The dusk painted the buildings in grim hues, where even the softest amber lights felt like predatory eyes.
Nagant's voice sliced through the quiet as we paused at the Hosu train station. "If this Nine... whoever he is," she began, her tone level but probing. "actually has he USB, why hasn't he placed it in it's place holder yet? What kind of person... waits in the middle of a hell like this."
I looked at her thinking back on the many types of people I have come across while being here in this game. There are many that would choose to carry on killing in this game until they were the last ones left. "It's the question isn't it?" I said, I didn't know how disregarding I sounded until I spoke.
"Maybe he's scared, maybe waiting for the right moment." I added, glancing past the station and to the train stationery behind it. "Or... maybe he enjoys holding things by the throat."
Nagan't eyes were sharp as they pinned on me. "Then he probably wouldn't hand it over?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "But judging off the rules he has added, I doubt that he is the type to make things easy for us." I let the silence settle for a beat before adding. "Then again, maybe he's under a bad situation."
"We're all in a bad situation." we were.
The amount of people that have died is an insane amount. Probably more so in this short few weeks compared to the six month statistics that some blogs post to try and show hero work being more of a net positive compared to standard policing.
Even though the civilians were not a part of the games, and didn't have to participate, they were still a free point for any small time villain who is struggling. And since they are so weak, for some it is probably just a fun little thrill to torment them. That is just how people with power are.
Could this Nine person be like that? That was another thing that rubbed me the wrong way. He was only given the name Nine, a pseudonym, most of, if not everyone else got their real names posted. In the beginning I believed it to be because the registry may not have information on who some of these people are and cannot link a quirk to a face.
But then I remembered that Daigo Kiyoshi put tags on all of us participating members of his game, tags which he says collects data, so wouldn't that mean he would know of everyone's name and quirk anyway.
So that led me to another conclusion. It told me that there is a chance that he already knows Daigo Kiyoshi personally and got him to keep his name a secret. It still made me a bit wary about things. What is the limit to the data he collects?
"Why have you led us here by the way?" Lady Nagant asked me.
"Didn't the people lead us here?" I asked absentmindedly.
"There were only two people, and it was in the same instance. They didn't lead us anywhere near here. So why here?"
Ah, I made a little mistake. Well that was fine. But I couldn't answer her. There wasn't a plan, it wasn't something I could map out step-by-step. It was like trying to follow a melody in the middle of an orchestra, isolating notes that don't belong.
My foot got caught in dirt tracks and my head quickly fell to look at them.
"Look at the dirt right here," I said. The pavement was cracked and littered with debris, but among the chaos were faint smudges of ash-gray powder. "Doesn't belong."
"And...?" her tone was skeptical, but she crouched and examined the dirt anyway.
"It's residue from concrete reinforcement." I crouched beside her, brushing my fingers against it. "Like some kind of high-end facilities or... specialized labs. You don't find this on regular streets. Someone carried it here. Maybe on their boots."
She stood and dusted off her hands, her frown deepening. "That's a long shot." She didn't press any further, though her gaze did linger on me. She was doubting me, not in my competence, it was something else, I think it was how I spotted that out.
... I can hear something.
I put my hands to my ears and point over to the motionless train ahead of us. "You hear that?" I tilted my head to hear the sound of a light hum, it was faint but distinct and rhythmic, almost like... breathing.
sounds bouncing between the long cart of the train, "Someone's in there."
She studied me again, this time longer. "You're certain?" She asked.
"Yes."
We moved carefully, our steps were silent, no echo was left. The trains interior was a graveyard of forgotten bags, overturned seats, and a strange odor clinging to the air. We went through one car, and then another. And then the distinct breathing was finally heard.
And then a ruffling and the pops and cracks of someone just relieving their joints.
Then we saw him.
He stood at the far end of the train car, silhouetted by the dying light filtering through the fractured glass. The world seemed to hold it's breath as our eyes fell on him. Tall and broad-shouldered, his stance exuded a quiet, unshakable confidence. His dark coat hung heavy around him, the edges frayed, and a scarf coiled loosely around his neck.
His silver hair gleamed faintly, like the edge of a blade catching light, framing his face that was both striking and inscrutable. Eyes like smoldering coals burned with a feral intensity that seemed to pierce through steel itself, they locked on to us.
He stood like a wolf atop of a hill, watching it's prey below.
I felt a sharp tug in my stomach, it didn't hurt or anything. It was as if I was being alerted to something.
"I'm guessing," I started keeping Nagant's figure in my periphery. "that's Nine."
Nine tilted his head, his expression was impassive but unnervingly aware.
"That damn rule." he started. "It just brought me unwanted attention." He was most likely speaking of the rule that we added to help us find who held the artifacts.
"Do you mind handing it over," I said, "After that, we'll be out of your hair and giving you none of our attention."
He chuckles dryly. "No, I like this game. It provides opportunities for those strong enough to seize them. Why should I waste my time delivering artifacts when I can use this arena to grow stronger?"
I stepped forward slightly. "And what do you plan to do in this little sandbox, play king fish?"
Nine's gaze shifted to me, sharp and probing. "Not king... just a survivor. Survival of the fittest, it's the only truth that matters. That's why I was given so much power."
"Given?" Nagant asked suspiciously.
"Yeah." I flinched at the tone he was using, it felt slimy. "I met a cool doctor and his friend, they gave me power, enough to continue living to meet my goal of seeing a society where the strong stay on top, and get rid of the notion of heroes and villains."
Getting rid of heroes and villains, what would society look like then?
"I used to hunt a man who believes that strength alone is the only thing that can reshape the world." Nagant started, her rifle was poised and pointed at Nine's head. "His name was All For One."
I never heard the name before. But Nine looked a little surprised at her mentioning him.
She carried on. "He was a man who could steal quirks."
Stealing quirks? That was something new. Something that could change the way people see quirks. But someone like that, there hasn't been any news about someone like that.
"Was?" Nine asked in a taunting tone. "He still is, don't go thinking him dead for some untold reason."
"Right, I misspoke. The time I was sent after him, he vanished, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake."
"Yep, but even though he's not dead, he's a relic of the past. Time to start looking forward." he took a step closer, his boots scraping faintly on the train's metal floor. "You're quirks are intriguing. But yours..." His gaze lingered on me. "your's will be incredibly useful from what I've seen."
???
Has he been watching me?
Every instinct in me screamed to prepare. "Sorry, I'm not in the business of donations."
Nine's tone elevated. "I wasn't asking."
The air shifted. A low rumble echoed outside, the trains windows rattling as dark clouds swirled into being. Lightning flashed, illuminating his face in a sudden burst of pale light.
"Stay sharp." Nagant hissed, "This isn't going to be easy."
The storm roared to life, wind whipping through the shattered windows as Nine raised a hand, the air around him crackling with raw energy.
And then he struck.
The storm was alive, bending to Nine's will as bolts of lightning tore through the train, searing metal and shattering debris.
I dove to the side, rolling under a collapsing seat as a bolt struck where I'd been standing. The air was thick with ozone, sharp and electric.
Nagant fired, her rifle a symphony of precision. Her bullets curved mid-flight, weaving through the chaos toward Nine. He raised a shimmering barrier of air, her shots ricocheting harmlessly off it's surface.
"Is that all?" Nine's voice cut through the storm. He raised his arm and wind surged in response. Shards of metal, shattered glass, and loose debris became missiles that hurled toward us with a deadly speed.
I flicked my wrist, the paper in my hand unraveling into a long a ribbon that coiled around the incoming shrapnel. With a sharp tug, I redirected the pieces, sending them spiraling toward Nine like a swarm of jagged wasps. They clattered against his barrier, rippling it's surface but failing to penetrate.
Nine extended another hand summoning a vortex of wind that spiraled outward. The sheer force of it knocked over seats, tore apart the remaining windows, and sent me skidding across the train's floor.
Nagant fired again, the crack of her rifle echoing through the wreckage. Her bullet struck the vortex, the force dissipating just enough for her to dart to higher ground. She perched on a half collapsed luggage rack, steadying her rifle with practised ease.
"Keep him busy!" she called out to me.
Busy? No problem, I thought bitterly. I pushed myself to my feet, ignoring the pain that lanced through my ribs. My fingers moved quickly, folding a sheet of paper into a razor edged fan. With a flick of my wrist, I sent it slicing through the air toward Nine.
The storm around him shifted, the winds bending unnaturally to shield him. The fan veered off course, embedding itself harmlessly into a wall. Nine's dreary tone grated against my nerves.
"This is your resistance?" he sneered, raising both hands. The storm surged in response, a massive lightning bolt arcing towards me.
I dropped low, slamming my palms to the floor. A barrier of paper erupted around me, thick layers folding over each other in rapid succession. The lightning struck with a deafening crack, the force sending shockwaves through my shield. The paper held, but barely; wisps of smoke curled from it's edges as I collapsed it back into sheets, scattering them around me like fallen leaves.
Nagant took advantage of the distraction, her next shot aimed at Nine's exposed side. He turned just in time, his barrier shimmering to deflect the projectile. The bullet ricocheted, this time embedding itself to the ceiling with a dull thud.
"You can't outlast me." Nine growled, his voice losing some of it's earlier composure. The storm intensified, wind howling again, through the train car like a wounded beast. "I am evolution. You are nothing but relics clinging to outdated ideals."
So many people have their own idea of what the future should look like, and as soon as it pops into their heads, they immediately rush to it. It's so fucking stupid.
"You look just like another wannabe dictator with a flashy quirk." I shot back.
He thrust his hand forward, and a concentrated blast of wind shot toward me like a cannon. I leaped to the side, twisting mid-air as I flung a volley of sharpened paper shards. They struck his barrier again, the impact leaving ripples that spread across it's surface. Nagant's shots followed, each one timed perfectly to exploit the disruption.
One bullet found it's mark, grazing Nine's shoulder. He staggered slightly, his coat tearing as blood seeped through the fabric. His eyes burned with rage.
"You'll regret that." he snarled. He raised both his hands, and the storm converged around him, forming a massive vortex that stretched from floor to ceiling. Lightning crackled within it, arcs of raw energy dancing along it's edges.
"Stay sharp!" Nagant yelled, repositioning herself for a better angle.
The vortex surged toward me, a wall of destructive force. I planted my feet, focusing on the sheets of paper I left scattered around me. They lifted into the air, forming a massive, rotating shield that met that vortex head-on. The impact sent vibrations up my arms, the sheer power of his attack threatening to overwhelm me.
"Persistence will not save you." Nine growled.
"It'll at least make accomplishing your goal a lot harder for you." I retorted, tightening my grip on the swirling mass of paper.
Nagant fired again, her bullet piercing the center of the vortex. The storm wavered, it's intensity faltering as Nine struggled to maintain control. I seized the opportunity, releasing the paper shield and sending the individual sheets flying towards him. they wrapped around his limbs, binding him in place for a crucial moment.
"Now!" I shouted.
Nagant didn't hesitate. Her rifle cracked, the bullet slicing through the air and striking Nine square in the chest. His barrier collapsed with a shattering sound before becoming seamless and merging with the air.
He staggered, blood dripping from the wound as he glared at us with wild eyes. I moved in, the paper around me coiling into a whip that lashed out, binding his arms and forcing him to the ground. He thrashed against the restraints, his fury palpable.
"You think this will end here?" he hissed, his voice was venomous.
"No," I replied, tone cold. "but it ends for you."
Nagant's rifle clicked, the barrel trained on his head. She hesitated for a heartbeat, then pulled the trigger. The shot rang out, final and unyielding.
And with that, the storm fell.
"Check his pockets for the USB."
I crouched down, ignoring the blood forming as well as the distant sound of her Bug announcing her points.
I dug around in his pockets, which were very deep might I add. And eventually I grabbed hold of it. Pulling it out, the first thing I noticed was the leaf design outlined on the small black device.
"Got it..." I said, finally feeling myself calm down.
Nine was saying some interesting stuff, and I wanted to learn more about this quirk transferring he was talking about, I learned of something similar within the Eden Project.
"Great. now lets get it to-" Nagant's voice was cut by the Bug, but instead of the usual monotony that came out, it was the playful and exhilarated Daigo Kiyoshi.
"{New Objective. I have dropped a replica of All Might in the games. You don't even need to place the artifacts in their placeholders anymore, all you need to do is Survive All Might!}"