Chapter 282: Finally, damn cockroach.

--Thursday, July 9, 2172

“What do you want?! Just tell me what you want! I'll give it to you! You don't need to kill me!”

Seeing the swords surrounding him, AFO panicked even more and screamed as he looked at the black helmet of the man before him. Kai unleashed his Conqueror's Haki at full power and coated his swords with it, the blades then becoming sheathed in a strange, dark, ghostly fire, at which point he spoke in a cold, slightly distorted voice.

“Who did you team up with to mess with me?”

Seeing the fire on the swords, AFO felt a primal terror coursing through his entire being, to the point where he felt his very soul trembling. He quickly explained with a heavy voice.

“I don't know exactly who. A while ago, a contact abroad acted as a bridge to connect me with someone. That person asked me for information about you and offered help, sponsorship, and access to technology if I agreed to help them get information about you and set a trap. Dead or alive didn't matter to them; they just wanted your body intact.

“Of course, I tried to investigate them, but I discovered nothing beyond them having contacts with an organization called the Meta Liberation Army. Everything about them is a complete mystery, but they have contacts, resources, and very advanced genetic technology. The last deal I made with them was to create a distraction for you and send them a signal, which I did when you attacked me.”

“I see.”

As soon as AFO finished speaking, he suddenly heard a voice from behind him, causing him to spin around in panic as he tried to activate his Quirks. But before he could succeed, a hand landed on his head, and a brutal pressure enveloped him, at which point his consciousness grew fuzzy. Soon, the Symbol of Evil fell unconscious to the ground, causing the entire surrounding area to be enveloped in a thick mist.

Within the mist, the AFO who was supposedly speaking several meters away could be seen fading like a mirage. Soon, everything returned to normal, and all illusions disappeared. Kai let out a weary sigh and commented with exasperation while looking at a black ornamental dagger in his hand.

“This guy is really good at buying time. If it weren't for the Will Keeper, he would have tricked me and managed to escape…”

“How much of what he said do you think is true, Master?”

Sage asked while placing one of her hands on the unconscious AFO. Kai lazily stretched as the Will Keeper disappeared, and, looking at the horizon where the sun could be seen rising, he commented calmly.

“Not everything, but definitely a good portion must be true. The guy wanted to buy time to activate that strange Quirk so he could escape, so he couldn't afford to lie and have me notice any inconsistencies.”

Hearing Kai, Sage nodded and commented in a serious tone while creating several screens on Kai's helmet, which displayed relevant information.

“You're right, Master. Also, although I've never investigated it, the name 'Meta Liberation Army' isn't unfamiliar to me. It was a terrorist organization from years ago that advocated for the abolition of Quirk regulations, and I've read some rumors that they are resurfacing. Even sales of the autobiography of their late leader, Destro, have been increasing in popularity lately.”

“I see, stay alert for any information about them.” Kai nodded and instructed while reading the data presented by Sage. The beautiful fairy nodded and soon announced with relief.

“He's captured, Master.”

“Finally, damn cockroach… We really have to improve the method for 'putting to sleep' cockroaches like this… We've failed so many damn times…” Kai commented with annoyance, removing his helmet, and then viciously kicked the head of the innocent AFO. Then, Kai looked at Sage and ordered seriously.

“Put his consciousness completely to sleep, isolate him, and don't take your eyes off him. Be prepared to execute him at the slightest suspicion of trouble. This son of a bitch is too cunning and has too many strange Quirks; anything can happen with him, and it's dangerous to keep him alive. As soon as we manage to extract all the information from the All for One, we have to permanently get rid of him.”

“Understood, Master, I will be completely alert.” Sage responded seriously while her wings changed color at high speed. Kai nodded and then asked while conjuring a Magnetic Force card.

“How did things go with Mrs. Yoshiko and the girls?”

As a ghostly prison cell appeared around the unconscious AFO, Sage flew to sit on her Master's shoulder and explained in a serious tone.

“Mrs. Yoshiko is currently resting in her suite. When the captain woke up, he immediately called the authorities, and they are currently investigating and interrogating the passengers and guards, but just as we expected, no one remembers anything.

“Meanwhile, the capture of the League of Villains has been made official, and the Quirk Thief's organization has practically been completely dismantled. Also, I made sure to copy and destroy critical information about the Nomus and left several viruses to track their movements. But I noticed something strange, Master.

“In the servers that weren't connected to the network, I found isolated data and traces pointing to research and subsequent creation of an artificial replica of All for One, but the specific data was deleted. Furthermore, no traces were found of the director of Jaku General Hospital, one of our target locations. The police are currently conducting preliminary investigations.”

“A fish escaped the net?” Kai asked, surprised, looking at Sage on his shoulder, who nodded with a grave expression.

“Yes, Master. There are no traces of him anywhere.”

“Then let's hope we can get information from our new prisoners…” Kai couldn't help but comment with a heavy sigh. At that moment, AFO's cell disappeared completely, so he quickly raised the card into the air and announced aloud.

“[Accompany] On! [Home]!”

…

…

…

In the Saito mansion's living room, the entire family was gathered with worried expressions, occasionally glancing toward the garden. As Chatora distributed hot coffee to everyone present, still wearing his hero suit, Momo asked with a serious and concerned voice.

“Should we call him…?”

“It's not necessary… Kai is fine.”

Keiko commented in a calm voice, but no one in the room missed how tightly she was gripping her coffee cup, to the point of creating cracks in it. Chatora let out a small sigh and commented in a serious tone.

“It's better to wait. If we call him, we might distract him, and in the middle of a fight, that would be very dangerous.”

Nemuri, also still in her hero suit, received the cup of coffee offered by Chatora and commented in a tone that tried to sound calm and confident.

“Let's not worry. We spoke with All Might, and he confirmed the death of All for One; there shouldn't be many problems…”

“Yes… Kai is very strong; he's super fine…”

Tomoko commented, almost as if trying to convince herself while holding her coffee cup with both hands. At that moment, Ryuko stood up from her seat in exasperation and announced while raising her hands to the sky.

“I can't stand it anymore; I'll call Sage!”

“That's actually a good idea.” Shino looked at Ryuko with bright eyes and commented with a smile. At that moment, Nejire jumped from her spot and commented, full of enthusiasm.

“You're a genius, Ryuko Onee-chan! Let's call quickly!”

“Then I'll make the call.” Yumiko quickly placed her hand on the table, activating a holographic screen, but just before she could make the call, a light 'fell' into the garden.

““Kai!””

The group exclaimed in unison, and everyone ran toward the garden as the light faded, revealing a tired Kai, his hair slightly damp with sweat, and his helmet under his arm. Without a word, Momo and Nejire jumped to hug him tightly, soon followed by Ryuko and Tomoko, while Keiko, Yumiko, Shino, Nemuri, and Chatora let out a sigh of relief as they saw the unharmed young man.

“Hello, everyone. Sorry for worrying you, but things took longer than expected.”

“What happened? Why did it take so long?” Momo, in Kai's arms, asked with a worried voice as she looked at him. Kai let out a weary sigh and commented while looking at the living room.

“Let's talk inside; I'm tired.”

…

Soon, the group was again in the main living room, with Kai now out of his armor, sitting in the middle of a large sofa with Ryuko and Tomoko, while the others sat facing him in a semicircle. As Kai took a sip of freshly made strawberry juice, Chatora commented in a serious, somewhat worried tone.

“To think they would attack Mrs. Yoshiko…”

“The situation is becoming really dangerous…” Yumiko commented seriously, to which the others nodded. Keiko looked at Kai and asked, equally serious.

“Do you already have some security measures planned?”

“Yes, unfortunately, Mrs. Yoshiko's vacation will have to be cut short. Sage is already preparing a whole security scheme for her return to Japan, and if necessary, I will escort her in secret.” Kai commented in a calm tone, then looked at the heroes and asked, trying to change the subject.

“And how did things go on your end? Any setbacks?”

“Not really, things were quite straightforward since we had to fight very few Nomus. Although some strange black Nomus were found.”

Shino replied in a calm voice, to which Ryuko nodded and began to explain in more detail. Meanwhile, Nemuri looked at Kai with a subtle light in her eyes, something Kai quickly understood and subtly nodded to. But, although the contact was brief and subtle, this did not go unnoticed by Keiko, who couldn't help but narrow her eyes slightly and make a mental note to find out more later.

…

After a while, the sun finally rose in all its splendor, at which point Kai stretched out a hand to take the cup of coffee offered by Rin, Mrs. Yoshiko's substitute. Then Kai gently patted Ryuko's and Tomoko's thighs while commenting in a calm but visibly more rested voice.

“Well, it's late now, and I have to start getting ready. Since none of you have slept, those who want to work later, wait for me in the massage room. I'll do some stretches in the gym.”

“Are you planning to go to U.A.?” Nemuri asked while looking at Momo and Nejire, who looked a bit sleepy. Kai yawned and replied in a calm tone after drinking his coffee.

“Yes, I was recorded, and there will be those who suspect it was me with All Might, so it's better to avoid confirming their suspicions. Besides, summer vacation is very close and finals are over, so there's not much to do. I can stay in my workshop all day.”

“…Then we're going too…” Momo let out a long yawn and commented, visibly tired. At that moment, Nejire stretched lazily and commented.

“Yeah… let's go get ready.”

“We are taking the day off…” Chatora commented while covering his mouth in the middle of a lazy yawn, to which the other Pussycats nodded.

“Yeah, darling, when you get back from U.A., come sleep for a while with us.” Ryuko commented lazily. Meanwhile, Tomoko started rubbing her head against Kai like a cat, clinging to him half-asleep.

“Alright, I want to rest well today too.” Kai commented while slowly separating from Tomoko, who let out dissatisfied, sleepy murmurs.

Soon, Kai left the mansion and headed to the gym, where he began a “light” routine before going to the shower to bathe. Totally lost in his thoughts, Kai turned on the shower faucet and let the water run over his body until he finally contacted his reliable assistant through their mental connection.

[Did you complete the calculations on the actual increase in effective combat power thanks to the armor?]

[Yes, Master, they're ready.] Sage replied with a small smile while creating several holographic screens for Kai, who began reviewing them while taking the soap. After a quick read, Kai couldn't help but comment, somewhat confused.

[An average improvement of 26%? I felt it was a bit more…]

[In some specific situations, the improvement was higher, but the overall average remains that, Master. Still, it's a significant improvement compared to the Aura Script patterns before the “optimization”—more than a 15% increase in raw power.] Sage commented in a serious tone, which led Kai to nod thoughtfully and then ask somewhat solemnly.

[Do you think there are more people with abilities similar to mine, Sage?]

[It is one of the most likely conclusions, Master. The fact that we found optimized and structured versions of something we discovered purely by chance, like Aura Script patterns, is too strange. No matter how you look at it, those Aura Script patterns we found in the sphere and the genetic code of the spiders can't be a coincidence. And from what we saw, those patterns must have a function beyond boosting aura.

[Although we still don't know exactly how, those patterns are closely related to the powerful and varied abilities of those spiders. Furthermore, there are traces everywhere of a structured and deterministic system for creating them. Therefore, something or someone understands Aura Script patterns much better than we do. After all, they can create them at will, and we have only been able to arrive at them through brute force.]

[Or “could have”…] Kai commented with a heavy voice, which led Sage to ask curiously.

[Could have?]

[Yes, in the past.] Kai nodded and raised his head so the water fell on his face, then continued seriously.

[No matter where we searched back then, we didn't find even a single reference in real science to something like Aura Script patterns. That's why we ended up resorting to advanced mathematics, artificial intelligence, and models inspired by the structural biology of proteins to arrive at them through brute force. And you know better than anyone, we had more luck than reason to get where we are.

[So, how could someone arrive at something so superior to our version without leaving a single trace out there? After all, almost 200 years have passed since the appearance of Quirks, and during all that time, we had the internet. In such a long time, something should have been left out there, but we found nothing. Furthermore, that place, even the laboratory, seemed like a ruin thousands of years old, which inevitably leads me to think…]

At her Master's musings, Sage couldn't help but look at him with eyes wide open, full of incredulity, and ask in a somewhat strange tone.

[A previous civilization…?]

***

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