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CHAPTER START---
Rushing out the front door, wearing nothing but his bathrobe and underwear, President Skyline pushes past his secret service guards and gets into the back of his armored car.
"Tell me this is a fucking joke!" he demands as he sits back in the luxurious seat.
The car speeds off as the agent beside him turns her laptop to face him. "Unfortunately not, sir."
He grabs it and places it on his lap, blood running cold as the screen shows two views. One being broadcast live from Horizon's visor, clearly without his permission, and another from a drone high above the battle.
Both Horizon and Star and Stripe were clashing with weapons he couldn't understand. Horizon's blade cloaked in energy and her energy spear and armor.
The battlefield was chaotic and each time they changed locations, another part of Tokyo became dust. Buildings were floating above, crashing down and altering shape before getting launched like a child throwing pebbles.And with each clash came massive quakes, shaking apart the landscape and breaking down the mountains outside of Tokyo.
"What the hell is wrong with them? What's going on?"
"We aren't sure of the full details. But we do know Star and Stripe initiated this conflict."
"So the world is going to pin this on us…of course," he pinches the bridge of his nose. "Why?"
"Horizon's parents are Arsenal and The Heart Thief."
The man chokes on his spit.
"Yes, and apparently he knows about what Arsenal did to Star and Stripe's family before they became friends…and got, involved."
"Involved?"
"Her words lead us to believe, sexually."
"God damn it. I expected better of Horizon than thinking with his dick."
"He's only just turned 18, sir."
"Doesn't matter. I'm sure she has a lot more reason than just that, but for now, cut all our support for her. We just got Horizon to agree to come here after he's done in UA, I don't want her fucking that up."
"So what should we tell the UN Secretary General?"
"What?"
"The UN Global Response division is creating a massive task force. We need your confirmation, since one of your Pro Heroes is at the core of this incident."
"Directive?"
"To arrest or contain whoever is left, effectively."
"No," he says. "If we play our card right, we could still be on Horizon's good side. Keep our people out of this. If they want to throw bodies at him, they can do so without us. Besides, we already lost Star and Stripe. No need for any more of our people to die."
"Right, and the minister of finance along with a few others are already heading to the Whitehouse. They'd like you to be there to start the meeting regarding…reparations."
President Skyline closes his eyes and leans back in his seat. "That's the last thing I want to think about right now. What does the fallout look like?"
"Japan is being shaken apart, Southeast Asia is in a similar state, and coastal disasters are happening across the region."
"Right, well, one thing at a time. First, let's get as much information as we can. We'll talk to Horizon when this is all over."
---Elsewhere, Undisclosed Location…
"I always wondered what divinity looked like. I thought I understood. I thought I had the right idea, but this…incredible."
As Dr. Ujiko -the mind behind the Nomu- is staring longingly at the large screen in this secret bunker.
Behind him, President Pantu and Hawks are uncomfortably observing the battle from their seats.
"Horizon is no god," Pantu says. "He only claims to be one."
Hawks shrugs. "Technically, he's never claimed to be one. People just say that part for him."
Dr. Ujiko takes a few notes without looking away from the screen, scared to miss anything. "There is no word better to describe this sight, than 'Divine'. I had no idea they could fight like that, that they had power like this."
"Are you saying your cell can't contain him?" Pantu asks.
"It can, he is still flesh and blood after all. But this level of destruction is…unprecedented."
"London disagrees," Hawks says.
"London didn't cause that," Dr.Ujiko gestures to another screen with a world map.
Most of Japan, along with Korea and some parts of China and nearby countries, were red. The areas where the fallout, namely the shockwaves and quakes from the battle, were reaching.
"Maps will have to be redrawn," Dr. Ujiko says. "As expected, when gods dance, mountains get flattened."
---UA, Control Room…
Hastily moving between a few sets of controls, Principal Nezu chaotically coordinates the evacuation plan while countless earthquakes threaten to shake the school apart.
"No, don't move people into the underground," he says through one line. "Move them into stadiums and sports field. We don't want them in places where they can get trapped or have anything collapse around them."
He hangs up and picks up another call. "No, evacuate away from there immediately. The shockwave from Tokyo will travel down the coast and destroy the cities on that side of Japan. Get into the mountain or toward the other side of Japan if possible."
Another set of quakes rocks the school and he looks up at the main monitor to see Horizon slash Star across the face, scarring her face and barely missing one of her eyes before her energy armor covers it up.
The force knocks her through a building when he collapses into a sphere around her and his with a bolt of green lightning from his sword.
In an instant, he appears beside her and slashes at her, sending her upward through a skyscraper.
As she's in the middle of the building, he appears below her and thrusts upward, launching her through fifty floors and sending her through the roof.
He then appears before her and thrusts his sword downward, piercing her shoulder and pushing her through over 100 floors into the basement of the building.
She screams and tries to punch him, only for him to warp away with his blade and arrive outside the building. And with the simple motion of bring down his hand, the building implodes and all the rubble rushes toward the basement before he raises his sword.
He then brings it down to point at the building, and a massive blue lightning bolt descends from the heavens and obliterates the building, melting almost an entire city block before the stream of lightning stops.
The cacophony of thunder is so loud that even with the video muted, Nezu hears it as if the fight were right outside.
Even while benign, over 500k -310mi- away.
"Principal Nezu," he snaps out of his daze and looks to his right, seeing Phantom Thief step out of a purple warp gate. "I need to get you to safety."
"And where would that be?" Nezu asks while getting back to work.
"The other side of the world. We need to go."
"No, I need to coordinate the evacuation, along with search and rescue in the aftermath. You should go help with that."
"I am. I have Warp Gates open between the cities. But you're a priority asset."
"I'm more useful here. Besides, if I'm not here when he's done, he'll assume I betrayed him too…"
"Too? So Juzo was right about his theory, about Pantu?"
Nezu chuckles. "Of course he'd figure it out."
"So you knew the other nations had a plan to attack Horizon too, huh?"
Nezu turns to Phantom Thief with a confused expression. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, you didn't know? Apparently, they've had plans and preparations made. But, we don't know if this incident was part of it or just a happy coincidence. The UN is asking for all reserve members willing to stand against Star and Stripe of Horizon to check in."
Nezu pauses for a moment, considering the implications of this. "I assume America is refusing, yes?"
"How'd you know?"
"Because they wouldn't have agreed to this plan, so they were left out. It's too far gone to stop it now, so just do what you can, or must. I'm sure Horizon has come to the same realization, or at least he will soon enough."
"Right, and, about the task force."
"My students are off limits," Nezu says, with an air of finality to his decree. "You, Juzo, Shinso, and Sero, Bakugo, and Midoriya joined the UN Response Division, so you can make your own decision. You've officially graduated UA early. But the others are still my responsibility, I won't allow them to be a part of this scheme."
"I see. But I'll have to take Mina. It's for—"
"I know. I kept her on campus to help the people who come here for shelter. She's at the main field camp."
Phantom Thief nods. "I'll leave this here." With a wave of his hand, he creates a purple warp gate beside Nezu. "This building could fall apart at any moment, don't be here if it does."
Nezu looks at his former student and smiles. "You've all become quite exceptional Pro Heroes. While we weren't able to revert Kurogiri back into Shurokumo. I'm sure his spirit, and his friends, are happy knowing the person with a part of him in them has already saved so many lives."
Phantom Thief smiles. "I'm just doing my best to honor his memory," he says before stepping backward into a purple Warp Gate.
---Matani Tower, Manhattan…
"What the fuck?!" Pinky yells as she stumbles onto the cool tile floor. She looks around at the lavish penthouse, then rips off her mask, turning around to glare at Phantom Thief. "Monoma, what the hell is wrong with you? Take me back to UA, people need me!"
"I don't have time for this. Just stay here, where it's safe. I'll come get you when this is over. Don't leave this place, and don't contact anyone."
Without another word, he steps backward into a warp gate and disappears.
Before Mina can process what just happened, she hears footsteps behind her. And turns around to see Ryuko staring at her.
"Uh, do you know where we are? Or what's going on?"
Ryuko gives an apologetic smile. "I'm guess you got kidnapped and locked in this tower too, right?"
"Tower?" Mina looks around, finally noticing the glass wall with Central Park beyond it. "Woowww. So, you don't live here either?"
"Uh, it's a bit complicated…"
---UN Response Divions Command Room…
"Is it done?" Juzo asks, his mask off as he's speaking to Sero, Shinso, and Monoma.
"Yeah, aside from Nezu, all the potential leverage they can have on him is hidden away. Which just leaves the four of us."
"I think we'll manage," Sero says. "Now this just begs the question…do you think they'll stop at Horizon?"
Shinso shrugs. "I don't see why not. Wiping out both Mystery Class Quirks clears the board for business as usual. We're on his side, but if he's gone, there isn't much we can do."
"I said we'd talk to him first, so let's just take things one step at a time for now," Juzo says. "Right now I'm more concerned with how prepared some of these countries were for this."
"Nezu seems to think your idea has merit," Monoma says. "That it was some alliance to take Horizon down, and make the United States foot the bill."
"Then I'm really glad we joined America already," Sero says. "Would really hate to be on the bad side of that…"
He gestures to the screen where Horizon and Star are still fighting.
They were clashing in the middle of Tokyo Bay, colliding above the water over and over until the ocean was pushed away to reveal the mud and dirt beneath.
The nearby landscape was completely washed away before lightning and blast waves danced across the battlefield to dry and crumble it once more.
"Jesus Christ," Shinso mutters.
"Not sure if this is his kind of miracle," Juzo says before turning to his data agents. "Ambient Energy?"
One of the men reports without looking up from his screen. "Horizon is down to 13%, sir."
"If that's half as accurate as we think—"
Shinso cuts off Sero, "He's still Horizon."
"And he still hasn't used that," Sero says.
"That seems like overkill, even for her," Juzo says. Then thinks about it for a moment and turns to his staff. "Raise emergency alerts! Global threat! Expand the range beyond Southeast Asia, now!"
He receives a chorus of 'yes sir' before turning back to his friends.
"Good call."
Juzo rubs the back of his head. "If he uses that, the fallout could have us working overtime for months, depending on what direction he fires it…"
While Horizon's friends were discussing the potential outcome and fallout of this battle, elsewhere in the facility, Dynamight -Bakugo Katsuki-, and Deku were standing in a massive assembly hall with hundreds of other Pro Heroes.
"I recognize a lot of these faces," Deku says, looking out at the visibly anxious crowd. "Do you really think we'll have to fight him?"
"I hope not," Dynamight says. "Even with a legion of top Pro Heroes, this isn't something I want to do."
"You can always drop out. They said this operation was volunteer only, so you'll be fine."
"What, and let you upstage me?" he grumbles. "As if that'll ever happen."
"That's not what I—"
"Just shut up," he crosses his arms over his chest as another Warp Gate opens, and out of it steps another hundred Pro Heroes. "You're vital to Juzo's plan. So who better to watch your back than me? If glass face shows up while you're preparing, I'll blast him away."
Deku smiles. "Maybe they won't even need me. I mean, we already have over a thousand Pro Heroes here, and more are pouring in."
"Tch, when are we ever that lucky?" Bakugo asks. "You should call your girlfriend. Floaty is probably worried sick, and she'll get worse seeing you on the news in this fight."
"Yeah, I should. But if she asks me to stay out of this, I probably would…so I can't hear that right now."
"I think it's ending!" someone yells in the hall, snapping their attention over to the massive screen showing everyone the fight.
On it, they see Star and Stripe clashing with Horizon, but half her face was torn apart and burnt, her energy armor barely hanging on while he warps around her, slashing away as best he can.
But her durability was still absurd, even by his standards, and she could see his power was weakening by the minute.
With a thought, she reaches out as she thrusts his blade forward, allowing it to pierce her hand.
'New Order: The excess energy cloaking my body will converse and collapse into my left hand!'
Her left hand, pierced by his blade, glows brightly before she uses another order to painlessly separate it before launching herself in the air.
Her left hand was now a bleeding stump, but regardless, she leaps into the air.
Horizon glances up, planning to stop her, but as he tries to warp Hand of God stalls.
The order she used to detach her hands keeps it alive with some of her will in it, coded to the energy thanks to her Quirk. And its innate resistance melding with the energy of his sword prevented him from warping in front of her.
'Annoying,' he thinks before the hand explodes. But in that moment, while the explosion harmlessly washes over the energy coating his body.
SHAMBLES!
He warps the entire Star Strike System satellite onto the battlefield. A meter half mile above them and directly in her path.
The weapon system itself was the size of two football stadiums, with the giant energy cannon aiming downward.
And as it was already firing, Star barely had enough time to raise her one good hand and issue another Order.
TAKT!
Horizon crushes and condenses the entire satellite before she can reach it. Causing the binary fusion plasma reactor to implode and instantly explode outward.
Overwhelmed by the energy, Star temporarily removes her order which transforms her body, placing the strength of two Orders into containing and controlling the energy.
And while in this moment, Horizon had a seemingly opportunity moment to kill her.
He was preoccupied by the immense energy beam descending onto him.
NEW ORDER—
T-ROOM—
The entire battlefield is saturated in blinding white light. So overwhelmed with noise and heat that only a high-pitched ringing can be heard as the nearby mountains are incinerated in a flash.
The ocean for miles beyond Tokyo Bay is evaporated in the same instant and the ocean bed below is visible molten red.
And when the dust settles and the very few satellites capable of getting a good view, and Horizon visor show the battlefield.
There is a 40km -25mi- wide hole punched into Tokyo City.
Tokyo Bay is entirely gone and as the ocean rushes in, it can't overcome the walls at the edge of the crater, formed by the blast.
The entire region is decimated, scorched of all life.
For dozens of miles, fish rise to the top of the ocean, and all across Japan and Southeast Asia, quakes of varying magnitudes shake entire nations apart.
And in the exact middle of this seemingly bottomless pit. So deep that even its molten red walls don't provide enough light for anyone to see the bottom.
Is a mile-wide floating island. The extent of what Horizon could protect from such immense energy.
Perfectly preserved and permanently floating above a pit to hell, hosting two combatants on a flattened battlefield.
Horizon, taking deep breaths, preparing for the final clash.
And across from him, Star and Stripe, now cloaked in a thin set of energy armor, not even enough for a spear in her grasp.
"Told you, didn't need to dodge," Horizon says. Confidence in his voice even after most of his Hero Costume was gone, leaving him in his body glove.
That, too, was burnt, battered, and broken in many places. His visor had a few cracks, but she could only see bright blue energy pouring out of it, and easily imagined the cocky smile she so wanted to shatter.
"Just shut up," she mutters, exhaustion in her voice as she charges forward. Her movements were sluggish, still absurdly fast compared to most, even Horizon.
But slower than they were, and as he's gotten used to fighting her at her best, easy to read.
He sees her punch coming and easily slashes diagonally, warping mid-slash to appear beside her and cutting her thigh.
She stumbles slightly, and he uses that chance to thrust forward, warping mid-strike to pierce her back.
His sword tears through her innards and pierces cleanly through her body, coming out of her belly.
She spins to elbow him, only for him to warp away, then back into the same position and slash downward, slicing off her right hand and causing her to stumble back, with her back toward the ocean.
She looks down at both her bloody stumps, and her vision begins to blur. The energy armor around her is all that keeps her conscious, and across from her, what once was her friend.
Placing a T-Room on his blade, causing it to glow, and aiming it at her.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" she asks, coughing up some blood.
"I am my mother's son."
She charges forward, ready to tear his heart out with her teeth if needed, only for him to do something entirely new that she couldn't even react to.
"Puncture Shot," his blade suddenly extends forward.
The T-Room he placed on it while she was dazed allowed him to temporarily manipulate the physical properties of any object he's familiar with.
An ability only his team know about, thus Star and Stripe was completely surprised as it extended to her, pierced her belly and kept going.
Horizon grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes, almost growling from frustration as he kept extending the blade.
Past Star and Stripe, past the edge of the pit, they were fighting above.
As she's being pushed to the edge, she digs her feet into the ground to anchor herself and is almost torn off her feet.
Because of the energy melding with her, making herself permeable won't work, so she was forced to muscle through the pain. Using her third Order to give herself the push she needed to run forward to cover the mile between them.
All the while leaving a streak of blood along the blade, that simply kept extending.
Past the pit, into the ocean, then due to the curvature of the earth, into the ocean floor. Across the Pacific, beneath Hawaii and eventually hitting the North American plate, before pushing through state after state before settling just below the surface.
And by the time it stops expanding, Star and Stripe within a few hundred feet of Horizon, and sees him raise his fist, which confuses her. Even now, his physical strikes are too weak to hurt her.
Then her eyes widen, and a surge of dread awakens a second wind in her. Seeing his target is the flat of the blade. The blade currently piercing her.
"People like you worship All Might, so I know you've heard these words before—"
She reaches within a few dozen feet of him and wildly stretches out both her bloody stumps.
"---Plus Ultra: Shockwave!"
His fist slams into the flat of the blade, causing a resonance to travel along it.
Star feels nothing as the attack begins and ends in an instant.
The dormant kinetic energy of everything touching the blade, be it land, the ocean, or people, is pulled toward it and compressed along the flat of the blade.
And that same energy is converted into active energy, crushing everything and firing it toward the tip of the blade in an instant. Therefore, the longer the blade and the more it pierces, the more obscene the force of this attack.
Star and Stripe instantly disappears and along the blade a perfect 20m -60ft- wide tunnel is punched through the earth. From Japan all the way to the United States.
Erupting in Kansa and causing an earthquake that shatters the ground for a hundred miles. As if a volcano of dirt and rock were hidden under farmland in the middle of America.
And with it, a small celebration of red confetti and mist, that once was Cathleen Bates.
END CHAPTER---