Free Web NovelChapter 98: When Nature Turns
The sudden appearance of a forest in the middle of an urban area quickly became national news.
Official reports stated that a hero operation had successfully prevented a massive terrorist attack planned by the Yakuza. According to the statement released to the public, the criminals had been preparing to plant devastating bombs across the country. Fortunately, the operation ended with the Yakuza’s defeat.
But there had been one strange complication.
During the final moments of the battle, one of the Yakuza members had apparently used a quirk that caused trees to grow at an unbelievable rate. The result was a dense forest suddenly sprouting in the middle of what had previously been a city district.
Authorities claimed the Yakuza member had pushed his quirk beyond its limits and died during the process, leaving behind the bizarre woodland now occupying an entire city block.
The explanation left many citizens confused.
Pushing a quirk to the point of death was already extremely rare, but doing so just to grow trees seemed completely nonsensical. What had the criminal expected? That the trees would somehow fight the heroes?
Most people dismissed the event as the desperate final act of a defeated dumb villain.
Others remained skeptical.
A small number of observers quietly speculated that the heroes and police might be hiding something from the public. The official explanation sounded too simple for an incident of that scale.
Still, the authorities moved quickly.
The police declared the entire area off-limits, warning civilians not to approach the forest. They claimed the trees might conceal hidden traps or other dangers due to the effects of the Yakuza’s quirk.
Some skeptics argued the explanation made little sense. It was just a forest, after all. What possible danger could ordinary trees pose?
But the majority of the public accepted the warning.
After all, quirks could produce strange side effects. Who knew whether the trees might release toxins or some other unknown substance?
Despite the restrictions, curiosity proved difficult to suppress.
Over the following days, people quietly drifted near the area just to take pictures of the unusual forest. From a distance, the sight was undeniably strange.
And among those heading toward the location today were three students from U.A. High School’s Class 1-A.
Koda walked at the front of the group, accompanied by Tokoyami and Shoji.
Koda scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Thanks for coming with me, guys."
Tokoyami gave a small nod.
"No need to thank us. I was curious about it as well."
His gaze drifted toward the distant treetops rising above the buildings.
"I heard from Hawks that some heroes suspect the forest might be related to Junsei somehow," Tokoyami continued. "Another strange addition to the list of his abilities."
"He wasn’t present during the raid," Shoji said thoughtfully. "Even the Yakuza apparently didn’t know where he had gone after attacking Tartarus."
The three continued walking in silence for a moment.
Then Koda spoke again in a quiet voice. "You know... sometimes I feel a little sorry that he became an evil villain."
Tokoyami glanced at him.
"It would have been nice," Koda continued slowly, "to have someone like me around. Someone who could talk to animals."
Tokoyami considered that for a moment before replying calmly.
"I’m sure there are others like that somewhere in the world."
Shoji added "He could have been another All Might, he had the strength and potential for it."
His tone turned more thoughtful.
"I can understand someone becoming a villain because of a bad childhood. That happens more often than people want to admit."
He paused.
"But becoming so detached that you hold a grudge against your entire species... that’s something else entirely."
Neither Tokoyami nor Koda responded.
By then the three had reached the edge of the restricted zone. The police barriers stood nearby, though the forest itself stretched beyond them in an unnatural wall of towering trees.
Koda stared upward.
"The trees are much bigger than I thought."
Tokoyami nodded slowly as he studied the thick trunks and massive branches.
"To think this was created through a quirk...," he said. "It’s impressive."
Koda nodded absentmindedly.
Then his expression changed to pure confusion.
Shoji immediately noticed.
"Koda?" he asked. "Are you alright?"
Koda’s eyes widened.
The confusion turned to panic.
He stumbled backward several steps away from the forest, his voice shaking.
"We need to get out of here!"
Tokoyami frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
Koda’s breathing grew uneven as he stared at the trees.
"No... no... we have to warn everyone!"
Shoji stepped closer.
"What’s wrong?"
Koda’s voice trembled with fear.
"Voices are gathering in the forest. Birds, animals and insects"
He swallowed hard.
"And they are calling for our death."
Tokoyami blinked.
"What?"
"They’re waiting," Koda continued in a terrified whisper. "Waiting for the right moment to strike."
Shoji stared at him.
"Are you serious right now?"
Koda clutched his head.
"I can hear them," he said desperately. "Something is wrong. I’ve never heard animals speak like this before."
His voice rose with urgency.
"We have to warn everyone. No one should be near this place!"
Tokoyami frowned, thinking quickly.
"If what you’re saying is true... can’t you control them?"
Koda shook his head immediately.
"I haven’t even tried," he admitted. "But I can feel it. They won’t listen to me.They are filled with rage and hatred. I have never heard or felt anything like that."
Fear flickered in his eyes.
"They might even attack me. We need to warn licensed heroes right now. Something is horribly wrong in this place, and they are still gathering."
Tokoyami and Shoji looked at the forest again and then noticed it, atop the tree branches, many birds hard gathered, unnaturally so. On the ground, there were insects moving along the ground deeper into this tiny forest. The two looked at each other, Koda is right, something is going on here and it is not good.
They immediately contacted their teacher, Eraser Head, explaining everything Koda had heard from the animals around the forest. Aizawa listened without interrupting, though the seriousness in his voice became apparent as soon as Koda finished speaking.
Within minutes, the information had reached the principal of U.A.
Not long after that, the situation escalated even further.
The three students were still standing near the restricted area when a familiar figure arrived at the scene. Sir Nighteye stepped out of a vehicle and approached them directly, his expression already tense.
He had come personally.
Koda explained everything again, what he had heard, the strange hostility from animals, the overwhelming call for death that seemed to echo from every bird, insect, and creature near the forest.
As the explanation continued, Nighteye’s face grew increasingly grave.
He had already felt uneasy about this forest the moment he saw it raise. Hearing Koda confirm that animals were gathering and calling for human death only reinforced his fears.
The worst possibility was becoming more and more likely.
Junsei was planning something.
Something terrible.
That realization pushed Nighteye to act immediately.
Only a few days after the Yakuza raid, he issued another urgent summons to the top heroes across the country. This time he made sure the message carried a clear warning: the situation was even more critical than the previous emergency. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
When the heroes gathered once again in the conference room, the atmosphere was noticeably less patient than before.
Endeavor crossed his arms as soon as the meeting began.
"What is it this time?" he asked bluntly.
Nighteye answered with a single word.
"Junsei."
The name alone caused heroes to turn serious.
Endeavor narrowed his eyes.
"What about him? Did you find him?"
Nighteye shook his head.
Instead, he began explaining the situation surrounding the forest.
More importantly, he explained his concern that Junsei might be responsible.
When he finished speaking, the room fell quiet.
Then Endeavor frowned.
"Even if what those students said is true," he said slowly, "you can’t summon heroes from across the entire country just to deal with a few trees and birds. We have jobs to do."
Several heroes nodded in agreement.
The explanation sounded too vague to justify such a massive mobilization.
Nighteye remained silent for a moment.
Then he spoke quietly.
"I once looked into Junsei’s future."
The room stilled.
"What I saw was a nightmare."
His hands clenched slightly as the memory returned.
"A destroyed city. Corpses everywhere. Blood covering the ground."
The image still haunted him.
"Junsei is preparing something," Nighteye continued. "And whatever it is, we must find it and stop it before it happens."
Hawks leaned back slightly in his chair.
"Okay, I get it," he said casually. "The guy’s dangerous. No argument there."
But his expression turned more skeptical.
"Still... calling heroes from across the entire country for this? A few police teams and some local heroes should be enough to deal with whatever that tiny forest is hiding."
He shrugged.
"Besides, what’s the worst that could happen? Some birds and bugs gather in one place?"
Nighteye did not respond.
Instead, a different voice answered from the back of the room.
"Terrible things."
Every hero in the room turned toward the door.
There stood Nezu.
The principal of U.A. walked calmly into the conference room. As the smartest known creature in the world, Nezu commanded a level of respect that few others could match.
Nezu continued walking until he reached Nighteye’s side.
"I originally had no intention of attending this meeting," he said calmly. "To be honest, I still cannot determine what Junsei is thinking or what the correct response should be."
He paused.
"But a piece of information caught my attention a few hours ago."
The room grew even quieter.
Nezu sighed softly.
"Since the raid on the Yakuza... accidents involving animals have increased dramatically across the country and even the entire world."
He glanced around the room.
"And the number continues to rise."
His voice grew more serious.
"Just yesterday alone, more people died from animal attacks than what we would normally see in an entire year. Not to mention the disappearances of few ships in the Pacific Ocean"
Several heroes straightened in their seats.
Hawks frowned.
"You’re suggesting Junsei is behind all that? That’s a bit much, don’t you think? Even for him."
"During the Yakuza raid," nezu replied, "I felt something unusual. For a brief moment, I experienced an overwhelming surge of hatred toward humans."
Even Nighteye looked startled by that statement.
Nezu continued "If not for my intelligence and self-control, I believe I might have acted on that impulse."
Hawks’ eyes widened slightly.
"So if I was affected..." Nezu said softly, "what do you think might happen to insects or animals?"
The room fell silent again.
But Nezu was not finished.
"What truly concerns me," he continued, "is news that arrived from the island of Guam just a few hours ago."
He looked around the room slowly.
"We received news that thousands of people there died overnight."
Shock spread across the faces of the assembled heroes.
"No one knows exactly what happened," Nezu continued grimly. "Some victims were found covered in insect bites. Others died from snake venom."
He paused.
"And hundreds were killed by a piercing wound to the head. The same method used in Junsei’s blood attacks."
The silence in the room turned heavy.
"Right now," Nezu finished, "people are fleeing the island while the United States military attempts to determine the cause."
He clenched his small paws tightly.
"I cannot say with certainty what happened there."
His voice dropped slightly.
"But I fear Junsei has begun hunting again."
Nezu’s eyes hardened.
"And this time... he is targeting every human he can find."
The heroes sat frozen.
Then Nezu looked toward Nighteye.
"And if a forest in the middle of a city is gathering animals and insects under his influence. I dread imagining what will happen next. Dealing with that forest is a priority and preparing for a deadly battle with Junsei is a must."
