The silence stretched like a living thing, suffocating. My friends, my brother… all of them staring at me—not as the man they knew, but as the shadow lurking beneath the name Dark Phantom.
Izuku's voice broke first, trembling but fierce."Why... why didn't you tell us? Why keep this from everyone? From me?"
His eyes searched mine, desperate for answers I wasn't sure I could give.
Mina stepped forward, tears streaking through grime and sweat."We've been fighting beside you, thinking you were one of us… and you were hiding this?"
Bakugo's anger flared, his voice rough and cutting like a blade."You're supposed to be my brother's ally, not some ghost killing in the dark."
Shoto remained silent, but the pain was clear in his eyes.
I wanted to reach out, to explain, to say so much—but the moment was too raw, too shattered for words.
Because the truth was brutal:
I kept my mask on to protect them.
To protect everyone.
If they'd known who I was as Dark Phantom—
I feared they'd see me as a monster.
Or worse, a target.
And now, with my identity torn wide open, I could feel the weight of every secret crushing down on me.
Before I could answer, the figure who revealed me laughed—cold, cruel, a sound that shattered the fragile silence.
"Well, well. The mighty Anos, unmasked at last. The war just got a lot more interesting."
The battlefield erupted again—Nomu surged forward, sensing weakness.
I barely had time to glance at my friends, their faces torn between shock and fierce determination.
Izuku's fists clenched, his Quirk sparking uncontrollably despite his injuries.
Bakugo growled, stepping beside Shoto, both ready to fight despite their battered states.
Mina's acid flared around her hands as she took her stance.
We didn't have the luxury of broken hearts or unanswered questions anymore.
"Enough," I said, voice steady despite the chaos inside. "We fight. Together."
The assassin team's voices crackled in my earpiece, steady anchors in the storm.
"Phantom, status?" Thorn's voice cut through.
"Exposed," I answered. "But not defeated."
With a deep breath, I pushed the weight of their gazes aside and launched into the fray.
Izuku, Bakugo, Shoto, Mina—they fought fiercely at my side, their pain fueling their strength.
And despite everything, despite the shock and heartbreak, I knew one thing:
We weren't alone.
Not in this fight.
Not ever.