BOOOOM!
From one moment to the next, with a thunderous roar that shook the very foundations of the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, a large, gaping hole abruptly appeared in the colossal roof of the USJ facility. The immense impact caused the entire building to tremble violently, as if a catastrophic earthquake had erupted from nowhere, sending tremors through every steel beam and concrete slab. Dust and debris rained down from above, creating a hazy, chaotic scene.
Kyoka, despite the jarring tremor that shook the entire place, barely managed to maintain her grip on Lena's unconscious body, holding her friend close. Her gaze, filled with desperate concern, immediately darted to Lena's still form. She was immensely relieved to see that Lena was still breathing, her chest rising and falling faintly, but her skin was abnormally pale, a chilling, almost translucent white, which worried Kyoka profoundly. The residual celestial lightning bolts that had previously arced around Lena's body had now completely dissipated, leaving her inert and vulnerable.
Turning her head to look at Reaper, the masked villain who had caused so much terror, Kyoka saw him simply standing upright, as if he had barely been grazed, completely unfazed by the sudden, building-shattering explosion. He appeared almost as if he had just been momentarily erased from existence and then effortlessly reformed, his composure utterly unbreached.
Before Kyoka could even react or attempt to understand, a dark purple portal, swirling with malevolent energy, materialized directly behind Reaper. In the blink of an eye, it swiftly engulfed him, pulling him into its shadowy depths, and then vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving no trace.
"He... just escaped?" Kyoka whispered, her voice barely a breath, as the immense, lingering tension and fear finally left her body in a wave of profound relief, causing her shoulders to slump.
"It seems so..." Midoriya replied, his voice strained, as he sat on the ground, visibly exhausted, both physically and mentally drained from the harrowing ordeal. His body trembled faintly from adrenaline.
A tense, heavy silence descended upon the devastated central plaza, broken only by the occasional distant siren or the creaking of damaged metal. This silence, however, was swiftly and decisively interrupted by a booming, familiar voice that resonated throughout the entire USJ facility.
"THE CAVALRY HAS ARRIVED, YOUNG HEROES!" Present Mic's voice resounded, amplified to fill every corner of the vast space, bringing a wave of profound relief to all the students. His powerful voice, infused with heroic authority, effectively forced the remaining low-ranking villains, who had been hiding or attempting to flee, to immediately surrender, their resistance crumbling under the sheer weight of incoming professional heroes.
Kyoka simply stood there, still tightly hugging Lena, her mind reeling from the day's events. 'This... this is the life of a Hero, then?' she thought, a profound question settling in her mind, a stark realization of the terrifying reality that lay before them in their chosen path.
Following the traumatic USJ incident, all classes at U.A. were immediately canceled for the next two days. This unforeseen hiatus allowed the U.A. staff and the local authorities to meticulously investigate the security lapses at the academy and to assess the full extent of the villain attack.
Police officers arrived shortly after, swiftly securing the students of Class 1-A, who were then questioned individually about their version of the harrowing events. The police also managed to apprehend and arrest the vast majority of the villains who had participated in the attack. During their debriefing with the U.A. staff, the police informed them that most of the arrested villains were only of "Low Rank," consisting primarily of common thugs and petty criminals, with only a very small handful identified as "Lower-Middle Rank."
This surprising information sent a ripple of collective shock through most of the students in the class. They had, perhaps naively, felt themselves to be much stronger than that, having faced what felt like an overwhelming force. This brutal, yet necessary, experience at the USJ incident only served to prove how incredibly far they still had to go, how much more they needed to train and mature, before they could truly aspire to become great, formidable heroes worthy of their U.A. status. The encounter was a humbling and sobering reminder of their true place in the hero world.
"I have something rather disturbing to report to you all... it's unsettling, to say the least..." Naomasa Tsukauchi, the detective with the lie-detecting Quirk, stated gravely, his gaze fixed on the new report that had just arrived on his tablet not too long ago. He paused, allowing the gravity of his words to sink in. "The Catastrophe Rank Villain known as Nomu has been successfully found. It was discovered in a remote forest not far from where U.A. is located, seemingly passed out..."
"That's good news, then," All Might said, a visible wave of relief washing over him as he leaned back in his seat, his massive frame relaxing slightly. He certainly harbored no desire to fight that monstrous creature again in his current, weakened state.
"Yes, but the worrying thing is this, All Might: apparently, it's dead." As those chilling words emanated from Naomasa's mouth, the entire room full of Pro Heroes and U.A. faculty members collectively turned their gaze towards All Might, who visibly cringed, a flicker of guilt and confusion on his face. "However, it wasn't All Might's fault, apparently. According to our preliminary findings, its body had been deceased for quite some time, even showing signs of advanced decomposition. We called in some of our most skilled doctors and medical professionals to get a better understanding of Nomu, but they said its body was so heavily modified, and its Quirks were so complex and resilient, that they couldn't get much more out of it beyond superficial analysis. With your permission, we propose that its remains be sent to Tartarus, the high-security prison, to keep it under strict supervision and further study."
"I concur with that decision, Naomasa," Nezu, the U.A. Principal, replied with a heavy sigh, his usually cheerful demeanor replaced by a serious, contemplative expression. A creature of such a terrifying nature, with multiple, powerful Quirks, could potentially signify the dreaded return of All For One, or perhaps the emergence of someone with an unprecedented, highly advanced knowledge of Quirk manipulation. The implications were chilling.
"Continuing with the report, Shigaraki, Kurogiri, and Reaper have all been officially categorized as 'High Rank' villains," Naomasa reported, finally concluding his detailed briefing. "While Shigaraki does not seem to be a particularly intelligent or strategic person, the sheer dangerousness and destructive potential of his Decay Quirk is what elevates him to the High Rank category. On the other hand, we have Reaper... about whom we already possessed some fragmented information beforehand. Apparently, he is a mysterious mercenary, a shadow in the underworld. It is not definitively known who he works for, or even if he works for anyone at all, but he is widely reputed to be exceptionally lethal. There are unconfirmed reports that he was skilled enough to eliminate Germany's Top 3 Pro Heroes in a single operation... but this case, I must stress, remains unconfirmed and shrouded in secrecy."
'That was certainly to be expected... this incident, so public and chaotic, cannot possibly be hidden from the masses any longer. There are simply too many people who know about this matter now, too many witnesses, and it's only a matter of time before the full information inevitably leaks out to the public,' Nezu thought, taking a slow sip of his tea, his sharp, intelligent eyes scanning the faces of the people around the table who were engaged in a heated discussion about various matters related to the USJ Incident. 'The Security Commission will undoubtedly want to seize this opportune moment to infiltrate our territory, to exert their influence over U.A., but I will not make it easy for them, not in the slightest. On the other hand, we must meticulously prepare for the upcoming sports festival; we must prove to the entire world that our school is undeniably safe and secure, at all costs...' His mind, ever calculating, was already outlining a comprehensive strategy.
Deep inside a desolate, cavernous cave, bathed in the dim glow of flickering monitors, stood a woman who looked no older than thirty years old, her gaze intently fixed on the real-time recordings displayed on her large, expansive screen. The cave itself was a labyrinth of scientific equipment: several hospital gurneys, their metallic surfaces gleaming under the harsh light, tangled wires snaking across the uneven floor, numerous cameras mounted at various angles, powerful microscopes humming softly, and many giant, transparent tubes, currently empty, standing ominously like silent sentinels.
"I knew this would end badly," the woman sighed, a weary exhalation, her voice tinged with a detached resignation. She had meticulously infiltrated some of her henchmen into this audacious "assault" on the Society of Heroes, solely to keep herself intimately informed of every single detail unfolding within the USJ facility. But knowing that the one leading this "raid" was a complete rookie, a mere novice like Shigaraki, she could already get a fairly accurate idea of how the entire operation would predictably unfold. Yet, even with her foresight, she admitted to herself that she was still subtly surprised by the sheer level of incompetence displayed.
She was surprised, almost to the point of mild amusement, by what an utter imbecile this "Shigaraki" truly was. If he had approached this assault with genuine seriousness, with a coherent strategy, he could have easily achieved a decisive victory. He would have merely needed to instruct Nomu to systematically slaughter all the students, and that would have been the swift, brutal end of it. But the idiot, driven by a perverse childishness, decided to play around, to indulge in petty sadism.
At least her star soldier, Reaper, didn't seem to let her down. After all, she had given him explicit orders not to kill anyone, to simply incapacitate them. 'Although he did, inadvertently, kill someone... but even he, the embodiment of death, couldn't have predicted that; who in their right mind would willingly sacrifice their own life for someone else's, especially a stranger's...?'
"Um..." The red-haired scientist, her name was Moira O'Deorain, contemplated the perplexing matter of Lena's apparent self-sacrifice for a few minutes, her brow furrowed in scientific curiosity, before letting out a frustrated sigh. "I still don't fully understand Heroes... their illogical selflessness is a variable I cannot quantify."
However, there was one particular matter that profoundly intrigued the scientist, a phenomenon that defied her current understanding. That same girl whom Reaper had supposedly killed, had somehow, inexplicably, revived herself.
Healing Quirks were incredibly rare and, consequently, extremely valuable commodities in the scientific and medical communities. And while not as overtly valuable, Regeneration Quirks, which allowed for the regrowth of lost limbs or organs, were even rarer and more enigmatic than healing Quirks.
However, this girl's primary Quirk was clearly "Superspeed," a kinetic ability, not a biological one.
On the other hand, no matter how much Moira slowed down the camera footage, reviewing it frame by painstaking frame, the girl simply couldn't be clearly seen. She was a blur, a ghost in the machine, disappearing and reappearing as if transcending conventional time and space.
'I don't have time for this convoluted mystery,' Moira thought, a flicker of impatience crossing her face, before dialing an ancient, clunky phone, its rotary dial a stark contrast to the advanced technology surrounding her.
"Sombra," Moira stated, her voice sharp and direct, the moment the line was answered, cutting to the chase. "I need you to acquire some very specific information for me. I will, of course, compensate you handsomely for your services."
"¡Hola, Moria! I guess you never call just to say hello, do you, mi amiga?" A very animated, playful female voice replied, her tone filled with a mischievous mirth that seemed to mock Moira's seriousness.
Sombra.
One of the most wanted and elusive criminals in the entire world, notorious for hacking into the most impenetrable government and corporate systems. She was infamous for brazenly spreading highly sensitive information about numerous countries, exposing their internal wars, orchestrating assassinations of high-ranking politicians, revealing widespread corruption, uncovering illicit human experimentation, and countless other clandestine operations. Her digital footprint was everywhere, yet her true identity remained shrouded in absolute secrecy.
The ironic thing was that absolutely no one knew what her actual face looked like. Every single person, every government agency, every shadowy organization that had attempted to find even a single clue about her true identity was invariably met with a dead end, a digital brick wall, or, even more ominously, a mysterious and untraceable death. The only thing the governments of the world knew about her was her enigmatic pseudonym: "Sombra."
"I don't have time for your usual banter, Sombra; time is money, and in my case, the more time I waste, the more humanity is delayed in its inevitable progression towards a dazzling, glorious future," Moira sighed, her voice laced with thinly veiled annoyance, as she leaned back in a chair, looking intently at one of her own hands, as if contemplating the delicate balance of life and death. "Even if the price for that future is losing you along the way..."
"As deep and philosophical as ever, huh, Moira?" A faint, amused chuckle was heard from Sombra through the phone, a sound that grated on Moira's nerves. Moira simply frowned, her patience wearing thin. "Alright, alright, tell me precisely what it is that you want from me, then."
"I need you to hack into U.A.'s deeply secured systems and acquire all student information on the entire institution, without leaving a single trace," Moira replied, her voice still tinged with annoyance at Sombra's oddly cheerful and flippant personality. "There is a specific student with a very interesting Quirk, a rare and powerful one. As far as I know, her name is Lena Oxton. I want every single piece of information available on her, every detail."
"Alright, but I must warn you, it may take a while; U.A. is an impregnable fortress, a highly sophisticated network, but not for me. Give me a few days, and I'll tear their defenses apart, piece by painstaking piece," replied Sombra, her tone now shifting into her business mode, becoming serious and efficient. "Now, about my pay."
"Alright, Sombra, what precisely do you want in return for this invaluable service?" Moira asked, already anticipating a steep price.
"Well... I know you possess highly advanced research on Quirks, specifically on how to force their Awakenings, to unlock their full potential. Don't even try to lie to me, Moira; your little star soldier, Reaper, is irrefutable proof of that," Sombra said after a moment of thoughtful consideration. Moira wasn't surprised that Sombra had apparently hacked her even while they were talking, or perhaps even years before, meticulously gathering intelligence. "I want you to use your research and knowledge to awaken my Quirk, to unlock its full power, and in addition to that, three million dollars."
'Now this is interesting...' Moira thought, a new, almost predatory twinkle appearing in her eyes, and a rare, genuine smile slowly spreading across her face. The prospect of unlocking Sombra's unknown Quirk, combined with her immense hacking skills, presented an irresistible opportunity.
Unbeknownst to anyone else in the world, in that very moment, the initial, clandestine steps were being taken towards the clandestine founding of the notorious organization that would later become widely known as Talon.
An organization that would, in the years to come, turn the entire world upside down, plunging it into chaos and revolutionizing its very fabric...