Chapter 216:- Kyoto Aftermath

The next morning in Kyoto was filled with an air of dread that rippled through the streets, as if the city itself was consumed in horror at what had been uncovered overnight.

Bodies hung grotesquely from lampposts and buildings around the hidden facility's former location.

Each one bore a file around its neck, detailing the unspeakable atrocities they had committed—experimenting on innocent children, torturing the helpless, forcing quirks upon those who were never meant to have them.

The confessions written in bold, shocking letters made the scene feel like a nightmare.

But it was the body in the centre that drew the most attention: Yoroi Musha, mutilated and lifeless, displayed like a twisted mockery of the hero he had once been.

His sins were written plainly for all to see, his once-glorious armour now stained with blood and shame.

Above the scene, written in blood on the side of the ruined building, was a chilling message:

"People who do inhumane experiments will have a fate similar to this. ~ Thanatos"

The city erupted in outrage. Crowds quickly gathered at the site, their shocked murmurs growing into a deafening roar as people read the files, looked at the bloodied bodies, and realized the horrific truth of what had been happening right under their noses.

"This is insane!" shouted a man, his voice shaking with fury. "How could they be doing this here? In our city?"

"Where's the government?" a woman screamed, her face pale with disbelief. "How could they not know?"

"They knew," another voice growled, bitterness and suspicion filling the air. "Of course they knew. They just didn't care until someone forced their hand."

"Where's my daughter, where did you take her?" Shouted one man.

"Where's my husband?" "Where's my father?" "Where's my mother?" "Where's my Wife?" "My children? What did you do to them?" Screams of plea began to erupt causing the crowd to go into frenzy.

The anger grew, fueled by the growing belief that those in power had turned a blind eye to the atrocities.

Protestors began flooding the streets, demanding answers, demanding justice, demanding their loved ones back, their files condemning both the criminals who had committed the acts and the government that had allowed it to happen.

"Justice for the victims!"

"Thanatos is right!"

"Where was the government when children were being tortured?"

As the city became a boiling pot of fury and suspicion, a darker question began to arise: Who was Thanatos?

People whispered his name with a mix of fear and admiration. Whoever this figure was, they had done what the authorities had not—brought the evil to light and punished those responsible.

And while his methods were brutal, there were many who believed they were justified.

As the outrage continued to spread like wildfire through Kyoto, a being appeared in the sky hovering above them.

A man dressed in all black with a black skull orca mask came into the people's vision.

People looked up to him, as the man said, "People of Kyoto, I'm Thanatos, and I did all this to them.

These people have done atrocious things to your fellow citizens, and I have rescued most of them, sadly some of them weren't too fortunate as they couldn't survive.

I'll hand your people over to you, but till then I want you to be patient, currently they are being healed, they have been through traumatizing things so they need time to get healed, but don't worry they'll be back soon." Said Thanatos as he acted like a Messiah.

"If you bring back the people, we promise to support you however we can," urged the people.

"Rest assured, you will get your loved ones back," said Thanatos as he teleported from there.

While Kyoto was in total chaos, far away in the depths of an underground facility, a different kind of storm was brewing.

In a sterile, dimly lit office, a man sat alone, staring at the numerous screens in front of him. His face was obscured by the shadows, but the tension in the air was palpable.

His hands, resting on the armrests of his chair, were clenched tightly, his knuckles white with suppressed rage. His eyes, cold and calculating, narrowed as he watched the news of the Kyoto massacre.

The reports played over and over, each one more damning than the last. The anger of the people, the destruction of the lab, the missing test subjects—everything had been ruined in one night.

The man's lip curled slightly, a brief flicker of emotion crossing his usually composed face. His graying hair, neatly styled, gave him a distinguished appearance, but the air of power around him was undeniable.

He had worked too hard, sacrificed too much, to allow everything to fall apart now.

A soft beep interrupted his thoughts, and a holographic image flickered to life in front of him.

The figure that appeared was cloaked in darkness, their face obscured, but the presence they exuded was enough to command respect.

The man leaned back slightly, his tone controlled but laced with frustration. "The Kyoto facility is gone. The lab, the data—everything. And all the test subjects were taken."

The shadowy figure remained silent for a moment, as if processing the information. Then, a low, calm voice responded. "All the subjects? No survivors?"

The man's jaw tightened. "None. Whoever this 'Thanatos' is, they were thorough. The subjects were transported to an unknown location. Yoroi Musha didn't know where they went before he was... dealt with."

There was a pause, the weight of the failure hanging heavy between them as the figure thought, 'Him again?'

"And Yoroi Musha?" the figure asked, though they likely already knew the answer.

"Dead. Publicly. His body... it's been displayed for all to see, along with a list of his crimes.

The people are in an uproar." The man's voice dropped, his anger barely contained. "It's a disaster."

The figure in the hologram remained unreadable. "Your location is still secure. That is something.

But the loss of the test subjects is... unfortunate. You will need to recover them, or replace them, quickly."

The man gritted his teeth. "How am I supposed to replace them? We were on the verge of a breakthrough! Now everything is gone—years of work destroyed in one night!"

The shadowy figure didn't react to his frustration. His voice remained calm, almost unnervingly so.

"You still have your research. I suggest you focus on the next batch. I want one hundred artificially awakened quirk users ready for deployment as soon as possible."

"One hundred?" The man's voice was incredulous. "Do you realize how difficult that will be without the data we lost?"

"I do. But you have the resources. And I expect results."

The man's fists clenched tightly. He knew arguing was pointless. "Fine. We'll start over. But what about the missing subjects? Thanatos? We can't leave this unchecked."

The figure's voice remained calm, unbothered by the chaos that had unfolded. "Leave that to me. All For One has already been informed.

He'll use his network to track down the survivors. Once we find them, we'll retrieve what we need. The rest... will be dealt with."

The man leaned forward, his face finally catching the light—a man who once was celebrated as a brilliant scientist, now became a mastermind of a dark and dangerous world.

But his name remained hidden, shrouded in secrecy. To most, he was just another shadow pulling the strings from behind the scenes.

"I'll handle it," the man said, his voice low and resolved. "But this can't happen again. We can't afford any more setbacks, or all of my years of work will be finished."

The figure in the hologram gave a slight nod. "Then make sure it doesn't, the deadline is nearing, I can't afford any more delays then that have already happened. Make sure I get what I want."

And with that, the hologram flickered off, leaving the man in silence. He stared at the blank screen for a long moment, his mind already calculating his next move.

The failure of Kyoto was a setback, but it wasn't the end. There was still time to recover, still time to complete the work.

But Thanatos had made himself a target.

And when the time came, the man vowed to make Thanatos pay for the chaos he had unleashed and the years of work he has ruined.

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