Tartarus.

The Counter-Quirk Maximum Security Special Prison. A facility built on the open sea about five kilometres off the coast of the mainland. A place to lock up villains out of sight from the public eye. A dumping ground for the government to monitor those they deemed a serious threat to public safety.

Inmates were split among six cell blocks according to how severe their offences were as well as the danger their abilities posed to society. The more dangerous the criminal, the deeper underwater they’re held. It was said that no one sent here will ever leave alive.

Well, there’s a first time for everything.

A huge winged figure cut through the clouds, rapidly descending on the metal island. Alarms blared faintly in the distance, but it only increased its already blistering speed. After all, it was too late for them.

Two figures leapt off from the creature’s back and landed in front of the fortified jail.

The solitary, windowless building stood its ground defiantly like a monument to all it represented, while an array of huge guns scowled at the intruders. Masked men poured out of its steel opening, their weapons glinting in the pale moonlight.

Dozens of muscled monsters crawled into view, leaping over the walls.

“Code Red! Authorise counter protocols now!” one of the men yelled into his radio, before raising his weapon to shoot at the lunging Nomus.

“Get behind me.”

Tomura Shigaraki grinned as bullets pelted against his body. He could feel them splitting his skin, but he was no longer stifled by a vessel of mere human flesh. He drove his fist into the ground.

Delight danced in his red irises as the sounds of men screaming filled the air. Metal strained against his fingers as he dug his hand further into the steel floor, before flipping it over. The resultant shockwave blasted the remaining guards into the sea.

“You’re as strong as All Might now, huh?” Dabi stepped out from behind him, putting a hand behind his head. “Nice.”

Shigaraki raised a finger as if to shut him up, but chose to snap them instead. Lights flickered in front of him.

“Now it’s just them and us.” The man turned to Dabi as his flesh pushed out the last of the bullets before sealing itself rapidly. “I’ve just disrupted their radio frequencies. And don’t be stupid, Dabi. I’m close, but my strength isn’t equal to his. My body can’t take it.”

The men tilted their heads to the sound of more footsteps. Shigaraki turned to the Nomus.

“Someone get rid of these guys,” he said languidly, gesturing to the guards. “Let’s see… which quirk should I use- Ah. This one will do.”

Pressurised shockwaves burst from his palms, blasting the entrance door open.

“Neat. I think Master named this one ‘Air Cannon’ or something,” Shigaraki muttered to himself, seemingly oblivious to more guards coming his way. “Whatever, it’s mine now.”

Dabi took the initiative, flooding the entire hallway with blue flames before the men could even give them any resistance.

The rest of their prison break-in was a breeze, considering that the guards were busy getting killed by Nomus at the entrance, leaving the control room guards sitting ducks for the villains’ slaughter.

In fact, it was a little disappointing. Shigaraki wanted nothing more than to unleash full destruction, especially when his decay quirk could now spread to even things he did not touch. But he could not use it freely here in case he accidentally drowned his allies, so he had to settle with simply opening the cell doors and letting the prisoners do the job for him instead.

“Is that all of us?” Dabi asked absent-mindedly as the final member of the league walked out of his cell.

“Wait, where’s Senpai?” Toga asked her leader, who was still staring at the horde of criminals surging out of the passageway.

“Right, you haven’t heard,” Dabi replied in an uncharacteristically sombre voice. “He’s gone. The heroes sent him back to his own world for good. Pagonis isn’t coming back anymore.”

Shigaraki clenched his jaw, trying his best to ignore the sniffling beside him. Hatred filled his veins. Those damned heroes were going to pay for taking away their members.

“Come, this is no place to be.” The villain leader trudged ahead without turning back. “It’s our turn now.”

The cool evening breeze greeted Shigaraki a few moments later, although he barely noticed it. He had been too busy wondering what else this new body had in store for him. According to Ujiko, All For One had made a copy of all his quirks and transplanted them onto him.

But he had no desire to become a simple megalomaniac like his master.

This body also shared a mental connection with All For One, which meant that his master could invade and possess him whenever he desired. As much respect as he had for that man, Shigaraki detested being reduced to a mere puppet. He had the potential to be so much more than what his master envisioned for him.

Dabi’s dry laugh brought him back to his senses. Shigaraki found himself at the entrance of Tartarus again, but a disgusting sight greeted him this time.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the Number One Hero in Japan,” he chuckled as well, hardly able to contain his glee at the thought of what he was about to do to that floating human-shaped flame.

If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Endeavour did not flinch, nor did he look remotely tired from incinerating all the Nomus at the entrance. It was strange how he was able to respond to the attack, especially since Shigaraki had cut off all communications from Tartarus, but this was no time to ponder about it now. The villain leader stepped forward, eager to wipe the scowl off that man’s face.

“Wait.”

He stopped in his tracks as Dabi shoved a hand in his face. The League Of Villains turned to him in confusion, watching as Dabi clapped his hands slowly.

“Don’t you dare take another step, villain.” Endeavour aimed his hand at Dabi. “My fire burns hotter than yours.”

“Is that so?” There was an unusual glint in Dabi’s eyes, almost as if he had been waiting his whole life for this moment. “Strange, that’s not what you told me back at Sekoto Peak, Father.”

Darkness flooded back as the orange light snuffed itself out abruptly, accompanied by a dull thud. Flames flickered again from the ground, but they were burning a lot less intensely this time.

“Dabi, what’s going on?” Compress called out to him, but the man was already dancing maniacally in front of the hero.

“Sorry, everyone.” Dabi turned back at his allies with a wry smile. “It was me. I sent an anonymous tip to the Endeavour agency to bring him here before this whole operation. This is the only opportunity I can get.”

He nodded at Shigaraki.

“You wanted to know my real name, didn’t you? Well, you can hear it along with the rest of the world. After all, what I’m about to say is also currently streaming on every device in the country.”

Dabi stepped closer to Endeavour, arms spread like a conductor at the end of a concert. “My name is Toya Todoroki, eldest son of the Number One Hero, Enji Todoroki.”

The flames on Endeavour’s body had gone out by now, revealing a red haired man shaking in disbelief. He looked a lot smaller than usual, although Shigaraki wasn’t sure if it was merely because of the distance between them.

“Allow me to explain how everything turned out like this,” Dabi said. “Endeavor has always obsessively yearned for power. Much to his despair, he could never surpass All Might on his own.”

He was pouring some sort of liquid on his hair to remove the black dye now, revealing that his true hair colour had been white all along.

“So he forced my mother to marry him in an attempt to create an heir with the perfect Quirk. I was bred for my father’s selfish dream. But it didn’t matter. I was a failure. It wasn’t long before he gave up on me, and I was cast aside and forgotten.”

Dabi performed a twirl, before stopping with a deranged grin.

“But I’ve been a good son, haven’t I? I didn’t forget our family. I’ve been watching you from the shadows this entire time, wondering how I could make you suffer. How I could ruin your life. Ever since I burned up in the forest, it’s all I’ve thought about.”

“Toya, you…” Endeavour’s voice was barely audible.

“When I found out your little puppet Shoto was complete, I figured I’d kill him to take away what you loved the most,” Dabi continued. “But as I watched the sports festival, as well as more of your so-called hero antics, I realised something.”

He slapped a palm on his head, chuckling softly.

“You don’t love my little brother. Sure, he’s your masterpiece and all. But that’s not who you love the most, isn’t it?” Dabi leaned in closer. “The person you love most in the world is none other… than yourself.”

Endeavour slumped to the ground, paralysed by the revelation. His lips trembled as though he was about to cry, but his gaze remained on his eldest son.

“Well? Nothing to say? Well, allow me.” Dabi swung his arms victoriously. “The past never dies, sinner. You will reap everything you’ve sown, Enji Todoroki. Your sins will not go away just because of a sudden change of heart, dear father. And mine will remain with me until the day I die. So let’s fall together. Come and dance with me in hell, won’t you?!”

“M-my son… is dead. I… I couldn’t save… him…” Words squeezed out of Endeavour’s throat robotically. “I’m… I’m not-”

“Lies! You lie!” Toya Todoroki screamed. “You lit a fire under me, pushing me to be a hero. You gave up on me when I wasn’t what you wanted! And when you promised to see my quirk in the forest, you abandoned me when I was burning to death!”

He grabbed the hero roughly, who could no longer muster the strength to fight back.

“I am very much alive, father. You’re just a broken man who refuses to accept the truth.” Dabi snarled, blue embers escaping from his mouth. “PROMINENCE BURN!”

The League Of Villains tried to rush in, but the sheer firepower chased them away. Shigaraki looked on grimly. Although Dabi was never one to hold back on his flames, this was the first time he had seen him expel that much fire from his body.

And he had a feeling that Dabi had already planned it to be the last.

“Dabi, your body is going to explode!” Spinner yelled over the maniacal laughter. “You have to let go or you’ll die!”

“This is all I ever wanted! This is the happiest day of my life!” Dabi’s strained voice screamed back at them. “Finally, this is how I make a mark on this world!”

Shigaraki scowled, pulling out a quirk deleter from his pocket. Dabi was going to kill him for this, but he would rather lose the firepower than lose his ally. His eyes narrowed, aiming it at the crazed man-

Smoke billowed as a faint orange light burst into the air, carrying both of them towards the sky.

“That’s right! Give your son a hug, dear father!” Dabi continued expelling heat while Endeavour continued soaring upwards. His body began to tremble as blue light peeked from between the cracks of his skin.

“I don’t deserve to die in your arms, Toya.” Enji Todoroki embraced his son tightly, despite the blinding heat. “But thank you… for giving me a chance… to atone for my sins once and for all.”

“Dabi-kun! Noo!” Toga screamed from the ground.

Shigaraki furrowed his eyebrows with focus, locking onto the small blue light. He flicked his finger, sending the quirk deleter towards the two men-

“Great Glacier Aegir!”

A gigantic wave of ice covered the sky just as the ball of flame exploded. Shigaraki punched the air, deflecting the falling pieces of ice with the shockwaves from his blow. He squinted at the small point of orange that had rudely interrupted them. It charged downwards, catching a falling figure before soaring away as abruptly as it came.

Nothing else fell into the ocean.

“No… no… Dabi!” Toga pounded the ground as the League of Villains looked away with regret. Shigaraki slammed a palm against a steel wall as well, disintegrating half of the supermax prison in an instant.

“The world will pay for what they did to us. This, I swear.” Shigaraki turned to his sobbing comrades.

“We’ll turn this sickening society into dust.”