The air held still in the run down outskirts of a distant town, as two police officers approached a house that seemed abandoned. But their source said otherwise.
One of them knocked on the door loudly. What followed was sounds of someone scrambling towards the door, before it opened, revealing a man in his young twenties with short white hair and a jean jacket. Angelo. He bore a confused look when seeing the police officers.
Angelo: Uhh... It wasn't me?
Officer1: Sir, we've been tipped that a recent criminal offence traces to this very address. May we come in?
Angelo: I'm sure you've got a poor source, but sure. Who am I to stop you?
The two officers follow the man into the household, before the latter of the three drops down onto an old couch in the living room.
Angelo: So what am I being held accountable for?
Officer1: Tartarus.
The white haired man raises his eyebrow at that.
Angelo: The prison for the worst of the worst, huh? That's nowhere near here.
Officer2: That may be so, but two people still broke into the prison, and killed a prisoner. And although the security feed gave out conveniently, the guard fessed that the two responsible traced back to this very address.
Angelo: Aaand you don't think they were just spouting a random address? He could've killed Rock Star and pinned it on some random stranger.
Officer1: ...A random stranger who just so happens to know the alias of the victim?
Realising his mistake, the man froze as he pulled a poker face, before shrugging.
Angelo: Lucky guess?
The unamused lead officer suddenly took out handcuffs.
Officer2: We never said a name.
Officer1: Sir, you are under arrest for the murder of a Tartarus inmate. Anything you say will be-
???: Actually, I'm afraid the two of you are done here.
Both police officers quickly spin around towards the new voice, before seeing a masked figure in a short sleeved dark grey hoodie, with a black skull mask with neon green lining. Both officers drew their guns seeing the new arrival.
Officer1: Sir! Stay out of this-
Suddenly, they both recognised the thorns that ran up the new figures arms. The same thorns that matched what killed Rock Star.
Officer1: Y-You're the villain who killed him! Your thorns, they match what was found in Tartarus!
???: Villain? Oh no, I'm no villain. But I'm no hero either. You bring weapons. But you will not need them. I offer only truth.
The masked figure slowly began approaching the officers, as they slowly backed off with their guns still pointed.
???: I know your type. Quirkless. Both of you. Yet you cling to whatever power you can find. That's why you joined the police, but this isn't what you want. You want to be free. Free from the shadows of hero society.
The man then holds out his open palms, as they each grew a dark thorn that glowed green at its tip.
???: I offer you this freedom. I offer you... salvation. Pledge allegiance, and-
Officer2: Like we'll listen to Villain scum like you!
They both pulled the triggers of their guns, each firing a round towards the 'villain'. But suddenly, red wires sprung from the floor, creating a thick wired barrier between the projectiles and their target, stopping the bullets as the police officers backed off in fear. The barrier then quickly dissipates into small red particles that fly off elsewhere, whilst the masked man let out a disappointed sigh.
???: But what is salvation to the dead?
Suddenly, the same red wire like tendrils struck through the ground, spiralling the area around the officers, trapping them in a cone like structure of red wires and black pyramids, before the air inside began filling with red flying nanomachines.
Muffled screams from the inside were barely heard by the two Villains as they watched the Quirk of their associate at hand. Getting off of the couch, the white haired villain stretched his arms as the screams grew more quiet.
Angelo: Death by nano-plague. Yikes. Kusatta doesn't hold back.
???2: Well aren't you sweet.
The red glow of the third villain shined as Kusatta stepped out into the room, looking at her work. Her red hair glowed as brightly as her creation did. Suddenly, both her and the structure stopped glowing as the tendrils retracted through the shattered floor, before dissipating into nanomachines that flew over to Kusatta, and set on her wire and pyramid infested skin. All that remained were hollow husks of the two men, with wires and pyramids being exposed piercing them from the inside.
Angelo: So. We all heard them, I'm sure. We've got ourselves a snitch.
???: The loss of our eyes in Tartarus is a tragic one, but nothing that can't be resolved easily. But until then, we relocate. Two plain officers surely aren't the only ones who know of this place.
Angelo: Well where to? It's not like we had many options in the first place.
Kusatta: Fellas. I think that problems gonna have to wait.
???: *sigh* Let me guess...
Suddenly, the sound of a helicopter passing by outside echoed through the household, alongside the voices of many people outside.
???: Reinforcements.
Outside, dozens of police stood in front of the house with firearms drawn. One of which held a megaphone in there hands.
Officer: *through megaphone* Villains of this residency! We have the building surrounded, and a Pro Hero in vicinity! Come out with your hands up, or we'll be forced to breach!
But then, Angelo stepped out of the front door, hands behind his head. He whistles as he casually looks at all the guns trained on him.
Angelo: Ah nice! Getting the band back together, huh? Shame two guys went... bleh.
Officer: That's enough! Step forward slowly, and we'll arrest you without issue!
Angelo: Hmm. That is one option. Buuut I like hers better.
Suddenly, the windows of the house shattered, as thousands of red nanomachines shot out and plagued the air. Angelo only laughed as they all flew right past him rapidly at the police, before forming into red wires, stabbing and killing all ground troops unfortunate to be in the way. They also latched onto the police cars, before rooting themselves into the technology within. Sirens and radios began blaring loudly, as the police cruisers began driving on their own, crashing into each other and surviving officers, causing further chaos in the streets. The villain turns around as he sees Kusatta stepping out of the household, with her hair and wires glowing an aggressively bright red.
Angelo: *laughs* No wonder everyone was afraid of you. This is awesome!
Kusatta: *sigh* Don't remind me.
Suddenly, Kusatta feels a reassuring hand on her shoulder. The hand of the villain groups leader.
???: It's their mistake to handle. People fear what cannot be controlled, and shunned you away.
But then, the sound of the police helicopter grows louder, as it draws closer to the villain trio. From the side, it's shown that the police aren't so willing to arrest them anymore, as a man with a sniper rifle in hand leans out and takes aim.
???: So tell them... they were right to be afraid.
She smiles at this, before it turns to a sinister grin as she turns back towards the helicopter. Her crimson red hair glows more intensely, as nanomachines begin pouring from her skin, before the particles trailed across the ground. They then formed a circle directly beneath the helicopter, as all the particles glowed a bright red. Until a spire of black pyramids and red wires erupted from the ground, ascending rapidly at the helicopter. The pilot only noticed the approaching attack a bit too late, as he tried to steer the flying vehicle out of the way with no success. The copter gets engulfed in the synthetic structure, as it tears through the hull and killing most of the officers within in an instant. Scrap metal fell form the sky as the crimson haired girl smirked menacingly, looking up at the spire she made.
The villain Kusatta. Her Quirk: Nano-plague. Her body forms a lively nanotechnology with a mind of its own. A mind that only bends to Kusatta. This technology grows within her and can be visible growing on her skin. It can form structures, devices, and burrow into existing tech. All with a single directive. Consume, enhance, replicate.
But not everything was engulfed. Hanging on the edge of what's left of the ruined copter was the sniper. His rifle fell from his grasp as his grip on the ruined metal slipped more and more.
Angelo: This is so sad... DO A FLIP!
But Angelo suddenly hears chuckling coming from his leader. Turning back and raising an eyebrow, the masked villain just kept looking forward.
???: A new challenger approaches.
The officer from above suddenly falls, before screaming as he plummets to his death... until a new figure caught him midair. The hero of rigid tanned armour. The hero who bares the hammer of sol. The pro hero Sunbreaker has arrived. The armoured hero crashes into the ground with the officer in his arms, before dropping him onto his feet.
Sunbreaker: Go! Get back to your station and send reinforcements!
The shaken officer nods his head rapidly, before sprinting blindly towards any means to get him out of the battlegrounds. Sunbreaker then holds his arm out as a flame grows in his palm, before his signature hammer forms in his grasp.
???: Huh. Fancy meeting you here. The man who relies on nothing but a tool to play hero.
Sunbreaker: So I can only assume you're the one who broke into Tartarus.
???: *places hands on Angelo and Kusatta's shoulders* Oh give these two some credit. They did most of the work. They're the real heroes. *scoffs* Not that you can really tell what makes a hero.
Sunbreaker: You dare drag such a title through the ground!?
The villain trio all simultaneously shrug.
Sunbreaker: Doesn't matter! No matter what, I'm bringing you in!
The hero roars as he sprints into battle, with his flaming hammer in hand. He then throws it directly at the masked villain... until he said one word.
???: Angelo.
Suddenly, from the white haired villains shoulder erupted a blue flame that spawned an ethereal blue arm as long as his body. With ease, it swats away the projectile, causing it to explode up in the air between the opposing sides.
Angelo: Mind if I take this dance?
His ethereal arms cracked their knuckles as the white haired villain stared down the Pro Hero.
Sunbreaker: I've felled villains of all kinds. You're no different.
Angelo: Aight, bet!
He then sprints forward, dragging his claws through the concrete path as he begins his attack on Sunbreaker. The hero leans back as one of the clawed arms grazed across the front of his helmet, before retaliating with a jab from his hammer towards Angelo's chest, knocking the wind from his lungs as he falls on his back. But his ethereal arms push him off the ground, bringing him up to his feet as ate villain catches his breath.
Angelo: *heavy breathing* Lucky shot.
Sunbreaker: I've already gone against those who've got poweful up close Quirks. I've learned about plenty of openings.
Angelo scoffs as he runs back into battle, before throwing a left hook with his ethereal arm at the armoured hero, faster than he could react. The impact on his side created wind pressure that ruptured the air behind Sunbreaker. Yet thanks to his shock absorbent armour, he only slid back five metres despite the force that was given. But the hero was still frozen in shock. A single punch created that much force.
Feeling down his armour, he felt a dent in his armoured torso. A feat no one else accomplished. But Angelo took the heroes shock as an opening. Continuing a barrage of wind shattering punches, Angelo began chipping away at Sunbreaker's armour, all while he had no opportunity to recover and retaliate.
Finally, the bright blue arms pried their claws into the cracks of the Heroes helmet, before tearing it in half. The tan coloured metal and the polymer beneath it got sent flying off with force, showing the heroes short dark brown hair and burning orange eyes to the world.
Angelo: And its all smooth sailing from here.
Blood dropped from Sunbreaker's forehead and over his eyes as he watched the clawed arms reaching for him once more.
The villain Angelo. His Quirk: Ethereal Arms. He can erupt a powerful extra set of blue ethereal arms from his shoulders to carry out what he desires. His reach can extend afar, while carrying enough power to break the unbreakable. They're also self proclaimed to rival the strength of All Might.
But as the blue flames of his Quirk raged, Angelo noticed something a bit too late. Bright orange flames were building up in the heroes palms. As the villains eyes widened, Sunbreaker suddenly summoned a colossal war hammer of fire. An explosion erupted as Sunbreajer yelled, leaping up and smashing the hammer in the ground with a sudden burst of energy from his rage. A tall wall of flames shot from the ground as it traveled quickly towards the now retreating Villain.
Angelo: Oh son of a-
He was interrupted as the flaming wall came into contact with him, erupting in an explosion that launched Angelo back at his allies. In a flash though, the nanomachines of Kusatta's Quirk trailed from her body and towards where Angelo was expected to land. The thick red wires spawned from the particles as they reached out towards Angelo and cushioning his impact, before turning back into the miniature machines and flying back to Kusatta.
Kusatta: Damn that was stupid. You okay?
Angelo: *weak thumbs up* Peachy...
Kusatta: Good grief. Leave it to the smallest brain of the group to take on the Hero.
???: Easy now. He did more than enough. Kusatta, keep him in one place. Then I'll take things from there.
Kusatta: *sigh* You got it boss.
The crimson haired menace strolled towards the fire ahead. But as she did, the masked villain turns to Angelo.
???: Are you sure you're okay? You're... not getting up.
Angelo: Buddy, you should try taking the impact of a fucking tornado of fire!
???: *laughs* Don't worry, no one else would have to worry about that. We're almost done here.
As Kusatta steps closer to the raging flames, another figure walks out. Sunbreaker steps through the flames with a flaming hammer in each hand.
Sunbreaker: I will not let the lives you've taken be in vain. Surrender now, or I'll force you to.
Kusatta: Oh please. Don't pretend this is all for the sake of a few officers. It's just a crutch to give you the excuse to attack us.
Sunbreaker suddenly yells as he jabs his right hammer forward... only for Kusatta to do a backflip out of the way, and creating a spike of red wires shooting upward from where her foot stood. The nanomachine generated wires envelop the heroes wrist, trapping it in place, while she sprints back around behind Sunbreaker. Swinging back around, he swings his other arm and the hammer it's holding at the crimson villain... except yet another spire rises from the ground and holding his left wrist in place. Sunbreaker, now having his arms held out both sides, suddenly feels his wrists getting pierced as he drops his weapons, as the spires lower to force the hero on his knees. Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching. Looking up, he sees the masked skull villain drawing near.
???: It was a great effort. I can give you that much. But look at you now, nothing but useless when you can't swing a silly hammer everywhere.
The hero tries thrashing his arms around, but to no avail.
???: Speechless, Huh? Can't blame you when you can't really make any repetitive speeches on 'light always beats dark' or 'the power of friendship' in this scenario. Tell me, what makes you a hero? Why are you here?
Sunbreaker: *grunting* I promised... to be the strongest Hero! To be undefeated!
???: Ironic, isn't it?
The villain raises his hand at the restrained hero, as a thorn grows from his palm. Using his five fingers, he forces Sunbreaker's head to lean back, as the thorn rests dangerously close between his eyes.
???: Those who survive a long time as a Hero start to think they're invincible. I bet you do too, buddy.
The tip of the thorn suddenly gets pressed against Sunbreaker's face, breaking skin as the hero screams out in pain, yet unable to fight back. Veins and nerves from his head and all the way down his body begin glowing a bright green as the sky is filled with the heroes wails of pain. Suddenly, the villain twists his hand away, snapping the thorn and leaving the tip rooted in Sunbreaker's head.
???: Let him go.
Kusatta nods from behind the leader, as the wires of her Quirk shifted back into particles that sought her out. Meanwhile, Sunbreaker collapses on the ground, before trying to stand again.
???: Go on. Show me you can be the strongest Hero like you promised.
The Hero felt ill. Especially with the thorn stuck in his head. But that had to be put aside, as his target was right in front of him, and he couldn't let an uneasy feeling get the best of him. He threw his arm back, about to summon his hammer...
...But nothing happened. No matter how much he tried, his Quirk wouldn't trigger.
???: What's the matter? C'mon, I thought you were the supposed 'strongest hero'.
Sunbreaker: I... can't. I can't do it.
The villain lets out a disappointing sigh, before Sunbreaker suddenly feels his body moving on its own. He begins feeling his body twisting and turning as he's forced onto his knees and looking up at the masked villain.
???: As I suspected. You're the prime example of humanity right now. Reliant on power, whether from others or your own selfishness. The world has been put on pause for selfish sakes. A world where only those born lucky enough can rule. Instead of helping others, we use these 'powers' as a means to get what we want. Fame. Money. Power. It won't be long until even the word superhero becomes nothing but a shell of its former glory. You ever met someone unfortunate enough to have their dreams shattered because they're born with a terrible, or non flashy Quirk? Or even worse, Quirkless? It hurts. But I can set us on the right path.
Suddenly, Sunbreaker couldn't breath. His lungs suddenly refused to function. Shortly after, his heart stopped beating. He tried screaming, yet his muscles wouldn't budge. And yet despite all this, he couldn't look away from the skull mask looking back. His vision got blurry as his hearing got more fuzzy.
???: Using the power I was gifted, I will restore humanity. And we can finally achieve the goals we dreamt of centuries ago. But before any of that can be achieved, I will have to bring natural order.
Sunbreaker suddenly falls to the ground. This villains Quirk just shut down all of his organs... except his brain. As he struck the ground mere seconds away from death, he picked up the last words he'll ever hear.
???: And the natural order, as my alias suggests... is Discord.
The villain Discord. His Quirk: Thorns of a rose. The jagged, angry thorns of the Quirk grow along the arms of the user, which can each be pulled out individually if desired. Those on the receiving end are at the mercy of the user, as they can now control all there is to the human body. From the respiratory system, down to the Quirk genes themselves.
Discord looks down on the deceased Hero. His eyes meet with the dead, bloodshot eyes of Sunbreaker. Kneeling down, he closes his eyelids with his fingers, before jumping back up again. The thorn that rested between the deceased Hero's eyes suddenly turned to dust, before blowing away in the wind.
Kusatta: It's... almost sad.
Discord: Almost. But no matter how tainted, he had a belief, and died for it. Now let's go. We need to relocate before anymore reinforcements pry in.
Kusatta: But... where to?
Discord: *laughs* My friend, we have allies in many places who believe in our cause. We'll find a way. And without true, untainted heroes...
Who can stop us?