Jaku Hospital lived its usual, measured life: the quiet rustle of gurneys, the hushed conversations of doctors, and the smell of antiseptics. None of the patients or staff suspected that beneath the foundations of this sanctuary of life, like a cancerous tumor, a colossal network of laboratories had grown. Kyudai Garaki's underground complex was a true heart of darkness, where the Nomu army was forged in sterile gloom.
The doctor himself, a small man with outsized ambitions, sat in his chair. His finger tapped an uneven rhythm, echoing the heavy drops falling from a leaky pipe somewhere in the shadows. Kyudai's gaze, hidden behind thick glasses, was fixed on the mosaic of monitors. He exhaled loudly through his bushy mustache, analyzing the data from the last few hours.
Everything was going according to his plans. Seemingly useless, Taiko eventually became a vessel for Nomura—a potential successor capable of standing on par with Tomura himself. Even their names rhymed, like a cruel twist of fate. But the true surprise was the "Original"—Taiko's quirk, which, in the silence of the incubators, mutated into something monstrously beautiful. It didn't simply imitate—it absorbed, becoming a mirror image of the gift of the AFO. The ability to replicate mutations like the "Tiger"... it was beyond mere cloning. Kyudai knew that the AFO's power couldn't be transmitted through test tubes, but Taiko was an exception. His former incarnation as the "Half-Hornet," the lord of the swarm, was merely a pitiful prelude.
«No matter how foolish you are, Taiko, and no matter which side you choose, I am grateful to you,» — Kyudai muttered, his voice carrying the dry rustle of old paper. —«You have become the fertilizer upon which my garden has blossomed. My legion now exceeds my wildest expectations.»
...
The doctor rose, determined to personally witness the triumph of his science. He left the monitor room, plunging into corridors that recalled the dawn of the Quirk era. This place had once belonged to a government corporation attempting to harness the chaos of evolution, but they had fled with their tails between their legs as the world began to crumble. Sensei had pointed out these ruins to him, and Kyudai had transformed them into his personal altar.
He walked slowly. The sterile floor chilled his soles, and the air grew thicker and stickier.
Sector D: Here, behind armored glass, the lower Nomu swarmed. Clumsy, crudely stitched together from the remains of bodies no one had come to claim. Their movements were jerky, their gazes blank. The Quirks here were primitive: brute force, chaotic regeneration. «Trash, fit only to clog the enemy's sewers,» — flashed through the doctor's mind. This included unsuccessful experiments. He didn't dispose of the samples that were still capable of movement, but kept them for now, but time demanded that he do something with them. Maybe give them to Sensei?
Sector C: The Nomu's bodies became symmetrical, almost human. A frightening awareness glimmered in their movements—they turned their heads toward the sound, watching their creator. Mistakes were controlled here. In total, he had about fifty Nomu, ranging from C to A rank. He didn't count the D-rank, although they were quite stronger than the average human.
Sector B: Perfect synchronization of several quirks. Kyudai lingered by the enclosure of a creature whose back was covered in bony spikes, and whose skin shimmered like the scales of a deep-sea monster.
Sector A: Silence. There were no cages here—only a controlled environment for masterpieces. The Nomu-Tiger was the pinnacle of this level. A perfect weapon that knew no bounds. There are only a ten B-ranks, and only three A-ranks, plus Nomu-Tiger, plus Kurogiri.
Unfortunately, maintaining so many Nomu is a serious budgetary burden. They consume nutrients, even of the shoddiest quality. They're not picky. However, even with total savings on everything, he simply can't produce more Nomu. He needs to do something with the lower-ranked D-Ranks; they're already starting to devour their own flesh, whatever they can reach, out of hunger. There's no doubt they'd eat each other if they weren't chained.
Nomu-Johnny, following his master and creator, winced unpleasantly as he heard a heart-rending roar from Sector D, while the other sectors were more restrained, and Sector A was completely silent.
—Stupid creature, they can't do anything to you, they're chained.— The scientist turned to the small and harmless Nomu, holding his hands behind his back, finding a moment to reproach him.
«People are so fond of believing in limits...» — Garaki chuckled, passing by.
He descended even deeper, to an isolated unit with no official designation. Section S. His footsteps echoed loudly here. Rows of dry cloning vats stood like empty sarcophagi. Here he was trying to recreate will, not just flesh.
Kyudai ran his finger along the cold glass of one of the tanks. He remembered Taiko. The boy had potential—not genius, but rare flexibility and that right kind of rage that makes a tool effective. The doctor had opened the doors to greatness for him, but Taiko chose her.
That girl, Kuinn. He traded true evolution for dusty ideals of heroism and a naive belief in justice.
«Fool. How fool...» — Kyudai exhaled, not anger, only endless weariness. «Trying to be 'good' in a world where the strong, not the right, survives... That's a luxury for those who haven't been forced to bend over their knees yet.»
At some point, the scientist felt a weakness in his body. Even the quirk of longevity is not infinite, and he, a 120-year-old man, should already be looking for a grave in the cemetery. But no. A feeling tore him apart from within. A feeling of anger and sadness.
—To put some parentless ragamuffin above me! ME!!! HIS CREATOR and GOD! How dare he!? — Kyudai burst into a scream in the concrete corridor, and the creatures from Sector D roared in response. He slammed his feeble hand against the concrete, and it only ached undisturbed, doing nothing to the wall. His hand ached terribly, and he rubbed it sadly, hissing in pain. He wanted to tear down this laboratory with the power of his mind. To rip these walls apart, just as the two strongest had done so easily. The All Might and Sensei. Two scoundrels who thought themselves gods. Kyudai could be a god too! He'd show them yet!
—What are you yelling about? —he muttered at bewildered Johnny. It seemed like such a stupid creature with a frankly creepy face, barely blinking.
Thoughts gradually returned, he adjusted his glasses, stroked his lush mustache and, having calmed down, continued on his way. The doctor stopped at the control panel. The equipment was dormant, but the life support systems still pulsed faintly. Everything could be restarted.
Previously, he had considered himself merely Sensei's shadow. An architect, not an heir. He had allowed Tomura to "take the throne," believing in the hierarchy of chaos. Yes, Tomura was impulsive, and Sensei saw it in the boy who killed his entire family with the sudden awakening of a destructive Quirk. Tomura harbored anger toward the entire world, and Sensei wanted to channel and amplify that anger. An anger greater than Sensei himself possessed.
The AFO clones had failed because AFO's Quirk was difficult to replicate due to its monstrous will to power and hatred of everything. That's why all the clones had failed. They simply weren't ready, so their Quirks had formed improperly, like improperly fused bones. But now, looking at the empty vats, Kyudai felt a strange thrill.
He didn't need a successor for Sensei. He needed an heir for himself. But he didn't like children, and he wanted the result immediately. Not the one who would inherit the AFO's power, but the one who would continue his science, his vision, his cold logic. Who else could do that but himself? Taiko had shown that the material could be different. That cells were capable of more, if approached with a different template.
The idea was dangerous, almost heretical. Kyudai narrowed his eyes, looking at the flickering indicators.
«My future body...Which pro-hero will serve as its basis? I'll capture Taiko, who will undoubtedly clash with Nomura, and no matter who obtains the BodySwap quirk, I'll force him to transfer me to a new, perfect body.» —He'd long had a plan for how to utilize Nomura's BodySwap Quirk, and now that the two "objects" are colliding, it will be the perfect opportunity to use Nomu-Tiger. Finally, the light has appeared—to shed my mortal old body. To become stronger, more resilient, more agile, and to live forever!
The future body already existed in calculations, formulas, and schematics, long before it took on physical form. The only question was which pro hero would serve as its basis. Taiko would inevitably clash with Nomura. This had been calculated. It didn't matter which of them mastered the Body Swap Quirk. Either way, I would force him to transfer me to a new body. A perfect one. The plan to use Body Swap had been in place for a long time, but the right moment had never arrived. Now it had arrived. The collision of two objects opened the way, and Nomu Tiger became the key that couldn't be missed.
Kyudai had already considered several DNA variants for creating his own vessel. The theory of combining Quirks had been around for years. The most obvious example was the Endeavor family and their fortunate, albeit unethical, coincidence. Shoto Todoroki became living proof that combined Quirks were possible. Ice and fire converged in a single body. But Kyudai's previous attempts had been failures. Eleven clones inherited neither their father's nor their mother's Quirk. A blank slate. A genetic failure that couldn't be ignored. Then he asked himself a simple question. What if he changed his approach?
The solution came from experience, not theory. Mutation Quirks proved far more stable. The Nomu Tiger experiment clearly demonstrated that mutations take hold more easily, are better transmitted, and conflict less with each other. They don't require fine-tuning. They work crudely but reliably. Kyudai decided to pursue this path. Not to create an artificial balance, but to rely on biology, which had already proven its worth.
Specimen one. Rumi Usagiyama. Rabbit. Exceptional agility, powerful legs, aggression, reaction speed. A mutation pushed to the limit. A body accustomed to constant overload. Low cortisol levels, highly sensitive to adrenaline. Cool-headed in critical situations and the ability to act without delay. Rumi lived in constant combat mode. Sixteen hours a day, she remained a hero. No partner, no rest, no outlet for pent-up energy. Everything was channeled into violence, legitimized by status. For Kyudai, this meant one thing. Her body had already adapted to stress, pain, and exhaustion.
Specimen two. Ryukyu. Dragon. A massive mutational Quirk with transformation, colossal physical strength, and resilience. Scales, regeneration, monstrous endurance. The dragon form didn't just strengthen the body. It altered the very structure of the metabolism, allowing it to withstand stress that would kill anyone else. Control over form, control over rage. A rare combination of strength and discipline.
If these mutations were combined in a single organism, the result would be a vessel capable of withstanding a great deal. Could they be combined in a single Quirk? The chances were far greater than with the AFO.
Kyudai was ready to activate all the accelerated growth facilities. Growing the body to the biological level of a sixteen-year-old would take two weeks. Inconceivably fast by any standards. He understood the cost. The equipment wouldn't withstand such a strain. By the end of the cycle, the facilities would be completely worn out. But that didn't matter. And the chance to create the perfect vessel only came once.
«Strong warrior genes and the mind of a genius. Excellent. I'm tired of being in the shadows. Forgive me, Sensei, but it's time for me to become something more.» He has to make sure it works the first time, because Kyudai's budget and equipment are only enough for one.
There was also another level below, where he'd once pitted all the clones against each other except Nomura, whose Quirk would be used for another, more useful task. Taiko called this place the Ant Arena. Very ironic. Back then, he'd considered Taiko his heir and pretended to obey him. «What a worthless, weakling he is. So easily deceived...» This level is currently being used to contain Gigantomachia. Sensei plans to use it soon. One of the earliest and most successful experiments with Nomu proved very useful.
He turned and headed for the exit, leaving Sector S in the darkness. The idea had to take root. Meanwhile, above, in Jaku Hospital, the doctors continued to save lives, unaware that beneath their feet something was brewing that could extinguish the sun of this world forever.