บท 149: Hope, Pride and Arrogance
__________ POV Narration__________
Everything rolled by like a blur in Japan. No one had expected such an atrocious attack to happen so suddenly.
They were all lucky that Beru was also at the scene. Even now, two days after the explosion, no one realised that Beru was the actual target of the explosion.
The few heroes that saw the policeman throw the ball didn't directly link it to Beru, but everyone knew that Beru was the one that pulled everyone away from the explosion.
He was also the one that blocked all of the debris from hitting anyone. At least on some sides, there were plenty of heroes at the scene to help with that.
Beru was already with a status similar to All Might to the Japanese public, but him saving everyone from a terrorist attack that could've killed hundreds of thousands... Well, let's just say he had now reached some sort of godhood status.
Headlines like 'Becoming a casualty is quite impossible with this hero around!' or 'Beru, the reaction speed that beat a nuclear warhead'.
Pieces and headlines speaking of his overwhelming speed and insane reaction time spread around the world. Images from nearby cameras, even when watched frame by frame, could barely capture the hero.
Actually, none of them did while he rescued everybody. Only as the explosion spread, they spotted him blocking boulders and creating walls to contain the explosion even more.
Most were already accustomed to his strength since the footage of the Meta Liberation Army takedown was publicized.
There were plenty of fan clubs around, now it felt more like cults. His popularity actually made All Might sweat.
Unknowingly, that incident cemented him as the greatest hero of his generation, all across the globe. As well as Japan's new Symbol of Hope. It was a strange title, but, from all of his exploits, his mere presence gave Japan hope for something better.
From purging corruption to saving countless lives and families. He was the very definition of a hero.
That didn't mean the old Symbol of Peace was any less revered, just that the populace was now completely in with the idea of Beru. Even the ones that were slightly turned off by his somewhat checkered past and frightful appearance.
Beru was quite oblivious about the whole 'Symbol of Hope' thing, being busy was the main reason, but he also didn't care. He only had one concern right now...
'These fuckers ruined my office. I guess it's murder time now...' Still, that didn't mean that he knew who the perpetrators were. The police officer that was caught had apparently committed suicide... While under heavy surveillance...
The police force clearly had quite a few rats in it. But integrity was never something as priceless as people dreamed of it being.
After all, 'Words can move the world, but only money can change it', was a good saying to encapsulate this situation...
Either that or, 'Integrity doesn't put dinner on my table'.
Yori was really close to a breakthrough, he didn't let the news of the small nuclear device going off shake him all that much.
That much couldn't be said about Nemuri and Toga, who were both quite horrified about what had happened.
The fact that the media loved overplaying the size of the explosion certainly didn't help.
Toga and Nemuri blew Beru's smartwatch with phone calls. The insectoid was forced to just turn it off after responding with a few messages and deciding on visiting them at a later point.
Calling it a full-on nuclear warhead was overestimating it by a lot. Sure, it had razed everything in a 5-kilometre radius, but there wasn't that large of a boom from it.
There was almost no shockwave when compared to the real deal. Although that might've been due to Beru's walls. But it was still weaker in comparison.
The difference in strength was quite apparent, after studying the scene, it was also discovered that there was not much radiation to be had from that explosion.
It was a device that no one recognized, the fact that it was impossible to know what it truly was made authorities, as well as the public, quite unnerved.
But not for long, as Beru's actions and strength managed to calm down the public to the point where the explosion was almost forgotten.
The police though... They weren't having such a great time trying to find out more about the situation. Kenji was informed about the truth though, but he also couldn't make it public or share it around to lessen the worries of his subordinates.
It was a rather stressful situation in Japan... And that also translated overseas. Where the board was having a meeting once more.
The most powerful were gathered again, discussing what the fuck had just happened.
"... So, would the Grigorev family like to explain why one of our best sleeper cell weapons was just used in the middle of Japan?" Asked the Don of the Italian family. They were the ones that oversaw the making of most weapons that the gangs were utilising.
Their control over the German region was what made such a thing possible. The weapon that was used in Japan was something that was meant to be kept a secret. The last resort for when they were either outed to the world or their many blackmail victims decided that enough was enough.
It was not the type of thing that could just be thrown around. And, since it was used in Japan, things were quite obvious too, after all, it was the territory of the Grigorev family, part of it anyway.
The old men at the table all looked at Vladimir for answers. Yet, the old man ground his teeth in anger. He was clearly seeing red at that point.
'A failure so large, displayed for the rest to see... Someone will pay for this!' The old man was already thinking of the many ways he could use to skin his grandson alive. Flay his tendons and pour molten iron down his throat.
Vladislav had yet to arrive though, which made things even worse. Being late and disrespectful on top of doing such a stupid thing...
"It wouldn't even have been that big of a deal if an enemy of Beru's level was taken down by it. But it seems he didn't even get a scratch on his body... He actually only benefited from that attack..." The Mexican Cartel leader was now also more informed about the Ant King.
The fact that the attack didn't even do anything was worse than the fact that Vladislav decided to use that weapon in the first place. Had it been a success, this meeting would've been about them drinking to Beru's death instead of bickering and arguing.
"Guess Japan is already a no-go zone for us... Either that, or the Grigorev lost their-" The Italian mafia leader was about to make a joke, but it seemed to tip off someone a bit too much.
"... SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU!" Yegor, Vladislav's uncle, had finally had enough. Smashing the table with his fist and gaining quite a few raised eyebrows in return.
"You all should watch your mouths... Don't bring our name through the mud due to the mistakes of only one bastard son!" Yegor said through gritted teeth. Vladimir looked at him with an appreciative gaze.
Normally he wouldn't have tolerated insults within the family, but he didn't even see Vladislav as a family member anymore.
Suddenly, just when one of the other members at the table were about to open their mouths, the door opened widely to reveal a smiling Vladislav.
His blond hair was slicked backwards, his deep blue eyes shined with joyful light. His smile was wide and revealed some mischief.
He wore a perfectly tailored royal blue tuxedo. His white teeth shined as he greeted everyone at the table.
"Lovely day gentlemen! I seem to have arrived a little later than I had planned." Some looked at him with disinterest, others smiled deviously, others seemed actually angry at him being late.
But Vladimir's expression was cold, with no discernable emotion.
"It's rather odd, you are usually the first one. But I guess the fact that this is your mistake complicates things a bit." One of the older people spoke. He didn't really care about the young man being late. But he wasn't exactly pleased with the situation.
"Indeed. The situation in Japan has taken a rather drastic turn. It seems that any attempt at regaining control of that country will only end in our discovery or deaths." Many people in the room nodded at the young man's words.
They all understood that Beru being able to completely evade and save everyone from that explosion was due to luck or Vladislav's incompetence. Saying that would simply be irrational.
Beru's presence simply made things impossible. And doing business in that country was actually impossible due to him. As if All Might's presence didn't already strain things a bit...
But not everyone seemed to be thinking about things logically.
Vladimir snapped directly when seeing him.
"YOU USELESS BASTARD!" The old man smashed both of his fists on the table. Everyone was shocked to see how irrationally angry the old man had become.
But old age and excessive pride did tend to cloud one's thoughts. No one did anything or said anything, only watching the scene unfold with great interest.
"YOU... I gave you so many resources! Yet you still somehow fuck this up?! YOU ACTUAL DISGRACE!" Vladislav continued smiling as he tilted his head at his engaged grandfather's words.
"And how exactly would any resources you can give help me take down someone at Beru's level?" The men at the table seemed to be rather intrigued by that question.
Vladimir only gritted his teeth, knowing that whatever his grandson said next, it would only serve to dig a deeper hole.
"You could only hide away from All for One in his prime. Beru is the one that killed that man, rather effortlessly, might I remind you." Vladislav's words made some of the old men at the table chuckle.
But that was quickly stifled, as the old man let out an enraged growl. So did the rest of the Grigorev family members present.
Still, this was rather interesting information for most of the people at the table.
"You ignorant little shit! You think w-" Yegor was about to defend his family, but he was interrupted by Vladislav.
"Oh please! Don't bother giving explanations. The only reason you guys even had the balls to go anywhere near Japan was due to the fact that All for One was inactive for a while." The young blonde waved off his uncle's defences in an instant.
"YOU PIECE OF SHIT! You leave me no choice! You think you can live after disrespecting us to that extent?!" Vladimir immediately lit up like a fuse, having heard enough disrespect already.
He took out a handgun and pointed it at his grandson's face. The young man was still standing by the door. That exact same smile lingered on his face.
This was Vladimir's attempt at regaining some face. By getting rid of the one that had brought down the name of their family.
"Are you sure you want to shoot me? Can you really handle it?" Vladislav spoke as his gaze turned a few degrees colder.
Vladimir was only angered more by those words though... And, while not thinking clearly, he just pressed the trigger. Not noticing the rest of his sons trying their best to stop his hand.
Vladislav smiled when seeing the trajectory of the bullet. 'The party is starting so quickly...'
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