The next month and a half flew by, and Shigaraki had come no closer to proving his strength to the giant and winning him over. Other than simply gaining more intel, the villain could not make any physical progress in his battle. Gigantomachia’s strength was simply too much for him to handle.

According to Shigaraki, the big guy wages a full-out assault for forty-eight hours straight, only taking breaks to sleep after he gets tired. That brief respite lasts for about three hours, before the whole cycle starts all over again. In addition, his body gets bigger during combat, and he always somehow manages to find his quarry like a hunting dog, no matter where they hid.

As for the rest of the villains, they mostly played a support role and rested in shifts to keep themselves fresh so that they could devote their energy to help their leader conquer the giant. Their bond grew stronger under the life and death situations they were constantly in, and they got increasingly better at working together.

Felix had almost fallen asleep when he heard the bushes rustle behind him.

“Shigaraki has barely slept a wink.” A set of scaly feet came into view. “How is he still smiling even as he is pushed to the brink of death?”

“That’s what having a concrete goal will do to you.” Felix smiled wryly, casting his gaze back at the devastated valley below.

For better or for worse, Gigantomachia does not seem to notice when the rest of the villains have withdrawn from the action. It was as though the monster was blind to everything except his primary target: Shigaraki. And that meant Felix had to be extra vigilant if he did not want to be greeted with a corpse by the time it was his shift to support his boss.

“Toasty and warm!” Toga chirped as she skipped over to him as well. She had spent whatever little money Ujiko had given to her on a duffel coat. Felix did not blame her. With that little money, he too would be spending it on himself.

“What? I don’t move as quickly if I get too cold!” the girl snapped at the glaring Spinner. “Besides, A-line cuts look super cute on me!”

“Hey Toga, you only joined the League because you were obsessed with Stain,” Spinner said. “His influence has all but disappeared at this point, though. So why are you still here?”

Toga looked into the distance with a small smile on her face.

“I love Mister Stainey, I love Izuku, and I love Ochaco too!” She hopped excitedly. “It’s so amazing that I can be all these wonderful people! Why would I want to leave?”

Felix scoffed softly. A few months ago, he would have simply chalked up her reply to the incoherent ramblings of an insane girl. But now, it was clear to him that she just wanted to experience love as she was without being condemned by society. Each of them here had their own reasons for joining, but all of them shared the same loneliness.

“You really are a free spirit.” He smiled warmly at her. “Truth be told, it seems that we villains live a much more carefree life than those heroes in the spotlight. Free to love ourselves, free to use our powers, free to go for what we want. It’s liberating, really.”

“You were so lucky to be in such proximity with Izuku and Ochaco, Senpai.” Toga giggled playfully. “I wish I was in your position.”

“Hey guys? I think Gigantomachia has stopped.” Spinner pointed into the distance.

Two pink platforms appeared before their feet.

The trio walked towards their boss after landing, and Felix rushed over to Jin, who was slumped against the wall. Compress was fanning himself while Shigaraki sat cross legged, panting heavily.

“Jin, you alright?” Felix’s voice was full of concern.

The man waved his hand, before breaking into a short laugh. “Just… a little winded. Never had to make so many copies just for them to be smashed like pies, that’s all.”

“The monster’s finally asleep. As massive as he is, you’d think he’d stop to eat more,” Compress remarked. “Hey, Tomura. You still alive over there?”

“Yeah. The big, dumb bastard’s slowing down a lot.” Shigaraki nodded. “I’m way closer now than when this whole saga started. Sooner or later, I’ll bring that overgrown gorilla to his knees.”

“I haven’t been noticing about Machia, but all of us have obviously improved a lot.” Felix grinned. “I didn’t even need to pull off any rescues this time. Toga, Spinner, don’t be outdone by them, alright?”

A ringing phone cut him off abruptly.

The group paused for a moment to figure out who had even brought their phone along, before Jin fished out his one from his costume’s backpocket. Felix raised an eyebrow in surprise as he stole a glance at the caller. Giran, of all people, was calling at this time.

“Giran? I’ve been calling that man for weeks and gotten nothing but radio silence!” Compress said in indignation. “Ask him if we have damage insurance!”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Hey, watch your mouth.” Jin pressed the green button and put the phone on loudspeaker. “That guy cares about me, okay? He got Felix and I into the League, you know. A real mensch, that one. Speaking of which…”

The man took a deep breath.

“Why the hell haven’t you been answering Mister Compress’ calls?” he yelled into the phone. “You’re the absolute worst, man!”

“Oops, that would be our fault, sorry! Don’t be mad at him! I believe I’m speaking to Jin Bubaigawara, the villain known as Twice, right?”

A voice changing charm?

“Who’re you? Where’s Giran?” Jin asked the unknown caller cautiously.

“Please, turn on the news.”

Compress flipped his phone to the latest news channel he could find and showed it to the League Of Villains.

“... Our top story, following yesterday’s events, another finger has been found. Earlier, a severed finger was found near the home of the Shie Hassaikai boss. Then at Hosu City Terminal, on the Metropolitan Expressway, and at Ground Zero in Camino Ward, all within the last three days.”

Felix scrunched up his face, trying to make sense of the locations.

“All places where we’ve been active lately,” Compress whispered. “That’s no accident.”

“Who the hell are you?” Jin asked hostilely. “What do you want?”

“I’m the grand commander of the Meta Liberation Army. The name’s Re-Destro.”

Felix inhaled sharply. That name was more than familiar. It was a major point in the “Meta Liberation War” book, which both Jin and he had read recently. He snapped his head to his friend for confirmation, but Jin was too engrossed in the phone to notice.

“First the Yakuza, and now the Liberation Army? What is this, some kind of Retro-Revival Party or something?” Shigaraki scoffed audibly. “Heard you’ve been selling lots of books lately. Bunch of tired old farts trying to make a comeback…”

“Comeback? Have some respect, boy. We’re the ones who started this trend.”

“Congratulations, you’re a trailblazer out of your time.” Felix rolled his eyes. “You wanna tell me what you want with our broker?”

“Not your broker. You,” the voice said calmly. “Our objective is to liberate all metahumans. To demolish the existing framework and rebuild a world where people can be themselves, where they can use their abilities to their fullest capacity.”

“Apologies, but we are at maximum capacity right now,” Shigaraki said sarcastically. “Give us the broker and we’ll get back to you soon. We’re busy at the moment. I’ll hear about your little revolution club once our task here is complete.”

“That joke was in poor taste, Tomura Shigaraki. We don’t appreciate it.” The caller’s voice turned deadly serious instantly. “Giran was a stubborn man. He endured all that pain, and still refused to give up his client list. It was a futile gesture though; we still managed to retrieve it in the end.”

“You guys really love the sound of your own voices, huh?” Felix said. “Wanna get to the point and tell us what you want?”

“Hmm… how’s the weather in Niigata? Must be chilly, hiding in those mountains.”

Jin tossed the phone on the floor immediately, as though it had suddenly caught on fire. The caller laughed sinisterly.

“Too late, I’m afraid. We’re watching you right now, thanks to our satellite. Go where you will, but we’ll always find you. We’re always watching the League of Villains. A quick call to the heroes, and they’ll drop everything and have you surrounded.”

The League Of Villains looked at each other nervously.

“But don’t worry, we’re not that stupid. It is paramount that the leader of this revolution bears the name Destro. Your organisation has become too well-known. We shall crush you ourselves and signal the revival of the Liberation Army. Those hacked-off fingers prove our resolve. No negotiations this time, only war.”

“Are you truly prepared to challenge the might of the villain who single-handedly took down All Might?” Felix said boldly, hoping to at least scare them into backing off.

“We will spare no effort and men to do so. An army of ants can take down even the mightiest elephant. Make your way to Deika City in Aichi within the hour. That’s your only hope of freeing your friend. Will you stand against us and be destroyed, or do nothing and be captured by the heroes? Make your choice, villains.”

The phone call ended as quickly as it came.

“Sounds like checkmate…” Shigaraki muttered, deep in thought.

“That guy’s tracking our movements from space on his satellites?” Compress said. “We’re screwed either way.”

“Perhaps I could go into space and destroy their satellites?” Felix suggested.

“Don’t be silly, my friend. There are thousands of satellites up there. How do we even know which ones belong to them?” Jin said. “But this all doesn’t make sense. I swear the MLF had our best interests in heart…”

“Wait, you have been dealing with them all along?” Toga gasped. “Is that how they tracked us down?”

“Y-yes! I mean, no! I… I don’t know!” Jin shook his hands frantically. “I need to find Hawks. Maybe he can help us change their mind-”

“It’s no use. This fight’s inevitable.” Shigaraki threw his hands up, before a small grin crept along his face. “But… we might win if we use Machia.”

Felix raised an eyebrow.

“We have roughly two and a half hours before the giant wakes up. No matter where I go, he will sniff me out and hunt me down. I’m counting on that.”

“I think I get it.” Felix nodded. “We’re going to send Gigantomachia right into the fray and let him face all those fighters. Battling all those Revolutionaries will wear that meathead down as well as cut down their numbers.”

“Indeed. A win-win situation.”

The boy folded his arms, smirking slightly at his leader.

“A brilliant plan, leader. Let’s do this.”