A thick smell of smoke and burning wood filled the cinema as smoke billowed outwards from the point of impact.
The masked assassin stared down at the carnage, smiling within his mask as the smoke cleared, but then his eye widened—
"Y-you cockroach!"
"Hey, I'm not that ugly!" A voice came from within the smoke.
Himiko was safely crouched behind a woman who stood at the point of impact like an indomitable wall.
Her feet were planted deep into the ground, and her silver hair had formed a sort of shield around them, taking in the brunt of the blow.
Her entire body was also shining like polished steel, but unlike others with hardening quirks, her body retained its normal colour.
The woman's hair and arms were scorched from the impact, dark smoke drifting from them. She staggered slightly and cracked her fists, glaring up at him with murderous eyes.
"Are you okay?" she asked Himiko, who was holding onto her back and peeking from her shoulders.
"Only thanks to you!" She shot out her tongue, mocking the fedora-wearing assassin.
"I'm guessing you are the man going around killing potential league members." Shigaraki was slowly walking towards his direction, his anger evident from the coldness in his voice.
"And you must be Tomura, the leader of this shit show."
Shigaraki smiled and stared up, meeting the man's gaze. "Who are you, and what is your goal?"
He scoffed at the question. "You will be dead any moment from now. Should you really be bothered about my name?"
The man paused, slowly taking off the glove on his left hand. "If you must know, I am Jericho, the Nighttale."
When multiple league members were killed, Shigaraki was the first to hear the news.
He had long discarded them as league members; there was no place for weakness in the new league he would build. But even still, an attack on them was a direct insult to the league, a stain on the reputation they were yet to build. And it was all because of that man.
'How did he know where we would be meeting?'
Shigaraki doubted that anyone here would have exposed such a secret, and yet there was no other way he could have known.
'Do we have a rat amongst us?'
He angrily scratched his neck, gritting his teeth as he spoke:
"You are no hero, and yet you hunt villains? It seems you have a screw or two loose in that small head of yours."
Shigaraki paused, allowing the league members to slowly gather behind him.
"Why us? Why hunt the league?"
He had never come across him throughout his life; Jericho wasn't even known in the villain community.
The man raised his arms at his sides and shrugged. "That's like asking me why I kill rats. You all simply disgust me."
Shigaraki sighed. "You are a nuisance."
"Right back at you, All For One-serving scum."
As the words left his lips, Shigaraki grew quiet, both men staring each other down.
Then the ground below him suddenly cracked, decomposing into dust and debris.
"How would you like to die?"
As those words left his lips, Nighttale jumped down, feeling the wind rush past him as he landed smoothly on the floor. "That is the question I should be asking you."
His arms suddenly morphed, transforming into a black M4 Carbine. He raised the gun, leveling it at the League of Villains.
Shigaraki stared at the gun and laughed. "You really think that would be enough to even up the score?"
The new league members had all gathered behind him, their quirks already bubbling, seconds away from release.
Nighttale did not respond; he only smirked.
Crash!
A larger hole appeared, this time completely shattering the window as multiple figures descended into the hall.
The first man to descend had skin as black as charcoal with white streaks lining his body, resembling caged lightning.
He had two horns stretching out of his skull, pulsing with electricity, and amber eyes that glowed with quiet menace.
Following him was a graceful woman with a face that was the definition of perfection. She was in a stark white kimono and held a red fan to her face, obscuring it partially.
Her hair, like everything else about her, was white, the curly strands cut to around chin level.
Her sharp gaze calmly swept over the room, and she yawned as though nothing she saw was worth her attention or time.
When Shigaraki was beginning to think that was the final member of their group, the last man descended with a bang.
Shigaraki had to elevate his gaze to meet his eyes. He was huge, nearly seven feet tall, and with a body rippling with muscle.
His hair was a dull grey, and his right arm was gone, replaced by a mechanical contraption made of a strange alloy.
Multiple parts shifted into place, gears moved, motors spun, and the arm came alive, steam puffing out of the other end.
Nighttale let out a dark chuckle and stepped forward, his gun seconds away from firing.
"Before you die, I guess it's best you know the names of those that sent you to hell…"
He pointed his normal hand at his allies, calling their names one by one.
"Pulse, the human dynamo."
"Gigatron, the marvel of engineering."
"And Rebound, the White Lady."
"League of Villains, allow me to introduce you to the Fallen Legion."
•••
The madness descended shortly after, the hall turning into a battlefield, with quirks flying here and there.
Dabi unleashed a gust of blue fire, bathing the hall in an eerie blue light as it descended upon the White Lady.
But she did not bother to dodge; she just stood there, watching the flames as they erupted, engulfing her in the inferno.
Dabi scoffed and turned to the next villain, already charging up for his next attack when something flashed in his vision.
A spark of white—
Followed by an explosion that shook the room.
The White Lady stepped out of the fire, white flames flickering over her body, coiling around her like she owned them.
Soon, the entire blue fire had changed, becoming stark white. Her eyes were glowing as she turned to face him.
Whoosh!
Just like her name, she returned the flames, only this time, it came back with double the intensity.
Twice and Silver were dancing with the giant, evading his mechanical arm as much as they could.
The giant was moving fast, too fast for someone his size. His arm was igniting with tumultuous energy, unleashing carnage wherever it would land.
Silver was doing her best to absorb the damage with her quirk; it didn't look like she would last long.
Pulse was too fast to even keep track of; his body was a blur of darkness and lightning as he raced through the building.
No one could touch him—seeing him was even a problem—and yet, Mr. Compress, with the help of Kurogiri, was keeping him at bay, using his warp gates to contend with his speed.
Meanwhile, Shigaraki and Nighttale were locked in a brutal battle where just one blow would mean death.
All Shigaraki needed was one touch to end his life, and all Nighttale needed was one good shot, yet no one had managed to land a proper blow.
As the abandoned cinema was drowned in chaos, the rebounds from their quirks and the shockwaves from their impacts threatened to collapse the building and drown the district in their war.
As for Himiko… she had long snuck out of the hall and was breathing heavily several blocks away.
"What the hell is wrong with those people?" she said out loud while trying to catch her breath.
She slipped out another card from her pocket and sighed tiredly.
—Kikimaru Cafe.
'I guess it's about time I paid him a visit.'
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A/N
Next chapter in an hour ;)
You can join the discord, I'll be uploading character images soon. (Link below and in bio)
Sakura and Kyle included.