Isabella smirked once more. “Perfect…” she thought before bombarding him with another question before he could realize. “Do you know who the Don of the Cartel is? A name would help. ”

“Yes.” He responded carelessly, “He goes by many names but I believe his main name is…” Nobu suddenly paused. “What the fuck?” What did you do to me? How come I can’t hold my tongue?” he questioned, as his face grew red.

When Isabella walked in, she had placed one her signature gadgets under the table. The clear gas was released from the device that had been customly altered for interrogation purposes. “Do you truly regret working for Omoikane?” she asked sincerely.

He took a moment to respond. “You act like I had a choice. One minute I think the rising CEO of the next big clothing brand, and the next I’m aiding and funding drug dealers.” He commented, sincere with his answer.

“Were you really going to take that detonator to beat us?” Isabella spoke, referring to the last moments of their battle.

“I didn’t have a choice…” he mumbled, before tears fell from his face. “I’m sorry…”

"So it seems our destination is Oshima?" She gazed Abeo and Jamison, who seemed to have info of their own. Briefly however, she looked over at the arguing heroes, hoping the got some of the information she presented in her break down and analysis.

Abeo remained silent during the discussion. His eyes flickered between each hero, carefully dissecting each of them. Every word they uttered provided him with insight that allow him to better assess how they'll perform in the mission today. Their subtle yet noticeable actions were no different. After Isabella relayed her info, he gazed at Jamison, indicating he should speak now.

"So it seems a lot of the questionable info I have checked out." he began, taking notes the entire time the heroes were speaking. "Izu Oshima, does appear to be our location. Little less than a decade ago, someone bought the island from the Japanese government, but there are few documents that actually have any details relating to such a transaction. Outside of the landscape and climate of the island, we know little about their base." Jamison took a breath, the continued. "As for these four horsemen. Again, info regarding to them is minimal. I think it's a reasonable guess to assume that they are in charge of different operations with the cartel, so this mission is a failure if we don't successfully apprehend or put down those four and the Don." He flipped the page in his journal and cleared his throat. "As you've all probably realized, they'll probably out number us significantly. Especially with those quirk attained beasts. Based on your previous statements, it appears some one is controlling the creatures. So, it'd be optimal for us to attempt to find the head of the zoo of creatures, and take them down. Now let's discuss detonators. " Jamison concluded, shoving the sleepy scientist.

"It's impossible for a guy to get any rest with y'all rambling on like this." Kenta commented as he opened his eyes then yawned. "With the provided samples of the drug and an effective test subject of the gravely injured but saved ape, we were able to develop somewhat of a counter to the drug. While the long-term effect in addiction and death has yet to be countered, the quirk enhancing effect is no longer viable if you give them this." the crazed scientist put a bottle of an dark gas. "One single whiff should do the trick." he finished, before sitting back down and sealing his eyes.

Jamison would then piggy back off Kenta's statement. "Since this is a newly discovered solution, we don't have a lot of these. So let's not have this be our ace...Now, if no one has any questions. I believe it's time to discuss strategy."

"...I'm sorry... that outburst was uncalled for.... we should focus on the mission." The young and passionate Pro Hero muttered as recompense for his earlier actions. "I'll make sure it won't happen again," Paragon said, as he took a deep breath and composed himself. "So what will our strategy be then?" Paragon asked, eager for a response.

"Don't apologize kiddo, she's the one who shouldn't be speaking about things that she's got no idea of." Tigerheart reassured Paragon. Tigerheart already didn't much care for the idea of "Gray Heroes" in the first place, but the fact that someone like Ryuhime would have the audacity to call him of all people "unheroic" was extremely offensive to Tigerheart. Tigerheart had seen everything the twins had done first hand, yet she ridiculously decided to call his conclusions irrational "biased assumptions" as if she was some authority on the matter. Tigerheart was seething inside, but he managed to keep it to himself for the sake of discussing the mission. "The task at hand here is more important than some pompous idiot..." Tigerheart thought silently to himself.

"...And I hate righteous heroes like you who think they reality is that simple to figured," Otohime began almost as if was reading his thoughts. "Don't look down on me just because you lack the will to do whatever is necessary to save a life. To toss morals out of the window just to save one person or to prevent anything bad from happening to a person in the first place. Open your eyes, reality is not simple. Good and evil isn't separate; they are blended together. Morality doesn't exist and is nothing more than a human concept; everything in reality is gray and it is your own subjective opinion that makes it one or the other. This is why what is defined as good and what is bad changes so much with the times," Otohime said anger rising in her voice. "By your definition of heroic saying that, ' I wouldn't have left them in the condition they're in now.' is not heroic at all. That is the thinking of us Gray Heroes that you look down on so much. Tell me, what is heroic about beating a person senseless if we are going to use your definition of a hero," she ranted. After ranting, Otohime felt a kind hand resting on her back. "Alright fine, let's talk about this stupid strategy then. Since you hate my methods then you don't need my help with this part even though while you can question my methods you can't question my results," Otohime concluded. She placed her elbow on the table and propped her head up with her hand and letting her thoughts wander and only using the bare minimum of brain power required to pay attention.

Hoori let out a small sigh and removed his hand from Otohime's back and waited for the first person to begin talking about the strategy.

Issac grew tired of the unnecessary bickering amongst his fellow heroes. While he could not say that the response from the heroes of his agency was unexpected, he wasn't expecting heroes as professional as those summoned by the government to potentially provoke other heroes in the facility about something as relatively trivial as ideologies. "No-one's withdrawing from contributing to the strategy. If you do, then you might as well just have missed the entire point of this summon. We don't need ideological conflicts influencing your contributions to this strategy. If you hold information or knowledge that could be beneficial to developing a strategy, I implore you to speak." Issac paused for a moment to let his words sink in.

"Now.in terms of strategy, we know the main location. If I had more information, I'd work on a site plan. Knowledge of the landscape is almost always beneficial to creating a strategy Jamison. Additionally, I have a hypothesis. Something about both Nobu's words and Ichiro's description of Jiro's coercion, something consistent, also seems to set off in my mind that we may be dealing with a Quirk with rather persuasive effects, though the possibility exists I may be wrong. I don't believe it's raw intimidation. Isabella's gas forced Nobu to tell the truth from the description of her interrogation, and Ichiro was connected subtly to a series of lie detectors. From both their descriptions, simply intimidation doesn't seem to cut it."  Issac paused for a second, to seemingly gather his thoughts and let others form their opinions before continuing. Having put together some information, Issac would put forward a point that would probably be good for the sake of strategy as it allowed the heroes the chance to confirm the Quirk of one of the top officials. "We do know that there's a Quirk user who controls animals via collars, so a manipulation-based Quirk definitely exists in the organization, but we don't know whether this is one Quirk, perhaps Detonator-enhanced, or if these are two seperate individuals for sure. Without considering the concept of Detonators, I would say there are two seperate manipulation-based Quirk users within the Cartel, and one of them is a member of the Four Horsemen."

Isabella was disappointed in Otohime. Not in her views as a Grey Hero, as she had no idea what the grey hero had gone through, but rather her attitude afterwards. To conflict put the mission in jeopardy due to a conflict of beliefs, it was no wonder she wasn't very high ranked, teamwork is essential is this business. "I understand having a voice, I encourage it. But don't act like a child when someone doesn't agree." Isabella thought, with a discouraged look on her face. But as she was about to open her mouth, Issac captured her words and regurgitated them. Almost everything just was about to speak to the group, about the three of them arguing, the information about Izu Oshima, even the detail about the collars. A hint of jealously leaked was broadcasted from her composure. But then she smirked. "It's going to be a pleasure working with you." She began, never working with anyone of similar rank before.

"As The Guardian so eloquently put, the landscape is very import, even with the little information we have. Since they completely bought the island, I think we can assume the entire islet is the base, which means we have a lot of ground to cover. We also can't miss out on the re-occuring variable. If I'm not mistaken, in almost every event where Omoikane was involved, in some way or form, led us underground. I don't believe this is mere coincidence." Isabella flipped her hair, as she made her deduction. Similar to Issac, she paused to allow the others to absorb her ideas and develop their own. "As for battle tactics, I'm kind of a novice but, since we're lacking in numbers, I think it'd be optimal if some of us launched a large scale attack on the island while the others discretely enter their main base, upon discovery of course, and try to launch a surprise within."

"Glad to see some people are right on target." Ibara grinned, looking from Issac to Isabella. Ibara was probably the oldest one in the room and probably had the most overall experience under his belt. He appreciated their hustle and sense of professionalism. "Now I don't know about you but I don't think these people are stupid. We're not going to sneak into their island but we can definitely minimize our fights." He spoke, holding up a white canister that looked much like a grenade. "Everyone needs sleep so I say we go in and hit them hard with sleeping gas, pump it through the damn vents if we can. The smart ones are gonna stop it and be all fine and dandy but they won't have masks sitting on their laps. There will be confusion and chaos within their ranks as we storm in with masks already on. Not to mention their beasts probably can't wear any." The man went on, his experience definitely showed, he was the man who wiped Italy clean of crime.

"Hmm would it be possible to collect and weaponize La Mariposa's various attacks for use like that?" Dragon King wondered aloud. He, like Ibara was much more concerned about taking the cartel down effectively than the ideologies of it.

"An excellent point Ryuujin." Ibara nodded continuing from where Dragon King had been. "Mariposa if you have any gases we can weaponize in advance then let's do that. Specifically ones that would only require a gas mask to block, as we don't want to hurt ourselves." He went on, now standing. "Not only that but everyone take a second mask too, keep it hidden and only bring it out to help another or if your own mask gets broken." Ibara grinned, placing both hands on the table. "Now here's where it gets real good alright. Issac if you can must up a bunch of hard light heroes that would work wonders. Anyone else with quirks that can make them think there's more of us, use em. The more of us there are in the initial attack, the more forces they send, the more we sent to the land of dreams. Now I'm well aware that my plan hinges on the successful use of sleeping gas so I suggest we create a B and C or two more plans we can run simultaneously. Preparedness is always wise when going into enemy territory. That reminds me, any and all maps plans and records of Oshima that we can gather should be studied by all of us. Knowing the territory is half the battle." With that The Inquisitor paused, opening the floor to other heroes.

The Redbone Hero continued to analyze those who sat with him. Their constant discussion and arguments gave him insight on how the assault may unfold. "The Guardian, The Inquisitor, and La Mariposa, the leaders." he deduced with each of them attempting to take charge and provide strong strategies. "Our wild cards, Toyotama-hime and Igneous." While both are said to have considerable strength, their tempers and personalities make them questionable. "Tigerheart, Platinum Paragon, and Dragon King, our enforcers." They'll most like have the most presence on the battlefield, taking on the enemy front lines. But there were two that Abeo did not know which group they'd fall under. "Excalibur and Spinal Tap." he thought, both remaining surprisingly quiet throughout the meeting. Was it simply their personalities, or was it some lingering issue with another hero present or possibly some other mysterious reason he was unaware of. He'd continued to watch the two more in depth as the meeting progresses.

"While I do agree with the gas assault, I believe starting off with such an attack puts such a valuable asset to waste." Abeo began, offering some input of his own. "Let's assume their base is always on high alert, a gaseous attack is not unlikely in this day and age, and I don't doubt they'd have an effective way to clear it before it does significant damage to their forces." The Dark Magician was quite adamant on this fact. "So I think we should start with something like this: we launch a certain of our heroes to simply attract the attention of the opponent, draw as many of the underlings as possible. Make it appear as if it is only them. And once they've successfully achieved this, we second our second and third platoons, incognito." he paused, leaving his idea on a cliff hanger, hoping someone would catch on and build on his idea.

Excalibur nodded. "I have a plan similar to that," the swordsman began, placing his arms onto the table. "We split into groups, as you've all suggested. Knowing the Omoikane, they're expecting an attack, but they don't know the scale. I propose that La Mariposa and Guardian go for the frontal attack. Two heroes of their level is sure to cause for a larger amount of troops to intercept them. If that's not the case, they'll send their powerhouses to deal with them. That leaves the rest of us. I propose two more squads if you will, Inquisitor alongside Igneous, Spinal Tap, and Tigerheart. That means Dragon King can take Platinum Paragon,Toyotama-hime, and Hoori. Those two squads could stealthily infiltrate the eastern and western divisions of Oshima respectively. This leaves Dark Magician and myself. The two of us could infiltrate the southern division of this Oshima base. By having the two most well known heroes redirect the heat, the rest of us would be able to capture any workers and try to end the production of the drugs. Covertly that is."

As the plans were being discussed Otohime closed her eyes in an act of deep concentration as that brilliant mind of hers began to race and put together what facts she did have to put herself in her enemy's shoes and come up with a plan. After a while, Otohime opened her eyes and at last began to speak. "Keep in mind we are attacking a base blind and are completely outnumbered; it won't be simple as how you are phrasing it. The only thing we know is the landscape and odds are they have probably placed their base on high ground and high ground will give them an elevated vantage point, which would make infiltration extremely difficult not to mention the trek up will tire those who can't fly, which makes a simple frontal assault very difficult. Secondly, this is a base we are attacking not a hideout. This is a place meant to keep people out not keep them hidden so I believe it is more appropriate to imagine it as a fortress instead of a simple building and in the past large armies have fallen when attacking fortresses even with the element of surprise. If the base does look like a fortress they would be idiots to run out to intercept us. Why would they; when they can stay in the comfort of their base and attack us from safety as we try to find a way in," Otohime said. She paused a little bit to catch her breath and let what she has just said sink in. "In short, this plan is built on way too many assumptions. We are assuming the location of the base, what the base looks like, and how well fortified it is, which in turn means we are assuming what actions set of actions are more likely for them to take. Instead, I propose we somehow find a way to near the top of Mount Mihara and set up camp there. Once there those of us that can fly should fly over to the base, obtain mastery of the air to make it hard for them to take to the air just in case they have the means to, and launch an aerial assault. This way we can give those of us that can't fly a chance to rest and apply pressure at the same time. Every so often the 'air squad' should return to camp in an attempt fool them into thinking we have to land for some reason. With a hard time getting to the air we can essentially attack in relative safety. If all goes well eventually they will think about bringing the fight to us because they will eventually think that although fighting an enemy on higher ground is bad trying to endure one aerial assault after another with no easy way to counterattack is even worse. When they do reach this decision they will have to climb up to meet the bulk of the group who should who should be well rested unlike their forces who are tired from the aerial assault. Climbing up to meet us will only make them more tired and thus easier to handle. I admit this plan is also running on assumptions, but at least there are fewer assumptions we have to make. Setting up camp at the top accounts for the location of the base and the aerial assault accounts for the base itself and how well it is fortified. The only assumption we have to adapt to is how well they are prepared for an aerial assault, which is easy enough to do. If it turns out we are just over planning than this plan will be easier to carry. If nothing else at least take from my idea the fact that we should plan for the worst possible scenario in such a way that also takes care of the other scenarios we may encounter and that over planning will only mean that we have an easier time with this assault," Otohime concluded.

Excalibur was quick to counter. "The plan you propose wouldn't end up as effective as any of the other plans proposed today, Toyotama-hime. With the plan I proposed, it's easier to take a large aircraft there, and we can quickly disperse into the proposed squads. Omoikane's a covert cartel, it's not likely they have a complete fortress for their base, that'd give off their location pretty quickly. Most likely something that stands out, but doesn't completely. Setting up a base near Mount Mihara and sending air support there is not only likely to draw attention, but also make them suspicious. Why would airborne heroes try and stop them alone? Land support would be needed, and they'd have more time to prepare; Omoikane would realize that. Those of us that can't fly would be at a disadvantage, having to physically trek to our destination would weaken our physical reserves. Having the higher ground doesn't always provide us with the advantage, Gray Hero. In a way, the plan proposed by myself seems the most likely to fool them. An attack from two of the highest ranked heroes is what they expect, and more forces would be drawn there while our other squads sneak in. All plans have assumptions within them, no plan is perfect. That's why its up to us heroes to try and limit those assumptions to the best of our capabilities and use our instinct and judgement as a way to overcome any remaining limitations. In the end, your plan has as many, if not more assumptions than the other plans. I believe my plan, or the other plans proposed would be the best course of action." the hero concluded.

"Not likely, but still a possibility," Otohime began. "I get what you are saying, but it is because those who can't fly will be tired is part of the reason why aerial assault might be a good plan. It will give others a chance to rest. If we attack in random intervals we can stress them out, which will make them more likely to fall for the trap. In addition, if they are ill equipped for an aerial assault they will need to come to us eventually," she said. Otohime did have a reason why the airborne heroes would be a threat, which involved her and the fact that she could use her Dragon Form move at any moment thanks to the ace up her sleeve. However, she didn't say that in fear of sounding over confident. "Lastly, let's say we went with your plan. What would you do if they had higher ground. You say the trek up would weaken our reserves, but wouldn't a fight on an elevated slope be no better for our ground troops," Otohime asked.

"The point of my little spiel was that by sending the ariel support first, it would raise suspicion amongst Omoikane. They're smart enough to realize that after air support come the ground troops." Excalibur began. "If they had the higher ground, we could scale it. It would weaken our physical reserves less than trekking and then scaling. By drawing out their troops with a frontal attack with La Mariposa and The Guardian, the other teams can get in without a higher risk of running into powerhouses of the Omoikane. Mariposa and Guardian would draw out at least two of the horsemen. That leaves the rest of us to destroy the base from the inside. I don't think your plan is the best for this situation, Gray Hero."

"If their base is such that they are forced too. This is why I feel say the same for your plan that you do mine. From my point of view there are way too many unknown variables for it to feel like a solid plan. Their numbers may be so large that the two heroes will be overwhelmed by themselves," she said. Otohime was about to add more to her argument, but stopped herself. She knew that this debate would likely go nowhere since she and the other hero are working under completely different assumptions. Instead of arguing further Otohime resigned by saying, "In an attempt to keep the base in mind we should at least have every one do what La Mariposa and The Guardian are doing, but from different sides and in groups of two. That way we are thinning their ranks, which makes it easier for us all to overwhelm them and get inside and at the same time lower the risk for La Mariposa and The Guardian."

"Sounds like you're all having a tough time with the unknown." A voice Echoed through the room. as one of the monitors lit up. It revealed a man in a completely black metal suit, much like the one La Mariposa had encountered, sitting in a chair. "I'm Fate Weaver from the S.U.I.T Organization. I believe one of our operatives helped one of you out before but we're back. Now I understand that since we don't work under the government we're technically classified as vigilantes. And I know that puts a real wrench in my next line. But I'm here to offer you the schematics to the island you're all going for. As well as some very recent pictures of the place. It's got all the armaments and such so at least you'd know what you're dealing with." Chen finished leaving the room to discuss.

"Before anyone else could speak, Dragon King stood. "Hold on a second everyone, on the chance that this man is telling the truth."

"I am." Chen interjected.

"IF he is. Taking this information from him would could cost us our hero licenses." Shigai continued. "We aren't allowed to collaborate with vigilantes, especially in something like this."

"Calm down kid." Ibara chimed in. After sitting through the nonsense those other two children had been spitting about he wouldn't have another hissy fit. "I know S.U.I.T. and while they may be vigilantes they are reliable, they were a great help when I wasn't licensed. I understand the risk though. I think the real question here is what do we do with this? Take the risk or not?" Ibara finished.

"Take the risk" Igneous added to the conversation. "If it increases our chance of success then it is well worth the risks. This War on Drugs has to end, and if this will help us do it then I say we let them help us, vigilantes or not. We need to do what must be done, even if it goes against some of our rules and regulations." Igneous asserted to his fellow Pro Heroes.

"No, we can't take that risk!" Platinum Paragon announced with disapproval in his voice. "This isn't what Pro Heroes do, we don't risk our liscenses by working with vigilantes. The plan that Excalibur came up with is the best one, let's just stick with that. We can do this on our own without having to take unnecessary risks." Paragon continued, hoping that others would agree with his sentiment.

Abeo watched as the heroes bickered about receiving the information from an *illegal informant*. "Now we see truly what they believe in. The traditional hero or the new age hero. Both have their ups and downs. Neither is the wrong answer." he pondered, waiting to see how the others would respond to the dilema presented to them, especially "the leaders".

"No it's not. You are willing to put your stupid license over the needs of the mission? If you are a true hero you should be willing to do what is right regardless of your legal position. I say we take the so called 'risk.'," Otohime said.

"I think we've argued enough by now, let's discuss this calmly." Tigerheart interjected, placing his hand on Paragon's shoulder. "With that being said, I think I'd have to agree with her this time." Tigerheart continued, glancing over to Otohime. "My grandfather always said that being a Hero is about your actions, not just some license. Just look at the Magno Bros that we dealt with before, they had Hero licenses, but they sure as hell weren't heroes." Tigerheart removed his hand from Paragon's shoulder, and turned to look at the rest of the group. "I wouldn't go trusting just any old vigilante, but if the Inquisitor says they're trustworthy, then I'm gonna believe him. If we can stop this whole thing, then the risk is worth it."

"Can't believe I'm agreeing, but we should take the risk." Excalibur began. "What's more important? Our licences or the lives of innocent people? The risk provides rewards, and I believe we should take it."

Issac's views were quite well established due to quite a few interviews he had during his career, however, for the sake of this discussion, he would state it again. The concept of heroism is something that should be global, and not limited or restricted to professional heroes. Paragon was the youngest hero in the room, so he could understand his statement coming from a position of inexperience. "Pro Heroes are fundamentally individuals who make it their mission protect civilians from harm. By refusing this information, there's a chance we're just indirectly assisting the Cartel in causing this harm. Vigilantes and heroes have collaborated on multiple occassions in the past, even if looked down upon, and I don't think the risk of our licenses being taken away should stop us from doing the right thing. If I was not mistaken however, didn't Jamison say he also had information about the landscape?" Issac asked, as he raised his eyebrow slightly in curiosity, hoping to be able to put together the information that both parties obtained.

"In any case, Fate Weaver here himself is taking a risk showing up in a government facility filled with professional heroes, being a vigilante and all, and he's made an offer that could dramatically improve our chances of putting this drug war to an end. To refuse the risk, especially when it could enhance our own strategies, is to miss the point of being a Pro Hero." Issac ran his hand through his hair a bit to subtly mimic his colleague, who appeared to be new to operating with those of a high rank, before continuing. "Their actions of *heroism* are illegal, but their ability to gather information is no more illegal than civilian informants or personal contributions to the media as they too lack licenses and could be seen to be taking the gathering of information on such activities into their own hands. Many heroes already rely on those sources, as do the police."

La Mariposa found herself surprised by all the confusion and fuss. She gazed at Jamison and Kenta then gazed back at the group of heroes. "Am I the only one who sees this?" she questioned, before elaborating on her discovery. "So our issue is that we're placing our hero licenses at risk due to taking info and collaborating with Vigilantes. But what if we didn't get our information from the vigilantes." she paused to see if anyone had realized where she was going with this. "The British Government has sent us a detective, who's sole purpose is to gather information on the Cartel. Not a hero, Detective Jamison Stevenson is not bound by the same limitations as us. As long as he's willing to vouch for his sources, he's doing his job." Isabella looked around stilling viewing some confusion on some of their faces. "In layman terms, Jamison receives the information from those of SUIT, and he provides the information to us." she concluded.

What she didn't feel required to mention was that she actually trusted those of S.U.I.T. Aiding her in taking down Nobu, she felt they should have a role in this.

Jamison snickered, "Quite the smart young lady." he noted, before addressing the group. "Isa-...Butterfly here is correct. There isn't a need to worry about losing your licenses. I'll claim the information from these guys and provide them to you." He began, continuing after a deep breath. "It seems most of you trust that the info they provide will be legitimate, and so I'll just do us the honors and take the blueprint." Insinuating that the man on the screen send him the information the he possesses so that he could validate it and relay to the group. "Thank you for the help and we'll make sure we put this information to good use.

"Glad to see you all come to an agreement." Fate Weaver spoke as Jamison's phone dinged. "The information has been sent to both your phone and computer." He paused. "Oh by the way if you require one or two of our operatives as backup we'd be happy to oblige. It sounds like this drug bust is quite the big deal for you all." Fate Weaver continued, peering through the screen at them all.

"Wouldn't be my choice." Jamison responded. Before gazing at his phone. He quickly read through the blueprints, then nodded. "Quite interesting." he mummbled, before sending them to The Guardian so the other could visually see the data through his projections. "Now, Guardian, why don't you pull it up for us, so we finish this planning phase and end this war!"

"Hm. Alright let's see what we've got here." Pulling up the information sent over to him by Jamison, Issac would skim over the details gathered by SUIT, before beginning to put together the general picture in his mind. Upon fully constructing it, Issac placed his hand out into the air as an image of the building materialized above it, hovering and illustrating every detail of the building.  Several spherical shaped rooms, connected to each other as well as a large similarly shaped room, as well as a long pathway made up the immediately visible structure of the building. However, upon further analysis, and as Issac would explain, the projection was much more complex. Pointing at the first sphere closest to him, Issac began to describe what it was the heroes were seeing. "This here is the entrance, that I'll refer to as Room A, appears to be able to hold roughly 1000 people and is intricately leveled. It's probably the first defense against any intruders. From what I get here, there are devices and platforms worthy of being footnoted that the Cartel can use. This room connects only to a single room, with a pathway of about a mile, that I'll refer to as Room B." Issac would let his hand move forward,  across to the second, large room as he spoke, keeping the projection in position.

"Room B is the largest room, and is confirmed to be where the drugs are mass produced. As a result, it's the most heavily guarded. Within room B there is a smaller room where the entire room can be seen and monitored." Moving his hand further downwards, before moving diagonally and to the right, Issac let his hand settle. "This room is room C, where all the animals are kept and trained and monitored. It's both a zoo, and a training room combined, apparently  designed so every animal masters combat in their optimal and other environments. Due to whatever technology they may be using to alter the environments, this may be the hardest room to fight in, and if my hypothesis on the horseman's Quirk was correct, it's probably where we'll find one of these horsemen. The distance between Room B and Room C, is also one mile." Moving over to the left, Issac'd let his hand stay positioned in a room between Room C and a room still yet to be described, with the room where his hand was being directly connected to Room B. "Room D, is where the remaining four horsemen stay and where they meet the Don. Little information about this room is avaliable except that it is essentially the middle ground between surrounding rooms C, B, and E, with a path between Room B to Room D of one mile and Room C to Room D of one mile." *Almost* finally, Issac would point to the last remaining sphere. "Finally, Room E here, houses all the information on the Cartel's drug trade up to this point, including every stage of their routes, as well as important locations. This room is *especially* crucial to our mission, almost as crucial as taking out the Don and the Horsemen." However, Issac was almost done, and not completely finished. Pointing to Room D again, Issac drew his finger across the projection, outlining a long path extending to seemingly nowhere from the room. "This is a five mile path leading to the Don's headquarters that we have no intel on. And finally," Issac would lead on checking to ensure he had covered everything, "the Cartel loves their mazes. There's an underground area that is practically a maze and an escape route. Take some time to take this all in."

Akio listened deeply to what was basically Isaac's presentation to the whole room. "Alright, so if everything goes well and we do infiltrate this base. Who goes to which room? Personally, I'd like to go to Room C, that sounds the most interesting to me." Akio stated with what appeared to be a fiery look in his eyes.

Paragon looked back at Tigerheart as he grabbed his shoulder, and after hearing the responses of the rest of the Pro Heroes he had now learned more about what it truly means to be a hero. "...You're right. Taking a risk with our liscenses in exchange for ending this war is well worth it. But since we already have a plan to get around that, we don't have to worry about that anymore. Now as for Isaac's rundown of the place, I'll go to any room that I am assigned to." Paragon spoke with confidence in his voice.

Isabella was amazed by the visual Issac was able to produce. "What a guy..." she thought, before reverting her train of thought to the topic at hand. The presentation was well put and well described, but really one piece of information stood out in her eyes. "A maze and escape route...." she mummbled, not speaking to her anyone in particular but rather thinking out loud to develop her thoughts. "Is there anyway we could access this maze without entering this building." she questioned. "Not sure if the this is the best route, but if we manage to break into the complex through their escape route, not only can we close their escape route, but probably have the highest success of making it into the complex undetected." It was only a hypothesis, but it was one that could work. "The escape route is probably the least monitored and the least guarded as they don't want any invader get it any thought." These were just preliminary thoughts after hearing Issac's presentation, waiting for others to respond, she contemplated alternative routes.

"Glad we came to an agreement." Ibara spoke with a grin as he nodded to Fate Weaver. "Now let's see what we got here." He leaned in, observing the map. "Seems like a couple high powered explosives could get us through any walls, and I'm probably capable of tunneling down to that maze and blasting a way in. Not to mention I can probably plant a few others too. Personally I think I'll go from there to the Horseman. You're welcome to join me if you want Mariposa." Ibara went on, further studying the map.

"I'd personally like to help a main assault force. If you'd like to join me Guardian I think we could make quite the formidable bunker busting team." Dragon King spoke. "I'm certain that our combined abilities could probably work to take down their initial defenses."

"My Quirk isn't all that useful for utility, but I'm pretty good at breaking stuff and fighting people. If you're gonna head for the Horsemen then I'd like to tag along too, if you wouldn't mind that is, Inquisitor." Tigerheart spoke up after pondering Issac's explanation. "I wanna see what those fake heroes were so scared of for myself." The Tiger-masked Hero added, crossing his arms once he finished.

Whether it be out of exhaustion out of the fact that she has had to argue after everything she has said thus far or simply having nothing to say Otohime let out a quiet sigh and returned to her thoughts and began using only the least amount of brain power required to pay attention. This time at least she decided to keep her thoughts on the mission at hand instead of allowing them to wander so that she can continue to participate albeit not actively. "So am I, I can help if you want me to," Hoori said.

Abeo and Jamison both gazed at each other and nodded, insinuating that the meeting had gone long past its expiration. Jamison would then stand up and begin his large announcement. "After hearing you guys bicker and discuss, I think its about time we put an end to words and begin with action. So here is what I suggest. Based on all the input each of you have given us, I think our attack should commence as follows..." But just as he was about to elaborate on his final draft of the plan, three steady knocks where met by the door. "Perfect timing..." he snickered, as if he were expecting someone to come all along. "Come in!" Jamison exclaimed, instructing the person to enter the conference room.

"Pardon my tardiness." a lovely voice echoed, as she opened the door. "It is quite the trip from the Land to here.." Dame Olivia commented, walking into the room with her armor completely on except for her helmet. "Per request of the Queen, I am at your service..." she announced, joining the alliance of heroes who would take on the menacing cartel. She briefly nodded towards her old friend, before taking her place directly behind the seat of Jamison, standing tall and firm.

"Welcome Dame.." Jamison noted. "Now without further ado, my plan." Jamison swallowed the spit in his mouth before speaking. "While I do agree, the escape route maze is the best entrance available to us, we shouldn't bet all our marbles. Thus, I believe we should have at least one team commence at frontal assault. And who is this team I speak of. None other than the duo of swordsmen we have currently present." Referring to Kurono and Olivia. "Not only do these two have the offensive capabilities to withstand and endure an army, but their teamwork and natural affinity for one another will allow them to at least capture the attention of the higher ups." Jamison was quite certain about this part of the plan. He had seen the two fight before and was positive the two had the highest success rate of any other group within the room. Plus there were some people he needed exclude from this frontal attack.

"The remainder of the team will enter through the maze." he paused, before continuing. "Utilizing The Guardian's and The Dark Magician's quirks, you'll attempt to break into the base undetected. Once you make it into the main building, which would lead you to room..B! Then you'll divide and conquer. Abeo has a list of possible groups that he believes would work well together based on abilities and personalities but I think forcing you guys into team would make things troublesome. So, let's make that an in-game time decision. Something you heroes should be able to determine with as pros." He wasn't as confident about this phase of the plan, but it was the best scenario. Attempting to sort them into groups before the mission would make more sense, but it was inevitable to place someone in the position they do not desire. A mindset of noncooperation would be on the latter's mind and essentially ruin the mission. So chance was unfortunately the best option.

"From Room B, you'll divide into five groups. Group One will make their way to Room A to attack the army from behind and assist Excalibur and Heavenly Knight. Group Two will remain in the Room B and wreck havoc in attempt to end mass production. Group Three will head to Room C where they'll subdue the remain creatures and possibly take out a Horseman. Group Four will head to the equivalent to their conference room where they'll meet the remaining horsemen in Room D. And finally group five will infiltrate and secure all the information stored within Room E." He took a deep breath. "If all goes according to plan the groups will slowly merge until they'd all meet up in Room D where after defeating the horsemen you face the Don together."

Abeo waited to see how the heroes would respond to such a plan. It was well crafted, some areas that could be tweaked but based on the circumstances, could possibly be the best plan available to them.

"Fellas." Ibara spoke aloud, his voice echoing through the room. "This sounds excellent." A gleeful grim was plastered across his face. "I'm hoping to hit room D if you'd like to come along Tigerheart, Abeo." Ibara cracked his knuckles. "Also thinking further about this I believe Mariposa should hit room C. Her quirk seems excellent for taking down a bunch of beasts at once." He added, grinning as he began mentally preparing his weapon list.

"Very well I believe that I would be best suited for room A, if anything I'd like to join the frontal assault. I'm quite useful with my spear." Dragon King spoke, looking to Kuro and Dame.

"This all sounds excellent." Fate Weaver spoke from the screen. "I'll send two of my operatives. Beelzebub and Hyperdrive. Beelzebub will hit Room B with all his might and Hyperdrive will make a dash for E. If Hyperdrive can plug me into their system I can turn the entire island against them."Fate Weaver laughed.

"Sounds like a plan to me Inquisitor, Group 4 it is!" Tigerheart exclaimed, smiling behind his mask. Tigerheart's previous reluctance to work with other heroes after his last mission seemed to have all but faded away at this point as their plan came together. As serious as the situation was, Tigerheart couldn't help but get excited from the challenge ahead of him. He may have acted as a senior to Platinum Paragon before, but Tigerheart was still a young hero himself, and he was eager to prove himself in a mission as crucial as this one.

"In that case, I'll join Group 3!" Igneous shouted with confidence and vigor in his voice. "If there's a chance a Horseman will be there then I must go. I want to make the bastard pay for what they've done to those animals!" Igneous exclaimed with a fiery look of determination in his eyes.

"My abilities are best used in large open spaces without any confines, so I think it's best if I go with Group 1 to attack the army from behind if you don't mind." Paragon said with calmness in his voice. "I could really let loose that way and I wont have to worry about any collateral damage." The young hero stated while feeling optimistic about the well-thought out plan.

Kurono nodded. "It'd be best if Heavenly Knight and myself took on the army. Yet, I'd like to request Platinum Paragon to join us. Arial support would be beneficial, and this way he's watched over by myself and the Dame." he began, turning to close friend Olivia. "Do these terms suit you?" he asked, using a slightly teasing tone.

The fact that the group of heroes had managed to reach a consensus, brought a smile to Isabella's face. "I'll go where ever I'm needed, but room C does sound ideal for my skill set." she noted, attempting to indicate her interest in helping the creatures who were simply pawns in this and shouldn't be harmed. "Let's get the job done!"

Spinal Tap, seeing everyone else around him excited to finally have a solid plan of action, was spurred to speak up for the first time since he'd arrived at the meeting, having been reluctant to do so previously from being overwhelmed by the large amount of heroes present. "I don't really need to be in a specific group...I can just help whichever one needs it," he stated, starting to trail off in volume after losing his confidence partway through his sentence, due to worrying about fumbling his words, but managing to regain his conviction upon recalling the feeling that helped him speak up to begin with. Proud of himself to managing to overcome his fear, Spinal Tap stayed attentive towards the rest of the group, contrary to his usual strategy of retreating after making any sort of verbal contact, waiting for confirmation from the heroes around him with just the tiniest of smiles on his face, concealed beneath his mask.

As Otohime stayed lost in her thoughts, Hoori took a glance at his partner's expression almost as if he was studying it for a brief moment before turning back to the other heroes. "The same goes for us; we don't need to be in a specific group," Hoori said. The moment Hoori spoke Otohime's tail began flick from side to side like it usually did when Otohime didn't like something or was feeling annoyed, which prompted Hoori to add to his sentence by saying in a slightly nervous tone of voice, "The first four groups will probably be best for us due to the nature of our Quirks." Otohime's tail relaxed at that comment signalling that she was content, at least for now.

"I'm fine with the plan and I can work with the unorthodox entrance. Hopefully our initial phase goes as planned. ..Before we go selecting rooms, Abeo.. Jamison said you had a list of potential groups? I think we should atleast hear them out." Issac said, as if pondering something. Quite a portion of the time the heroes could have spent completely fleshing out the plan was wasted, as he had witnessed quite a few egoistic clashes occurring over relatively trivial matters, and the hero wondered if all of this mess during the preparatory stages somewhat served as a foreboding of how the heroes would actually work when trying to escape. It was something that he thought about especially more so due to the magnitude of the situation. Despite coming to an accord, it was a tad bit unsettling that the heroes appeared to agree with nothing except on how to be "seperated", especially since perhaps the most important phase required them all being together. However, Issac vocalized none of this, and left naught but his tone to allow others to understand his point of concern. "I understand that some of you might want to place yourself in certain positions but I think the preferrable thing to do is to listen to the plan Abeo had, and then adjust them as necessary. And speaking of persons and groups," Issac paused as he checked a notification,  "We're still yet missing one more person for our invasion, who should be here right…about…now. Any minute now.” Issac hoped he wouldn't have to wait too long on her, the conference had already made headway.

Suddenly the pitter-patter of frantic motion can be heard directly outside the the conference room, this sound's source being revealed as the hero, Chloris, bursts into the room heavy in her breathing, "S-sorry everyone, m-my alarm didn't g-go off and I-i had to prepare quickly." Her story seems obvious in it's authenticity, her hair in an uncombed mess, her uniform wrinkled and unkempt. Her breathing slowly subsides as she begins to calm herself from the heart-racing event to arrive to the facility on time. "B-but I'm here now and ready to help!", she stands upright from her breathing fit and shows a glowing sense of duty and readiness as she takes her seat.

Jamison nodded to greet the new arrival. "This is it, this is our team. I won't be present but I believe with this group, we can, we can defeat the cartel and put an end to this war!" He announced, riling up the group of heroes before the preliminary stages of the plans could begin.

## Swords Flying

After several hours of preparation and analytics, the group of heroes were ready to commence their invasion. At the crack of dawn, one of Japan's most advanced stealth aircraft drifted to the skies. Invisible to almost every form of detective technology, the aircraft managed to navigate to Izu Ōshima without a hint. Only a several minute flight, the two heroes aboard would prepare to commence their attack.

"I was chuffed to hear that you and I would be in accord during this mission. You're quite the corker." Olivia noted as she rose from the strapped seat. "With the sun rising, I think I should begin our assault. Follow me up okay!" she finished, not waiting for a response. Putting on her helmet, she knocked on the roof of the jet, alarming the pilot to open the back exit. She turned to face Kurono one last time. "See you there mate!" she spoke, as she leaned back to the opening exit. Being tacking in by the winds currents of wind, she was sent into the skies.

At first, her body descended sporadically to the island, like any other person. But quickly, she unsheathed her blade as she rotated, cutting through the powerful currents that surrounded her. "Shall we begin.." she thought to herself, as a glowing yellow light emerged from her blade. "Holy Hurricane..." she spoke, well aware no one could possibly hear her voice. In response to her battle chant, Olivia would swing her sword rapidly, summoning a barrage of light slashes towards the island with no target in mind. "First contact made..." she told those who were connected to her through the mic. "Alpha Phase is underway."

Kurono was quick to follow. He had hopped out almost instantly after Olivia had, landing on the ground below. As the Heavenly Knight unleashed her Holy Hurricane, a small smirk appeared beneath Excalibur's mask. "Offbeat, Holy Hurricane." he said, exactly imitating the attack the Knight had released. His own slashes, made of gravitational force instead flew towards the island as well, his being the more destructive of the two, simply due to the nature of his quirk. "You heard her," he said into his mic, "We made the first move, let's continue the barrage."

"Mimicry is the highest form of flattery..." Olivia thought, recalling the first time she witnessed his unusual technique.
Their attack connected with various parts of the island; some in barren areas, while others attacking Omoikane's main headquarter's directly. Descending at rapid speeds, such a fall would be fatal to most; dropping from over 100 meters in the skies. But when she land, subsequently leaving a massive crater, Olivia remained unfazed. Standing tall after the collision, she took action once again. "Onward indeed." she responded, taking on her offensive fighting stance. Her blade illuminated the general area, shining a bright yellow light. "Piercing Light!" the Heavenly Knight exclaimed, before her yellow blade extended for about a mile, clearing a path directly to the headquarters.

*A couple of hours ago...*

"Dame Olivia, a moment?" Jamison asked the knight, who was preparing for the assault. "It's to discuss your initial assault..."

Confused as to why Kurono wasn't involved, she quickly responded. "Firstly, it's Heavenly Knight as I am currently at work. Secondly, shall I go retrieve Excalibur as he is an essential part of the attack."

"That is not necessary. You can relay this information to him when you see fit." Jamison retorted, appearing to be uninterested in talking with the other heroes any further. "Keep in mind, your attack must as if your intention is to invade. You're a distraction but can't appear to be a distraction but the main assault."

Wondering why he couldn't have just said that at the initial meeting she questioned his intentions. "Is that all?"

A hint of fear conquered his eyes as he leaned in closer relay the information to her. "While I don't know who, I believe we might have a mole." Jamison whispered.

"A mole?!?" Olivia spoke intently, but quickly adjusted her tone. "A mole?!?" she repeated in a greater silence.

"Indeed, I have my suspicions, but nothing concrete. And because of that, for just a brief moment, I need you to go a-wall." the detective continued. "Nothing but instead of simply luring the enemy out, I want you to push as far in as possible. Best case, make your way into room a."

"How would that get us any closer to catching the culprit?" Olivia replied.

"Just another missing piece I need to complete the puzzle..." He spoke, walking away from the knight leaving the conversation incomplete.

"This better provide the info you desire..." Olivia angrily contemplated before rushing the path and insane speed. "Keep attacking Excalibur. I'll apply direct pressure to the headquarter and see if I can get us inside!" she spoke, intention relaying the information to everyone who could hear into the mic.

Excalibur nodded. He respected the Heavenly Knight enough that he wouldn't ask for her intentions. He brought his blade up, a grin appearing on his face. "Gravity...Slam!" the hero roared. Bringing his blade down at such a force, he released a massive wave of his Gravitational Force. Anything that came into contact with that would be destroyed. Of course, Excalibur knew Olivia would manage to avoid his incoming strike. At least, he hoped she did.

"Keep your dick in your pants, this isn't a pissing contest.." Olivia spoke into the mic, reacting to Kurono's attack. As he anticipated, Olivia was quick avoid his strike, straying from her path temporarily in order to avoid any damage. "Onward!" she announced, drawing closer and closer into the building.

Deep inside the building, four ominous figures convened in the room the heroes referred to as *Room D*. "So it seems they've found us.."

"Shall we inform the Don?" another quickly responded.

"Are you assuming he doesn't already know..." the former quickly retorted.

"Enough!" the largest spoke, with a menacing tone. "Let's just deal with these mongrels. Hell, I'll go fucking kill them myself."

"Now, now, *War*. Let's use our head's here. The report states that there are only two but I think it's fair to assume more are on the way or possibly...already here." *Conquest* spoke. "Let's act quickly. *Famine*, launch counter measure D, to hold off the two outside for the time being while the remainder of us survey every corner of this base to check if others have already infiltrated."

While distinct in personalities, these four beings all share one thing. Each of them is considered the second in command in the Cartel. War, Famine, Conquest, and Death, the Four Horsemen and the strongest members of the established Drug agency. With little hesitation
they commenced the counter attack against the heroes.

Back outside, Omoikane finally made their first attempt in a defense against the two heroes. Unlike most who would simply send out troops to combat the two heroes, Omoikane handled things different. Izu Ōshima was nothing than a location, somewhere that could easily be replaced. Suddenly the island began to shake. From the crest, the land of the island began to descend into the blue sea. A massive *bubble* surrounded the main base it as well submerged into the water.

"Cock sucker...the island is submerging, I repeat the island is submerging!" She announced, before using the kinetic energy her suit built up from the fall in order to launch directly towards the sinking base. "Kurono....we gotta split the sea..."

"I'll handle this." Another voice spoke through their comms. "I figured you guys would need some help so I broke off from team b." The voice came from none other than Dragon King himself, falling from the sky above them. He descended quickly, his lance aimed downwards towards the bubble. He fell like comet, passing the other heroes. "Dragoon Drop." He spoke as his lance crashed into the bubble. He quickly channeled his quick through his spear, forcing the vectors of the bubble at the tip of the spear to part in all directions, aiming to break the bubble.

As Dragon King's spear made contact with outer layer of the bubble, his weapon would easily slip through barrier and based on his speed, he'd slip in with it. Similar to the bubbles generate by Pop Pap's quirk, it seemed as if the bubble could not be destroyed from the exterior. Even with the aid of his quirk, the bubble would not burst and once the quirk's effect would cease, the bubble would regain it's shape.

Underneath her helmet, a face of disgust emerged on Olivia's face. "It's him..." she thought, believing he was the mole that Jamison had warned her about. It made perfect sense in her mind. There was notification of his arrival, no consult with current members, this was classic sabotage. "Change of plans Excalibur. You head into the base and I'll deal with him..." Olivia commented before rushing towards the bubble to meet the traitor.

"Whatever you say," Excalibur responded through his mic. He crouched down before suddenly launching himself forwards, using the force and momentum of his moving body to maintain the momentum. He sheathed his blade in order for faster movement. A bit longer and he'd be there. "Almost there, time to get the party started.

*"What the hell"* Dragon King thought as he plunged through the bubble with little issue and slammed straight into the base, the force alone sent cracks scattering through the ground around him. He then activated the mechanism in his lance, the earthquake matrix. His impact had made enough kinetic energy to let a real good one out. He jumped from the hole in the earth he had created and drove his lance into the wall of the base. At first nothing happened but in moments the entire building began to shake and crack. It was as if an earthquake was specifically affecting it.

Suddenly two projectiles of light were headed towards lance that was shaking the entire building. "You fucking numbskull..." Olivia shouted, dashing towards the bubble. "I won't let you ruin this mission!" In her eyes, Shigai was shaking the entire building which would damage the internal infrastructure which could inevitably trap the remainder of the team hundreds of meters below the surface. "I'll defeat you if it means my life!"

"What the heck?" Dragon King wondered aloud, removing his spear as the building behind began to fall apart. According to the blueprints, hitting this part of the building would simply destroy the above ground defenses, leaving the underground easily accessible and still structurally stable. He tilted his head as the light reached his body, as it almost hit him it veered directly to the right, slamming into the falling debris of the building. "Olivia what are you doing?" Dragon King shouted up to her. "The fortress is that way."

"You think I'd let you put this mission in jeopardy. I'll kill you!" Her vague comments would prevent Shigai from understanding her train of thought. Her blade shined bright with a yellow light. "I'll finish you with one strike..." she mumbled, before the her blade extended vastly through the light as she hoped to puncture a hole into Shigai's chest, finishing him once and for all.

"I mean I check with team B and they were all good on it." Dragon King called back. "Stop attacking me dammit." As massive blade of light once again came within range of him it shifted, as the stream of light took a sharp right and once again crashed into the debris. "Are you being attacked? Do you want me to keep firing them over that way?"

"He some how managed to shift my attack. Could that be his quirk?" she thought, paying little attention to his remarks as she was focused on eliminating his as quickly as possible. As she continued to dash towards him to close the gap between them, she summoned three projectile slashes that were directed towards the supposed hero. Noticing the rate at which they were submerging, she knew the moment they'd completely submerge she'd be at a disadvantage due to the lack of light. "I need to end this quickly..." she told herself.

"Gah." Dragon King remarked, finally jumping out of the way as the slashes crashed into the ground where he once was. "Alright that's seriously enough of this. What are you attacking me for?" He yelled as he pointed his lance at Olivia.

Now within a a couple of meters, Olivia paused a moment to hear her false ally out. "Don't play dumb with me. I know what you're doing but I don't know why. Nor will I ever understand." she took on a new stance. "I'll give you one chance to surrender..."

Dragon King eyed her cautiously. "Look I don't really understand why you're attacking me and it's kinda irritating when we're supposed to be working together. So either you've gone crazy or you think attacking me is worth it for the mission." He held his spear at the ready. "So either you're not Olivia, you think I'm not Dragon King, or the enemy has some control over you. So why don't you tell me what exactly you think is going on with me and we can work this out so Kuro doesn't have to deal with the brunt of the force on his own huh."

Olivia appeared distraught. She could hear the sincerity in his voice and so she halted her attack. "First answer me this: why are you here and not following the plan?" She questioned, listening carefully to his response as what he said would determine the outcome of their conversation.

"Ahh finally some talking." Dragon King spoke happily. "I decided that though I was not assigned to this post, that I would be of much more use here. I explained it to the others and Ibara was supposed to relay the message to you guys but apparently he forgot. Team B knows I'm here though and as you've seen I'm just trying to take this place down like you guys are." He continued. "Now can you please tell me why you were attacking me, I doubt being out of position warranted that assault."

Olivia lowered her guard, "Did I get it wrong...is he not the traitor.." but after a moment of thought, the Heavenly Knight reached a different conclusion. "No it couldn't be, not Jamison. There's no way." Conflicted, Olivia was at a lost of words. She knew she needed to relay the information to Dragon King but was unable, for some reason. "J-ja.." she stuttered, attempting to say his name. "Jamison.." she paused dramatically. "Jamison is the mole.."

Dragon King tilted his head, "Wait mole?" He asked as he then began to connect all the pieces of the puzzle . "Jamison huh, that's surprising. Are you sure?" He asked, surprised at her statement. "So if this is true, does that mean everyone in this base already knows of our arrival?" He pondered. "Is that why there were so ready to go underwater?"

The honest truth was Olivia was not positive. Almost certain that Dragon King was the traitor, only to be incorrect, she did not trust her deduction skill any longer. There was a brief silence before she responded, “That would be a fair guess.” She nodded.

"We better tell the others then. They need to at least be on guard for this." Dragon King replied, clearly worried now. "We better break through this barrier in double-time."

While alarming the others was probably the right decision, Olivia was hesitant.”Maybe we shouldn’t just yet...” Her uncertainty didn’t only stem from her previous deductions but also the possibility of ruining the entire plan. “They’ll most certainly act rash upon hearing the info. This possibly false information.” Olivia stated, not realizing she was contradicting herself. “Maybe we should wait until we know for sure...”

"We might as well let them know that there's a mole right." Dragon King spoke, before pausing. "Wait how did you know there was a mole anyways?" He was curious to hear just who had provided this information.

"Jamison Stevenson..." she finally responded, attempting to maneuver around his name throughout the entire conversation. "He was the one who told me, away from the group, prior to us leaving." she relayed to Dragon King. "Despite my previous statements, I'm not one hundred percent certain he is the mole." she stated, attempting to display her own doubt.

"Interesting." Dragon King spoke. "It seems to me that we're at quite an odd place here cause that conversation was between only two of you. Did it happen after everyone else left the meeting room?"

"Indeed!" she responded, prior to realizing how odd that sounded. "He pulled me aside after the meeting. I assumed he only told me as I was the only one he could trust, as we knew each other prior to this mission."

"Huh well that means that either he's the mole or that you're lying and you are." Dragon King concluded. "I think I have a way to solve this though. I'm pretty certain that Fate Weaver was still tapped into that room, he probably has a recording of your conversation. Either that or he can break into Jamison's email."

"That seems like a viable strategy. Place contact this...Fate Weaver as soon as you can so we can resolve this dilemma and proceed with the mission." Olivia spoke, before planting her sword into the ground and falling to her knee. "And Dragon King, and I sincerely apologize for my harsh comments and attacking you. I beg for your forgiveness and hope you will pardon my mistake."

"It's quite alright Olivia, I know you've been worried since the incident. But fret not, I'd never fall that far. I've found some form of peace since then." Though his face could not be seen, a certain warmth came from Dragon King. "It's not like I ever truly stopped being a Heroic Knight, in spirit at least."

The ruins of the abandoned mall stood behind him as Shigai stared blankly at the two bodybags before him. In one lay his beloved, Houka, the one he treasured so dearly. The one he could not save. In the next lay Black Sun, the criminal that had killed her. The criminal that had called him to this decrepit place with her kidnapping. The criminal that had killed her when he surrendered to save her. The criminal that he could not stop. Worst of all though it was the first criminal he had killed. His first kill had been a moment of pure rage and anger. While most understood it, while most didn't blame him, he blamed himself. Osamu had left him to be alone, the only other thing he wanted to do now was talk to his superior. The woman whose right hand he served as, Olivia.

Just recently being briefed, Olivia was still processing the information she’d been given. She attempted to place herself in his shoes prior to speaking with him but could not full comprehend his actions. Indeed, slaying an enemy is not against the chivalric code but both Olivia and Shigai knew this was not a fight to uphold the innocent and justice. His response was out of sheer anger, something acceptable and reasonable from most heroes, but not a heroic knight. Nevertheless, despite her dwelling conflict as a leader, she approached him as a friend. “Keep your head high.” She paused, struggling to find the right words.

"I need to stop this Olivia." His voice was hollow and his eyes empty. "I can't just go on as a knight after that." His mind was racing but he knew he couldn't keep this up. Part of it had to do with the possibility of bad publicity for the heroic knights. However more of it came from his own thoughts on the situation. If he couldn't keep his composure, why did he deserve to be there?

As much as she didn’t want to agree with his statement and as much as she wanted that to not be true, Olivia could not bring herself to say it. “You think so....” was the best she could do. The fact she was struggling with coming up with responses became quite apparent from her body language.

"I know so Olivia. I'm not worthy of acting as a knight, as your right hand after this." He sighed, looking to the bodybag containing Houka. "I couldn't even save her, the one person I swore to protect the most."

Ready to agree with him, a daunting thought suddenly emerged in her mind. Something she has attempted to bury away for years, something she wanted so badly to go away; the betrayal of her husband. And with the emergence of such a negative memory came the words she’s been searching for. “Vows, promises, laws. We try to follow these as much as we can. But at the end of the day we’re only human.” Memory of how she could forgive her husband due to his inability to keep his marriage vows led to tears rolling down her face. “I...don’t want you to go...” she panted sporadically. Her emotions were really beginning to show.

"I don't want to go either." The man spoke sadly as he put a hand on her should. "But I killed that man in cold blood," He paused, "And I liked it, I was happy to see him dead. I think I would have killed him even if I didn't lose control." He sighed. "Even now I'm glad I did it, I regret it but I'm glad it happened. What he did to Houka, I can't ever forgive that." He raked his hand through his minty green hair. It was hard to do but it was for the best. "You'll have to find another right hand Olivia, a purer one. This hand is corrupted now, it just needs to rest."

"You fucking knob. You speak as if I could simply replace my hand." tears continued to fall down her face, she was balling. "How am I suppose to wield my sword without my hand. It provides the strength I need to pierce through the darkness. I couldn't imagine fighting with another." The figurative language made it easier for her to express her self. "If my hand his corrupt than that means I am too!" she shouted. In her mind, she didn't truly believe this but, human emotions they're a funny thing. They often make you say thing you don't too or maybe...it's what you truly mean and know.

Shigai ginned a little, happy that Olivia was expressing herself. "If your hand is a threat you'd cut it off, that is what you must do if the situation calls for it. That is the person you must be as captain of the heroic knights. This is not a situation where you need to, your hand simply needs to rest probably for a very long time. You have two hands for a reason you know. If one hand can no longer hold the sword, let your other take it up." He looked down at her and pulled her into a hug, holding her to his chest. "You'll be fine I promise, I know for a fact that you're ambidextrous."

Olivia could not help but giggle. The fact that he could make her laugh despite such a tough situation showed how close the two were. "Shut up...." she said playfully, clearing her face. "Are you sure this is the best route. There's gotta be another way." she attempted to save her hand one last time.

"I'm positive Olivia." He stated glumly. "I'm going to just rest for a little, find my bearings again and then I'm going to start teaching full time. Maybe I'll even see a psychologist, Ibara probably owes me a favor for something." He let go of her and turned back to the bodybags. "Houka would have wanted me to keep inspiring those young heroes, I can't stop now."

"You're always welcome a spot to return, ya know." she smirked, blushing a little bit. She loved Shigai like a brother. "I must get going now, I suppose."

"Thank you." Shigai replied as he turned away, walking towards the ambulance that was to take the bodies away.

Just then a voice came from a small drone that had snuck up on the two. "I overheard your little argument, it seems as though Olivia was told that there was a traitor in the midst by Jamison, I suppose he truly was the mole." Fate Weaver spoke through the drone.

"How very unfortunate. I truly believed he could not be aligned with them but seems my deduction skills are as bad as ever." Olivia commented before tweaking her mic to communicate to the channel where the second group discussed. "Code Red, I repeat, code red. Our plan may have been leaked to the enemy. Proceed as you may with this in mind! Dragon King, Excalibur and I will continue to press onward and make it as far as possible inside!" she announced into her mic, alarming the other heroes of group two.

"This'll be just like old times eh Olivia." Dragon King laughed, spinning his lance with gusto. "You'll find your right hand is finally at peace." He roared as he turned towards the ruined base. "Let us begin."

"Indeed!" Olivia snickered, before rushing towards the main entrance of the facility. With the main entrance in sight, Olivia surveyed the area to see if her initial partner, Kurono was present. "Excalibur, what's your status." she commented. Not willing to wait for a response she carried on with her assault. Dashing towards the gate, she firmly gripped her blade with two hands. "Crossing Light!" she scram, with her quirk illuminating and empowering her blade into order to slice through the massive door in a holy cross fashion.

As the door broke down, the heroine would be greeted by a massive weapon which had just finished gather the required energy to launch it's attack. "Fire!" several of the men inside chanted, in response to the door collapsing. Activating the massive weapon, a blast of raw energy was shot directly toward the Heavenly Knight. More than twenty meters in radius and less than ten meters away, dodging would not be a viable option. "Die hero!" the appeared commander of the operation chanted. At that moment, the lights with the building would cease and the only source of light would be the blast heading towards her.

As Olivia sliced through the door, Dragon King followed. He dashed in beside her only to be met with the massive blast of energy heading towards them. He swung his spear against the ground and dove forwards, his left hand intercepting the beam. Just as before, it did not hit him but stopped before firing back, clashing with itself as the beam of energy slowly made its way back to its origin, crashing into whatever fired it. "Now show em the light, Olivia." He spoke, grinning beneath his helmet.

An explosion followed the beams collision with it's maker. The heroes' foes were knocked around as a result. "What the hell was that?" one spoke, gravely injured from due to the knockback. "It's as if that dude redirected the attack completely." another commented. As the flames ceased and black smoke surrounded the general area, the room reverted by to it's dark state.

"Indeed, lets!" Olivia spoke, channeling her quirk into her blade once more. As the base move lower and lower below sea level, the sun's presence would slowly diminish, effectively weakening the Heavenly Knight's power source. But, fortunately, Olivia was able to acquire some power from the same attack that the former Dragoon Hero. Despite it's deadly nature, it ended up benefiting the heroes instead of harming them. A bright yellow glow surrounded Oathkeeper. "Scatter! Holy Shards!" Olivia chanted, followed by a horizontal slash of her blade which summoned numerous shard of light which not only attack the opponents but also successfully lit up the room to show them the path. "Onward!"

Dragon King grinned as Olivia truly did show them the light, sweeping them away with her quirk. He dashed through right besides her, clanging his lance along various objects as he went. As they dashed forwards he knocked opponents aside with his lance. Suddenly an opponent burst from the floor, his sword aimed at Dragon King. However Dragon King swiftly moved to the side and tapped the man with the tip of his lance, sending him barreling into a wall.

Glad see the two of them working together once more, a grin emerged beneath her helmet. "But let's not count your chickens before the eggs have hatched." she thought, noticing a flock of agents heading their way.

Similar to the men who were fighting their allies below, no communication or discussion between them. Several of them scattered throughout general area in order to remove the light shards that have been implanted, it seemed the absence of light was critical. The remainder of the group headed towards the duo, but halted the moment they were in close enough proximity, which is approximately ten meters away. From the latter distance, one of the men stood forward and activated his emitter quirk, a sound based one. A loud screech emerged as he opened his mouth, the sound could leave the average man deaf. But despite their closeness to such a paralyzing tone the other men seemed unfazed, and hoping to catch the two heroes paralyzed, they dash forward with the intent to kill.

Shigai quickly moved next to Olivia and placed his hand on her shoulder, holding his lance at the ready. "Do not worry about their attack, I will be your shield." He grinned as the sound waves attempted to touch them, but to no avail. "Now light them up."

Olivia was glad to have her old partner at her side, while weary of the current status of his designated partner in this mission, there was something about the Dragoon Knight's presence that calmed her. With the fortress being underwater and with only the light within it being her own, her quirk would be rendered ineffective at this moment. But fortunately, she is not praised as one of the world's greatest swordsmen due to her outstanding quirk usage. With the deafening sound having no effect on her body, the Heavenly Knight to a unique stance. "Oathkeeper, lend me you strength..." she whispered, though any trace of her voice would be cancelled out. Despite this, at that moment, the knight disappeared from the place in which she stood and emerged behind the crowd of villains. "And that's the show..." she spoke, as the sound ceased and blood splattered from each of the villains body's revealing a deep wound in each of their physiques.

"Let's move on!" Olivia spoke, attempting to get into contact with Excalibur again as she waited for her Shigai's response.

Dragon King nodded, "Indeed, we'll show them the way." He spoke aloud twirling his lance against the ground with great force.

## Invasion

Under a hundred of meters below the surface, another Japanese developed machine lurked underwater undetected. A rather large submarine progressed slowly through the depth of sea, holding what appeared to be the remainder of the heroes who planned on invading Omoikane's territory. Only about a mile a way, the remaining hero began their last minute discussion and words of encouragement.

Sitting within one of the multiple decks of the voluminous submarine's pressure hull, Issac stretched slightly, observing each one of the heroes within the hull cautiously so as to completely familiarize himself with the appearances of each of the heroes on the ship and get a mental image of their dispositions. The vessel, despite appearing quite large on the outside, appeared to be even larger on the inside, meaning that there was quite a spacious area for the heroes to stay in. Noticing a slight silence that seemingly crept up on their compartment along with a feeling of tension, Issac decided to break the ice. "Won't be much longer until we arrive. So, does everyone on the ship completely understand the plan?", he inquired, looking for even the slightest expression of doubt. While at this point the heroes should all be able to answer with a resounding yes, this would be the last time before the plan was fully employed that it could be discussed. Additionally, it served as a last minute boost to morale if before the mission everyone was able to agree with the plan.

"Yeah, it wasn't that hard to understand anyway." Igneous spoke as he calmly sat in a chair with his legs crossed. His mind constantly wandering as he couldn't help but think about how badly he wanted to make the Horsemen and the Don pay for what they have done. "The sooner we get there the better, I'm definitely ready to execute the plan." He said, as he clenced his fist in excitement and anger: As he was eager for battle.

"I think we all got it." Paragon exclaimed as he stretched in his chair. "Though... to be honest... I'm a bit nervous. This is the most important mission I've ever been on in my entire career as a hero." Paragon stated with a bit of nervousness in his voice. "It's why I'm going to give it everything I've got, 110% and everything else." Paragon said with a newfound sense of confidence in his voice. "We're finally gonna put an end to this war and save lives by doing this."

Spinal Tap turned towards Issac in his chair, giving him a thumbs up to show that he understood the plan. Due to his recent training with mastering the art of the thumbs up, he had been more eager to throw them out in response to others, as it was the best way of properly demonstrating that he was paying attention to the plans being discussed around him without having to start any sort of verbal confrontation. This personal accomplishment, combined with the excitement from such a large group of heroes coming up with a plan that everybody could agree on, made Spinal Tap feel oddly confident about his current situation, with him mostly lacking the usual awkwardness that came with him doing basically anything involving groupwork.

"Oh I'm quite aware of the plan." Ibara hummed, tossing a sleeping gas grenade back and forth in his hands. "Did anyone bother to relay that Dragon King was joining the battle on the surface to Olivia and Kuro." He spoke, "Cause I sure as hell didn't do it." He'd give em a call once they got off the submarine, for now though he could only wait.

"That's the spirit Paragon! You'll get used to those nerves in time, everyone gets 'em at first," Tigerheart reassured his younger teammate, patting him on the shoulder. "That being said though... This is a pretty huge deal, even I'm feeling the nerves a little this time. 120% effort it is then, yeah?" Tigerheart concluded, before he began to stretch in preparation for the fast approaching battle.

Chloris sits straight in her chair, "This is something I'm really happy to be apart of. Being able to make a difference on a scale like this has always been something I've really dreamed of, I'll try my best!" Chloris says with great enthusiasm.

Leaning against a wall in the submarine's pressure hull away from the group, Otohime looked out of the window and gazed out at the ocean longingly, clearly wishing she was swimming instead of being cooped up in a submarine. Perhaps it was because of her Quirk or something else entirely, but for as far as could remember she has always felt an affinity with water especially ocean water; she can't remember a time when she didn't love being in water. Not only did it make her feel more powerful, but she also felt more calm and at ease when she was in water, which is why aquatic therapy played a large role in helping her partially heal her PTSD. "I feel like an animal in a cage; so close to freedom and yet so far," Otohime muttered to herself.

Sitting next to her, Hoori smiled a bit at Otohime's distant expression, as he could tell what she was thinking just by that expression alone, and then turned his attention to the group. "No problems here," Hoori said on Otohime's behalf.

Abeo had nothing to say. He remained silent and lost in his own thought as the heroes ventured to the secure base. While he was reserved with his thoughts, he was concerned about the outcome of this mission. There are so many unknown variable, so many different things could happen.

La Mariposa was the last to respond and intentionally so. Like Paragon, this was her most challenging mission to date as hero, rising through the rank by popularity on less conventional methods. Now was the time she needed to show the world what she is capable of. "Mission? Aren't we just gonna bomb the place?" she said jokingly, before giving a more sincere answer. "Really if we don't have it down by now will we ever have it?" she questioned, playfully messing with the group. She then sealed her eyes, and focused on the emotion of anticipation to eventually become the number one hero. At that moment, a purple gas was released from her body and began to spread around the room. This gas would have have an adrenaline effect on the other heroes, removing their nervousness and energizing them for the upcoming fight. "Let's do this!"

Just as her voice echoed throughout the submarine, they had reached their destination. "Prepare to board the base..." the pilot spoke into the speaker, as the aquatic transporter latched onto one of the tubes of the secret passage. "Put an end to this war, okay?" said the co-pilot, before piercing a secure hole into the base. Once pierced, a special compartment opened up offering an entrance to the heroes.

*While it's designed as a secret escape for the villains, the exit was both complex and intricate. There were various different paths, some leading to dead ends others leading to dangerous zones. Fortunately the heroes were granted a map to navigate through the tunnels and make their way to Room B.*

Jumping up to his feet as if to answer the co-pilot with action, Issac immediately began the process of making physical contact with the heroes in the accommodation modules. As what appeared to be light began to shimmer around their frame, Issac would seemingly refract the light around their bodies via his Quirk, as he did once before in this war. Having cloaked his allies before proceeding to drape himself within one of his patented "cloaks of invisibility", the Guardian began to move out quietly,  exiting the special compartment provided to them by the submarine. "Let's get this started shall we?", the hero whispered for the others to begin moving after him according to the first phase of the plan and the map provided to them. Though a tad bit on edge due to his recent experience teaming up with heroes, the Guardian was determined to not let anything get in the way of completing the mission.

Otohime was the first to rise to her feet after the Guardian. Unbeknownst to all due to how she was invisible, Otohime's veins began to be illuminated by a faint green glow as she poured draconic energy into her bloodstream to improve her blood flow and thus granting her the supposed superior blood flow of a dragon just in case something unexpected should happen. Otohime then moved out of the submarine shortly after the guardian and then began to use her enhanced sense of smell to try to navigate her way through the complex labyrinth by trying to locate the scent of her enemies.

Shortly after Otohime left, Hoori rose to his feet and removed his Shock Gloves that was hanging down from his waist to put them on his hands. He quietly moved out of the submarine and followed his partner by using his inferior sense of smell to focus on her scent. Hoori kept his guard up as he snuck through the labyrinth and used his sense of sight, smell, and hearing to try to stay as aware as possible of his immediate surroundings since Otohime was too preoccupied with navigation.

Igneous stood up and proceeded to follow his fellow heroes out fo the submarine and into the base. He was already fully equipped with his usual Pro Hero attire, and he couldn't be more excited to officially be beginning the mission. His blood was boiling, and he was ready to crack some skulls and spill some villainous blood. "I can't wait to get my hands on them!" Igneous stated as he gritted his teeth and cracked a sinister smile.

Platinum Paragon put his signature helmet on and connected it to the rest of his Pro Hero suit. Next, he gracefully gloated out of the submarine and hovered slightly above ground next to his fellow heroes. This was it, the mission they had all been waiting for. A mission that would finally put an end to the War on Drugs and usher in a new more peaceful age for Japan. Paragon was excited yet nervous at the same time, as well as a bit anxious, but he managed to keep himself relatively calm. "Alright, let's do this!" Paragon stated boldly while clenching his fists in anticipation.

Not having any sort of extra equipment to get ready before departing, Spinal Tap simply followed the others from behind after rising from his chair, mentally readying himself for the mission ahead as he exited the submarine and joined his fellow heroes in navigating through the labyrinth of the base.

"Let's get this done more like," Tigerheart stated enthusiastically, in reference to the Guardian's words as he followed his fellow heroes out of the submarine. The young Tiger-masked Hero's excitement was finally overtaking his nervousness as he finished mentally preparing himself for what would likely be the most difficult battle of his heroic career thus far.

Ibara fastened his gas mask onto his face, shoving the last of his extra equipment into a couple bandoliers under his cossack. "Thanks for the camo, now it's time to bring down the house." He laughed as he exited the submarine and stepped into the base. "Hope you're all ready for this."

Turning the corner, one of the many guards that lurked these secret tunnels conveniently arrived only several dozens of meters away. "Damn, I can't believe I'm stuck down here, securing these hallways when there's a war going on right above me." the guard sighed. While unknown to him, the invasion's true task force were not even a hundred meters away. Then suddenly his nostrils began to flare. *Sniff Sniff*, the guard took in all the aromas that came from the room. "What the fuck is that..." he thought, unaware that he was picking up the smell of all the heroes who had just entered.

La Mariposa, who was at the front of the pact with some of the others, raised her fist, a military signal she had picked up from the web which instructed the others to freeze. She hoped each of the obliged. While each of the heroes was masked visually from the Omoikane as a result of his quirk, Isabella quickly realized, others methods of detection including sound, smell, and touch were still viable. "This would prove to be problematic. Should we just abandon the stealth tactic and begin the full on assault? Or should we find away to maintain this state?" the heroine pondered over the situation. She hoped the others were also considering these possibilities as she was going to need to act in a matter of moments.

Abeo, who stood in the back of the pact, did not freeze as everyone else did. Rather, Abeo passed everyone and made his way towards the guard.

"Who's there...!" the guard announced, raising his gun and pointing it in various locations sporadically as he heard footstep and a light whistle heading his way. Just as he was about to sound the alarm, the sounds ceased. "What the fuck..."

Abeo then turned to his team of heroes. "You're free to whisper now..." the Dark Magician told the others, still weary of other guards lurking the area. Abeo would then proceed to gently touch the guard ever so slightly.

In response, chill ran down his back. "I guess I'm just anxious. My nerves are acting up..." He commented before carrying on, strolling through the halls.

"My quirk can keep our stealth mission going as long as I know who the target is..." Abeo whispered. "I believe it's best I remain at the front of the group at this point." he concluded, waiting on, if any, responses or objections from the other heroes.

"Excellent work there boy." Ibara grinned as he moved through the hallway. "If need be I think we can simply gas em too, probably wanna find the main ventilation for that though." He continued as his wrist lit up. He checked the interface of his watch and quickly read the incoming message before relaying it. "The guys from S.U.I.T. say they'll arrive very shortly. They said if we want to clear an area for their craft to land so they can get in without making much noise, to let them know. Otherwise they'll just come in."

Making a single nod to himself as Abeo took care of business, the Guardian continued to proceed, having initially been at the front of the group and now one man behind due to agreeing with his fellow hero. "Based on how you used your quirk, I'll have to say that you remaining at the front of the group is best, we'll need you to take care of anymore guards with particularly enhanced senses, got a feeling we'll encounter a few more." he whispered, responding to Abeo. "Also, out of the two options, I think we're probably better off making the way for their entry, S.U.I.T that is. Those guys coming in this soon in the plan might just alert the base to levels probably beyond my preferred treshold, especially considering we're not out of this route yet. Bringing them quietly lets us divide and conquer as necessary without unnecessary complications.",  he said, having continued to whisper after a small pause so as to communicate his opinion on Ibara's message while having never stopped going forward according to the layout. Having memorized the map and mentally added it to his previous mental layout of the base, the Guardian was a bit more confident in the direction the group was moving in than he would be otherwise.

*But just as the group was about to continue with mission a voice yelled into their mics. "Code Red, I repeat, code red. Our plan may have been leaked to the enemy. Proceed as you may with this in mind! Dragon King, Excalibur and I will continue to press onward and make it as far as possible inside!" A message from the Heavenly Knight from group one above. Without going to detail, the knight had alarmed the rest of the group of the dilemma in front of them.*

Upon hearing the news, Abeo's eyes opened dramatically. "This is a problem.." he thought to himself, gazing back at the rest of the group to view their responses. In a time of confusion and hurry, it was time to see if he assessment of those within the group were correct.

Igneous' eyes widened as he heard the news. "What the hell? So now what do we do?!" He shouted in shock. Igneous stared at the rest of the group, awaiting an answer that would decide their next course of action.

"We have to alter the plan now don't we?" Paragon stated with a worrisome tone. "We just need to think calmly and rationally about all of this." Paragon stated as he calmed himself down a bit. "Guardian, what do you think we should do next?"

Chloris reacts, "I guess we just need to proceed with this in mind, we can't stop now just because we were found it."

La Mariposa eagerly spoke up. "Remodeling our plan would definitely be ideal, but time is not our ally at the moment." she noted, before realizing somethings. "If they're aware of our scheme, then why haven't launched an attack on us yet. Could it be because they wanna protect their method of exit? Or possibly, are they launching a full on assault when we arrive at our destination?" she thought aloud. Something wasn't adding up. She allowed the others to respond as she continued to ponder over the situation.

With the shocking news now befalling them, the group of heroes had proceeded cautiously through the maze, using Abeo to methodically knock out the guards as they went. They had soon locked down an area and were preparing to split up, thought tensions were still high.

"I put in a call, Jamison is going to have some explaining to do when we get back." Ibara groaned, leading against a nearby wall. "I swear this feels like some lackluster plot twist in a tv show. Now what will our heroes do?" He scoffed dramatically. "Now it's time to split up and thin our numbers for some big encounters." He shrugged as he stuck what looked like a metal sticker to the wall behind him. However as he did the adjacent wall began to vibrate as a large chunk of metal was cut out of it and fell to the ground within the center of their room. From the newly created hole stepped a suit made of some sort of black metal.

"Wassup bitches? I'm the devil." A voice chuckled from within the suit as it pointed finger guns at the other heroes. "So we invading this place or what?"

"Weren't there supposed to be two of you?" Ibara spoke quizzically. Just then his watch beeped.

"Change of plans, Inquisitor. This is Beelzebub, one of our finest. I figured you could use the firepower." Fate Weaver laughed. "Feisty one isn't he."

"Yeah." Ibara replied before looking to the rest of the heroes. "So this is it then, the beginning of our assault. Jamison's information on us was limited to what we gave him and what he could probably find. However all of our plans were formed while he was around so take no chances. Our element of surprise has all but been lost, save for whatever Beelzebub and Fate Weaver do. If we want to change our groups, now is the time. If not, I wish all of you the best in this assault." Ibara finished, folding his arms across his chest.

Issac cracked his fingers for a bit slightly, having been unresponsive due to having been in thought. The plan had to be leaked by someone among tthe group during the conception stage. Based on his previous experiences with the Cartel at this point, his mind began to run to all sorts of conclusions, conclusion he himself hoped were not true. However, with the very little information he had, any conclusions he could have actually come to would be naught but speculation. Psychologically, lording the fact that their plan had been discovered would definitely, to some extent destabilize and even if ever so slightly reduce the overall morale of the group, regardless of their individual responses. So instead, Issac decided to present to the group what he thought he did know before they made an inadequately informed decision.

"Launching the attack on us immediately'd just sell out the fact that we'd been completely compromised, and wouldn't do them much good, unnecessary expenditure of resources to deal with our concentrated firepower in a sudden "ambush" is the last thing they would need. The much smarter thing to do, and what they appear to plan to do, is to stress out our logistics, something they can easily do with our plan known. The name of the primary military tactic the Cartel may be implementing is one known as defense in depth. In a sense, this particular strategy is attempting to turn the fact that we plan to split up and conquer on it's ears by preventing outflanking. The fact we're practically already out of the maze along with that they already know our strategy appears to be evidence enough." he said, attempting to respond to everyone who had directed anything towards him or said anything he deemed of immediate interest. If one were a keen enough listener, one would notice that the hero specifically emphasized on the term "primary", believing that whatever plan the enemy had was multifaceted. Perhaps most notably, what Issac's statement was really saying was that he took strategy and war games *far* too seriously, or perhaps, seriously enough, continuing on to say: "What this means, is that the enemy "general" is not just intelligent, but competent. We can continue, but I think we should bear that in mind."

"Changing the groups now would just complicate things, I think, no use wasting time on it. I'm still as ready to go as I ever was, whether they know we're coming or not, no reason to panic about this," Tigerheart added. "Let's just get this show on the road before anything else happens."

"We still have the element of surprise on our side. Although they know the plan, they don't know when the ambush will occur. We should take our time in attacking and let their anticipation grow to increase the likelihood of a mistake when we do attack," Otohime began. "Another option is sending in quick bursts of a couple of people in random intervals. This will slowly weaken their defenses and use their anticipation against them. My point is we still have the element of surprise on our side, time, and I think we should use it," Otohime said.

"...I'm fine with whatever plan we go with..." said Spinal Tap, his newfound-confidence he held previously having quickly faded upon being faced with yet another group discussion about their means of attack. He still spoke up because he felt that he should contribute to the discussion in some way, but after realizing that not only was this becoming his default response to talks of planning, but also that it didn't actually contribute in any meaningful way, he resumed his silence, worrying that the other heroes would start to think that he had no value in terms of strategic knowledge.

## Battle Royal

"Let the games begin...." *Conquest* spoke, sitting in the control center in Room B. Pulling the lever down, lights throughout the entire facility ceased. Rather than ambushing the heroes while they lurked through the secret passage, the cartel prepared significantly. Each worker retrieved their night vision goggles; a tool they were granted upon being recruited to the facility. Putting them on, they were still able to function and complete each of their designated tasks. With darkness as their ally, Conquest's voiced echoed, throughout the facility. "Initiating counter measure x!" At that moment, dozens of men surrounded the entrance of the door in which the heroes were headed to. Among the men, two stood ahead of the rest. "Open the gate..." they spoke in unison. Per their request, the door opened.

Utilizing his quirk, one of the two men summoned gigantic wave of water that began to flood the room. Simultaneously, his teammate got her knees and utilized her quirk to summon a surge of electricity that would act as a streaming current through the water. Not too far away, the electrified water would soon reach the heroes, who could not see the attack heading towards them.

"Shit!" Was the first word that came out of now fired up Igneous' mouth in response to the sudden darkness. "I got this." Igneous explained as he activated his quirk Molten Core and began to glow a bright shade of red intensely. This would allow for Igneous and the rest of the heroes to see the incoming water. "Paragon! You get one half and I take the other!" Igneous shouted as he leaped at the incoming water and raised his body's temperature to such an extent that the water would evaporate before even touching his body. He would then start pressing forward towards the door, evaporating any of the incoming water and lighting up the whole hallway.

"Gotcha!" Paragon responded, as he activated his quirk Lightshow and used his super move Strobe Light in order to push back as much of the water as possible. Strobe Light took the form of a large wave of glowing blue energy, that was nothing more than pure force that collided with the water in order to keep it away. "Looks like they're on the attack already!" Paragon exclaimed as he continued to push back the water, follow Igneous, and light up the hallway with his flashy quirk.

Ibara laughed as his gas mask booted up automatically. He'd been prepared unlike his last encounter with someone who decided to take out his vision. His thermal vision showed him exactly what he needed to see. However as the other heroes lit the way he briefly turned it off. "Alright time to show them what we're made of." Ibara laughed as he drew his blades, vines blooming from his back as he gripped onto the ceiling, using the blades held by his vines to move. He quickly dashed to the other side before causing a storm of vines to erupt downwards at their foes.

Occupied with their offensive tactics, the two goons in the front paid little attention to the hero before them, and that would prove to be their downfall. Focusing all their talent in mere offense left their body completely open, allowing The Inquisitor's vines to pierce their bodies respectively. The water and electricity ceased, blood gushed from their mouths, effectively signing their contracts with death. However those behind the two in front would not meet the same fate.

This time, three courageous men stepped forward, each of them wielding a different type of blade. Using their skills as swordsmen, the sliced through the vines with force and precision. Without even the slightest hint of communication, the three blasted off-wards in sync, displaying an incredible feat of speed. One separated from the group, leaping upwards to deal with the plant hero. "Ascending Sword Dance." his blade, while retaining its sharpness and piercing capabilities, began to sway side to side like a snake. Moving at significant speed and with its continuously shifting direction, dodging could be a challenge.

The two others rushed towards Igneous, who was leading the remaining pack of heroes. "Winter's Sneeze." the two swordsmen spoke, utilizing their respective quirks along with their skills as swordsmen to summon a mini tornado which swirled the frost of winter along it. Such well executed united attacks could only be executed by a team that had been working together for years. It's as if their minds were connected.

"You're adorable, ya know that." Ibara laughed as more vines bloomed from his body, all of them gripping blades that he tossed to them. "I'll show you a real dance, Calamity: Livello Cinque." He roared as the vines swirled around him creating a perimeter of absolute death. They moved at such a speed and intensity that anything that were to pass through the perimeter would be cut to ribbons. However as he fell towards the man Ibara's own two hands still stood at the ready brandishing another pair of bayonets.

"I got this Igneous! You just press onward!" Paragon shouted as he used his super move Strobe Light once more, and fired a powerful wave of blue energy through the tornado: aiming to disperse it on impact and create an opening for the other heroes. "Let's see you counter that!"

"Thanks kid!" Igneous hollered as he used his super move Boiling Point, focusing all of his power and heat into his legs, before springboarding off of the ground and onto the ceiling. Next, he would kick off of the ceiling and fly straight down at the two enemies who created the tornado. "Dew Point!" Igneous yelled as he raised his body temperature even higher to the point that he began to sweat, causing his sweat to evaporate and turn into deadly steam that emanated from his body, as he dashed past the two enemies: causing them to be burnt by the steam surrounding Igneous.

"It won't be that easy." the two swordsmen spoke once more in unison. The moment their tornado ceased to exist, they began to take a defensive stance. The one who could manipulate frost stepped forward and began to freeze the air around them, effectively creating a dome. Aware that the heroes heat would eventually melt the barrier that protected, it would only serve as temporary protection to allow his partner to prepare. With his blade in his scabbard, the frost swordsmen's partner took on a unique stance. "Slice the heavens." he whispered, before quickly withdrawing, slicing, and returning his blade to it initial location, effectively utilizing the Iaido sword style. Utilizing the such a fearsome style with his quirk, he summoned a powerful wind blade projectile which would have enough force to slice through Igneous but also head towards the remaining heroes.

Their ally on the other hand would meet a less fortunate fate. Overwhelmed by the Inquisitor's vines, his dome of death did lead to eventual death. Blood began to leak from the dome which hid the true slaughter that had just occurred.

"Paragon!" Igneous hollered as he stared at the incoming compressed blade of air that threatened to slice through him. As he did this, he used Boiling Point, his super move to focus all of his current power into his **Thunder Piercer:** causing it to spin with extreme speed, ferocity, and emit steam.

"I got it!" Paragon responded as he quickly flew in front of the wind blade and used Strobe Light to fire a widespread beam of concussive force at the incoming blade in order to cancel it out. "Lets see you counter this!"

With violence and disarray engulfing the passage the heroes and villains combated in, an unfortunate turn of events were about to take place. Within the control center of Room B, Conquest was greeted by one of the his underlings. "It's time..." the horsemen spoke, placing his hand along the head of his underlings. "Let the main part of counter measure x begin!"

Inside the passage way the heroes d'welled within, an enemy they did not see or expect suddenly emerged among the heroes little huddle. Appearing almost instantaneously, his movements were both swift and quick. The villain reached out and quickly latched onto the heroes in which he appeared in front of the highest ranked hero among them, The Guardian. "Your mine!" the infiltrator exclaimed, before he and Issac suddenly vanished without a trace. The two swordsmen ahead were both smile simultaneously as a result.

At the the entrance of Room B where the crowd of villains lied, two more stepped forward prepared to commence the next phase of the plan. The whole passage began to shake. Suddenly, a wall of metal emerged where the door once was. Then another and another, and the process continued in quick succession. At that moment, the trembling became even more aggressive, cracks and failure within the structure as a result. In due time, the water that surrounded the island secret chamber would manage to enter the passage and drown and or crush the heroes.

The two swordsmen seemed to care little about their awaiting fate, rather they focused on the task at hand; eliminating the heroes. With no one following up Igneous and Paragon's counters, the two lackies were solely left to deal with Igneous steam. Once again, without any form communication, the two displayed a rare sense of compatibility with one another, taking on two distinct roles. The villain with the freezing related quirk focused on defense, creating enough frost to fend against Igneous's steam, creating a warm mist that would mask their presence almost. On the other hand, the wind swordsmen focused on releasing a barrage of wind projectile slashes sporadically; hoping to possibly hit one of the heroes and quicken the process of the demolition of the area.

In response, Otohime took a moment to look at the cracks. If she was by herself she wouldn't care. In fact, she would speed up the process so she could absorb the water, but unfortunately she wasn't alone. Otohime slammed her hands against the ground and flowed draconic energy into the structure around her. Sigils began to appear on the walls, ceiling, and floor around her as the draconic energy reinforced the structure to make it harder to crack. However, she didn't stop there. Knowing, how close the structure was to cracking Otohime continued to flow a small amount of draconic energy into the structure to further reinforce it in order to keep up with how weakened the structure already is.

Concerned with the Guardian's well being and weary of the fate of their plan, Isabella could not help but feel rather joyous at the fact the only higher ranked hero among them had disappeared. His absence would effectively make her the leader of this small conglomerate of heroes. With this in mind, she needed to cement her role as captain of this team. While combat was probably not her specialty, that did not mean she couldn't handle herself in battle. "I got this!" La Mariposa spoke into the mic, before dashing forward into the mist. Prior to distancing herself from the majority of the group, she tapped Abeo along the shoulder, hoping he'd understand she'd need his help in this act.

La Mariposa navigated through the mist with relative ease. Utilizing the fluctuations of the mist to detect where the swordsmen's assault were originating, Isa was able to elegantly dodge the attacks while tracking the two swordsmen. While making her way to her destination, Isabella began to generate negative emotions, anger. A red aroma began to emerge from her body. "Paragon, Igneous, Inquisitor, strive forward. I'll handle these two while you guys create an opening for us to get out here." La Mariposa spoke. A single breath of this aroma would lead to an unfortunate death by a powerful toxin. With the help of Abeo, she hoped he'd use his quirk to alter the gas' outlook to match the mist's color, not allowing the villain to see their defeat coming. "Everyone else, put on your masks!" she instructed.

With the Guardian's untimely disappearance, Abeo expected Isabella to respond as she did, her Alpha Female personality was probably one of the easiest to read. But the Dark Magician was initially unsure what she wanted from until it happened. Unlike the villains, the two were not able to communicate through mind or thought. Then it hit him. Two revelations. Upon seeing the red gas, he knew exactly what Isabella wanted from him. But more importantly he'd come up with a highly like theory as to how the villains were communicating and the possible reveal of one of the horsemen's quirks. "But first to deal with the issue at hand." Having been seen by the two swordsmen, Abeo altered the perception of sight and masked the red aroma in the mist. He quickly followed by placing his mask on and began to move forward toward the closing doors.

Consequently, the villain inhaled the toxic gas without the slightest clue as to what they were breathing. Within a matter of moments, the freezing sensation and sporadic sword projectiles halted and the two met an expected demise.

Igneous landed abruptly with finesse as the two villains were defeated by La Mariposa's toxins. Next, he put on his mask so that he would not fall victim to it himself. "Now that they're out of the way, let's get out of this passageway before it caves in on us!" Igneous shouted as he raced towards metal walls in front of them and began melting a hole through them using his Quirk.

Paragon's suit already had a helmet and built-in mask that protected him from Mariposa's toxic gas. Realizing this, he flew forward into the mist without hesitation and projected a slicing beam of pure consussive force in order to slice the metal walls open. This way, he and the rest of the heroes would be able to press onward and get out of the dangerous passageway.

Soon small vines and branches started piercing through the floor of the corridor, suddenly the vines pierce into the metal. They begin to tear away at it until a passage large enough opens up for multiple people to be able to pass through, leaving the heroes with a passage to safety. Chloris had led her powers to bring the vines to them, though leaving her somewhat tired.

As Chloris' vines pierced through the metal, the passage indeed cleared a path for the remaining heroes. However, at the of that path was another one of the cartel's underlings. With a smirk on his face, this one was different from the others. "Sorry guys, change of plans. Don's orders." he spoke, though while he was indeed speaking at them, the message clearly was not for them. At that moment, a bright light emerged from the speaker's body illuminating the room with a blinding whiteness. And then after a couple of seconds, the light ceased, revealing that the none of the heroes remained. "Better not let *him*... down. Horsemen...."

### War Zone

As the heroes, Heavenly Knight and Dragon King, prepared to move on from the main entrance, stomps that felt like earthquakes headed their way. "Target's located..." an automated voice spoke. Upon getting closer, it's true size became quite apparent to the two heroes. Standing above thirteen feet, every step there appeared to be a struggle for the creature. "Accessing database..." it spoke once more, staring at the two protectors of justice. Within a matter of moments, his head fidgeted slightly. "Heroine, Olivia II. Also known..as..the..Chivalrous Heroine. Quirk-type..emitter. Fighting style, swordman. Close-mid-range." Once again there was a moment of silence before a slight fidget. "Hero...Dragon King...True identity....unknown...Quirk type..emitter. Weapon based...All ranges..." Taking another moment, it spoke once more. "Processing, adapting, adjusting. Preparations 100%" it concluded, as it's body slightly reformed.

Raising both of his hands, he directed one of them to each hero respectively. "This...is...war..." it spoke, generating a high pitched sounds wave reminiscent to that of the one earlier with the hand pointing at Olivia; though it echoed loud enough to be heard throughout the whole room. While with his other hand, each finger turned into cannons which fired homing missile each of which came at Dragon King from different angle.

"Seems like a robot." Dragon King spoke, dashing forwards with the missiles hot on his tail. He zoomed by the horseman hoping the missiles would crash into him, however if they did not he was prepared, his next two attacks at the ready. The sound that rocked the area could not touch him, even if it tried.

Unlike Shigai, whose quirk grants him an increase in speed, Olivia was stuck to suffer through the deafening pain of the piercing sound. With not enough light to generate a powerful enough attack to reach War's hand, she remained still and hoped her partner would figure something out.

Such a basic tactic would not work on the homing missiles released by War; the missiles easily maneuvered around him and continued to follow the Dragon King. Noticing that Olivia was not able to move around like her ally he quickly began to process new information. "Processing..." it thought, before opening it mouth and releasing a series of powerful air bullets directly towards the paralyzed madam.

Dragon King noticed Olivia's struggle but he was sure she could make it out of there. His goal now was to destroy the machine. He pivoted perfectly in the air, retaining his speed thanks the the marvel of a suit Tekkou had made him. He was directly behind War in an instant as he aimed to thrust his lance into the machine. He would release all the stored power in once go, A literal earthquake would vibrate through the beast, ripping it apart entirely. With this much kinetic energy stored up, man and machine would be torn to shreds, killed on the spot. The force of the blow would create a backdraft so great it would blow even the missiles away from Dragon King.

Dragon King's movement were exceptional to say the least. The versatility of the armor he wore was something straight from a manga. And yet, no sign from discouragement or fear came from War's face. As the lance was only inches away from piercing the titan, War did not even attempt to avoid the strike. "Recalculating..." it spoke, though was tuned out by the deafening sound it was emitting from his occupied hand. And so Dragon King's attack was successful. However, the result of the attack would not go as well as the hero had predicted. Indeed, the lance pierced the mighty tech driven Titan, but only the tip pierced the armor for a bout two centimeters. What had happened was unclear but almost spontaneously, the titan began to release a distinct glow.

The Heavenly Knight was not one to watch from the sidelines, nor was a damsel in distress that needed to be saved. Olivia was simply waiting for her enough energy. While it became quite apparent War was avoiding summoning any attacks that generated enough light, what he did not know was that he was fueling her in another way. The deafening sound did paralyze her for sometime but a sound is produced when a force causes an object or substance to vibrate — the energy is transferred through the substance in a wave. In the form of a wave, Kinetic energy would be following through the air. Olivia's armor began to generate a distinct glow.

Unknown to most, England has been developing a form of rare nano technology through a unique and scarce metal alloy. After years of research, the country successfully developed an alloy that could absorb kinetic energy. Some time after Dragon King's departure, the Heroic Knights' leader, Olivia was granted a new armor that contained this specialized alloy. While keeping it under wraps for the mot part, its capabilities have been seen before.

"Let's do this..." she thought, gazing upwards at the recent attacked war machine. "Shit!!" she exclaimed, noticing the reminiscent shine that the giant was expelling.

At that moment, War released "A literal earthquake" of kinetic energy in the form of a shockwave.

Utilizing her own built up Kinetic energy, Olivia blasted through the room moving at speeds slightly superior to the speed of sound to render the sound useless and avoid receive the blunt of the massive shockwave. By releasing all the built up energy form the sound at once, her armor was able to take in more kinetic energy to absorb most of the blast that would effect them. During the explosion Olivia also took opportunity to gather some light generated from War's explosion. As the dust and debris filled the room, Olivia struggled to catch her breath. "I can't keep moving at those speeds. I can't breathe when I am..." she thought, attempting to catch her breath so she can find and inform her partner about the alloy.

While Dragon King was initially shocked at the Machine's ability to nullify kinetic energy, however as the blast shot towards him he redirected it causing it to shoot off to the sides as it neared him. While the machine was strong the fight was already over. The lance had been lodged in the machine for far too long and Dragon King had been holding it the whole time. His true power was unknown to most, he rarely ever used it offensively after the incident most had their theories though. Wind manipulation, attack redirection, or even telekinesis. The true nature was something much more severe. Shigai's quirk allowed him to control vectors. The vectors of the machine were currently all under his control due to the prolonged contact and now they would destroy it. Shigai kicked off the beast, landing away from it as he held his hand out. "Deus Ex Requiem" He spoke as the vectors of the machine shot out in every which way, aiming to rip it apart on an almost atomic level.

"Re-re-recalc..." the machine stuttered. Attempting to counter Dragon King's quirk, it struggled to do so. Not containing a sufficient amount of information on the Dragon King would be *War's* downfall. While he possessed a sufficient amount of info to contain the Chivalrous heroine, the man with the vastly powerful quirk would bring him to justice. And just as he foretold, the machine scattered on an atomic level, thus appearing to simply disappear to the human eye.

"That attack was the bee's knees, you heard." Olivia commented, forgetting how powerful her old friend truly is. "I forgot you could almost beat anyone with that quirk of your's." she noted, walking up to the former Dragoon Knight with pleasure and glee. "We've seemed to have lost all connection with the others, so should we just head to the Don?" Olivia asked, still somewhat doubtful of her decision making.

And yet, after a moment of calamity, the storm arrived once more. Another machina arrived to the scene yet this one was different than the former. Reminiscing in size to the two heroes, it stood about twelve meter away from the heroes. "Analyzing target..."

"Thanks." He sighed, watching the robot scatter apart. He fell to his knees for a brief moment but his suit quickly responded, opening a compartment and letting some supplements drop into his mouth. Bless Tekkou and his damn work. "We've got critical information that needs to get through to them Jamison set us up. I don't know if you heard that robot but I bet that analysis programs it was using are built on info he leaked to this place." Shigai spoke as he forced himself back to his feet. Before he could answer her next question another beast burst forth. "I don't know about you but I'm not sure this next one is even real, they could be mass producing those things for all we know. Let's got by it."

Olivia stepped in front of the recuperating Dragon King. "Watching ya take on that big one really made me feel as if I were a damsel waiting to be saved. So budge up and let me handle this!" she announced, not even letting Shigai respond. She wished to strike the machina down before it could even finish it's analysis.

Unfortunately for the Heavenly Knight, the newest machina had already completed it. Similar to the first robot, it raised both hands, however this time they were both directed towards the heroine. Suddenly, a powerful force began to pull Olivia towards it. "The power of magnetism..." War thought, pleased with this analysis. Seeing how both heroes were wearing armor that bared some metallic premise to it, especially Olivia, this would be a unique way subdue the heroes. Both of his hands served as super powerful magnets that attracted Olivia's suit and blade to him. He then opened his mouth where a long spear emerged, ready to pierce her the moment she go close enough.

To most, the sensible idea would be to simply remove the armor and attack without it. But submitting her armor and especially her sword would not only dishonorable to those who gifted it to her but dishonorable as a swordswoman. Allowing the force to pull her in, she placed both of her hands on her blade. "I think it's about time I try that move out." she thought as her sword began to release the light she gathered from her and the previous machines previous discharges. Sealing her eyes, there was an absurd silence before she spoke. "Scatter, Hikaru Katana Hahen.." she spoke, as a glistening light covered her and the robot. While to the outside viewer, it'd just appear as a bright yellow light encovering the two, the real magic happened within. Controlling the light to the utmost degree, Olivia managed to break each fragment of the light into physical shards as sharp as Katana. Developing this technique during her time in Japan,
hence the japanese name.

As the light began to dimmer, a large explosion soon followed. The smoke and began to cancel out the light. "It's over..." a femine voice spoke, before a powerful slash cut through the smoke, revealing the true contents as to what had happened. The machina and all its pieces had been cut up into thousands of pieces like ribbons. Olivia, however, did not come out unscathed. Being within the attack, her armor sustained large several scratches, and even some opening because of it. Being a new technique, she hadn't mastered it completely yet. "Bloody hell, My lady won't be happy with me damaging my armor like this.." she noted.

"Couldn't stand to let me show you up huh." Dragon King laughed, spinning his lance against the ground. "So how many more of these do you think we'll have to deal with before we get to the horseman?" He continued as he reached his hand to her armor, causing the vectors to warp to repair it, removing any scratches. "There now The Queen won't be cross with you." He spoke, using his best fake British accent.

Beneath her helmet a smile of gratitude emerged on her face. "Many thanks..." she responded, noticing his false British accent but not commenting on it. "In all honesty, I don't know, this feels like a dull attempt to keep us occupied..." Olivia spoke, as each of these machina only took them a minute or so to defeat.

Abruptly, another machina emerged to face the dynamic duo of heroes. "Dull attempt you say..." the machine spoke, displaying signs of personality and essence that the others did not. Smaller than the first, yet larger than the second, it stood above the two heroes with outstanding physique. "I wouldn't say that, I believe all previous fights before this have a purpose. It's not everyday where I have to deal with the top heroes."

Dragon King stared at the newly emerged machina, this one seemed different. "I'm assuming you're actually the horseman we're looking for." He spoke, continuing to watch the man. "And I'm gonna harbor a guess that those machina were for scanning our battle data." He continued, twirling his lance as he stood beside Oliva, ready for battle. "Let's show him how we knights do battle."

Olivia nodded in response, taking on her usual fighting stance as she prepared for an all out battle against the horseman. "I used all my light in the last attack. Bloody hell..." she thought, displaying a face of disappointment underneath the mask. However, she knew their victory was certain, as no one could beat the two of them together.

"You deduced correctly, Dragon King...if I should even call you that..." War revealing that he may no his secret. Yet, despite touching the subject, he did pursue it any further. Rather he continued to dive into further analysis. "Olivia has a light quirk, that when charged up, can be very destructive. But when she doesn't, her movements are quite one dimension and predictable. Dragon King however, appears to have a telekinetic power of sorts; possibly going down to the molecular degree....Alright, it's a little risky, but it may work." After a moment or two, a steel gate dropped behind War. "If you wanna leave you need to get passed me!" War announced, taking on a fighting stance of his own; waiting for them to make the first move.

"Alright then lets see what you got Horseman." Dragon King replied. He ignored responding to his other statements but a thought sat in the back of his head. *"Does this man know?"*. He shook it away though and swing his lance multiple times, as multiple blades of air scattered from it towards the horseman.

Olivia would trail behind the blades, as she expected to see an opening appear for her to damage "War" in some type of way. "Even without my quirk, I can still kick yer ass, you bloody monster!!" she exclaimed, regaining her confidence back with every second she worked with Shigai in battle. "With him by my side, there's nothing I can't beat." she thought, her resolve no longer shaken.

War did not waiver; raising his left arm an alteration similar to the machina prior to the war arriving emerged. "Pulse..." he spoke, before a strong force prevented the scattered blades and Olivia from reaching him. "It's funny to think a magnet is almost all it takes to subdue this supposed legendary swordsman." War spoke, raising his right arm to pull her in. And with both of these magnets working in unison, it'd successfully keep her in place. "Goodbye!" he announced, tiny pullets of stone bursted from his machina, aimed toward the spots in which her armor did not protect her.

Dragon King dashed forwards, using the pull of the magnet to further increase his speed. As he reached the two he slammed his lance into the ground, releasing the built up force in between the two and causing the ground to crack as pieces of it went flying into the air. While it wouldn't stop the magnet entirely, the massive amount of debris in the way of the force would seriously hamper the connection, thus freeing Olivia. Shigai meanwhile sidestepped as he tossed his Lance into the air and thrust his hand out, sending a sharp and pointed spear of air at war.

With connection weakened, Olivia successfully managed to avoid serious damage. "Again..." she thought, with her resolve still unshaken. This time however, she did not rush at her target but rather use her skill as a swordswoman. Wielding for three decades has shown her strength and speed weren't the only thing to win a battle but technique as well. "Goliath's Slash!" she announced thrusting Oathkeeper in a horzontal motion which summon a wind slash projectile. Her attack would compliment Shigai's own as his covered vertical options while her's horizontal.

War would not be taken out so easily. A loud noise began to emerge from his feet and then suddenly he was airborne. Having thrusters, he was able to move in the air with relative ease. With this new ability, he managed to avoid both attacks by simply moving to the side while airborne. "You guys are making this to easy!" he commented before raising both arms again in order to capture both of them with in his magnetic prowess.

*"Looks like everything went according to plan."* Shigai thought as he motioned with his hand. The Lance he had flung into the air shot at War with all its might. It had been held by Shigai for far too long, every vector it possessed was under his command. It was like an extension of himself, he'd made sure Tekkou made it that way. The lance would defy the magnetic forces, pushing all vectors away from it as it barreled towards War, attempting to drill a hole through him.

Olivia felt the pressure of the magnetic forces suddenly stop. "So, it's started...." Olivia thought, realizing that Shigai had begun to make his move; the one that will put war in the famous chess move: *Checkmate*.

War, however, did not realize the tables have turned on him. "This spear meets it's end now!" he thought, reaching his arm out in order to grab it. But just as quickly as he grabbed, his arm was taken away in the same amount of time. "Fuck!" he exclaimed, as the dettachment of his arm lead to several malfunctions in his robotic physique.

"And here's the grand finale." He shouted as the lance turned, flinging the arm off of it and rocketing back towards him. He held his left hand high in the air as it whizzed by him, slicing part of his armored arm and creating a massive spark of fire that illuminated the room briefly. "Olivia I leave the all to you." He shouted. "CHECK!"

The Heavenly Knight did not hesitate; utilizing her quirk, she quickly absorbed the radiating light that came from the fire. "Mate!" she said loudly, yet ever so calmly, bearing a confident smile under her mask. Before one could even blink. Olivia spoke. "It's already over...", with War's head and remaining limbs severed from his torso. The light then faded from her blade the she put it in her holster.

"The end of this game has come." Shigai breathed, catching his lance as it flew back to him. He walked over to Olivia and nodded, he was grinning from ear to ear under his mask. "Man that brings back memories of the old days. Good times we had, it's been years but we can still pull of **Exchange** expertly." He laughed, fondly remembering the old days. "I suppose now is the time to get the Don huh."

"Yeah, seems like time doesn't faze something that's so perfect," Olivia responded, wanting to take off her helmet to display her smile but did not. "As for the Don. It's a possibility. Though I haven't heard a word from the others yet. Seems they've disconnected us all." she commented before following up. "I say we run through the entire base to make sure everything is clear first."

### Eternal Conquest

In an undisclosed room within the underwater fortress, the heroes Toyotama-hime and Hohodemi were spontaneously summoned. "Does the boss not trust in me anymore?" an unfamiliar voice echoed throughout the large yet rather empty room. "He knows I like to play with my toys before I dispose of them so why did he only leave me with two..." he spoke yet again, his voice hinting towards displeasure. Suddenly, various criminals emerged. Five, ten, fifteen, the number kept on increasing. The looks on their faces appeared similar to that of the villains who the heroes fought earlier, expression-less. "I guess I got beat this level quickly and just move on to the next one before the others take away all the fun." Finally, after summoning over fifty henchman, the *leader* of the group emerged, Hitoshi. Standing directly in front of the two heroes. "So we're gonna play a little game. You win, I let you capture me...the *real* me.. and move onto the next level. Sounds fair?" Hitoshi questioned, awaiting the two heroes responses.

"This person obviously knows nothing about me if he thinks overwhelming me with numbers is a good attack strategy," Otohime thought as she looked at all of criminals around her all the while not letting her facial expression or body posture reveal what she was thinking. "Fair enough, I do love a challenge," Otohime said with a smile. At that moment Otohime and Hoori lowered themselves into matching defensive postures. "Since this is your game you should take the first move," Otohime said with her trademark small sneer on her face meant to provoke her adversaries into running toward her blindly as she beckoned for the criminals around her to come.

"As suspected, she failed the first part. This'll be fun..." Conquest contemplated. Hitoshi then retorted to Otohime's remark with an arrogant look. "Look at you agreeing to play the game without even hearing the rules. I Expected nothing less from a true hero." Conquest was well aware that was not Otohime and her partner intended. "But let me explain the rules anyway so you don't lose on the first try...The name of the game is Fight Club." Suddenly a fifteen by fifteen stage with walls reaching the roof. "Here we'll fight a series of one v one battles. Last man, or woman, standing wins the game. Simple enough right?" Hitoshi asked once more, making sure the duo did not have any questions before they started.

"A true hero," Otohime echoes with a smile on her face despite herself. It had been a long time since someone lumped her in with normal heroes. No one had done that since she had graduated from her hero school. Without any warning Otohime took a deep breath and filled her lungs with draconic energy causing the terrifying nature of dragons that existed within the draconic energy to affect her voice, which made it possible for the loud draconic roar that came about when she exhaled to strike fear in the hearts of those who hear it assuming they were weak willed. The roar at two purposes; to test the henchman and to thin out the herd by attempting to scare some of them away.

As the loud screech echoed through the isolated room, none of the henchmen moved an inch. Each of them maintained their emotionless faces and acted as if they couldn't even hear Otohime's deafening sound. After she finished her war cry, Hitoshi would respond. "I'll take that battle cry for a yes!" he spoke, leaving the stage. "Decided which one of you guys will be competing first, please! or in other word, Choose your fighter!"

"Huh," Otohime remarked as she observed the criminals standing before her with a faraway look in her eye that Hoori recognized as the one she would have when she is confronted with a mental challenge and is trying to put together facts to solve the challenge. After a few seconds the faraway look faded from her expression cluing Hoori in that her amazing mind was back in the present. "I will pick you," Otohime said and pointed to a criminal that was standing in the front. "Are you sure we should playing along Otohime," Hoori muttered under his breath. In response, Otohime merely turned to her good friend and gave him a warm smile, "Trust me, I know what I'm doing. Now back up and give me room." Hoori hesitated for a moment, but then slowly backed up. Hoori didn't always know what was going through that head of hers, but he did trust Otohime. He did have that mind of hers to thank for getting them out of plenty of potentially deadly situations.

"Oh me?" Hitoshi questioned, surprised that Otohime understood his next riddle. While he phrased it in such a way that it sounded like she must choose between her and her ally to fight some one among the small army of henchmen. The way she understood it was that she could choose her opponent, as the game is meant to be played. A keen deduction, was it sheer luck or actual intelligence, only time could tell. "Well since you've selected me, I might as well obliged." Hitoshi followed up, before making another announcement. "However, your friend here isn't allowed within the arena. He must sit patiently outside for his turn just like the rest of the fighters." He told the fierce duo. "Attempting to take on one of my most valuable pieces on the field is a bold move. But don't think it'll be so easy." Conquest thought, awaiting verification that Hoori would exit the stage.

"Well, chess isn't about taking out normal pieces like pawns or the queen. It is about taking out the king," came Otohime's wise reply as an explanation to why she chose him. "He will stay out of it," Otohime said. There was no room for argument in her tone of voice. This was an order. From a hero to their sidekick. This made Hoori pause. Otohime wasn't one to pull the sidekick card; she viewed Hoori as her equal and treated him as such. Never would he imagine that she would ever order him to do something he didn't want. "This means she really does have a plan in mind. I was stupid to think otherwise," Hoori thought. "Yes, I will not interfere," Hoori said aloud as his worried expression vanished and he continued back away.

"There you have it. Are you satisfied," Otohime casually asked. Even now, Otohime kept her body relaxed in order to reveal nothing about how she fights.

As Hoori walked off the stage, all entrances and exits sealed. "Are you ready to rumble!" he answered in response. Unlike Otohime, Hitoshi knew what he was up against. Even though Toyotama-hime is a Gray Hero, the sheer fact that she's certified Pro Heroes Association hero, means there loads of data on her. He knew the raw power he'd be dealing with and what was expected of him to succeed. "Let's get started then..." he noted, as smoke started spilling from his body. In a matter of moments, Hitoshi disappeared within the smoke. Yet despite his disappeared, the gas within the enclosed stage continued to increase.

Otohime is much more than just a hero with a lot of power. She is smart, wise, and very well informed and her mind is her most dangerous weapon; more likely than not Otohime probably knew who she was dealing with. A pair of draconic wings made out of water sprouted out from her back, which allowed her to fly up to the ceiling. Upon reaching this high altitude, Otohime made a throwing motion downward to fire a large mass of water in the shape of a dragon's head to be released from her hand and speed straight downward. If it were to hit her opponent it could cause a substantial amount of blunt force damage. However, if it were to miss, its impact with the ground would be so powerful that it would deal a lot of structural damage to the ground and the tremors that came as a result could be felt all throughout the room.

As the highly pressurized water streamed down to the surface of the stage, the smoke began to rise drastically through sides where the water did not reach. After about a moment, it'd be revealed that Hitoshi was no longer present at the bottom of the stage and was still lingering within the smoke. And yet, as it rose and thickened, Triple S did not reveal himself. The smoke within the stage just simply began to grow.

Outside of the stadium, among the fifty other henchmen who were also scheduled to fight, one made it his duty to stabilize the ground. It was obvious, one of the heroine's goals was to escape the premise as well, which he would guarantee would not occur.

With her hand still facing the ground, Otohime sent another large mass of water shaped as a dragon's head to speed downward toward another spot on the ground while she released a thick aura of draconic energy whose pressure caused the smoke to part to create a clearing and prevented her from suffocating later on. Once again, when the mass of water hit the ground it would cause a lot of structural damage, but it wouldn't cause any tremors because of how it was being stabilize. However, if it would hit Hitoshi the mass of water would knock him back to the ground and cause a lot of blunt force damage. All while this is done, Otohime kept her sense of hearing, smell, touch, and her pseudo-clairvoyance focused on the area around her to detect the enemy.

As the smoke began dispurse, one clump of it continued to rise. Toyotama-hime's quick thinking would reveal the true story as to was happening. Using his ninja-like speed, along with his custom designed shoes, Hitoshi rose to the top of the stage like a ninja, not making a single sound, utilizing the smoke to cover his scent and mask him from Otohime's sight. But now, only mere feet away from the top, there's no longer a need to hide. "Check..." he spoke, believing he put the king, though more literally the queen, in a very agonizing situation. Increasing the heat radiation from his suit to utmost degree before leaping toward her, a spontaneous amount of smoke emerged around him, masking him one again for a second. "Your mine!" he thought.

Thanks to her remarkable reflexes, Otohime's body began to move the moment a word escaped his mouth. Otohime raised her arm up to the sky and spoke only two words, "Dragon Ward." With these words came a concentrated pulse of draconic energy in the form of a shockwave that released from her body and spread outward in all directions. This shockwave would quickly knock away anything or anyone nearby whether it be Hitoshi himself or some sort of long range attack. If Hitoshi is within eight feet of her he would be sent rocketing back to the ground at high speeds. Right after, Otohime would be able to be detected in not just one location, but several.

Within the radius of Otohime's attack, Hitoshi was propelled towards the ground. Descending at great speeds, if Hitoshi landed incorrectly, it could be then end of him. Fortunately, he had removed the limits of his jacket regulator prior to being sent downward and so as he descended large amounts of smoke flooded out of his body, creating serious air resistance, inevitably slowing down his descent. With his journey delayed, Hitoshi was able to acquire control over his body and flip over to his feet, allowing him to land on the pool of water below him properly. Yet, despite managing to stick the landing blood began to drip from his nose. "He's injured..." Conquest thought, before gazing up at the various clones of Otohime. "Afterimages...." Conquest suspected, knowing her quirk had nothing to do with fission or clones.

"No wonder you 30th in hero rank, you got an army of clones of yourself and yet you're too scarred to come down and face me." he exclaimed. With his jacket increasing his body temperature his began to turn red. Along with smoke he was still producing, the water below his feet began to evaporate.

Despite the situation, Otohime couldn't help but laugh at Hitoshi's words. Her laughter quickly rose and came from every direction to fill the room with joy that easily broke the tension of the situation. "You are the last person on earth who should calling people out for acting scared considering how you fight," Otohime said between fits of laughter. As she spoke and continued to dart around to maintain the afterimages she released another large mass of water in the shape of a dragon's head in Hitoshi's direction. It raced down at amazing speed threatening to end Hitoshi's life if he didn't recover and dodge very quickly. Afterwards, she took a deep breath in to fill her lungs with draconic energy enhanced water that she would then release down at Hitoshi when she roared. The water was released in the form of a very powerful and large torrent of water that followed close behind the other attack. And of course, this is all done while she continued to dart around in the sky to maintain the afterimages.

Hitoshi found himself in quite the predicament. With Otohime not taking the bait that he left for her, he'd need to under go his final act. "Bon Voyage..." he thought commencing his assault. Similar to earlier, Hitoshi began to run along the walls of the facility. While small, between each pressurized water attack generated by the *clones* there was gap caused by the movement she needed to take to get to each spot with her tremendous speed. While risky, Hitoshi took advantage of this fact, leaping between each pressurized water bullets as he rose upward with the room. His path was not an easy one and nor did he come unscathed; mere droplets of the water moving at high speeds left intense bruises along his body. Yet despite the path being treacherous, he pushed through. Throughout his journey, his increased body temperature would cause some of the water he's been dodging to evaporate, rising with he and his smoke.

Unfortunately, as Hitoshi reached the top, he was greeted by Otohime's strongest attack yet. "Checkmate..." he thought, as the attack hit him head one. It became quite apparent the battle was over; the gauging difference in strength was incomparable. And yet, Hitoshi did not plan on leaving without a parting gift. With the little strength and consciousness that remain, Hitoshi clicked the button the he held with his hand. An explosion was generated, but not an ordinary explosion. Rather one that would leave a lasting mark. Streams of electricity were summoned as a result. The entire fight, Hitoshi had been preparing the stage as a super conductor scattering his smoke and the mist throughout it. Otohime herself contributed to this by generating the water attack, leading to H20 molecules to be scattered within the area. So now, with a direct stream towards Otohime, along with the presence of two conductors within the air; the high voltage electricity scattered all throughout the stage with great ferocity and speed.

Hitoshi was also not free of the burden of this attack however, guaranteeing his death for certain.

Mere seconds before the electricity was summoned Otohime felt the all too familiar chilling sensation from her pseudo-clairvoyance go down her spine, which alerted her to the incoming danger. She could tell what was coming from the intensity of the sensation for there are only two things that could cause the sensation to be so intense. Her sister and electricity. Instead of flying away, Otohime would shoot straight down at an ever increasing speed. Soon after the walls of the arena began to shudder from the growing power of the tailwind that was beginning to form around her. The tailwind would serve as a barrier, which protected Otohime from most of the electricity with the exception of a few currents that managed to get in and shock her. As small electrical burns began to form on her she continued to dive toward the ground and came to a dead stop once she arrived. If it wasn't for the fact that walls were being stabilized the tailwind would have surely blown the wall closest to where Otohime landed apart. Except for a couple of electrical burns Otohime appeared to be relatively unscathed, but the little amount of electricity that did hit her was enough to weaken her a bit. In response to her weakened state, Otohime poured draconic energy into her bloodstream to improve her blood flow in order to help her regain her second wind quicker in preparation for the next fight.

With Hitoshi hitting the ground, lifeless, the next henchman stepped up towards the ring. "That didn't do as much damage as I hoped..." the next fighter spoke as if he were the one fighting her previous. Two of the other henchmen rushed into the stage; utilizing their quirks to clean-up and remove his body. Walking in as the others left, the new competitor spoke. "That fight provided some interesting intel. Are you ready for the next one?" he questioned.

With a simple mental command, the water that made up the draconic wings on her back lost their form causing the water to splash to the ground. Otohime balled her hands into fists and raised them up in front of her face as she bent her legs to enter what looked like a boxing stance. "Yes," came Otohime's only reply. Otohime didn't strike first, but stood standing where she was to force her new opponent into making the first move. Her lack of should by her calculation instill a sense of urgency in her foe for every moment he wasted was a moment that she had to regain her strength. Otohime was planning to take a much different approach to winning.

Hoori who had been observing the fight took his attention away from the arena and began searching for the person who was stabilizing the arena so that he and Otohime could escape after the fight and end this game knowing that he had a job to do and trusting his partner to do her part.

"I see after struggling with the long-distance element last match you want to fight close-range. Sounds good to me." the man told Otohime before taking on a unique martial arts stance. "Shall we dance, little girl..." He then, rushed towards her with speeds reminiscent to Hitoshi. He threw a single punch directed right at her face, however that was only the surface. Utilizing his quirk, Combat Wind, an emiiter quirk that allows the man to manipulate the air that would provided resistance against his attack. With the air, he broadened the scope of his attack. With no air resistance, not only was the speed of his attack much faster, but also the radius expanded; while she may be able to dodge the punch, she is within the radius of one foot within it, she'll take some damage. However, while all this was going on, it simply appeared like a regular fast punch.

In response Otohime quickly jerked her right knee upward to block with punch and the wind with her shin. With the attack dealt with Otohime was free to place her leg down, but not back down to the spot on the ground in-between her opponent's leg to stop his moment while she stepped inside his guard and reduced the distance between them to close to zero. Now, that she was inside of his guard and had placed him in a very difficult position to move Otohime attempted to thrust her elbow toward his ribs at blinding speeds. If successful she would release a concentrated pulse of draconic energy from her elbow that would send him flying back and crack his ribs. Since her leg was in between his he would not be able to dodge in time by moving to the right or left as he would have to step over her leg which would consume all the time he had to dodge and he couldn't block because their close proximity to each other rendered his arms useless to block the attack. This left him with the only option of retreating backward and if he did so he would be greeted with a powerful side kick.

Fighting was very much like a dancing; two people working simultaneously carrying out polar movements. While Otohime's situation was a tricky one, it was not a one way street. It was made quite apparent with Otohime's block that her competitor's claim to fame was not his unmatched strength, but, soon to be revealed, his agility and flexibility. As Otohime proceeded to break his guard, his movements were not stagnant. Pulling his punch with great strength as his combatant drew near, he'd used the force of his accelerated movement to lean back. Removing the air resistance, that surrounded his body and projecting it in front himself would not only allow him to move faster but also impede Otohime's attack to give him more time. In an instant, his back was at a ninety degree angle; completely avoiding the scope of his opponent's attack.

But he was not through there. All the while dodging Otohime's attack, he was preparing to launch his own. While his arched back was in a ninety degree angle, he was slanted toward the right. While probably going unnoticed, his right foot left the ground early during his dodging process; demonstrating the great strength and control he had in his core and legs. His leg hooked around in "C"- motion. This attack was different however. Unlike the punch, where the air applied blunt force to Otohime, this time he'd concentrated the air as a thin blade that went along his leg. With it, his foot would come down like a guillotine, aiming to chop her head off with a single kick.

Otohime used her signature move, Draconic Rage, to release a torrent of water at the ground at a diagonal angle. Due to the incredible force of the torrent the water pushed her back a very high speeds effectively dodging the attack. A split second later she landed softly to the ground several feet away. Despite the seriousness of the situation Otohime had a playful smile on her face. It was clear she hadn't had a martial art fight against someone as skilled as her current opponent in a very long time and she was very excited. Otohime lowered her body into a different stance. The main stance of the Azure Dragon Style, which showed that she was willing to take this fight a bit more seriously. The main stance of the Azure Dragon Style was a narrow stance that gave her countless movement options and left zero opinions that reflected how it is a fighting style meant for one-against-many combat. Her legs were just barely bent and her right hand cupped with palm facing her opponent with the right elbow slightly bent so that the arm was partially extended. Her left hand was clenched in a fist with the left arm in front of the stomach at a horizontal to fully guard the core of her body. All of this done in less than a second, which meant the attack that followed occurred mere moments after Otohime's retreat giving her opponent no time to press his advantage. Otohime moved her right leg back to lower her body to the floor while bringing the wrists of both hands together to form a "V" shape with her hands. Then with great force, blinding speed, and just as much control as her opponent and shown moments before, Otohime thrust her palms forward as if she were striking the air. The force of the unusual palm strike was enough send a powerful wave of pressure at her opponent to blow him off his feet and crashing into the wall on the other side.

Her competitor did not realize what was happening till it was too late. "So..you're not as single minded as I presumed.." Conquest gathered. The fighter attempted to use the surround air resistance to add some defense to but to avail, Otohime attack successfully knocked him off his feet and sent him flying to the wall, where he was rendered unconscious. Yet again, Otohime had defeated another one of the henchmen.

After the pressure wave hit her opponent Otohime returned to her original stance where she stayed as she observed her opponent laying on the floor. After confirming that the fight was over she stood up with her shoulders relaxed in a relaxed posture and let out a deep calming sigh as she felt the familar lull in her emotions that always came when her fighting spirit ebbed away into a reflective calm silence as she silently awaited for the results of Hoori's job to show. This lull in emotions was much more than the one commonly felt after an adrenaline rush; it was more purposeful. Hoori had taught her this mindfulness practice back when she was still heavily relied on him for everything. Back when she was weak and defenseless instead of the powerful and wise Gray Hero she was now. It was used to prevent a rush of emotions that could end in a panic attack if any the emotions should bring up thoughts of her sister. By entering this lull state in her emotions she could let the rational side of her mind reflect on what has happened to make it easier for her emotional side to deal with it when she gave it a chance. Although Otohime looked completely defenseless and unaware there was still a small part of her that was still hyperaware of her surroundings.

Meanwhile, Hoori was able to find the person who was responsible for stabilizing the arena during the fight and now that it was over he aimed a swift silent kick at his head in an attempt to knock him unconscious and free his partner. Once the criminal was unconscious Hoori stood up and lifted his right hand high into the sky to twirl his index finger in a circle to give Otohime the signal that he had succeeded. Upon seeing the signal, Otohime broke down the closest wall to her with a single punch and deactivated the aura around her before running off with Hoori.

### Feast or Famine

Unlike Toyotama-hime and Hohodemi who were summoned in unknown location, the heroes Inquisitor and Igneous were summoned to a room that should look quite familiar to them, despite never being in it. "Ladies and gentlemen! Boy and girls! Welcome to the Omoikane's Infamous Animal Kingdom Park!" a speaker relayed the message. Crying and roars of various creatures resonated throughout the facility. "Here you will get the chance to see some the of the world's most amazing creatures! And once and a life opportunity!" the voice paused dramatically before continuing. "If you don't have the time of your life, you get a money back guaranteed. Now I imagine your probably wondering, how much this spectacular park cost. Well do not fret, it'll only cost your measly little lives!" Automated applause and cheers emerged from the speaker. "So move on in! First stop should be a fun one. We'll be entering the hive!"

"Tsk" Igneous snickered as he examined the room around himself. "Come on out! Show yourself! We don't have time for your stupid games!" Igneous shouted in anger as he clenched his fist and adjusted his Thunder Piercer. "Enough is enough, if you don't come out I'll tear this whole fucking room apart!" Igneous screamed seriously, closely eyeing the room around him.

"I'm just gonna leave if this gets boring." The Inquisitor sighed, twirling a bayonet around in his hand. "I can leave and will unless you stop using your PA system and come out here. I'm sure your leader will put up more of a fight anyways. Granted he is hiding behind you and you're in some low budget zoo." Ibara knew the layout and he knew this room, getting from here to the Don wouldn't be hard.

"I love how heroes think they're in control of situations. It's honestly the most amusing thing." He began continuing negotiation through the telecom. "The fact you think the Don would even give you the time of day much less even be here in any form, that's hilarious. So you have two options you can try to destroy this room in one big swoop and have these poor rare desperate creatures suffer and risk their live or you can simply enjoy the zoo and do what you guys do and *try* and save the animals."

"....ENOUGH! I'll smash my way through here and find you wherever you're hiding!" Igneous screamed as he ran at a wall and punched a hole through it as he activated Molten Core. "We're not playing your game! We'll find you and take you out and save these animals!" Igneous would continue smashing open walls in an attempt to find the speaker.

Ibara stood there in confusion. "Alright I'm not doing this. You are not getting babysat and you are not gonna threaten me will a zoo." He sighed. Ibara was quite skilled, having scaled entire structures with his bare hands to take out some of the villains back in Italy. A metal wall was child's play. He ran towards the wall, two vines sprouting from his back as each grabbed a bayonet he tossed them. He pulled two more bayonets out and began scaling the wall at startling speeds, as soon as he reached the top he began running along the wall, far above the zoo as he bypassed it completely. He was either gonna stab the speaker or leave the room.

"And you guys claim to be so far superior to these creatures..." he commented disappointingly. "Do they think there in some old fashioned movie where speakers need to be controlled a control room close by. Have they never heard of bluetooth..." he thought, before letting off a smirk. "Well don't worry if you don't want to go to the zoo, then I'll have the zoo come to you. The creatures here are very protective of the home that you're damaging. " At moment, three creatures rushed out the zoo. Two bird rushed to catched the Guardian, while the other stayed down and faced Igneous. Each of these creatures had some collar around it's necks.

The two birds soared through the sky with blitzing toward Ibara. The first, coated in red white green and orange feathers, began to radiate insensible heat before shooting two fireballs at it's target. The second came from behind the wall, he broke. This one, an owl coated in brown black and green feathers, shot it's feathers at Ibara. The piercing strength of each of these feathers resembled a slash from an experienced swordsman.

On the ground, creature that greeted Igneous was a Lynx, with a turquiose and white coat and a beautiful purple main. While appearing to be calm, a magnificent frost came to pass with a breath the creature took. With temperatures decline rapidly, the creature simply circled around him for the moment, awaiting his first move.

All the while, two spiders with incredible metabolism quirks, rushed to the holes in the wall and filled with layers of spiderweb.

As the temperature around him declined rapidly, Igneous raised his core body temperature immensely via Molten Core in order to maintain warmth. In fact, the cool frosty breath from the Lynx would only assist Igneous as it would slow down his constantly raising body temperature: Enabling him to maintain Molten Core for longer than usual. Next, Igneous would rush at the Lynx with blinding speed and leap at it before gently smacking it in the back of the head aiming to render it unconscious.

As Igneous dashed at the beast with speeds far beyond the animal's comprehension, another animal who had been awaiting patiently striked. A tiger with long fangs reminiscent to a sabertooth coated with yellow fur, released a roar of yellow lighting, one of the few elements that could match his speed. With the blast of electricity heading in the general direction, it seemed inevitable that the Lynx would be hit as well. "Unfortunate for you Igneous, we have some history. Your battle with my ape not too long ago provided some great insight.." Famine thought.

Ibara back-flipped off the wall, tossing the two bayonets with such extreme speed and precision, they would be invisible to the naked eye. The two were aimed directly for the collars, to cut them off the beasts. As he flew the fireballs and feathers hit the wall, the heat and force giving him an extra push as his vines gripped the ceiling, swinging him along as he maneuvered through the air.

The two birds did not have to see the bayonets to react. Unlike humans who relied on deduction analysis and mental prowess to react to situations, animals solely had their instinct. With it, sensing they were in-danger, both attempted to dodge. The pyro-bird successfully managed to a avoid a premature death however, the owl lacked many of it's feathers which prevented it from moving quickly enough to escape death. As the bird, descended rapidly another creature took it place. A bat with an excessively large mouth rose up towards the the hero releasing a directional sound attack to stun him. The pyro bird would quickly follow-up with another three fireball attacks.

"...No choice" Igneous muttered as he quickly latched onto the Lynx, punched it in the head to knock it out, and threw it out of the way of the lightning in order to protect it at the last second: which would lead to him getting shocked by the lightning as he was midair and didn't have much mobility. Afterwards, Igneous would fall to the ground briefly stunned by the lightning.

Lacking any remorse or pity, the tiger rushed towards the stunned hero with a lighting coat surrounding it, acting as both offense and defense with this attack, it planned to finish the battle in one strike.

Ibara dropped from the ceiling, the attacks flying over him as he fell to the floor, a barrier of purple energy forming around him as he hit the ground. He stood from it like nothing had happened as the barrier disappeared. "Alright that's quite enough." He stated as he removed a bayonet from his coat and put it in his belt, placing another item within it. Canisters began appearing in his hand with him throwing them as fast as he could in every which direction, as they hit the ground gas began floating from them as he began enveloping the entire area in gas as he dashed forwards, towards the end of the zoo.

As if upon pure instinct, enraged, Igneous activated Dew Point causing his body to quickly emit deadly steam that would burn the incoming tiger as he was recovering from the last attack.

Massacring the tiger, it fell to the ground with no life within it. With Ibara's releasing a toxin into the air the animals began to feel rather drowsy, until suddenly they rendered useless by the desire to sleep. One by one each of the began to drop like flies. Deep within the zoo, near the end, Famine spoke drowsily. "Wait I can still win..." he muttered, before falling asleep like the rest of his captured creatures.

Ibara soon found Famine, now fast asleep on the ground like the rest of the creatures as the gas began to clear up. He was quick to remove some steel wire and tie him tightly before pinning the wire to the wall with a blade, suspended in midair he would wait there till he was taken away at the end of all this."Alright listen up Igneous." Ibara shouted. "I need you to get the collars off all these animals and make sure everything here stays safe. As soon as it's all secure try and make contact with anyone you can and sweep the area. I'm going to go deeper and clear a path that way. Follow as soon as you can alright." He called out, tossing a bayonet to the ground for the other hero to use in getting rid of the collars. He then left through the door at the end of the room, aiming to find the Don.

Igneous stood up, having now recovered from being shocked earlier. "Wait, why do I have to-" Igneous was cut off by Ibara's sudden disappearance. "Fuck... he just gave me orders and left without waiting for me to say anything!" Igneous hollered in anger as he clenhed his fists and gritted his teet. "Fucking fine... but you better not take out anyone before I get there!" Igneous thought to himself as he quickly began to undo the collars on all of the animals wit a displeased expression on his face. Once he had finished undoing the collars, Igneous looked over at the unconscious Famine as his displeased expression quickly grew into pure hatred. "....Now that he's gone..." Igneous muttered to himself as he approached the unconscious Famine. "People like you.... they.... your actions are **unforgivable.**" Igneous stated in pure rage as he immediately fired up his burning Thunder Piercer and rammed it through Famine's skull: Splattering his boiled blood and brains all over Igneous, causing it to evaporate into bloody mist due to Molten Core being active. "Now it's time for the Don to face the same fate..." Igneous said with a tone of unbridled fury as he quickly took off after Ibara: Leaving behind Famine's steaming corpse as blood and brain juice dripped from his skull.

### Merciless Disease

Reminiscent to those facing conquest, the heroes Excalibur and La Mariposa were sent to an isolated room. Unlike the latter however, the two were not greeted by child-like voice coming from a speaker. Rather for a moment, the room was quiet. Suddenly, the room's temperature would drop significantly; each breath would leave a winter's wind. The lights within the room began to flicker...An ominous presence emerged into the room and yet no one was there...

The moment Isabella arrived in her new location, she quickly surveyed the area. "Single room. No visible exits. Security camera's...multiple." she thought to herself. She quickly gazed over at her predetermined partner. "Excalibur...wasn't he with Group A. Does that mean they were teleported as well. This isn't good." Isabella quickly attempted to use her receiver to get in contact with the others who weren't present. But to no surprise, they were locked in a tech-barrier of sorts, preventing their connection from reaching others. "Looks like it's me and you doll. I can't tell if this is a battleground or a cell though..." she announced to Excalibur before feeling an odd presence. "Guard up! Someone's here!" La Mariposa exclaimed as her *wings* raised upwards in preparation for an attack.

Excalibur kept his sword at his ready, looking around at the new area. He took account of everything nearby, and how the room was laid out. He turned around and noticed La Mariposa. He nodded at her in greetings. "It would seem that way. No visible exits from what I've seen. Too risky for me to break out, we could be underground."

When he heard La Mariposa's warning, he instantly entered his stance for Kenjutsu, the blade facing towards where he had deemed the threat to be. "Let's do this, La Mariposa."

A quiet voice spoke to the two heroes with no notable point of origin. "My My, don't I have two lovely prey here. I wonder...which of
is stronger??" The lights began to flicker even more sporadically than before. Then suddenly, they ceased. A single light hovering over the two heroes. "So who is it.." the voice spoke again, this time sounding like a whisper into both of their ears.

With his presence appearing closer and closer to the heroes, Isabella decided to take the defensive route. Sealing her eyes for just a moment, a green mist emerged from her body. "Now, what are you and how are you hiding from us?!?" she proclaimed, hoping that if the opponent was within the room but just masking his presence, he'd inhale her aroma and be forced to speak the truth.

After an absurd amount of silence, the voice returned. "Usually the quiet ones are secretly powerful. So you!" the ominous presence surrounded Excalibur, and quickly flooded into him. In an instant, Kurono's body language, aura, and essence changed completely. "Oh, I like you!" Kurono spoke, as if he weren't speaking about his own body. Flexing his muscles and swinging his sword, he smirked. "Oh yeah, I dig this for sure!"

Noticing Kurono's change in behavior and sensing the presence act as the hero's own aura, Isabella leaped away from Excalibur. "What did you do to Excalibur?" asking, while partly aware as to what had occurred. Nonetheless, with her Truthful Green aroma no capable of affecting him, he'd be obliged to answer her honestly.

"I took over his body. See, my quirk Spirit mode grants me all the abilities of a ghost." Kurono responded, before a frown emerged on his face. "I know I'm arrogant but I didn't mean to admit to all of that. So that's this chicks power. She can summon various aroma's that have different effect. Could be dangerous..." he thought as he raised his blade and pointed it at his old comrade. "I'm gonna finish you quickly and then help the rest of our comrades out!" he snickered.

"I need to stop him so how without harming Kurono...." Isabella pondered, before realizing that such a thought process would be irrational and impossible. "No that's exactly what this guy wants. I need to prioritize winning over saving Kurono, I believe that's what he would've wanted." she concluded before, anger filled throughout her body. "I'm sorry Excalibur but this is going to her a lot..." Suddenly, a red aroma covered her. "Let's do this!" she thought before dashing towards the swordsman with the intent to kill. "All I need is one good punch..." she contemplated, hoping to utilize her capoeira to successfully punish him.

"This bitch will fall just like the rest of them..." This was not Diseases first rodeo. Having possessed many hero's bodies prior to this, he has forced plenty into this difficult situation. And despite what they claim about killing their ally, almost none of them in actually do. Nonetheless, the doesn't mean he won't fight. With his sword in his right hand, Kurono took a large swing in order to prevent Olivia from drawing near. The result was a projectile of wind that headed directly towards her. "This man...he has unbelievable strength..." he thought, pleased with his recovery. "I might keep you for a while..."

Before the attack could land, La Mariposa leaped to the roof of the room where the horizontal slash could not reach her. "Pie de la pantera!" she chanted as she descended with her foot directed towards Kurono. The sheer force of the kick would be powerful enough to bend the metal below the two of them.

With her in the air, there were few options Isabella had available to her. "Fatal Mistake..." Kurono spoke. Tapping into the hero's kenjutsu prowess. His posture and stance were identical as what the Kurono would preform. "And with this, I shall kill you." and overpowering darkness surrounded his sword. With a swing of his sword, a monster of a dark slash projectile headed towards the heroine with incredible speed with cutting power to easily slice her in half.

"Got him!" she mumbled, utilizing her wings to maneuver in the air in order to dodge the attack. Now, within only a few feet, Isabella launched at flying kick into the spine of Kurono.

### Blessing in Disguise

*Separated from the group moment before the whole fiasco, The Guardian is currently apprehended by several chains in a cell and being watched by several guards in the next room.*

Taking the time to analyze his current predicament, despite being placed in a situtation of apparent disadvantage, Issac could not help but hide a slight degree of smugness. Observing the flow of the entire countermeasure employed up to this point, it would appear that his predictions about the structure of the base and the tactical knoweldge of his opponent was spot on. If Issac was to compare this to a game rigidly, it would appear that his opponent was attempting to achieve both a checkmate, as well as a rubado, with a fair understanding of military tactics. However, as a hero known for all things game related, it would appear that the Guardian did not take this scenario for a "Game Over", rather, it would appear that the Guardian was plotting once more.

Based on his understanding of his surrounding area; having memorized the map given to him, the hero also noticed that this particular area was not an area in his understanding of the area's schematics. If he was to hazard a guess, it would be within the five miles leading up to what was assumed to be the Don's room, an area he was unable to be given information about. "Huh, so then the teleportation would be to stop the others from being able to trace a path to down here. Makes sense.", he thought to himself, mentally deconstructing the mechanics of his obstacles thus far.

Not taking any chances, the guards watching over the number five hero would continuously take shifts watching him. While they had a camera in room which allowed the to survey away, it didn't cover everything and so they had to take shifts. With a total of five guards, two held weapons, three others did not. At certain points there'd be a small gap where there be no guard in the room as they be conversing with one another. What lied beyond these two room was currently a mystery to them as well.

Observing the cycles of each guard, Issac noticed that for some particular reason, there appeared to be something compelling them to come to check him in a manner quite like clockwork. Looking around and observing a camera, Issac noticed that the camera was positioned faultily, in a manner that simply could not cover the entirety of the room regardless of the resolution of the camera itself. It was quaint, perhaps disturbingly so, that in a base where no expenses were spared on anything, the camera itself was installed incorrectly. At the end of each cycle, the guards would appear to scurry off to communicate amongst themselves, seemingly to discuss his condition and the establishment of the next few shifts. However, it was quite odd, with the cameras being positioned incorrectly knowingly that they would attempt to accomodate instead of just fixing the positioning of the camera, almost so strange that it felt like the cell was a trap in and of itself.

Regardless, the hero realized he was getting nowhere without beginning to atleast begin to take action. The moment the guards seemingly evacuated the room, the Guardian observed the movements of the camera, and attempted to flare up his Quirk by rendering a portion of his body quite close to the chains and out of the view of the camera invisible, refracting the light around it in an attempt to test to see whether his enemy had made more than one error in his precautions. However, with instincts honed by experience despite his relatively young age beginning to kick in, Issac prepared for the worst, being on guard and ready to react in case something went wrong merely by him activating his Quirk. Having been suspicious of the chains to begin with as his initial predictions were that there were two villains that had Quirks related to manipulation from the inception, the relatively young hero, atleast for his status, maintained a relatively cool composure, controlling himself so as to prevent any suspicious minor alterations from occuring on camera. Most of what he had not yet seen, since he was put into the cell was shown clear as day to him, and if trends were to be followed, even if he unchained himself, he was probably still not yet in the clear.

Continuing the rotation, the next guard came into the room with a rather estranged look on his face. "Well well well." the guard spoke with a hint of arrogance and bravado in his voice. "To be honest with ya. I thought the world's greatest heroes would be, you know, better than this." He began to walk closer to The Guardian's cage to get a better look at the imprisoned hero. "Like I understand we're the most powerful syndicate the world has seen in years but, you guys are suppose to be the best. I think heroes have kind of become complacent don't you. Like, the number five hero, restrained and away from any battle. Various of his other allies being tortured and captured just like you. The rest, fighting for their lives against four of the most fearsome opponents they've ever seen." he spoke, almost certain that their victory is assured. "And to top of it all. We eliminated your one chance of victory by taking the biggest hero agency out of commission. I wouldn't be surprised if people started doubting your abilities." After rambling for quite sometime, he went back to go mingle with the others before the next guard came in.

Letting the guard continue to rant on, the Guardian pretended to pay the utmost attention to the current guard's great rant. "Other allies captured? Seems like reinforcements won't be a problem.", he thought to himself as his Quirk clearly was working. Shifting himself further out of view of the camera ever so subtly, Isaac began to render more of his body imperceptible to the naked eye. A multifaceted initial plan of escape, while the enemy king appeared to have a degree of hypercompetence, a bit of wit seemed to be enough to outsmart these guards. With this guard appearing to be unable to notice that Issac's quirk had activated through no fault of his own, the hero seemingly began to craft something out of what would appear to be nothingness, before it too was rendered as imperceptible as his body was slowly becoming while the guard made his exit.

Usually, one would be able to see the item being projected as a blaze of crimson glory coalesced into the form of a blade in his hand, Issac simply bypassed the somewhat flashy nature of his conjuration-type "magic", twirling this sword upwards and in a clockwise manner within his hand, cleaving his bindings asunder from his arms. On the camera, it would appear that their prisoner had seemingly vanished, as if he had suddenly escaped his captors. As if guestimating the amount of time it took the guards to talk amongst themselves with each cycle and timing his movements perfectly, the next guard approched the gates of his cell, just, like, clockwork, just in time to see that the hero had made an escape. With no shadow, no presence in the camera, and apparently broken chains, the cell was vacant if one had ever seen an empty cell, while the hero lurked transparently, almost as if shifting from being the captured to the hunter. There was a feeling lurking at the back of his mind, but fitting a man of his status ready for anything and to execute his plan. "Game."

"Son of a bitch!!!" the following guard announced, immediately opening the cage to verify that the man had escaped. "You're job was demoralize him. Not set him free!" he continued on, rushing back into the other room. The distrust among the villains was quite apparent, each working with each other for the first time today.

"Everbody relax..." one of the guards announced. "Keep in mind we're dealing with *The Guardian*. If you don't know his quirk, you basically live under a rock.." he attempted to calm the others down and think rationally about this. "As long as that cage door is still locked, he's probably still in there waiting his moment to escape.

Chills ran down the spine of the guard who announced The Guardian's escape. "Fuck me in the ass..." he exclaimed, before rushing back in the room. As he ran in, he summoned two chains and began to swirl them in front of his body. "Show your ugly mugs, you stupid hero!"

Having begun to make his first move, Issac watched as his opponent displayed their true hand, observing his opponent's pawns scurry. At the current moment, the hero's plans appeared to be executing itself flawlessly. The moment the first guard opened up the cell doors in a panic in an attempt to locate the silver-haired now transparent Guardian, the hero made his escape immediately, slipping his way out of the containment cell he was placed in and subtly tracking him into the central hub of the guards. While the more levelheaded guard would usually be correct, seemingly being the only one to have actually done his homework, the initial guard had left the doors wide open for him, allowing him to make an escape.

Watching a guard run back into his old cell, the Guardian slipped into the room as if to leave him searching, observing the four remaining guards in the area. "Two armed, two unarmed. Should be an easy run, provided no-one has a trick up their sleeves", he thought to himself. Making his way behind the armed guards, attempting to remain completely imperceptible, the two guards were struck at the back of their skulls with enough force to easily break a grown man's bones, in an attempt to quickly concuss the first two while they were distracted with anxiously waiting for their comrade to locate the man right behind them. Timing the impact of each attack, in an attempt to muffle the sounds of his strikes, the hero shot out two projections of his own elbow seemingly simultaneously, attempting to simply concuss the other two as well and get the job over with.

The two armed guards both dropped with little unsureness. On the contrary, the armless guard would show some restraint. Unlike those who bared weapons, the three guard who did not were quirk users. The levelheaded guard did not even flinch as his quirk *Titanium Bones*, as the name suggests, grants him bones of Titanium, allowing him to endure the attack. While the attack was nothing more than a mere scratch to him, he quickly exclaimed during the moment of impact. "Owww!" alarming the fellow within the other room to return. The third quirk user indeed fell to the ground similar to the quirkless however, it didn't appear like he was down for the count. But before he could regain his footing, the chain quirk user entered. "Chain Haystack!" he announced, as long strings of chains scattered across the room, locking them in some kind of chain prison. The slightest movement would alarm the chain guard, and allow him to act accordingly. And to top it off, the second quirk user began to regain his strength, generating small amount of water that would spread throughout the room. While it nothing bigger than a puddle length in height, it would broadcast the target's movements.

"Did you actually think we'd let you escape.." the levelheaded guard spoke, keeping his eyes pierced for even the slightest of movements.

"Ehh, this was almost sort of predictable. Was still hoping that they'd have just gone down though, would have looked cooler." he thought, almost dissapointedly. As if to draw the attention of the guards knowing that several of them appeared to be far more impulsive than the levelheaded one, the Guardian seemingly materialized, another of himself seemingly walking away as if trying to make an escape. Being knowledgeable that a particular Quirk of one of these guards amplified durability, Issac crafted the first embers of his trademark Quirk-based armour around his limbs, dramatically amplifying his effective strength by not amplifying his natural strength whatsoever, but rather by simply manipulating the construct around his body. Planning to draw away his opponent's attention and then retaliate, in an attempt to simply get rid of his foes while conserving on juice, Issac set his next move in play.

Viewing the spontaneous arrival of the Guardian, the guards acted accordingly.

The chain quirk guard quickly summoned as many chains as he could to wrap around the hero and prevent him from moving any further. "I got him! Finish him off!" he announced.

The levelheaded guard rushed towards *Issac* with his fist clenched. "Satan's Punch!" he announced, hoping to subdue and possibly knock out the hero.

"Set", Issac thought to himself. As the guards begun to swarm the *Guardian,*the illusion of the hero seemingly put his hands up, as if to gesture an attempt at a surrender, further distracting his opponent. However, the true hero also acted by suddenly releasing his invisible shroud. Issac dashed forward towards his guards clad in his armour, closing the distance between himself and the guards in an instant. With the chains down around his decoy and his opponent's focus away from his actual body, Issac seemingly dashed onto the leg of the guard still on the ground, effectively immobilizing him suddenly on his way to backhanding both of the guards in seemingly one smooth, fluid motion. Making a loud noise similar to clashing two metallic utensils together upon coming into contact with the back of the titanium boned guard's skull, the sheer force imparted to the guard seemingly rumbled the air around the point of contact between the arm of the hero's armour and his opponent's skull. However, due to the size of Issac's "gauntlet", the blow simultaneously imparted quite a notable amount of force into the chain quirk user's skull, meant to put down both the superhumanly durable opponent as well as the other Quirk user in one move as well via a concussion.

Just as Issac envisioned, the attack succeeded without flaw. The durable guard attempted to retain conciousness as he was put down, but to no avail he uttered his final words, "Shit..." he mumbled collapsing along with the others.

Nodding lightly to himself as if satisfied with his work, the Guardian drained away some of the lighting in the room so as to help himself recharge. Checking around to make sure everyone here was unconscious, Issac quickly dispatched the camera in the room and pushed them into the prison cell while they were out of it. "...Now, they said there were allies being captured and "tortured"." Issac thought to himself. Having two major priorities, the hero decided he would look around while on his way to searching for the Don of the Cartel to see if he could save any of his fellow heroes in a similar situation.

*In a room not too far away from The Guardian's current location, the remainder of his Hero Agency, excluding one, were apprehended in various cells unconscious. One guard was appointed to each cell, standing in front of it, watching the heroes' every move. '*

Tigerheart faded out of unconsciousness, his eyes slowly raising to gaze upon the guard stationed outside of his cell. The situation was obvious to him. "One guard huh, that's just disrespectful...," The Tiger-masked Hero thought to himself before curiously looking around the rest of his cell. "I remember Issac being taken... So he's probably not far from here if I had to guess. Must be why they only spared one guard for me.. Jokes on them," Tigerheart's train of thought continued. He brought his eyes back up to the guard, the faint glow of his quirk slowly starting to activate.

Paragon slowly opened his eyes as he observed the room around him, there was a ringing in his head, and he had a headache. "Ugh... what happened?" Paragon stated as he rose off of the cell floor and looked at the guard standing in front of him. "Great." Was all that Paragon could say as he realized what situation he was in. "Now... I just need to wait for the right moment to strike to get out of here." Paragon thought to himself as he sat back down and relaxed. "I hope the others are alright."

"What the fuck happened." Beelzebub shouted. His eyes had gone blurry for a second and he'd appeared in a damn cage. "Oi was this teleportation?" He asked aloud only for his suit to respond in a familiar voice.

"Yup basically." Fate Weaver spoke. "Are you gonna hurry up and get out of here? We have actual work to do now." He paused. "Oh and do be careful, we're going for minimum hull damage." He added

"Yeah yeah I get it Mom." Beelzebub replied as the left arm of his entirely black suit began to slightly glow. "Minuscule power output, I won't even need second form for this mission."

"Hey look, my guy is waking up" Tigerheart's guard commented into his mic which connected him to the other guards.

"Oh I think mine is too..." Paragon's responded, before mocking him by sticking his tongue out.

Two of the other three guards watching the their respective heroes responded negative to the prisoners waking up.

"So, should I just raise it to the next level since this guy is built like a tank..." Tigerheart's guard questioned.

"Yeah, I'll do the same." Paragon's guard to Tigerheart's as he clicked the remote which increased the flow of sleeping gas with the cell. None of the guards were affected by the gas for some reason however.

"Hey, Mike, you good bro?" one of the guards asked the third guard who was silent.

Raising his output to max, the guard watching Beelzebub began to spazz out as he was talking to himself about escaping. "Guys! This one doesn't seemed to be affected by the gas at all anymore!" he announced to the other guards.

The entirely obsidian colored being stared at the guard. "Look you're not serious right." He sighed as a small yellow firefly shot out from the glowing portion of his hand. It shot through the bars dashing left and right before landing on the guards nose, then it exploded. Mike's body down to his stomach was entirely vaporized as his lower half and a couple of fingers fell to the ground. Another smaller fly landed in the lock, vaporizing a good portion of the door as Beelzebub pushed it open. He stepped out into the hallway and looked to the other guards. "If you scream you're next." Was his only response to their shocked faces.

Hearing the commotion, Paragon decided it was high time for him to break out of his cell. "Sounds like it's time..." The young hero exclaimed before suddenly using his super move Strobe Light to blast open the cell doors and to disperse the sleeping gas around him: Which wouldn't affect him anyway due to him wearing an enclosed suit and helmet. Paragon then stepped out of his cage and flew into the sky with his silver wings. "Alright, time to go save the others!" Paragon said as he proceeded to go free his fellow heroes.

"Next level? That's probably bad." Acting quickly, Tigerheart's tiger-like aura quickly expanded around him, tearing through anything that may bind him. Making his aura exceptionally large this time, Tigerheart projected the right paw of his aura forward, ripping through the door in front of him with its claws as if the metal bars were made of paper. His ghostly white claws continued to shoot forward, enveloping the guard in front of his cell completely and crushing him into the ground with tremendous force. The Tiger-masked Hero rushed from his cell, shrinking his aura back down to just slightly over his skin, before he bent down to take the remote from the guard, turning the gas off.

In the following room, where the two guards watched over the unconscious heroes Spinal Tap and Chloris, they overheard the mayhem that was taking place in the room next door. "What should we do?" one guard asked the other. She was rather calm about the situation. She quickly instructed the other guard to raise the sleeping gas output to the absolute max so that the other two heroes would not wake. Following this, utilzing her quirk, she bared the door. It became quite apparent that she was the head of this area, the warden so to speak. "Get ready for battle..." she spoke, aware that the heroes could arrive at any moment.

Having no time to waste, Paragon quickly used his super move Strobe Light to fire a large wave of concussive force directly into the door leading to the room where Spinal Tap and Chloris had slept: In order to break it open so that he could reach his fellow heroes.

"The barricade failed!!!" one the more fearful of the two guards announced, before his quirk activated. As a defense mechanism, a defeaning sound radiated from his body.

"Now!" the Warden realized, well aware of her subordinates quirk. As such, she was prepared. Withdrawing her gun, she quickly shot at the hero multiple times.

"Gagh!" Paragon screamed in agony as he grabbed the sides of his ears due to the deafening sound. He would use Strobe Light as he grabbed his ears, releasing an omnidirectional surge of concussive force to repel all attackers and incoming projectiles: Aiming to knock the two guards in front of him out as well as deflect the bullets from the Warden.

There was not much his oppressors could do. His attack covered both offense and defense. It was fierce and quick attack taht few would be able to counter. The deafening sound ceased and his friends were saved.

## Now You See Me

As the Guardian made his way to the Don's room, he had looked around the area, not having seen any cells along his path. As the area he was stuck in before was quite clearly the prison of the Cartel's base, Issac's deductions told him he was leaving the holding chambers of the base, and thus was perhaps approaching the highest priority location in the entire base. Heading swiftly towards what logically appeared to be the Don's room, the hero made a sudden turn and came to an abrupt halt the instant he registered a strange sound, footsteps in an area that was relatively quiet. Carefully approaching the footsteps, Issac attempted to identify the person following him.

"Knew it was you." A familiar voice spoke as Ibara dashed up next to the guardian. "I just took out an entire zoo and a horseman, barely even broke a sweat. How did your teleportation go?" He asked as he checked the area around them. The cavernous hallway ahead had a light near the end of it, probably leading to what could only be the Don. "Looks like this is the way to the Don huh." He added, looking ahead as he began to walk. "Lets go finish this up shall we Guardian." He grinned, drawing his bayonets.

"Oh, it's you. I just broke out of a cell and took out some guards, used a bit of stealth because I didn't want to risk some sort of alarm that could end up getting my allies killed, and then I put them in the cell. After that, I went for a "walk"." Issac said, yawning jokingly as if to sell that his particular task sounded a bit boring in comparison. Looking around to see if there was anyone immediately following Ibara, not having seen other members of the Cartel raid team after teleportation, Issac could not help but inquire, hushing his tone due to his proximity to what he assumed was the Don's room, "Everyone else, they're okay? Haven't gotten any word, kinda hoping they didn't forget about the mission in Room E, it's almost as important as taking down the Don." Confident in the other heroes at this point and their capability to get this far, Issac just hoped the separation didn't distract the group from their primary objectives in each room as it tends to with quite a number of teams. Walking towards the Don's room, Issac cracked his neck while keeping his guard up in response to Ibara's comments, responding, "Yeah, sounds like a plan to me."

"Oh, sounds like you had an exciting day too." Ibara replied as he streched his hands above his head. "I'm pretty sure everyone is alright I haven't run into anyone besides Igneous though. Our best bet is honestly getting the Don and taking him out as fast as we can." As they continued towards the room Ibara began to think aloud. "If anything I'm pretty sure those S.U.I.T. guys are going for the server room. And I think most of the others can handle themselves. Granted some are a lot less useful than others."

The two heroes would hear another set of footsteps approaching as Tigerheart ran up behind them. "Hey, wait up!" Tigerheart called out as he caught up to the two, slowing to their pace as he reached them. "Knew I'd find you here Guardian, you got locked up too right? What a pain... Probably missed some cool stuff. Good to see you too Inquisitor, too bad things didn't really go to plan. Anyway.. Paragon went to help the others get out and I came this way to find you Issac. We're heading to the Don's place, right?"

"Huh, seems like we're having a nice little reunion here." the Guardian said, upon hearing Tigerheart's voice. Slowing down so his friend could catch up and quickly returning to his normal stride as he did, Issac was assured that based on both Ibara's comments and Satoru's recent arrival that the others were most likely fine. Replying to Satoru, Issac both nodded and responded verbally. "Yeah, pretty much. ..I take it based on your question that you were one of my "allies" that got locked up as well?" Issac paused, imitating the voice of a particular guard that watched over his cell, before continuing. "And yes, this path should lead to the Don's place. Good to hear that you and the others are alright, things should be covered on that front if Paragon went out after them. Remaining heroes will probably show up here a bit later, seem occupied with their own trials."

"Good to see ya Tigerheart." Ibara replied as the three reached a large steel door. "Well this looks like the place." He stated as the door began to open.

As the mighty doors opened, a surge of heat was released from the opening like broken out prisoners escaping from jail. Growing wider and wider, the truth as to what was behind the door revealed itself. The room was completely destroyed; flames has engulfed most of the area along with huge craters from powerful blows. Anything of any value was either destroyed or burned to ash. In the middle of the chaos were three figures, two standing on the same side while another on the opposite. Despite only viewing their behinds, two of the figures would look awfully familiar to the heroes. One was the blue-haired hero who was assigned to this mission by the Pro Heroes Association but spontaneously disappeared: Magic Hero: Merlin. The other was a man of humongous stature, easily taller than seven feet with muscles that belonged to a giant. Despite not seeing his face, it was quite obvious who the man was: the currently suspended hero Hercules.

*Hours before the Heroes met*
Word did not escape Daisuke's ears as to the two nearly simultaneous defeats of Omoikane operatives were currently in holding and being interrogated. Suspecting the integration will go well, he rushed to the President of the Pro Heroes Association's office. "I want in on the Invade Omoikane Operation!" Daisuke demanded.

"Oh my!" the President exclaimed. Startled by the No. 1 hero's aggressive entrance, he spilled his coffee on his lap. "Hot! Hot! Hot!" he panicked, rising from his chair as he blew and patted down onto his pants. "I swear, why do I have a secretary if she just let's almost anyone in..." he mumbled under his breath, scared that she might hear him. He then gazed up, looking at Daisuke in the eyes with a confused expression. "Omoikane Operation?"

"Drop the act Akira!!!" Daisuke spoke with rage in his voice. "Everyone knows you have little birdies everywhere. So if I heard it then so did you!"

"You give me too much credit..." Akira Katsuo responded, as wiped his chair down before returning to it. "No, I haven't heard of any Operation about Omoikane. But even if there were one, I could've sworn I sent out a notice saying you and your agency's licenses were currently suspended till further notice..." he mentioned, before looking it up on his computer. "Yeah, it's right here. I literately sent it to everyone over a week ago, including you." tilting his computer screen to show him.

"Call...it...off.." Hercules spelled it out for him. "You know and I both know that was a hero going too far beyond the call of duty..." Hercules continued, refusing to say anything poor about the recently deceased Super Storm.

"Now, how do you think that would look. Investigations in regards to fraud aren't just conducted by the PHA, you know." he stated before listing those who conduct their own. "The Government, the twenty law firms, the charities...." he kept going on and on. When he finished, Akira concluded with, "I can't just drop it..."

Daisuke's angered face was substituted for one with disappointment. He let off a huge sigh before turning around and heading for the exit. "I guess *Hercules* won't go..."

"You do know Hercules is the personification of your hero rights, correct?" Akira questioned, well aware as to what the No. 1 hero was plotting. "Daisuke Eiji would be under arrest if he utilized his quirk in any form or way outside of self-protection..."

Chills ran down Daisuke's back as he was caught before he even left the room. He halted and remained petrified for a moment. "I guess that's a chance I'm going to have to take..."

At that moment the doors slammed right before Daisuke. "Now, now. Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Akira spoke with a sudden change in tone. "If neither Hercules nor Daisuke can go, then that just means you can't be there." Suddenly, a man with blue hair emerged directly behind the No. 1 hero.

"I gotta say, you're one tall mothafucka..." Hachiman noted, before disappearing yet again, only to reappear behind the President.

"This is Merlin.." Akira spoke since Hachiman appeared to be poor at introductions. "He's an up and coming hero I've taken under my wing. And so you probably just noticed, the solution to your problem..."

*And the rest is history. Hachiman would be appointed to the mission for the sole purpose of covering Daisuke's trail. Being present since the beginning, he's walked among his peers in secret until he chose to separate from the group and head straight to the Don undetected. The two have been battling since.*

Merlin gazed at the newly arrived heroes briefly before turning his attention back to Hercules. "I told you this would happen, you fucker!" Merlin told Daisuke before the two nearly instantaneously disappeared from existence. Though not before Daisuke raised his hand to shoulder length and gave those heroes behind him a thumbs up.

The Don could not help but laugh. "I get it now. Hercules, you fool!" he continued to laugh hysterically, before calming down and gazing at his new foes. "So I take I'm supposed to fight you guys now?" he questioned as the flames surrounded him.

About three miles from the Don's quarters, Toyotama-hime and Hohodemi rushed towards the Don's room with nearly fifty quirk enhanced fighters trailing behind them. "I mustn't let her get to the Don's room!" Conquest thought, as his goons drew closer.

As the doors opened, it was immediately obvious that a fight had broken out in the midst of the Don's room, seemingly amongst combatants of tremendous physical might and an ability to excessively generate fire judging by it's condition. While such characteristics were not atypical of particularly one of the men in the room, the mere fact that the Don appeared to be relatively fine enough to laugh was slightly offputting, as it spoke volumes of his physical resilience. Watching on as the two heroes seemingly flickered away, Issac was actually somewhat surprised to see Hercules in the room as H.O.P.E itself in it's entirety was suspended, as a brave soul put his life on the line to release an onslaught that left him beyond the grave.

Nodding as the hero, Hercules, gave the team a thumbs up in encouragement, the Guardian prepared to engage his opponent, observing the foe that might have otherwise been another of the hero's Labours. Based on a quick assessment, if Hercules had to the release these facets of his power, then he too should probably be on guard. As the villain asked his question, Issac let his opponent's voice ring out throughout his own destroyed chambers, before deciding to reply to him, "I do believe you are. It's about time this operation here gets put to an end.", both in response to the villain's question and penchant for a dramatic flair. The situation with Daisuke and Merlin could be and would be discussed later, what mattered now, was putting the kingpin of the Cartel behind bars, preferably for the rest of his life.

"Oh man you guys tore the place up," Ibara spoke lightly, giving a nod to the two proud heroes. "You two take a quick rest, the cavalry has arrived." Ibara scowled beneath his mask though, to have done this to them the Don had to be one serious piece of work. "Looks like this is gonna be one hell of a fight then." He spoke as he drew his bayonet. Vines curling from his back as he approached.

"We already knew that though. Didn't come here expecting it to be easy," Tigerheart stated, electing to just focus on what was in front of him since he really had no clue what was up with the two heroes from before. The tiger-like aura surrounding Satoru brightened, growing more intense as he looked at the Don. Gazing at who must surely be the biggest threat to society Satoru had yet encountered to this point, Satoru's Quirk flared to it's maximum, with its power being strongly tied to Tigerheart's sense of justice and state of mind.

All of a sudden, Igneous had come flying into the Don's room, riled up and ready to go. "Ibara, I took care of the fucking animals! But don't you ever tell me what to do and run off on me again! I want to face the Don just as badly as you do!" Igneous expressed in apparent anger and frustration. "Now..." Igneous stated as he quickly took in the scenery around himself before grasping a basic idea of what was going on. "Let's get this over with!" Igneous shouted as he amped up his current state of Molten Core even further: Bolstering his physical parameters.

With a joyful smirk on his face, he spoke the newly arrived heroes. "I'm glad the Pro Hero Association has blessed me with the presence of so many highly praised heroes." he spoke ever so confidently. Yet internally, his thoughts were quite different. "Four heroes now, none of them individually matching Hercules in regards to power, but each still a threat nonetheless...From what I remember from the report of the top one hundred heroes, almost all of their quirks are pretty upfront. Except for him...." he gazed at the Guardian. "Nonetheless, it is doable. With those two gone, I got a fresh start with my quirk.." he noted before a massive cube emerged from the steel ground, imprisoning the Don.

Tensing naught but a single finger as the villain began to give his dialogue, the Guardian seemingly dematerialized on the spot. Instantaneously replacing his own frame however, was the full manifestation of a construct the hero often chose to reserve for fights against more powerful opponents. Standing tall as a creation paying homage to the mecha culture of Japan as well as both the Western video game and comic book industry enveloped his body, Issac took a sharp breath before speaking. "Everyone be fully on guard." Armed with the knowledge him that attacking wildly as the highest ranking hero in a mission with these many of his fellow heroes could potentially allow an opponent to flawlessly counterattack, Issac opted to analyze when he could, being a thinker before a fighter. Not wanting to attack too soon and risk his own or the lives of his comrades needlessly, Issac seemingly projected what would appear to be naught but several lines in front of him, akin to strokes of a fluorescent marker imprinted onto the air. Dancing them them around his now massive armoured appearance, they swirled around his frame in an intricate pattern seemingly under his complete mental command. Noting the massive cube, the Guardian fired up his Hero Outfit as the giant encasing him suddenly became outfitted with a glow to it's gauntlets of deep crimson. "..Is this his Quirk?", the hero thought to himself, looking around the area for any subversions.

Ibara narrowed his eyes behind the mask as he started at the cube. "Alright time for some action then, Guardian watch this alright." He spoke as four bayonets appeared in his hand. He tossed the four towards the cube at frightening speeds. Ibara had shown multiple times that his bayonets could slice through metal like butter when wielded normally. However when thrown the story was entirely different. Ibara had thrown his bayonets with enough force behind him to quite literally shatter glass in the nearby vicinity. There was a clear power to the blades aimed at the cube. However Ibara's move was not aimed to kill, it was a test. Hard, thick, soft, malleable, hollow, or not. Ibara's move was made to test the cube in an attempt to find out exactly what it was made of or packing before they actually moved in on it. He'd alerted the Guardian due to his years of experience, just like Ibara he could probably recognize some properties of the cube based on the way it took the attack.

Similar to Ibara's past experiences, the cube was slice in four different ways as a result of Ibara's bayonets. But, despite being imprisoned, as the slashes revealed what was inside the cube, an empty shell remained. The Don was no longer within the unit. But before any other heroes could take note and discuss among each other what exactly occurred. A massive opening below their feet spontaneously emerged. The opening lead to the open water, where the heroes would be crushed by the sea's outstanding pressure if they were to fall in.

Tigerheart would react quickly, rapidly extending the arm of his aura, latching onto the wall with his claws to catch himself. He would also expand his other arm, looking to catch the other heroes with the expanded paw of his aura incase they were unable to save themselves. "Not even gonna fight us fairly, huh? Guess I shoulda expected that too..." Tigerheart stated as he clung to the wall.

"What the.." Ibara stated briefly as the floor flew open beneath him. Tigerheart was already out of the way so Ibara extended a vine to his outstretched hand, gripping it to pull himself towards him. He extended more vines to the other heroes, should they require them. "Is he....manipulating the ship?" Ibara spoke aloud, pondering the idea. It wasn't impossible if he was, the cube came from the ship and the hole in the bottom was another part of it. "If anyone can sense him in the walls check that!" Ibara shouted to the other hero, not possessing the current technology to do so on his person.

Similarly to Tigerheart; the very instant the opening was made the Guardian reacted swiftly, with two of the summoned lines suddenly halting in their revolution and expanding, manifesting themselves into the form of wings on his back. Flapping them once to gain lift, the Guardian quickly made a vertical ascent before noting his guildmate's measure to protect the others. Switching his position immediately, the hero kept an eye out for his opponent. Knowing the capabilities of the heroes he was with, Issac quickly assumed that due to the nature of the sudden chasm in the Don's room the opponent was attempting to eliminate the other heroes, removing any footholds for them to jump from.

"...It would appear that our opponent can shift the ground in his room." , Issac said, noting what it would appear the villain was attempting to get at. "Would appear that our footing's going to be unstable unless however, he did it is locked to just that area. If he is manipulating the ship then our footing is probably the least of our problems though." the hero replied to the Inquisitor, looking around for any sign of the Don. "I wouldn't be able to check unless I puncture the interior wall, and the method itself would be as roundabout as possible. Don't want to risk the ship's structural integrity while everyone's still on it." Doubting that anyone could sense through the walls of the area, the only actual option Issac saw within his own power was to attempt to root the villain out by penetrating the interstitial area between the exterior and internal walls, though such a method was far too risky to be worth it.

Igneous didn't have a counter to the floor opening up beneath him, so he latched onto Tigerheart's aura as quickly as he could to prevent from falling to his demise. "God fucking dammit! So this is how he wants to play huh?! With games and tricks?! Fucking asshole!" Igneous shouted in clear anger and frustration at the situation. "If we wanna find this guy we're gonna have to risk it and start tearing open the walls! It's the only way since none of us can find him otherwise!" Igneous explained hotheadedly.

The villain did not hesitate to follow up with another attack. This time, however, his assault would be more offensive than the former. Once again using the room as his plaything, it began to shift and adjust. The flat floor began to transform into a series of hills designed to imbalance his targets. As the floor began to fluster, the walls and roof also began to alter in shape, growing spear like points which would target the heroes. In control of the entire rooms dimensions, the piercing nature of the walls and roof targeted them from nearly every direction.

Having elevated himself earlier, Issac maintained his flight, hovering over the suddenly inclining flooring as the villain reshaped the building, quickly descending downwards towards his allies in an attempt to negate his opponent's play in a flash of bright light, leaving behind a dizzying trail much akin to his younger guildmate. However simultaneously, the roof and surrounding walls appeared to change in shape, seemingly gaining a sharp point in an attempt to pierce the heroes, with Issac seemingly barely missing the roof's edges as a result of his quick decision. Swooping down to grab his allies around the room, Issac made contact with the ground with his right foot covered in his iconic construct for an instant, grabbing the Inquisitor and Igneous in one swift movement.

However, due to Tigerheart's positioning, his rescue would be perhaps trickier, although due to his positioning, Issac rescued Tigerheart last, as due to the fact that both of the other heroes were depending on Satoru to stay balanced, moving Satoru first would all but doom his other allies. Knowing that rushing in straight on towards Tigerheart could telegraph his movements to the Don and allow him to get off with a cheap attack, the Guardian made a sudden rotation in mid-air, a barrel roll while descending towards Tigerheart. Upon coming close enough to grab Tigerheart, the hero seemingly pushed off of the inclined slope created by the villain from the ship's flooring to propel himself away from the wall near his guildmate, avoiding the enclosing protrusions. "Oi, Tigerheart, give me a hand here!" the Guardian exclaimed, seemingly expecting his guildmate to know what he meant. While it was true that the Guardian would be capable of defending himself in such a scenario, even his power was not without limits, and utilizing his Quirk this extensively with the level of focus required for engaging in battle when such a thing could be avoided may have hampered himself unnecessarily in the battle against the Don.

"Thanks, Issac!" Tigerheart yelled back, before projecting his quirk outwards. Satoru expanded the ghostly white aura of his quirk to surround not only himself, but the other heroes as well as the Guardian propelled them away, in order to ensure their safety as the protruding spikes closed in on them.

"Oi Guardian I'm gonna borrow some of the light of yours." He spoke as he was picked up. Eyeing the spears coming from everywhere he jumped from Issac, some of the light that he was producing was absorbed into him. "Time to show ya what it means to be a hero." He spoke as vines shot from his back ramming into the incoming steel and piercing through it. A web of vines anchored him to the wall, now suspended as hundreds of vines made an entire platform for the others to stand on. He stared up at the ceiling and laughed as he stood from his place, drawing more bayonets as more vines grew from him. "Anyone bring a bio-organic scanner?" Ibara shouted, scanning the area for the nested attack.

"Now it's my turn!" Igneous proudly stated as he leapt from the Guardian and into the incoming spikes as he smashed them to pieces with his superhuman strength. He would then land triumphantly on the platform that the Inquisitor had created. "Time to force him to come out of hiding" Igneous said as he immediately pierced the closest wall with his Thunder Piercer and started running across the room slicing open the wall (although not too deep) in an attempt to reveal the Don's location.

Despite their attempts, it was already too late. The Don's empire had fallen. His commanders were eliminated thus leaving his troops without proper leadership. Even if he managed to achieve victory over the many heroes here, he'd be forced to start over anyway. Thus, it was time to scrap it all. His reign of terror was over and it was time to pass the torch. But he would not leave the show without one last move. Using the previous attacks to give him the time he required to control the whole ship. At that moment, the entire fortress began to condense. In due time, the metals that maintained the base of the structure would be forced into submission and fall apart; letting the tons of water that surrounded them in and crushing them.

Reacting quickly to the surrounding scenario, Issac seemingly deactivated his armour and one of his wings, immediately reverting them to their previous line state. Seemingly touching the ground around him, one of the lines seemingly pierced a of the Don's room, before suddenly encasing a massive part of the room in a white glow. With his Quirk fully flared and observing his opponent's attempts at a last ditch effort, the Guardian, as a student of U.A, decided he would make his school proud by embodying their motto. Watching the ship go down around him, the Guardian seemingly generated several more of these lines at a rapid pace and started to spread them throughout the area. Piercing through this room and going around the ship, due to Issac's knowledge of the base the Guardian was capable of sending out his Quirk across the ship, having known the ship's schematics.

"Mate." Issac thought to himself, finishing up a phrase he had said earlier, effectively placing his opponent in a state of checkmate, rendering incapable of making a move that would be of any advantage to him at this point. As the Don made his attempts at a final move, the Guardian seemingly released the mental restrictions on conserving his power he usually would in a battle scenario, spreading his light throughout the ship as if to eradicate the darkness of the villain's plan. With a goal to encase the base in multiple constructs spread out across the ship, the Guardian's plan was to seemingly set up an encasing, restricting the extent to which the villain was capable of contorting the ship due to having to contend with his encasing, while simultaneously making the individual parts of the ship effectively more durable as to resist contortion. Born with a Quirk meant to match perfectly with his family's mechanical and engineering background, Issac's Quirk was perhaps perfect for such a usage.

Each individual casing removed some of the strain on the fortress' structural integrity Issac had to resist due to reducing the pressure generated by the Don's attempts at mangling the ship. Exhausting himself notably, Issac placed his hand on Satoru's aura, seemingly siphoning off some of the glow generated via his guildmates' aura due to it being artificial as well to accomplish this feat without immediately rendering himself unconscious, having exerted himself in the past. Switching on his connection to the Hero Network, Issac's voice rung loud and clear to the other heroes in this direct area. "We need to get out of here as quickly as possible, the Don's going down with the ship!", before speaking directly to the others near him. "Inquisitor, see if you can make a vine to get us out of here, I'll keep the ship going for as long as the Don keeps trying. We're pretty deep so it'll probably need to be very large, I'll imagine your vines have no problem growing towards the sun like other plants. Satoru, keep your aura up, both the Inquisitor and I are going to need it. Igneous, see if you can generate light as well to help us both, try not to set the Inquisitor's vines on fire. Team, let's get a move on, I'm getting seasick." Joking at the end, the fact of the matter was the Guardian was somewhat relying on his guildmates to stay conscious, and any bit of light he could get from them would greatly assist his attempts at stopping the Don from crushing all the heroes inside.

"Alright then, here goes nothing." Ibara shouted as the light shone on him. The hope of everyone rested with him as he absorbed as much light as possible. Some of his vines shot down into the hole in the ship. Unlike most plants, the vines connected to Ibara could collect nutrients from even salt water in the same way a human could. His vines began to drink and drink the water as he continued to absorb everything as long as he could. A cocoon of vines began to form around Ibara as he grinned. "Oi Guardian make sure to pick me up outta here. I don't know if I'll be conscious after this." With those final works the cocoon completed itself, wrapping him completely. For a few seconds nothing happened but then it exploded. Vines shot from everywhere on the cocoon, growing in size as they traveled further from it. Large and thick they crashed their way upwards through the entire ship wrapping around various parts of it as they contorted and twisted. More vines shot through the hole, plugging it entirely as they continued to suck nutrients from the seawater. By the time they had stopped growing, the ship was covered in an endoskeleton of vines. They held it together even with the crushing, their presence maintaining the structural integrity of the ship. Even when it was being crushed. Another giant vine burst forthing, going directly upwards with large steps on each part of it. The vine broke through the ship all the way to the bubble at the top. The cocoon broke open as Ibara almost fell out, knelling and wheezing, he looked extremely out of shape. "I don't know how long that will hold. But lets get the fuck outta." He spoke, out of breath.

"That coward was too scared to even fight us properly.. And he's resorting to this now.. Tch." Tigerheart grit his teeth as he spoke, before calming himself down to continue. "Anyway.. Now that Ibara made us a path, I'll get us out of here. Try not to throw up, alright Issac?" Satoru finished, then projecting his Tiger aura outwards to surround all four heroes. Satoru's aura would begin climbing the vine that Ibara had exhausted himself to create, dashing upwards towards the top of the base and carrying the heroes inside of it. Upon reaching the top of the fortress, Satoru would continue climbing the vine through the sea, his aura acting as a barrier between the water and the heroes. His aura would both protect them from the pressure of the sea, as well as act as an air bubble for the heroes as Satoru carried them up towards the surface.

"I'll propel us upward" Igneous explained as he reactivated Molten Core and focused it towards his feet, generating a convection current in the sea: Causing the water to rise and push the four heroes upward towards the surface. Igneous relied on Satoru's aura to protect himself and the others not only from the water pressure, but from the heat of the boiling hot water around them."We'll reach the top in no time at all at this rate... looks like our mission has been accomplished."

### United We Stand

Out of nowhere, a stream of light blue concussive force came down from the sky and created a line between Toyotama and Hohodemi and Conquest and his henchmen. "Stop right there!" A young figure shouted that appeared to be no one but Platinum Paragon as he descended from the sky with his graceful silver wings. "You aren't going beyond this point, I'll stop you right here and now!" Paragon explained as his body began to emit blue light and slight concussive forces. Paragon's goal was to prevent Conquest and his goons from preventing his allies from reaching the Don's room, and that was exactly what he was going to do.

The sound of countless pairs of feet echoes down the halls as Otohime and Hoori ran from their pursuers. All traces of Otohime's relaxed stated from earlier were gone, replaced with a look of determination as she focused on the task at hand. Many of the henchmen had bruises from the handful of times Otohime had to use Draconic Rage to knock them back. Otohime continued to run even after the henchman lost her thanks to Paragon's interference. She and Hoori didn't stop running until they were safely in Don's room.

Noticing the two heroes approaching the room, the Don, who had been currently been fighting four other heroes, closed the path with through his manipulation of the ship. The wall that prevented the two heroes from proceeding would grow thicker and thicker by the second making, rupturing the impediment nearly impossible.

Forced to remain and fight, the villains circled the three heroes.

Paragon used Strobe Light once more and fired a large continous beam of force directly into all of the henchmen surrounding himself, Otohime, and Hoori: In order to send them crashing into the walls. "We're gonna defeat and capture you guys! You're gonna prove useful to the Pro Hero Association!" Paragon boldly and confidently explained as he remained in a battle stance.

Beelzebub had been walking by the room the three were currently surrounded in. He was on his way to the main console but had gotten sidetracked by the screams coming from nearby. "Oh well this is interesting." He spoke as he stared into the room. The arms of his obsidian-colored suit began to glow yellow as more fireflies burst from them, flying towards the enemies as they began to explode, vaporizing anything caught in the blast.

Utilizing their quirks, they attempted to avoid what appeared to be their inevitable fate. A whirlwind of attacks were conjured up. Fire, Ice, wind, lightning, darkness, lava, light; each of were a weapon utilized in a sporadic barrage of attacks used as a last resort to eliminate several heroes in one shot. Conquest had no interest in saving his pawns, just as the Don had no interest in saving him.

"Erase it." Beelzebub spoke as the flies began exploding rapidly in front of him. Anything that touched their explosions was reduced to nothing. He continued to protect only himself, uncaring for the others there. "Hey Neptune you done?" He spoke aloud, met only with buzzing as a response. As he continued to stand there he felt the ship shake, vine s ripping through parts of the room as they crawled everywhere. "Neat." He mouthed as his watch finally lit up. The ship shook once again. A voice boomed through PA System.

"Greetings Heroes and Villains. I am Fate Weaver, and I have commandeered this vessel. Two of my agents are present right now. And with their help I now control the ship." Everyone could feel the ship lurch as it changed direction. "To those villains that hope to escape on the subs, they've been taken out the only exit is through the top. With the boosters, my other agent has been attaching to this ship the whole time we'll be flying out of the water in about 1 minute. Out there I have a ship waiting, and mind you it's been there a little while. You all took too longer than expected. So please try to make your way to the top in an orderly manner." The voice ceased as the PA system stopped.

"Well, it sounds like our mission is complete." Paragon said right before he charged up some more energy and prepared to fire it at the remaining villains in front of him. "Are you guys gonna come along with us peacefully and quietly or do we have to take you in by force?" Paragon asked politely as he seriously eyed all of the villains in front of him.

In the following hours, heroes of the Pro Heroes Association, agent of the Japanese Government, doctors from the most renown hospitals and newscasters would soon arrive at the scene where they greeted the heroes. However, due to the many loose ends that came from this mission, the heroes arrived after the mission explained that no interviews with the heroes would be held at this time. Yet despite their limited access, they ShineSparknews crew would be on the scene doing what they do best.

"Reporting from Izu Oshima, I bring you joyous news. The War on Drugs has come to an end. I repeat, the War on Drugs has come to an end. This is a momentous moment not only for Japanese but hero history. While we don't currently have the full list of heroes who partook in this operations, we have sources who tell us that some of the biggest names in heroism took part, including: The Guardian, La Mariposa, and The Inquisitor. While due to some injuries and the interest of withholding sensitive information. In the upcoming days however, I'm sure we'll bring you live interviews with some of the cast who made this amazing feat possible. On behalf of the citizens of the world, we thank you for your service heroes!"

The message was broadcasted on nearly almost every station on Japanese television and one news centers across the globe.

However, depsite the great victory. The heroes who fought hard, would not have it easy. Understanding some *unofficial* help was acquired during this mission. The operatives sat down with each and every member of this operation in order to discuss how they would display the story to their benefit.