บท 192: Chapter 189 - Atago-Jinja Shrine
"We're at Atago-Jinja's entrance"
"How many civilians ?", his second-in-command asked
Endeavor looked around.
The place - a mixture of a public squarein front of the shrine and its parking lot - was empty.
"About three hundred people"
"We're in the area : we'll be there in a few minutes to evacuate them"
Endeavor hung up.
Standing in the middle of the square, arms dangling, he looked around, unsure of what to do.
He was not accustomed to being sidelined.
His son - who had suddenly appeared before him - had insisted that he had found a way to deal All for One a fatal blow, but that it would require the evacuation of all civilians in the area.
Endeavor nearly had a heart attack as he watched him explode in a cloud of smoke shortly after relaying his orders.
Once more his gaze swept over the area.
It had to be-
Endeavor blinked and suddenly mountains of civilians, wrapped in shower curtains or blankets, appeared in groups around him.
Whole families, dazed, stepped out of their shackles, exchanging looks of astonishment.
"How did we get here ?"
"I was in my bathroom barely a second before..."
One man carefully unfolded the shower rug he was wrapped in, shards of glass falling from it.
Everywhere it was the same pattern : families and individuals appeared wrapped in sheets, blankets, curtains or carpets, covered in shards of glass yet unharmed.
"Is that you Mr. Motohiro ?"
"I recognize you, you're my neighbor on the seventh floor"
Questions flew in all directions ; a deafening din filled the square.
The civilians closest to Endeavor stared at him in amazement and surprise, mouths agape.
Endeavor cleared his throat.
"Your attention please"
His voice, loud and clear, carried far.
Those who had been chatting seemed surprised to see him.
"We are evacuating your neighborhood for safety reasons : please proceed to the entrance of the shrine"
Endeavor had noticed that the civilians first appeared in front of him, then gradually farther away : if Shoto was indeed running - which, though crazy, seemed more likely than teleportation - clearing the front of the square would be crucial to avoid wasting time.
"Are your side-kicks evacuating us ?"
"And those things we heard screaming, where are they ? Weren't we better off inside ?"
Questions flew from all sides : Endeavor was overwhelmed by the influx of dozens of confused civilians who contributed to the general chaos, and those who sought answers.
That was why he never got involved in evacuations.
"Move to the shrine entrance's now"
Fire surged sharply on his skin to drive his point across, eyebrows furrowed on darkened eyes.
The nearest civilians backed away, repelled by the heat, while the others stared at him in confusion.
"Alright, alright, we're going..."
"No need to get all grumpy..."
Endeavor's persona was tough and intimidating because Enji himself was intimidating, but also - and especially - because he loathed when people didn't obey his every word.
The civilians walked slowly to the stairs, whispering to each other.
Some sat on the lowest steps ; many formed small groups at the foot of the Torii.
As groups and families appeared out of nowhere, Endeavor herded the first wave to walk up the stairs.
"Isn't it illegal to come here in the middle of the night ?"
One woman - holding a small girl's hand - approached Endeavor.
"Sir, please, we're cold..."
They were soaked to the skin ; the rain was still pouring heavily.
Endeavor was barely aware of it, burning as he was.
"The evacuation team will be here soon," he said. "They'll bring you blankets and food"
The woman smiled softly, thanked him profusely then dragged her daughter away, no doubt deciding to seek shelter under the trees that lined the high stairs leading to the temple.
Endeavor - his face stern as always - glanced at the shivering child clutching two of her mother's fingers in her chubby hand.
Without really knowing why, Touya suddenly came to his mind.
Endeavor unzipped his suit jacket and handed it to them.
He found himself in a black compression t-shirt, the kind he only wore when exercising.
"Take this"
The woman seemed surprised : Endeavor waited patiently for her to take it, even though he wanted to shove it in her hands.
The purpose of the jacket was to store and distribute Endeavor's heat, to cool him down when he used his Quirk too much : in these circumstances it was a heater without plug.
The woman put on the jacket ; it was so large that neither her hands nor her knees were discernible. She held her daughter on her hip and zipped the jacket up to her chin to keep them both warm.
Endeavor's body temperature rose several degrees as he walked through the civilians : many leaned forward to warm themselves, rubbing their numb hands in his wake.
Some, understanding what he was doing, took it upon themselves to speak to the newcomers, leading them towards the shrine's entrance.
The area was packed with people, civilians moving higher and higher in the stairs as new waves of evacuees poured in.
One only had to turn their head to see someone appear out of nowhere, as if they had suddenly sprung from the depths of reality.
Endeavor did a quick head count.
There were at least five hundred people, and the number was only-
A deafening explosion rang out.
A wave of searing heat swept across everything in its path, lifting a cloud of dust over the square and bending the trees horizontally.
The ground shook.
Civilians screamed and ducked for cover.
Instinctively, Endeavor turned toward the source of the noise, eyes squinting, forearms on his mouth for protection.
A glass skyscraper overlooked the square : behind it, a column of red fire shot from the ground into the sky like a fiery hurricane, threatening to consume everything in its path.
The clouds, black and heavy, reflected the explosion. The glowy red spread from cloud to cloud quickly.
The falling rain took on the color of spilled blood.
The screams of the civilians grew louder.
It looked like hell on earth.
*
President Pantu leaned closer to the microphone.
"Mirko ? Are you still there ?"
There was a sound of jerky breathing, as if someone was running.
Pantu glanced at the computer scientist who shrugged and shook his head helplessly.
She adjusted her earpiece.
"Mirko, I can hardly hear you. If you could-"
A wrenching scream of agony ripped through the air.
The man jolted.
The scream turned into a shrill howl of pain, making the earpiece crackle. Frowning, the President ripped off the earpiece and threw it on the table.
The computer scientist almost did the same but stopped short, two fingers on his earpiece.
"Problem ?", asked Pantu in a low voice.
All around them men and women were busy coordinating rescue teams, police work and Heroes teams.
Mirko's screams were confined to their own earpieces : no one had heard anything.
They waited a moment in silence, the computer scientist, eyebrows furrowed, listening intently to what was happening at the other end of the call.
He gestured for the President to speak into the microphone.
"Mirko ?"
The man's lips tightened as he tried to describe what he was hearing.
"It's like... it sounds like chewing"
Pantu picked up her earpiece and brought it to her ear.
She listened intently.
Regular, multiple clacking sounds were reminiscent of nibbling. There were swallowing sounds and pleased grumbling.
There were at least two people, maybe three.
Pantu calmly took off the headset and put it back on the table.
"President, what do you think this means ?"
Pantu's face was smooth and imperturbable.
"For now - and until we hear from her again - let's consider Mirko out of the picture"
Pantu had trusted her by allowing her to step in before her colleague showed up : obviously, Mirko had gotten caught up in the heat of the moment and done as she'd pleased.
They hoped that she'd dropped her earpiece between jumps.
"Tell Crust to stand by right outside the neighborhood"
Three Nomus made the area one of the most dangerous : if Mirko was jeopardized, a lesser Hero wouldn't stand a chance.
Pantu was forced to establish a strategic retreat until she had other top Heroes at her disposal.
She was well aware that this meant abandoning the local civilians to their fate, but the whole capital was in a critical situation : she couldn't afford to send group after group of Heroes to the slaughterhouse.
"I want Crust to track down Uraraka and Monoma ; he shall find them and bring them to me. Violence authorized if necessary"
Crust had the ideal Quirk for capture missions.
"Done"
"Now where are Endeavor and his-"
Simultaneously, a thunderous blast reverberated through the city.
A mighty gust of wind swept through Tokyo.
It rattled the walls of the tent, threatening to uproot it, then swept inside like a tornado.
Some laptops fell to the ground ; computer screens, pushed by the sheer force of the wind, were barely caught on time.
Pantu, eyes squinting, covered her face with her forearm and stepped outside.
A mushroom of red and orange smoke rose up the sky, so high that its peak licked the clouds.
The city took on a reddish hue, the rain - reflecting the explosion - giving the impression that drops of lava were raining on them.
The wind, a mixture of dust, ash and rain, brought back the smell of fire.
Clouds of gray dust billowed along the streets, spreading like wildfire across the streets and drowning all surrounding buildings.
The city was plunged into chaos, fear, and uncertainty.
How many civilians would die, suffocated by the dust and lack of air ?
How many of their Heroes would sacrifice themselves in futility for rescues doomed to fail ?
What would the death toll be by the time the sun had fully risen ?
Events were spiraling out of control.
They wouldn't make it.
Or rather, Pantu wouldn't be able to make them get out of this crisis.
She had already shown too much zeal, ordered too many things to too many people who were hardly in her purview.
Someone else - someone more competent and organized - had to take over.
"Bring me my cell phone"
She spoke loudly, lifting her head slightly over her shoulder to be heard, her eyes never leaving the spectacle unfolding before her.
On contact with the clouds, the red explosion opened like a flower in full bloom, stretching horizontally across the sky.
It was as if the sky had caught fire.
Someone came running back with a mobile phone.
Pantu grabbed it and quickly dialed a number she knew by heart.
"President ?"
She didn't even turn to the man next to her.
"Speak"
"It seems all the Nomus are now heading in the same direction"
She stopped typing.
"Where are they going ?"
"To Minato"
*
A/N :
If you like the story and want to read ahead of schedule, go check the story's P@treon, Nar_cisseENG
See you in the next update everyone !
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