Chương 34: The Great Evil
"You really are an impulsive idiot," Sakura hissed at Katsuki, her eyes focused on the villains unlike him who turned to yell back at her.
"Ha!? What you say Fivehead!?"
"Anyone with a brain would have just played along, but instead you went and attacked like a moron,"
The nonchalant attitude was enough to both anger and calm Katsuki's fear. If she wasn't worried, he certainly wasn't going to let the situation overwhelm him. Then he would be losing out to her again. Though arguing against each other just seemed to raise the villain's amusement.
"Shut up! I was gonna take these guys down myself and save your ass!"
"Sure, keep telling yourself that," Sakura tightened her stance, "You're probably fixating on those ridiculous rules about fighting,"
Katsuki was ready to spit back some remark but she didn't give him a chance.
"Don't be stupid. Find a chance to get out of here,"
"The fuck?"
"If we both escape now, they're just going to keep coming back like weeds," Katsuki probably wasn't going to be as difficult as the rest of her classmates on the matter. "I can give you an opening to get away though,"
Teeth gnashed like a wild animal cornered, Katsuki crouched with his hands opened, "As if! You think I'm gonna let you show me up!"
"If that's how you want to see the situation," Sakura sighed, before muttering softer so that her voice wouldn't reach the villains, "I can see it in your eyes,"
Katsuki may have been bolder than the rest of their classmates, but they shared the same level of experience. Still, he was acting out under the impression that the League wouldn't opt to kill them straight away since they were being 'scouted'. However, Sakura understood that for these people, what's treasure could easily become trash if it becomes too much of an inconvenience. She's seen enemies do far worse for lesser circumstances.
"Just so you know, I'm still allowed to fight!"
'He really is a scout,' The rules were already irrelevant to her.
Magma stepped towards them, "They figured out they're important to us, how clever,"
"No, they're idiots," stated Dabi. "Otherwise they would've pretended like we won them over,"
Sakura pouted at Katsuki, "He started it,"
She would've pretended until she was close enough to stab them in the back. Deception for a ninja wasn't considered a vile inheritance of character. Suppose anyone wanting to become a hero might view things differently.
Tomura stared silently, his head leaning downwards to the hand knocked from his face. There was no presence from him at that moment, it was watching a snake coil itself in preparation to strike. Kurogiri panicked at this, as he had seen many times what came after this eerie calm.
"Don't Tomura Shigaraki! Calm down!"
Kurogiri froze in his interception, as Tomura's eyes met theirs for the briefest moment with a strong look that caused Katsuki to shiver.
"Don't touch them any of you. They're important pieces," Slowly reaching for the hand, Tomura placed it back on his face, taking a deeper breath in.
"Wish you would've listened, I thought we could come to an understanding. But it seems that we have to resort to plan B."
Sakura pulled chakra into her fists, "I've been waiting for the change to go at it without restraint. This time I won't be letting any of you escape,"
Magne smiled, "Oh, the little girl is going to capture us?"
The smile dropped, as the room seemed to grow darker around Sakura, her eyes heavy but not with rage or false determination. It was the eyes of a tiger staring down its prey, unafraid, without the need to hide from its next victim.
"That's what you would expect from a hero," All of the villains were on high alert, weapons drawn and watching Sakura's movements. "Good thing I'm not a hero,"
Turning to the blank screen of the monitor tucked away in the corner of the bar, Tomura called out, "Master, take her,"
There was a short static before the computer responded, "As you wish, Tomura,"
Sakura didn't understand what happened, but bile filled her mouth that was bitterly swirling around and choking her. Katsuki looked surprised and tried reaching out but she was engulfed by the sludge.
"HEY!"
Katsuki called out to her, but his voice became lost as she vanished from his sight in the gloop.
..
..
..
"BLARF," Sakura heaved, as her throat caught some of the disgusting sludge, even as it seemed to evaporate, she could still remember the taste on her tongue and wretched dryly. Her chest heaved as she beat against it, spitting lightly.
"What the hell?" Straightening her posture, ears sharp and eyes narrowed to adjust to the dimly lit environment. With silent steps, she surveyed the parameter before deciding to walk ahead.
The area had changed drastically. She was still inside a building, but it wasn't the same as the bar. There were still noises from the outside, which said it was a public area with activity, but in comparison to before now, it had become like winter. Dark and silent with little appearance of life.
Little because she was confident that she was not alone, even in the sudden change of location, Sakura remembered what Tomura had said. He called out 'master' to someone and then she was here. Fast enough to understand what this meant. It was unlikely that they would go through the trouble of transporting her away from them just to set her free.
Even if they didn't want to engage her in combat, they wouldn't send her to a place where she could just leave and go searching for help.
It might have only been from the inside, but just mentioning an abandoned bar would help narrow the search for authorities.
'There has to be someone else,'
The area seemed like an industrial warehouse, though weeds had grown around the exits and moss on the windows with thickly undisturbed cobwebs. But there were faint footprints of collected dirt and dust that were left. And draglines. There were beams above so she took to higher ground to overlook the area. The way things were scattered didn't have a natural feel to it either. No, it seemed like a path was being made.
Around the corner of a pillar, a sound of bubbling water grew, and saw the metal boxes with pipes coming through. It gave a green tinge of luminescence to the otherwise dark area. There she saw them, like potted plants they stood silently in the murkiness. Bulking bodies, exposed brains. Nomu. At least a dozen of them.
"What the hell?" Was this where those creatures came from? Made?
A soft groan drew her on alert, carefully like walking on air, Sakura moved around and caught sight of the figure laying on a slab table, covered in nothing but a white sheet and almost as pale as it. There was Ragdoll, her eyes half-lidded, but blank.
"Ragdoll," Sakura jumped down and over to the hero, fixing the cloth around her and trying to get her to sit up but she was limp that Sakura had to hold her weight.
"What happened to you?"
The woman didn't reply, but Sakura still received an answer.
"She's alright, I just took something from her and it's given her a little shake. A typical response to the procedure; nothing to be concerned about,"
It was impossible to drop her guard at any moment, even when she was staring in disgust at the Nomu or rushing to Ragdoll's side. Yet this person's voice was close enough to her that there was no echo, just a light breath released with the tone. There was no threat in it and yet she felt the hairs on the back of her neck shoot up and her skin crawl with bumps in alarm.
"So glad you could join us, Sakura Haruno,"
A bead of sweat fell from her chin, "Who are you?"
Stepping out of the obscurity of the shadows, the figure was towering, more in presence than statue but still high enough for her to need to crane her neck. He wore a suit in prime condition that didn't match the decorum, but his face was gone. He wore a mask of metal that covered the upper half and another contraption on the lower with small pipes that seemed to connect to another piece of metal from his neck.
Nothing could overpower the fear and tension she had experienced when encountering Kaguya. However, this was the first time Sakura had felt such a looming weight of danger hanging over her since coming to this world.
Someone who made it decisively clear that he was the enemy.
"Just someone who's taken an interest, but you may call me All for One,"
"In me? Why's that?"
All for One, no, that was familiar. She had eavesdropped on Toshinori talking about the power that had been given to Izuku and it had been referred to as All for One. Then another time she eavesdropped on Tsukauchi and Toshinori discussing the Nomu.
'They spoke about a mastermind….someone with the power to take quirks. It couldn't be….'
He seemed to hold her in suspense, and Sakura reminded herself not to lose her composure. He eventually decided to move again.
"Months ago, an odd power surge is detected did you know it was close to where Eraserhead found you?"
She hadn't known anything about that, but this person must be thinking the power surge had something to do with her. Was that true? All that happened to her was coming through the portal and landing in this world.
Was it possible for that to be recorded or was it just a coincidence? There was a lot she wasn't aware of that night. She barely remembers going through the portal because of her wound. Was this person telling the truth?
"Perhaps you didn't have anything to do with that, but my curiosity was already touched when you took on my Nomu. He had a power meant to match All Might's and yet there was someone other than the number one hero who could stand against it. Then you just continued to pique my interest, bringing down the Hero Killer. There's that quirk of yours as well, incredible. Simply striking. There are so few born with a quirk that allows them more than one ability, yet somehow you have one that can extend further,"
"Thanks for noticing,"
Sakura crept a step back, she wouldn't be able to handle fighting with Ragdoll in her arms. And in her state, Sakura wanted to get the pro hero to a safe place, she also needed to figure out where she was sent so that she could get back to Katsuki. He was alone now with the league.
"So you're the one pulling the strings behind everyone. What exactly do you want? Just to derail heroes? Seems like a shallow ambition,"
He chuckled behind the mask, "Well to you it would seem that way, but as someone who has lived as long as I have, it's no different than returning to the beginning. Now back to you. While I do my research, nothing could be found of you until months when you landed in the hospital. It's as if Sakura Haruno never existed before then. How is it possible that someone with your talent was able to slip through the cracks of existence? So I think the more important question is who are you?"
Sakura smirked, hard eyes glaring at her enemy, "How about you answer this, what do you want with me?"
"The same thing I wanted with her," She was surprised that All for One answered so honestly. Looking over at Ragdoll, the woman was completely dazed almost as if she was still asleep but not unconscious. In the most disturbing manner.
There were no visible wounds, Sakura wasn't sure about internal injuries, but something was off. It was like looking at a ghost.
"What did you take from her?"
"Just a piece of her. With a quirk like that, it would be a waste to allow it to be further squandered with heroics,"
Sakura gasped, so this person was capable of stealing quirks. Did that mean he was after her power, was that why he brought her here? "Then this whole, join the League thing was a setup. Your real goal was to take my power?"
He chuckled, "There's something fascinating,"
"I've examined the blood master, and it's unusual,"
"How so?"
The doctor pushed up his glasses, "From what I've examined, Sakura Haruno has no quirk factor in her DNA. She should be examined as quirk-less,"
"Quirkless?"
"The tests don't lie, there is no sign of a quirk factor anywhere in her blood. But I have seen firsthand that she has abilities,"
"Most fascinating," He has lived many years, but this was certainly something new. Someone with several quirks that allowed for different abilities, yet blood that denied her ever possessing any.
Anything that was of interest to him would be taken and if it turned out to be a bore, tossed aside.
"Whatever is left however improbably is the answer. So Sakura Haruno, how is it possible that you appear to have no quirk and yet hold such extraordinary power?'
There was more to this girl than what she had been showing, and he wanted to make use of that.
"What is it that makes someone like you, someone who had no interest in being a hero, join U.A. to seemingly have heroic intentions, yet is willing to kill to take care of a problem she regards as pestering….Who are you?"
He read her well, she admits.
"I'm not obliged to answer."
The monitor went off, and noises in the background that seemed like a commotion was happening. Sakura could see from the monitor behind the bar she was held captive with Katsuki. Top heroes were appearing, breaking through the door with police following shortly after, and some of the members were restrained.
'They're late,'
"It would seem that the heroes are making their move. I best make mine,"
Sakura didn't know how he did it, but the Nomu's from the tanks started to move, pulling free from the contraptions and pipes, some of them vanishing into the sludge once they were out but Sakura still had a handful in front of her.
They crept towards her letting out those unnatural cries that would live in your nightmares.
Shifting Ragdoll closer, Sakura dashed away to the other side of the building. 'Taking them all on like this isn't easy when there's someone to protect too,'
The Nomu come at her in full force, their eyes dull but attacking fiercely. Reaching for her, she avoids them and dashes for the walls, ready to make her exit.
"Cha!" Punching through the walls, she dashed out into the night. Though the building was abandoned, and the area was quiet right now it was still in the middle of a metropolis. With roads and high buildings.
To think that they were capable of creating the Nomu factory right here. There wasn't a moment to enjoy the sight of the sky as the cries of the Nomu and their unsettling movements grew closer.
"What the heck? Isn't that one of the missing students?"
So the heroes had been making their move. Not something she would've guessed from the conference Shouta had. But when she came out of the warehouse, a few familiar figures were standing before her.
There was the woman, Mount Lady, a newbie that crashed her way into the front pages of the daily news articles. And there was also Best Jeanist. He stood in the top five heroes in Japan. Katsuki had also done his internship with this person. Another top ten heroes called Gang Orca, Sakura had only ever seen in the news tabloids.
There was also Tigerclaw, who seemed relieved when he saw Sakura carrying Ragdoll in her arms. The heroes weren't the only ones present, men in black armored suits, with guns and shields, helmets covering their faces were present.
They must've found a way to track down the League of Villains, and the Nomu factory.
"What's the situation?" Best Jeanist was quick to assert.
Sakura didn't have the opportunity to answer, as the Nomu were now coming out into the light.
The heroes sprung into action, Mount Lady grew and took down the Nomu in her path, as did Beast Jeanist, exhibiting their quirks.
Sakura gave Ragdoll back over to her teammate, she wanted to go back into the warehouse. There was no movement from that man yet and it made her nervous. The police were able to get closer to her and were trying to get her away from the scene.
"Wait a minute-
"Please come with us-
"There's something-
"Well now, the heroes have arrived,"
From the shadows, All for One remained, but while the other heroes were asking questions about the newcomer, Best Jeanist reacted.
His quirk allowed him to manipulate the fibers of clothing, and he used it to tighten the fabric around the man in the dark.
Mount Lady interjected, "Hey, what if he's a civilian-
"He's not!" Sakura exclaimed. "That's what I was trying to tell you, we have tog-
It all happened too fast, the sheer force knocking away everyone. Small specks of dirt were like bullets tearing through the skin.
After a moment in the air, Sakura managed to grip the ground and hold onto it, waiting for the force to stop pushing them back. All the heroes and the police were on the ground, some scattered while others just missing from the disaster.
It was a heart-stopping moment. A terrifyingly familiar one. The ground split, and raised to part, the pavements, tar, poles, and buildings were torn up as if they were just shoved aside with enough force to make them crumble like sand.
A slow sequence of claps echoed along the destroyed areas.
"As expected of the number four hero, Best Jeanist. I thought I'd blow everyone away. To be able to manipulate everyone's clothes and blow them away in an instant. I'm impressed,"
All for One stared at the number five hero, on his back, belly exposed and vulnerable as he struggled to bring himself back from the force of that attack.
It hurt to take a breath, and he was certain that something was broken, but Best Jeanist was determined to rise again. The police had called in all heroes to discuss their operation and the true mastermind behind the League of villains. Based on Tomura Shigaraki's extreme persona, it was difficult to imagine he could organize other villains as well as he had not to mention the Nomu.
They were warned that it was likely a villain with power comparable to All Might. That's why they were told to focus on the other league's arrest instead of going after the leader. This was truly an unexpected turn of events, but it didn't matter.
If they wanted to get everyone to safety and save as many lives as they could at this moment, he would have to stand against this man-no this monster.
Despite the bloodlust radiating for a moment, he thought that maybe he could do it. Maybe he could bring this vile person to justice, but as the fibers from his clothing lashed out like tiny whips they were easily deflected, and then he saw red splattering. Blood gushed from his chest, as he felt his breathing fail and he was falling slowly into darkness.
"The strength you possess is a result of your considerable training and experience. Your quirk doesn't suit Tomura's personality,"
Her faculties were lost on her longer than she would've liked. Sakura pushed herself up, removing the rubble that had fallen on her. She was in shock at the destruction.
She saw the hero laying helpless and bloody in front of All For One. This scene, the sight of bodies laying all over, the dust that turned to the skies after such destruction. It was a horrific throwback, a snapshot of Konoha's destruction at Pain and the Akatsuki's hands.
Sakura felt like bile was rising in her throat, cold sweat covered her body as her heart clenched like a fist had reached into her chest.
Without thinking, she rushes over to Best Jeanist, holding her hands over his chest, and she begins to heal. Attempting to stop the internal bleeding first, though one lung was severely damaged, the other wasn't which is why he was still able to breathe at least.
"Well, well, aren't you the brave little hero after all? It's not advised to let your guard down in front of your enemy,"
Gritting hard, Sakura snapped at him. "Maybe so, but you didn't capture me just to kill me, so All For One, will you try to take it?"
"Oh, there is no need for 'try',"
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