Volume 4 — Apostles, Claws, Radiants
Volume Info: Volume 4 will cover the formation of various organizations. It will last till the beginning of the third term of UA.
There will be three major arcs in this volume:
- Till the end of the School Festival
- Hero Site Visit (based on MHA movie)
- Training Camp
If you are liking the work so far, please consider supporting the work as well. Up to 60 chapters ahead are available [Link in my bio].
Enjoy!
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Chapter Begins:
When Luke arrived at the Gray Castle, he couldn't see Mr. Fool anywhere.
The gray fog was still there. So was the long table with chairs on either side. However, the high-back chair where Mr. Fool used to sit was empty.
Luke, once again, was standing at the very end of the long table.
He looked around, and up and down, hoping to see someone. Other than an unnerving silence, he failed to sense anything.
Suddenly, by chance, his eyes landed on the table right under him.
A Tarot Card was lying there face down. Taken over by curiosity, Luke reached out and turned the card over.
It was The Devil.
As if that was a cue, suddenly, figures began taking shape on the chairs, making Luke step back involuntarily.
What's going on?! Luke thought, shocked. Did I arrive at another place? Miss Justice warned me that there were others like Mr. Fool, but They were not as good as Him…
To Luke's utter surprise, it was the newcomers who seemed even more shocked and alarmed because of his presence.
Luke didn't know if he could use Danger Intuition here or not.
However, he could distinctly tell that he was about to get obliterated without getting a single chance to explain himself.
Suddenly, a mass of golden blobs left Luke, broke down into many parts, and shot toward all the figures with the speed of light.
For a moment, all the figures remained standing there, transfixed.
Then, Luke heard many sighs. Even though those figures were covered by the gray fog, he could see their shoulders relaxing markedly.
There was one more thing Luke noticed.
If he wasn't reading their body language and sensing their clothing wrong, then females were on the left side and males were on the right. There were four in each of the two groups.
Just as the eight figures relaxed, a chair materialized on the male side, at the fifth position.
"Mr. Devil…"
Luke's head snapped forward so fast that even his spirit jolted.
He knew this voice because he had been hearing it for over one and a half years now.
"Miss Justice?!" Luke asked, shocked. Did the System materialize itself?!
"… No and Yes," the female at the very front, and closest to Mr. Fool's chair, said. "Please take your seat. I will explain."
Luke awkwardly nodded, looking back at the Tarot Card in his hand that vanished, becoming gray fog.
The Devil… It whispers… Luke remembered Conformity's words as they rang in his mind.
It didn't take him more than a few moments to figure out that all these figures must be Mr. Fool's other Blessed, taking Tarot Cards as their Code Names.
But why The Devil? Luke thought, sitting on his chair. Am I more evil than even Conformity… Haha!
"You have a very positive attitude about calming down your nerves using humor," Miss Justice said, still standing, looking at him. "You prefer Clown Potion among the three Pathways, don't you?"
Luke's eyes widened.
"Mmm…" Luke looked at the empty chair. "May I know where Mr. Fool is?"
Miss Justice nodded at Luke. "Mr. Fool… is unavailable currently," she told him, shocking Luke. "Like you, we also have the same Mission. We will discuss more on it, but first, let me introduce you to the rest of the Tarot Club."
Tarot Club? Luke nodded.
"I am Justice," the lady said, giving him a formal courtesy. "Next to me are Magician, Hermit, and Judgment."
Luke exchanged a nod with everyone.
Then, Miss Justice looked at the male side of the table.
"The Hanged Man," she introduced, as the man nodded at Luke. "The Sun. The Moon…"
"I am Star," the man next to Luke spoke up before Miss Justice could finish. "Have you ever met a man wearing a monocle on your side?"
Eh? Luke was as puzzled as a common man could get in such a mysterious setting.
However, he noticed an oddity. Everyone, including Miss Justice, seemed to be holding their breaths, waiting for his answer.
"Monocles aren't common from where I come from," Luke hurriedly explained. "They are still available… like in shops… I guess."
Once again, Luke heard the distinct sighs. These people… are weird…
"There seems to be an inconsistent gap in time between our world and Mr. Devil's," Luke heard The Hanged Man saying as Miss Justice sat down. The others nodded at his remark. "Only a few months have passed on his side, but here…"
Sensing Luke's confusion, Miss Justice explained, "The System Mr. Fool blessed you with shared a few details with us when we arrived here. We know what happened to you and some of the things that were discussed in the last two meetings you had with Mr. Fool.
"In Mr. Fool's absence, we will try to guide you as much as we can, as our goals align. So, before we proceed, can you briefly explain what occurred between the last meeting and now?"
Luke remembered that Mr. Fool had directly gone through his memories through the System.
Somehow, despite knowing that, he hadn't minded it, considering Mr. Fool's overwhelming status.
But, as Luke found that these figures couldn't do the same, a wave of relief washed over him.
It wasn't like he meant to hide anything. However, it more or less told him that these figures weren't on the same level as Mr. Fool and were truly someone like him — common people with extraordinary powers.
So, not taking too much time to collect his thoughts, Luke retold the events from his fight with Shigaraki near UA to his becoming the Swindler.
When he was finished, Luke found everyone looking at him with disbelief.
Digested Swindler right after drinking the Potion?!
Miss Justice was looking at him with blatant fascination. Miss Magician and Miss Judgment were looking at Luke and then at each other. Miss Hermit nudged her glasses as she stared at him.
On his side, The Hanged Man was staring right at him as well. The Sun was turning around on his chair as if he eagerly wanted to ask something. The Moon was edging away slightly on his chair, his head snapping at others.
The Star shifted on his seat as well, looking right into Luke's eyes as if he could see their blueness.
"Are you sure…" Mr. Star asked as Luke noticed the silence again, "… that you haven't seen anyone wearing a Monocle around you?"