My Hero Academia: The Beginning Without An End Chapter 99 99: The Blue Bloom

After Nezu's warning, the heroes could no longer afford to ignore the forest. Whatever its purpose, leaving it untouched was no longer an option.

By the next morning, the area surrounding the forest had been transford into a massive restricted zone. Hundreds of police officers stood guard along the expanding periter while pro heroes moved through the streets coordinating the operation. Barricades were erected several blocks away, forcing civilians to detour around the growing containnt area.

The plan was simple.

Destroy the forest.

Endeavor and his agency were assigned as the main force responsible for carrying out the task. Their strategy was straightforward and brutal: burn everything.

Every tree. Every branch. Every creature hiding inside.

If the forest truly had so purpose related to Junsei's attacks and especially after the recent accidents and attacks, then leaving even a fragnt behind might prove dangerous.

Better to reduce the entire place to ash.

The scale of the operation quickly drew attention. Reporters gathered along the barricades, caras pointed toward the growing assembly of heroes.

Naturally, questions followed.

Sir Nighteye took the responsibility of addressing the press. His calm deanor helped maintain the illusion that the situation was completely normal and fine.

"We have reason to believe this forest may be affecting the behavior of animals and insects in the surrounding area," he explained to the gathered reporters. "Out of caution, we have decided to remove it before it becos a problem."

One journalist raised a hand imdiately.

"If it's just a forest, why mobilize so many heroes?" the reporter asked. "Wouldn't this normally fall under public workers or local police?"

"True, but we chose to do it in such an operation as an extra precaution," Nighteye answered evenly.

Of course, the truth was far more serious. The real scale of the operation remained classified. If the public learned that hundreds of heroes had been called to deal with a forest potentially connected to Junsei's plan to attack civilians, panic would spread.

Better to maintain the appearance of routine caution.

What Nighteye did not know was that the forest itself had been watching everything. Every movent of the humans was seen by the birds perched in the branches.

And as soon as they realized the humans intended to do sothing to the forest, they sent out a call.

They called for Junsei and he answered.

Far away from the forest, within the city streets, Junsei stood quietly among the pedestrians. His hoodie cast a shadow across his face while the crowd passed around him without a second glance.

No one recognized him. Partly because of the changes his body had undergone since the battle with All For One. And partly because people simply weren't looking for him.

Junsei watched the live news broadcast displayed on a store window across the street. On the screen, Nighteye calmly explained the operation to reporters.

Destroy the forest.

Junsei's eyes began to glow faintly beneath the hood.

He would not allow that. Humans had taken enough. They would not take this as well.

Junsei slowly turned his head and looked down the busy street. Hundreds of people moved through the city without noticing him.

Each one lost in their own small world.

None of them recognized the being standing among them.

Junsei glanced toward the distant location of the forest.

Then he looked back at the people filling the streets.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

An idea ford in his mind.

Humans only knew how to take from life, they should experience its pain.

——————

Back at the forest periter, the heroes were already preparing for the operation.

Those with fla-related quirks had spread out across all sides of the forest. Each of them stood accompanied by additional heroes, forming coordinated teams positioned at equal distances around the forest's edge.

If they ignited only one section of the forest, every animal inside might flee in the sa direction and overwhelm the periter. But if the flas began simultaneously from all sides, the creatures would be trapped within the inferno.

It had taken hours to organize everything.

Police had spent most of the day evacuating civilians from nearby buildings while heroes established a defensive line in case animals attempted to escape.

If the creatures truly were under Junsei's influence, then even a small breach could lead to chaos across the city.

Finally, everything was ready.

Endeavor stood at the front line, staring into the dense forest ahead of him. High above, dozens of birds perched silently.

Watching.

Endeavor frowned.

"These birds are acting strange," he muttered. "Nighteye was right to call us here."

Beside him, Hawks stood lazily, arms crossed behind his head.

"If I didn't know better," Hawks said casually, "I'd think you just hate birds and finally found an excuse to burn them."

He tilted his head slightly.

"Just don't mistake for one of them. That would be tragic."

Endeavor shot him a brief glare.

"This is serious."

Hawks shrugged lightly.

"I know."

Then his expression softened slightly as he looked toward the forest.

"Still… I feel sorry for them," he said quietly. "These animals didn't choose this. If Junsei really is controlling them, then they're just victims."

He sighed.

"I'd rather deal with the root of the problem."

Endeavor's eyes hardened.

"We will."

His voice carried quiet certainty.

"He won't be able to run forever."

After a mont, Endeavor tapped the communicator in his ear.

"Report. Is everyone in position?"

Voices imdiately began responding across the channel as hero teams confird their readiness.

"All units in place."

"Periter secured."

"Fla teams ready."

Endeavor nodded.

"Nighteye," he said into the communicator. "Give the signal."

Before the response ca, another voice suddenly cut into the channel.

"Wait!"

It was one of the police officers stationed near the outer barricades.

"Civilians are approaching the area!"

Endeavor frowned.

"What are they doing here? Didn't we evacuate everyone and tell them to not linger around?"

Nighteye's voice ca through the line imdiately, tense and urgent.

"Be on alert!"

"The civilians are acting strangely!"

Hawks' relaxed posture vanished instantly.

"What the hell is happening over there?"

For a mont there was only silence.

Then Nighteye's voice returned "I'm not sure yet."

A few seconds passed.

Then the communication channel erupted with panicked shouting.

Through the chaos another voice finally broke through. Kamui Woods spoke. "They're being controlled! Just like All For One did months ago! Junsei is sowhere around here."

Endeavor and Hawks reacted imdiately to the report over the communication channel. Both of them turned away from the forest and rushed back toward the outer periter where the police had reported strange civilian activity. Other heroes scattered across the operation did the sa, abandoning their positions around the forest and moving quickly to investigate.

When Endeavor arrived at the barricade line, he stopped abruptly.

His eyes widened.

Dozens of civilians were rushing toward the police line. n, won, elderly people, even teenagers. Their expressions were blank, like puppets forced to run forward by invisible strings.

But it was their appearance that made the scene truly disturbing. Blue veins glowed faintly beneath their skin.

And from one eye of every single person… a blue flower had blood.

Hawks landed beside Endeavor and stared at the approaching crowd.

"What the hell did that bastard do?" he muttered. "Did he attack all these people?"

The civilians slamd themselves into the police line without hesitation, throwing punches and clawing at the officers like mindless animals.

Endeavor clenched his fists.

"Based on the reports," he said grimly, "this is happening all around the forest."

At that mont, Sir Nighteye's voice ca through the communication channel again.

"All teams, be careful. If you see Junsei, call for imdiate assistance. He remains the most dangerous threat here."

Hawks looked around as heroes quickly moved to subdue the civilians. Compared to villains, the attackers were slow and disorganized.

"I'll take to the air and search for that bastard," Hawks said. "Handling civilians shouldn't be difficult with this many heroes around."

Endeavor nodded in agreent.

But the mont he turned back toward the street, his expression darkened.

More civilians were coming.

From every direction.

Dozens quickly beca hundreds as more and more people rushed toward the periter, all showing the sa glowing veins and blooming flower in one eye.

Endeavor gritted his teeth.

"Don't tell …" he growled. "He's running around the city turning people into mindless attackers."

Hawks launched into the air imdiately.

"I'll knock them out before they reach the line."

But halfway through his ascent, he stopped.

Sothing changed.

The civilians who had already been restrained by the heroes suddenly moved again.

And then, their quirks activated.

Fire erupted from one man's hands. Lightning crackled across another's body. A third transford into a monstrous shape while others unleashed bursts of light, force, and energy.

Dozens of quirks activated at the sa ti.

The sudden attack caught several heroes completely off guard.

"Damn it!" Hawks shouted as he imdiately redirected his feathers to deal with the imdiate danger.

Endeavor reacted just as quickly, stepping forward with flas already roaring around his body. But unlike normal combat, he couldn't unleash his full power.

They were civilians.

If he used too much fire, he would burn them alive.

Hawks had an easier ti. His feathers allowed for precise and controlled attacks, injuring people lightly or knocking them into the ground.

But the number of civilians kept growing. And no matter how many people were knocked down, they kept standing back up.

The situation descended into chaos.

More and more people arrived, all rushing forward like a living tide of bodies. Endeavor unleashed a wide arc of fla, forming a blazing wall between the heroes and the incoming crowd.

The fire roared upward, blocking the street.

For a brief mont, everyone thought this would work. But the civilians ran straight into the flas. They did not stop even as their bodies and clothes caught fire.

Hawks stared in disbelief.

"They don't feel pain!" he shouted. "Or they can't control themselves!"

"DAMMIT!" Endeavor roared. "What the hell is this?!"

Before anyone could answer, a scream erupted from the side.

Heroes and police turned toward the sound.

One of the pro heroes had been knocked to the ground beneath a wave of civilians. Dozens of people piled on top of him, clawing and biting at his body like starving animals.

Their teeth tore into his flesh.

Hawks moved instantly.

His feathers shot forward like bullets, striking the civilians and throwing them away from the hero before they could finish him.

The wounded hero lay on the ground, bleeding heavily.

"Get him out of here!" Hawks shouted. "Now!"

A police officer rushed forward, grabbing the injured hero under the arm and helping him stagger backward toward safety.

For a mont, the surrounding heroes returned their focus to the attacking civilians.

Then another scream rang out.

Everyone turned.

The injured hero had suddenly grabbed the police officer helping him and sank his teeth into the man's neck.

Blood sprayed across the pavent.

"What the fuck?!" Hawks shouted.

The hero released the officer and turned toward the others. His face was drenched in blood while his eyes unfocused.

Then sothing blood from his eye socket.

A blue flower.

Hawks reacted instantly.

Two feathers shot forward and stabbed through the hero's legs, dropping him to the ground before he could attack anyone else.

But even then, the fallen hero continued moving.

He growled like a feral animal and began crawling slowly toward them.

Behind him, the police officer who had been bitten slowly pushed himself back to his feet.

Blue veins spread outward from the wound on his neck.

Then a flower blood from his eye as well.

The surrounding heroes and police froze in horror as they watched the change.