God, I always love ending on a cliffhanger. Cry's in a real pickle now, isn't he? He's being forced to observe his memories of before he was taken and transformed by the league. Honestly, it's no wonder why's he breaking down. All he's technically known is what the league wants. And now that he's been shown that he wanted to be a hero, he simply can't handle it. Will Mako and Jin succeed in freeing Cry of the leagues control? Will he finally have his eyes opened for once? We're getting deeper and deeper into this amazing arc and his torment is only going to increase from here. Enjoy!
"I know who I am..... I'm..... I'm part of the league...... no, i'm a hero........ I'm Arsenal....... No, i'm Cry.....Which one...... which one am I...... I don't know anymore..... Who am I..... What am I.............. I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S RIGHT ANYMORE!!!!" I screamed and muttered as I was dragged away by Mako and Jin.
"The truth is what gets us all in the end. No matter what you do, it'll always be your downfall." Mako said as they arrived at the tower. They carried me into an elevator and took me all the way up to the observation floor that overlooked the city. There waited the liberation army's supreme leader and Giran who was near beaten to death.
"Bravo, ladies. Bravo indeed. He's quite special, that one. Did you show him everything, Mako?" The supreme leader asked her.
"Only up to the point where he was at training camp with the other students from his classes. When I mentioned the league, he just shut down and has been questioning who he is this whole time." Mako explained to him.
"Hmm, took quicker than I expected then. I thought you'd have to show him more of his loved ones afterwards but it seems I was mistaken. He should awaken from his state eventually and, if you did your charms, then he'll remember who he is." The supreme leader said.
"What the hell did you do to the kid? Not just anyone can take him down so easily." Giran asked out of pure shock.
"You took him away from his life and gave him a new one. You people in the league tried to destroy his old life but his memories stayed locked deep within his mind. I simply removed the locks and showed him who he really is." Mako explained to Giran.
"Tenshonoma Cryshiki is going to become a valuable member of our army when he wakes, as will a few other members of the league. All is proceeding as planned." Jin said as I just kept on muttering.
"I am who I am...... I know..... who..... I am...... I'm me...... I'm..... me......" I said as I still saw my body standing in that black room surrounded by screens of my past.
"Cry, you're simply the hardest worker and greatest hero in class B. I know you'll have a bright future!" That orange haired girl said to me.
"I like you, Cry! The way you kill people and smear their blood on you is simply the best!" Toga said as I started to feel my body shake.
"I know you'll always have my back, and i'll do the same for you. I love you, Cry!" That girl with the dark hair and long earlobes said to me as it felt like my ears were bleeding.
"Someone like you deserves freedom. That's why I wanted you. You show promise, Arsenal. And I can assure you it will lead to many great things." Overhaul said to me as I started covering my ears. But, the voices were still coming through.
"You're the shining star of our class, Cry! There ain't no one who can take us down when you're here!" That boy with the gray hair and sharp teeth said to me.
"Dude, you're totally awesome! You weren't that impressive. You're gonna help the league get one step closer to achieving our goal! You're just gonna slow us down like me." I heard Twice say to me as I started furiously scratching my head.
"What's he doing, Mako? He's starting to move." The surpreme leader asked as they all looked at me. They saw that, like in my visions, I was scratching my head in the real world to the point my head was beginning to bleed.
"Hmm, not sure. Perhaps the truth was too much for him. His mind is splitting. He doesn't know whether to be a hero or a villain." Mako explained.
"Stop it! You're gonna kill him with this torture! He's just a kid, for god's sake!" Giran pleaded but he was ignored.
"He can handle it. He's gone through much worse before, as evident by the state of his body." Jin said as I suddenly stopped scratching my head.
"There, see? He's calmed down now." Mako said as I now started to scream from the top of my lungs.
"I don't think so. It's only getting worse. I never would've imagined showing him who he is would have this kind of affect on the boy." The supreme leader said as an endless amount of voices filled my head.
"It is not your quirk that makes you a great hero! It is your actions that show others who you are! You can be a hero, young Cry!" I heard a man say in my head as I started crying again. It felt like I was crying tears of blood as my eyes began to sting.
"He's truly a remarkable specimen. If Shigaraki weren't here, i'm sure the kid would be in command of the league." Mr. Compress's voice said as I dropped to my knees.
"Your acts, even as a complete novice are truly heroic. Your words are ones that will surely inspire others. I see a great future for you, Tenshonoma Cryshiki. Now, STAND UP AND FIGHT!!!!" I heard Endeavor's voice shout in my head as I lowered my head to the point it was touching the ground.
"You've got some real guts now, kid. Maybe you're not so bad, after all." Dabi said to me.
"He's begun to bleed from the eyes. Call a doctor up, now. I don't want to lose this one. A quirk like his only comes once every generation. I'd hate to lose it." The supreme leader said as Jin called for someone to try and heal me.
"Hero..... villain..... I don't know..... know..... who..... I am...... who am I....." I muttered.
"He's trying so hard to fight against his own mind but yet, it's pointless. You can never win or lose against yourself. You simply must accept what happens to yourself." Mako said as the supreme leader agreed with her.
"I'll admit, the boy has incredible strength, as shown when he was in the sports festival. But, even he must know that he can't win all battles." The supreme leader said.
"It's unlikely that he'll stop. I saw inside his head. His determination is nearly unmatched. He's not one to stop until the job is done." Mako explained.
"And that is exactly the reason why we need him. That determination will spark our growth and get us one step closer to total quirk liberation." The supreme leader said as I felt myself collapse, falling to my side on the ground as the voices bombarded my very being.
"I've never seen anyone with a skill set like his. His conviction to protect others, his drive to stand up to those who want to hurt others. He may still be a student, but he's already surpassed me, even All Might in terms of being a hero! I'm proud to call him my son." My supposed mother said as I continued to scream, flailing my body around in pain.
"Tenshonoma Cryshiki..... Tomura Shigaraki chose you for a specific reason. He saw potential within you, as I do with him. With myself now out of the game, it is up to you to watch over and protect him. You and I are one and the same, Cryshiki. Do not fail me. Do not fail Shigaraki. Do not fail the league." I heard All for One say as the voices began to die down suddenly. I could only hear two now, but they were becoming so loud.
"We're friends, aren't we, Cry? I'd do anything to help you out. That's just what friends do. I'll always be there for you. I made a vow to never lose again. That I would find and save you, Cry. Because what good is a hero who can't even save his own friends?" I heard Midoriya's voice say as I suddenly felt a wave of rage grow inside of me. I clenched my fists so tightly that I could start to hear cracking noises. But then, there was only one voice left. Shigaraki.
"Those who call themselves heroes have plagued our world and made it weak! Heroes have made people ignorant, making them believe that heroes will do all their work for them! The league of villains stands against this as we wish to destroy the hero society and make our world strong once more! Arsenal, we stand together in this pursuit of glory! NOW, JOIN ME IN OUR FIGHT FOR FREEDOM!!!" His voice roared as I let out one last scream before opening up my eyes.
I looked around but I had no idea where I was. There were 4 other people here with me. Two of them were Mako and Jin from before. The next was Giran who looked beaten to hell, his hands tied behind his back in a chair and all the fingers on his right hand chopped off. And, the last person was a man, medium length orange receding hair line, a long pointed nose, and a green suit and pants. My best guess was that this was the liberation army's supreme leader.
"The boy wakes. That's so relieving to see. I was becoming worried after so much blood came out of you." The leader said to me as I stood up. Mako and Jin stood in front of him, most likely in case I lashed out at them.
"Where the hell am I?" I asked him as I wiped blood off of my body and head.
"You're in Deika city's observation tower. I am the supreme leader of the liberation army, Yotsubashi Rikiya. But you can call me Re-Destro. It is a pleasure to meet you, Tenshonoma Cryshiki. I trust my associate Mako here has shown you all the horrors that the league of villains has done to you? If so, tell me how you feel about all of it." He said to me.
"Yeah..... I saw what they did. I saw who I was, too." I said to him.
"And? What do you have to say? Are you saddened that they stole you from your previous life? That they forced you to become the very thing you swore to stand up to? You lost everything, Cryshiki. Your family, your friends, your future. And now, you have nothing." Re-Destro said to me as I chuckled a bit.
"You couldn't be more wrong." I said as Re-Destro became curious.
"Oh? Then do enlighten me, please." He asked me.
"I do have something. I have the league of villains. My family." I said as Re-Destro became shocked.
"What!? But they stole you from everything you strived so hard to become! You wanted to be a hero more than anything, Cryshiki! My god, boy, they even took you away from your own mother and father! Don't you care about who you're becoming by saying this!?" Re-Destro said to me but I didn't care.
"I know exactly who I am! I am Arsenal, a member of the league of villains! I don't care if I used to be someone who tried to become a hero! I was foolish for even thinking I should become one to begin with! Heroes plague our world and make it weak! I fight with Shigaraki to cleanse our world! To make it strong once more! To rid the world of heroes once and for all!" I shouted as Re-Destro simply sighed at my remarks.
"And I had such high hopes for you, boy. Kill him." He said as Mako and Jin approached me.
"We took you down pretty easily before, so it shouldn't be too hard this time either." Jin said to me as her eyes began to flutter like before.
"Like hell you're gonna get me with that trick again! I know how to beat you now!" I shouted as I shut my eyes. I knew I couldn't open them at all, otherwise i'd risk getting flashbanged again. So, as a countermeasure, I activated my super hearing.
"Just because I can't see you, don't think I can't hear you!" I shouted as I rushed forward. I could hear someone's breathing and they were standing just slightly to my left. I filled my arms with 200,000 PSI and I reached out and grasped one of the persons arms.
"Get off of me, you brat!" I heard Mako shout. Good, it was the one I wanted to take out.
"Sister, get him off of me!" Mako shouted as I proceeded to throw Mako over my head and smash her into the ground behind me. I then turned and raised my right foot up, looking to stomp down on her head.
"Get away from her, you insolent little child!" Jin yelled as she tackled me and flattened me on my back. She sat her knees down on me and grabbed onto my head. My PSI was leaving my body already due to me being so heavily injured and exhausted.
"If I can just open those eyes of yours, then you'll be down for the count again!" Jin shouted as she reached out with her index fingers and thumbs and placed them on my eyes, trying to pry open my eyelids.
"You made an enemy of the league of villains, and because of that, it's gonna cost you your life!" I shouted as Jin opened up my eyes and struck me with a point blank flashbang to the face. The intense light blinded me once again but, since it was so close, the light actually burned my skin a bit. I screamed in pain but I could not falter here.
"Even if I can't see..... I WILL NOT LOSE TO SOMEONE LIKE YOU!!!!" I roared as I raised my head up and rammed it into Jin's face. She fell off of me and I used my super hearing to find her. She had crawled a few feet away from me and was holding her nose.
"Come here, you bitch!" I shouted as I leaped over to her and pinned her to the ground.
"Sister, help me!" Jin screamed as I pumped both my arms with 300,000 PSI and reached down to her head, just like she did to me.
"I will not allow you to harm my dear sister, you bastard! Have a taste of who you are!" Mako shouted as she ran over and placed her hand on my head again. I struggled to break free and fight back against her mind quirk.
"You won't..... stop me...... I know..... who I am now! I am Tenshonoma Cryshiki...... I am Arsenal!!" I roared as I lowered my body and placed both of my thumbs on Jin's eyes. It was so hard to move though because of how much pain I was enduring from the mind attacks.
"Nothing's gonna stop me!! No hero will stand in my way!!!! Not even my own past can slow me down anymore!!! Now...... DDDDDIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!!!!" I howled as I pressed my thumbs down on Jin with all my might. I couldn't see what happened, but, I could make an image of what did. Jin was screaming for her life and everything went silent after a loud squishing sound filled the room.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Mako screamed as she let go of my head and pulled me off of Jin. My vision was slowly starting to return and I could see her crouching next to her sister who was not moving whatsoever.
"I told you, I don't like to hurt woman. But, you forced my hand, and this is what happens." I told her as we both stood up to our feet and faced each other.
"You fucking bastard! I'm gonna murder you for killing her!!" She shouted at me as I finally got a good look at what I had done to Jin. Using my PSI, I had crushed her eyes into her head, then crushed her entire skull. Her head was nothing but a bloody pile of mush on the ground.
"Go ahead and try, then. I can promise you'll end up just like your sister." I said to her with a twisted smile as she clenched her fists hard. But, before she could make a move, Re-Destro placed his hand in front of her and stopped her.
"Relax, my dear. I shall deal with him. If we cannot persuade him through the truth of his past, then I'll just have to show him what happens when you challenge the liberation army." He said as Mako gave him a sad nod before stepping back.
"It's sad, really. Had you not have killed one of my most trusted subordinates, I wouldn't have had to go to such drastic measures to stop you now. But, unfortunately, you've forced my hand. You will learn your place in all this, and, in time, you will call me "master."" Re-Destro said to me which only made me chuckle.
"That's funny. Shigaraki said the same thing to me when the league took me. But, he opened my eyes and showed me how weak of a world we live in. Someone like you will only try and turn me back into what I once was. Shigaraki is the only one I call master, no one else. You'll never make me bow to you, asshole." I said to him as he raised his left hand high into the air.
"Then die." Re-Destro said as his entire arm suddenly turned black in colour and grew in size to massive proportions. He slammed his enormous hand down at me and I just narrowly dodged by jumping out of the way.
"While you possess the ability to manifest multiple powers into one quirk, no matter what skills you have, they will all fall to my own. I can turn my own stress into raw power. And, I've built up quite a lot over my life. So, my child, what will you do? Fight and die? Or accept and live?" Re-Destro asked me as I cracked my knuckles.
"I'm gonna do things my way. Meaning..... I'LL FIGHT!!!" I shouted as I ran straight for him. He replied by swinging his massive arm at me with a backhand technique. I tried to counter by pumping my arms and legs with 300,000 PSI. I reached out and grabbed onto his arm but his strength was so immense that he was still pushing me back. He threw me across the room and I landed hard against a wall, shattering it a bit.
"Kid, get out of here! Run!" Giran shouted to me.
"No way! If I fail even one more time, then i'll be of no use to Shigaraki! He'll end me! So, I can't run anymore! I'll fight until I die!" I yelled as I raised myself back up to my feet.
"It's ridiculous to even think that you were in my league. All of you in your little "league of villains," are just pretending, aren't you? The goals of the organization should be the one and only concern of its members. Anything else is extraneous." Re-Destro said to me.
"None of us are pretending. Our goal is to help build our world back up to what it once was. We need each other to do it, that's why we help each other. That's why we came to save Giran from you. We may be a bunch of criminals, but we're also family! And no one, not even you will break us apart!" I shouted as I amped up my PSI to 500,000 and leaped for Re-Destro.
"A family you say? And nothing I can do will break you apart? Well now, what would happen if I were to break you instead?" Re-Destro asked as his other arm now increased in size, also turning black in colour like before.
"Stress Output: 30%!" He shouted as he reached out with both of his arms, making fists and colliding them with my own. Our impact created a massive shock wave that shattered every window on this floor of the tower. But, we seemed evenly matched in strength. Neither of us could push each other back.
"Such power you possess, Cryshiki. But, we've been watching you for quite a while now, and we know what you're maximum capabilities are. You don't hold a candle to me!" Re-Destro said as he stepped back a bit, making me stumble forward and allowing him to reach out and grab my body. He squeezed me tightly in his grip and the sound of breaking bones filled the room.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!" I wailed in agony as I could feel my ribs snapping, my arms breaking and my legs beginning to give way.
"This is your punishment for denying my offer to join my army! Let this be a reminder of how harsh life can be!" Re-Destro shouted as he lifted me high into the air and smashed me down onto the floor. I laid there in a bloody puddle, barely able to move.
"Don't think..... I've lost already...... Because, until I die...... I haven't lost...... yet....." I struggled to say as I tried my absolute hardest to move my arms, despite the fact they were both broken now. I screamed and cried in agonizing pain as I moved them into position to help me stand back up. I pushed myself up, hearing my arms crack even more as my body shook to the point I kept falling back down onto my back.
"There's no point in continuing, now. You're broken." Re-Destro said as his arms returned to normal size and colour again.
"NO! I AM NOT DONE YET! IF I CAN STAND, THEN I CAN FIGHT! NOW, WATCH ME GET BACK UP!!!!" I roared as I tried yet again to push myself up. My arms kept on making that cracking sound, but something was different about it this time. The pain was going away. I was starting to have more movements in my arms, my legs, and my chest wasn't hurting anymore. My ribs had been healed. I looked at my arms and all the cuts, bruises, and fractures they'd received were disappearing. And, with full mobility back to me, I stood up and saw Re-Destro with a shocked look on his face.
"Of all the times it had to happen..... you've manifested yet another new power for your quirk." He said to me as I took a deep breath and calmed myself down.
"Yeah..... you're right about that, Re-Destro. And, it's one that's gonna help me take you down. With Self-Regeneration now added to my list of powers, I can be as reckless as I want with my quirk, because I can just heal off any damage I would normally take. So, come at me. Hit me with everything you've got!" I shouted as I pumped my arms with my max PSI, 600,000.
"A power like that won't matter if I remove your head from your body! Stress Output: 30%!" Re-Destro shouted as his arms grew again and turned black. We ran at each other and we smashed our fists against each other. The whole building shook upon impact and, unlike before, we weren't evenly matched. I was pushing Re-Destro back to a window and I was threatening to push him out of it.
"Looks like you're struggling, Re-Destro! Which means this should be easy if I add a little more into my assault!" I shouted as I started to create plasma on my hands. They were burning away at Re-Destro's hands and he grunted in pain.
"You insignificant little child! You must be taught never to underestimate your elders! You get punished if you do! Stress Output: 50%!" He shouted as his entire upper body now grew in size like his arms. He strength increased immensely and he was now starting to push me back.
"You're just like Machia, you know!? Just pure, raw power! Which means, I have to beat you! Because if I can't, then that means i'll have no way to beat Machia either!" I shouted as I sprouted my dragon wings from my back. Thanks to my new regeneration ability, both my wings had been healed and were no longer ripped up. I grasped hard onto Re-Destro's hands and I took flight in the room, carrying him up with me. And then, I flew out the window behind him, holding him high above the city.
"A tactic such as this will not kill me, boy! I will still beat you in the end!" Re-Destro shouted to me as I gave him a twisted smile.
"Oh, I know you won't die from this. But, I know that it'll hurt. Now, bye bye." I said as I let go of him and watched him fall all the way down to the ground. He crashed through the roof of a building and it proceeded to crumble onto him, burying him in a pile of rubble.
"Arsenal!" I heard Shigaraki shout as I looked all the way down to the ground. I saw him standing at the base of the tower, preparing to decay it with his quirk.
"Get Giran out of there and come down to me!" He shouted as I flew back into the tower and grabbed Giran. I started to fly back out but someone grabbed onto one of my wings as we left the tower. I looked behind me and I saw Mako, reaching over and placing her right hand on my head.
"If I die, then i'm taking you down with me, you bastard!" She shouted as she started to cause a burning, stinging pain within my head. I screamed from the pain and it was causing me to lose altitude fast. We were dropping out of the sky, looking to crash on the ground and die on impact.
"Get your hands off him, you bitch!" Giran shouted as he threw a punch with his left arm, hitting Mako in the face and causing her to let go of me. I regained my focus and I started flapping my wings, slowing our descent until we landed. Unfortunately, Mako held onto me the entire time, meaning she didn't fall to her death.
"I'd sent Twice into the tower to get Giran out, but I didn't know you were in there too. I saw you drag that leader of theirs out of the tower and drop him to his death over there. Nice work." Shigaraki said as he placed his right hand on the tower. Within the matter of seconds, the entire tower decayed and crumbled to pieces.
"What about Twice? I thought you said he was in there?" I asked him.
"Not the real Twice. Just some of his clones. No harm done here. Now, whose this that you have here with you?" Shigaraki questioned as he walked up to Mako.
"S-Stay away from me, you monsters!" She shouted as she started to walk backwards away from us.
"She and her sister captured me and brought me here. Her quirk let me see my past. My actual past, Shigaraki." I told him as he shot his head over to me and stared into my eyes.
"Did she now? And what do you have to say now that you know who you are?" Shigaraki asked me.
"What do I have to say? I don't care. You showed me the truth of our world. I'll always call you master, Shigaraki." I told him as he gave me a slow nod.
"Good, Arsenal." He said as he turned his attention back to Mako.
"You said this girl has a sister. What happened to her?" Shigaraki asked me.
"She's dead. I killed her, and it was oh so gruesome. Crushed her entire skull to pieces." I said as Shigaraki let out a creepy chuckle.
"Even better. Now, there's less lose ends to take care of." Shigaraki said as he started to walk after Mako. She was still walking backwards but she tripped over a brick on the ground. She crawled away in fear but Shigraki was closing in, bearing one of his hands down on her.
"Get away from me!!!!" She screamed as a loud roaring sound started to be heard from some distance away. We all looked over and saw Re-Destro break through the pile of rubble and start running towards us.
"I thought you killed him, Arsenal?" Shigaraki asked me.
"I never said that I did. But, I just gained another power to add to my quirk which'll help me beat him. I can take this big idiot." I told him as he held his hand out to stop me.
"No. I'll take care of him." Shigaraki said as Re-Destro leaped over and landed in front of Mako, now standing in front of Shigaraki.
"Hey, you're that Detnerat guy from tv, right? How're you feelin' now? What what is it now? 110,00 people or something? Did you assume your numbers would take care of everything while you just watched from above? Going as far as preparing a lynching ground for your opponents.... Then making light of us, assuming we wouldn't be able to make it this far. And, after all that, falling all the way down. So, tell me, how're you feeling?" Shigaraki asked Re-Destro.
"I'm livid. You see, i'm the type to hold in my anger. As you can tell, it's taken a toll on my hairline. You've killed many of our soldiers on your way here, haven't you?" Re-Destro asked him as Shigaraki quickly reached out to touch him. But, Re-Destro was faster and he pinched his hand between two of his massive fingers.
"Is this the hand that's been doing naughty things?" Re-Destro asked as he reached over and grabbed Shigaraki's other arm now. He pinched it too, crushing them both and causing blood to shoot out of them. The sound of bones breaking filled the air, as did Shigaraki's cries of pain.
""Good little children don't judge people by their quirks." It's a good message. I was raised the same way. However, One's special ability is directly linked to their character. Whatever you touch with all five fingers will decay. It's the same for you, isn't it, Shigaraki? And, I don't think I heard an answer from you before. For what do you fight!? What do you wish to create!? If your ambitions are hollow, they will bear no fruit! Is the pursuit of destruction your only worth as a human!? Because, if that's the case, then you'll never match me." Re-Destro said as he crushed Shigaraki's right arm.
I couldn't watch this anymore. I couldn't just stand by and watch my master, Shigaraki be killed like this. And, with the new power I had acquired, I had the means necessary to save him. To stop Re-Destro. To evolve without limiting myself. My own power to surpass all who oppose me.
"PSI RESTRAINT RELEASE! MAXIMUM OUTPUT: FIVE MILLION PERCENT!!!!!"