The city of New York lay in ruins, its once-proud skyline reduced to a jagged silhouette against a blood-red dusk. Skyscrapers, symbols of human ambition, were now skeletal husks, their glass facades shattered, spilling shards onto streets choked with twisted metal and pulverized concrete. Smoke curled into the sky like the breath of a dying beast, carrying the acrid tang of ash, burning rubber, and despair. The air thrummed with a low, mournful hum—residue of the electromagnetic chaos that had torn through the city.
Sirens wailed faintly in the distance, drowned out by the occasional rumble of collapsing debris. Amid this apocalyptic tableau, atop a mound of rubble, stood a tall man with a lean, wiry frame. His pale skin gleamed under the fading light, marred by faint, circuit-like scars snaking along his forearms—testaments to the electromagnetic power coursing through his veins. Magnetor, as he called himself, surveyed the devastation with cold, electric-blue eyes, his jet-black hair streaked with silver fluttering in the ashen wind.
His cracked metallic half-mask, designed like a shattered compass, glinted ominously, symbolizing his rejection of society's direction. His dark gray robe, woven with copper wiring, billowed slightly, and a tattered cloak with faint metallic threads trailed behind him, lending a ghostly, almost messianic air.
Below him, sprawled in a cratered street, lay a woman—a hero, bloodied and broken. Verdant Kon, as the city knew her, was barely clinging to life. Her long, dark green hair, streaked with vibrant red, was matted with blood that dripped from a deep gash on her scalp, pooling on the cracked concrete.
Her hero suit—a sleek black tank top with armored pads, matching leggings, and scuffed combat boots—was torn, barely holding together. Silver piercings in her ears caught the last rays of sunlight, glinting defiantly. Her chest heaved with shallow, ragged breaths as she glared up at Magnetor with emerald eyes burning with unyielding resolve, despite the pain etched into every line of her face.
"Why would you fight me when you know you'll only die?" Magnetor's voice was deep and resonant, laced with a metallic undertone that hummed like a distant electrical current. He tilted his head, his mask casting jagged shadows across his pale face. "You heroes cling to your ideals, but they're futile against the truth I bring."
Verdant Kon coughed, blood speckling her lips, but her voice held steady, defiant. "B-Because I'm a hero, Magnetor. Verdant Kon doesn't kneel to monsters like you. I'll fight to my last breath to protect those who can't defend themselves."
Magnetor's lips curled into a faint, disdainful sneer. "A hero? You're a pawn in a corrupt system, deluded by notions of justice that serve only the powerful." He raised his hand, and the air crackled with electromagnetic energy, a high-voltage whine that set teeth on edge. Verdant Kon's body lurched upward, suspended like a marionette caught in invisible strings.
Civilians, cowering behind overturned cars and in the shadows of shattered storefronts, stifled their gasps, their fear a palpable weight in the air. With a sharp downward gesture, Magnetor slammed her into the ground, the impact deepening the crater and sending a shockwave through the rubble. The thunderous crash echoed, drowning out the civilians' screams as dust billowed outward, cloaking the street in a choking haze.
Verdant Kon lay motionless, her breathing a faint rasp, her suit in tatters. Around her, the battlefield was a graveyard of heroes—some lifeless, their eyes staring blankly at the sky, others pinned to the ground by massive metal blades, their blood staining the earth. Magnetor descended slowly, levitating with an eerie grace, his cloak trailing like a storm cloud.
"This pain, this agony…" he murmured, his voice softening, almost reflective, as if speaking to himself. A two-foot silver blade slid from beneath his sleeve, its edge glinting with menace. "It's nothing compared to what I've endured—what this world has forced me to endure." He raised the blade, his expression hardening with resolve. "Your death, hero, will be a mercy. A step toward a world free of your kind's hypocrisy."
But then—
A streak of black tore through the air, fast as a bullet, aimed directly at Magnetor. His blue eyes widened, a flicker of surprise breaking his composure. He halted his strike mid-swing, redirecting the blade toward the incoming blur. The air around him hummed, a high-voltage whine that vibrated in the bones of those nearby. An invisible electromagnetic pulse erupted, repelling the blur with explosive force.
It careened through the city block, smashing through walls and toppling already-weakened buildings in a cascade of concrete and steel. The ground quaked, sending civilians scrambling for cover as screams pierced the air.
Magnetor's gaze flicked to the crater where Verdant Kon had lain. She was gone. His expression remained impassive, but his mind raced. 'That was him. Equinox. The one who dismantled my forces.' He leaped backward, his body rising into the air as he levitated, his cloak billowing like a specter.
His eyes narrowed as he scanned the city block, the civilians below holding their breath, knowing one wrong sound could mean their end. 'He's dangerous. A threat to everything I've built. I'll need to be cautious with Equinox.'
…
Several blocks away, a tall figure emerged from a pile of rubble, cradling Verdant Kon in his arms. Equinox—Kael Ishiro—was lean but muscular, his black hair whipping in the wind, his eyes dark voids that seemed to absorb the light around them. Hi suit, reinforced with subtle armor plating designed for speed and durability, now stained with Verdant Kon's blood. Her head rested against his chest, her faint twitches a sign she still clung to life. Equinox's jaw tightened as he took in her wounds: the deep gash on her scalp, the bruises blooming across her arms, the sheer toll of her fight against Magnetor.
"I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner," Kael said softly, his voice warm yet laced with steel. "You held him off as long as you could, Verdant Kon. You're a true hero, and this city owes you everything."
Her body relaxed slightly, as if his words were a balm to her pain. His gentle smile conveyed a quiet strength, a promise of safety. "Medical evac is en route. They'll patch you up, and by the time they're done, I'll have dealt with the bastard who did this to you."
Verdant Kon's lips parted, a faint croak escaping. "… Don't… underestimate him. He's… not like the others." Her voice was barely a whisper, each word a struggle, but her eyes burned with urgency.
He nodded, his expression softening. "I won't. You rest now. You've done enough." He hated seeing her like this—a hero who'd given everything to protect others, reduced to a fragile shell. Rage simmered in his chest, but he tempered it with focus. Using his Quirk, Darkbind, he summoned black tendrils that gently lifted her into the air. He removed his cloak, its fabric worn but sturdy, and laid it on the ground, guiding her onto it with care.
He wrapped it around her to keep her warm, ensuring she was secure. Standing over her, he activated Eagle Hunting, his vision sharpening to track movement across the city. His gaze locked onto Magnetor, hovering in the ashen sky, his blue eyes glowing faintly with electromagnetic energy.
"Now then…" Kael's voice was low, a promise of retribution. "I hope you're ready to face the consequences of your actions, Magnetor."
Magnetor's eyes narrowed, sensing the shift in the air. Kael crouched, muscles coiling like a predator, then lunged, shattering the ground beneath him with a deafening crack. He pierced the sky, a black comet streaking toward Magnetor, the surrounding buildings trembling as shockwaves rippled outward, shattering windows in a cacophony of glass. The civilians below ducked, covering their ears as the sonic boom rattled their bones.
Magnetor reacted swiftly, extending his arms. The air hummed again, a high-voltage whine that made the air feel heavy. An electromagnetic barrier surged outward, a shimmering wall of force that deflected Kael with brutal precision. He plummeted, twisting mid-air to land in a crouch, the street cracking under his impact, sending chunks of asphalt flying.
Undeterred, Equinox summoned Darkbind, black tendrils lashing out to wrap around two bent streetlights. With a powerful yank, he catapulted himself back toward Magnetor, his fist cocked back, eyes blazing with determination.
Magnetor's eyes widened as Equinox closed the distance in a heartbeat. "You're fast," he muttered, raising a hand to summon a barrage of metal shards—nails, screws, and fragments of rebar—hurling them at Equinox. But his senses, enhanced by ScentTrace, tracked each projectile. He twisted mid-air, tendrils snapping out to deflect the debris, sending it clattering harmlessly to the ground.
His fist connected with Magnetor's cheek, the impact resounding like a thunderclap. Magnetor's body spun through the air, skipping across rooftops like a stone across water, before crashing into an electrical panel atop a tower. Sparks erupted, shocking his body as he slumped against the panel, blood trickling from his mouth.
Equinox landed lightly a few feet away, his expression unyielding. "Magnetor," he said, his voice cutting through the crackle of electricity. "Kael Ishiro. I've heard of you. A visionary, they say. But all I see is a fraud hiding behind a cause."
Magnetor coughed, wiping blood from his lips as he rose, his trench coat dusted with debris. "Equinox," he rasped, his voice steady despite the pain. "You live up to your reputation. But you're blind to the truth." He straightened, his eyes glowing brighter as his Quirk hummed to life. "I seek a world free from the corruption of the Hero Society—its lies, its hypocrisy. You, of all people, should understand. You've seen the cracks in their system."
Equinox's eyes narrowed, his fists clenching. "Why do all this, Magnetor? The death, the destruction—what does it accomplish? You talk of fixing society, but murdering heroes and innocents isn't the answer. It's cowardice. And it sickens me."
Magnetor's laugh reverberated across the rooftop, a low and bitter sound. "Cowardice? You dare speak of cowardice when you challenged All for One, vowing to overthrow his tyranny by stealing power, just as he does? You're no different, boy. You claim to fight for justice, but you'd strip others of their Quirks to fuel your own crusade. Tell me, Equinox, how is that not the same as me? As All for One?"
His jaw tightened, but his voice remained calm, measured. "I've thought about it—long and hard. The difference is in our methods. All for One rules through fear, twisting power to dominate. You destroy through chaos, killing anyone in your path. I want to give people a second chance, to build a world where power isn't everything, where everyone can live happily. That's what separates us, Magnetor. That's the line between right and wrong."
Magnetor sighed, rubbing his neck as if weary, his cloak swaying in the wind. "You make a compelling case, boy. But this world doesn't change with simple words or ideals. It's rotten to the core, controlled by those who call themselves 'good' while manipulating the masses. I'm done watching it fester. I act because someone must."
His tone softened, but his resolve didn't waver. "I get it. I do. I see the flaws just like you do. The corruption, the lies. But killing innocents doesn't uproot the problem—it just creates more pain. You want change? Target the corruption itself, not the people caught in its web. There's another way, Magnetor."
Magnetor's eyes flickered, a moment of hesitation, but his voice hardened. "Another way? I've seen what 'other ways' lead to—more control, more lies. No, Equinox. This city, this world, needs to be cleansed. And I'll start with you."
The wind howled, carrying the weight of their words across the ruined city. Below, civilians huddled, their hope pinned on the figure in black standing against the ghostly villain. The clash was more than physical—it was a battle of visions for the future.
Magnetor's eyes gleamed, his Quirk flaring to life. "Your ideals are noble, Equinox, but naive. I can't forgive your interference, just as you can't forgive my actions."
Metal debris—steel rods, railings, nails, screws—tore free from the surrounding ruins, hurtling toward Equinox from every direction. The air screamed with their speed, a deadly swarm aimed to overwhelm. His enhanced senses, slowed time to a crawl. 'His control is precise, but predictable,' he thought, tracking each projectile's trajectory. As the sharp metal closed in, inches from piercing him, a shimmer of light flickered in his eyes. An invisible force field erupted, a concussive wave that blasted the debris away, carving a three-foot crater beneath him. The shockwave caught Magnetor off-guard, hurling him off the rooftop.
'He's too dangerous to let escape,' Equinox thought, leaping after him. Darkbind tendrils shot from his forearms, coiling around Magnetor mid-air. With a powerful twist, Equinox redirected their momentum, slamming Magnetor toward the ground. Magnetor tried to counter, his Quirk humming to repel the impact, but the tendrils tightened, pinning his arms and disrupting his focus. The ground rushed up, and Magnetor crashed into the street, the impact sending a gust of wind that flipped nearby vehicles. He lay motionless in a human-shaped crater, dust settling around him.
He floated down, Darkbind retracting into his body. He stared at the crater, wary. 'He's alive, but barely.' Pointing at Magnetor, Equinox fired a purple dart from his finger, embedding it in the villain's back. Magnetor twitched, then stilled, paralyzed. "Without their leader, they're directionless," he muttered, activating Eagle Hunting to scan the city. Nearly a hundred enemies remained, scattered and terrorizing civilians. 'No underestimating them.'
Equinox vanished, reappearing behind a gunman on a rooftop, the man firing an advanced automatic weapon with a red laser sight. Bullets tore through civilians below, their screams echoing in the desolate streets. 'Where did they get this kind of weaponry?' Equinox wondered, noting the weapon's sleek design, far beyond standard military issue.
The gunman caught Kael's reflection in a distant window and spun, unloading a barrage of bullets. Darkbind formed a black tendril shield, deflecting the bullets effortlessly. The gunman's eyes widened as he leaped off the roof, but a tendril snared him mid-air, disarming him with a flick.
"Who are you?!" the man screamed, thrashing against the tendrils. "What the hell are these things?!"
Kael didn't answer, tightening the tendrils until sharp spikes formed within, killing the man slowly. Red laser dots appeared on Kael's body—more gunmen, positioned on surrounding rooftops. Bullets rained down, a deadly hail from multiple angles. Kael's eyes flickered, and the projectiles reversed, striking their sources with pinpoint accuracy. Silence fell, broken only by the wind. Equinox opened a rift, tossing the gunmans body through, then waved his hand, creating multiple rifts to collect enemy tech.
"I wonder how their mission's going," he muttered, vanishing without a trace. His goal was clear: to become someone everyone could look up to, not fear. A man who could end the cycle of pain and loss. He didn't want people to cower before his power but to trust it—a force to reshape their fate.
"This is all just the beginning."
..