Japan watched in horror.
Across every television, every phone screen, every emergency broadcast channel, the same broadcast played. What the public witnessed could no longer be called a battle between heroes and villains. This was a horror show, a true nightmare.
The infamous villain Junsei had appeared once more, and this time he had done something no one had imagined possible. Civilians were being turned into mindless puppets akin to zombies, forced to attack the very heroes and policemen sworn to protect them.
They saw their heroes fall.
One after another.
Some were killed outright. Others collapsed after being struck by Junsei's blood attacks, only to rise moments later with blue veins spreading through their bodies and flowers blooming from their eyes. The press crews had continued filming despite the chaos, their cameras capturing everything until the darkest moment that shattered what little hope remained.
Endeavor, who had lost his head and died, rose from the ground with his head made anew. He stood with a glowing flower in his eye, terror spread across the entire country. If even the number one hero could be turned into one of Junsei's puppets after death, then what chance did anyone else have?
Panic began spreading across Japan like wildfire.
And only minutes later, things became even worse.
The mutated birds and insects that had fled the battlefield began attacking the surrounding city blocks. Entire streets descended into chaos as the creatures descended upon the population with the clear intention of killing humans.
Some insects crackled with electricity, releasing bursts of lightning. Birds with golden feathers erected glowing barriers in the air while others ignited stones with flames before dropping them like burning bullets onto crowds below.
It was unlike anything Japan had ever witnessed.
People ran.
Many chose to hide inside their homes, barricading doors and windows in desperation. But that quickly proved to be a terrible mistake. The creatures were not attacking randomly, they were sweeping through the districts methodically, clearing entire neighborhoods of human life. If they couldn't make it to the human, they would burn down the entire place.
Those who stayed behind were hunted down. Those who ran simply kept running, fleeing as far as possible from the madness spreading through the city. The same sight was repeating across all cities.
Across the country, the entire animal kingdom had begun rising against humanity. Pets suddenly turned on their owners. Dogs and cats attacked the families who had raised them. Pet stores and animal shelters descended into violence as the animals inside tore into workers and customers alike.
Even the forests were emptying.
Creatures that normally avoided human contact walked out from the depths of the wilderness, moving toward cities and towns with a single purpose.
To kill humans.
The seas were no safer.
Along the coasts and in nearby waters, massive disturbances erupted across shipping lanes. Witnesses watched in disbelief as whales surfaced beside vessels before slamming their massive bodies against the hulls.
Ships capsized.
Others sank outright.
Those who fell into the ocean quickly discovered that the water itself had become hostile. Schools of fish, sharks, and other sea creatures swarmed the survivors, tearing them apart before rescue could arrive.
Some people tried to flee the country.
But the horror only deepened when new reports began arriving.
Similar attacks were occurring across the world.
Cities in other nations reported the same phenomenon. Animals attacking humans in coordinated waves, insects swarming entire districts, sea creatures assaulting ships.
There was no escape.
The truth slowly dawned on humanity.
Whatever Junsei had done… it was not limited to Japan.
The entire planet had been affected.
The animal kingdom had risen in unity.
And their target was humanity's extinction.
——————
Inside UA High School, Principal Nezu stared at the countless reports flooding across his monitors. News feeds from every major city in Japan, emergency communications from government agencies, and international alerts from other countries filled the screens before him.
Nezu felt genuine terror.
Not once had he imagined Junsei would escalate the situation to this scale.
Junsei's final words before unleashing the attack echoed through his mind again.
The ancient entity they had suspected existed and the possibility they had feared.
It was Junsei.
Nezu leaned back slowly, his mind racing.
He had once wondered if Junsei had lived multiple lives between his earliest known existence as the rat Ao and his current human life. But now he knew he was wrong. Nezu closed his eyes and searched through his oldest memories.
Back when he had been a lab rat.
Even then, Ao had understood the experiments happening around him and humans with perfect clarity. Ao had reacted quickly to changing circumstances, almost as if he had done this before.
Because he had.
Ao had not been Junsei's first life.
Nezu slowly placed a paw against his head.
"Life is a giant colony…" he murmured quietly.
"And Junsei is its heart."
Or its brain.
His will spread through every living thing.
The office door suddenly burst open.
Present Mic rushed inside, breathing heavily.
"Sir! The barrier activated. The dome is working."
Nezu looked up immediately.
"The mutated creatures can't enter the campus."
Relief flickered briefly across Nezu's face before fading.
"What about the evacuation?" he asked. "Nearby civilians? The students' families?"
Present Mic hesitated before answering.
"All nearby civilians are within UA, and we made progress with the families" he said carefully. "But… I'm afraid some might have already fallen."
His voice lowered.
"Some families live in areas that were hit early. We couldn't reach them."
Nezu closed his eyes for a moment.
"I see."
When he opened them again, his voice had become firm.
"Make sure the students do not leave the school under any circumstances. No matter what they hear. No matter what they think is happening."
He paused.
"It would be suicide."
Present Mic nodded grimly.
"Understood."
He turned toward the door but stopped halfway.
"Sir… is there any way to stop him?"
Nezu remained silent for several seconds before answering.
"I've sent emergency messages to every hero association and government authority across the world."
He looked back at the screens filled with catastrophe.
"Junsei's attack is already affecting other countries. The scale will only grow with every passing moment."
Present Mic nodded slowly before leaving the office.
When the door closed again, Nezu finally allowed himself to exhale.
His mind drifted back to the one vision that haunted Sir Nighteye.
The demon floating above a destroyed world.
If that future was still approaching, then Junsei had not yet reached that point.
There was still hope to stop him.
Nezu looked out the window toward the distant horizon.
"How to make him stop this madness…" he murmured quietly.
——————
Class 1-A sat in silence and grief.
They had watched it live. Their mentors, the heroes who had trained them, were slaughtered one after another by Junsei. Some died fighting. Others rose again moments later as puppets.
Fear and grief had settled deep in their hearts.
Among them, Shoto Todoroki sat motionless, his head pressed tightly against his forehead. No one dared speak to him. Everyone had seen what happened.
He had watched his father die. And then rise again as a mindless puppet.
The classroom door suddenly opened.
Mineta stepped inside.
His eyes were red and swollen.
He walked slowly into the room, his steps unsteady as if he were barely holding himself together.
"The area where I live…" he muttered.
His voice trembled.
"It was one of the first places attacked."
No one moved.
"All communication is gone," Mineta continued quietly. "There's no news about survivors."
He looked down at the floor.
"My parents were there."
Then his legs gave out.
Mineta dropped to his knees and began crying.
The sound echoed painfully through the silent classroom.
None of the students could speak.
They all understood the feeling.
The teachers had already explained the situation earlier. The school was under lockdown while civilians were being evacuated to UA as a safe zone. The barrier dome had been activated, and they had been ordered not to leave the campus under any circumstances.
Their families had been contacted.
Those who could reach the school were already on the way.
For everyone else…
All they could do was wait, hoping for the best.
The teachers were currently preparing the school's defenses, organizing evacuation routes and assigning emergency roles in case the campus itself came under attack.
Class 1-A had been told to stay alert.
Their help might be needed.
Mineta's crying continued, his shoulders shaking violently.
"I want to kill that bastard," he choked out. "I want to rip him to pieces."
The other students lowered their heads.
None of them disagreed.
After a moment, Denki Kaminari walked forward and knelt beside him.
"I'm sorry, buddy," Kaminari said quietly.
He placed a hand on Mineta's shoulder.
"If we get the chance… we'll definitely take down that monster."
The words hung in the room like a promise.
Several students nodded silently.
Time passed slowly before Todoroki suddenly spoke.
"Yaoyorozu."
Everyone looked toward him.
Todoroki's eyes had shifted toward Momo, specifically toward the small bird sitting quietly on her shoulder.
Dola.
"That bastard can see and hear through animals," Todoroki said.
The room grew still.
"What stops him from using that bird to watch us?"
Momo blinked in surprise, clearly caught off guard by the sudden accusation.
Only then did the rest of the class notice the bird.
One by one, heads turned.
The tiny creature perched calmly on her shoulder, completely silent.
Mineta suddenly jumped to his feet.
"Give me that bird!" he shouted."I want to rip it apart!"
Momo immediately pulled the bird protectively into her arms.
"Dola has nothing to do with this!" she protested. "And he doesn't have a reason to spy on us, but if you're worried about that, I can release her outside!"
Mineta's eyes burned with anger.
"I don't care!"
His voice trembled with rage.
"He feels the pain of insects and animals, right?!"
He pointed at the bird in her hands.
"Then I want him to feel the pain of that bird!"
Momo held the small creature tighter against her chest.
Kaminari grabbed Mineta from behind.
"Buddy, calm down!"
"Calm down?!" Mineta shouted through tears. "They killed my family!"
The room fell silent again.
"If killing the bird hurts that monster…" Sero muttered, "…I'm not against it."
Mina immediately spoke with a shake from her head.
"You can't hurt a tiny innocent bird just because some lunatic out there is murdering people."
Iida spoke next with a serious expression.
"Todoroki's concern is valid," he said. "If Junsei can control animals, then the bird could indeed be spying on us. We don't know what information could prove to be useful to him."
Momo looked down at Dola nervously.
"I'll let her fly away through the window," she said. "That should solve the problem."
Mineta shook his head violently.
"No!"
His voice was filled with rage.
"We should kill it! And every single bird and insect in this place!"
Several students felt uncomfortable with his words, but said nothing. They understood why he was speaking like that
Then Midoriya spoke up.
"I'm against hurting it. We should let it go," Midoriya said.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the bird.
"But first I want to know something. Why hasn't it attacked us?"
The question made everyone pause.
Midoriya continued slowly.
"Animals everywhere are attacking humans right now. So why isn't this bird?"
Every student turned their gaze toward the tiny bird resting quietly in Momo's arms.
Still docile.
Why was this one different?