Authors note:
Speaking: "…"
Thinking: '…'
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Hawks' POV
Tokyo General Hospital
Slowly opening his eyes, Hawks stared at a white ceiling with a light that annoyingly blinded him. Looking around and identifying the place, the No. 3 hero concluded that he was in a hospital. Sitting up and examining himself, he noticed he was back in his physical body, and his bright red feathers had already grown back to full size. This meant he had been out for at least two days.
Clutching his forehead, he muttered, "What the hell happened? The last thing I remember is that guy nuking me."
At that moment, the door to his room opened, revealing an angry, fiery No. 2 hero. The Flame Hero noticed Hawks' woke up and began, "So you finally woke up, Hawks. For the No. 3 hero to be unconscious for three days is laughable," Endeavor sneered at the bedridden hero.
"Gee, what nice awakening words. I'm fine, thanks for asking. By the way, what the heck happened? How'd I get here?" Hawks asked.
"You tell me what happened," Endeavor snapped. "When I returned to my agency three days ago, the leader of the Eight Rings was sitting in my office, and he brought your incompetent ass with him before leaving without a word."
"Sorry, can't help you in that regard. The last thing I remember is that one Eight Rings guy nuking me before I passed out. I think his name was Light. But that's about all I've got," Hawks answered, his hands resting in a thoughtful pose.
"Huh, so you're clueless as well. Seems like your incompetence knows no bounds. Anyway, I'm here to tell you that tomorrow evening there will be a meeting of all top 10 heroes regarding the matter of the Eight Rings and how we should continue handling them. You're required to participate, so don't you dare miss it," Endeavor finished before angrily stomping out of the room, muttering something about that damn dragon sitting in his office like he owned the place.
Hawks sighed and looked out the window, sighing, 'I've been awake for not even five minutes, and work is already piling up on me.'
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Endeavor POV
Shortly after the beginning of the meeting.
Secret hero meeting point.
"So, as you all have already heard, this off-schedule meeting is to discuss the recent appearance of a new group of extremely dangerous criminals calling themselves The Eight Rings," the detective, Tsukauchi, began.
Looking around the room, which included all of the top 10 pro heroes, along with All Might in his skeletal form, Eraser Head, and some government officials, he continued.
"Now, let's go over all the information we've gathered so far to bring everyone up to speed. As far as we know, the group consists of eight members, though we've only obtained information on four of them. Firstly, the two leaders: Dragon and Panther, real identities unknown.
Dragon possesses a powerful portal quirk and uses poisoned steel threads as weapons."
"Panther, on the other hand, has an energy-wave quirk and a physical mutation that turns his body into that of a white panther, granting him immense raw strength. Now, moving on to the next individual, the assassin known as Shadow. Eraser, if you please," the detective gestured to Eraser Head to continue.
Standing up, he cleared his throat and began. "Her real identity is unknown. Her quirk is somewhat of a mystery, as we've observed her using flames, gravitational powers, and an energy-wave ability similar to Panther's. Her armor contains who knows how many hidden gadgets, and her sniper rifle can shoot both lethal and electric energy bullets. It's also designed to function as a spear in close combat. Additionally, her revolver fires energy bullets, though we have no idea how it operates." Eraser finished as he sat down again.
"And lastly, we have the individual known as Light, whom Hawks encountered recently. Hawks, if you please," Tsukauchi motioned.
"Before I start explaining, there's something I want to show you first," Hawks said. He used the tablet in front of him to play a video on the large screen. The footage was from a Japanese news channel, showing what the media had dubbed the White Aurora, describing it as a positive omen for the coming year.
"I'm sure you've all seen this on the news by now. And you're probably wondering why it's relevant to this discussion. That 'white energy phenomenon' you saw was not a natural event. It was the result of my battle with Light.
He has a powerful atomic energy quirk that allows him to fire crescent-shaped waves of atomic energy from his katana. He can also surround himself in a barrier of atomic energy and detonate that barrier, causing an explosion that looks like the beam of light you saw," Hawks explained in a serious tone.
"What are you getting at, Hawks?" Endeavor asked impatiently.
"What I'm trying to say is that this display of power shows just how dangerous these criminals are. As you can see here, this is the crater caused by the explosion," Hawks said, gesturing to a new image on the screen. It displayed an enormous hole in the ground, spanning at least a 200-meter radius and so deep that the bottom could not be seen.
"Now imagine that in the middle of a large city. And the worst part? Evacuation wouldn't even be possible. The barrier that exploded was unbreakable, I couldn't even scratch it. The number of casualties would be staggering."
"That's impossible. How could one human possess such destructive power?" the No. 10 hero, Gang Orca, exclaimed, his expression one of shock.
"But, Hawks, if I may, wouldn't it be impossible to sneak a man with a skull-shaped head into a city undetected for long enough to unleash this kind of attack? And surely using that much power isn't something he can do repeatedly," Small Might raised his hand, speaking his mind. Despite his logical points, the worry on his face was evident.
"Normally, yes," Hawks agreed, "but you're neglecting one detail: one of their leaders has a portal quirk. He could warp Light anywhere, at any time. Though you may be right that this level of power likely isn't something he can use frequently."
The room fell silent as the gravity of the situation dawned on everyone.
The meeting continued for another hour and a half, discussing possible countermeasures and other details. Endeavor, now sharing his encounters with Dragon, said, "He was able to break into my office, presumably using his portal quirk. This means that no matter the security measures, it's almost impossible to prevent them from infiltrating anywhere. It also makes apprehending the other members practically pointless if he's still at large."
Looking annoyed, Endeavor clenched his fists.
Then Hawks spoke up, his tone laced with unease. "Um, I'm just noticing now, but shouldn't we stop discussing countermeasures if their leader is sitting here, eating chips and watching us?"
He pointed behind Endeavor.
Everyone turned, their eyes widening as they then at that moment suddenly heard the unmistakable sound of chips crunching.
There, floating cross-legged, was Dragon himself. A bag of chips in his hand, he calmly placed the snacks into a small portal that presumably led to his mouth behind his mask.
The room went dead silent.
"W-What? How did we not notice him? And how long has he been here?" Best Jeanist exclaimed, shocked.
"I've been here for about an hour. This is actually my third bag of chips. Not sure what took you so long. Guess you're not as sharp as you thought," Dragon answered nonchalantly, continuing to eat.
All Might quickly transformed into his hero form, intending to engage.
"I wouldn't do that, All Might," Dragon said calmly. "While you were all busy talking about me, I placed my steel threads throughout this room. They're laced with a fast-acting paralysis poison. One little cut, and you won't be able to move.
And by the way, there's no need to transform. I already know about your weak form and identity, Toshinori Yagi."
"Damn you!" All Might growled but didn't stop his approach.
"Who do you think you are, just showing up out of nowhere, you bastard?" Endeavor yelled, preparing to charge.
"Fools," Dragon muttered before releasing a burst of black and green energy that knocked out the government officials and most of the heroes in the room. Only All Might, Endeavor, and Tsukauchi remained conscious, though the two heroes found their bodies moving on their own, forcing them to sit back in their chairs.
Hawks, trying to remain unnoticed, froze.
"For someone who's able to resist this attack, you're going to great lengths to pretend you're unconscious," Dragon remarked, looking directly at Hawks.
At that, the winged hero opened his eyes and stood up. "So, what gave me away?" he asked jokingly.
"All Might and Endeavor are able to withstand it, so it's only logical to assume you would too," the portal user explained.
"Well then, I guess the surprise attack isn't going to work on you," Hawks joked.
"But anyway, let's address the elephant in the room. What the hell are you doing here, and how did the security not pick up on you?" the bird-man asked seriously .
"Look outside, Hawks. Where do you think we are?" Dragon replied.
As he said that, the door to the room flung open, revealing a snowy field beyond.
Hawks blinked at the blinding white landscape. The icy wind stung his face, and his wings instinctively flared. "The North Pole? Seriously? Couldn't you just send a postcard?"
"I teleported the entire room to the North Pole to ensure no one would disturb us. Though I have to congratulate you, it wasn't easy finding this place. As for why I'm here, I'd like to apologize to you for my subordinate going overboard," the criminal explained, bowing slightly.
"If I hadn't intervened when I did, both you and Light would have died in that blast," he continued, shocking both Hawks and the others in the room.
"I don't get it. Why are you the one apologizing?" the winged hero asked in disbelief.
"I have told Light multiple times he isn't ready to use such an attack. Even now, he's in our personal clinic recovering from near death. Yet, despite all the warnings, he still wasn't able to let go of your insults against me. For that, I'm deeply sorry," Dragon said sincerely.
The entire room stared at him in disbelief before All Might finally screamed, "Why do you even care about that? You're a criminal, a mindless murderer!"
Turning toward the immobile hero, Dragon replied calmly, "While it's true I'm a murderer, please don't think I'm some sort of mindless monster doing this for the heck of it. My organization will never harm civilians and will never kill or cripple a hero. Every single death caused by us has a purpose."
"Our goals are essentially the same, All Might. The difference is, I'm doing the part you can't," the portal user added.
"Don't try to sweet-talk your actions with some noble cause. Under no circumstances should anyone take another person's life!"
"Oh, really? Then let me enlighten you. Have you looked at the crime rates recently? If you have, then you must realize that, even as you, the Symbol of Peace, slowly step out of the spotlight, crime rates aren't going up. In fact, they're decreasing," Dragon said, his tone growing colder.
"And why do you think that is? I'll tell you why: it's because of my organization's actions. The murder of various black market dealers was to destabilize the underworld. The murder of villains by promising them false reinforcement was to spread distrust within criminal society, so they could no longer rely on one another. The execution of already incarcerated criminals was to show villains that even if they failed and were sent to prison, they couldn't escape us, robbing them of hope to potentially escape. And the massacre of the Tokyo Group was to send a message to other major organizations: not only do we have the power to wipe them out, but we won't hesitate to do so if they step out of line," he explained, leaving everyone in stunned silence.
"You're starting to understand now, aren't you? You and I are the same. You spread peace through hope, and I spread it through fear. For a superhuman society to function properly, one of us must exist. And since your influence is slowly waning, we will hold society together," Dragon said, locking eyes with All Might, who looked horrified.
"Our initial step is complete. From now on, you won't see much of us anymore. We'll continue to maintain the fear, but nothing more than that," Dragon concluded, turning away.
Finally, Endeavor had had enough. "Who the hell are you? You're not some villain, but you're no hero either. So who the heck are you really, Dragon? Who's hiding behind that mask?"
"You really want to know, huh? Well, I'll have to disappoint you. I'm nobody. I'm just a shadow doing what I feel is necessary," the black-clad criminal said as he removed his metal mask, revealing not a face but a hood filled with black and green mist, with two glowing green spots where his eyes should have been.
Finally, Tsukauchi found his voice. "What the hell are you?"
"It's like I told you: I'm nobody. Names are meaningless to me. You can call me a criminal or a monster, but that won't change what I'm doing," Dragon replied, placing his mask back on and turning toward another portal that appeared before him.
Stopping just before stepping into the portal, he turned back one last time.
Dragon's voice turned icy. "Oh, and All Might, before I leave, there's one more thing you might want to know."
The room seemed to freeze, tension rippling like a live wire.
"All For One is still alive."
All Might's face drained of color, his broad shoulders trembling as sweat formed on his brow.
"And why should I believe you?"
"It doesn't matter whether you believe me or not, because as soon as I get the chance, he won't be alive anymore. And Hawks, we should have a chat one of these days," Dragon said before disappearing into the portal. The ground beneath them began to shake, and the room returned to its original location.
Now, able to move again, everyone still left conscious took a second to breathe as the overwhelming pressure lingering in the air finally dissipated. Punching the ground in anger, Endeavor erupted into flames as he began yelling, "That damned bastard! Walking in here like no one could beat him!" Then, taking a short break, he looked back at All Might, who had transformed back into his skeletal form.
"And you! What the hell did he mean when he said your influence was fading? Are you slacking off?!"
At that statement, All Might's face turned pale, as he looked away in shame and regret. He answered, "Endeavor, my power is fading. I'm barely able to do hero work for two hours a day. I'm planning to retire within the next couple of months. If my power fully disappears and the world sees this form of me, the peace I've worked so hard to create will shatter."
He paused and looked down. "Though, if what Dragon said is true, then we better hope he can finish what I failed at."
Then he stood up and left the room, unable to look anyone in the eyes. Endeavor, shocked by what All Might had just said, stared blankly at the door with wide eyes.
‚Retirement? No, he can't. Shoto hasn't surpassed him yet. How can he just quit? No, that means I'm... but... this, it's disgraceful to end it like this. I didn't want it to end like this' the future No. 1 hero thought, sweat running down his face.
"No... not like this," he whispered in a tone only Hawks barely picked up on.