[Vicinity of Jaku General Hospital, Hero Assembly Point]

  The eve of the operation. A full moon rose in the cloudless, clear night sky, illuminating the silent darkness with a pale white glow. Like the ocean right before a violent storm, the temporary assembly point was eerily, breathlessly quiet.

  Sitting on a cold rock, one hero—X-Less—kept his head bowed, endlessly fiddling with his gear. His shallow, ragged breaths hitched over his two-tone blue bodysuit—light blue on top, dark navy below. He repeatedly clenched and unclenched the edge of the red cape draped over his shoulder, then ran a nervous finger over the vivid yellow stripes padded onto his arms.

  As the white light of the full moon fell upon his face, a deep scar stretching from his left eyebrow down to the middle of his cheek was sharply revealed. It was a badge of honor earned from surviving countless battlefields, but right now, that scar trembled faintly along his anxiously contorted muscles. Above all, his hand most frequently went to the thick, dark blue band wrapped around his head, crossing over his right eye. He had checked the knot and position of the band dozens of times already, but his fingers, brushing around his right eye where his laser Quirk emitted, couldn't seem to stop, as if trying to shake off an extreme, crushing pressure.

  Rustle. A long silhouette, with its back to the moonlight, suddenly cast a shadow over his back.

  "Hey."

  At the casually thrown voice, X-Less flinched and looked up. Her perked-up white rabbit ears twitched sensitively in the night air, glowing faintly under the full moon. Beneath them, her blazing red eyes flashed vividly in the darkness. Mirko smirked, curling one corner of her mouth.

  "Everyone's busy saving their strength for tomorrow. Why are you awake, moping around?"

  X-Less scratched the scar on his cheek and gave an awkward smile. "…I could say the same for you."

  Mirko snorted and shrugged. "I'm a moon rabbit. If I want to perform at my best tomorrow, I need to bathe in this moonlight and warm up a bit."

  She lightly bounced on her toes, checking her spring. Her silver hair fluttered in the night breeze. Looking slightly more at ease, X-Less spoke up.

  "Honestly... I haven't been in operations of this scale very often. All the top-tier heroes are gathered here... If I become the weak link—"

  Mirko twitched one eyebrow. "You were part of the Kamino Ward hideout raid team, weren't you?"

  X-Less awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Well, for that... I just got carried by the big shots."

  Mirko shot back without a moment's hesitation. "Then get carried again this time. Endeavor, Aizawa, Ryukyu... the biggest names in this country are all gathered here."

  She thumped her own chest with her thumb and added, "Most importantly, you've got me leading the charge."

  She closed the distance in two strides, completely erasing any room for him to hide behind excuses.

  "If you didn't have the skills, you wouldn't have been called for such a massive operation in the first place. And that laser Quirk shooting from your eye? It looked pretty damn impressive and fiery to me. I'll be running point tomorrow, so just make sure you aim well enough not to burn a hole in the back of my head."

  Mirko shrugged and continued. "So drop the useless worrying. Use the time you're spending fiddling with that gear to get some sleep."

  Strangely, those words lifted some of the tension off X-Less's shoulders. Just then, a voice that clearly didn't know the meaning of the word 'quiet' rang out from the edge of the training grounds.

  "Haha! Excellent! Absolutely excellent!"

  Crust leaped into the moonlight with a radiant expression. His gaze was firmly fixed behind the heavy silver ornament covering his forehead and his black eye mask. A green hooded cape fluttered around his shoulders, draped over a black suit embroidered with red lines.

  What stood out the most were his arms. Beneath his thick, muscular bare arms—strikingly bare, unburdened by heavy armor—clusters of gray, rock-like crusts bulged up over his clenched fists. It was a trace of his reliable Quirk, capable of creating an impenetrable shield at any moment, permanently engraved onto his flesh.

  Mirko deadpanned, looking dumbfounded. "Why are you still awake too?"

  Crust strode over and grabbed X-Less's shoulder with his rock-covered hand. "I was easing the tension of our sleepless comrades! Just as you were doing!"

  He dramatically raised his other hand like an actor on a stage and declared. "Worry not, my comrade! I shall be your shield!"

  Mirko snorted. "Sounds like you're proposing." Crust beamed even brighter, entirely unashamed. "A shield is an oath and a promise! Whatever flies our way—I will take the hit first!"

  He patted X-Less on the shoulder and added with unwavering certainty in his signature hearty voice. "When tomorrow's operation is over... this long, long war will finally end, and peace will come to the world! And you will return as a hero who saved it!"

  This time, X-Less let out a genuine laugh. Along with that short but sincere laughter, the shadow of tension had completely cleared from his face. With his spirits lifted, he replied. "Then I'll buy the celebratory drinks when we get back!"

  "Good." Mirko smirked, getting back into her stance. "Warm-up's over. Tomorrow is the real deal."

  Crust raised his fist high. "For our comrades!" X-Less nodded. "For everyone." Mirko's smile flashed sharply. "Yeah. For the world."

  Under the moonlight, the three shared a laugh for a moment—as if absolutely nothing could ever break them.

  [Present — Ruins of Jaku General Hospital]

  The wind howled eerily through the cracks of the shattered concrete. At the edge of the broken underground stairs, Mirko's feet came to a precarious halt. Her red eyes were completely unfocused. Even her two ears, usually standing perfectly erect, drooped lifelessly, casting a shadow over her face.

  Her mind was blurred, as if clouded by a thick fog. But even in that murky consciousness, one single thought completely seized her entire brain and nervous system.

  ‘I have to go. There is something I must do.’

  She couldn't even distinguish if it was truly her own will, or a horrific command overwritten by the cursed cells deeply rooted in her neural network. Her body remembered the way. It knew the exact, direct path through the collapsed debris into the underground darkness.

  Step.

  Her dust-covered combat boot took its first step into the darkness. She moved like a marionette hanging by the strings of trauma. One step, and then another. Guided by the rabbit's instinct sensing a predator's den, she moved forward as if dragged by a cursed gravity. She didn't stumble, nor did she hesitate.

  As her consciousness faded like smoke behind her moving flesh, she simply walked into the maw of hell.

  [Small Cafe, 2nd Floor Private Room]

  Nejire took a long, even breath. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly, and soon a quiet sigh escaped her. When she opened her mouth again, her voice was low and soft, but carried a heavy weight.

  This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

  "Mirko's body... it was probably rewound to the point right before the Paranormal Liberation War started. Her memories, her mind, and even her heart might have reverted to that very moment."

  For a while, no one could answer.

  "...So many heroes died back then," Pony muttered softly. Her usual bright demeanor was nowhere to be found. As if trying to gather her thoughts, she stared blankly at the ice cubes floating in her cup with her Prussian blue eyes.

  Komori clasped her hands tightly together. "At the Gunga Mountain Villa... and Jaku Hospital... shroom."

  The tips of her fingers trembled faintly. The ashen fog and the piercing sounds of distress signals from that day still seemed to ring in her ears.

  Kendo closed her eyes and slowly opened them. "The hero who supervised my internship... was also killed by Gigantomachia."

  Her tone was calm, but the veins on the back of her hands stood out sharply. A short sigh escaped her lips.

  Nejire remained silent for a long time. Her large Royal blue eyes, which usually sparkled with curiosity, were now heavy with sorrow over her clear teacup. As she watched the window's sunlight pouring over her waist-length Periwinkle blue hair, she finally spoke again. It felt like dragging a memory up from deep underwater.

  "I was in the rear evacuation team led by Burnin that day. We were escorting the civilians when Shigaraki's Decay swept into the city."

  Her eyes narrowed, trembling slightly. "That scene is still so vivid to me. Buildings crumbling... people's screams mixing together—it was as if the air itself was shattering."

  Nejire lowered her head and quietly continued. "I saw Mirko at the hospital. Even as she was strapping on her prosthetic arm, she kept repeating, 'I should have smashed that capsule properly...' over and over."

  Kendo and Komori simultaneously lowered their gazes. Pony absentmindedly stirred her straw.

  "It was a few days after the battle ended," Nejire's voice sank. "She was already doing laps around the training grounds wearing her prosthetics. I could feel it... It wasn't just her body that was broken. Her mind seemed shattered too."

  No one answered. As the cafe's lights dimmed, their shadows stretched long across the floor.

  [At the same time — Jaku Hospital Underground Ruins]

  Meanwhile, Mirko was staggering down the collapsed stairs of Jaku Hospital. The old steps creaked beneath her feet.

  The air was heavy with damp dust and a pungent stench of decay. Her breathing was rough and shallow, and in the dark, her red eyes emitted a dangerous, feverish glow.

  One step. And another—

  The further she descended, the more twisted the world became. It felt like falling into the past, and the color of time grew darker and heavier. Then—something entered her field of vision.

  A massive glass capsule glowing with a purple light waited at the end of the stairs. Silent, motionless, trapped in time. Inside it lay Tomura Shigaraki. His white hair drifted as if in slow motion, and beneath his closed eyelids, a faint breath trembled.

  A breath heavy with the scent of blood slipped past Mirko's lips. "My rabbit instincts are screaming." "You must absolutely never—no matter what—come out into this world." Her trembling voice echoed through the ruins.

  "I'll crush you." She gritted her teeth. "Even if my whole body gets torn to shreds."

  She lowered her stance, kicked off the broken ground on all fours, and sprinted with everything she had over the debris. But—a twisted howl tore through the darkness. The shadows surged from all sides, pouring outward.

  "Grrrrrr—!!"

  Dust and the stench of blood mixed within that cry. Metal and flesh tangled together to create a grotesque, creaking dissonance. From the swirling chaos, five figures stepped out.

  Robot. Woman. Eleph. Ribby. Chubs. The nightmares from 8 years ago—appeared in their exact, unchanging forms.

  Mirko's red eyes flashed like lightning. "Haaaaaaa!!"

  Her legs kicked off the shattered floor, launching her into the air. The air in the ruins split sharply, and debris swirled like a storm.

  "Unlike her left arm, which was twisted beyond saving after the Jaku tragedy... Mirko's right leg could have been saved with rehabilitation."

  Nejire paused for a moment. Sorrow flickered in her Royal blue eyes.

  "But..." She let out a short breath and dropped her gaze. "...She chose amputation and a prosthetic. All to throw herself into the final battle against All For One."

  Komori's small body trembled violently. "B-But... how could she... her own leg..." The words died in her throat.

  Kendo looked down. "Maybe she believed... that it was her fault Shigaraki's Decay killed so many heroes..."

  Pony wrapped both hands around her mug. Her fingertips shook. "Mirko... did everything she possibly could..." Her words sank like a sigh.

  The air was suffocatingly heavy with rot and dust. Through the stench of blood and machine oil, Mirko's roar erupted.

  "Aaaaaaaarrrrgh!!"

  She tore through the ranks of the High-End Nomus. Limbs were ripped apart, blood and flesh splattered. Yet, she didn't stop. Monsters' roars echoed from every direction, but her gaze was fixed on only one place.

  The massive glass capsule. Inside it, Shigaraki was still sleeping. His white hair floated in the stagnant air, and a faint breath rippled beneath his closed eyelids.

  "I'll end it..." Piercing through the blood and dust, her voice rang out. "I... will end you!"

  Mirko's leg slammed into the ground. The ruins trembled, and the underground chamber shook. "Move—!!"

  Her kick shattered a Nomu's skull, and dark red liquid splattered up the wall. The High-Ends swarmed in relentlessly. She was hit, thrown down, bitten, and scratched—over and over, mercilessly. One Nomu grabbed her hair and dragged her into the blood and dust.

  "Ghk—!!" She gritted her teeth and ripped off the hand gripping her head. Clumps of her hair were torn out and scattered in the air.

  "I said move—!!"

  The muscles in her limbs stretched taut, ready to burst. Monstrous jaws lunged at her, fangs slicing through the air, and her blood sprayed in thin arcs. Still, Mirko didn't stop. With her blood-soaked body, she broke through the debris and flames. She charged straight for the glass capsule.

  "I have to destroy it!!!"

  Her scream wasn't of pain—it was of sheer conviction. In her vision, Shigaraki inside the capsule seemed to ripple, as if slowly waking up. The blood in her veins boiled, and every sense converged onto a single point.

  One last step. She gathered every remaining fragment of strength in her body, every last drop of her life force.

  "—Luna Arc!!!"

  Her body spun in mid-air, a white afterimage drawing a perfect circle. In a split second—the air ruptured with a thunderous boom that shook the underground chamber.

  KABOOOOM—!!

  Her heel struck the capsule directly, sending a shockwave spiraling through the entire facility. Debris and dust raged like a storm, and the underground chamber twisted from the impact. Amidst the chaos, dozens of cracks spread like spiderwebs across the capsule's glass surface. Mirko's eyes went wide.

  "I hit... it...!"

  For a brief moment, hope dawned in her eyes. This time—she truly believed she could break it.

  But that belief crumbled in an instant.

  The cracking sound stopped. The fissures slowly vanished, as if nothing had happened. The capsule glowed in the silence, as if mocking her.

  "...How... why...!"

  Her breathing turned sharp. The darkness twisted—and then tore violently open. From the depths of the underground, black tendrils shot up like lightning.

  "?!—"

  Blood sprayed like a fountain. The tendrils pierced through her leg, her side, her arm—and hoisted her into the air.

  "Gaaaaaaaah!!!"

  Flesh tore, and metal twisted. A scream ripped through the underground chamber. Mirko's body flailed in the empty air. Her red eyes flashed with despair and absolute rage. Her wailing shook the ruins—but even that sorrow was swallowed by the cold stone walls, leaving nothing behind.

  "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!!!"

  The blood-soaked tendrils constricted around her body. Every agony she had lost roared back to life. The memory of her severed leg. The memory of her shattered arm. Every single nerve ignited in flames.

  "Let... go...! I said let me go!!"

  The entities in the dark pulled her backward, mocking her struggles. The bloodied rabbit dangled in mid-air, dragged across the ruins like a broken prey. Mirko struggled desperately. Her muscles pulled taut as if they would tear, and blood burst from her fingertips.

  "No—! I have to destroy it!!"

  Her red eyes locked onto the capsule. She reached out her hand. The tips of her fingers almost touched it—but the capsule kept drifting further and further away.

  "No... No...!!"

  Crack—

  A hairline fracture sliced across the capsule's surface. And then, like lightning, the cracks spiderwebbed in all directions. The underground chamber quaked.

  SHAAAAATTER—!!

  The massive glass capsule blew into pieces. Shards poured down like a hurricane, and metal, blood, and light exploded all at once. From within that shattered storm—a figure with stark white hair slowly rose. In the dead air, his gaze pierced straight through Mirko.

  He lifted his head, eerily calm. The corners of his mouth slowly tore upwards into a smile.

  ...You failed again, rabbit.

  There was no life in that smile—Mirko's breath stopped. The scene unfolding before her eyes overlapped too perfectly with the hell she had lived through.

  Right before her eyes, Shigaraki's hand shot forward like lightning.

  "—!"

  That hand grabbed the face of X-Less, who was about to fire his laser. There was no scream. His body crumbled away in complete silence.

  "X-Less!!!!!"

  Mirko's agonizing scream swept through the underground chamber. Like a broken siren, it echoed along the waves of Decay. The walls collapsed. The floor sank beneath her feet.

  As she was dragged away, her eyes locked onto Crust. He, who was one step ahead, reached his hand out toward Aizawa, whose leg had been caught by a Nomu.

  "Run—!!"

  In the span of a single heartbeat, Crust threw his final shield. The shield sliced through the air, cleanly severing the Nomu's arm in one strike. Aizawa was freed at the last second—but the wave of Decay swallowed Crust's toes.

  He smiled. He threw a thumbs-up toward the comrade he had just saved. And then—

  His arm, his shoulder, his entire body—crumbled into pale ash and scattered like dust.

  "Crust!!!!!!"

  Along with Mirko's shriek, the floor turned to sand and churned violently. A red radiance swallowed everything, and the figures of countless heroes vanished in an instant. Only dust, ash, and Mirko's tears of blood floated in the air. She reached out her blood-soaked hand, but there was absolutely nothing left to hold onto.

  "Stop————!!!!!!!!!!!"

  Within the crumbling world, her scream echoed out, as if tearing everything apart.