Chapter 40
The Weretiger
"The fuck are you doing holding my niece like that, kid?"
Deku gasped at the rough voice. There, stood a teen a bit taller than him. He had spiky brown hair, yellow eyes, and two diamond piercings on each ear. He was wearing black jeans, black metallic boots, a long-sleeved black shirt with grey strips going horizontally, brown gloves. His mask was similar to Overhaul's, except it was black, with red highlights tied around his mouth.
Lemillion bit his lower lip.'No question about it. That's Chisaki's brother. They're too alike to not be. Plus, he just called her his niece, which would make Chisaki...'
"There you are, Tai." Chisaki drawled, going along with whatever Taichi was doing."Eri was misbehaving again. She even got heroes involved."
"Sounds tough to be a parent." Tai said, not breaking eye contact with Lemillion as he walked around him in circles."So, what? You people are on patrol or something?"
"Actually, they were about to come with me to...discuss things." Overhaul said slowly as he began walking into the alleyway."You are welcome to join us."
Deku tensed up, now more shaken up at the thought of two dangerous people to deal with. Lemillion was the first one to walk ahead, prompting him to follow suit with the frightened girl in his arms.
"Hard to admit that you can't control your own child. But lately, Eri defies me no matter how hard I try." Overhaul shook his head.
"What do you try?" Deku thought venomously, hugging the child tighter.
"Parenting, man." Lemillion said, playing along and keeping his act up."Sounds rough. That can't be easy. But I'm sure you get plenty of help with your brother."
"Yes, he does ease up my workload. Though sometimes it feels like he's as much of a child as she is."
"Hey!" Taichi snapped, a tick mark appearing on his head.
"Though as tricky as they are..." He slightly turned up ahead, noticing a figure hiding in the darkest of shadows. He glanced at Accelerator, giving him a brief nod as they both began to take off their gloves."They are always determined to do whatever they want. That sometimes, they just don't listen."
On cue, Eri jumped out of Deku's arms and ran to Kai's side. Taichi ruffled hair her a bit, grabbing her hand gently."Oh, good. Done with your temper tantrum?"
"E-Eri...are you sure?" Midoriya asked, unsure of whether this was a good thing. He sensed intense bloodlust from both Chisaki siblings and he knew they were about to make their move, had Eri not stepped in.
"It's fine. She always does this." Kai informed them."Sorry to involve you in our family drama. I'm sure you have better things to be doing. Good luck with your internships."
Tai heard the green-haired teen call out for him but was cut short. He sighed."I swear, these idiots are flying around like mosquitos. That was a close call, Kai."
"I doubt we'd have much of an issue. Right...Teema?"
"Correct." The figure in the shadows stepped out of them, his face covered by a hood."Although even if they did see me with you, they have no idea of who is behind the mask of "The Baron". They would still have no way to connect me with you. By the way, it seems we have a visitor."
Out of nowhere, a person wearing a smiley face masked landed next to Teema.
"Yo."
"Who the hell is this?" Tai asked, putting his glove back on.
"What, you don't recognize me? I guess it makes sense. I only ever met the one you call Glutonny."
"Ah, I see what's going on." Tai put a fist on his palm."You are Q, aren't you?"
"That's him?" Kai seemed unimpressed."I thought you said he couldn't talk."
"He must have developed as time went by." Teema shrugged."It was bound to happen. Though I'm surprised it has a personality and everything."
Adamas shook his head."I don't go by Q anymore. Actually, you guys are the ones who kept calling me that. My name now is Adamas."
"Seriously? This is what Shigaraki sent us?" Taichi seemed disgusted at the man in front of him."This abomination that now has a mind of its own? I guess it's to be expected. After all, the League of Villains only has a reputation going after it, nothing more. Its members are nothing but scoundrels banded up together. They pose no real threat to anyone with the pathetic powers they possess. They are nothing.
Adamas clenched his arms slightly, catching Teema's attention."Don't tell me you're beginning to take a liking to those fools. Remember your primary mission. You are to report to us and make sure the League doesn't get out of hand. Those are your only goals in life."
"Yes...sir..." Adamas reluctantly agreed.
"Anyways..." Overhaul earned their attention."That deal is being done today, is it not?"
"Correct." Teema nodded to his boss."If everything goes according to plan, we will have made it. We will make the Shie Hassaikai the strongest and wealthiest force in Japan in a matter of time. Soon enough, it will be your time, Boss, to be the new dark king this world needs."
"That aside..." Overhaul spared his brother a glance."I'm going to need you the mess I'm going to make. Also, starting from today, you'll be Eri's caretaker. I'm sure she'll love spending quality time with her uncle."
"What the-?!" He paused, realizing he was about to curse out in front of the small child."Crap baskets..."
Several hours later...
Ayushi watched in horror as the room they had discovered. It looked to be like a movie theater, only bigger. In each seat, a corpse was lying dead. The strong scent of blood was in the air and the floor was no longer visible under the crimson liquid.
"What the hell happened here?" Angelo walked inside, sheathing his sword as he took a breath."Damn, kids...they were tougher than expected. They'll catch up with us soon."
"Lock the door. I'm going to examine the bodies."
"You sure?" He asked, slightly confused."You are wearing knee-high white boots. You are going to get them stained."
"Since when dol you care about getting dirty while on the job?" She glanced over her shoulder."I want to see what I can find. They aren't here randomly. Something happened."
"Alright. Just hurry up." Angelo unsheathed his sword back out. Nebula took slow steps to avoid slipping on the blood as she descended the stairs into each row. She examined the bodies as she walked, noticing all of them had some sort of wound in their throat. She got closed to one, realizing the wound was quite deep.
"Guess we found out how they died. They were stabbed by a sharp object. Whatever that was."
"Yo, Nebula." Nebula looked up, seeing Angelo squatting down in front of something."I found glass shards. All of them covered in blood.
Nebula gasped, grabbing a nearby corpse and examining the back of its throat."It can't be...whatever killed them went straight through them.
"It has to be these shards of glass. As to how glass was enough to pierce not only through flesh but also through the back of the seats is beyond me."
"But where did they all come from anyway?"
Angelo grimaced, standing up and looking at where a large screen was in the middle of the room."That's the only explanation. Nebula, shoot that thing."
Nebula thought this request was weird but complied, firing a neon blast at the screen, hearing the sound of glass breaking.
"So, that wasn't a screen, but a mirror. Still, what could have caused all of this? Mirrors just don't magically attack people."
"We'll worry about that later." Nebula stated, making her way back to Angelo."We still have to stop the ships from embarking."
"Right." Angelo nodded, running after her as they left the room filled with death.
Yokohama, Salazar Mansion, Salazar's Office, Night
A blur of purple and white kept crashing around the room, trashing everything in their path. Takashi kept firing neon blasts at where his opponent stood, but his enhanced speed was making it difficult.
"What's the matter?! Can't keep up?!" Mocked Salazar as he ran on all fours. He leaped from wall to wall and slashed whatever he could of Takashi's body with each move. Takashi dodged and blocked whatever he could, but it was beginning to get hard to block everything. Frustrated, fired a neon blast, propelling himself in the air.
"Think being in the air will help you?" He squatted down, doing a power jump in the air and headbutting him in the stomach, causing him to cough saliva. He hammered him down back to the ground, crashing on a chair and breaking it.
"You're pretty slow." He commented as he landed gracefully like a cat."What happened? I thought you would give me more of a challenge than this."
"Well...you are a third-year beating on a first-year..." Nova groaned in pain on the floor."What...beating on a kid younger than you makes you feel like you're actually strong? Don't make me laugh..."
The smirk he once had disappeared by a frown."Just for that, I'll make sure you to torment you before finishing you off."
"Before that...tell me...who is behind this? I doubt you are doing this all on your own. I don't see anyone helping you in this crazy shit willingly."
"Extortion." He simply said."Though, of course, a bunch of adults wouldn't listen to a mere kid like me, regardless of my influence. That is why I reunited them today. The whole operation is simply to hand the drugs to our "allies". With the excuse that they were threatening us into working with them. For that to be believable, I rounded up all the adults in one room and...killed them all. Well, not me. I had someone do that for me."
"You...had them all killed...?"
"Of course. Naturally, none of my subordinates know that. Without their families, they will need a figure to look up to for comfort and advice. That will be me. And I'm so close to fulfilling my plan. All that remains is to get rid of you here and then your little friends." He readied his claws as his fangs grew in size."Now be a good kohai and die for me, Kachidoki!" He leaped over to the fallen neon user, only for his arm to be grabbed and stopped."What?!"
"You just keep sinking lower and lower, don't you? You piece of shit." He growled, neon beginning to flare up around his body. With a loud scream, Takashi activated his Overclock Stage, knocking Salazar on his ass due to the explosion of power."You were saying something about getting ready for what's coming, right? How about I force you to take your own advice?"
Yokohama, Salazar Mansion, Pool, Night
Darby was continuously on the move as he kept dodging a trident, courtesy by Haru, and an incoming projectile-like Yuri, who would often appear among the fog and strike Darby. He had barely any time to act, since they were surrounded by carbon dioxide already, Haru could manifest weapons out of anything.
A fine example was the moment Darby jumped back, receiving an ice fist to the face that sent him flying in the middle of Yuri's course, kneeing him in the back.
"Fuck!" Darby grumbled in agony as he found himself lost in the fog."I can't sense them...the carbon dioxide is already messing up with my head...I'm feeling a bit fuzzy..." He wobbled about, ready to block for any incoming attack."At this rate, I'm going to have to blow this place up to hell. Heh...that sounded like something Bakugo would say...wonder what he's doing..."
He heard the sound of ice generating towards him as spikes. He combined his six Black Spheres, creating a Black Shield which only covered the front of his body. He braced himself for what's to come. Yuri was going to smash him against his own shield and knock him out. He waited. He waited. He waited.
But it never came...
'What's going on? This is a perfect opportunity to strike me down.' Darby pondered in his mind.'Wait, that's right...They left the room. Haru is the only one attacking, and he's only doing it with long-distance attacks. They must be getting more than enough carbon dioxide into their bodies and went somewhere with a breeze. Which means...if I follow where Haru's attack came from...I don't have much Neko energy left I only have enough for one shot.' He concentrated as much as he could, combining his own energy with that of nature's inside of him. Once he accessed his Chaos Mode, ha manifested his four extra Black Spheres and piled all 10 in front of him.
"IMPERIAL ONYX CANON 10%" Darby shouted, releasing a black beam of energy from his spheres, combining them into one, and shooting it towards where he thought Haru was. Once he did, he wasted no time and rushed towards where he thought he heard a wall collapsing, his hair going back to blonde and his spheres reducing back to four. As he got out of the room, the fresh air hit his nostrils, and he couldn't help but act like a fish out of the water.
"Damn you..." Haru leaned on Yuri, half of his body was clearly damaged by Darby's attack."I thought for sure I had killed you already."
"Sorry...but you guys backed out too fast." He grinned, regaining his consciousness."Had you trapped me in there a bit longer, I would have been a goner."
"Still, your hair is back to blonde. I'm assuming that power up state you had has a limit and you crossed it." Haru grimaced."Now, nothing can save you from me."
"We'll see...but your partner has seen better days."
In effect, Yuri was the one actually leaning on Haru. Her frail body coughed up smoke from within her.
"I think we should call this quits. You should get her some help." Darby advised, hoping to convince him."Listen, whatever you think you're doing can wait. We all took dangerous levels of carbon dioxide. Her, more than the two of us since she was constantly on the move."
Haru gritted his teeth, setting Yuri on the floor."Like I said, the only way for this to end is with one of us dead. And that'll be you. And now that your hair has gone back to normal, you no longer possess that power that made you a threat."
"Look, I'll fight you, okay? Just...can we at least take her to an infirmary?" Darby continued insisting."Please?"
Haru grimaced, biting his lower lip."We don't-We don't need your sympathy!"
"It's not sympathy. I...I can relate to how you feel." Darby smiled sadly."I have someone important in my life too. She's my girlfriend and wants to be a hero just like I do. I'd do anything for her. And sometimes I've done some stupid things while thinking I was doing her good when I was in fact hurting her. I don't want to see her sad. Ever. Watching you guys...kind of reminds me of me and her, you know? You said before you'd do anything to give her a good life, right?"
"I...did."
"Well, from what I've seen so far, she clearly wants you in her life." Darby offered a small grin."Come on, you really okay with that? Listen, if you come with me peacefully and tell us everything you know about this fiasco, then...you have my word that you two, along with your brother, will live a peaceful life, away from all this mess. But if you resist and they capture you anyway, you'll be locked up, unable to keep her protected. Is that really what you want? I know the truth. You don't."
Haru's eyes widened at his words. He glanced down at Yuri, noticing her taking heavy breaths. He clenched his fists and shut his eyes."Damn it...we won't have a choice in this...we can't do anything because Salazar has us under his thumb. If we don't cooperate, he will murder our parents."
"I suspected that..." Darby frowned, cursing himself for being right."We won't let that happen. Nova is currently looking everywhere for him. I assure you, he won't let him escape."
"Nova is...Kachidoki?" He snorted, looking unimpressed."How can you trust the word of a villain? DIdn't he try to kill you? And yet you still want to put your trust n him."
"That's what life is about. Taking gambles. We choose who we want to believe in and who to distrust." Darby offered him a hand."Right now, we both are taking that chance. We lose a lot whether we fail or not."
Haru spared Yuri one last look before sighing, accepting Darby's hand."Help me carry her to the secondary infirmary."
"You got it." Darby helped Yuri on her feet, carefully positioning her on Haru's back. He nodded, leading the way as he took heavy steps in the dark hallway. Explosions and various battle noises could be heard in the distance.
"The others are still fighting," Haru noted.
"I don't understand. Shouldn't the police be here already?"
"They're being held close to the path leading to the mansion. As to who it is, no idea." Haru noticed Darby giving him a glare."I'm not lying. I genuinely don't know much about this little operation."
"And yet you agreed to help?"
"I was forced." He snapped, grinding his teeth."Before we knew it, Salazar had taken a hold of our families. He used his influence to get them in one place and is keeping them hostage until we do his bidding."
"No wonder he's doing whatever the hell he wants," Darby noted, holding the door open for him. He noticed that this "secondary infirmary" looked like a regular school infirmary. Haru set Yuri on a bed and began connecting an IV."But still, I doubt he could do all of that alone. He must have had help."
"And he does." He finally admitted.
"Who is it? Is it the Yakuza?"
Haru turned around, staring Darby dead in the eye."Promise me one thing. You will be able to stop him, won't you? If not, at least keep Yuri safe from harm."
"Yes." Darby responded without missing a beat."We'll do everything we can."
Haru nodded, satisfied with his answer. He stared at a full-body mirror near them, noticing his clothes were stained with his own blood."I don't know if she's Yakuza or not, but there is a woman. On the floor above this, a selected few of us know about her."
"A woman?"
"Right. She was the one giving orders. I don't know what she's part of, but if we get to her..."
"Let's not waste time." Darby urged him, literally pushing him towards the door."The sooner we find the real mastermind, the better."
Haru growled as his insistence. He shifted his gaze at Yuri."I'll be back." With that, Darby followed him down the hallway into the stairs.
Yokohama, Salazar Mansion, Lobby, Night
"What's up, kid?! Getting tired?!" Nishikiyama asked as he continued trying to stab Shielder in the face as he kept trying to block them with his iron-like arms."I've figured you out! You can't harden your face!"
"Tch..." Shielder spat on the ground, jumping back as strands of his hair were cut. He grabbed a nearby vase and threw it at his opponent.
"Doing my trick, aren't you?" He shouted, slicing through the vase. However, the vase contained a plant inside, and the dirt got in his eyes. He screamed in agony, trying to wipe the dirt off his eyes.
'Now!' Yasugake jumped in the air, prepared to strike.
"Little feet!" Nishikiyama used his blade to cut his wrist, activating his Quirk and immediately reverting back to his 10-year-old self, nearly missing being attack by his foe.
"What...?!"
"Got you!" Nishikiyama swiftly thrust his sword forward, aiming at Shielder's mouth.
'No choice...' Shielder grimaced as the metal began covering his entire face. He bit down on the blade, breaking it into pieces and taking Nishikiyama by surprise. His surprise was short-lived, however, as Yasukage kneed him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. His face was now covered in metal. His sclera turned black and his eyes were not a deep shade of blue. He had grown fangs and his teeth had become sharper.
"You assumed too much." Yasukage began, grabbing his foe's arms to keep him pinned."You thought you had figured me out, when in fact, I lured you into a false sense of security. You jumped right into my trap." He sighed after he got no response."I guess you can't hear me anymore. I really hate covering my face, you know? It brings me back bad memories. And now..."
Yokohama, Salazar Mansion, Library, Night
Exo continued creating barriers around him as he ran circles around his opponent.
"Super Ghost Kamikaze!" Kabeyama began spitting out a total of 8 ghosts."Attack!"
The ghosts guffawed as they chase their prey in between the shelves filled with various types of books. As Exo entered an aisle, a ghost would trip and explode, causing the shelf to fall on top of the rest. He used his Quirk, to protect himself from the shockwave of the explosion, creating a barrier behind him. Up ahead, more ghosts were coming their way and the ones who survived from before were closing in behind him.
He clicked his tongue, creating a staircase with his barriers and quickly going up against them before the ghosts collided with each other, creating a giant explosion that launched Exo in the air.
Down below, his opponent rubbed a hand around his throat."Bastard...I can't believe he's actually surviving all of my ghost attacks. What?" He looked up, watching as to how Exo was diving in on him.
"No more games, then." He began inhaling as much air as he could, his chest expanding."Ultra Ghost Kamikaze!" He spat out a huge ghost from his mouth, leaving him completely out of air and stamina. The ghost was much bigger than the others, to the point where it also touched the ceiling of the vast library."Go! Ghost!"
"Oh, yeah!" The giant ghost began moving slowly up to meet his foe.
"Are you insane?! The explosion will be too much!" Exo swiftly moved past the ghost and grabbed Kabeyaba, hoisting him around his shoulder. He created a barrier around them as the explosion went off. His shield lasted long enough for them to get out of the room in the middle of the blast, entering a room and hiding behind furniture.
Before Kabeyaka could muster the strength to attack again, Exo knocked him out with a punch."Idiot...unless you're immune to your own explosions, I don't know what was the point of that." He stared at the plasma television in front of them."Though I'm sure God will forgive you. And you know what, I do too."
Meanwhile, just above their heads, another battle was taking place.
Katsuga struggled to even land a single hit against Comet, who was circling around in the air. He continued to unzip his arm further and further, but nothing he tried could hope to match him.
"Well, shit." Katsuga frowned as he punched the ground, creating a zipper and going through it.
"Huh? Where did he go?" Hisashi pondered, landing back on the rooftop. He heard the familiar sound of a zipper behind him, quickly turning on his heels and receiving a punch in the hip. A zipper opened up there, causing him to be split in half.
"W-what?!" He cried out in shock as his lower half was barely connected to his upper half. He felt immense pain and wa unable to move his legs.
"Don't bother. This fight is over." Katsuga appeared from a wall."I'll finish you off before that friend of yours comes bac-"
Hisashi grabbed the zipper connecting his hip with his torso and tore it open, screaming in agony.
"W-what are you doing?!" Katsuga gasped in horror."Fine. I'll keep my distance this time." He touched his arm, creating a zipper and stretching it, connecting against Comet's face."Game over."
"Not quite," Comet grumbled, grabbing the fist as hard as he could before using his free hand to blast himself away. He began going in circles, using Katsuga's own arms to tie up him as tight as he could, making it hard to breathe.
"If you don't release your quirk, you'll suffocate." He pointe out sternly.
Katsuga released his Quirk, effectively reverting back the effect on Comet's legs as they appeared connected to him again.
"Phew..." Comet sighed in relief, glad to feel his toes again. He whipped ot his hand, aiming at his foe."Don't try anything funny."
"I know..." Katsuka lowered his head, putting his hands behind his head."You got me. I lost the moment I release my Quirk. I intend to honor that."
"Thanks." Comet grinned behind his visor."I like it when villains keep it simple?"
"Villains?" He scoffed."I guess that's about right."
"If you tell me everything you know, you won't be."
"If I were to tell you, you wouldn't get it." Katsuga closed his eyes, begrudgingly accepting his fate.
Yokohama, Salazar Mansion, Cafeteria, Night
Darby and Haru made their way to the cafeteria at a slow pace."We can't make too much noise."
"Got it." Darby nodded as he followed the other blonde.
"You know something..." Haru stopped in front of the door."I've been thinking about what you said. Yuri means a lot to me, even though I don't show it. When she entered our school, I was the one to discover she was a female. During our PE class, well...you can pretty much guess what happened."
Darby stifled a chuckle."Sounds rough."
"Her family wanted a boy. So ever since then, she wanted to prove she could be as good as a man could. For that, she enrolled in Jojo Academy, pretending to be a male. I despise her family for that. That's why I'm doing everything I can to keep her safe and make sure she has the future she wants. But after all of this is over...I think I'll marry her. Who knows? Maybe I'll invite you to the wedding."
"Sounds great. I'll be glad to attend." Darby gave him a supporting pat on the back."Let's finish this."
"Right." Haru opened the door, quickly turning on the lights and illuminating the place. It looked larger than U.A's cafeteria and more colorful, adorned with various objects on the table.
"About time you got here, Ralfie." A womanly voice drawled. In the furthest table, a woman with short black hair and red highlights combed to the side sat, holding a bottle."Ya wanna know somethin'? This wine is really something else. Sure packs a punch." A chuckle followed after that." You know this is some good shit. Far better than what we have back at hom-Oh?" She stood up, a surprised expression gracing her features. She was wearing a white sleeveless shirt underneath a black opened-up jacket. She was wearing skinny jeans, black boots with red laces. She had tanned skin, a slim figure, and crimson eyes.
"That's her?" Darby rose a brow."Sure, she looks intimidating, but not dangerous."
"No mistake." Haru scowled at the woman."That's the one who was talking with Salazar. Stay on your toes, Nishikawi."
The woman sat on a table, crossing her legs and humming to herself, staring at the boys."Haru Adachi, right? I thought you would be either capture or gone by now. A good decision not to flee, since I have to hunt you down and kill you. Don't take it personally, I was just tasked with not leaving any loose screws. You are a very methodical person, so I hope you understand."
"I'm done listening to Salazar." Haru took a firm step, visibly shaking."I'm done with whatever deal you made with him. Leave me, Yuri, and our families out of this."
The red-haired woman looked in disbelief before erupting in a chuckle. Her laugh was joyfully, almost as if she were the happiest she's ever been.
Darby swallowed the lump in his throat, every sense in his body telling him to leave.
"Okay." She finally calmed down."I can do that. I'm not heartless, you know? No matter what people say about it. I have a sensitive side. Though, you might want to go check up on your dear princess. You left her alone, a floor below this one, in the infirmary."
"How does she knows that...?" Darby's eyes shot open. Before he could say anything, Haru broke into a sprint out of the door."Haru, wait!"
"Ha! Did you see the look on his face?" The mysterious woman laughed."I love seeing the color drain off of people's faces. That right there was a prime example of art. Though it's not by far my greatest piece."
"Who are you?!" Darby manifested his four Black Spheres, taking a battle stance.
"Hmmm? Oh, I forgot you were here. Did you get lost, little hero?" She asked soothingly."Did your little friends leave you all alone in this scary mansion? Wait a second...Adachi called you Nishikawi, did he not? Nishikawi...Nishikawi..." He rubbed her chin in thought, completely ignoring Darby."Ah, I know now. Darby Nishikawi. You are the..." She paused, a sardonic smirk appearing n her face."You are also the one who's been causing The Baron so many problems recently. You are the talk of the underworld, my Little Prince. Rejoice."
'Little Prince? That's not creepy at all.' Darby deadpanned at the unwanted nickname before coughing n his hand."I'm the hero of truth, Shinjitsu! I came here to help the people you are extorting into working for you!"
"Extorting? Me?" She placed a hand on her chest, pretending to be hurt."Oh, toy wound me, Little Prince. Do you really think I would be able to do such sloppy work? Salazar made this a show and is going to regret it."
"No, I don't know if you would or not. I don't even know your name." Darby pointed out, earning a nod from the woman.
"Well..how should I begin?" She rested her head on her hand."Where does one begin such a sorrowful tale? I suppose I should give a brief summary of who I am. Though I do warn you, the only outcome for the people that learn my name and see my face...is death."
Darby took a step back, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
"You are young. Fresh out of the oven, I bet. See, kiddo, young people tend to be really really dumb. I would know. I was your age at one point myself. I did some pretty stupid mistakes. Now that I look back as an adult. Anyway, I'm rambling. Do forgive me, Little Prince. I tend to get in the moment of things. I like to experience and all it has to offer, so I live every moment I can to the max."
'This could actually work in my favor.' Darby thought.'If I'm lucky, she'd stall long enough for Haru to secure Yuri and come back. I doubt I can take her on my own.'
"Kids think it's funny to explore the unknown. They fear the unknown and yet, they want to see it themselves. Curiosity killed the cat, as they say. They think it's cute when they have their little sleep overs and say my name five times in the mirror to see if I do exist." She shook her head in disdain."They find it less funny when I actually show up, though. I work as a butcher, so I know how to cut up meat accurately. Though it's kind of tricky with humans. Sometimes I make their deads slowl and painful while sometimes I cut an artery by accident. I'm thinking of studying biology for a better understanding of the human body."
"W-w-what?" Darby was baffled, not fully processing what he just heard."Wait...wait a second...you mean...you're...No, it can't be. It's just an urban legend. A myth! A-"
"You can try saying my name tonight." She grinned, her pupils shrinking."Blood Mary...Bloddy Mary...Bloody Mary...Bloody Mary...Bloody Mary..."
"What...?" Darby's jaw dropped to the floor."You mean to tell me that those stories are actually real? Holy shit...Seems Reiko-san was right after all."
"Now that you know who I am, I can't let you escape here alive, Little Prince." She cracked her neck, moaning slightly."Though I wouldn't mind playing with you before I kill you. Whether you do good or not will determine whether I will kill you slowly or fast."
'Shit! Where the hell is Haru?!' Darby bit his lower lip.'Did he leave? No, he couldn't. He still hasn't gotten the answers he's after. So then-'
"Oh, right. You're probably wondering where Haru Adachi went off to. Well, he's dead. Possibly."
"You're lying!" Darby barked, beginning to lose his composure."Who could have killed him?! No one knows we're here but us!"
"I did. Don't believe me?" She took out her cellphone, tapping a few things before finally showing him a picture of the inside of the infirmary. Haru laid on top of Yuri, the bed covered in blood as it began to spill on the ground below them.
"How...? T-that's impossible..."
"Is it?" She shrugged."I killed all of them, in fact. We can't leave any loose ends on this. Salazar is paying handsome money to make sure this goes according to plan and I can't help but want to do my job properly."
"You're lying! T-this has to be some kind of illusion! That photo has to be fabricated!" Darby turned on his heels, ready to head back.
"Where are you going, Little Prince?" He felt someone grabbed his foot and tossing him against a table, breaking it and shattering it to pieces."It's too early for you to run away, don't you think?" She took out a long shard of glass, seizing him up."I'm eager to see what you can do, Little Prince."
"Stop calling me that!" Darby sent all his spheres at once at his enemy."I'm taking you down! Right now!"
"Tch. This won't do." She easily sidestepped, evading all the spheres and rushing towards Darby at a speed higher than the Black Spheres could keep up with. She kneed him in the chest before grabbing him by the neck and lifting him with one arm in the air. She brought him down swiftly, ready to smash him against a table. Darby closed his eyes, ready for the impact that never came. Instead, he fell face-first on the cold floor, nearly breaking his nose.
He groaned, rubbing his chest as he faced his enemy once again. She was leisurely reading what it looked to be some files inside a vanilla folder, disinterested."I have all the incriminating evidence you might need. Who is pulling the strings, who made the drug, where is it headed, who is buying it? Etc, etc. If you really want it, you're going to have to show some initiative, Little Prin-" She rolled out of the table, avoiding being hit by a Black Sphere by the skin of her teeth."Oh~! Now we're talking!" She wasted no time and leaped over to Darby, barely giving him time to react as she kicked him in the ribs, throwing him in the air before she double-hammered him down back to the ground.
"You are making this too easy. And that's not fun at all." She shook her head, grabbing his hair before smashing his face on the ground multiple times. Once she got bored of it, she kicked him against a wall with tremendous force and making him go through it to another room.
Mary placed a hand on her hip, a disappointing expression on her face."Oi, oi! Is this really it? I doubt they hyped you up just to be turned out like this. You are a hero, aren't you?" She snickered at that."At least try to act like one. Maybe you need some incentive? Should I tear off your fingernails as foreplay? I like to warm-up before I begin...my game. But first, I'll make sure you won't be able to move anymore." She smashed a table with her fists, shards of crystals flying in the air. She snapped her fingers, turning the shards into even thinner pieces of glasses. She waved her index finder horizontally."Mirror Light Shower!"
The countless pieces of glass shot up like a machine gun at where Darby was. Each shard was strong enough to break down pieces of the wall and fast enough o make them seem invisible to the human eye. She rose her hand, haunting the assault. She observed her own handiwork, whistling with pride.
"I just love doing that. Never really get a chance to use it in combat, since I barely get the chance to fight. You see, in my line of work, all I have to do is kill the people I'm assigned to. The rest is a hobby. I work as a butcher for extra money, but I terrorize children and their families for fun." She put a hand n her hip."Wouldn't you agree? People need to have some kind of excitement. What I find fascinating is ripping their tongues out and feeding them to the family dog. Though sometimes I keep them for myself. Can't eat human flesh normal, but~! Oh?"
As the smoke cleared out, pale skin painted in blood could be seen along with red hair and red eyes staring back."Good thing you like to talk too much. Thanks to that, I was able to access Chaos Mode. Though if I didn't use my Black Spheres before your attack connected, I'd be dead."
"Ah. Now it's finally going to get interesting." She adopted a sardonic smirk."Don't keep me waiting, Little Prince."
Yokohama, Salazar Mansion, Salazar's Office, Night
Takashi stopped an incoming tiger punch from Salazar with his knee, nearly breaking his fingers. Before the Portuguese young adult could react, Takashi spun around and punched him in the chest, sending him skidding against a bookshelf.
"Y-y-you! Don't think this proves anything!" Salazar snarled, showing his fangs."I'm not going to lose to a Kachidoki!"
"Doesn't seem like you'll win." Takashi splayed his hands out.
"Don't underestimate me!" In desperation, Salazar threw himself at Takashi, ready to claw his face off. However, Takashi sidestepped and grabbed his arm, using his momentum to begin spinning him around as neon covered them both.
"W-what are you doing?!" He cried out."L-l-l-let me go! Let me go this instant!"
Doing the opposite that his opponent requested, Takashi increased the speed as he began to raise Salazar higher and higher.
"Let me go!" He cried out, unable to keep his eyes open and feeling his brain tremble due to the intensity and speed of Takashi's rotation.
"If you insist!" Takashi took a firm step, finally releasing Salazar from his grip and throwing him high i the air. He went through the ceiling and into the dark sky, screaming all the way.
'Damn him!' Salazar grinding his teeth.'He thinks he can make fun out of me and walk away?! As soon as I land...' He clenched his paws, drawing blood.'I will rip him to shreds! I will rip his fucking throat open and decorate my office with his intestines!' He let out a savage growl as he began descending back."You're dead!"
Takashi sighed, raising both hands n the air."No. I don't think I am. Special Move: Heat Dome Attack!" He fired a devastating neon blast from his hands towards the weretiger user.
Salazar gasped in horror."I can't dodge in mid-air! And I'm heading straight for it!" He put his paws in front of the attack, holding it back for a few seconds before it finally overpowered him as he screamed in agony.
Takashi released his Overclock Stage, falling on one knee."Fuck...I used too much neon in that attack. Hopefully, he doesn't land outside of this roo-And there he goes."
Salazar's limp body landed harshly on the floor, smoke coming out of him.
"Now...you're coming with us..." Takashi breathed, grabbing a neon bottle wrapped around his waist and absorbing it, restoring his neon reserves.
'You think...this is...over...?'
"Still conscious?" Takashi facepalmed."I should have put more power into that attack. I guess that Weretiger Quirk is more durable than I thought...'
"Oh..you have no idea..." He chuckled before coughing."I can't let...you ruin everything...this is my chance...I can't go back..."
"None of your little "friends" have come yet. And you probably saw this from above, but the ships haven't left yet. My sister and Angelo must have stopped them. It won't be long before they come here. It's over."
"Don't be so sure. I understand why Sai-chan has so much faith in you. You aren't a mere pushover, as I originally believed..." He slowly reached for his pocket."But...don't think I'll admit defeat just yet!" He took out a strange and injected himself with it."The Trigger mixed with the drug being used to awaken someone's second Quirk! The Nutrient!"
"No, don't!" Takashi ran over, but it was too late. His body began convulsing wildly on the floor as foam came out of his mouth. His body began to mutate. His fur began expanding more as he became more muscular, also growing about three feet taller. His face morphed into matching that of a tiger's yet retaining human features.
He let out an animalistic howl, standing all fours. Like an animal with rabies, foam came out of his mouth as he snarled the neon user.
"Well, fuck..." Takashi groaned, slowly backing away from the giant monster.."Not a big fan of cats..."
Damn, I missed the anniversary of this story. Oh well, better late than ever. Thank you all for still enjoying and reading. You don't know how much that means to me. Stay tuned as we progress through the Salazar Arc.
PS: Yeah, Bloody Mary finally revealed herself.
