MHA: Dark Matter

Walking through the tunnel, I thought about everything I had seen before. The laboratories, which I could identify by the empty fixtures where equipment should have been and some left behind furniture, were empty. Yet it was clear that someone had been working there just a few days ago. And judging by the actions of the remaining personnel, this complex would soon be vacated.

If I had waited a few more days, I would have had to make do with only the people I had managed to spot. So the question arose: why were they leaving this place? The most likely answer was that they had learned that this location had been discovered by the League of Villains. This proved that Haijima and the League of Villains were, at the very least, not allies. At most, they were enemies.

But one thing still bothered me. Or rather, one creature. Nomu. I had managed to secretly take a sample of Nomu's blood, and through some discreet medics who knew how to keep quiet about their clients, I learned that there was human DNA in this thing.

Two organizations that knew each other. Both working on creating enhanced, subservient monsters from humans. The League of Villains' goal was clear: to destroy the current social system. Or so Shigaraki, who acted as the "leader," claimed. But what did Haijima want? Did they also want to start a coup, but had some disagreement with the League of Villains? The lack of information was frustrating.

I felt like I was wandering in the dark, blindly clutching at any lead to Haijima. To increase my chances of revenge, I needed allies. Or to become as strong as All Might in his prime. That would be very difficult. Alternatively, I could cooperate with the League of Villains, but they might demand my complete submission. Maintaining equal allied relationships for long is very hard. Although Giran seemed to manage it somehow.

After I finished this self appointed mission, I needed to think everything over carefully.

Throughout this time, I hadn't lowered my guard. I maintained my invisibility with "Choice." When the tunnel ended, I found another empty hall, but with a freight elevator that had just risen to the surface.

Without hesitation, using "Choice" to its fullest, I went up.

The room I ended up in was an ordinary warehouse, the likes of which I had seen dozens of times in my life. From the elevator that had just risen, workers were unloading cargo that a forklift was loading onto a truck parked there.

But my attention was immediately drawn to a bright radiance with several blurry colors. The owner of this radiance was talking to a man whose radiance was much dimmer in comparison.

I moved closer.

"…seventy percent of the work is done. In a couple of days, we can move the remaining equipment, then begin eliminating traces of our presence here. No significant or unusual incidents have occurred."

Nodding slightly, the man with the bright radiance asked with a slight smirk that could be heard in his voice.

"What about rats?"

Confusion was evident in the reply.

"Tokiomi sama, we have taken all preventive measures to prevent the appearance of pests."

I quickly ducked my head. A beam of light with orange hues flashed where my head had been. I stopped maintaining my invisibility and carefully examined the man whose finger was pointing at me.

Dressed in a crimson jacket with a white shirt underneath, burgundy pants, and brown patent leather shoes, his entire appearance contrasted sharply with his surroundings. At that moment, his yellow eyes, set in an arrogant face with a goatee, stared at me with contempt.

"You missed one pest. Though I've made a slight mistake in my designation. It would be more accurate to call him not a rat, but a stray dog. Decided to return to his masters?"

He now addressed me directly. The enemy clearly liked to talk. Carelessness or confidence in his own strength?

"Ticci Micc decided to pay a courtesy visit to his old acquaintances. I also brought gifts…"

Two knives flew toward the goateed man and his recent companion in a white coat holding a tablet. They were deflected by two beams of yellow orange light.

"Wretched tricks and pieces of metal won't get you…"

The man, who had begun to speak mockingly, stopped. He frowned, looking at the truck and the cargo in crates, which had started to catch fire. Flipping another incendiary bomb in my hand, I threw it at the forklift driver. I pressed my hands to my mask in mock surprise, shaking my head sadly, all while not taking my eyes off this dandy.

"Oh, dear. Your truck is on fire. And the cargo. I wonder how much it cost? Probably a lot, judging by your sour face. Don't worry, money isn't the most important thing in life."

I jumped out of the path of five light beams. I quickly drew my pistol, hoping to put some unplanned holes in this Tokiomi's body. But a thin, hexagonal wall of yellow light, connected at the center to the dandy's fingers, stopped the bullets.

The sound of his former companion's body falling to the ground didn't elicit any emotion from Tokiomi. The man, who could safely be called a slowpoke for trying to get away too late, was dead.

My jump smoothly turned into a run. I began circling the dandy, continuously firing my pistol. His yellow eyes closely followed my movements. His hand still held the hexagonal shield, moving it slightly.

Suddenly, a beam of light from his other hand passed through the yellow shield and flew toward where I was predicted to be. However, my figure, ignoring inertia, sharply changed direction toward the dandy. Skillful use of the recoil from "Rejection," combined with weightlessness from "Choice," allowed me to pull off even more impressive maneuvers.

A knife, unlike its predecessors, accelerated by "Rejection," struck the upper edge of the light shield, causing it to tilt sharply. The dandy's eyes widened. He couldn't block the next shot from my pistol with his shield. I had saved the last bullet for this moment.

In slow motion, I watched as golden particles of light began to swirl in the palm of his free hand. Damn. I barely had time to cover my body with "Hardening" before a whirlwind of golden particles struck me, sending my body through the wall.

Ignoring the pain and the loss of my pistol, I threw off my belt of bombs, which, by some miracle, hadn't detonated from that searing whirlwind. I dodged the subsequent beams by launching myself into the air, planning to tire out my opponent by making him shoot at a flying target.

Soaring through the air, I tried to spot my opponent. A light beam, as wide as my chest, flew straight at me. I dodged, only to watch with wide eyes as it changed direction at a perfect ninety degree angle. Straight toward me.

I barely had time to cover myself with my hands, protected by "Hardening." My body was knocked aside. Colors blurred around me as I covered the rest of my body with "Hardening." My body slammed into the asphalt.

Oh. The indescribable feeling. One I wanted to pass along to that bastard.

I stood up. I blew away the wind with "Rejection," preparing to survey my surroundings and then fly off to kill the dandy. But the sensation of a rapidly approaching radiance caught my attention.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a group of heroes, including Endeavor who had appeared out of nowhere, and creatures suspiciously resembling Nomu. I watched as the dandy flew toward me. He hovered majestically over the roof of a building across from me and began to speak.

"A mutt that ran away from its masters has decided to bite them. For such insolence, you will be punished when I return you to your place. To your cage."

Two streams of amber light emanated from his back, somehow allowing him to fly. But judging by the crimson cracks that had appeared on his neck, that beam of light hadn't come easily to him.

"Because of you, mutt, we've attracted attention. And for that…"

He finally noticed his surroundings. A ball of light began to form on the tip of his raised left index finger.

A single thought raced through my mind as I watched this damn "light mage."

"…you will pay."

What else could this damn "light mage" do?

********A/N*******

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