Aizawa, the man with one eye, watched as the other two, named Oboro and Hizashi, pointed to three locations. "These are the closest cities with armories we could raid."

Mars, like most planets, had two distinct populations. There were the slaves, who lived near their work sites in poorly constructed homes, where food and resources was shipped to them. This was to prevent them from organizing any sort of resistance, as the trek between towns and the restricted movement of the slaves made it impossible to gather anything for themselves. Even just a map like this one was contraband and risked execution.

The other population was the normal citizens, living in well-furnished towns that manufactured goods and ran their own businesses. Of course, some slaves were kept in these cities, either personal servants, or other work. It was a very typical capitalist society. Some of them didn't even realize how much they were benefiting from slave labor. Others, who did know, simply didn't care. But the bottom line was that these cities had armories and the resources they'd need to survive on their own.

"Any intel on the Virtue Armors?"

"We can only guesstimate based on the few conversations other folks have had with the guards. In terms of active Armors, maybe 20 within the city, but another 40 or so that are inactive at any time. The numbers could be slightly one way or the other."

"Uhm... guys?" While the four men had been occupied with the map, Izuku Midoriya had approached them. Not by walking down into the pit, but by floating over to them.

"I overheard your plans." His voice was dull, and his single biological eye was glazed over, as if staring into the distance. "What do you need from me?"

"Are any of those Virtue Armors up there still functional?" Aizawa asked, not wasting any time with all the confusing details in-between, like how a NULL Armor even still existed.

"Two of them are still functional as transports, but most of them are bisected from the pilot's seat up. Meaning you'd need to know how to manually pilot without the computers that were stored in the heads." Essentially, what Izuku had left was two pairs of legs connected to an exposed cockpit. Neither of them would serve any purpose as a combat machine, aside from maybe stepping on people. But Aizawa wasn't complaining. Disabling a Virtue Armor without damaging it was pretty much impossible. They were EMP shielded, and even if they weren't that would fry most of the electronics, and the cockpit and computer were separate things.

Spreading out the important parts of a Virtue Armor was a relatively new design scheme. Back when they hunted NULL Armors to extinction, they had a very different design for combating the extremely powerful mechs. But with nothing to stand in their way, aside from a slave uprising, the most important part of the new design was ensuring that they were difficult to capture and then use.

Taking out the head meant the pilot was at a severe disadvantage, and easier to be killed, but that also meant that any slaves who took the Armor for themselves would struggle to pilot it. And the cockpit was one surefire place to target in order to disable the mech. Destroying it in its entirety would mean that it would have to be rebuilt first, before a slave could use it. It was in the hopes that, even if a slave uprising happened, it would struggle to snowball into something substantial, as every fight would cost more and more, while gaining less and less from their enemy. So far it had worked out, but there had never been a revolt that included a NULL Armor in its arsenal.

"We can pilot without computer assistance," Aizawa said, gesturing to himself and Oboro, the man with hair so fluffy that it looked more like clouds. Izuku nodded, without showing a hint of emotion.

"Juras will be the one sending reinforcements, so we should go to Ikaris, they've got less of a military presence, but they also won't expect it. At most, they'll be standing ready for a few broken down mechs, not a NULL Armor."

"But that means we're abandoning this place. If people can't get out of here in time, the reinforcements will likely massacre them in retaliation."

"No matter what city we go to, we're going to be alerting them to our strength. Regardless of what we choose, one of the other cities is going to be sending someone here to secure it," Ecto shook his head. "We're damning this place one way or the other."

"I have a solution to that," Izuku responded. All four men looked up to him expectantly, not quite ready to see the intensity of the energy in his mechanical eye. "I simply kill them all before they get here."

Aizawa scowled. "I don't know how fast you really are, but the cities are in three separate directions. We need to capture at least one in order to get their Armors and secure some food and water for everyone."

"Then what if the other two cities simply didn't exist?"

"Well then, we could focus our efforts in one direction, and the other cities wouldn't be able to send a force to this mine. And every other force in the remaining city would be focused on our direct assault. But you'd have to decimate two cities, both of which are a decent size, and wreck all of their armors, in time to get back here and push towards Juras."

"I'll just do that then," He said, floating back to his mech without another word. "You should get the two Virtue Armors working while I do that."

The four men were, for obvious reasons, not entirely convinced. However, they also didn't really have a choice.

"Anyone with mechanical experience! Anyone willing to fight! Come with us!"

Most of the slaves pretended like they didn't hear. The Virtiran Empire was a military rule spanning the entire solar system, and they had the numbers and forces to back that up. Fighting, even with a NULL Armor, was a hail mary. Most were simply hoping that if they stayed put and obeyed, they'd be spared the uprising of a small few. Whether or not that would happen was unknown. All they knew for sure was that fighting the Virtrian Empire was a death sentence.

"Void? Did you get that?" Izuku asked, climbing back into the dodecahedron-shaped cockpit of the NULL Armor named Void.

"I did."

"Is it possible?"

"Absolutely."

"Then let's go."

Boosted by the power of the Quirk named "Float," as well as the wings on its back spewing out fusion energy, it shot up into the air, flying higher and higher until it was barely a dot in the sky. When they were high enough up to ignore the curvature of Mars and see the cities they stopped.

"Alright... help me out with this," He said, calling out to the memories of those still in the Armor.

"Explosive Force, plus One For All, plus NULL Constructs, plus Projection, plus Cosmic Vision."

Izuku's sight stretched out to what felt like infinity. He could perfectly see the cities, with their shining towers and passive civilians. He had suffered for 18 years of his life, and here, just 15 minutes away by Virtue Armor, was a city of life and happiness, indulgence and ignorance.

"Mass and speed equals energy," A voice said from inside Izuku's head. "Make the bullet as dense as possible and propel it as quickly as you can."

Using NULL Constructs, the same energy tendrils spread out from Void. But instead of remaining immaterial energy shapes, they called upon Void's vast database, as well as the memories of her predecessors, to forge a barrel. As soon as the shape was complete, the energy hardened, becoming the same sort of metal that made up the NULL Armor. Dropping into the hands of the mech, it was built for 12-inch shells, which the NULL Construct Quirk had also made for Izuku to load into the barrel. They were denser than even osmium, the densest element humans were aware of. Augmented by explosive force, it even had additional energy in relation to its mass.

"How many people are in these cities?" Izuku asked.

"Best not to think about it," The white haired man said. "Morals are established by society. The same society that used you as a tool to be discarded."

Another white haired man entered his thoughts. "Brother, if you attempt to manipulate his morals, you will only further skew his effectiveness. He needs to be compassionate and deadly. His anger and drive for justice will carry him far enough. Answer him truthfully, Void."

"In the city of Ikaris, there are approximately 5,000 people living there. 50% are normal civilians. 25% are military contractors relocated from other plants, and the remaining 25% are either military or government forces. The other city, Imbara, is roughly the same in terms of population and distribution."

In other words, a total of 10,000 people.

"And how many deaths have the Virtrian Empire caused through their militant rule?"

"The number ranges from low estimates of around 100,000,000 as of this year, to around 1 billion in the high estimates. That does not include the innocent NULLs who were killed for no reason."

Izuku nodded. "Shigaraki. I know I must go through with these things, but I also have to know precisely what I'm doing. I can't hide from the truth." He said, addressing one of the white-haired brothers who was now living in his mind as a memory of the past.

"Just so long as you do it," He responded.

Izuku tried to hide the gruesome smile on his face. "Oh... I'll do it alright." The faces of his dead mother, father, and sister were still fresh in his mind. He didn't need any sort of convincing.

He chambered the round into the rifle. NULL Constructs couldn't form complex technology. It was only able to make things using that metal, which meant purely mechanical creations. So he couldn't fire the round, as it wasn't created with any propellant. However, he could still use Explosive Force to cause it to fire out of the barrel.

Using Cosmic Vision he was able to see every variable that would affect his shot. The power of the explosion, the force of the wind, the distance, everything. And using Projection, he could look across any distance and accurately predict the trajectory of his shot. All he had to do was pull the trigger, so to speak.

He zeroed in on a building that looked the most likely to house the Virtue Armors of the city. It was unlikely he wouldn't do immense damage, no matter where he hit, but he needed to ensure that the mining pit was safe.

He, and millions more, had been born into bondage without a single ounce of freedom. Born to men and women with nothing to their name, exploited by a government and system that only cared about their own power and wealth. And these people had profited from it. Every last free adult man and woman was to blame. For the injustices he'd suffered, for the pain that wracked his body, for his missing limbs, and for his dead family.

BOOM!

If it hadn't been for the Float Quirk and Void's wings, they would have been launched backwards through the air by the intense recoil of the bullet being launched from the rifle by the Explosive Force Quirk.

In his own life, there was one thing that the brother known as Shigaraki wanted to be known as. The Demon Lord, a villain. Izuku wanted to take the name for himself. A villain to the empire, and a hero to those it stomped beneath its feet.

In a cataclysmic burst of light, smoke, and heat, the entire city was vaporized.

Even Izuku, who had knowledge of how powerful the blast would be, was astonished. The destructive force that shredded mountains, steel and concrete buildings, and sent fire racing into the atmosphere. It was all so much. And it was almost... beautiful.

"Sometimes, the only way to save others is to remove the blights..."

This time, the brother, Yoichi, didn't scold his sibling for such notions. No one did. They were living in each others' memories. They knew that regardless of his past, he too had lost something that mattered to him. They all had lives full of scorn and misery. No matter what they were called. Heroes, Villains, Demons or anything in-between. All of them had the same thing in common. Each and every one of them - on a small level - just wanted to watch the world burn.

So Izuku turned about 110 degrees to the right, and fired another shell. The resulting impact was almost bigger than the last.

"Is this why they were all killed? The NULLs, I mean?"

"No..." Yoichi's voice was quiet. Contemplative, compared to the contempt in Shigaraki's tone. "We were beautiful... We helped forge the solar system as it was... and as it stands. Our power was... normal, quaint. But, they were destroyed anyway."

"There's nothing quaint about this power," Izuku remarked.

"No. We NULL pilots never used to be capable of such feats. But without forging a stronger body, Void never would have survived. People may think of her as a demon these days... but you should have seen her when she was her old self... She was so beautiful..."

*******

"Satellite and comms confirms it, High Priestess. Two nuclear scale detonations just took place on Mars." On a command ship in orbit around Earth, an officer reported his findings, which made it all the way to the sun, where true Virtrian society lived, orbiting the star in their Dyson Strip around the star.

"No radiation?" The High Priestess asked, delicately folding her hands over her lap. A white visor covered her eyes, but her slender body and flowing blonde hair made up for the hidden features.

"None. It was a kinetic strike."

"What about the other closest city? Juras?"

"So far they've reported nothing. They're sending out a few Angel-Class Virtue Armors to scout out the mining outpost that went radio silent. High-Command believes they found some old tech while mining and are using it for a small-scale uprising. It's expected to peter out since they didn't strike Juras. It's probably everything they had at their disposal."

The High Priestess tilted her head. "10,000 lives is not a small scale. Prepare the Seraphim-Class. I'll go avenge them myself."

"Apologies, High Priestess, but High-Command... your mother... has forbidden it."

"Why?" She asked through gritted teeth.

"I did not ask," The man replied. "It was an order. That was all I was told."

"Dismissed..." The High Priestess watched the man bow before leaving her home. "Call Kaori Toga." A light ringing noise could be heard as the nearest digital display read: 'Calling...'

The woman who answered the phone had the same gorgeous figure and hair as the High Priestess. But unlike her, she was not wearing a covering over her eyes.

"Mother? Why won't you let me go?"

"Where? To Mars?" The woman derisively snorted. "The High Priestess should not muck about in the soil of such a planet. You may be a pilot, but your true purpose is to be a symbol for the people, not their soldier. You need not concern yourself with Mars. We will allow those under us to handle it, okay? Just as we always have."

"...Yes mother..."

"Good, then I'd appreciate you making an appearance at the Solar Conference. Other planetary representatives will want to see you."

"Well, how should I prepare? What do you need me to say?"

Her mother rolled her eyes. "Again, you worry too much. High-Command members will also be there, they'll be doing the talking. You just need to be seen. That is all." She hung up without another word.

The High Priestess sighed. "Call Jin."

"High Priestess?" The man said, answering before the first ring could even finish.

"I want you to go to Mars for me. Check out that mining outpost... and report to no one, other than me."

"Yes, my lady." He too hung up, leaving High Priestess, Himiko Toga, alone with her thoughts.

*******

"Are they ready?" Izuku asked, descending from the sky inside Void, his voice projected outwards.

"The term 'ready' is very subjective," Someone replied. He was new to the group of four men, and he brought a girl with him, she had pink hair, and was doing her best to patch up the remains of the Virtue Armor.

"These are Angel-Class. Not only are they pretty cheap and weak, but out here, they don't get the upkeep they need. I wouldn't be surprised if they broke down before we even got to Juras."

"At least we'll have these when we eventually get there," Aizawa said, pointing to the small collection of firearms and ammo scavenged from the guards' mechs and their personal quarters.

"There's one thing I don't get," Izuku began. "Even if we take Juras, it's full of normal citizens, and the Empire has more than enough excess to just nuke the city."

"Nuke?" Aizawa looked at him strangely. "Nukes haven't been in use for over 100 years."

Izuku shook his head. "Sorry... this is a lot of stuff to process." He may have had the memories of several past generations at his disposal, but it wasn't like reading a book or watching a movie. It was like trying to jump into a rushing river at certain points along its path and stay anchored to that one spot. So much was flowing that it was impossible to take hold of anything.

"Whatever the case, we're not getting into Juras to occupy it. We just need it for the resources, so we can live another day."

"And then what?"

Aizawa pursed his lips.

"What is it?"

"I... I'll level with you here. I don't know," Aizawa responded. "You're right that we don't have the forces to completely occupy the city. We need more weapons, we need more men, we need more of everything."

"We could just run from slave colony to slave colony, grab as many as possible and get out."

Oboro shook his head. "No can do, kid. It's not like most of us are fit to fight anyways."

"We need leverage, to buy time, to buy influence... something..."

"Can't we just say I'll keep blowing up cities?"

Aizawa shrugged. "It might work. But the Empire doesn't have much regard for human life. They might just ignore the threat..."

"I have an idea, but it's risky," Void interjected.

Hizashi's response was both up-lifting and tragic. "Probably the best odds we'll have had our entire lives!"

With a creaking and cracking of twisted metal, the first pair of legs began to orient themselves, with Aizawa at the helm of the exposed cockpit. Just by the way it moved, Izuku could tell he was struggling.

Whilst NULL Pilots had a neural link to their Armors, Virtue Pilots were forced to use a manual system that relied on artificial intelligence to interpret their commands on very simple controls.