The evening sun hung low over the streets of Musutafu, painting the skyline in streaks of orange and red. Laughter and chatter filled the air — until a sudden scream broke through it.
"Help! Somebody stop him!"
A woman stumbled onto the pavement, eyes wide with fear as a dark, winged figure swooped past her. The man had long black feathers sprouting from his arms and back, his fingers ending in sharp talons. His eyes gleamed yellow in the fading light as he clutched her purse, cawing with twisted glee.
"Ha! That's the fourth one today! I'm on a roll!" he shouted, flapping his wings harder as he ascended. The wind whipped around him, scattering dust and leaves below.
Crowman — a small-time D-rank villain whose mutant-type quirk, Crow, allowed him to partially transform into a humanoid crow.
He tilted his head back, laughing to himself. 'Man, these humans never learn. A little fear, and they freeze like statues—'
"Fear not, ma'am! Why? Because I am here!!!"
The villain's thoughts froze. The voice thundered through the air like a divine declaration. His wings faltered mid-flight, dread filling his chest.
He turned around — and there he was.
Floating beside him, smiling confidently against the blazing sunset, was the Symbol of Peace himself.
The number one hero — All Might.
Crowman's pupils shrank to pinpricks. "A-A-All Might!?"
"Your crime spree ends here, villain!" All Might's grin never wavered as his shadow loomed larger than life. Before Crowman could even blink, the hero's hand blurred.
Thwack!
A clean neck chop — and Crowman went limp instantly, knocked out cold.
All Might caught the purse midair and looked down. "Here you go, young lady!"
The woman, trembling, held out her hands. "T-Thank you so much, All Might!"
"Ha ha ha! All in a day's work!" He gave her a thumbs up that gleamed in the light. "Stay safe!"
With a single powerful leap, All Might launched into the air, holding the unconscious villain like a bag of flour as he soared toward the nearest police station.
The woman watched him go, smiling with tearful relief.
But far above, from the shadow of a nearby rooftop, another presence observed the scene quietly.
A tall figure draped in a black cloak stood perfectly still, their face hidden behind a demon mask with sharp horns and faintly glowing red lines. The mask's eyes shimmered briefly as it focused on All Might's retreating figure.
The person whispered — voice low, cold, and distorted through a built-in modulator.
"Target observed. Sample confirmed."
And just like that, the figure faded — disappearing into thin air as if swallowed by the night.
A few minutes later…
All Might stepped out of the police station, waving cheerfully to the officers and civilians who had gathered outside. He laughed, chatted briefly, then excused himself — turning into a side alley.
Once he was certain no one was watching, his smile faded.
Steam began to rise from his body. His muscles deflated. His chest caved slightly as blood bubbled from his mouth.
"Ghkk… dammit…" He leaned against a wall, clutching his side.
The Symbol of Peace was gone. In his place stood a gaunt, skeletal man in a torn costume, coughing violently.
He spat blood into a tissue, his hand trembling.
"Six hours… that's all I have now."
He closed his eyes for a moment. 'I have to find someone worthy… someone who can carry it forward.'
Wiping his mouth, he tossed the tissue into a nearby trash can and pulled a brown cloak over his costume. A hat followed, concealing his recognizable hair.
No one noticed as the world's strongest hero slipped quietly into the crowd.
But the moment he left — the air shimmered.
The trash can rattled softly.
Then, floating up from it, the bloodied tissue rose into the air — suspended by an unseen force.
An invisible hand carefully grabbed it.
A faint shimmer revealed the cloaked demon-masked figure once more. The mask's red eyes flickered as the figure placed the tissue into a sterile plastic bag, sealing it tight.
Without a sound, they vanished again.
Location: Aka Island, near Okinawa
Far from the mainland, an isolated dockyard lay silent under the moonlight. Abandoned containers rusted by the sea breeze stood stacked like monuments to forgotten labor.
A faint distortion appeared near one of them — and the cloaked figure materialized. They walked toward an old container with faded paint. On its front, the words "All Might Vintage Drink" were written in bold letters.
The figure placed their gloved hand over the "A."
A soft beep echoed. The letter glowed blue for a second — then part of the metal wall slid open, revealing a hidden staircase.
The figure descended without hesitation. The door sealed shut behind them, returning the dock to silence.
Fluorescent lights flickered on automatically as the figure reached the bottom. The air smelled faintly of metal, coolant, and electricity.
The underground facility was enormous. Rows of high-tech computers hummed quietly, their screens displaying endless lines of code. Dozens of glass containment tubes lined one side, each filled with dormant mechanical components that pulsed faintly with blue energy.
There were tables covered with gadgets, scattered notebooks, and even gym equipment in one corner.
The cloaked figure removed their mask and cloak, hanging them on a hook near the wall.
Underneath stood Arata Seigi, now thirteen years old.
His black hair fell slightly over his blue eyes, which gleamed with a mixture of intellect and obsession.
He exhaled deeply, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "The invisibility mask worked perfectly. All field tests complete."
He glanced at the black demon mask resting on the table — its smooth surface reflecting the laboratory lights.
'To think I'd make this by combining artificial quirk technology with brainwave resonance… Father really was a genius.'
His gaze shifted to a transparent chamber filled with small glowing cubes — quirk chips.
Each chip represented an artificial replication of a real quirk. These were the results of his father's old research.
When Arata had found this lab a year ago, he realized his father had been secretly working behind Dr. Kyudai Garaki's back— the man responsible for the creation of Nomus.
The data had been horrifying — and fascinating.
Each quirk chip worked by linking to a user's brain signals, allowing Nomus to activate powers instinctively. Their exposed brains? That was no accident — it allowed the chips to receive neural commands directly.
Arata had spent the past year learning, dissecting, and perfecting this technology.
And now, he had succeeded in creating something different — support items capable of channeling quirks.
He glanced at the invisibility mask again.
"Artificial quirk 'Invisibility'… fully integrated. Works via brainwave detection through forehead contact. The light barrier reflects ambient light around the user's body — complete optical cloaking."
He smirked faintly. "You'd be proud, Father."
Turning toward his main workstation, Arata placed the sealed plastic bag containing All Might's blood sample into a cylindrical chamber. A mechanical lens extended from above, focusing on the sample.
The monitor lit up.
DNA strands unraveled into digital code. Molecular structures danced across the screen.
Within moments, a stream of data appeared — eight digital quirk data sheets extracted successfully.
Arata leaned closer, eyes flickering with anticipation.
But then one of the sheets blinked red.
A warning.
"Separation error…" he muttered, frowning. Then realization dawned.
'The One For All quirk split. The two base quirks—Stockpile and Transfer—are separate now.'
He sat back, processing the implications.
The stockpile quirk's energy output was nearly negligible — a millionth of what All Might possessed. But it confirmed one thing.
He had copied All Might's quirk.
It wasn't just theory anymore. It was proof.
Arata's hand hovered over the keyboard as he whispered to himself, "I've done it… I've extracted the essence of a living quirk."
But excitement quickly gave way to thought.
'It's weak. I'll need a power source strong enough to amplify it. Maybe… something that can absorb and transfer energy.'
His gaze shifted to six open files on the main console, each labeled in bold letters:
SPACE STONE
POWER STONE
MIND STONE
TIME STONE
REALITY STONE
SOUL STONE
Arata stared at them, lips curling into a small, knowing smile.
"This world gave up on me once. But I'll reshape it using its own rules."
He opened the Space Stone file and reviewed the current progress.
"Three more quirks needed," he murmured. "Thirteen's Black Hole, Rock Lock's Lock Down, and Uraraka Ochaco's Zero Gravity."
He typed rapidly, tracing digital footprints across multiple public databases.
The results came up instantly.
— Uraraka Construction Company, a small firm in Gunma Prefecture. Owner: Uraraka Yu, daughter: Ochaco Uraraka, age: 10.
— Rock Lock: currently working as a sidekick for the low-ranked hero Whiplash in Hosu City.
— Pro Hero Thirteen: restricted public data, affiliated with JAXA and Japan's Hero Safety Council.
Arata rubbed his chin.
'Uraraka's sample will be simple. Rock Lock… doable. But Thirteen... she's heavily monitored. I'll need a direct approach for that one.'
He shut the terminal and stretched his back. The chair creaked faintly.
He walked over to the treadmill in the corner and started jogging, then running.
Sweat beaded on his forehead as he stared straight ahead, the hum of machinery filling the background.
"I can't rely on technology alone," he said between breaths. "If I want to hold the power I'm building… my body has to be ready for it."
On the treadmill's stand, his phone played a live broadcast.
Pro Hero Lady Nagant appeared on-screen, gracefully eliminating a group of villains with pinpoint sniper shots. Her precision was flawless, her smile calm and confident as reporters cheered.
Arata's eyes narrowed.
'That smile is fake. Just like in the manga… she's breaking inside.'
He wiped sweat from his brow, slowing his pace slightly.
'If I can complete the Space Stone soon, I can move on to the next phase… Project: Nova Genesis.'
He looked up at the screen again, eyes reflecting the glowing image of Lady Nagant.
"A project to destroy this system… from its roots."
His voice was quiet but resolute.
The sound of the treadmill echoed softly through the vast lab as the screen faded to black — and the world above remained blissfully unaware of the storm that was beginning to form beneath its feet.