It seems I had forgotten something. Perhaps I was being stupid, or perhaps I was simply ignorant. But I had forgotten that Nezu didn't just want to spite me, and had a reason to recommend I downplay my powers.
The reason I am currently lamenting said non-concealment is the man standing infront of me, with an easygoing smile on his face as he leans against the wall of the tunnel, red wings on full display blotting out the light.
"Heya, kid. How you doing?"
Oh, I absolutely do not trust this guy. Hawks may be a tragic character, lost to the HPSC through years of grueling institutional learning, but I don't want anything like that to happen to me, not at all. I assume he's either here to enlist me to the HPSC or he wants to simply chat and report back to his handlers.
Not much left in him to save. After all, if I go against a federal office like the HPSC then I'll be branded a criminal and taken in for experimentation or even worse hunted like a dog by their assassins. There's too much at stake for anything like that.
"Oh? I didn't much expect to see you here. What do you want?"
"Woah, kid. Whats with the stiff questioning? Can't a guy try and find an apprentice here? A burgeoning friendship? Don't gotta be so cold."
"Apologies, but I don't often find myself trusting random men in shady areas. Is there a reason for this conversation or do you wish to continue making a fool of yourself?"
"Sigh. Wow, always gotta be the rigid ones with the cool powers." He mutters under his breath, something I immediately catch and affirm that this isn't a personal venture. He knows my Quirk, more than likely to the detail so this can only be done kind of HPSC advert.
"Say, I saw you out there a lot, and I gotta admit. You're special kid. Too special to be wasted at some kind of festival like this, at some school like this. Whole lotta lives out there need saving, and you're out here playing games for entertainment? Just doesn't feel right to me. You could be doing so much more for the world, kid."
He reaches into a pocket in his jacket and pulls out a sleek business card, black and white minimalist with a single number on it.
"Call the number when you decide you wanna be a real hero, not just some showboat scam."
It seems the shadow war for my allegiance had begun far sooner than I expected.
♧◇♡♤
When I thought I was finished with all this bullshit, I got dragged right back in. Before I had the chance to go back to my friends and enjoy my time as a student socialising, I got a call on my phone.
Specifically, my business phone, with only 3 numbers on it. Nezu, All Might and Tsukauchi. This time, the call was from Nezu, who had given me said call after Hawks went away.
"I'm sure you know exactly what he wanted, Reinhard. You and I may not agree, but allow me to say this. The closer you get to the HPSC, the further you go from morality. You should be aware by now that this hero society isn't exactly sunshine and rainbows, and they're the prime example of it. It's in your best interests to stay away from them."
"I'm fully aware, Nezu. A peacekeeping organisation doesn't train assassins if it doesn't have skeletons in their closet. I'm more curious about why they would want me. Say, if you were a federal organisation with the power they had, would you try to recruit me or try to kill me?"
"9 times out of ten I would do everything in my power to try and kill you. Your entire existence is a threat to national security."
"And yet you still consider All For One a threat to me? Pathetic."
"It's not about what he would do to you. Its about what he will do to get to you."
"No, that was never the question. The real question is how long he would last after revealing himself to me."
There is a pause in the call after that. As if all sound had been taken from the world in that moment, pure and utter silence was all that remained in that moment of thought.
"I hope your pride is well placed. For everyone's sake."
He hangs up.
♧◇♡♤
Honestly, these last few conversations have been quite sobering. I don't quite feel in the cuddly mood I was before. Now, I feel pressured. I already knew there were parties after me but now I don't know how to deal with them directly approaching me.
Loathe as I am to admit it, the HPSC have a point. As shady and backstreet as they are, they aren't wrong in saying that I would be unrestricted with them. Though, it would come with brainwashing and obedience training so that's immediately inconsiderable.
The next battles are fast going, apart from Mei's. Ida, Bakugou, Tokoyami, Momo and Kirishima all win their fights. After some comforting to Kyouka and some encouragement for Momo, the next round of battles, the quarter finals begin.
Immediately, there is a difference. Izuku isn't just a cannon anymore, the only reason he didn't go after me in the cavalry battle was that he felt scared after the beating I gave him through All Might's training.
Against Todoroki, the battle is much more fast paced rather than before. Instead of a back and forth, there is actual punching between the parties, though Izuku still is on the winning front until the fire comes out.
Once more, Endeavour goes on his nefarious shit, and I can't help but wonder just why he cares so much. Surely he's seen me and knows it's all pointless?
It matters not. The next battle is my own, against Ida. I just can't wait for this to end.
♧◇♡♤
"Next up on the battle board we have the Champion so far, Reinhard van Astrea, and opposing him is Tenya Ida, younger brother to the famous Ingenium himself!"
We walk on the arena to gargantuan applause and cheer, astoundingly loud as people all want to see more of the unchallenged victor of the festival so far.
"For what its worth, don't feel offended if this doesn't go your way."
"I would be happy all the same if I could pose a threat to you, Reinhard."
"Oh, such youthful valour! Begin!"
The second Ida hears the shot he lowers himself down and screams out 'Recipro-Burst!' before charging at me going full speed. His perception is heavily affected by this speed, as he can only see in a linear path. Quite the disadvantage.
In order to teach him the dangers of linear movement, I activate [Swiftness] and dash at him at a matching speed, not wanting to murder him by going too fast, and give him the Raikage Lariat of legend.
His skull makes contact with the ground at astonishing speed, thankfully the damage was mitigated by the softening of the concrete by Cementoss on the side, though I had calculated the strength I put into my strike to cause non-serious injury.
"With a single mighty blow, Reinhard van Astrea wins, and is onto the Semi finals!"
♧◇♡♤
"That fucking cheater! He's so unfair!"
Shigaraki's snivelling voice is accompanied by a prosthetic fist slamming onto the bar, jostling the drinks that were previously on the table, having now been shattered.
Not only had he been robbed of a hand, but he had also lost a pinky finger, meaning his Quirk had far less efficacy, only activating around 30 percent of the time. That stupid fucking Reinhard had ruined his S tier DPS entirely.
Not only that, but he had been forced to take on some 'associates' of Sensei into his group, for protection so to speak. Apparently Sensei couldn't trust him to take down Reinhard and being his Quirk for extraction, so he called for some extra subordinates to join his quest.
A mini-Sensei, the knockoff who calls himself Nine, had been the one to watch over Tomura, and aid him. Immediately he noticed the main goal of Shigaraki had shifted beyond All For One's of societal anarchy and the death of All Might to simply being revenge.
Revenge on Reinhard van Astrea. And Nine could not allow that. Being part of this League now meant that he had access to Reinhard's file, and upon seeing that Quirk he couldn't help but salivate at the infinite possibilities. He could overthrow All For One entirely with it.
And so now Reinhard had at least 5 different people who either wanted him dead, on their side, or worse. Nine had decided, there was necessity here, so he called his squad to join him in the hunt for Reinhard.
All For One, who had been listening diligently merely smiled. There was nothing that brought out improvement like hatred. Soon, Shigaraki would break his shackles through his hatred, and soon [Divine Blessings] would be his and his alone.
The world would not be ready for such a thing.
♧◇♡♤
The next battles were not entertaining. Bakugou bested Tokoyami quite easily through flashbangs, and Momo beat Kirishima through incapacitating him, having created a pair of titanium alloy handcuffs and used her nimble nature to catch him with them.
Finally, after such a long time of waiting, it was time for my fight with Todoroki. One of the only relatively interesting fights I would have in the entire tournament.
"For the first round of the Semi Finals we have the son of the Number 2 Hero Endeavour, Todoroki Shouto versus the Sword Saint himself, though he has never unsheathed it, Reinhard van Astrea!"
The arena was much more tense this time around, at least the stadium tried to establish that atmosphere. Silence was across the entire arena as they expected some fighting words between us.
"I'll make a deal with you. If you can make me take a single step, then I'll instantly lose."
"I don't think you're taking this seriously, Reinhard, but if you want to lose then that's fine with me." I'm about to end this mans whole career.
"Begin!"
The world turns blue. A glacier, of incomparable size is manifested within seconds and rapidly growing even more in my direction, seeking to consume me.
I unclip Reid from my hip and swing the sword in the direction of the glacier, making contact and absolutely shattering the entire construct within a split second. Reid may be undrawable but given it is indestructible and holds immense power, even sheathed it is far too strong for this world.
In anger, he tries to send another glacier in my direction, followed by another smaller one in its wake. Within a microsecond, I have swung Reid 13 times and utterly destroyed both the glaciers and the arena floor beneath Todoroki's feet, along with throwing Todoroki towards the edge of the ring to which he hastily saved himself with an ice wall.
"Oh my god! Did you see that folks?! He swung that thing so many times I didn't even know he swung until we viewed the slow-mo! I don't even think he drew the sword!"
"It seems like we finally find out just why he calls himself the Sword Saint."
In his anger, Todoroki doesn't notice the sparks forming on his left side and simply ignores it entirely, choosing to skate up close and form an encasing of ice over his fist, hoping to knock me out with close combat.
However, as he sends his fist towards me, I parry it back with Reid and the ice shatters, heavily bruising the fingers underneath as well. Even with his high pain tolerance, Todoroki can't help but grimace.
"What happened, Shouto? I thought you would show me why I wasn't [Divine]?"
"Shut up!"
In the end, I decide that I've had my fun with the battle and swing Reid 3 times, forming another trio of wind blasts that first slam into his left ankle, dropping him to a knee, then in the skull, knocking his head back and the last one hits him in the chest as his now unconscious form is taken out of the arena.
"And with an extreme show of dominance, Reinhard van Astrea wins without taking a single step, and is onto the finals!"
♧◇♡♤
I think I'm seeing a pattern here. This time, I've gone up +1, because the figure waiting for me in the tunnel now was Endeavour, a frown ever present on his face.
"That was an impressive match, boy. You pushed my Shoto to his limits in terms of frustration. Had he used his fire though, I doubt the outcome would have been the same."
"Ah, actually I am entirely resistant to fire."
"Really? That's something else to add to your ever growing list of abilities."
"Cut the shit, Endeavour. You didn't come here to compliment me on a good fight, what do you want from me?"
"First thing I want from you is some respect. You're in no position to make demands of me. The next thing I want is to ask a question."
"Go ahead, ask away. I'm all ears."
"Just who was your father?"
Excuse me the fuck? Why is he asking that? Does he wanna sling me off in some marriage? I thought he got over that, had his little redemption arc?
"Staying quiet? Thats fine. See, I'm sure I'll find out soon anyway. Though, the choices are indeed vast. Perhaps you are some bastard child of All Might come here to damage my perfect creation... or perhaps something more sinister. Say, boy, have you ever heard of the Quirk Thief?"
"I am no longer legally obligated to have this conversation, any and all questions can be forwarded to my lawyer. Have a good day."
Fuck me I can't catch a break with these guys!
♧◇♡♤
The second I get away from Endeavour, I call a number that had been recently called just an hour ago and prepare to ask my questions. Sorry, Nezu, but I gotta know what the fuck is going on and why Endeavour compared me to All For One.
"I mean seriously Nezu. He called me the son of All For One. I thought this guy was a secret?"
"Did you really think the warnings I had given you were simply because of pride, or fear? Do you have any idea just how much All For One influenced Japanese foreign relations? How much fear his name still causes even domestically? He is an open secret after all."
"What?"
"He ran this country for 180 years, Reinhard. 2 centuries of shadowy control, do you have any idea what happened in that time? Because, I know. I know that there were tens of appeals made to the UN for military intervention in Japan during All For Ones reign, before he ignited the Quirked World Wars. Japan only came out on top in those wars because of All For One. After all, who would want to attack a man who can take your gifts away?
Problem is, our foreign relations are now in the dirt. We have no trade in Europe, nor North and South America. We can only trade in Asia, because the West refuse to do so. Russia made several appeals for nuclear weapons to be used on our country before the Quirked Wars. I only recently got off the phone with the Russian Federation, talking about you actually. Its only a matter of time before the UN has a meeting about you given that Japan is under regulation to submit reports of every Quirk in the country since All For One was deposed.
Did you ever think about why I told you not to show off too much? It wasn't because I wanted to chain you down, quite the contrary. It's because internationally people don't see you as Divine, or as a Hero in the making. All they see you as is the second coming of All For One, of the Vile. You are on thin ice merely by existing, and I can guarantee there will be many asking for you in chains out of fear that All For One would be reborn in spirit through you. And I can only imagine how much those requests will grow in the wake of his return."
"Just how the hell do you know all of this? Why isn't it talked about more?"
"I was one of the first naturally born Quirked animals. Who did you think helped foster One For All during his reign? Who do you think helped lead the resistance? Who do you think appealed to the UN and negotiated against nuclear weapons being used against us? I have been alive long enough to know everything this country has to hide. And from my point of view, Reinhard, you're a national disaster in the making."
He hangs up.
♧◇♡♤
What the fuck? What the fuck!? Holy shit why was this never mentioned? No, I suppose the real question is why did nobody think to tell me this instead of playing the fucking tip toe game with me!?
▪︎Truly, You Did Not Believe That Reality Would Be So Linear?▪︎
▪︎That You Could Cruise Through A Predetermined Path?▪︎
▪︎Your Slothfulness Precedes You.▪︎
You shut the fuck up! I don't have time for your shit! Go bother someone else, you're pathetic.
▪︎Oh, How Joyous. The Puppet Has Fangs.▪︎
▪︎Be Mindful Of Your Wrath, Lest You Drown In It.▪︎
▪︎Be Mindful Of Your Lust, Lest You Suffer Through It.▪︎
Can you stop with the fucking cryptic messages you jackass? I already told you i don't care what you have to say right now. I have bigger priorities than you.
▪︎Oh? It Seems You Have Forgotten The Hierarchy. Allow Me To Remind You.▪︎
I suddenly find myself screaming out in pain, unaware of why, only feeling blinding, teeth clenching pain. My body feels as though it is tearing in two pieces, my flesh is melting, my eyes are blistering. It burns, it burns it burnsitburnsitburnsitburnsitburnsitburnsitburnsitburns
♧◇♡♤
[Divine Protection Of The Phoenix 2 Acquired]
Holy shit. Holy fucking shit. Oh dear god that was horrible. I immediately begin patting myself down, clutching my body desperately as my eyes water in pure joy. Finally. It's over. I don't know how it happened, but I died. I died and it hurt beyond any pain I could comprehend. [Emotional Composure] activates just as God once more speaks.
▪︎Do You Understand Now?▪︎
▪︎You Are Entertainment. Nothing More.▪︎
▪︎Do Not Overvalue Yourself.▪︎
Fuck you. I don't care about your entertainment, or about your fucking value! If anything, this only proves it. I'm going to fucking murder you, and I am going to enjoy it you sadistic piece of shit.
▪︎I Welcome You To Try.▪︎
▪︎It Would Only Make It More Entertaining To Watch You Fail Spectacularly.▪︎
♧◇♡♤
Despite how shaken up I am, I have no choice but to go back to the student seating area once more. My friends cheer me on, hopeful that I can win, yet I don't care. Even as Bakugou beats Momo in their fight, I can't muster any sort of emotion.
I died. I fucking died. In a few seconds of time, i was erased from this reality by a higher power. How the fuck am I supposed to cope with that? Sure I have memories of dying, plenty of times, but that was a swift wind blade to eviscerate me. This time it was slow, deliberate and torturous.
I can't just talk to someone about this. They'd think me crazy, or they'd go insane themselves knowing there was a God out there judging them. What the fuck, man? I didn't think dying would hurt so bad. I thought it would be over quickly. Is this what Subaru went through? This fear, the panic, unable to close my eyes because every time I do all I see is my own flesh melting away into dust?
"Now, the finals of the UA Sports Festival have arrived! Reinhard van Astrea versus Bakugou Katsuki in 5 minutes! Don't fall out of your seats people."
I need to finish this as fast as possible. I just want to curl up in a ball and sleep.
♧◇♡♤
"Oh, I been waiting for this one Shit Saint. I'm gonna show you why its a mistake to look down on me you pathetic loser!"
"I'm sorry."
"...Eh? The fuck is that supposed to mean? You think the match is over already? Cause you'll really sorry if that's the case."
"Forgive me."
"Begin!"
The very second I see the flash of light exit the barrel of the gun, I move. Before the sound of the gun has even finished, my fist has impacted Bakugou's face, crumpling his face and breaking his nose as he is sent hurtling out of the ring with a visceral crunch.
The arena is silent. There was no spectacle. No big show of power, just total obliteration within a single punch. I walk off the arena floor, and only by the time I am midway through the tunnel do I hear the awkward applause of the crowd and the announcement of my victory.
It feels hollow.
♧◇♡♤
The award ceremony passes by in a flash. I make sure to keep that same charming smile on my face, but I can't tell if it looked more like a grimace at times.
Bakugou was on the second place podium, thrashing and violently screaming in my direction as he asked for a 'real fight'. I couldn't look at him. I felt only pity.
The third place holders, Momo and Todoroki seemed happy with themselves, pleased with their placing though disappointed they didn't get first. I didn't bother to pay attention.
The gold medal wraps around my neck as All Might gives some form of encouraging speech, saying that he is astonished by my strength and hopes to see it grow. It will. I must be strong.
The picture is taken, and the news outlets go wild. Journalism internationally is all focused on me and my total domination of the festival, some call me the next All Might while others call me a child high off his own power. I ignore it, still shocked by the revelation given to me by Nezu and uncaring for the media.
I give a single brief hug to Momo and a lake excuse before dashing home as fast as I can under [Swiftness], throwing myself into the bed and curling up on it. I feel only a single tear fall down my cheek before [Emotional Composure] kicks in.
♧◇♡♤
What the fuck am I going to do anyway? How the hell am I supposed to compete with a literal God? Become one myself? Easier said than done. That's hopeless.
Do I try anyway, to become a Godlike being, or do I just bend my knee and accept that I'll constantly be under thumb?
Suddenly, in the middle of my headache inducing thoughts, I hear a knock on the door, and Nejire timidly asks if she can come in.
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