A compendium of trivias and mysteries surrounding us.
Also contain drafts of various ideas for novel in the form of Compendium of Wonders.
Other Author, feel free to use the idea inside here in your novel if you like it :)

"You wanna eat there?" Jack said as he pointed at a ramen shop, Lily directed her gaze to the shop and saw a pretty filled shop, She nodded her head and they head towards the shop, they found an empty seat near the corner of the building and ordered 2 pork miso ramens and 2 ochas.

"What are we going to do after this?" Lily asked as they wait for their food to come, she recalled Jack saying that He'll take her somewhere.

Jack smiled at Lily's question and answered ; "We'll be leaving the city later and go train your body and skills."

"You're going to teach me?" asked Lily in a bewildered manner, she had not expected that Jack will take his time to train her, recalling Jack's evaluation over her after fighting the cat monster, she knew that she really need to train if she's going to be a proper hero, she had a plan of her own before Jack's offer but seeing him offering his assistance, she felt incredibly happy!

"Yeah, who else, I'll teach you all the things i know and after we are done with out training, i'm sure you'll be stronger than ever! I guarantee that you'll at least reach top A-Class!" answered Jack with excitement, she can't understand why Jack is so excited but no matter what, she accepts it with a delightful nod.

"Where are you going to train me?" 

"In an abandoned factory in the outskirts of the city" 

Lily pondered for a while and she seemed to recall something, her eyes is filled with confusion as she asked 

"Wait, the abandoned factory should be filled with some monster right? There should be a couple of monster living there..." Lily paused for a moment and said with a little hesitant voice, "Don't tell me you've taken care of the monsters?"

"Yup" Jack answered with a big smile, "How do you know about the monsters anyway, you've never been here right?" Asked Jack

"Well, if a place had been abandoned, there might be many reasons for it but most of them are because they are filled with monsters, if some heroes had not taken the job to clear it, the owner will just have to let it go as they can't do anything about it, there's been several occasions like this so i'm just making assumptions." Lily shrugged as she told Jack.

Jack remembered that Lily in the canon should've been Fubuki's Secretary, he's never been interested on how they met but since Lily's in front of him, he might as well ask

"On a side note, have you ever met someone named 'Fubuki' before." 

Lily showed a surprised expression as she heard his words, she was thinking of something until she asked Jack with a little hint of hesitation

"Fubuki...the 'Blizzard of Hell'?" Jack nodded, he now wondered just how much he have affected the main story. 'Well, it's not like I've affected the main story THAT much right, i mean I'm just taking Lily, not Fubuki or Tatsumaki.' Thought Jack.

As much as Jack hated to say this but the fact is that Lily is not an important character in One Punch Man, but that makes things a whole lot easier for him if she doesn't impact the story too much, he wanted to try and enjoy living the anime.

"Well, she's actually kind of my, how should i say it, Idol, for several reasons but one of them is because she had saved me once and I'm still very grateful to her till this day." She paused and seemed hesitant on continuing, but she continued anyways.

"A few weeks ago, while i was fighting a monster and was losing, pretty badly that i almost called you, she came in and threw tons of stuffs at the monster and killed it, she came to me and helped me up.

"After thanking her, she said to me that she's gathering a bunch of heroes to form a group and want me to join, i hesitated and told her i need time to think about it, i knew joining the group would be very beneficial to me but something in my heart told me not to" She started muttering a few words with a very low voice. 'and i'm glad i haven't join as i get to meet you'

"What did you say?" Jack asked, he can hear the first word which is and but the others are imperceptible.

"No..nothing" said Lily, stuttering while a slight blush appeared, she is saved by the waiter as he had brought them their food, Jack shrugged it off and told Lily to dig in, to which she obliged.

Jack ate the ramen slowly, savoring the taste, even if this is not the best ramen in the world, it is still pretty tasty, coupled with the perfectly boiled half-boiled egg and soft pork, it just increases the flavor!

As he ate the ramen, he saw Lily, making slurping noises as she put the ramen into her mouth, jack recalled that slurping while eating noodle in Japan is considered a compliment so he unrestrain his slurping noises.

He looked as Lily, fixing her hair while eating once in a while, she kept pushing her long hair to the back of her ear as to not dip it into the ramen, Jack noticed it and thought that he will get her a Lily to tie her hair soon, the hairstyle doesn't need to be like in the anime but after being accustomed with seeing Lily's tied hair being decorated by a Lily, he kind of want to keep it going.

After don with their Lunch, Jack took Lily to the outskirts of the city, to the direction of the abandoned Factory and after he;s out of the City, he grabbed Lily's body in a princess carry without her permission, making her flustered and blushed, she tried to force him to release her, at least she tried.

Jack ignored her attempt to get out his embrace as he ran at full speed, making Lily very much surprised and instinctively wrapped her small soft arms on Jack's neck, he grinned and enjoyed the feeling while lowering his speed a little, just to have a little more time with his precious.

They arrived at the abandoned factory in just a couple of minutes and in those minutes, 2 people are having 2 different emotions. 1 is very, very happy while the other is 1/4th scared and 1/4th happy while the other 2/4th is surprise.

Lily is very surprised, while in his warm embrace, she could feel the wind up against her body, the speed that Jack is moving in is on a different level, like nothing she had ever experienced, saw at that matter.

She felt anticipation on her heart, she wanted to know if he will teach her how to be that fast and be stronger but she also felt a little bit of fear, the fear of losing him, not being able to catch up...she wondered what would happen if he suddenly left her side, after feeling his warmth, she knew if he left her, she will go back to the 'cold' days and maybe this time, she won't be able to stand it.

In her heart, she made a vow to work hard and try to catch up to him, she doesn't know what Jack thinks about her nor does she know how she really felt about him but one thing is for sure, and that is the fact that she doesn't want him to ever leave her side...never

*Title : Yandere Lily....?*

Jack, a 20 Year old man died saving a little girl and is meeting God right now

When God asked what he wants to do after he died he answered

"give me Venom's powers, and put me into One Punch Man!"

And with that said, the story began

Two hours later, all the reinforcement materials had been more or less used up. Yang Song then stood up and looked at the current entrance to the abyss, feeling very satisfied.
And Xiao Laoxu, who had rested for several hours, recovered a lot of energy. Seeing that Yang Song finished it, he rushed over very quickly and stretched out his head to look into the depths of the hole.
"Squeak!"
With just a glance, the little guy was shocked, waving his paws, and squeaking incessantly.
This mini entrance of the abyss had changed its appearance.
"This is the real trap. Little Laoxu, your previous thoughts were too naïve. Look, now the wall of this hole has been reinforced by red and purple gold, it's a product of a mixture of the material from the abyss and the material on our planet. This kind of metal's thickness is as thick as 5 centimeters. Even if it is a Grandmaster level powerhouse, it's still difficult for him to break it."
Yang Song looked at this masterpiece of his that he created with his owns hands and said with a smile.
"In addition, on these solid red and purple gold, I also added a lot of removable mobile blades, which are also made of alloy. Even if it is a General level monster, it will be cut apart by these blades easily."
When Yang Song said this, Xiao Laoxu took two steps back quietly.
Fortunately, it could not speak. Otherwise, at this moment, it would shout loudly: You added too many of those sharp blades, right? The entire passage is densely packed with super sharp blades. For the 1-=meter-deep passage, there are nearly 200 sharp blades, and they are double-edged to boot at that. If anyone accidentally falls into it, won't they be cut into slices like that of like onions immediately? How dangerous is this?
After being shocked for a while, Xiao Laoxu pulled out his paw and pointed towards the inside of the passage, while his other hand kept patting Yang Song.
Yang Song understood at once, "You are asking me, with so many sharp blades, how do I get in there in the future?"
Xiao Laoxu nodded.
Yang Song smiled. When he made this trap, he took this into consideration as well, "This is not a problem at all. Did I not say that these blades are all detachable? At present, they are only embedded in it through rivet technology. As far as the monster beast is concerned, it is impossible to do it, but for me, it is easy to take it away."
'Collect!'
After speaking, Yang Song said silently in his heart.
The next second, in the hole, the dense blades that were originally stuck to each other, all disappeared strangely as if they had never been there in the first place. And even the slightest sound was not made in the process at that.
Xiao Laoxu rubbed his own a bit and stepped forward. After seeing the smooth, metallic hole, his eyes bulged.
'Release!'
Seeing Xiao Laoxu stunned, Yang Song said silently again in his heart. In an instant, all the blades in the hole appeared out of nowhere. As the light in the secret room shone on these cold blades, the cold light flickered from time to time. People with intensive phobias would really faint on the spot when they saw it.
"Pop… pop, pop, pop…"
After a while, Xiao Laoxu came back to his senses. Then, like a human being, this mini guy stretched out his two paws and slapped them vigorously. He was clearly applauding Yang Song.
"With these things, I don't believe that monster beasts will dare to rush out carelessly. Even if they dare to rush out, they will only become my food at most."
Yang Song smiled, and at the same time, he started the last step. From the storage space, he took out a thick metal manhole cover, banged it, and covered it on the hole. The size was not too big nor small, it was just right for the hole.
This manhole cover came from a wretched-looking man in the trading market.
After doing this, Yang Song thoughtfully found a carpet to cover the manhole cover. Finally, he moved a luxurious chair over and put it on the carpet. In this way, even if someone broke into the secret room, it would still be difficult to find the entrance of the abyss without a long period of exploration.
After completing concealing the entrance to the abyss, Yang Song sat on the futon again and began to cultivate.
These days, he had been collecting materials during the day, and cultivating at night, until now, he had absorbed a total of 93 psionic particles.
Today, he only needed to absorb seven more to completely become a Qi Refining Realm cultivator. As for Xiao Laoxu, he was exhausted by digging holes continuously, so he lay down next to Yang Song and fell asleep.
…
As Yang Song concentrated on his cultivation, the gate of an abandoned factory in the suburbs of Tong City was filled with mud.
Puff, puff!
A man got out of this giant pile of mud with great difficulty and kept making "puff" sound.
"Bleh, who the hell was it? Who the hell blocked this gate in the middle of the night with so much mud? Damn you, don't get caught by this daddy! I will cut you into pieces otherwise!"
This man was completely surrounded by dirty mud. Because of his anger, he ignored the mess of dirty things on his body and looked left and right. After making sure that there was no one around here, he screamed and cursed angrily.
This man was naturally Luo Xiang.
Destiny was so holy miraculous. Once bad luck came up, these bad things would happen one after another as if that certain victim had become a giant 'bad-luck magnetic device'.
During this period of time, he had investigated Yang Song's identity and knew Yang Song's influence in Tong City. Tonight, he was resting in this abandoned factory very soundly. When he was sleeping soundly, he faintly heard something outside and thought it was someone who was sent by Yang Song to trouble him. Therefore, he immediately woke up and hid in a broken jar full of oil stains. Only after waiting for a long time and when the outside movement disappeared did he have the courage to leave the factory.
As a result, the moment he opened the side door of the factory, he only felt a black, mountain-like mud, and a landslide, dumping on him on the spot. He did not even have time to react before he was buried by the pile of mud ruthlessly.
This was the scene of his cursing.
After cursing to his heart's content, Luo Xiang calmed down quickly and thought, "The sons of that old man have very good strength in Tong City. All of them are very strong individually. Tomorrow is my only last chance. He will hold his 100th birthday. Hence, there will definitely be a lot of guests at home. By then, there will be a mixture of fish, dragons, and worms. As long as I can go into the compound in troubled waters, I can definitely find the opportunity to steal that Golden-Eyed Mouse!"
That was right, this was the plan that Luo Xiang had thought about after several days of racking his brain. And it was also the most feasible plan among all the plans he designed.
What's more, he had also designed an escape route. About 30 kilometers away from Tong City, there was a big mountain named White Mountain. There was only a deep and old forest there. Only a handful amount of people had entered that place so far.
"After stealing the Golden-Eyed Mouse and hiding in White Mountain, I can let that mouse dig treasure in the mountain for me. In at most ten years, this daddy will be like a hero again. Hehehe…."
When he declared this, Luo Xiang still clenched his fists expectantly. His knuckles clashed, and he seemed to see a big and bright future ahead of him right before his eyes as he laughed continuously like a supervillain.
However, after seeing the dirt on his body, he almost choked on his laugh instantly. He knew that tomorrow; he had to steal another suit!

After he crossed over, Yang Song thought that his life was a bit regretful.

He thought that after crossing over, with this system, he would soar into the heaven and enjoy the glory. But alas, even after so many years, there was no sign of activation at all.

This year, he was almost 100 years old.

Yang Song sighed gently, "It looks like I have no fate with this system in this life."

[Ding, congratulations to the host for successfully activating the Immortal Cultivation System.]

Hearing this prompt, Yang Song jumped up with a high spirit.

One year later, Yang Song couldn’t help but sigh, “Life’s really hard.” He was already over 100 years old but still had to cultivate immortality.

—————————-

Note: There is a slight LGBT scene in the early chapter, but farther away from that, there won’t be any of it anymore.

In the ballroom Tristan freed everyone from the ropes. Everyone was still stunned by what had happened.

Joanna saw blood on Tristan's face and shirt and was shocked. "Are you ok? We should go to the hospital!"

"I'm fine sis. Its nothing." Tristan wiped off the blood marks.

Others were dumbfounded by other things. "Super villain, monster and then the female super hero died to protect us from that claw in the sky. What is going on?"

"That super villain said the government is hiding the truth! Is Area 51 real?" Another shouted.

"Its a martial arts world!" A person yelled.

Tristan saw this and dumbfounded. If everyone saw this, what is the government going to do? World wide memory spell?

Soon government officials came in and began cordoning the area. No one was allowed to leave. The 24 chiefs who had put in their energy were now extremely weak. They wouldn't have any power for weeks, leaving the place defenseless. 

At this moment, Tristan got a call from an injured Heavy Matter. "White Star, are you on site?"

"I am. But why are you calling me now, I saw your heroic sacrifice now, you should rest." Tristan replied.

"No. Now is the most crucial period. I have a bad feeling and I cannot spare any people at the upper echelon to do this. White Star I have an urgent mission for you." Heavy Matter sighed.

"You barely know me to trust me to do a crucial mission." Tristan said.

"I am out of good choices and lacking manpower now. The six guilds feel like someone is engineering internal strife. I want you to investigate this Cursed Blood Sect and their true puppeteers." Heavy Matter whispered.

"How exactly do you want me to do that?" Tristan asked.

"Infiltrate them. Because of this incident we have obtained several clues about their modus operandi. Infiltrate them and find out the higher echelons. If possible spread internal chaos within and find out their goals. Their origin can't be simple, to have assembled a force of thousands willing to die without the knowledge of the government or the five guilds is ridiculous." Heavy Matter said.

"Alright." Tristan cut the call.

Everyone was sent back home after a few hours. The government, it seemed had decided not to do anything at all. No statement, no attempt at quashing rumors, nothing. Rumors of superheroes, monsters, fantasy world and government conspiracy were festering and the main topic of conversation among the ordinary folks.

Tristan was bored by this new topic. Even his mom and dad were pestering him about the "Superhero incident". Tristan was spending his time analyzing the intel of the Cursed Blood Sect instead.

It seemed that the world wide broadcast had caused a boost in recruitment of the cursed blood sect, especially among ordinary people who were angry because the government hid the truth from them.

Tristan formed a new faux identity and applied to the cursed blood sect through these recruitment notices. After a few days he was registered and called for a meeting. There were no meetings within Coastal City because it was on high alert.

So tristan reached an outskirts village in the disguise of an ordinary factory worker with an honest but angered look. When he reached the meeting place, he was blind folded, but he simply counted the steps and directions he was made to follow. Such a move was ineffective on him.

Tristan was brought into a factory which had been emptied and his blindfold removed.

"Name?" A bulky man grunted.

"Jimmy." Tristan answered.

"Jimmy what?"

"Just Jimmy."

"What do you do?" The bulky man snorted.

"Factory pusher." Tristan said.

"Why did you apply?" he asked.

"I want to know what they are hiding." Tristan replied, with a touch of anger.

Soon he along with a few others were led to another area. A bearded man walked in front of the group of new recruits. "Today you will all be initiated. Everyone will now go in the pit and you have to fight each other. If you run, you will be shot dead. If you hide, same. Last man standing gets promoted."

Soon they were all hurled into a pit. "Begin!" The bearded man yelled and people began punching each other.

Tristan did not shy away either, he punched and kicked haphazardly without form and hiding his strength. He also got hit a lot and bled a lot, but was constantly being healed and couldn't care any less. The fighting went on for a long time, primarily because no one in the group was fighting skillfully. But Tristan managed to conduct the orchestra of chaos and remain the last man standing with a rage filled look, his entire body drenched in blood.

Tristan was brought to a different room, still bloodied. Two people looked at him and nodded.

"Well done. You are our premier recruit! Upper leagues directly. Your fighting skills were terrible, but you can tolerate pain. Good!" One of the men said.

Tristan nodded.

"Go to that corner there. Our zonal chief officer there will give you a potion to heal up." He said.

Tristan walked to the cubicle in the corner to collect the potion, but was suddenly stunned. The zonal chief officer looked at the bloodied man and nodded. "Jimmy?" He asked.

"Yes." Tristan said.

"Good job. Here take this potion. You can return home. Come to the factory tomorrow for your mission." The man said.

Tristan was still stunned. The zonal chief officer was none other than the person who had introduced him to the hidden world. "Jack, the tattoo artist."

Tristan went out and was blindfolded again and walked to the encounter point. Tristan acted like he was going away and could sense that he was being followed. So he didn't do anything suspicious and went to the house  the forged documents belonging to Jimmy's identity suggested.

There he went to sleep, or acted as if. Then he felt the followers actually enter his room and search the area quietly and after not finding anything suspicious, left. Tristan felt like he was still being followed, and so continued to maintain an ordinary routine of a factory worker.

The next day he was again led to the factory. This time Jack, the zonal chief was much more genuine. 

"Welcome Jimmy, you will receive 3 blood stones and the first stage of the Cursed Blood Text. Do you have any questions?" He asked.

"Sir, what is blood stone? What is Cursed Blood Text?"

Jack nodded. "Cursed Blood Text is the power to become a strong warrior. Blood Stone is a stone of crystallized blood. These are crystallized blood of a beast."

Jimmy nodded and bowed. Then he was sent to his corner where he could study and practice this method.

Tristan Flores was an ordinary young man as long as he was allowed to be ordinary. When his place of work ended up in an accident, he discovered that Earth was nothing like what he thought. 

After discovering the hidden world, Tristan ends up with a system and the sequence of events lead him down a rabbit hole that shows few signs of allowing his life to be normal again.

A new path to evolution will lead the way to unravelling mysteries, sinister plots and machinations hidden within the counts of time.

An orange demon with eccentric spiked red hair flew through the skies, approaching an industrial city.
He wore sunglasses, and the skies were without even a single cloud, as if the very atmosphere itself had been removed from the area.
The air which he breathed in felt far cleaner than any place he had ever visited.
'Hm? I thought the air in my own city was clean, but this place is almost like a paradise.'
It was as if there was something purifying the air within the area, removing all impurities from it- to the point where Vex could literally feel the cleanliness.
Landing from his flight, Vex planted himself on the outskirts of the city- which bustled with life.
Even the outskirts were tightly packed with buildings. There seemed to be no suburban area. The city literally transformed from absolutely no civilization to a downtown landscape without any transition.
These buildings weren't quite as high as the ones in the center of the city, but they were just as closely packed.
Vex looked around to see that not many people were out and about in the streets.
'Looks like most people are working or something along those lines?'
Checking his watch, Vex smiled.
'It looks like I saved a good amount of time by ditching those others to attack on their own. I can spend a bit of time here and still make it back by tonight.'
With a single goal in mind, Vex walked through the empty city.
[Detect Wrath]
Waves of magical energy emanated from the demon, and he opened his eyes with an excited grin.
'Looks like they're over that way.... these ones aren't quite as wrathful as the last two villages. They're really shackled by their fear. It might take quite a bit to completely remove those shackles. But that's fine. I got time.'
Vex began making his way through the alleyways towards the direction of greatest wrath.
It appeared that the wrath had been gathered all in one area of the city.
'They've ganged up together? The people who don't approve of the antiheroes, that is. Makes my life so much easier.'
Putting his hands into the pockets of his striped suit, the loose tie which the demon wore swayed back and forth as he walked through the city like a mobster about to take on a gang.
'These cities were supposed to be for us to take over, but the antiheroes went and used the fact that we had a non expansion pact to take them in our stead. We can't have that. I'll show them a little something. Being attacked by those who they made enemies of is one thing....'
Noticing that the shoelace to his bright green sneaker was untied, Vex propped his foot onto a metallic wall and began to tie it.
'But just how will they feel if they're attacked by the very people they've taken over? Haha.'
----
An angel sat in a demonic throne, in an office building.
Her halo floated gently above her head, and her captivating smile beamed down on the three people who bowed before her.
Her angelic wings ever so lightly fluttered, producing an aura of grace and elegance.
This angel sat with her hands folded on the desk in front of her.
Her right hand was pure white, with delicate fingers.
Her left hand was pitch black, with the appearance of a tarlike fluid that bubbled, and veins streaking across the clawed deformity in this almost flawless being.
Next to her was a white mug filled with a dark brown fluid, which was so hot that steam emerged from it.
The angel grabbed the mug with her demonic hand and took a small sip before carefully placing it down with a smile.
"Ah.... after all, coffee is great! I'm so glad we were able to start producing it here!!"
The bliss which came over the angel as she drank the beverage produced smiles on the faces of the three who knelt before her.
One was a man with the appearance of a rat. The older man wore a monocle and leaned on a cane, with a fedora topping his head.
Speaking out in a concerned tone, the older gentlemen addressed the angel with the utmost respect.
"Your eminence, there has been unrest within certain areas of the city recently. It seems that all those who disagree with your rule have flocked to one factory in particular, and they are awaiting this savior which they have created within their own minds. Should something not be done about this?"
The angel put one hand to her cheek, pressing into it with her index finger as she looked to the ceiling in thought.
"Not yet. I have been informed of something recently by the antiheroes."
Looking up with surprise, the three intently awaited the words of the angel.
In the center was a ferret woman who currently wore a leopard mink and a dress with high heels. This woman had submission and awe in her expression, yet her appearance would suggest otherwise.
Her bright red eyes looked with patience and hope into the eyes of the angel before her. She was ready to treasure each and every word which came from the angelic mouth of her master.
"A hero will appear soon. To be more accurate, someone who will take the spot of the hero."
Looking down with sadness, the angel's wings seemed to slump.
"I've realized something since coming to this world."
Puckering her lips with a bitter expression, the angel rested her head on her own angelic arm, her hair swaying to the side as she looked out the window into the city.
"If you want to do anything heroic, you won't be seen as a hero. People will hate you. There will be those who are jealous or don't agree with what you do, and they'll try to make it look like you're doing the wrong thing."
The three before the angel were filled with compassion for their leader, wondering just what trials and challenges she had to overcome in her life to be filled with such a solemn regret.
"If you want to be seen as a hero, you have to give up any and all moral values. There is a certain saying where I come from. What's the difference between a great leader and a good liar?"
Closing her eyes, the girl brushed aside a lock of her silver hair, looking into the distance as she whispered. 
"If we knew that, then we wouldn't have as many problems as we do."
"I fail to understand. Could you explain further?"
The one who said this was a dark grey gerbil humanoid, who had a mechanical arm and leg.
These limbs were once bronze and clattered with every motion, yet it had been replaced with a sleek silver model that didn't creak in the slightest as she moved freely.
This girl wore a cap with a set of goggles and a leather suit hiding two blades within her sleeves.
The angel looked forward with a smile, clearly pleased with the three in front of her.
"What it really means is that everyone who is thought of as a good leader is really just good at covering up their flaws and hiding corruption."
The eye of the angelic figure seemed to twitch as if she remembered one man in particular as she said this.
"Understood. What shall be done then?", the gerbil woman asked.
"We wait for this hero to rise up. And then I play the role of the villain, and beat him down."
"Are you really willing to sacrifice your image for the sake of what you consider to be right, your eminence?", the older man asked.
With a childish smile, the angel responded immediately.
"Of course! I don't want to be seen as a hero anymore. I just want to do what I can to help people, even if they aren't thankful. That's all."
The older man bit his lip as she said this.
"You are truly a leader beyond imagination, your eminence."
"I learned this from my comrades, so thank them. Not me. I'm just following their example."
With the wave of her hand, the angel dismissed the three.
"Continue watching and make sure to let me know if anything happens, ok? I don't want any events to slip by me. And if there's any fighting, then I want to take care of it myself so that nobody has to get hurt."
"As you order, your eminence.", the three responded simultaneously as they stood up to leave.
The angel then pulled out a stack of paperwork and plopped it on the desk before her with a light sigh.
"This is the most annoying part of ruling. But it has to be done. At least I have some coffee to drink while I work now!"
----
Since the time which that demonic figure had boldly declared that the city of the ratmen was her own to rule, things had been strangely peaceful.
Even after those demons calling themselves the antiheroes had destroyed the factories, new ones had popped up as if nothing had ever happened.
The smog had been removed from the atmosphere, and these newer factories produced no such contamination, and so the air which the people of the city breathed was cleaner and fresher than that which they had ever experienced.
Mining operations had been automated, and the efficiency of the factories had been boosted by tenfold, allowing many laborers to reallocate their own work elsewhere.
It was strange, and many people of the ratmen village could not understand why.
They left the arena on that day believing that the end was near, with a demon having taken the reins over the city, yet instead everything had improved significantly.
Some believed that the demon was merely waiting to make one final move, but as time passed the people began to wonder what was truly going on.
Eventually, people started believing that perhaps the demon who took over the city had no intention of destroying it, and merely wished to rule over it as a dictator.
This did not explain the new factories, and so some came to the conclusion that perhaps it actually was the demons who took over who created the newfound factories.
'After all, they were capable of so much.'
'Who is to say they couldn't do something like that?'
A number of people however came to a far different conclusion.
'Why would they do something like that though!? It makes no sense at all, and goes against everything they said and did on that day.'
'That's right. It couldn't have been them.'
'Then who could it have been?'
An unknown third party must have been involved somehow.
'A savior was the one who did it.'
'Someone who's power rivals, or perhaps even exceeds those demons.'
'Someone must be keeping that demon at bay. She probably desires to destroy everything in this city, but this savior is keeping her from doing so!!'
'It is because of this savior that we have been able to go back to work, and that the food reserves throughout the city have increased by so much!!!'
With this line of thinking, a third party had come into existence in the minds of many. It would have been inconceivable for the demons who destroyed everything and slaughtered so many to have built up these factories.
The very fact that anyone could do something like this in the first place was amazing enough, but the fact that such things were happening was proof that it was possible for someone- whoever it may be.
Nerdro was one such person who believed that this savior had been keeping the demons at bay.
'I don't know who you are or why you haven't shown your face, but clearly there is someone out there protecting us.'
A number of messages had been distributed throughout the town in secret.
The message which was sent instructed those who disagreed with the demon in control to make their way to a certain factory.
'As to why these messages haven't reached the ears of the demon in charge.... I can only think that the savior prevented it from happening. If that demon knew, she would be on the doorstep for certain, ready to slaughter all of us.'
Nerdro, a built hamster humanoid, was currently inside a factory, working at a conveyor belt.
Lines of cheese seemed to flow from outside an oven on a conveyor belt, which Nerdro would then move onto another conveyor belt to be packaged.
'But to think that some people would go and think that those demons created these factories... tch!'
"Nerdro, what's wrong? Your hands aren't moving as fast. That's an awful expression you got there. Thinking about your girl again?"
A ferret with a kind expression prodded Nerdro.
"Not that. I just can't help but be angry that anyone would think that demon could do anything good like build these factories."
Looking down, the ferret held a bitter expression.
"Our boss was one crazy bitch, but that demon.... she was even more insane. It was your girl who got tortured by our boss, right? I need to apologize for that."
"It isn't your fault. It's the fault of that boss of yours. But that demon.... you said she accepted your boss without a second thought? Hah. Fitting for a demon to take on another monster as her own subordinate."
"More or less. I'm surprised that nothing has happened yet. The savior must really be putting in work to prevent things from getting worse."
"Damn right."
The two continued their work as they spoke, bitter expressions on their faces.
"So you didn't end up going to fight the demons when they offered?"
"Neither did you. I wouldn't fight someone who I don't stand any chance against."
Memories flowed through Nerdro of being held to gunpoint, surrounded by ferrets as his own woman was kidnapped.
He recalled the desperate pleas of the gerbil to not leave her alone, and his own pathetic scene of running away.
"She hates me now. It's all because your boss ordered your subordinates to kidnap her. Her sister will probably kill me if I show my face in front of her. I mean, of course I would run.... I would've just died if I hadn't..."
Nerdro continued his work with an expression of self assurance as he told himself that he did the natural thing.
He did what anyone else would do.
"Nobody would just fight an unwinnable battle if they can save themselves. What's the point!?! There is no point!!!"
"Calm down, Nerdro. I know that you've got a whole lot of reason to hate our boss and your ex for rejecting you after something like that, but you gotto focus on the positive here. The savior is fighting for our sake against that demon who has taken all of those people underneath her."
"Yeah. That's right."
A smile drew itself across the face of Nerdro.
"He'll surely come someday. The one who built these factories, and the one who will save this city."
----
Vex walked through the city, headed towards the location which had been pinpointed.
"Let's seeeeee.... that direction, huh? There really aren't many people in these streets. Everyone's gotto be working after all."
Vex lamented that nobody was around to witness his stylish shoes and glasses, but continued lightheartedly making his way through the town.
He trodded through a few alleys until eventually reaching a certain building which looked significantly different from all the others around it.
While most buildings were made from some sort of bronze material, this one was made from a sleek aluminum, and appeared to be much cleaner and newer than all the others.
It was a factory, and it sputtered with life.
"Oh? Everyone is inside here, eh? Alright."
Checking his watch once again, Vex stepped up to the entrance and knocked on the door.
"Anybody here? Maintenance!! I'm here to fix up this city!"
Vex reached for the door handle, but it was quickly opened by a man who looked to be a human with the features of a rat.
"Maintenance? I don't remember ca-"
The rat seemed to speak casually until seeing the demon standing at the door, at which he fell backwards in surprise and horror.
"D-d-d-d.... demon!!! What are you doing here!?!?!"
At the screams of the foreman, all work ceased and every person within the massive factory focused their eyes on the entrance.
"Demon?"
"Did he say a demon has shown up here!?!?"
"Is he working for the Determined!?!?!"
"AGH!!!! WE'VE BEEN CAUGHT!!!"
"He's been sent to kill us all!! After all, things were too peaceful!"
The people within the factory went into a frenzy, but Vex simply smiled.
"Calm down. Did you just say the Determined? The one who is said to lead the antiheroes? I ain't workin' with her. I'm here to kill her."
The people who were visibly panicking ceased their breakdown and stared at the demon with confusion.
"Kill..."
"The Determined?"
Noticing the change in the mood, Vex stepped forward, displaying his own sneakers brashly.
"Yep. Nice to meet you all. Name is Vex, head of the house of wrath. We've decided that the antiheroes and the Determined are threatening our positions as the most powerful beings in the realm. We have to kick em down a notch."
Silence filled the room as Vex walked into the factory, the only sound being the squeaking of his sneakers on the metallic floor.
"So? Wanna team up with me and take em down?"
A pin could have been heard dropping as Vex stopped in the center of the factory, looking around at the faces of all, but one voice in particular spoke up.
"Are you.... the savior?"
"Are you the one who has been holding the Determined at bay?"
"Are you the one who has prevented her from killing us all?"
"Are you the one who built these factories and allowed us to continue our lives as normal?"
Vex was flooded with questions as the people around him looked towards him with hope.
'Didn't expect this, but I'll play along.'
Vex brought his hand to his chest, arrogantly taking the credit for all these things which he had no knowledge of.
"YEP! That was all me!!"
"The savior..."
"He's appeared...."
"In the form of a demon...."
"So the demon who takes over the town can take the form of an angel, and the angel who appears to save it can take the form of a demon....."
The people began to flood into the center of the factory, surrounding Vex.
"You will help us to defeat the Determined?"
"You'll help us overthrow that demon from her throne!?!?"
With a grin, Vex pushed up his sunglasses and checked his watch.
"Oh yeah. And we'll have it done before sunset."
"Before the ball of fire in the sky disappears...."
"I can't believe it...."
"The savior really has appeared...."
Many of the men began to cry with joy, relieved that their lives had been saved from the demon who destroyed everything.
The situation of the city was far worse before the demon had appeared, but they did not accredit the improvements to the demon who took over. Rather, all the credit was given to this demon before them.
"Thank you!!!"
"Thank you so much, Vex!!!"
"To think a house leader would end up saving our people.... I misunderstood your kind!!!"
"Forgive us for believing that all demons were evil, Vex!!!"
Waving the statements of the people off, Vex took a seat in a chair, propping his sneakers up before him.
"No sweat. So? Give me more details. I want to hear everything you know."

Death and Taxes. 

The two insurpassable laws of the universe. 

So long as humans exist in this world, these things will remain. 

However, there is a 3rd law which has always, and will always implement itself on people. 

Suffering. 

Reincarnated in a new world, five people are forced to learn this the hard way. 

Placed on 'Nightmare mode' and being reincarnated as monsters, they are forced to survive under incomprehensible conditions. 

However it is only through suffering, that we grow as people. 

And it is only through suffering, that we truly become monsters. 

"Nightmare mode.... eh? Tell me, what exactly was this mode supposed to mean again? Were our lives supposed to become nightmares?"

Without suffering, there is no change in anything. 

"Or were we supposed to become the nightmares?"

This is the story of the antiheroes.

"Mustapha, can you hear me?" Goddess Marie, a battle angel with a fierce mind and wild side at heart, called on the DCP Resistance Dispatcher. "Marie. It's about time! How's Zay?" 32op questioned. Goddess Marie, known as a Leader in Training, was the spy for DCP and always managed to help foil Radkon's plans. "He's been better. They're getting ready to banish him into space." Marie continued, shocking the Resistance who were preparing to get to the Chemical Plant in Cream Soda. "What? You can't be serious!" Skylark exclaimed as he turned around while viewing the terminal at headquarters. "Radkon's been keeping him alive just to show him his completed empire before vanishing him into space," Marie suggested. And torturing Zay just to pass the time was relatively low, even for anybody this despicable. "Radkon's got wind of our plan. Time is ticking before he shuts us down." Vivala added. "But we don't even know where he is!" Aggie sighed as this mission stressed everyone. The last thing they could possibly end up doing is making the wrong step and letting Radkon win. He already had the world taken over except for Tundra, location of DCP headquarters. "Actually, we now do Aggie. There's a space station called the Death Iceball, made by IW which was rebuilt after being destroyed years ago. "The Death Iceball? Oh man, that's not good!" Gingersnap said. "None of this is good, Ginger," Nate replied to him in a grim tone of despair. "We've expected a miracle for months but I'm afraid we'll have to make our own. That's why this is called war." Everyone nodded their heads in agreement and prepared for action in space. "You all know what to do. Come on, let's go get Zay." 

While the Resistance raids the chemical plant to grab a shuttle to the Death Iceball, Zay prepares for a bout with Freezie in Prison Hall…

The Death Iceball was a light blue spherical metal giant fortress and space station with gargantuan size; it can flatten forests, destroy mountains and possibly even destroy a planet upon impact. Laser turrets that are hard-hitting surround the interior and exterior defenses and have tight and heavy security that goes high alert upon detecting an intruder. In terms outside of weaponry, it's known to have a heavy source of energy and emergency auxiliary power for the defenses. The space station was also home to hostages and prisoners like Zay; most of the villains except Radkon came aboard the Death Iceball to prevent any prisoners from escaping. Freezie walked up to Zay's confinement cell and said, "This is the end, Zay." Zay sat peacefully on a bench mounted to a metal wall as prisoners all around outside of his cell gathered around behind bars and began chanting. It was Prison Hall but instead of vanishing Zay, Radkon decided to have him in a brawl. The floors layered as they watched a platform of hexagonal shape replicating a beehive. "Oh, sounds like the party's starting?" Zay joked in a sarcastic tone. "I forgot that you won't let me join in, you hate fun." He joked more. Suddenly, red alarms began blaring and sirens turned on, as the cuffs on Zay's hands broke. "Alright, let's see what you'll try when I'm free," Zay challenged. It was a while since he fought anybody besides a monster morphed from pizza dough back at home. But there was no chance to rejoice at that moment as the world was crumbling down. "Foolish jackal. Being set free from your chains does not make you free, now come face the inevitable." Zay got up from the bench and ran out of his cell right behind Freezie and said, "The only thing inevitable is you coming back to DCP!" Zay pointed a finger at Freezie as he broke into a charge to the platform where the brawl was to commence. Freezie came up on a giant mechanical bee with red LED lights directly on our hero. "Try anything yourself and I'll mop you up real quick!" Freezie said as he bashed his clenched fists together and began to control the beast. It shot a laser that circulated around Zay and sent in robot bees that crashed into each other as he continuously hopped above them. Freezie began to raise the bee up and slammed it into the platform, causing outer pieces to collapse. This flung Zay into the air as he quickly managed to perform a homing attack at Freezie. He groaned in agony and said, "Imputent runt! I'll savor watching you try to survive this." The mechanical bee he controlled began getting more angry and charged its stinger across the platform, the audience all around roaring. Most of them were hostages and hoped for Zay to win, and it was one more thing Radkon was paying for. DCP always wins, and that's how it's been since people expect you to be better until you do better. Freezie slammed into the platform once again as Zay began another homing attack and performed an action of moves. Zay roundhouse kicked and punched when he finished with a kick that knocked Freezie off of his machine. "Gah! How could I lose to the likes of you again!?" He said in the tone of defeat. "That was a cakewalk. Next time, don't get cocky." Zay said back as Freezie fell on one knee, tried to push himself back up but then fell in unconsciousness. Suddenly, the same cryptic aura that appeared on Shadow and the rest of the others except for Radkon appeared and what brought back memories to Zay, Freezie disappeared upon his eyes. "He disappeared and...it's that forcefield again." He wondered. The prisoners were escorted back to their cells as the alarms went off with a slight rumble, causing our hero to nearly lose his balance. "It's no time for thinking, it's for running!" He said as he dashed in a boost and tore through the Death Iceball until he was outside of the space station in the pitch black sky with millions of stars. Zay suddenly started grinding on a rail through loops and curves. Zay figured that Radkon had him tortured on the Death Iceball and believed that the "big ball of scrap metal just won't stay destroyed no matter how many times DCP came to wreck it. Zay continued jumping from rail to rail as he jumped onto a battleship that was flying down to the Death Iceball's defenses that were protecting where the shuttles were kept as the laser turrets shot each one down. "I want that jackal dead! Fire!" Radkon shouted on a loud PA intercom that the space station can hear. "Whew, they're packing a lot of firepower. Won't matter if they can't land every shot!" Zay suggested as the ships flew right above the metal surface. One of the lasers finally hit the ship Zay was flying on as he fell down a hole which was the entrance to Level 5, the shuttle gateways. Zay glided down the hole, avoiding lasers that blocked one side each. Once he landed, he saw who he didn't know was the Rookie being surrounded by a soldier each from the Redemption Force, Pirates and Ice Warriors. Zay came speeding up to them as they cornered the Rookie and drove them off. "You're here to rescue me? That sounds like the most peaceful news I've heard in awhile, and a friendly face at last! A radio dispatch called on the Rookie's wristband as 32op said, "Hey rookie, you still in one piece?" Zay decided to surprise everyone as he replied back. "Don't even bother to ask how I am!" He gladly said as Aggie's levels of hype went out of control and the joy of seeing Zay again almost filled tears in her eyes. "Zero! I'm so glad!" Skylark Nate interrupted her on the radio and said, "Hold on Aggie. We're all happy that Zay is alive, but he won't be for long if he doesn't escape that giant ball of ice in a scurry!" Zay told the Rookie to follow him back onto the shuttle where everyone was aboard as they flew off and back home to Tundra. "Zay, finding you alive is the best news we've had in months! The bad news is our intel says there's a weapons factory in our capital of Summit, pumping out munitions for his war effort." Viv said. "A factory? We can't take out Radkon's homebase in Mammoth if there's a factory supplying him." Rah said. "No kidding," 32op added to Rah's comment. "Look Zay, I know you just got back but we're spread out thin. Can you take care of this?"
Zay was sitting down in a comfortable seat of the shuttle and was looking out the window as it entered Earth's atmosphere. When 32op asked the question, he turned his attention to him. "Yeah, and I'll bring the rookie with me." He replied. Gingersnap looked at me and asked, "Are you sure about that? That kid was shaking like a leaf while we were at the Death Iceball." Goddess Marie added, "That's because it's cold there! The factory is nice and warm, when it's burnt to the ground. Just make sure the Rookie takes some good notes." Zay nodded as the shuttle soon began landing right outside of headquarters. The engine's roar slowed as it came to a landing point until it released the emergency skids, stopping the engine and blowing steam. The shuttle entrance slid upwards open as folding stairs folded out, ready for the passengers to get off. The rookie followed alongside Zay as they both sped off to the Arsenal Pyramid in Summit, where the factory was. The Rookie had a grapple and Zay had his boost. Soon enough, they both found themselves right at the entrance of the weapons factory. "Energy readings are picking up multiple enemies ahead. I can send reinforcements if it's too much for you to handle," Skylark Nate said. "No need," Zay said. "The two of us are more than enough." The factory was inside a pyramid here at Summit which was completely full of desert and sand caused by Radkon's industries. The vista waterfalls that used to be the highlight of the city have been replaced by sand and dust as mechanized pyramids, big and small, were visible in the distance. Metal pipes connected throughout the bottom. There were large metallic scaffolds and roads leading up to the factory. "Time for the two of us to team up. It doesn't matter what obstacle they put in our way, we'll blitz through the place and open up a path for the Resistance. Right, partner?" Zay asked the Rookie as they both skid on a pipe and flew from the grapple. Just up ahead, forces of Redemption Force robots who were equipped with artillery guns and cannons spotted the duo. "Here goes partner! When we join forces, the sky's the limit!" Zay said as they both leaped into the air as a swirling aura formed around them, and the sound of a turbo spin started emerging as the duo spun in an airborne ball and boosted faster than Zay normally does, running around the speed of sound. The robots entered high alert and began shooting at our heroes but it was too late as the both zoomed through the defenses, flinging the robots in all directions until they blew up. "Just gotta keep this up for a little longer!" Zay said to the Rookie as they ran up a side of the pyramid and stopped their double boost. "Bingo! Found a way in!" Zay called headquarters. His communicator sprung back to life as Aggie called back. "You should be able to find a way through. Be careful!" Zay was surprised to hear Aggie giving him orders. Sure it's been a while since he got to do something for the Resistance, but after being tortured, he was glad to be back home. Zay and the Rookie glided down whilst dodging lasers just like back at the Death Iceball. Except on the last set of lasers was spinning on the right side. They dodged it but it was a close one to look out for. Once our heroes dropped in, they were inside to see conveyor belts and machines carrying large metallic shells that they manufactured. They both hopped onto a spinning platform in the shape of a gear as a circle of robots surrounded them. But the Rookie has some tricks up his sleeve. He had a burst Wispon equipped which was a flamethrower and spun around, destroying every robot that stood upon our heroes. They hopped from platform to platform and then climbed onto the metallic claws grabbing shells and landed on a boost pad. They destroyed more robots until nothing but a pile of scrap remained. "All we need to do is make it to the factory's core. Now it should be here somewhere," Zay suggested as the Rookie grappled onto a spinning gear mounted on the wall and swung into another room where a loud roar could be heard. "These stasis pipes control the factory. Better get to work, partner!" Zay said as he started homing attacking one pipe as the Rookie used his Wispon on another. When one was destroyed, a laser that spun around the room suddenly activated to catch intruders. Once the second pipe was broken, the factory began to crumble as the pipes, robot pieces and machines started falling from above. Luckily, our heroes made it out of the factory as a huge explosion broke out of the pyramid as alarms of emergency sounded. Thick clouds of smoke shot out from the top side of the factory, and Radkon's supply of war efforts were no more. 

A few months ago, a Morningstar warrior soon prepared to join the struggle of now after a breach at the Chemical Plant...

Zay the Jackal, leader of the iconic Doritos of the Tundra Union Army League, is defeated in a battle with the Ice Warriors, Redemption Force and the Pirates, leaving them a pathway to global domination with the help of their new creation, Blackheart. Desperate to retake the world and save it from the evil empire, the Doritos form a resistance faction and clash with the three armies, only to reside together in the final bout with an unexpected newcomer.

Izuku stood perched on the edge of a building. He was overlooking what looked to be an abandoned toy factory, using the thermal vision of his cowl to view the interior. He could see a body heat signature in the middle of the old shop floor. It wasn't moving, and seemed to be strapped to a chair. It had to be Melissa. Surrounding her were other heat signatures, some patrolling the around floor, some standing still. He counted at least two a dozen men, and upon switching to detective mode in his cowl goggles, he confirmed that each of them were armed. Most of them had guns, some carried blunt instruments or knives. Izuku was thoroughly outnumbered and out-gunned. It was an obvious trap, and Izuku intended to spring it.

He felt guilty for leaving Wayne Manor after Bruce forbade him to involve himself. He remembered his escapade with the Batmobile when searching for the Sludge Villain, and was afraid of what Bruce might do to him for disobeying him this time. But seeing how frightened Melissa was when she was taken, and how helpless he was to stop her, he had to do something. He had to save her.
Steeling himself, he checked his utility belt and secured his gauntlets at the wrists. They were newly-upgraded from WayneTech, designed to work with his explosion quirk. But he had to be careful. The events of his clash with the Hero Killer flashed in his mind. If he used his quirk as an unlicensed hero, he doubted that even Bruce would be able to save him from facing criminal charges. He had to use his quirk as a last resort.





Melissa struggled at her restraints. She was surrounded by armed guards, and the woman Harley Quinn was shouting orders to them. From what she had gathered, they were planning to ransom her to her father. Harley had told her that she wasn't going to be hurt if she cooperated, but Melissa was still frightened. She had heard the stories and seen the reports of what the Joker did to his hostages. Most of the time, they did not survive, even when the ransoms were paid.
Melissa jumped at a loud explosion emanating from the other end of the factory. She heard several screams and what sounded like gunfire. Flames began to grow as the old toys on the abandoned conveyor belts began to catch fire.
"The Bat's here!" Shouted Harley. "You two stay here." She gestured to two of the guards. "The rest of you, find him!"
The guards converged on the explosion, Harley following them, leaving Melissa alone with the two guards. Harley and the guards struggled desperately to put out the fire, not wanting the inevitable attention it would draw to their location if it grew. Melissa heard a brief grunting sound from her captors next to her, looking up only to see both of them laying sprawled out on the floor before her, unconscious, with a dark figure in combat armor standing over them.
"Izu-" she began, but he swiftly covered her mouth, putting his finger to his lips to silence her. She nodded, and he let her go and began to work on her restraints.
"That won't distract them for long," he whispered. "Just long enough to --"
Something hard and heavy crashed against his side, sending him flying away from Melissa. Harley was back, carrying a heavy mallet in her hand. "You must think I'm some sorta idiot, don'cha?" She said, swinging the mallet as Izuku struggled to his feet. "He's over here boys!" She shouted as the men converged on their location. "Remember, Mistah J doesn't want him dead yet! Just rough him up a little."
Izuku stood his ground as the men surrounded him. One of them advanced on him, swinging a heavy bat. He ducked swiftly under the blow and struck the man hard in the abdomen. Doubling over, Izuku delivered a swift knee to his nose, knocking him onto his back. He flipped over the assailant and grabbed his arm, twisting it until hearing the sickening snap of bones cracking. The man howled with pain and rolled over, passing out.
Two other thugs charged him, both of them activating their quirks. Izuku noticed for one of them, his hand began to swell immensely until it took a round, bulbous form before shaping into a spiked morning-star, a chain extending from his wrist. Swirling his mace-fist over his head, he threw it crashing down on Izuku's location, who had dodged moments before. The other appeared to have a shooting-like quirk, shots firing from his fingertips and embedding themselves in the wall behind Izuku as he dodged. Izuku reached into his belt and threw two sticky grenades at the gun-man's hands, encasing them in thick glue.
"What the hell!?" He shouted, trying to free himself, ultimately receiving a hard kick upside the head from Izuku for his lack of awareness, knocking him unconscious. The mace-man continued to swing his morning star towards Izuku. After dodging it a second time, the mace embedded itself in the ground, and the man struggled to retrieve it. Izuku seized his chance and threw an explosive batarang at the man. Upon striking his chest, the explosion sent him careening backwards, hitting the wall hard and losing consciousness.
"Take it easy on my boys, bird-brain!" Said Harley indignantly.
Izuku ignored her, pressing his attack. Three more guards advanced on him. One of them began throwing knives at Izuku, which seemed to form directly from his skin as he threw them. Izuku dodged the knives as the two others attacked him. Izuku analyzed that they were both strength-type quirk users. As they attacked him, Izuku found himself backed against a wall, dodging a punch to his head as his attacker's fist broke through the wall behind him. Izuku rolled between the attackers, placing explosive mines on their backs as he did. He pressed the detonator and they both went flying through the damaged wall, debris landing atop them.
Izuku readied himself for the next attack, but the thugs didn't press the attack. A shrill laugh erupted over the old speaker system of the factory, sending a chill up Izuku's spine. Izuku turned to see a large projection spring to life on the wall behind him. It was the Joker.
"Well done, newby!" Said the Joker, laughing maniacally. "I often keep asking myself, 'how does Batman do it?' Taking in hopeless strays and lost causes and turning them into stone-cold vigilantes! Where do I sign up for Batman bootcamp?"
"Let Melissa go, Joker," Said Izuku, with more bravery than he actually felt.
"I can't do that, dummy, she's my trump card!" Said Joker crossly.
"For what?" Said Izuku. "What do you want with her?"
"I don't want her," Said Joker. "Aren't you listening? She's just an ace in the hole. Sheesh, and I thought all the Robins were smart."
"I'm not a Robin," Said Izuku.
"I should say not!" Said Joker. "But keep studying and you'll get there, don't you worry." His laughter continued.
"You haven't answered my question, Joker," Said Izuku. "What do you want?"
"Oh, nothing," said Joker. "Millions dead in the streets would be nice if you're offering."
"You're insane," Said Izuku.
"Well, duh!" Said Joker, contorting his face into a dumb expression. "But to be honest, I really didn't think that you would come here alone tonight. I expected to get to kill you later. But hey, as I always say: 'a bird in hand is worth two in the blender!'" Izuku's stomach turned as Joker continued his horrific laughter. His henchmen drew closer towards him, but didn't attack.
"Because you've been such a good boy," He continued. "Dear old Uncle J is going to give you a taste of tonight's festivities." He reached into his coat and pulled a small remote control, pressing a button on it. The factory seemed to spring to life, and the conveyor belts started moving, carrying a large metal container towards him. Large bangs and crashes came from the container before it came to a stop. Joker pressed another button, and the container opened, and Izuku stepped back in shock at what he saw.
At first, he thought it was a Nomu, but it did not have an exposed brain as the others had. Instead, it reminded Izuku of something you would see in a haunted house. A large, grotesque creature with a rippling, misshapen muscular frame. It's eyes glowed blood red and it emitted a guttural, growling roar as it tore itself from the box.
"Well, kid, It was nice knowing you," Said Joker. "Who am I kidding? I barely know you!" He roared his head back in shrill laughter as the monster ran forward. Izuku steeled himself. His experience with the Nomu told him that he would have to use everything he had against this creature. He had no choice. He would have to -
A loud crash sounded above Izuku. He looked up to see that someone had broken through the glass windows above, half expecting it to be Batman, but it was someone he didn't recognize. The intruder hit the ground, gracefully rolling to lessen the impact of his fall. He was wearing a brown leather jacket and bright red helmet, carrying two heavy pistols.
"Hit the deck, kid!" He shouted. Izuku immediately dropped to the floor as the man opened rapid fire from his pistols, mowing down Joker's men effortlessly. The bullets appeared to have no effect on the monster, who kept charging, this time towards the stranger. He leapt out of the way as the monster attempted to grab him, firing his pistols square in the monster's face. The creature roared in pain, slamming into the wall as it continued to run. This attack must have dazed it, as it began to stumble and grasp in front of it, trying to find its quarry.
"Oooooo!" Said the Joker, interested. "Enter player two!"
"Are you gonna lay there all night or are you gonna fight?" Said the man to Izuku. He leapt to his feet and launched several explosive blasts from his hands, knocking the monster off its feet. As it struggled, several of the Joker's henchmen rallied and began attacking them. The man met them with equal force, dodging their attacks and knocking them down, only to finish them off with a shot from his guns.
The creature roared and struggled to its feet, lunging for Izuku, who used his quirk to launch over the monster's head, blasting it from behind. The creature hollered in pain, trying to grasp through the smoke. It began to charge Izuku, who threw several explosive batarangs at the creature's face, exploding on impact. The creature reared back in pain, clutching its face and grasping forward at Izuku. The man had finished with Joker's henchmen and leapt up on the monster's shoulders, placing both pistols on each side of its head and opening fire. The monster's blood and grey matter burst from its skull as it hit the ground hard, and lay still.
"Well, that was unexpected," said the Joker. "Note to self: need stronger test subjects. Well, thank you for being part of this little game. I guess it's time to go!" The projection went dark, and the Joker was gone.
"Come back, you coward!" shouted the Man.
"Mistah J! Wait!" Said Harley, running towards the projection. The man in the helmet walked forward towards Harley, knocking her down and placing his gun on her forehead.
"Where is he hiding, Quinn?" He said dangerously. "Answer me!"
"What makes you think I'll--" she was interrupted by a blast from his gun, just to the left of her head. She recoiled from the sound, screaming and clutching her ears.
"The next one goes in your brain, Quinn," Said the Man. "Joker doesn't care if you live or die. You may as well answer my questions."
"He loves me!" Said Harley indignantly. The man backhanded her across the face with his pistol, causing her face to bleed. Izuku stepped forward to stop him, but the man pointed his other pistol at him, not looking away from Harley.
"I'll give you five seconds to tell me, starting from three," Said the Man, cocking his gun. "Four. . . f-" Something stepped forward beside Izuku, quickly seizing the man's hand with a heavy, gauntleted glove, holding his gun aloft.
"That's enough!" Said Batman. "Stop this, Jason."





One week earlier.
"I was wondering when you would come to me."
Ra's Al Ghul poured himself a drink, sitting at his desk in his luxurious private quarters high atop his mountain palace. Batman had arrived suddenly, just as he did, and nearly dislocated his arm as he interrogated him. He had let him go when Ra's called off his men, willing to answer any of his questions.
"What happened that day?" Said Batman.
"Answer me this, first," Said Ra's. "How did you find out it was him?"
"Fighting styles are like fingerprints," Said Batman. "I worked with him for years, taught him everything he knows. He has adapted to incorporate various weapons and firearms, but after observing surveillance recordings of him is what aroused my suspicions. Upon examining the forensic report from the Roman Sionas murder, a blood sample was found that did not match Sionas or any of his men. After running it against his medical records, my suspicions were confirmed. The Red Hood is Jason Todd."
"Very good, detective," Said Ra's Al Ghul. "But how do you know I am involved?"
"When I exhumed his body, I discovered it wasn't his body at all," Said Batman. "A well-made mannequin made of high-end latex, made to look like him. I admit, it was careless of me not to see it before. Only you could have had the motive and means to replace his body with a fake."
"Precisely," said Ra's Al Ghul. "Truely, the World's Greatest Detective does it again."
"Don't test me, Ra's," said Batman dangerously. "Tell me what I want to know."
"Apologies," Said Ra's Al Ghul. "You remember our last encounter?"
"You wanted to blow up banks."
"True, if inelegant," Said Ra's Al Ghul. "I was close to toppling the economy in Europe. But you were on to me. I sought a distraction, so I hired the Joker. It was to appear that you stumbled upon him by accident in Bosnia. It was intended to be a wild goose chase. But I overestimated my ability to control the Clown, and underestimated his madness. His capture and murder of Robin was not my design. You were not the only one working to find the boy. But he was already dead before we had reached him. It was my greatest regret, and my greatest shame."
"You've never shied away from killing before," Said Batman.
"True, but always with a purpose," Said Ra's Al Ghul. "This was. . . senseless. An unnecessary casualty. As penance, I sought to never make war with you again."
"What about the Hero Killer?" Said Batman.
"He was never truly one of us," Replied Ra's Al Ghul. "He left us of his own volition to pursue his mission. Crossing paths with your new ward was simply happenstance. In addition to this truce, I also sought to rectify what had happened."
"Rectify?"
"Yes," Said Ra's Al Ghul. "I had hoped to return to you what you had lost. Before you could reach the boy, we replaced him with the mannequin, and took him to the Lazarus pit. As you know, it's rejuvenating waters have allowed me to walk this world for six centuries. It was rumored that it could even achieve a greater feat: raising the dead. I was confident you would not perform an autopsy on your boy, and even if you did, we would still have the time to bring him back. But the plan had. . . unfortunate results. It had restored his life, but he had returned to this world damaged. "
Batman clenched his fist tightly, but said nothing. All of this had happened to his ward, his son, right under his nose. If he had bothered to check the body before burying it, he would have known that it wasn't flesh. He was beset with grief, but it was stupid. Stupid and careless.
"He had escaped us immediately after the ritual," Ra's Al Ghul continued. "My armies searched for months, but we were never able to recover a body, or pick up a trail. I thought him dead yet again." He stood from his desk, turning away from Batman, looking out the window. "But I have returned your son to you as a blight upon your house. He burns the very kingdom you -" He turned back to face Batman, but he was gone. He took a deep sigh, returning to his desk.
"Good luck, detective."





"So, you figured it out, old man?" Said Jason, pulling away from Batman. "I suppose Ra's spilled his guts, too."
Izuku was shocked, looking back and forth between the two men. He could hardly believe his eyes. He was staring at his predecessor, the deceased Jason Todd. Batman's face continued to remain passive, and Jason's expression could not be read with his red mask, but the anger and hatred in his voice was palpable.
"Why didn't you come back to me?" Said Batman.
"Why would I?" Jason spat back. "The Joker had kept me in that warehouse for months, torturing me and turning me against you. Did you even try to look for me?!"
"Of course I did!" Said Batman. "I never stopped looking. The Joker sent me the video. I watched you die."
"And the League of Shadows was still able to get to me before you," Said Jason.
"I can help you, Jason," Said Batman.
"I don't want your help!" Shouted Jason. "I want to finish what you refuse to. You couldn't save me in time, I can understand that. But why, in God's green Earth," he pointed to where the Joker's projection was. "Is he still alive?!"
"Jason. . ." Batman began.
"He took me away from you," said Jason, backing away from Batman and Izuku. "But even then, you refuse to put an end to the pain he causes, the destruction he has caused. Not anymore. I'm going to put an end to it, once and for all."
"Jason, please," said Batman. "This doesn't have to be this way. Come back with me. Come home."
"It's too late," Said Jason. "It's not my home anymore. Besides," he looked to Izuku. "You've already replaced me." Without another word, he reached into his coat and threw a flashbang grenade, causing Izuku and Batman to leap out of the way, shielding Quinn and Melissa from the blast. When the dust cleared, Jason was gone.
"Batman," said Izuku. "Batman, I'm sorry. . . I . . ." but Bruce didn't appear to be listening. He continued to stare at the spot Jason once stood. After a minute, he stooped and cuffed Harley Quinn before throwing her over his shoulder while Izuku released Melissa from her bindings.
"You disobeyed a direct order," Said Batman. "You put yourself and Melissa in danger, and used your quirk as an unlicensed hero. The Batmobile is waiting outside. Get Melissa back to the Batcave. Now."

Izuku Midoriya has always wanted to be a hero. But the death of his childhood friend at the hands of a villain, and his idol denouncing his dream, his faith in himself and this hero society has been shaken to its core. But one man still sees his potential and takes him under his wing, or batwing as it were, and teaches him that he can be a hero, even without a quirk.

The confrontation in the factory yard reached a destructive level.
Whether it was the Flaming Tornado or the Zero Degree Fire, their power had already surpassed that of ordinary Advanced Mages.
Even if the leader of the Magical Investigation Unit came, he would not be able to resist them.
The huge factory yard was now divided into two parts.
Part of it was filled with extreme coldness.
The Ancient Spiritual Cold Fire was a flame that could reduce the temperature to absolute zero.
One half of the yard turned into a land of frost, as if the ice age had descended once again.
The other part was filled with extreme heat.
The flames emitted from Chu He's body were extremely hot. Every moment, he released an intense amount of light and heat.
Just like Chu He's title of 'Apollo', he seemed to have transformed into the Sun God at this moment.
The temperature in this half of the yard was ridiculously high. If an ordinary person stepped in, they would be cooked in minutes.
The power of the flames was even more terrifying, ordinary life forms would be burnt to ashes upon contact.
A battle of this level was no longer something that Alice and Bruce could participate in.
They ran until they were a kilometer away.
They turned around to look at the massive black and white flames behind them, as well as the even more terrifying storm of fire.
"Is this power that a human can possess?" Deep envy and jealousy flashed across Bruce and Alice's eyes.
Especially for Alice, as she idolized the strong to an extreme level, she was already deeply attracted to Chu He.
"Ember Demon, die!" Chu He roared as all the fire cells in his body were utilized to their limits.
He felt as if his entire body was burning.
Following that, the firestorm grew even larger and more powerful.
"Roar!" The Ember Demon roared in rage as it could feel that it was about to collapse.
This situation lasted for a full three minutes.
The black and white flames were pushed back constantly. Eventually, the entire factory was engulfed by the Flaming Firestorm.
Chu He panted heavily, this Ember Demon had not been easy to deal with.
Fortunately, the demonic creature's Ancient Spiritual Cold Fire had not fully evolved.
Otherwise, Chu He might really have been killed here.
Under the raging fire, the entire factory was burnt into nothingness.
Naturally, the Ember Demon also died.
[Congratulations to the host for completing the quest. Reward: +1 Superman Cell]
[A demonic creature was killed. +1000 Mutated Cells]
The system's emotionless voice sounded in Chu He's ear.
The reward for his quest, as well as the black magic power absorbed from the monster, had transformed into mutated cells and merged into his body.
"Disperse!" Chu He shouted in a low tone.
The Flaming Storm, which had expanded to a hundred meters wide, instantly disappeared.
Only then did Bruce and Alice dare to approach him. They looked at Chu He, who was in the middle of the yard, timidly.
This was an Advanced Mage who was even more powerful than their captain. It was very likely that he had already reached the 7th-tier and above.
"Senior, you're too powerful!"
"Which department are you from? Are you from San Francisco?"
"My name is Bruce. I'm from the San Francisco Magical Investigation Unit. It is our honor to witness your heroic might!"
"By the way, Senior, are you from the Andrich Magic Academy? I'm 24 years old this year. Do I have a chance to study at the Magic Academy?"
Bruce ran to Chu He like an obsessed fan and said a lot of things in one go.
Chu He looked at him as though he was looking at a fool.
He then turned his gaze toward Alice, who was standing at the side with an affectionate gaze.
Alice looked at him with burning desire, as if they were a couple who had not seen each other for ten years.
Chu He was speechless. This was the first time he had seen Alice like this.
Was it necessary?
Could it be that hidden within Alice's cold temperament, she was actually this kind of girl who got easily infatuated?
Chu He could not help but think of a scenario cheekily.
Could the reason be due to him appearing like Prince Charming earlier when he saved Alice who was in a dangerous situation? After acting like a hero saving a beauty, Alice fell hopelessly in love with him?
Unfortunately, Chu He did not want to expose his identity.
"The two of you should stay here for a while, you can leave in five minutes," Chu He whispered.
After leaving this place, he needed to remove the flames enveloping his body.
But he did not want Alice and Bruce to see his true appearance.
After hearing Chu He's words, the two of them hurriedly nodded and did not dare to disobey him.
After Chu He left, the two of them obediently stood in the middle of the yard like they were being punished.
"How strange," Alice muttered.
"What is it?" Bruce asked.
"I think I've heard the voice of this senior mage somewhere before. He sounds a little familiar, but I just can't remember where I've heard it."
"Heard of it?" Bruce froze before suggesting, "Maybe this mysterious expert is one of the few senior mages who came to San Francisco to give a lecture last time."
Alice said nothing, but shook her head.
Chu He's voice was very young. It sounded like he was at most thirty years old.
"Could it be that this mysterious expert has a crush on you?" Bruce asked with a smile, but his smile was mixed with some helplessness.
"If such a powerful mage has a crush on me, I'll give myself to him!" Alice's eyes became fiery again.
"Alice… you…" Bruce's eyes widened instantly, "I always thought you liked women."
Alice smiled disdainfully: "I just don't like weak guys like you."
Hearing this, Bruce became dejected like a deflated ball.
He was weak. There was nothing he could do about it.
</di

Chu He had traveled to a world of sword and magic and became a magic apprentice. His daily task in the magic academy was to clean the area, and one day, he realized that his cells have mutated out of the blue. [Mutated Cell Count has reached 100, Flame Cells formed from polymerization, Flame Control Ability acquired] [Flame Cell Count has reached 100, Aether Flame Cells formed from polymerization, Aether Flamer Control Ability acquired] [Aether Flame Cell Count has reached 100, Celestial Flame Cells formed from polymerization, Mega Flame Control Ability acquired]. There were even Monstrous Strength Cell, Divine Strength Cell, Sonic Cell, Lightspeed Cell, Time Cell, Space Cell... As such, a magic apprentice who had never practiced magic but is nonetheless invincible had emerged in this world! Chu He: When every single cell of mine had mutated, the world will bow to my feet, and I will be the one and only God!


In a mansion in the countryside of Provincial City.
An old man with snowy white hair put down the phone in his hands.
He carried a grim expression on his face and extreme shock in his heart.
The boy was the one who had killed Grandmaster Chacha and wasted Feng'er, his grandson. Now, even Grandmasters Abu and Bakar were dead.
Who was this person named Tang Hao?
He knew how powerful the three Grandmasters were. Grandmaster Abu was considered one of the top shamans in Nanyang. How was he defeated?
He picked up the document on the table and looked at it again, then chuckled drily.
The document wrote that Tang Hao was a seventeen-year-old kid from a mountain village, and there was nothing noteworthy about him.
How was that possible!
'Lies! They're all lies!'
In a fit of rage, he tore the document in half and tossed it into the wastepaper basket.
He was sullen for a long time. Then, he picked up the phone and dialed a number.
The call was picked up soon. "Hey! Who is it?" A loud and hearty voice was heard.
He sounded like he was tipsy.
Old Master Luo immediately smiled. "Taoist master Qing Yun! I'm Luo Wei. Do you remember the Luo family? I've asked for your help once." His tone of voice carried some respect in it.
"The Luo family? That sounds familiar… Oh, I remember now! Old Master Luo! Why, is there anything?"
"It's like this, Master, someone has wasted my grandson Luo Feng, and now he's an unresponsive dummy. I've discovered that person's identity, but he's too powerful. I need your help, Taoist Master.
"This person is extremely sinister and evil. Not only has he wasted Feng'er, but he also threatened to ruin my entire family. Please, Taoist Master Qing Yun, use your powers to save my family and restore justice.
"Of course, I have something for you as a small token of appreciation. I remember that you like alcohol, Taoist Master Qing Yun. Don't worry, there's plenty of precious liquor in the Luo family cellar."
Meanwhile, Taoist Master Qing Yun almost could not control his excitement.
"Haha! You're too kind, Old Master Luo. People from Mao Mountain are enemies of evil, and it is our duty to fight evil and restore justice. When I, Qing Yun'zi, come for the bad guys, they can only pray for a quick death."
He sounded like he gulped down another mouthful of liquor, then laughed out loud.
Old Master Luo joined in with the laughter. He was finally at ease.
As powerful as a shaman from Nanyang might be, they cannot defeat a Taoist Master from Mao Mountain!
Unfortunately for the Luo family, people for Mao Mountain fought for justice rather than for money. They did not accept tasks that harmed innocent people, so they were not as close to the Luo family as the Nanyang shamans.
After he ended the call, Old Master Luo sat on his chair. His face had a vicious expression.
"You filthy kid, I'll see how you can run rampant against a Taoist Master from Mao Mountain!"
After that, he picked up his phone again and dialed another number.
…
In a factory in the countryside of Westridge District.
Tang Hao was telling Han Yutong about what happened that day when his phone suddenly rang.
He took out the phone to see that it was from an unknown number.
He answered the call and immediately heard Old Master Luo's voice.
"I understood what you said earlier. Don't worry, I won't lay a finger on the people close to you. However, the matter isn't settled yet. I will be going to Westridge District tonight. We can meet up and have a chat!"
 Tang Hao furrowed his brows.
Old Master Luo should have known that he was powerful, but had insisted on meeting him. The old Master might be bringing another equally powerful cultivator with him.
He thought for a while then answered, "Alright!"
Old Master Luo was slightly taken aback. He did not expect Tang Hao to reply so quickly.
"You're a brave one!" Old Master Luo smirked. "I'll see you tonight!"
Then, he ended the call.
"What's wrong, President Tang?" Han Yutong asked urgently when she saw that Tang Hao's expression was grim.
"It's nothing! Old Master Luo said that he wants to talk to me, and asked me to meet him tonight!" Tang Hao said.
Han Yutong was immediately concerned. "Will it be dangerous?"
"Don't worry, I'll go prepared!' Tang Hao said calmly.
Soon, Captain Zhou arrived with a squad of police officers. They arrested the people from the Luo family while Tang Hao described the events that transpired to Captain Zhou.
Captain Zhou promised that he would see the matter settled to Tang Hao's satisfaction.
They went to the police station to have their statements recorded. Tang Hao requested that Han Yutong stayed in the police station in the meantime in case the Luo family went back on their promise and kidnapped Han Yutong again.
Then, he gave a call to Sis Xiangyi and asked her to remain in the factory and take care of herself.
After that, Tang Hao returned home and started crafting jade talismans.
Soon, night fell.
Tang Hao's phone rang at about seven o'clock. It was from Old Master Luo, and he requested to meet somewhere in the countryside.
Tang Hao rode on his little three-wheeled motorcycle and headed to the meeting point.
He arrived there about twenty minutes later.
Three black cars were parked at a crossroads. There were no other signs of civilization all around them.
Tang Hao lifted a curious eyebrow when he saw who came to meet him. Then, he smirked.
Unless Old Master Luo had managed to invite two or three master cultivators from the late period of the State of Qi Channeling, they would have no hope of defeating him.
"I'm here, Old Master Luo! Come out!"
Tang Hao yelled after he hopped off his three-wheeled motorcycle.
In the middle black car, Old Master Luo was sitting together with a slightly short, fat, and old Taoist master with a round face and a red nose.
The old Taoist master looked out of the car window and was shocked.
"Old Master, that…"
He could not believe that the extremely evil person in Old Master Luo's words was a boy of about seventeen or eighteen.
"That's him!" Old Master Luo said angrily, "He's the one that wasted Feng'er and now wants to ruin my family. Don't think that he's just a young boy. Deep inside, he's a genuine monster."
The old Taoist master slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "F*ck! He's a powerful cultivator then! He must have studied the dark arts to retain such a youthful appearance!"
He straightened his brows and looked angry.
The dark arts that allowed one to retain their youth must either be incredibly inhumane or went against the natural order.
He gritted his teeth, then opened the door and hopped out of the car. "Listen here, you monster! I, Qing Yun'zi from Mao Mountain, shall punish you in the name of justice!"
He slapped his yellow cloth sack and a stack of yellow paper talismans flew out from it.
Tang Hao was a little confused by what he heard.
'Wait!
'What did he mean by 'you monster'? What about punishing me in the name of justice? Is this fat Taoist master crazy?'
"You're the one who's a monster! Everyone in your family is a monster!" Tang Hao rolled his eyes and said angrily.
The old Taoist master became angrier when he heard that. 'This monster is arrogant! If I don't punish him in the name of justice today, how can I face my ancestral teachers?'
"Die, you monster!"
The old Taoist master gritted his teeth and clapped his palms together. The stack of yellow paper talismans scattered in the air and danced around him.
"Huoh!" He roared, and the talismans flew toward Tang Hao like raindrops in a storm.
Tang Hao was slightly surprised. That old Taoist master had a high level of cultivation. Both of them should be equally powerful.
'F*ck! Where did the Luo family find this incredible master?
'Wait, did he say that he's from Mao Mountain?'
"Hey! Hold up a second! I have something to say!" Tang Hao shouted urgently.
He was familiar with Mao Mountain. He was friends with Xuan Ling and Xuan Yang, and the person in front of him should be their Senior Brother.
'We're on the same side!' He thought.
"You monster, don't think you can deceive me!" The old Taoist master chided. He sounded like a righteous hero.
Tang Hao rolled his eyes again. 'This old Taoist master must be missing a few brain cells! Why isn't he assessing the situation before acting?
'I guess the people from Mao Mountain aren't normal!'
His face turned serious as he prepared to fight against the old Taoist master.
With a flick of his wrist, five or six jade talismans shot out from his hand.
The wave of yellow paper talismans collided with the jade talismans and exploded in midair.
The old Taoist master was immediately stunned. His eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
'Oh heavens! What did I see?
'Jade talismans! They're f*cking jade talismans!
'This monster is so wasteful that he uses jade talismans to fight me, and he even throws a bunch at once! Heavens! That's too wasteful!'
The old Taoist master bit his lip as he was wracked with envy.


Tang Hao was an honest man making an honest living, but despite all his honesty and kindness, life often looked the other way. Even when he stood up for a man in the streets, he ended up being beaten to a pulp and the man he stood up for? He disappeared. That left Tang Hao with nothing to prove and a hefty medical bill blowing through his savings. However, while he lay unconscious in the hospital, he could feel a warmth coming from the jade pendent he wore as it began to feed him with a trove of priceless information. Now discharged, and still armed with the same naivety and honesty, what will our village peasant do with this newfound power? Will he go on to conquer the hearts of a hundred women? Will he defeat the mightiest crime lords? Only time will tell, but for now, fate has many whimsical plans for Tang Hao.

 
"This exam simulates the sort of extended mission a professional hero might undertake. The scenario is that a master villain has abducted a civilian and is holding that abductee in an isolated, abandoned factory. You receive word on the location of that factory and have decided to go and rescue the victim yourself." the Principal explained.  "There are several parts to this rescue mission. First you will have to get by the guards outside the factory. You can use stealth to sneak by them, fight them directly, use trickery to convince them to let you in, or take some other action. If they spot you, they will try to prevent you from entering the building and they will report you to the villains inside the factory. Either being reported or making too much noise outside will cost you any element of surprise and possibly give the interior guards the opportunity to move the abductee." 
"Second, you will have to deal with the guards inside the factory who will try to stop you from reaching the civilian. Again, you can use any tactic you think will be effective, but you must get the victim out of the factory. Once you have the civilian free you will need to determine their condition and do what is necessary so they are safe to move. When you are ready to proceed, you will press the button on your communicator to call in an airlift that will pick up the abductee from the roof and take them to the hospital for medical attention and reuniting with their family." 
The Principal looked at each of the five applicants and said seriously, "Just as in life, actions and decisions have consequences. In this examination everything counts. You will be evaluated not just on whether you were able to complete the mission but on how you do it, and why. There is no one right answer to this puzzle. We are judging your performance, but also the attitudes and thoughts as revealed by what you do. So, give this your all. Plus ultra!" 
Jack looked at the other four applicants. He was told there were originally six students offered the opportunity to compete for the seat opened by Mineta's expulsion for slipping into the showers with the American Cheerleaders during the first day of the Sports Festival. Rumor said he'd done much more than that, but the golden teen thought most of the gossip was exaggeration. Hatsume Mei was the sixth candidate, but she had refused the offer, preferring to stay in the Support course. That made sense, given what Jack knew of her, or her alternate's, future. 
He had met two of the other competitors before – Shinso at the Sports Festival and Basilisk in the Business program. The other two were unknowns. Given that the candidates were not going to be competing directly against each other his not knowing their quirks, skills, or personalities was not a disadvantage. He did not have to worry about them at this time, only about what the teachers had planned. If the staff were playing true to form, the students would be more of those robots they had used in the entrance exam. They seemed to have a surplus of them. 
But the fact that the school had used the machines twice against the first years already made him think it was unlikely the teachers would find it appropriate for them to make a third appearance. So, the guards would probably be students as there were not enough teachers to play as opponents in five simultaneous simulations. Jack decided they would probably not put upper-classmen against untested first years, so it was likely the guards would be members of Class 1-A and 1-B. There were forty of the first-year Hero students, thirty-nine now, so there should not be more than seven, likely fewer, guards in each factory – especially if the civilian victims were also played by students.
Fighting five- or six-to-one odds, what could go wrong? Jack thought sarcastically. Why am I doing this again? 
 
#                            #                                  #                                  #                                  #
 
The final day of the Sports Festival started with a nationally broadcast apology from Mineto Minoru, the bubble-haired kid from Class 1-A. He was surrounded by his parents, Aizawa-sensei and the Principal. After the kid told everyone how sorry he was for his bad behavior and for besmirching the good name of UA they all bowed low. Nezu-kocho voiced his regret for UA failing to inculcate proper behavior into the boy and let it be known Mineta had been expelled from the school. Jack, who was watching from the stands surrounded by his classmates, commented, "Seems a bit much for a school offense. I wonder what he did?"
"I heard he violated several American dance girls," Motin supplied authoritatively. "Quite the scandal."
"I'd heard he is taking the blame for half the boys in his class, who were all molesting the visitors in the locker room." Sano said, his quirk carrying his voice farther than was polite. 
Miura slapped his arm. "Be quiet. Don't talk about such perverted things."
Ando, always the thinker, announced, "You know what this means?"
"His family will be shamed forever?" Takaki offered.   
"He will always have a memory to keep him warm in his exile?" the Russian added. 
"Ah," Nakashima nodded, his blond hair bouncing. "With him out, there's an opening in the Hero class." 
"Exactly," Ando agreed. 
All eyes turned to Jack.
"What?" he asked, confused. 
"Other than Koguma [Bear Cub] Mikhailovich here, you're the only one in the class that has the sort of quirk that could do well in the Hero course," the blond clown said, pushing on Jack metallic shoulder.
"I told you not to call me that!" Motin complained.  
"Are you going to apply for the opening?" Takaki inquired, her ears twitching.
"I don't even know if there will be an opening," Jack evaded. 
"True," Miura nodded. "They might already have someone in mind to fill the vacancy."
"Maybe the person that scored forty-first on the entrance exam?" Ando suggested.
"That would preclude me. I never took the practical portion," Jack admitted. 
"Or they could look at the highest placed non-Hero student during the Sports Festival, which would make you the only choice." Nakashima countered. 
"The question remains, would you want to join the Hero course?" Takaki pressed.
"Who wouldn't!" Sano boomed. The others all turned to hush him again. 
Jack pondered the possibilities. 
That afternoon Oba cornered him when he got home. She was obviously nervous about something. He watched as she sat, fidgeted for a few seconds, then threw herself to her feet and circled the room, only to fall into the chair again when she reached it. When she heard him, she lurched to her feet again and rushed him, stopping before she touched him. 
"Oba." He offered a slight bow in greeting. "You seem upset. Is there anything I can do?"
"Ah, yes," she said. "Not so much upset as … well, I wanted to talk with you. Please have a seat."
Jack sat in the chair next to hers, angled ninety degrees from the other for ease of interaction. She sat and visibly calmed herself. He smiled reassuringly.
"Have you heard there is an opening in Class 1-A?" she asked.
"Yes. From the expelled boy."
"I would very much like for you to consider applying for the spot. I think you would do well in the Hero program, and it would be good for you in the long-term."
Jack was only surprised she had heard about the vacancy so quickly. She had not been pleased when he had decided not to try for the Hero course before but had respected his decision and not tried to overtly influence him. Now she was asking him directly to change course. He wondered what had altered. "Do you know why I choose the Business track?"
"I do."
"Do you think there's any hope of my plan succeeding?"
"I'm certain you would do well in your classes and would be a successful businessman afterwards, if that were what you wanted. But your real goal? No. I don't think your current course has any chance of success." 
"Are you suggesting my being in the Hero course might change that?" Jack sounded skeptical.
"I'm suggesting that you forget that goal and do what's best for yourself."
"And you think becoming a Pro Hero is what's best for me? I'm not a normal kid. I never dreamed of being All Might or Havoc when I was growing up. I just wanted to be free and to have a real family. How is joining the Hero course going to give me that?"
"Haruto and Yuga are both going to be Pro Heroes. They are family. Someday they may even work together in an agency."
"The Radiant Agency?" Jack asked.
"Maybe. If so, it would be an opportunity for the three of you to work together, protecting each other. And if it were part of Radiant, that would tie you to the rest of our family too." Oba was smiling at her vision.
"But what about …"
"My husband is many things – a brilliant businessman, a bigot, and a doting father – but he is not stupid. He will come to see the advantages this brings to those who are most important to him. He may someday expand his own definition of family. I can't promise that, but it is a possibility." She took his hand. "Is there a reason you don't want try for the place?"
"I'm not sure I can do it. I don't know what it would take to get the position, and there's no guarantee I'd get it if I tried. But other than generic fear of biting off more than I can chew and of being more in the public eye, I don't have any real arguments against it." 
"I'll let you think about it, but the school wants to know by tomorrow."
Needless to say, both Yuga and Hinata were for the idea. Even Haruto gave Jack a call to encourage him. 
Jack hated the idea of disappointing his family. So in the end he made the same decision he might have made without the coercion – to try for the spot. 
 
#                            #                                  #                                  #                                  #
 
Wrenching his mind back to the present, Jack heard the Principal say, "We will run all five tests concurrently to avoid any applicant having an advantage of either planning time or tired opponents. If there are no other questions, we will start in fifteen minutes."
Jack raised his hand.
"Kagayaku-san?" the Principal asked. 
"I just wanted to be sure we can wear our costumes for this exam."
"All gear has been pre-approved," he replied. Agoyamato and Basilisk both nodded. Jack wondered what they were bringing.  
"Thank you, sir," the golden teen replied. Oba had dropped his latest combat suit off the night before. 
"Very well. Fourteen minutes and counting. Meet in front of the main building for your transportation to your test sites." 
The students hurried. 
"Oh, I think I'm going to be sick," Koumori Keiko, the only girl, clutched her throat as we approached the changing room. She went in her room alone while the four of boys entered the boys changing room together. 
Shinso was opening his mouth to say something when Jack cut him off. "Brainwashing competitors during the School Festival may have been within the rules. But any of us using our quirk on the others now would almost certainly count as cheating and would get the offender disqualified, if not expelled." 
"I know," the wild-haired boy said bitterly. "I'm not a villain. I'm a hero. I wouldn't do things like that."
"Except you did," Jack replied. "To me and my brother. I just wanted to be sure we're working from the same rules this time." He waited to lose consciousness after responding to the mind controller. 
"It's not the same thing," Shinso said, then turned his back on the golden teen. The other two boys were watching with interest. 
Jack nodded to them then pulled his combat suit out of his case and walked with it into a shower stall. He closed the frosted door and, after checking for cameras or other watchers, he poured from the mouth and eyes of his social suit. The combat suit looked like a red leotard over orange legs and arms, with red gauntleted boots and gloves and a red hood with a smoked glass full faceplate. Jack poured his energy form into the open faceplate, filling up the suit until he looked like a muscular man. The darkened faceplate precluded anyone seeing into the suit. It was an admittedly intimidating look.
Once Jack was inside, the suit's systems came online, giving him clear vision across much of the EM spectrum, which could be zoomed to offer telescopic and microscopic views, and clear audio input of which he could raise or lower the gain. Once he was ready, Jack stepped out. 
The other boys looked at him curiously. Shinso was wearing a loose black body suit with several pocket and a lower face mask. He was carrying a staff. Agoyamato was also carrying a weapon, a long spear – blunted Jack assumed – along with a tower shield. His outfit looked to be chainmail. He had a medieval European theme. Basilisk was also wearing dark armor, but much more modern in its design, with a utility belt and a pair of black tonfa. His head was covered with a dark grey hood that covered his face as well. His normal visor was changed out with a larger one, made of a matte black metal.
Jack wondered why they all had costumes ready when they were not in the Hero course. Without a word they walked to the building entrance and found five carts waiting for them, each driven by their homeroom teachers. 
"I wish you success Kagayaku-kun," Morita-sensei said as she drove across campus. "We would all miss you if you transfer. But you would take the pride and happy wishes of Class 1-J with you."
"Thank you," Jack said.   
When they arrived, Aizawa-sensei was waiting outside the giant door to Ground Beta. "You have been told by your informant the factory is in the south east corner of the industrial district. They can't tell you which factory it is, just that it's near the edge of town and has been deserted for some time. Take these capture tapes. Wrap the wrist of anyone you take out. Don't hurt anyone too badly. You have one hour to complete the mission – staring now."
Yuga had mentioned how they used a no-countdown start in the practical exam, so Jack was ready and launched himself into the air, kinetic energy pouring out of his boots as he reversed gravity on his suit. It sounded like he wasn't going to be facing robot. Not if the teacher was worried about his hurting someone. 
Jack had been considering his options since Nezu-kocho had explained the scenario. His combat suit was not built for stealth. His mode of propulsion was loud. If he wanted quiet, he had to rely on anti-gravity alone, which he could not push to high speeds.  He could condense the suit to around twenty centimeters in high, but he would still be loud and bright when he flew. He could release himself from the suit and scout in his energy form, but he was not willing to give up that secret for a school function. If they had no one on the roof, he could dig through it to enter from above, but he thought that unlikely. That meant he could either try to snipe individual guards from a distance, if there was an opportunity, or he could just go in blast first and hope the interior guards were not fast enough to do much to the civilian before he got in. 
I wonder if I just blast though the roof or wall without taking the exterior guards out first if they will simply follow into the factory making the odds even worst. Jack considered. Not worth the risk.  
Setting his HUD to display an infrared overlay, Jack found the factory easily enough. There were four guards outside. Jack recognized them as Hero course students in costume. He had researched all the Class 1-A and 1-B students, figuring they were who he would face. Two were placed on opposite corners of the roof with good overview – Jiro and Shoji. They were both sensor quirk holders. Two more were wandering the factory perimeter – Tsui and Kuroiro. Both had good mobility and the shadow kid had enough stealth that Jack's sensors were having trouble keeping track of him. There were three other students are inside the factory guarding the hostage, but he could not get any details.
The full seven! Jack thought.
He knew he had no chance of sneaking in. He decided to take out the mobile threats first. As he did not want to hurt anyone, he decided to use mostly low powered electrical attacks – shock them and stun them, without permanent damage. Light flashes and low power kinetic blasts were also on the menu. As were his matter transformation attacks. They did not work on living things. He would do his best to stay out of close combat.
Tsui was his first target. She was crawling along one of the factory's walls when Jack dived to close the distance and released a kinetic blast from his right hand. She must have heard him, because she dodged easily, leaping free of the wall, and shooting her tongue out at him. He swayed to the side, but he was out of her range.
"… west side." Jack heard a girl's voice over the radio. His suit had picked up their signal. 
So much for surprise, he thought. I guess we're doing this the hard way.
 
A/N: I hate to end at the beginning of the battle. But it would double the chapter length to put it all in and I prefer to keep the chapters relatively short for this fic. I'll try to have the rest out soon(ish).

Whenever anyone asked Jack about his past, or his family, or even his quirk he was forced to say, “It’s complicated.” He expected attending the Business course at UA to be much simpler. But when a seat in Class 1-A opened, and Jack was invited to try for it, more complications occurred. New enemies and old problems were compounding at an alarming rate. And what exactly did the Church of the Singularity want from him? Story follows canon while concentrating on tangential events.

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