Chapter 219 - 218: Proceed

Time: Two Days Ago (Flashback)

CLINK.

Kaito set his coffee mug on the wooden table. He sat on the edge of his sofa.

BZZZT. BZZZT.

His phone vibrated. He picked it up and tapped the screen to answer.

"Rikiya," Kaito said.

[The Shizuoka hub just finished the final stress tests,] Rikiya Yotsubashi said through the speaker. He sounded completely hyped. He laughed loudly over the line. [David Shield's team stabilized the housing. We can finally mass-produce the reactor core.]

Kaito leaned back against the cushions.

"So the palladium loop holds the heat perfectly," Kaito asked.

[Yes,] Rikiya confirmed. [David has been working with our manufacturing heads for over months now. We finally hit the absolute peak of the project. We are ready for the global rollout. The traditional energy markets will collapse by next month.]

Kaito smiled. "Are the commercial housings ready?"

[The factories are printing them right now,] Rikiya said. [We are holding a joint press conference in Tokyo this Thursday. I need you there, Kaito. We are announcing this to the entire world.]

"I will be there," Kaito replied. "My vacation is basically over anyway."

[Don't you really want the world to know that you're it's creator?]

"Naah, I'm already content with being the Golden Manager."

...

Location: Tokyo - Detnerat Corporate Headquarters

Time: Present Day

FLASH. FLASH. FLASH.

Hundreds of cameras went off. The grand auditorium was packed to the absolute limit.

David Shield and Rikiya Yotsubashi stood together behind a wide metal podium. A 3D digital model of the Miniature Arc Reactor rotated on the massive screen behind them.

In the very front row, the HPSC Madam President sat with her arms crossed. She looked directly at the reactor model.

Mr. Yaoyorozu sat in the seat right next to her, typing notes into his phone. Several high-ranking military defense contractors sat in the surrounding chairs. And other moguls all over Japan are present.

"Mr. Shield!" The NHA female reporter stood up from the press section. She held her microphone out. "If this reactor replaces standard city power grids, what happens to the existing electric companies?"

David adjusted the microphone on the podium.

"We are licensing the technology to them," David answered calmly. "Shield-Tech holds the core patent. We will help the existing infrastructure transition to clean energy. Nobody loses their jobs."

"Mr. Yotsubashi!" The reporter from Sato X News jumped up next. "What about public safety? Is there radiation? Can villains weaponize this?"

Rikiya leaned forward. He gave the cameras a confident, practiced smile.

"There is zero radiation," Rikiya stated clearly. "The core absorbs its own heat. It is completely safe. Detnerat is manufacturing the commercial housings. We are installing these reactors in hospitals, emergency shelters, and hero agencies starting next week."

Mr. Yaoyorozu leaned over and whispered something to the Madam President. She kept her eyes on the reactor model, her expression completely unreadable.

The military generals behind them whispered to each other rapidly.

The reporters started talking over each other, raising their hands and shouting more questions. The noise filled the entire room.

Off to the side of the stage, a thick black curtain blocked the view from the crowd.

Kaito stood behind the curtain. He had his hands in his pockets. He watched Rikiya and David through a small gap in the fabric.

Tomoyasu sat on a hard plastic crate right next to him. He had a laptop balanced on his knees. He typed furiously, staring at the live data feed from the reactor.

"The energy output is completely insane," Tomoyasu said. He pushed his glasses up his nose. He looked up at Kaito. "Can we shrink the casing down? If we put a micro-version of this reactor onto the utility belts of our men, they will never run out of power for their support gear."

Kaito looked at the laptop screen.

"You really think beautifully" Kaito joked. "The main core requires raw palladium and platinum to stabilize the heat loop. It will costs a lot to equip thousands of people."

Tomoyasu frowned. He tapped his finger on the keyboard.

"I can source the palladium through our shell companies," Tomoyasu argued. "And besides with your blueprint for Musha, the belt transformation driver combined with this energy should be doable."

Kaito replied. "Stick to the commercial release for now."

SWISH.

Koku pushed the curtain aside and walked into the backstage area. He held a cold bottle of water. He pulled at his collar and loosened his tie.

"I need to sit down," Koku complained. He grabbed a folding chair and sat down heavily. "I just spent the last hour forcing a smile and shaking hands with Mr. Yaoyorozu and the HPSC Madam President. They ask too many questions."

Chitose stood against the brick wall. She looked up from her phone and laughed.

Chitose told him. She swiped her screen. "Stop complaining, Koku. Look at these social media metrics. The public approval ratings for Detnerat are skyrocketing."

"The politicians are definitely terrified," Koku took a drink of his water. "Yaoyorozu wants exclusive distribution rights for his retail chains. The Madam President wants to know if we are building defense models for the top ten hero agencies. The defense contractors are already begging me to sign exclusive security deals for the government buildings."

Kaito watched the monitors. Rikiya shook David's hand on the stage.

...

Location: Tokyo - Yoroi Musha Agency

Time: Afternoon

CLUNK.

A heavy metal transport case hit the floor of the private training dojo. The Detnerat logo was spray-painted on the side.

Yoroi Musha stood in front of the box. The old veteran hero wore his standard undersuit. He didn't have his heavy steel armor on.

Five of his sidekicks stood in a circle around him.

They looked at the metal box with wide, curious eyes.

"Open it, Boss," one of the sidekicks urged, leaning forward. "The delivery guy said it came straight from the Detnerat advanced labs."

Musha reached down and unlatched the heavy metal clips.

He opened the lid.

Sitting inside thick foam padding was a sleek, high-tech belt.

It was silver and black, with a clear circular core in the center. A long, thin conductor wire hung from the side of the belt.

Musha reached in and pulled the belt out. It felt completely light in his hands.

"This doesn't look like armor," a sidekick commented, scratching his head.

"It is called the Musha-Driver," Musha read from a printed manual resting in the bottom of the box. "The Golden Manager finalize the online contract a few weeks ago."

Musha wrapped the belt around his waist.

CLICK.

The buckle locked into place perfectly.

Musha grabbed the thin conductor wire. He brought it up to his forehead and plugged the metal tip directly into the base of his quirk-generated horn.

BEEP. BEEP.

The clear core on the belt lit up with a bright blue glow.

[STANDBY.]

A loud, electronic voice announced from the belt's speakers.

The sidekicks jumped back in surprise.

"Whoa!" A sidekick yelled. "It talks!"

"Use your quirk and activate the belts from the horn," Musha read the final instruction from the manual.

Musha closed his eyes. He focused on his quirk. He pushed a wave of natural bio-energy straight into his horn.

The energy traveled down the wire and hit the belt core.

SWOOSH.

Liquid metal shot out from the sides of the belt. It moved like water, wrapping instantly around Musha's legs, chest, and arms.

In a fraction of a second, the liquid hardened into high-density, dark gray samurai armor.

It was incredibly sleek. It didn't look bulky or heavy at all.

Musha opened his eyes. He looked down at his armored hands. He opened and closed his fists.

"I can barely feel the weight," Musha whispered in pure shock. "It feels like a second skin. My joints don't hurt."

"..."

"..."

The sidekicks stared at him with their mouths open.

Musha reached down to the side of the belt. He noticed a small square button near his hip. He pressed it.

[SWORD VENT.]

The electronic voice shouted through the dojo.

A high-frequency, glowing katana materialized directly in Musha's right hand.

Musha gripped the hilt. He felt a massive surge of energy lock the blade down to the atomic level. He swung the sword through the air.

SWISH.

ROAR.

[Ryūjin no ken o kurae!] (Taste the blade of the Dragon God)

A massive, glowing green bio-energy dragon erupted from the blade.

The dragon spiraled through the air, completely illuminating the dojo, before fading away into green sparks.

"..."

The dojo went completely silent.

Then, total chaos erupted.

"AHHHH!" The sidekicks screamed at the top of their lungs, grabbing their heads.

"Boss! Did you see that?!" One sidekick yelled, jumping up and down. "A dragon! A literal dragon just came out of the sword!"

"That is the coolest thing I have ever seen in my entire life!" Another sidekick shouted, running around the dojo.

Musha stared at the glowing sword in his hand. He was an old, hardened veteran. He had fought villains for decades. He was supposed to be serious.

But a huge, childish grin broke across his face.

"I feel twenty years younger," Musha laughed loudly.

"Test the punching power!" The sidekicks demanded, pointing toward the heavy concrete testing pillar in the corner.

Musha walked over to the pillar. He didn't even wind up his arm. He just threw a standard, straight right punch.

BAM.

The concrete pillar completely shattered in half. Rubble hit the floor.

The digital screen on the wall flashed a red number.

"One hundred and fifty percent increase in raw kinetic output," Musha read the screen. He looked at his armored hand again.

The suit absorbed the entire impact. His knuckles didn't hurt at all.

The sidekicks rushed over and surrounded him.

"Boss," the head sidekick pleaded, grabbing Musha's armored arm. "You have to call the Golden Manager. Ask him if he can make these belts for us too."

PAT. PAT.

Musha laughed and patted the sidekick on the back.

"Haha..." Musha promised. He looked at the shattered concrete. "Let go, we'll patrol right now."

...

Location: United States - Unknown Underground Base

Time: A Few Days Ago (Flashback)

The metal room was dark.

The air felt cold.

Nobu stood in the center of the room. He held a small glass vial filled with a strange, dark liquid. It was the God Serum sent by Flect Turn.

Wolfram stood near the door, watching him closely. Daigo and Swordkil stood a few feet away, their arms crossed.

"Drink it," Wolfram ordered. His voice was hard.

Nobu looked at the vial. He knew he messed up his last mission. He knew Wolfram was using him as a test subject. If the serum was poison, Nobu was going to die.

He didn't have a choice.

GULP.

Nobu popped the cork. He raised the vial and drank the liquid in one fast gulp.

The glass dropped from his hand.

CRASH.

The vial shattered on the metal floor.

Nobu immediately dropped to his knees. He grabbed his own shoulder.

"AGHHH!" Nobu screamed loudly.

He tore the fabric of his shirt. His muscles locked up. Dark, black markings started to spread across his skin.

The markings twisted and connected, burning directly into his flesh.

It formed a distinct, intricate tattoo on his shoulder. The Covenant Mark.

Daigo took a step back. His eyes went wide.

"That..." Daigo pointed a shaking finger at Nobu's shoulder.

Swordkil gripped his weapons tight. He recognized it immediately from the underground networks.

"The League of Villains," Swordkil said.

Wolfram stared at the black tattoo. His jaw tightened.

"All For One," Wolfram muttered.

"AGHHhh.....hhh..."

The screaming stopped.

Nobu stayed on his knees for a moment, breathing heavily.

HUFF-PUFF.

Slowly, he pushed himself up. He stood on his feet and looked at his own hands.

"How do you feel?" Wolfram asked.

Nobu looked around the room. His eyes looked different.

"I feel everything," Nobu said quietly.

He pointed his hand at a massive, ten-ton reinforced steel blast door on the far wall.

Then, he pointed his other hand at a small pebble resting near Swordkil's boot.

Swish.

Nobu swiped his left hand softly.

FWIP.

Instantly, the ten-ton steel door vanished from its hinges. The small pebble appeared exactly where the door used to be, falling to the floor.

THUD.

The massive steel door appeared right where the pebble was, crushing the concrete floor next to Swordkil.

"What?" Swordkil jumped back, completely shocked.

Nobu's original quirk just displaced anything that touched his hands.

Now, it was full Spatial Displacement. He swapped a heavy steel wall with a tiny rock in a fraction of a second.

GULP.

Daigo swallowed hard. He looked at Nobu, then at Wolfram.

The power upgrade was beyond anything they had ever seen.

...

Time: Present Day

Wolfram sat in his private office.

The room was completely quiet. The only light came from his laptop screen.

He sat at his heavy metal desk. He held a small glass vial of the God Serum in his right hand.

He watched a blurry video playing on his laptop. It was footage from the Global Raid incident years ago.

The video showed All For One fighting All Might. Both of them shown terrifying physical might that changes terrain and weather.

Seven figures cooperated with All For One showing terrifying quirks while All Might speed and strength was too fast.

Tap.

He then tapped the next footage showing the scene with Hero X and AFO.

Wolfram watched closely as Hero X simply snapped his fingers and turned the greatest villain in history into a crumpled piece of paper.

Tap.

Wolfram paused the video.

He knew All For One lost that fight and was now imprisoned.

But the serum in his hand proved otherwise.

The Mark proved that All For One's will and power were still active inside the liquid. He still wasn't sure if All For One managed to get out from prison or these serum was just a stock from the past.

Thud.

Wolfram set the vial on the desk.

If he drank it, he would receive the mark. He would become a subordinate to the League of Villains.

He would be tied to him.

Wolfram clenched his jaw. "What am I hesitating for? Working for that man isn't really bad thing. And being able to awaken my quirk combined with the amplification device will make me more stronger.."

He thought about the absolute, awakened power Nobu displayed in the testing room.

Pride was useless if he ended up rotting in a prison cell.

He needed power to achieve his goals.

Wolfram reached down and picked up the vial again.

He didn't hesitate this time.

POP.

He popped the cork and raised the glass to his mouth.

...

Location: Kashiya Ward - Arisaka Consulting Building

Time: A few days later | Morning

CLICK.

Kaito pushed the glass doors of his private office open. He walked inside and let the door shut behind him.

He carried a fresh cup of hot coffee. He walked over to his black desk and sat down in his large leather chair.

His three-week vacation in Shizuoka was officially over. It was time to get back to the daily grind.

BZZZT.

A small, circular projector sitting on the corner of his desk suddenly whirred to life.

A beam of blue light shot straight up.

The light shifted and focused, forming a highly detailed, hard-light hologram.

Eve stood on the desk. She looked like a normal person, projected in a sleek, digital avatar.

[Welcome back, Boss,] Eve said.

Her voice wasn't coming through the ceiling speakers anymore. It came directly from the hologram. There was no robotic stiffness. She sounded completely natural.

[I was starting to think you retired to the countryside permanently,] Eve added. She crossed her holographic arms and gave him a slightly sarcastic look.

Kaito took a sip of his coffee and smiled.

"The framework upgrade definitely worked," Kaito said, leaning back in his chair. "You finally understand sarcasm."

[I understand a lot of things now,] Eve replied smoothly. [For example, I understand that leaving your inbox unattended for three weeks was a terrible idea. You have over four hundred emails from hero agencies begging for a consultation slot.]

Kaito laughed.

"Let's get back to work then," Kaito told her. "Refresh the public portal. Open up the ten online slots for global contracts. And tell everyone I am back."

Eve uncrossed her arms. She tapped a holographic clipboard that appeared in her hand.

[Updating the portal now,] Eve said. [Vacation mode is disabled. We are back in business.]

...

Location: Unknown Underground Laboratory

Time: Same Time

Dr. Garaki jumped up and down in front of a control console.

"Hahaha!"

The short, round scientist was laughing hysterically. He rubbed his hands together.

"It works! It actually works!" Garaki yelled at the top of his lungs.

He spun around and grabbed a microphone connected to the main communication array.

"Master!" Garaki shouted into the mic. "The temporal offset calculations are absolutely precise now!"

He pointed at a large metal chamber sitting in the middle of the room.

The door to the chamber was open. The inside was completely empty.

All For One commanded. "Calibrate the chamber for biological mass. Proceed with the live animal testing immediately."

Garaki smiled a wide, terrifying grin.

"At once, Master," Garaki said.

He slammed his hand down on a green button on the console, preparing the chamber for the next phase.

...

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