48 Chapter 48

Musutafu city was the safest city in the country. Part of it was due to the imposing presence of U.A. University. But everything changed when the Musutafu savages made their presence known.

They were a notorious gang mostly known for racketeering, extortion, and drug smuggling. It was also during that time when the Humanitarian party was making waves in the political landscape of the city.

Araki Toriaezu, disgusted by the message preeched by the fascists, started a campaign of promoting equality and humanitarian efforts for the under privileged. It was also the time during which many politicians died under mysterious circumstances.

Arakai was the first suspect to come under the microscope. But he was immediately declared innocent. Ultimately, the autopsy results declared either suicide or natural deaths.

Absence of an opposition paved a clear path for Araki to win the elections and become the Mayor of Musutafu. His election manifesto preached that heroes often disregarded the rights of the villains, and was the one to rally the public into protesting against the T&I department in Musutafu.

The public support was massive and as a result, the Hero Association had to close the Musutafu branch. Countless efforts were made to convince Araki, but he was adamant.

After the closure, Musutafu saw a rise in crime.

The police acrion was swift and after the first few months, no major crimes were reported. Such was the trend for the last eight years of Araki's reign. Until everything began to fall apart.

The new batch of hero students at U.A. University were an interesting bunch. With All Might joining the faculty, an attempt on his life and the lives of the students wasn't something out the realm.

What wasn't expected was the impeccable way in which the students responded to the threat. Asui Tozen stood out amongst them. He had single handedly defeated the being that was engineered to defeat All Might.

Asui Tozen's name only got more popular. He won the sports festival and interned under the leadership of Edgeshot. Thinking of the hero sent a shiver down Araki's spine.

The mess with T-09 was notorious. It revealed Asui Tozen's terrifying abilities to the mob. The kid only got better after that to the point of being pivotal in ending the reign of the worst villain of the country.

But, Araki knew that it wasn't Asui's rise in popularity. No, it was a man's disappearance that started it all.

'Phantasm a.k.a. Asui Tozen, I'm sure you had something to do with it.'

The Musutafu branch of T&I had been reponed by the Hero Association despite Araki's extremely vocal opposition. In the end, public support was for the reopening and Araki was rendered helpless.

'Now what do I do?'

*Ring*

"Captain, it's me. We need to talk about Phantasm."

(APIBNHA)

The first years were relocated to U.A. dorms. Everyone was dressed in black as they got ready for the funeral. They boarded the bus quietly, not a single word was said even by the most shameless ones like Mineta, Kaminari, and Bakugo.

Different urns were made for the deceased. I didn't know if the ashes belonged to the house, or my blood. It didn't matter. What the urns contained was my family.

My entire family by anihilated.

It was time for the funeral. As the priest began to recite the sutra, I drifted into thought. 'Who's the most likely to benefit from my death? Torres Taipans? No, I ruined their drug deal, but Japan is only part of their expansion. Retaliation from thwm is to be expected, and the assassination attempt on me back in my appartment smelled like those snakes. No, this was personal. Someone I've personally offended.'

The urns were taken to the graveyard where fresh graves had been dug for my family. I placed the urns in the graves and personally burried them. Not a single person uttered another word for the entire time.

'From another angle, I've been a thorn in Araki Toriaezu's side. Discovering that the cops were on the Savages' payroll, and me killing off Hyena, I guess the mayor is linked to the gang. Could it be the savages?'

As I finished burrying the urns, the priest recited the prayer and everyone placed flowers on the fresh graves.

'I need to meet Araki. No one knows the full extent of my powers. All I need is one handshake.'

We boarded the bus again.

As everyone settled down in their seats, I asked Aizawa, "Sensei, can the bus go to the site of m-my house before we return to the hotel?"

My fist was clenched tightly as I waited for a response. After getting an affirmation, I sat back into my seat. Momo, who sat beside me, placed her hand on my clenched fist to comfort me. No words were said, but her presence was enough to soothen my pain a little.

The bus stopped some distance away from my family house's remains. I got down from the bus and walked a good distance away to the place my siblings had perished.

"You were innocent. And yet, it were you who died. You didn't deserve this. Instead, you deserved to live a long life. I was lost when I came to this world. Even though my powers were so bizzare and different, you never showed fear. Your love was so pure, and I'll be indebted to you till the day I die. There was so much I wanted to talk about. I even wanted to introduce Momo to you. You lived so happily till your last moments."

I let the ashes fall from my fist and allowed the wind to spread them.

I poured ice cold water on my fiery rage, and allowed it to become my stone cold resolve, placing it in the emptiness of my heart. "Such won't be the case for those who killed you. I swear to you today, that I will avenge you. I will find each and every person responsible, no matter where they hide, and kill them. I will kill, maim, and destroy their lives, their minds, their existance, and only then will my revenge be fulfilled. I swear on your ashes that your killers will not sleep from fear of me finding them. I swear they will suffer each and every living moment of their remaining lives. There will be no forgiveness, there will be no redemption. I will reap every single one of their souls. My vengeance is going to bring the god of death to the streets of this country. As your son, your brother, this is my vow."

It was that day in history that marked the beginning of the end villains in the country.

(APIBNHA)

A/N: Internship is hectic. And I have to study for my masters degree entrance exam. It's going to decide my branch and my college. It'll have an impact on my entire career as a doctor. The stakes are very high. I simply can't focus too much time on a hobby.

My career comes before my hobby. It's simple. The updates will be as sporadic as ever.

Take it or leave it. There's no other option. It is what it is 🤷‍♂️