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CHAPTER START---
"No, she wouldn't…" Horizon mutters while staring up at the massive screen as the reporter continues.
"Documents released minutes ago from an unknown source detailed the specifics of Horizon's shocking past. His parents were none other than Arsenal and The Heart Thief. While their faces are still unknown, we have confirmation that they were both executed despite their son already being pre-enrolled into UA.
This only goes to show that Horizon truly does care about justice and peace above all else. The fact that with his near-divine power and influence, he did not save them, due to their horrific crimes, only solidifies his position as the greatest hero in history.
It truly is heartwarming to know that he managed to overcome such horrible circumstances, and rise above to be the dependable man we all know and love. All in spite of who his parents are.
It should also be mentioned that Horizon did have love for his parents, but when international pressure was placed on Japan to execute them. He chose service to his nation above his love for his family.
A sacrifice that only a true hero can make. The documents can be found on our website, and I encourage everyone to read them. To better understand that Horizon is not only willing to give his life for us, but also the only things he holds dear to his heart…""No, this…this isn't happening." Horizon stumbles back, tripping over Nine's corpse as his Room closes.
He falls back and barely catches himself before his legs give out and he accepts his seat on the rooftop.
Within his visor he sees an incoming call from Nezu, along with another, from Mudman.
But instead, he hastily, sloppily, taps the back of his visor, commanding it to retract and let him breathe.
And even breathing seemed difficult, as if his lungs couldn't catch air. Breaths shallow and ragged as his mind tries and fails to process everything.
Everything he did, the sacrifices he made, and the things he should have noticed.
The moments, the tasks. The people he had too much faith in.
Faith, because he wanted to believe they were alive, that it wouldn't end like this, but he knew better.
Because after playing pretend for long enough, he is Horizon, and he always knows better.
His breathing becomes still, calm. Emotions cast aside, as she trained him to do. Focusing only on the facts, the patient, the operation, the cancer that needs to be cut out, as his father trained him to do.
And with one soothing breath, he closes his eyes and accepts that he did everything right.
'I fought the villains. I gave them peace. I sacrificed my life for them, for her, for this world. I ever bottled miracles for them. And yet…she broke the contract.'
His eyes open, glowing blue as a Room expands across all of Las Vegas, and he can already sense Star and Stripe at the edge of it, rocketing toward him.
"About time Pantu met Arsenal's son." He puts on his visor, and a new Horizon rises to his feet.
"Mudman," he commands, and the call instantly connects.
"Thank god! What the hell is going on?"
"I'm trying to figure that out. Any updates that aren't about my personal life?"
"The operation is over. Star said she was heading your way to talk about something, probably this big news story."
"Whatever, just tell Phantom Thief I need a Warp Gate back to Horizon Tower, Tokyo. I'm going to sort this out directly."
"Alright, he's almost done in Otheon, less than a minute."
"Good, I'm at the location with Nine."
"Copy, but, one thing."
"It's true. It's all true."
"Heh, guess there is a big leak to stop."
"Yeah. But about the news, does it matter?"
"Nah, you're still Horizon. That's always been enough…" Mudman ends the call and Horizon can't help but smile.
But only for a moment before Star and Stripe descends to the rooftop, cracking the concrete as she lands.
He turns to face her and shakes his head. "I don't have time for you right now. We'll deal with this later."
"Later?!" she stomps over to him and tries to grab him by the arm, only for him to Warp a few steps back. "You piece of shit! I trusted you! And you don't even have the decency to apologise!"
"I have more important things to deal with right now." Horizon turns away from her and taps the side of his visor, receiving a message from Phantom Thief.
"More important?!" Star's rage falters as hurt and confusion overwhelm her. And at that moment, a purple Warp Gate appears beyond Horizon. "Wait! I'm not do—"
Horizon ignores her, stepping through the Warp Gate. And before she can rush through it, the purple fog disappears.
Star's rage returns tenfold before she launches herself into the sky. Shattering the entire building they were standing on and rocketing toward Japan at absurd speeds.
"Annoying woman," Horizon mutters while sheathing Sunder. He used it the instant he was in Tokyo to collapse the Warp Gate, not in the mood for Star and Stripe.
ROOM!
He expands his senses across all of Tokyo City, for a 50km -30 mi- radius, and senses no one.
'What the hell?'
He expands his senses farther, still not sensing anyone in the entire Tokyo prefecture or city.
SHAMBLES!
He appears in front of the Hero Public Safety Commission headquarters at the edge of the city, finding it abandoned.
Warping inside, he sees that every computer was removed. Only desks and chairs remained. Even the smallest scrap of paper was gone.
'They knew I was coming,' he realizes and calls Phantom Thief again.
"Need to go somewhere else?"
"Where the hell is Pantu?" Horizon all but growls out. "They must have used you to evacuate Tokyo. Where did you send her?"
"She wasn't there, and neither were any of her people. Why?"
Horizon pauses, not sure what was going on. Then remembers his threat, to rip Tokyo out of the ground and slam it back into Japan.
He turns and looks out at the city, and strangely, feels no desire to do such a thing. Noting he would not have had any hesitation about such a thing a mere two years ago.
No, now his burning desire for blood and pain was solely focused on Pantu.
"Find her for me." Horizon ends the call and warps away to Horizon Tower.
'She won't be anywhere in Japan, but…' he expands his Room to its limit.
A 800km -500mi- radius encompassing most of Japan and some of the nearby nations.
SCAN!
He feels a small pain in his head for just a moment, but doesn't find Pantu or any of her people.
Seconds later he receives another call from Nezu.
And once again, he cancels it, not wanting to hear anything from him right now.
"Not in the mood for a 'revenge is wrong' lecture. He can talk to me when I'm done with her," Horizon mutters before he feels a familiar presence at the edge of his Room, quickly approaching him.
Moments later, he doesn't react when she slams through the roof and lands in the middle of his massive lounge area.
"I told you, not now," he dismisses her. Not even bothering to turn around and look at the woman.
"We're talking about this. Now!"
She marches over to him and grabs his shoulder, forcing him to turn and face her.
Glaring at his visor, she's more furious than ever that she can't see his face.
Can't tell if he's hurt, smiling, or laughing at her under that damned blank mask.
"Do you even care?" she asks.
He Warps out of her tightening grapes before she crushes his shoulder, standing behind her again before she turns around.
"About what?"
"About me, you asshole!" She clenches her fists, and it takes all her willpower not to grab him again. "About anything that happened? About what she did to people? About what she did to my entire damn family? Anything?"
"It's the job. You were just the work."
That damn near knocks the wind out of her, causing her to stumble back. "Did you know? This entire time, before we even met, did you know?"
"My family holds no secrets from each other. Especially about things that don't matter."
"Don't matter? Are you saying I don't matter?"
"I'm saying the past doesn't matter. Get over it, and leave me to deal with my own problems."
"So you aren't even bothering to deny any of it, that those monsters raised you?"
She sees his shoulders tense at that. "They're my parents. They loved me, and I loved them. Everything else was just business."
"I—" she chokes on her words, tears forming before she wipes them away. Not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry again. "I thought we were friends, more than friends. I trusted you, only you. I loved you, and now I don't even know who you are."
"You know exactly who I am. I am Horizon," he says. "And everyone loves me, not just you. Now go away so I can take care of this problem. This has nothing to do with you. This is about me, Pantu, and a broken contract she'll repay in blood."
Horizon turns and begins walking away, leaving the woman to her suffering.
And seeing him cast her aside, acting exactly as Arsenal did to her sister. It ignited a rage she didn't know she was capable of wielding.
"No, this has everything to do with me," she says as he walks away. "I killed them."
He stops walking and glances back at her.
"I could never sleep at night knowing that animal was alive. So I told her, I told your nation. Either they put her down and give me proof, or I come to Japan and handle it myself."
Horizon turns to look at her, carefully studying her face. The conviction in her eyes, the love that was there now buried deep under hate and grief for what once was.
"The international pressure," he mutters. "Yeah, I already assumed it was you. Even before we met."
Her eyes widen. "And yet, you still… we still…how could you?"
Horizon shrugs. "Live by the sword, die by the sword. It's just the job. And unlike you, I don't let useless things like that haunt me. Now go back to America. I have a contract-breaker to find."
Horizon turns to walk away, leaving her stunned, violated. She felt like worms and bugs were crawling all over her body, like at any moment she could vomit up her lunch.
All at the very thought, no, the memories she shared with Horizon, the memories she made with him not hours ago.
And now she realizes how blind she was. It was in front of her the entire time.
"You're just like her," Star mutters, tears freely falling to the floor. "No, you're worse than her."
Beneath his visor Law rolls his eyes, truly done with this distraction.
Until he feels her moving at immense speed behind him.
SHAMBLES!
He warps to her previous location as she arrives where he was walking into the hallway.
Her punch sends a shockwave that obliterates half of his penthouse, exposing them to the afternoon sun and heat.
Star turns around to see him already holding Sunder, blade drawn, in a casual stance across the destroyed lounge area.
"I'm not weak anymore," she says, mostly to herself. "I won't let any monsters like her walk around. Never again!"
Horizon sighs. "You may not know me, but I know exactly who you are. What you are, so after the truth, this was inevitable. But for the record, I'm not like my mother."
She narrows her eyes at him, ready to pounce.
"I can be so much worse…"
She launches herself at him, activating her Quirk as he raises his sword. And the two most powerful beings begin a clash that would shape the future of this world…
END CHAPTER---