They reached the upper floor that overlooked the colossal reception hall, and what they saw froze them in place.
All Might and the other pro heroes sat bound in high-tech restraining tape, the material shimmering like live wire across their chests and limbs.
Guests huddled on the marble floor below, faces white with fear. Masked men in tactical gear moved through the crowd with cold efficiency, weapons trained and voices barked into earpieces.
Midoriya got All Might's attention through Jiro's Quirk relay. Though muffled, All Might's message came clear enough: "The villains have taken over the tower. They have control of the security system, and everyone on the island is a hostage. All the heroes have been taken as well. It's dangerous. Get away from here as soon as possible."
The words landed like a punch.
Inside a secluded room.
"Follow All Might's direction and escape," Ida suggested first, straightforward and worried. "We should get out."
Bakugo's jaw tightened. "I disagree. They're just low-level mobs," he said, cracking his knuckles as if daring the world to prove him wrong.
" I agree with Ida," Yaoyorozu answered, unexpectedly decisive.
"Yeah, also agree with Ida," Kendo added. "We're students. We can't fight villains without our licenses."
The chorus of caution settled over the group like a blanket, sensible, safe, and infuriating to Tsutsumi.
"I think escaping's gonna be hard," Melissa said, frowning. "This place is built with the same level of security as Tartarus. Whoever's in control knows how to lock a facility down."
"Then we have no other choice but to fight," Jiro said, voice low but iron-edged.
"Jiro-chan, the villain has taken All Might. There's no way we can go save them ourselves!" Hagakure's voice trembled, fear skittering at the edges of her words.
Midoriya's fists clenched so hard his knuckles went white. Quirk hummed under his skin, All Might's Quirk, the inheritance he bore, and yet his face was a portrait of chained desire and cold reason battling in the same chest.
"I... I think we should follow All Might's word." Midoriya said, despite his heart telling him to fight. The other times he listened to his heart, it ended with him failing the test, nearly getting himself and his friend killed, and Grand Torino in trouble.
"We are trying to become heroes," Todoroki muttered.
"Yes, but we are still not allowed to work as heroes-" Yaoyorozu began, and then Tsutsumi cut her off.
"Then does that mean we should do nothing and wait for our death?" His voice was quiet but it sliced the air. Heads snapped toward him.
"Even if you know your fate is destined to fail, are you simply going to accept it without trying to change it?" He walked slowly among them, eyes catching each face. "Does abandoning those who need help, letting the innocent die because a piece of paper says it's wrong to act… make you a hero?"
His gaze shifted from eye to eye. "If following a set of rules means that we aren't allowed to help, even knowing that you have the power to help, then can you even call yourself a hero?"
"Tsutsumi-kun, we don't have a choice! Fighting them meant breaking the laws and-" Midoriya tries to reason with him, only for Tsutsumi to cut him off.
"Stand by and watch them die then." Tsutsumi glares at this useless puppet that has no spine of its own or is willing to make its own decision and think about the consequences before it comes knocking.
Tsutsumi continued as the image of a blonde saint flashed through his mind.
"Everything is Decade's fault. I'll help them even if it means I become the villain. Even if I am hated… I'll still fight. For a world of Love and Peace. I won't go back on my promise."
Tsutsumi glanced at them before finally landing on Midoriya, their faces full of fear and indecision.
"If you need to be loved to do the right thing," he said quietly, "then you'll never be a hero. You'll be a performer." He took one step toward the door.
He walked out before anyone could stop him.
Silence followed for less than a breath. Then Todoroki and Bakugo moved without fanfare. Jiro and Melissa traded a look and walked after them.
The group of five walked through the silent hall. The only sounds were the faint hum of the tower's security systems and the rhythmic echo of their footsteps against the polished floor.
"So what's the plan?" Jiro finally broke the silence, her tone half-curious, half-tense.
Tsutsumi shifted his gaze toward Melissa, who followed close behind. "Do you have a way to retake control of the system?"
Melissa nodded, pushing her glasses up as her eyes glimmered with resolve. "Yes. If we can reach the top of the tower, we should be able to reset the system manually. It'll take some time, but it's doable."
"Should be simple enough," Tsutsumi said as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a card.
Form Ride: Ark!
His eyes turn crimson. With Melissa handling the hacking, he wouldn't need to reveal his own ability, one that could completely override and corrupt any digital network at will.
Reaching into his suit, he pulled out four sleek, white masks that covered only the upper half of the face.
"Put these on," he instructed, his voice steady. "They may look simple, but these will completely erase our presence from any surveillance device. People can still see us, but no AI, drone, or robotic scanner will register our existence."
They each took a mask and slipped it on. The moment the cold surface touched their skin, a subtle digital pulse ran through their bodies. Their hair and eye colors shifted to black, their outfits darkening into muted tones of gray and charcoal.
Melissa caught her reflection in a glass panel and gasped softly. "Amazing… it even has its own HUD interface?" Her once-blonde hair now shimmered obsidian under the dim light, and her bright blue dress had become a black and gray dress.
"This is... truly incredible," Todoroki murmured, looking down at his now black suit.
"Sweet! I'm keeping mine," Bakugo grinned, already tapping at the mask's side as if it were his own personal device.
Jiro crossed her arms, eyeing Tsutsumi. "Where did you even get these?"
"I made them," Tsutsumi replied calmly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Technically, these were created using Ark, after copying and recording the data from the IS world and I-Island, but since he was the one in command and making the decision instead of the AI that wanted to human race to follow the dinosaur's footsteps.
The three U.A. students exchanged glances. After remembering how easily Tsutsumi skipped class without being spotted, it suddenly made sense.
He'd probably been using this tech for his own stealth missions, or more accurately, to escape U.A. surveillance.
Tsutsumi's tone shifted, commanding yet composed. "From here on, we'll go by code names. The villain may not recognize us visually, but they can still trace our real identities through the hacked system. Codenames will give us the upper hand."
He turned to Melissa first. "Melissa, you'll be Tech. Your mission: reach the top floor and hack back into the system. No pressure."
"Right," Melissa nodded, her voice steady, though the faint tremor of excitement betrayed her nerves.
Next, he faced Jiro. "Kyo, you're Shade. Your job is to escort Tech and make sure she reaches the top safely."
"A stealth mission, huh?" Jiro smirked. "I can handle that."
Then his gaze moved to Todoroki. "You're Aqua. Create an ice path or any support structure they can use to climb fast. Elevation and defense, that's on you."
"I can do that," Todoroki answered simply, his calm expression barely masking his growing anticipation.
Finally, Tsutsumi turned to Bakugo. "You'll be Blast. When needed, cause as much chaos as possible. Draw their attention away from the other."
"Now we're talkin'," Bakugo grinned, cracking his knuckles before igniting small bursts of sparks in his palm.
Tsutsumi took a final breath, lowering his voice. "I'll be Nagant. My job is to locate whoever's taken control of the surveillance system and take them out. Without their command, it'll take them longer to regain control."
The four nodded, expressions shifting between determination and restrained excitement.
"Remember," Tsutsumi continued, his voice dropping to a quiet but powerful tone. "What we're about to do technically breaks the law. So, to avoid association with our actual identities…" He paused, letting the silence stretch for dramatic weight. A faint grin curved his lips.
"Our group will be known as..."
He tilted his head slightly, eyes glinting through the mask.
"The Phantom Thieves of Hope."
...
The group began their operation, moving swiftly through the sterile corridors.
Security doors slid open with a faint hiss, and cameras turned in mechanical rhythm, yet none of them triggered an alarm. Though the system registered that doors were opening, the sensors failed to identify the intruders. To the network, they didn't exist.
"Here..." Tech whispered, pulling up the mask's HUD projection. A transparent map flickered in front of her, data flowing in glowing blue lines, created by linking the mask with her phone. "If you head straight and take the left turn, up on the fiftieth floor, you'll reach the surveillance room."
She then gestured to the other corridor branching right. "That path will take us to the top floor. The control node should be there."
Nagant gave her a short nod. "Do your best, and stay safe." His tone carried a calm authority, the kind that steadied the others even in chaos.
Then, without another word, he turned and sprinted toward the surveillance room, his footsteps fading as he got further and further away from them.
The others also return to their tasks, focusing on taking Tech to the top of the tower.
Reaching a secluded corner, Nagant finally slowed down. He exhaled quietly, removing his mask and slipping a card from the slot on his belt.
Form Ride: Ex-Aid! Mighty Brothers! Double X!
A holographic blue and orange interface materialized before him, pulsing with digital energy. The light washed over his face before the screen surged forward, merging with his body. A surge of energy split through him, and in an instant, two Tsutsumis stood side by side.
Then the right Tsutsumi pulled out another card, while the left one slipped his mask back on.
"Henshin."
Kamen Ride: Eternal!
The air rippled. A gust of wind coiled around his body, small pieces forming into sleek, white armor. Blue flame-like patterns licked at his hands and feet, while a black cape unfurled across his shoulders. His large yellow eyes glowed beneath the horned mask.
Eternal then placed his hand on his belt, as it shifted into the Lost Driver with the Eternal Gaia Memory in it.
Without a word, Eternal turned toward the shimmering Aurora Curtain, stepped through, and vanished.
A flash of white tore through the sky outside the tower, then came the crash.
Eternal descended like a comet, smashing through reinforced glass and steel plating, sending debris scattering across the floor. The impact triggered the tower's alert protocol, alarms blared, red lights strobed across the halls, and the artificial voice of the security system echoed.
Dozens of mechanical sentinels and hacked security drones converged on his position. Eternal stepped forward through the smoke, the sound of his boots steady and unhurried. His fingers curled around the hilt of his dagger, the Eternaledge, and with a low hum, he dashed forward.
Blue sparks danced in his wake as he cut through the machines, each swing deliberate, almost elegant. Metal limbs and shattered optics rained across the corridor.
Meanwhile, Nagant was climbing the inner stairwell, moving with silent precision. From somewhere far off, the muffled thunder of explosions rattled the metal walls.
"So they've run into a group of villains, huh..." he muttered, a hint of a smirk crossing his face before he continued upward.
The Phantom Thieves of Hope, the name sounded noble, but it was nothing more than a cover.
In this world, using your Quirk without a permit was a criminal act. The law didn't care about intent, only paperwork. But for someone like him, the rules never really applied; he simply chose whether or not he would follow them.
When Nagant entered the surveillance room, the stench of ozone and blood filled the air. The monitors flickered with static. And standing amid the carnage, surrounded by broken drones and fallen villains, was Eternal.
The white Rider twisted the neck of the final villain with a brutal snap and let the lifeless body fall beside the others.
A single red light blinked in the corner of the room, a live camera feed still recording.
Nagant's eyes narrowed. He pulled out a card.
"Henshin."
Kamen Ride: Joker!
Black armor enveloped his form, sleek and silent. The transformation's hum faded as he reached up, disabling his mask's interference function. The blinking camera now captured the full sight, the black Rider facing the white Rider.
For a moment, neither moved. The tension in the air was electric, predator meeting reflection.
Then, in unison, their voices cut through the static.
"Now!"
"Count up your sin!" / "Enjoy your hell!"
Their fists collided with a deafening impact, releasing a shockwave that shattered the room's monitors and blew the debris outward like a storm.
Black and white clashed in the flashing red light, two Riders, one soul, fighting under the watchful eyes of the machine.