163: Obstacles (3)

Chapter 163: Obstacles (3)

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Like every other city, Musatafu, the city where UA is located, was also under attack from villains of different kinds.

Many civilians were hurt and dead before Lady Nagant reached that place and took care of the villains.

After that, the civilians went up the mountain to reach UA in the hope to meet Recovery Girl to get healed as some of them were hurt quite badly.

Taking this chance, among these civilians, AFO slipped in a few spies to understand the aftermath of Hisashi's fight.

That was a few hours ago, but those spies managed to report only now on what happened in UA after the fight.

Learning all that, AFO was pissed.

That Neji brat used His quirk, All for One, to steal His long targeted prey. That was so infuriating that AFO  hadn't felt this much anger in decades, if not centuries.

'Who does he think he is?!'

He wasn't interested in how Neji got the quirk. It was most certainly that maid delivering Nine's dead body to Neji before he did some trick to transfer the quirk from Nine's body to his. Normally AFO would be interested in the method, but this was not a normal situation. The problem that AFO was interested in was that he couldn't feel his consciousness that should be within Nine's All For One quirk.

Quirks have consciousness of the user within them, that's the same for the quirks that AFO stole from others. However, AFO's own consciousness can corrupt those other ones and reign supreme. After that, when he bestows one of his quirks onto someone, a part of his consciousness is left within that person. AFO can't control that consciousness, as it has a mind of its own, but AFO can sense where that person is by focusing on that consciousness.

AFO didn't give Nine his quirk in the usual way, as it was instead copied using technology and passed down, but it still had a part of his consciousness within it. Meaning, he should have been able to locate Neji's location right now, who was using that quirk.

But he wasn't able to do that.

As if that quirk, which clearly was All for One from the description, was actually something else entirely. Or that brat somehow managed to eradicate the consciousness within it… Or maybe both.

"Tch. I haven't been this furious in a long time." AFO was tapping his finger on his thigh as he grunted.

He needed to find Neji, which was another problem. Where was he? Where did he escape to after leaving UA? Unfortunately, he couldn't think of any place or anyone who might know about his whereabouts-

"Wait," AFO stopped moving his finger, a possibility coming out in his mind. "Does that Toga girl know something?"

It's possible. Highly probable. Since she worked under Neji, she must have a meeting place with him. There's a chance Neji is in that meeting place right now…

"Heh, this can work." AFO grinned, connecting a call with Hisashi again. "Hisashi, I have a plan. Listen…"

He started to explain as the impatient man on the other end started to gradually laugh.

—★—

A few hours after Rumi first met Hawks, she was greeted by different heroes each hour.

Around 11 hours after Hawks had left, he returned again, and this time he had Endeavour beside him.

He gathered all the heroes he called in one place, inside an old factory building, and stood there with a grim expression. 

This is why Rumi didn't like this guy. Why gather everyone in one place if he's gonna stay silent?

"Don't you think you should talk?" It was Mt Lady who spoke, uncaring that most of the heroes here were her seniors. "I am sure nobody is liking this awkward and grim silence."

Mt Lady and Kamui Woods were two newbie heroes who were rising. They weren't in the top rankings yet, but most heroes here were aware that they were strong.

Hearing her Hawks sighed. "You are right. I was just thinking about how I should relay the information I got from All Might."

His words caught everyone's interest, but Rumi was frowning, noticing how he kept glancing at her with pity.

'What is this bastard up to?'

"Well, I am sure you guys have already seen this city and the other ones, but for anyone who is caught behind, Japan is under attack from villains who should have been locked in Tartarus along with villains who we always assumed were civilians. The latter party is from a group d Meta Liberation Army, I know of them because I have been researching them for a while now."

Endeavour grunted at that. "So you're saying such a group existed and we never knew? The PSC knew of this and never let us know?"

"I mean…" Hawks shrugged. "I was supposed to infiltrate them, alerting them wouldn't have worked and knowing some of you, you wouldn't have wasted a second before bursting into their base."

Rumi didn't like how he glanced at Endeavour and her of all people. Why was she being put in the same category as that idiot?

"Anyway, back to the topic. Along with these villains… we also have a foreign villain involved in this. Has anyone ever heard of the Catastrophic Dragon?"

Everyone froze in their spots. That was like asking if they knew who the number one hero of Japan is. Of course, they heard of him. He's a big name, thriving for more than a century.

Hawks chuckled at their reaction, making Rumi along with some other heroes annoyed. 

"That is not all. The infamous All for One is alive, and also involved in this. The newbies might have only heard of him as the urban legend named 'The One', but yes he actually exists." Said Hawks getting another chain reaction from the heroes. "AFO and The Dragon are allying in this attack. With All for One's support, the Dragon managed to infiltrate UA with the power of the Mist Villain who can teleport. After that… Well, in short, UA is destroyed and many of the teachers and students are dead."

Everyone looked at each other. What the hell was he saying… That had to be a joke, right?!

Most of the heroes present here had students from UA come to them for internships not so long ago. It hadn't even been a month, actually. Now they were being told that their beloved students might be under rubbles?

"Hawks, elaborate." The one to speak was Endeavour, his voice cold. Everyone could understand why since he had his son in that school.

"Well… it went like this-" he started to explain the situation that Rumi guessed he must have learned from All Might and the more she heard… the colder her forehead became.

After Hawks was done explaining, everyone had their eyes on Rumi. All Might didn't know who amongst the students had died, because according to him by the time he reached the battlefield most of the students had escaped and he wasn't free enough to check inside the classroom, but before he could be free, the classroom was destroyed by a beam of plasma.

However, All Might reported that two students had certainly died. Two of them, one was someone Rumi was familiar with. That's why everyone was looking at her.

"...Stop staring at my face." Rumi said with a grunt. "Looking at me won't change anything… would it?"

Her voice was shaky, which seemed to shock many of the heroes, but she could care less about it.

'Weren't you supposed to be strong, you bastard? Why did you die…'

"Anyway," Endeavour said with a sigh, trying to move on from this topic. "That's a bad situation. I… I didn't know All Might was weakened for 5 years. To think he fought such an enemy head-on with such an injury."

Hawks told them about All Might's weakness too, and most heroes other than Rumi were the most shocked at that info.

Even in her current state, Rumi could tell that Endeavour was barely holding his rage in. He didn't want to show anything unsightly in front of so many people after all. Though then again… the same could be said for her.

"Moving on, the next part is the most important." Hawks said, again glancing at Rumi for some reason. "After a while since the battle ended, Neji returned along with his sister, girlfriend and maid."

Rumi's eyes widened with a spark of hope as Hawks continued with a sigh.

"This… returned Neji had a new quirk that he used to heal All Might." Everyone looked surprised, but it was a pleasant surprise… which twisted hearing Hawks' next words. "He seemed excited to heal Mirio Togata, Sir Nighteye's sidekick, but when he touched Mirio's body, according to All Might, Neji used a quirk he was familiar with- The All for One."

The heroes went silent as Rumi clenched her jaws.

"A fight started between Mirio and 'Neji', which ended with Mirio defeated and this so-called Neji stealing Mirio's quirks. This might not sound so big but, other than the ability of Permeation Mirio had the same quirk as All Might. No, he's not an illegitimate child, he is just All Might's successor who All Might passed down his quirk onto, as crazy as that may sound."

The heroes were shocked once again. So a villain with All Might’s power…

They started to chatter amongst themselves, except for Rumi who was being avoided by most others. But when Edgeshot came closer to her, putting a hand on her shoulder, she kicked the ground and went in front of Hawks to grab his collar.

"What the fuck are you talking about?! What are you suggesting? Are you saying this guy is not 'Neji'?! T-then why did you word it like that!?" She pulled him by his collar as he looked at her surprised, while all the other heroes looked shocked at this spectacle. "Don't stare at me! Answer!"

"...That kid wasn't Neji," said Hawks. "He is most certainly All for One himself, using some sort of Quirk to change his appearance, which isn't unheard of. Or, in the wildest chance, that kid was AFO's son or a relative. But I am certain that kid isn't Neji Hado."

He told them about Momo, who had a different appearance, and also the maid who was absurdly strong for a simple maid. The other heroes nodded while Rumi glared at him with a clench of her jaws.

"Fuck." She cursed, turning around and kicking off while the heroes called to stop her. But she didn't listen.

Running far from that place, she cursed in her mind as she decided on what to do.

"A fucking doppelganger… you will pay."

She kept cursing, her eyes bloodshot, as she ran along with the city, accidentally killing a few villains, but she didn't care to stop.

—★—

At the same time, in Eusha, Lady Nagant was busy glaring at the stupidly strong cat in front of her as she was chained to the wall.

"Where is your owner? Tell him to come out. Coward. Making a cat watch over me." She said with a scoff, while the cat looked unamused, if she was reading that expression right.

"Keep your mouth shut." The cat said, locking eyes with Nagant's lips. "You talk some big shit for someone with such soft kissable lips."

"..." Nagant stared at the cat. "W…what?"

"What? I saw it in a meme. What's wrong?" The cat tilted her head innocently.

"..."

The awkward silence was broken as the door opened and Neji walked in. He looked at the two, the cat's nonchalant expression and Nagant's own expression which changes from baffled to serious in a second as he nodded.

"Kurai, go to mommy and sleep. I have some stuff to do with this aunty here."

"Okay!" Kurai jumped off the boxes she had gathered to sit above and ran out of the room.

The door closed itself by an invisible force as Nagant frowned.

"Looks like the big bad villain is finally here." She said with an indifferent expression. "So what are you anyway? I doubt you're AFO since he went far enough to wear a mask to hide his damaged face. If he had a transformation quirk like this he would have used so. So who are you?"

Neji walked in front of her and crouched down, staring at her face.

"I am just a nobody, please don't think too much about it. I have a few questions for you, answer them truthfully and you're free to go."

"..."

He was being far more respectful than she thought he would, but then again, that didn't mean he will do as a villain says.

"How about you fuck off."

"..."

She watched as the boy sighed, seemingly looking regretful that things didn't go the easy way.

"It is what it is, I guess."

…Soon Nagant would realise… she had made a mistake.

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