Chapter 210: The wait is over.

--Saturday, May 30, 2172 Four days later, early in the morning, Shino stepped off a helicopter onto a helipad near the sea, holding down her hair as it flew wildly in the strong wind. She was wearing her red hero suit, which had a cat paw print on the buckle. In the center of each circle of the paw print, there was now a triangle emitting a faint bluish light. After Shino, Ryuko, Chatora, and Tomoko disembarked from the helicopter as well, each of them also having the strange glowing triangles on their belts. Behind them came a male figure dressed in a black suit of armor with a futuristic, almost organic design covered in a strange pattern that seemed to blend electric circuits and tribal runes, with a triangle on his chest that emitted a bluish light. Along with the armor that fit his body perfectly, the man wore a full-head helmet, seemingly heavily inspired by the kitsune mask. It had red eyes, cat-like ears on top, and various red details reminiscent of the iconic masks. As the man stepped off the helicopter, he walked with a firm and steady stride toward the Pussycats, as if completely unaffected by the gusts of wind produced by the helicopter's blades. At that moment, a majestic black panther with blue eyes descended from the helicopter, wearing what appeared to be a type of technological armor on its torso, head, and legs. The appearance of the imposing panther caused the people around the helipad—fully armed police officers—to grip their weapons tightly, some even swallowing hard. But upon seeing how the panther calmly followed the man without even glancing their way, several of them were able to release a discreet sigh of relief. As the helicopter lifted off, a beautiful woman with white hair, rabbit ears on her head, and tanned skin—known as the rabbit heroine Mirko—approached the Pussycats and the mysterious man in armor. She had been waiting for a few minutes. With a smile on her face, she greeted them enthusiastically. “I didn’t think we’d be working together again so soon.” “We didn’t either, though you could see it as an extension of the scientists' case.” Shino replied in a serious tone, to which Mirko nodded before turning to look at the man in the armor. At that moment, she gave a nearly predatory smile and commented. “Your hero suit is pretty interesting—you’ve got good taste, boy.” “It’s combat armor, not a hero suit.” Almost immediately, the armored man replied in a slightly distorted voice, which couldn’t hide the clear irritation in his tone. This made Mirko laugh, and she responded a moment later with a slightly mocking tone. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, oh great Demon King, hahaha.” Upon hearing the rabbit heroine’s comment, Kai couldn’t help but click his tongue, but just then, a new helicopter began to land, drawing everyone’s attention. Moments later, three heroes—two men and a woman—stepped out. The first was a lean and muscular man, with gray hair shaped into three sharp spikes that covered the left side of his face. The lower half of his face was covered by a mask, which matched his traditional red ninja outfit worn beneath a blue tunic. His arms were wrapped in a thin dark fabric that folded into white forearm sleeves, and on his right shoulder, he carried a golden oni mask. Behind the first man came the second, who was slightly shorter and wore a tight-fitting black suit, accompanied by a wooden helmet that completely covered his face. From a wooden belt hung a kind of pink veil on the left side, along with wooden kneepads and wooden shoes. His arms—visible thanks to the short sleeves of the black suit—appeared to be entirely made of wood. Lastly, a beautiful woman with chin-length blonde hair stepped off the helicopter. She wore a traditional dark red qipao with a pale green scale-like trim around the shoulders and black knee-high boots. On her head, she had a matching green headband adorned with four large pale purple claws that covered the right side of her face, along with a set of small dragon wings protruding from the back of her head. “So, you’re the ones they called.” Mirko remarked, her hands on her hips. At that moment, Ryukyu—the beautiful blonde woman—replied in a calm tone. “It’s a surprise to see you here too, Mirko. Things must be quite serious.” “So they didn’t give you specific information either.” Upon hearing Ryukyu’s comment, Mirko said thoughtfully and turned to look at the Pussycats, then added with a smile. “But I’ve got a feeling you do have it.” “We certainly know more, but everything will be explained in detail shortly.” Shino replied in a serious tone. Just then, All Might walked onto the scene, accompanied by a young police officer and an old acquaintance—Detective Tsukauchi—who spoke in a formal tone upon arrival. “Thank you all for coming. Let’s head inside, where a meeting will be held to explain the mission details.” Almost completely ignoring Detective Tsukauchi, Mirko and the three new heroes looked at All Might with their eyes slightly wider than usual. At that moment, the ninja hero asked in a serious, somewhat deep tone. “All Might will be leading this operation?” “That’s right.”  All Might responded calmly, wearing his trademark smile. This caused the expressions of Mirko and the three heroes to grow more intense. The hero in the wooden helmet, Kamui Woods, commented in a heavy tone. “I can’t tell if this mission will be easy... or extremely difficult.” The others couldn’t help but nod in agreement with Kamui’s words—at which point All Might let out a powerful laugh and spoke with absolute confidence. “The situation is complicated, but I’m confident we can pull through!” “Let’s head inside so we can begin the meeting.” Tsukauchi spoke in a serious tone before leading the way into a nearby building, followed by the others. They soon arrived at an office, where the meeting began and all the information about Spider Island was presented—information provided in its entirety by Kai. . . . . . . . . . An hour later, the group departed on a police speedboat, which was being driven by Kai, as it was too dangerous to bring a police officer along. With his eyes fixed straight ahead, Kai spoke quietly with All Might, while the Pussycats sat in silence, solemn expressions on their faces. Meanwhile, Mirko, Kamui Woods, Ryukyu, and the Ninja hero—also known as Edgeshot—were reviewing once again the terrifying data they had been given on digital tablets. At that moment, Ryukyu spoke, her expression incredibly serious. “This is truly terrifying.” “Indeed, if All Might weren’t here, I’d doubt the credibility of this data.” Edgeshot replied in a heavy voice, a small bead of sweat trailing down his cheek. Meanwhile, Kamui Woods looked at Kai piloting the boat and spoke seriously. “But there’s something I don’t understand. Why is the man in the black suit coming with us? I don’t recall ever seeing him before, so he’s not a well-known hero. This is the kind of situation where it wouldn’t be surprising if several of us lost our lives—bringing someone like him is far too risky, even if he is the ‘guide.’” “That guy is stronger than I am.” At that moment, Mirko spoke with a wide grin, prompting the other three to look at her in surprise. Ryukyu asked in disbelief. “You know him?” “Yes, we even fought once—and I couldn’t do a thing against him. It was like a grown-up playing with a child… and he was the adult.” Mirko responded in a bright voice, almost as if she were proud of having lost, which caused the other three heroes to glance at each other, a look of disbelief shining in their eyes. After all, they were fully aware of the rabbit heroine’s strength—and more importantly, her recklessness—so they knew that defeating her in the way she described was no easy feat. In fact, none of the three believed they could manage it themselves. “How is it possible that no one knows about someone that strong?” With a hint of caution, Edgeshot couldn’t help but ask in a low, measured voice. Mirko was about to answer with a grin, but before she could, a slightly distorted male voice cut in. “Because I’m not a hero, and I don’t intend to be one. You can think of me as a 'mercenary'.” “Do you enjoy being all mysterious?” Mirko quickly asked in a playful tone, looking at the man in the black armor piloting the boat, while All Might’s usual smile couldn’t help but twitch slightly. In the back, Ryukyu, Edgeshot, and Kamui Woods exchanged looks once again, discomfort clearly written on their faces. But before anyone realized it, Mirko leapt up and walked over to stand in front of the man in black armor, who seemed to have finished his conversation with All Might. Then Mirko began speaking to him casually, as if completely unaware they were heading into hell on earth—a place where they could lose their lives at any moment. … “Sometimes I kind of envy Mirko’s mindset…”  Ryukyu said with an ironic grimace on her face as she watched the rabbit heroine. But her expression quickly turned solemn as she turned to look at Edgeshot and Kamui Woods. “This might be one of the toughest missions I’ve ever taken on as a pro hero, and there’s a very real chance we won’t come back alive. But someone has to do it—and I’m willing.” Ryukyu paused briefly and looked at her companions, who nodded in agreement. Then she added seriously, gesturing to the claws covering half of her face. “Even so, I’d like to ask the two of you for something. If anything happens to me, if possible, at least bring my headband back with you and take it to my family.” “You can be sure I’ll at least try.” Edgeshot replied seriously, then pointed to the golden mask on his shoulder and added. “And I like your idea—so I’d like to ask the same. If something happens, bring back my mask.” “In my case, bring this back and take it to my agency. They’ll know what to do.” Kamui Woods joined in with a serious tone, pointing to the pink veil hanging from his belt. The others nodded solemnly in response. … While the trio of heroes spoke solemnly among themselves, All Might turned to look at them with his signature smile, feeling that they truly were exemplary heroes. Even though they were fully aware of the great danger ahead, not for a single moment did they hesitate to act. That unshakable resolve made the Symbol of Peace stand tall—deeply proud of his profession. Soon, All Might turned to look at the Pussycats, who also wore solemn expressions as they reviewed the island data over and over again, even though by now they should have memorized it. But no matter how focused they were on reading, the group of heroes would occasionally glance at Kai with a wary gleam in their eyes—something the Number One Hero understood perfectly. After all, he too had seen the video of Kai’s final moments on that island—something that had truly surprised him, not just because of the young man's strength and resilience, but even more so because of his absolute selflessness in protecting his family. (Kai-shonen, if only you could share a little of that love and devotion with the world at large… you’d be one of the greatest heroes.) Looking at the young man in the armor, All Might couldn’t help but sigh to himself, while random thoughts passed through his mind on how he might motivate the boy to use his strength for good. After a few seconds, the Symbol of Peace shook his head—none of the ideas convinced him. So he decided to set it aside for now and focus on the exploration mission ahead. That island was an extremely dangerous place—so much so that even he, the Symbol of Peace, could die if he let his guard down for even a moment. He had to cut off any unnecessary thoughts and focus completely to fight with all the strength he had left... which continued to fade with each passing day. … “‘A mercenary,’ huh? It looks like you’re going through that phase, boy. Total chunibyo.” With a forearm resting on Kai’s shoulder, Mirko teased in a mocking tone, completely relaxed. Kai turned to look her up and down before replying in a tone that matched the rabbit heroine’s. “Says the one who walks around in a bunny suit.” “So what? Does it distract you? Then it’s working.” Mirko replied with a wide grin as she gently nudged Kai’s head with her elbow. To that, he casually responded. “Not bad, but I’m a committed man.” “Bah, such a ‘gentleman’. This outfit is what they call a ‘distraction tactic.’ If people get distracted, that’s an advantage for me.” Mirko replied cheerfully as she tugged slightly at her suit around the waist, then leaned in and whispered playfully into Kai’s ear. “Though I’m not the jealous type, you know?” “Well, look at that—the great Mirko’s flirting with me. Didn’t think you even knew how. I must be truly irresistible.” Kai said in a teasing tone, to which Mirko responded confidently and cheerfully. “Convinced, but not wrong. You’re strong, you’ve got guts, and you make me laugh. That already puts you above a lot of people.” “Thanks for the great honor.” Kai replied with sarcasm, making Mirko laugh. At that moment, Kai turned to look at her and asked with mild curiosity. “But you don’t seem the least bit worried about the danger.” “I live every day like it’s my last, so I don’t regret anything—there’s nothing to be afraid of.” Mirko replied confidently, a wide smile on her face. Then she pointed to her chest with her thumb and added with a nearly predatory grin on her beautiful face. “Besides, the hero Mirko isn’t going down to a bunch of bugs.” Hearing the words of the wild and beautiful pro hero, Kai turned to look at her for a few seconds. She didn’t seem blindly confident in her strength—instead, it was as if she was completely convinced that even if she were to die, she’d fight to the very end to achieve her goal. That gave her a kind of charm that Kai found undeniably appealing, and he couldn’t help but comment with a smile. “You’re pretty attractive.” “Hahaha, already falling for me?” Mirko laughed cheerfully, eyeing Kai’s kitsune helmet. He replied casually. “If I were single, maybe.” “Life’s too short to overthink. Until now, I’d never met a man stronger than me who I also got along with this well. So, if we make it out alive… let’s have a rematch.” “Not a bad idea, actually. I had meant to reach out to you for training, but I ran out of time.” Kai replied calmly, growing more certain with each passing moment that the rabbit heroine was an excellent candidate for the Quirk Maker project. Mirko laughed with delight, then spoke with enthusiastic energy. “We really are way too compatible. If we make it out alive, it’s a promise!” “It’s a promise.” Kai replied calmly. Just then, he noticed a fog suddenly appearing out of nowhere, surrounding them. He quickly spoke up in a serious tone. “The wait is over—we’re at the entrance. Get ready for the storm.” At Kai’s words, all the heroes fastened their seatbelts with solemn expressions—even Mirko moved to a nearby seat and strapped herself in. Meanwhile, Kai turned to look at All Might and said in a serious tone. “We’ll do it like we discussed: I’ll open the path, and you give us the boost. That storm is too brutal to get through by normal means.” “I’ll be waiting for your signal, Saito-shonen!” All Might quickly nodded and moved to the back of the boat, taking position to throw a punch at any moment. Meanwhile, Kai reached out a hand toward Salem, who was lying behind him.  With eyes slightly widened, the heroes watched as a sword began to form from the panther’s black fur, quickly taken by the man in the armor. Then he pushed the boat to full speed, driving it deep into the fog. Soon, all the heroes could see colossal lightning bolts striking the sea and felt hurricane-force winds slamming against their bodies, threatening to hurl them into the air at any moment.  As the raging ocean violently tossed them about, the heroes saw a towering wave—over 10 meters high—rushing toward them, so awe-inspiring they couldn’t even swallow their saliva properly. It was at that moment that they heard the serious voice of the man in the black armor. “Now!” At Kai’s command, All Might immediately unleashed a powerful punch, creating a brutal shockwave followed by a horizontal hurricane that launched the boat forward at incredible speed. As their faces were slightly distorted by the velocity, everyone watched as the man in the black armor raised his sword, then brought it down at full force, unleashing a sort of flying slash of jet-black color. To their disbelief, Ryukyu, Edgeshot, and Kamui Woods watched as the flying slash sliced through the massive wave and split the sea in two—as if Moses himself had done it—leaving their jaws so wide open a whole orange could’ve fit in their mouths. It was at that moment they heard a near-maniacal laugh from Mirko, who then shouted with pure excitement. “HAHAHAHA! You’re seriously amazing, boy!!!” *** You can support me on /lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.