A month had passed since the fall of the Humarise organization, yet the shockwaves caused by both Humarise and Nova Genesis still continued to shake the entire world.
The governments of multiple countries had originally tried to suppress the riots and protests that erupted after Novabel's broadcast, but the sheer scale of the civilians' anger had made that impossible.
Millions of people marched through streets, rallied outside government buildings, and demanded change while chanting slogans against corruption.
The pressure became so overwhelming that, eventually, the governments had no choice but to concede to some of the demands in order to calm the chaos before it spiraled completely out of control.
The first major reform was the construction and development of quirk gyms across multiple countries. These facilities were specifically designed so civilians could freely use and train their quirks under the strict supervision of trained professionals and safety systems.
News stations all over the world showed footage of these massive gyms being built, people entering them with excitement, and instructors helping civilians understand their quirks better.
Experts explained that this would not only help reduce stress from quirk suppression but would also lower the chances of people losing control of their quirks or becoming villains due to lack of training—exactly like what had happened to Flect Turn.
The second reform followed soon after. Every government official and HPSC member involved in shutting down the quirk gym proposals in the past had been publicly removed from their positions.
The names exposed during Novabel's broadcast vanished from offices almost overnight. Some resigned under pressure, while others were forcibly removed by governments desperate to appease the people. That action alone massively reduced the rage of the civilians, who finally felt like their voices were being heard.
The third reform became the most controversial yet most celebrated among ordinary civilians. Governments introduced a new type of permit system—a quirk permit exam that ordinary people could take.
It was compared to a driver's license, except instead of driving, it legally allowed civilians to use their quirks in life-threatening situations, emergencies, or self-defense when no heroes were around.
News anchors spoke endlessly about how revolutionary the system was, while civilians lined up in huge numbers to register for the exams. Riots gradually began dying down because people finally had a legal method to defend themselves instead of depending entirely on heroes.
Ironically, however, this new freedom also caused another group to rapidly gain influence—the Meta Liberation Army. Instead of targeting random civilians or causing large-scale destruction, the Meta Liberation Army suddenly shifted its focus almost entirely toward heroes and government officials.
Their actions stunned the Japanese government and the HPSC at first, but it didn't take long for them to understand the reasoning behind it.
The Meta Liberation Army was trying to show Nova Genesis that their goals aligned. It was practically an invitation for cooperation.
Meanwhile, Nova Genesis itself had become the most talked-about organization on the planet. Some people called them revolutionaries. Others called them terrorists, mostly people bribed by the government. But regardless of opinion, nobody could deny their influence anymore. And while the world argued about them, the organization itself was already moving quietly in the shadows.
In a dark alleyway somewhere in Japan, a pro hero sprinted desperately through the narrow path, panic visible all over his face. Sonic blasts exploded from his hands repeatedly as he fired them behind himself without even aiming properly.
"Stay away from me!" he shouted in fear, sweat dripping down his face. The blasts shot backward violently—only to suddenly rebound off the air itself.
The hero's eyes widened in horror before his own attack slammed directly into him and blasted him into a wall. Before he could even recover, a staff spun through the air and cracked against the side of his head with enough force to knock him unconscious instantly.
Footsteps echoed gently through the alley as Danjuro Tobita, now wearing the suit and mask of Novaflex, walked calmly toward the unconscious man.
He casually picked up his staff and rested it behind himself before grabbing the unconscious hero by the collar and throwing him upward.
A flying drone descended silently from above, catching the body in metallic claws before both the drone and hero vanished from sight as the invisibility quirk chip activated around them.
Tobita adjusted his mask slightly and spoke into the communicator. "Target is captured gently." He then tapped the ground with his foot, turning it rubbery before bouncing away into the distance while his own invisibility mode activated around him.
"Roger that. Come back to command center," Aiba's voice responded calmly through the comms.
Elsewhere, another battle had already ended. A hero with the ability to turn non-living things into paper of any color coughed painfully as he slammed into a wall from a purple energy blast.
Before he could stand back up, Lady Nagant—wearing the Novak suit and mask—rested her energy AK-47, Cherry, against her waist as she punched the hero unconscious.
Her expression remained cold and emotionless as drones descended from above and carried the unconscious hero away before turning invisible.
Kaina activated the jetpack attached to her suit and slowly rose into the air. "Target is captured," she said simply into the comms before vanishing into the sky.
"Roger that. Come back to the command center," Aiba replied once again.
At the same time, deep inside the HPSC headquarters, tension filled the meeting room. Government officials, HPSC members, pro heroes, and even Nezu sat around the large circular table while reports and images of kidnapped heroes were projected across holographic screens.
One HPSC member slammed his hand against the table with a growl. "Those guys have kidnapped fifteen heroes until now!"
Across from him, Hawks crossed his arms and sighed. "They're planning something big," he muttered. "And with the Meta Liberation Army also targeting us, our forces are getting stretched thin."
Nezu calmly sipped his tea, looking almost relaxed compared to everyone else in the room. "Then the solution is obvious," he said casually. "We apply pressure on one group so we can fully focus on the other. And realistically speaking, the chances of the Meta Liberation Army backing away are higher compared to Nova Genesis."
Madam President immediately narrowed her eyes at him. "You just don't want to deal with Nova Genesis because they're taking down heroes connected to the HPSC, don't you?" she asked sharply.
Nezu only chuckled softly, but before the argument could escalate, Prime Minister Kohei Horikoshi coughed into his fist to diffuse the atmosphere.
Nezu's smile widened slightly as he placed his tea down. "I'm simply stating facts," he said. "The Meta Liberation Army attacks any hero they can find. Nova Genesis, however, only targets corrupt heroes or heroes directly related to the HPSC."
His intelligent eyes gleamed dangerously as he continued, "If we can pressure the Meta Liberation Army into backing down, then we can dedicate our full resources toward protecting and monitoring the heroes connected to the HPSC. And when Nova Genesis inevitably targets those heroes again…" He smiled. "We'll finally have an opportunity to capture them."
Madam President clicked her tongue but eventually nodded. Before anyone else could speak, All Might leaned forward. "I'll take charge and push back the Meta Liberation Army," he declared firmly.
One HPSC member frowned. "Why not just eliminate them entirely?"
Before All Might could answer, Endeavor cut in with a serious expression. "Because if we focus all our forces on crushing the Liberation Army, we'll leave ourselves vulnerable," he said. "Nova Genesis or another villain organization could stab us in the back the moment our defenses weaken."
Prime Minister Horikoshi gave a firm nod. "Then it's decided. Some heroes will focus on monitoring the kidnapped heroes and tracing where they're being taken. Meanwhile, All Might will lead a strike force against the Meta Liberation Army and drive them back."
Far away from all of that tension, deep inside the hidden headquarters of Nova Genesis, a completely different atmosphere existed.
In one laboratory, Melissa Shield and David worked together on a new gauntlet prototype spread across a table covered in holographic blueprints and mechanical components.
Sparks occasionally flew as Melissa tightened a device into place. "If this stabilizer works," she muttered while adjusting the circuitry, "then the gauntlet should finally be able to handle three Infinity Stones safely."
David nodded while studying another hologram. "Theoretically, yes. But the energy output is still too unstable."
Meanwhile, in another room, Arata stood silently before his massive supercomputer. Blue light reflected across his face as countless strands of quirk data twisted and destabilized across the screen. His eyes remained fixed on the large bold letters displayed in the center.
MIND STONE — INCOMPLETE
Arata crossed his arms slowly, deep in thought. He had already decided to temporarily postpone work on the Time Stone.
Right now, the biggest problem wasn't creating another Infinity Stone—it was strengthening the Infinity Gauntlet itself.
Even with the combined intelligence of himself, Melissa, and David, they had only barely managed to design a blueprint capable of safely handling three Infinity Stones.
Beyond that point, every design failed. The energy output became too unstable. The material couldn't withstand the strain. Something was missing.
His gaze narrowed at the destabilizing quirk data on the screen. Slowly, he exhaled. "If I can complete the Mind Stone…" he murmured quietly to himself, "…then maybe I can finally create a fully functional Infinity Gauntlet without weaknesses."