The night in Musutafu had never felt so suffocating. Streetlights flickered as if uncertain of their purpose. Storefronts were shuttered, windows barred, and even the neon signs of late-night ramen stalls had gone dark. Sirens echoed in the distance, accompanied by the occasional burst of gunfire or a rumbling explosion. Smoke and ash drifted across the skyline, turning the stars into faint smudges behind the haze. The city was holding its breath, paralyzed by fear and disbelief.
Reiji moved along the empty road near the city's industrial zone. His footsteps felt heavier tonight, not from exhaustion, but from the weight of knowing how close society stood to the edge. His shadow stretched unnaturally with each flicker of light. Every rooftop, every alley, every quiet corner—it was all too quiet. He gritted his teeth at the messages scrawled on the walls: Heroes are dead.We've been betrayed.Only the strong survive. It didn't feel like home anymore. It felt like a warning. his shadow stretching unnaturally with each flicker of light. His eyes, sharp and cold, scanned every rooftop, every alley, every quiet corner. Every wall he passed bore fresh graffiti: Heroes are dead.We've been betrayed.Only the strong survive.
His mind echoed with All For One's broadcast, but it wasn't the words that stuck—it was the silence that followed. No statements from the Hero Public Safety Commission. No press conference from Endeavor. No word from All Might. Just an eerie, crushing quiet. The kind that came before something worse.
Then the message from Hawks had come.
Encrypted. Brief. Urgent.
"Shelter 17 under attack. Escapees confirmed. Minimal pro-hero presence. Civilians inside."
That was all Reiji needed.
Without hesitation, he stepped into a pool of shadow beneath a broken streetlamp. His body melted into it like ink into water. The world folded inward, silent and dark, as he traveled through the void between.
Within moments, he emerged miles away—on the rooftop of a half-collapsed building overlooking the shelter.
Below, chaos.
A small gang of villains—five of them, all recently escaped from Tartarus—were attacking the shelter entrance. Civilians screamed as debris rained down. A woman shielded her child with her body, another tried dragging an elderly man to safety. Two pro-heroes—one controlling bursts of flame, the other sending out seismic waves—fought desperately but were clearly outmatched.
Reiji narrowed his eyes. His hand ignited with a pulsing orange fire—Scorpion's hellfire.
He dropped from the rooftop like a falling shadow.
Landing in a crouch, he slammed his palm into the ground, sending a wave of hellfire forward. The flames erupted in a wide arc, carving a path through the rubble and forcing the villains to scatter. Screams of pain echoed as one was caught directly in the blast.
Civilians looked up in awe as the path cleared. Reiji motioned toward them. "Go. Now."
One villain lunged toward a fleeing mother and child, blades protruding from his arms.
"Get over here!" Reiji snarled, summoning his chain spear.
The weapon shot forward, glowing with fiery runes and emitting a low, resonant hum that crackled like fire through dry wood. Heat shimmered in the air as it sliced forward, searing through the night. It pierced the attacker's shoulder and yanked him backward with bone-snapping force. Reiji met him mid-air with a knee to the gut, sending the villain flying into a wall. Dust and splinters flew in all directions as the wall caved in from the impact.
Another villain drew a blade and rushed with a scream. Reiji stepped sideways—and vanished.
He reappeared behind the man, emerging from a swirling black vortex. A single strike from a shadow-forged tonfa hit the villain's temple, knocking him out cold. The sound of the crack echoed ominously through the smoke.
A third villain launched ice spikes from above. Reiji summoned a shadow clone, which intercepted the attack before vanishing in smoke. The clone lunged forward just before disappearing, distracting the villain long enough for Reiji to hurl a burst of hellfire at point-blank range. The attacker dropped to the ground, screaming in pain as flames licked at his coat.
The pro-heroes—battle-worn and bloodied—stared in disbelief.
"Who is he?" one asked, panting.
"I don't know," said the other, "but... he's on our side?"
The fight ended within minutes. The remaining villains were restrained—burned, beaten, and unconscious. Reinforcements hadn't even arrived yet.
But the civilians were safe.
Later, as emergency responders arrived and helped evacuate the wounded, Reiji stood apart, his gaze lowered and arms crossed, leaning against a damaged pillar near the entrance. His breathing was steady now, but a trace of unease lingered beneath his calm facade. Smoke curled from his shoulders, dissipating into the night.
A few civilians hesitated before approaching. Fear lingered in their expressions, tempered by gratitude.
"Thank you," a young boy said, holding his mother's hand. "You saved my mom."
Reiji managed a small nod, his expression unreadable. He knelt down to eye level with the child and placed a hand on his head gently. "Stay safe. Stay strong."
The two pro-heroes approached. "You were brutal," one of them said after a moment, not accusingly, but cautiously.
"I did what I had to," Reiji said softly. "I didn't want anyone to get hurt... but they would've, if I hadn't stepped in."
The second hero studied him. "You're strong. But are you a licensed hero?"
"No."
"Then what are you?"
Reiji didn't answer. His gaze drifted toward the skyline, watching the smoke rise over the city like a warning.
[System Notification: Behavioral Trait Detected – Controlled Brutality. Adaptive Algorithms Syncing. New parameters unlocked. Initiating internal adjustment.]
He pushed off the pillar, steps light but decisive.
"I don't know what I am yet," he admitted, glancing toward the smoke on the horizon. "But I'm trying to be someone who can help."
He stepped into the alleyway and vanished into shadow.
The city wasn't resting. Neither was the enemy.
Elsewhere in Musutafu, dark clouds gathered—not in the sky, but in the hearts of those who watched and waited.
Reiji appeared on another rooftop, scanning the district below. This one was near an abandoned shopping plaza. The building had long been condemned—shattered windows, crumbling walls, graffiti sprayed across every surface. The stench of ozone filled the air.
He sensed it before he saw it—a violent ripple of energy.
Then the street below exploded.
A deafening boom shook the nearby buildings. A figure landed hard, sending cracks spiderwebbing across the concrete. Dust filled the air, blinding and hot. Alarms triggered in the distance.
A massive silhouette emerged through the dust, muscle-bound and wild-eyed.
"Been a while," the voice growled.
Reiji's eyes narrowed.
Muscular.
The villain grinned, lips pulled back over his teeth, veins bulging like cords. The muscle fibers along his arms coiled and twitched like live wires.
"I remember you… You're the brat from Kamino, aren't you?"
Reiji didn't flinch. Flames began curling from his forearms while his shadow stretched unnaturally behind him, forming clawed extensions. His stance shifted subtly—one foot back, hands half-raised, eyes focused.
No words.
Just a heartbeat.
The street trembled between them, tension ready to snap.
To be continued...
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