The conversation with All Might left everyone feeling strange, especially Allen, who had to pretend the entire time that he remembered him.
Of course, unlike with Nemuri, his relationship with All Might didn't seem that close. At the very least, he didn't appear to visit him frequently.
Allen went to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of water, and started drinking while leaning against the counter.
"With all the information I've gathered so far, I can already get an idea of what my past is like, but there's one detail I don't understand. Why does everyone know that I have multiple Quirks?"
It was only recently that the system gave him access to the character templates, so it made no sense for Nemuri and All Might to know about it beforehand.
[ I can answer that. In the past, you were in danger more than once, so to protect you I used several methods that were identified by them as Quirks... I suppose.]
Allen placed the cold water bottle against his forehead. "I see... that gives me the final piece I needed to complete the puzzle."
Allen believed that the heroes had known about his existence since he was a very young child. A child with many abilities like that would be a target for both the government and villains, so the heroes decided to take responsibility for Allen.
He was never officially adopted by any of them, but instead rotated among several heroes without families. That was how he grew up, and why two famous heroes seemed to know his identity.
Magneto – You were lucky, Allen Walker. A mutant like you in that world would normally end up in some facility as an experiment.
Diana – It's a good thing that didn't happen. If that All For One had known about you, you wouldn't have had such a peaceful life.
Allen didn't suffer the fate of being found by the government or villains, but by heroes instead. That was a good thing.
McDragon – I bet you were raised only by heroines -_-
Rias – That sounds way too logical. It is Allen we're talking about.
Anissa – Tsk. Raising a child like Allen is every Viltrumite woman's dream. How enviable. I hope our children turn out just like their father.
Allen coughed, not wanting to touch on pregnancy-related topics, especially considering Lucifer's words before coming to this world.
"Who knows? We'll find out in the future. I hope I wasn't staying at the house of some kind of weirdo!"
Somewhere, a violent woman sneezed while mercilessly beating a thief. She apologized and kept beating him.
Natasha – By the way, Allen, I know you'll use that power, but be careful.
Using templates grants the essence of a character—their powers, weapons, clothing—but it isn't free. It also comes with their "burden," whether it's their hatred, vengeance, morality, justice, sorrow, ideals, intense desires, all multiplied by every variant of that character.
These templates weren't free at all. Lucifer designed them to apply mental and spiritual pressure on Allen, seeking to erode his personality, damage his will, and confuse his own conscience. That's why Allen had to be careful and prepared to face all of that whenever he used a template.
"I know. I've endured many things in my life, but I'm not arrogant enough to underestimate the burden of each template... however, you all saw how strong Giant became just with Lucifer's help. I'm afraid using them is inevitable."
A visible template appeared in front of Allen, allowing everyone to see it.
[There is a safer way to use the templates.]
"Really?"
[ Yes, but it will reduce the power obtained from them. It will also increase the amount of time you can use the templates, although in the case of silver ones, they will still disappear after one use.]
"And what is it?"
[ When activating a template, you can specify the activation percentage. For example, activating the Superman template at 50% will double the time you can use it and reduce the mental and spiritual burden, but it will also cut the power it grants you in half.]
Batman – Interesting. What happens when the template belongs to someone without abilities?
"Good question..."
[ The strength of a person is relative. Taking "Batman" as an example, since he includes a series of artifacts that he always carries, you might only obtain half of them, or his suit might go from having protective plates and an exoskeleton to being just fabric and spandex.]
Batman – I never liked the feeling that that "entity" always following you knows so many of my secrets, but it doesn't matter. As I said, I have different types of suits, from the simplest to highly technological ones. In my case, the suit type would probably change.
"Yeah, I'm sorry"
Allen knew how uncomfortable it was for each of them to realize that he knew so much about them before even meeting them, but all he could do was apologize and promise that he would never let that information fall into the wrong hands.
Batman – It doesn't bother me, just remember... don't let yourself be devoured.
Allen reviewed the templates he had and decided to test limited usage.
Among the silver cards, there was another Spider-Man one, so that was the chosen template.
"Alright, let's try 10%."
The card in his hand disappeared, and soon two web-shooters manifested on his wrists along with a mask. Allen checked for any other changes, but that was all.
Saya – That's it? What about your mental state?
"I can't feel anything different."
Allen didn't feel any kind of "burden," which was the biggest advantage. Even if it would only affect him the first time due to his mental strength, he didn't want to experience Joker's madness or Darkseid's evil firsthand.
Yoruichi – What about your strength?
"Mmm. No super strength, no spider-sense, no regeneration. Just the web-shooters and the mask... but in exchange, the duration increased tenfold..."
[Spider-Man Template: 9:59]
Felicia – Well, you're not weak... how about we go out and, you know, be Spider-Man?
Allen felt it was a good idea. He had already used the template anyway, so he prepared to head out and take the opportunity to learn a bit more about the city.
....
....
Allen swung between buildings using his webs. He didn't currently have Spider-Man's strength, but it was enough to do something like this.
On the streets, some people noticed him, but in a world like this, it was normal. Besides, Allen had only used the Spider-Man template in front of three people.
Allen even passed by a window cleaner who was walking vertically as if it were nothing. The man looked at Allen with a raised eyebrow before continuing his work.
Everyone in the Chat found it strange to see people using powers so casually, but this was that kind of world.
Allen decided to roam the city. This allowed him to see various heroes in action, including Mt. Lady, who rescued a child who had fallen into a river. For her, it was just a matter of stretching her arm and pulling him out, but any heroic act was commendable.
Kara – ...
Raven – You still don't like how heroism works in this world?
Kara – A little...
"Well, they have to make a living, and in a way, it's convenient that they get paid to be heroes. That way, they don't need a double life just to survive, and they can dedicate all their time to being superheroes."
Allen didn't condemn this way of being a hero. There were even benefits to saving people for profit; not everyone did it purely for justice or morality, but the innocent lives saved by them were still real.
When the Spider-Man template ended, Allen decided to continue on foot, walking around the city. With just one day, it was impossible to see everything.
A few hours later, Allen spotted another superhero. He had white wings and was flying through the sky, a young man with blond hair and aviator goggles.
People around began shouting "Hawks," making it clear he was a very popular hero.
"He's a bit far..." Allen said, narrowing his eyes to see better, but he couldn't.
The distance made it impossible for him to tell if Hawks had an identification tag.
After searching online, he learned it was Hawks, the number three-ranked superhero.
Angel – Wait, someone with that kind of mutation could be number three?
"Looks like it," Allen smiled, since Angel had a similar mutation.
Colossus – I told you your mutation wasn't weak, haha!
Hawks was just passing by, and once he left, Allen continued on his way. An hour later, Allen stopped to buy a hamburger before moving on. He checked his phone and saw two messages—one from Nemuri saying she would be staying late, and another from Toru, who had sent him a selfie. It was of her posing, but since she was invisible, Allen could only see her clothes.
Toru immediately deleted the photo and sent another message.
Toru: I'm sorry, please forget what happened.
Allen: Sure, but you owe me one~
The girl felt embarrassed, and her mind began to wander into a flood of strange fantasies that made her blush.
....
As time passed, night fell.
The city lit up with countless lights.
"This city is pretty big..."
Allen had gone everywhere he was told to, and even so, he hadn't seen even half of the city.
"The real question is when the trouble will start..."
One thing was already clear to him: this world of superheroes would have its villains, and among them there would surely be some extremely dangerous ones.
"Maybe I should train a bit more."
Akeno – Are you sure? I don't see the need to be so active~
Erza – Don't be reckless. Precisely because you don't know much about this world, it's better to stay discreet.
"I am discreet." Allen crossed his arms. "Who do you take me for?"
Tony – The guy who didn't hesitate to pull out nuclear weapons to defeat second-rate villains.
"I don't want to hear that from the guy who couldn't last five minutes with a secret identity."
Tony – At least I wasn't exposed by a pink-haired girl with pigtails!
"Shut up—"
Allen stopped arguing with Tony when he noticed Koichi sliding through the streets below. His Quirk allowed him to move around, but he wasn't very fast.
Even a bicycle could outrun him.
Koichi was wearing a jacket similar to All Might's suit while helping people, from simple things like helping a man look for his watch to carrying a woman's grocery bags.
It truly lived up to the title of "Nice Guy."
"I don't understand why he didn't become a hero..."
It was obvious Koichi was a vigilante. Of course, his activities could only be classified as those of a good Samaritan, but any vigilante would be arrested if caught.
"I don't get it." Rebecca stood on Allen's head. "If this guy just wanted to be the Virgin Mary, why not do it without a costume?"
Allen laughed and followed Koichi.
"You don't understand, Rebecca... It's a man's romance to wear a superhero suit"
....
Koichi continued with his good deeds, although some people called him Cockroach–Man, something Koichi didn't like.
Eventually, he entered an alley where he found Pop Step looking at her phone.
They greeted each other. The girl had noticed that Koichi spent his time picking up trash around the streets—if he wanted to be a superhero so badly, he could just become one.
"Hey, look who we've got here!" an unpleasant young voice interrupted their conversation.
Koichi looked at the three guys. They were the punks whose asses Allen had kicked last time.
"Bastard!" spat one of the hooligans.
"..." Koichi sensed danger.
"You're the cockroach," growled the leader.
Koichi panicked—it was normal. His actions were based on helping grandmas cross the street, not facing criminals. That was the job of real heroes.
The leader punk, still injured from Allen's blow, was furious. However, he knew he couldn't get revenge on Allen, so he decided to take it out on Koichi, who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"Hm? Oh, you're cute..."
Pop took a step back. She could feel their bad intentions.
The leader grabbed Pop's arm and cornered her. "Wow, you've got a nice body under that coat. No wonder so many Otakus follow you around like lapdogs!"
"Let me go!!" Pop exclaimed, feeling afraid.
Another one laughed. "She looks like a villain~"
"Don't touch my mask! I'll call the police!"
The lizard-looking one licked his lips. "Go ahead, tell them everything we're gonna do to you~"
"No!"
Pop Step's eyes filled with tears. Beneath the mask and flashy clothes, she was just a normal girl—and of course, she was afraid of being exposed, and even more afraid of being abused.
"Stop!"
Seeing this, Koichi tried to intervene, but he was punched and knocked to the ground. In that moment, Koichi felt mortal danger.
"Don't get involved, bastard. We'll deal with you later!"
This was the darkness hidden beneath society. People with powers were inevitably tempted to use them. If they were like Koichi, who only wanted to do good, or Pop, who just wanted freedom, nothing happened. But people like these could easily go from punks to villains or murderers simply for being born with Quirks.
Koichi was terrified as he was threatened by the punk's spikes. Meanwhile, one of the others tried to take advantage and touch the girl's body.
"I think I was too gentle last time..." a deep voice said.
The big punk's arm was grabbed by a black glove. Before he could react, he was struck with a blow that dislocated his shoulder and sent him flying through the air until he hit the ground.
The other two punks looked at their companion, then searched for whoever had done it—but they couldn't find him.
"What's going on?"
"Ahhh!"
The lizard punk was caught by a cable that dragged him into the darkness.
"Who's there?! What do you want?!"
The leader began to panic. No matter where he looked, he couldn't find the culprit.
"Are you scared?"
Allen's voice came from everywhere.
"Who are you?! Come out and fight like a man!"
"You call abusing a girl something a man would do? You're a beast..."
The punk stepped back.
"Listen, fine, you win. I'll leave."
"I gave you that chance, and you didn't take it. Now... it's punishment... It's vengeance..."
The already dark alleyway was filled with even more darkness. For a moment there was silence until...
A lightning bolt lit up the sky, revealing a shadow behind the punk. When he turned his head, his face went pale.
A human-shaped shadow, chilling white eyes. That shadow didn't look like a superhero—it looked like a… monster.
Pop gasped at the figure made of darkness.
Koichi held his breath.
"Stay back!"
The terrified punk covered his body with spikes, but that didn't matter to Allen. With armored gloves, he punched him in the chest, shattering the spikes and fracturing several ribs.
"Urgh!"
The punk fell to the ground clutching his chest. He no longer had the strength to get up, and yet all he could do was stare at the figure walking toward him, desperately wanting to escape.
It was fear…
And that was fine. Villains should fear him—that was the goal. In a world where some had lost fear of the law and the police, in a world where the most deranged and cruel criminals took pleasure in making others suffer, there existed a man.
He wasn't born as a symbol. He didn't grow up as an inspiring figure. This man was the fear of those who had forgotten it—the coldest embodiment of justice.
Some considered him an urban legend, others a horror story, but one thing was certain: there was no superhero more intimidating to villains than the one they called the Dark Knight.
"Are you scared?" Allen asked once more.
"Ahh—don't come closer!"
"Embrace that fear. Don't forget it. And tomorrow, before you even think about abusing someone with your Quirk, I want you to remember my face—because I'll be watching you from the shadows..."
"Who… are you?"
The punk spoke with barely any air left, almost as if begging for mercy.
"I am your fear. I am—"
Interrupting Allen, someone fell from the sky. Koichi ran so he wouldn't get crushed.
He was a person who fell on garbage bags.
"Don't worry, everything's fine because I'm here!" said a huge, muscular man wearing a trench coat. He had a bandana on his head as a mask.
[Iwao Oguro – "Knuckleduster"
Quirk – "Lost"]
"You are—"
Allen was surprised by Knuckleduster's arrival, but before he could speak, the man attacked him with a punch reinforced by metal knuckles.
"You think it's okay to abuse kids?!"
"...!" Allen blocked the punch with his forearm and countered with a kick.
Knuckleduster blocked it with his other hand, then grabbed Allen's leg and threw him.
Allen flipped through the air and threw two batarangs at Knuckleduster. The man smiled and rolled across the ground as the batarangs embedded themselves in the wall.
"Not bad!" Knuckleduster laughed, cracking his knuckles. "Looks like we're in for a good fight!"
"What a hero..."
"Hero?! Haha, look at me—I'm not a hero! I just like beating up villains!"
"You don't seem like someone who understands words..." Allen smirked.
[ Host, it seems they mistook you for a villain hehe]
'What a troublesome guy...' Allen pulled sleeping gas from his belt. 'But I can't blame him—I don't exactly look like a superhero.'
....
Barbara (Bat Girl) – Hehe... he~
Kara – Stop laughing like an idiot, hmph. What's so good about being a bat?
Barbara (Bat Girl) – Just admit you're jealous. A Batman suit looks better on him—it's elegant and aesthetic, not like that flashy blue and red thing!
Kara – Huh?! Say that again, bitch!
Superman – Kara, calm down.
Batman – That man is strong. Also, maybe I'm mistaken, but… he doesn't have a Quirk.
McDragon – Impossible. What kind of lunatic fights villains without powers?!
Batman – "..."
McDragon – Oh, right. Sorry.
===
A/N: I just realized how difficult it is to represent each template because it can't be a common entry.
If you want to read more, there are up to ten chapters ahead on Patreon.
Patreon.com/_Aizen