The monstrous figure towered before me, its eyes burning with an eerie, unyielding fire. The roar of battle faded into a deafening silence as it uttered my name—slow, deliberate, and full of menace.
"Anos Midoriya…"
The words hung heavy in the air, sharp enough to cut through steel.
Around me, the fighting halted.
Nomu froze mid-lunge. Clones blinked in shock. Even my assassin team's comms fell silent.
And not just them.
From the chaos, familiar voices pierced the stillness.
"Big brother…?" Izuku's voice trembled, disbelief and shock warring in his tone.
"Anos?" Mina's whisper floated through the smoke, eyes wide as she looked toward me.
Bakugo's scowl faltered. Shoto's breath hitched.
The battlefield had gone completely silent, all eyes turning to me—Dark Phantom standing exposed beneath the battered helmet and cloak.
They all knew me as Anos Midoriya.
Izuku's older brother.
A fellow U.A. student.
A close friend to Diamond, Marcus, Eliza, and the others.
But none of them ever knew… this.
The man behind the mask.
The ghost in the shadows.
The war's deadliest weapon.
And now, in that instant, my secret was shattered.
The figure's gaze locked with mine, cold and merciless.
"You hide behind your mask, but I see you—Anos Midoriya, the Dark Phantom."
Questions erupted like wildfire.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Mina's voice cracked with hurt.
"Why the lies?" Bakugo growled, fists clenched tight.
Izuku's green eyes searched mine, a storm of emotions raging—betrayal, confusion, and an aching need to understand.
The weight of months of secrets crushed down on me.
I could hear my assassin team trying to reach me on the comms, their voices urgent and raw, but here—now—among my closest friends, I was utterly alone.
The battlefield held its breath.
The war raged on around us, but in this moment—everything had stopped.
Because the truth was out.
And nothing would ever be the same again.