Chapter 56: The Banquet of Shadows
The air inside the hideout was stagnant, heavy with the scent of rotting wood, cheap distilled alcohol, and a suffocating, heavy tension. A small, grainy television set perched on the corner of the bar was the only source of noise, buzzing with the frantic voice of a news anchor reporting on the "Summer Camp Nightmare" and the abduction of U.A. students.
"Turn that thing off... the noise is making my brain itch."
Tomura Shigaraki rasped, scratching at his neck with a rhythmic, wet sound. He sat hunched over the bar, a dark aura of irritation radiating from him.
"As you wish, Shigaraki Tomura," Kurogiri replied, his voice a deep void. He pressed a button on the remote, plunging the room into a heavy silence.
In the center of the dim room, under the flickering light of a single bulb, sat Katsuki Bakugo. He was strapped to a heavy steel chair, bound by industrial-grade restraints. A thick leather strap secured his chest, his hands were cuffed behind his back, and a rigid metal muzzle covered his lower face, preventing him from speaking or biting. He breathed furiously through his nose, his red eyes burning with the ferocity of a trapped beast, scanning the room for a weakness.
Conversely, standing in the darkest corner against the peeling wallpaper, was Aokiji Kuzan.
He was unbound.
He leaned casually against the wall, hands in his pockets, one leg bent in a relaxed posture. He looked less like a hostage and more like a bored patron waiting for a drink. The visual contrast between the two students was stark and maddening.
"What a tragedy..." Mr. Compress sighed, removing his mask to wipe sweat from his brow. "We lost valuable pieces tonight. Muscular, Moonfish, and even the gas-mask boy... none of them returned."
"They were just pawns, weren't they?" Dabi scoffed from the shadows, the staples in his skin glinting. "They played their part by distracting the heroes. The important thing is we got the grand prizes."
He jerked his chin toward Bakugo and Aokiji.
"Hey, hey!" Toga Himiko skipped around Bakugo's chair, waving a small knife. "Katsuki-kun looks so angry! I love that face! But Aokiji-kun is so cold and quiet! It's such a cute contrast! Can I stab them? Just a little? I want to see what color they are on the inside!"
"Stop it, crazy girl," Twice waved his hands nervously. "They are guests! Let's slit their throats and be done with it!"
"Quiet, all of you," Shigaraki commanded. The authority in his voice was brittle but dangerous.
He swiveled his stool around. The severed hand clutching his face fell onto the counter with a dull thud, revealing his pale, dry face and bloodshot eyes.
"We went through a lot of trouble to invite you here," Shigaraki began, his gaze fixing on the bound and muzzled Bakugo. "You, Katsuki Bakugo... Society sees you as a monster in the making, doesn't it? Your power is violent. Your temperament is volatile. The heroes at school try to suppress you, to force you into their mold of the 'Perfect Savior' who smiles and saves kittens."
Shigaraki stood up, walking slowly toward him.
"We understand you. We know that this hero society is a sham. Heroes are just government bureaucrats who exercise violence with the state's permission. We want to shatter that fragile system... and we believe you possess the same instinct."
Silence stretched. Shigaraki leaned close to Bakugo's face.
"Mr. Compress, remove the muzzle."
The masked magician stepped forward and pressed a release mechanism. The metal mask clicked and fell away from Bakugo's face.
Bakugo took a deep breath, worked his stiff jaw, and then slowly lifted his head. Veins bulged on his forehead.
"Are you done with this philosophical garbage?" Bakugo growled, his voice dripping with venom and contempt. "I don't care about your speeches. You're just a bunch of losers who got beat and want to change the rules to fit your failure. Undo these straps... and I'll show you what real violence looks like."
Spinner stepped forward, gripping his massive sword. "He doesn't get it... He is a slave to the current system, just as Stain preached."
"YOU!" Bakugo roared suddenly, cutting him off. But his rage wasn't directed at the villains. His furious eyes snapped to the figure in the shadows.
"AOKIJI!"
The room shifted focus. Every villain turned to look at the silent Ice User.
"Why..." Bakugo's voice cracked with pure rage. "Why the hell aren't you tied up, you bastard?!"
Aokiji moved. He pushed himself off the wall, walking slowly into the circle of light. His expression was unreadable, his eyes dark pools of apathy.
"Because I didn't resist," Aokiji answered with provoking calmness.
"Didn't resist?" Bakugo let out a short, hysterical laugh. "You... you actually turned traitor? After all that showing off at the Sports Festival? After fighting All Might? You're joining this trash heap?"
Aokiji looked at him with half-lidded eyes, then sighed, scratching the back of his head.
"I don't have to explain my personal motives to you."
Bakugo froze for a split second, then erupted like a volcano. The veins in his neck and temples bulged terrifyingly, and he began to thrash against the chair with violent force, the chains rattling loudly against the floor.
"PERSONAL MOTIVES?!" Bakugo roared, spittle flying from his mouth. "What kind of personal motives, you piece of trash?! You're selling us out for 'personal motives'?! I'll kill you! I swear I'll blow you to hell!!"
The villains watched this raw, unbridled rage with a mix of caution and admiration.
"What a monster..." Magne whispered.
"That's enough," Shigaraki said coldly, interrupting Bakugo's screaming. "You two are making too much noise."
Suddenly, a distorted voice crackled from the black monitor sitting on the bar shelf. It was calm, polite, and terrifying enough to make every villain in the room freeze.
"Tomura..."
Shigaraki spun around toward the screen. "Sensei."
"It seems things are proceeding well," the voice spoke from the speaker. "However... Tomura, I see the other boy, Aokiji Kuzan, is there with you. You look healthy, Kuzan."
Shigaraki looked at Aokiji, then back at the screen, confused. "I don't understand, Sensei... what is the use of this person specifically? He is cooperative, yes, but he seems indifferent to our cause."
"Ah..." The voice on the screen chuckled softly. "He is not just a collaborator, Tomura. He is an old friend who came willingly at my personal invitation. I will pull him to my location now... so we can discuss our deal in private."
Aokiji's heart dropped into his stomach.
A foul-smelling black liquid began to bubble up from the floor directly beneath his feet, wrapping around his ankles like tar.
Aokiji's eyes widened. A drop of cold sweat slid down his temple.
Not now... He screamed internally. He's pulling me too early! Where is he? Hasn't he arrived yet? If I get pulled now before the raid, Bakugo will be left alone here! The plan will fail!
The sludge rose rapidly, swallowing his shins. Aokiji looked toward the door with suppressed desperation.
Hurry up, All Might!
And then, the electronic chime of the doorbell cut through the tension.
DING-DONG.
The black sludge paused. Time stopped in the room.
"Hello! Pizza-La Camino Store! Delivery!"
A muffled, cheerful, and innocent voice came from behind the thick, reinforced steel door.
The villains exchanged confused glances.
"Pizza?" Twice blinked behind his mask. "Did we order pizza? / I'm starving, open the door!"
"No..." Shigaraki whispered, his eyes widening as realization struck. "We ordered nothing."
At that moment, Aokiji exhaled the breath he had been holding.
He's here.
"SMASH!!!"
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
It wasn't the door. The entire wall disintegrated.
Bricks, mortar, and steel reinforcement bars were blown inward as a massive shockwave rocked the building. Dust billowed out, filling the room with a choking grey cloud. The pressure in the room spiked, forcing the villains to brace themselves.
Through the dust, a titan emerged.
"I HAVE COME!"
All Might stood in the breach, his shirt torn, his eyes glowing with electric blue fury. Flanking him were the wooden hero Kamui Woods and the veteran Gran Torino.
"...to take my students back!"
"Lacquered Chain Prison!" Kamui Woods screamed.
In a fraction of a second, thick wooden roots shot out from the hero's arms. They moved faster than the eye could follow, snaking around the room and binding every single villain before they could activate their quirks. Dabi, Toga, Twice, Shigaraki—all of them were wrapped in wood, pinned to the floor or walls.
The black sludge beneath Aokiji's feet receded momentarily, reacting to the shock of the ambush.
"Kuzan! Bakugo!" All Might roared, scanning the room.
Bakugo looked up, his eyes wide with shock and suppressed relief, panting from his earlier screaming. "All Might..."
Aokiji stood still. Kamui Woods hadn't bound him, identifying him as a hostage.
Aokiji locked eyes with All Might.
The Symbol of Peace looked at him with a mix of relief and intense paternal hope. Come back to us, my son. It is over.
But Aokiji didn't move toward him. He didn't run.
He scanned the room quickly. The villains were bound. The Nomu were missing.
He isn't here, Aokiji thought, his pulse racing. All For One isn't here. This isn't the end.
"Kurogiri! Warp Gate!" Shigaraki screamed, struggling against the wood.
"I... cannot..." Kurogiri choked out.
The Ninja Hero, Edgeshot, materialized from a thin fold within Kurogiri's body, piercing his lung to knock him unconscious instantly.
"It is over, League of Villains," Gran Torino stated grimly.
It seemed like a flawless victory. The students were secured. The villains were captured. But Aokiji kept his hand in his pocket, his fingers brushing against the small, round analog device.
This is too easy... Aokiji whispered.
And then, the real nightmare began.
It didn't come from Kurogiri.
From the mouths of the restrained villains, the foul-smelling black sludge began to erupt violently. It wasn't a portal; it was a forced extraction.
"What is this?!" All Might shouted, stepping forward.
"Is this your doing... Sensei...?" Shigaraki murmured, his eyes rolling back in ecstasy.
A pool of the black sludge opened up directly beneath Bakugo's chair.
"Bakugo!" All Might lunged, his hand outstretched.
But the sludge was faster. It swallowed the chair and the boy in an instant. "DAMN IT!"
Then, the pool beneath Aokiji's feet opened again, and this time, there was no hesitation.
Aokiji didn't resist. He didn't scream for help. He looked straight at All Might, his eyes sharp and focused.
He shouted his final message, loud and clear.
"I'll wrestle him for a bit! Don't you dare be late, Number One!!"
The sludge swallowed him whole.
[Flashback: 48 Hours Earlier - U.A. High, Secret Meeting Room]
The room was sterile, lit by harsh fluorescent lights.
All Might sat in his skeletal form, wringing his hands. Opposite him sat Aokiji. Standing by the door was Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi.
"Absolutely not!" Toshinori slammed his hand on the table. "It is too dangerous! We cannot use a student as bait! This goes against every principle of heroism!"
"It's the only way to find Him," Aokiji argued calmly. "The League moves in shadows. Even if the police find their hideout, All For One won't be there. He's careful. But he wants me. He wants my Quirk."
"He threatened your family, Kuzan-kun," Tsukauchi said gravely, flipping through a file. "If you go to him... you might not come back."
"If I go to him, he will bring me to his main body," Aokiji interrupted. "He needs to extract my Quirk physically. That means I will be in the same room as him."
Aokiji turned to the detective.
"Tsukauchi-san. Do you have a tracker? Something small. Something that can't be detected by electronic scans."
Tsukauchi hesitated, then reached into his coat pocket. He pulled out a small, non-descript grey button.
"This is a police prototype," Tsukauchi said, placing it on the table. "It doesn't emit digital signals, but very low frequency analog radio waves. Modern scanners overlook it entirely."
"Good," Aokiji took the button and hid it in his pocket. He looked at All Might. "I'll carry this. When I get to him... when I'm right in front of him... that's when you strike."
"Young Kuzan..." Toshinori looked at him with watery eyes. "You are asking me to let you walk into the abyss."
"I'm asking you to trust me," Aokiji said, his voice softening. "You said you are here for me, right? Then prove it. Let me be the anchor. You just make sure you pull me out before I drown."
Silence filled the room. Then, slowly, Toshinori nodded.
"I promise," All Might vowed. "I will find you. No matter where he takes you... I will be there."
.
.