Chapter 41
Beast Beneath The Moonlight
The wild tiger roared, jumping in the air to pounce on its prey.
"Tch!" Takashi clicked his tongue, neon covering his body as he ascended to his Overclock Stage."24 Envoy Apocalyptic Bullets..." He splayed his arms to the side as a total of 24 neon balls appeared behind him."SHOOTDOWN!"
On cue, the shower of neon attacks fired against the white beast but made no visible damage as it got close enough to back-hand Takashi in the torso, sending him crashing against the wall and flying out the window. He blasted himself back, landing on a small bridge connected to the building he was on with another.
"No effect?! You gotta be shitting me!" He cried out in shock as he could only observe the tiger jumped out to get him.
"Well, well, look who is running now?" Salazar's voice came more like a growl."You can blast yourself in the sky, I won't let you escape."
"Who said I was going to escape?!" Takashi spat on the ground as he dashed in a beeline over to the weretiger. He began punching him repeatedly in the chest, hoping to be able to do some damage. When his right fist connected, he looked up and saw Salazar snickering at him. He grabbed his arm and tossed him like a ragdoll all the way to the ground, landing in a water fountain.
"Now, how about I show you my new ability. The Quirk lost in my family." He flexed his fingers, taking aim with his claws."The Quirk that slept within me...Finger Pistol!" In an instant, all of Salazar's right claws were fired at Takashi.
"He can even use projectiles now too?! Give me a break!" He used the same tactic, taking him as if his hand were a un."Macro Bullets Fire!" He began shooting a round of neon bullets at the claws, however, they were unable to stop them or slow them down. With no option left, Takashi blasted himself on a whip, not measuring the amount of power and accidentally hurting himself as he crashed against a wall.
"Damn it..." Takashi sprawled on the floor, releasing his form."I can't even touch him..."
The ground shook as the beast landed in front of him, walking in twos."You are most impressive. I have to say, to push me to use my ace in the hole this soon...you are craftier than I gave you credit for. But you are no match for me. Which is a given. I am superior to you. You Kachidokis were all just hyped up because of your power and because your father was the number 6 Pro Hero. But he's dead now. Those titles are meaningless. Your time has come and it's time for the Salazar family to take over his country."
"I'm...not done yet..." Takashi used the wall as support, standing up."I...I can't...I..."
"What, your ego doesn't let you lose?" Salazar mocked."Too stubborn to let go and die? Or you just can't take another defeat."
"Nah... that's not it..." He slowly adopted a smile, blood pouring down his face."I already know I'm a loser. So this isn't about winning or not...I don't care about winning. I care about completing this mission, taking my friends, and get back home to sleep. We have a much bigger threat than you...compared to that, you are nothing special."
A muscular arm grabbed Takashi by the neck, lifting him up and forcing him against the wall."What did you just say? You think I'm nothing? Even after my power has increased this much?"
"Just so it happens...you took a more advance version of "The Nutrient" than I did..." Takashi choked out, trying to break from it as he felt oxygen not making it into his lungs.
"Maybe so." He conceived the thought. He released the youngest Kachidoki back on the floor, as he began gasping for air."But you could have obtained even greater power, had your ambition been stronger. You let yourself be brought down by mere words and defeated by a nobody."
'So, he's connected to The Baron in some way...only he was present when I fought Darby.' He rubbed his aching neck."I wouldn't count him out like that. That guy you just called a nobody is stronger than you or I can hope to be..."
"It's too bad he won't be for long. I'm sure he must be dead by now. Killed by one of my subordinates."
"Stop kidding yourself." Takashi managed a pained smirk."Subordinates? No one is coming to help you. If they really took down all of my friends, wouldn't they be here right now?" He observed as the weretiger opened his mouth but no words came out."You're all alone in this. But it shouldn't be a surprise, really. You never thought of them as comrades."
"Assuming they lost, your friends aren't here either." The half-man-half-beast pointed out."Which means, no one here will save you from certain death." He held out his paw as his claws grew back."Ready for round two?"
"Like I have a choice." Takashi spat blood on the ground, taking a battle stance and assuming his Overclock Stage.
Yokohama, Salazar Mansion, Cafeteria, Night
Darby was tossed against the ceiling by a kick on the back by Mary, who was enjoying herself like a little girl on a field trip. Darby threw his ten spheres at her, which she easily evaded and jumped away from.
"Black Spikes!"
Mary looked below here, noticing she was standing on a black puddle. On instinct, she jumped back as black spikes came out of the puddle, threatening to pierce through her.
"Oho? What a surprise. So you can morphe those spheres into other shapes after all." She placed her hands on her hips."Very interesting."
"I'm not done yet!" Darby jumped back from the ground as he made five Black Spheres blend into each arm, forming blade-like objects.
"Bring it, Little Prince." Mary licked her lips, taking out her shard of glass.
Darby rushed at her, swinging his blade-arm but she jumped on top of it, running up on it and kicking him in the face, knocking him against a table and shattering it.
"Shit!" Darby yelped in pain, feeling pieces of glass cutting his body."This is bad. I'm not doing any better than when I was in base. Sorry Midoriya, but I'm going to copy you!"
Mary rose a brow as she saw him leaping from table to table at max speed, surrounding her.'Is he trying to speed blitz me?" She dully observed him as he moved from table to table.'How naive of him. If only he were faster, this would be a nice trick. And here it is." She rose her fist up just in time to smash Darby's face as he appeared behind her.
The boy recoiled back, holding his near broken nose with pain. With a growl, he proceeded to tackle her but she jumped over him and elbowed him against the ground. Mary prepared to finish him off with her weapon, but Darby stopped it by grabbing it with his hand, slowly cutting through his flesh.
"I don't get it...I can't keep up at all!" Darby cried out as he formed two Black Arms, forcing Mary to leap away from him."Even in Chaos Mode, I still can't even begin to react to her moves...This can't be. Is she really so much stronger...?"
"Have you begin to lose hope?" She purred, her eyes dangerously gleaming."It's sad. I was expecting more out of you, really. But I guess you are still green, after all. Oh well. If you don't mind, I'm going to strike now."
Darby's eyes widened as he felt a hand touched his shoulder from behind."W-w-wha-" Before he could turn around completely, a punch in the back forced him to cry out in pain.
He used threw of his spheres to attack whatever was behind him but only heard glass breaking. He staggered around the cafeteria, leaning on a table.
"Over here." He heard a faint whisper to his side. He saw Mary's crimson eyes before she decked him in the face. Before he could use his spheres to defend himself, she continued to relentlessly attack him and make sure she wasn't fr from him.
'This is bad!' Darby thought as he continued receiving relentless attacks.'If I use my Spheres, I'll probably hurt myself at this distance.'
"Hmph." She scowled, backhanding Darby against a wall."What a bother. I only signed up for this because I thought you would be fun. Really. Maybe I overestimated you, Little Prince. You have a long way to go before you can give me a proper challenge. Maybe you need...a motivation? Well, would bringing out your family's liver on a platter and force you to eat them be enough?"
Darby gasped, manifesting his ten Spheres in front of him."YOU WILL NOT TOUCH MY FAMILY! I'M STOPING YOU HERE AND NOW!"
"Now we're tal-huh?" She felt something prevent her movements and glanced below, realizing two Black Spheres and managed to wrap themselves around her feet and stick to the ground."I can't move!"
"Imperial Onyx Cannon 80%!" Darby screamed with all his might as he fired a beam of white energy mixed with black lightning at his opponent.
Bloody Mary observed like a deer in front of headlights as the blast consumed her body and shot through the wall.
"What was that?" Takashi stared at where the explosion had come from."That was..."
Salazar narrowed his eyes."I see..."
Back in the cafeteria, Darby fell on his knees, feeling his power slowly abandon him. His hair went from red to blue, going back to Neko Mode."Had I put more power to that...she would have probably died...and I wouldn't have any energy to continue fighting..." He shakily stood up, using a nearby chair as support."I have to...go find the others...if she killed Haru and Yuri...No, I can't think that. We have to regroup and find Salazar. Then we can for-"
"-ce him to give us information on the Yakuza and the Seven Deadly Sins."
Darby's blood ran cold at those words. He slowly turned where the voice emanated from, noticing a familiar black-haired woman with red highlights neatly combed to the side."No way..."
"Surprised?" Mary grinned."That was a powerful attack. Pretty close, if you ask me."
"You couldn't have dodged it...I-I-I...you don't even look scathe. It's like you haven't taken any damage since this fight started!"
"That's because you haven't done anything that would cause me damage." She placed a hand on her chest."That attack was the only impressive thing you've done so far, and it almost took all out of you." She walked over to him, hands behind her back.
Darby couldn't move nor speak. He felt as if his very essence screamed at him to run and escape, but his body couldn't keep up. Their faces were mere inches away. Blue eyes met red.
"Don't worry. I won't kill you, Little Prince. Not when you are so well wanted in the underworld. You have much room to grow and I want to see what you'll be able to do in the future. Until then, I'll patiently wait in the shadows. When the time is right, I'll carve out your heart slowly. Of course, if you don't cooperate, that is. Anyway, you should probably go help your friend down there. Salazar is not holding back anymore. Go on." She practically shoved him out to the hole Darby had created."Oh, right. Take this as a parting gift. Since I had the honor to meet you, this is my gratitude. Make good use of it." She said, shoving a piece of paper in his pockets and pushing him, neatly making him fall out to the ground.
He sharply turned around noticing she was nowhere to be seen.
"Cooperate...?"
Yokohama, Salazar Mansion, Garden
Takashi ran through a maze of bushes as fast as he could. He reached a dead end, grunting in displeasure, and created a neon blade in his hand, cutting through it. As he crouched down to go through it, a hand grabbed his foot and forced him back out to the sky.
"Shit!" Takashi cursed aloud, neon surrounding his body as he activated his Overclock Stage. He began firing countless neon balls at Salazar, but he received no damage as he jumped over to him, kneeing him in the gut. He back kicked him back to the ground, landing on a small field of sunflowers.
"Well, that was something." Salazar slowly walked over to his prey."I take it you have no more tricks up your sleeve?"
"Fuck off..." Takashi grumbled, holding his sides."This is nothing...compared to the pain I made her feel..."
"Her? Oh, you mean your little girlfriend?" Salazar snarled."She will be in even more pain after she finds out you were torn to shreds. Now...slee-"
A kick to the face knocked the weretiger back, almost knocking him out after he hadn't expected a surprise attack.
"Go beyond plus ultra...Ground Version" Darby landed in front of Takashi, his blue hair moving smoothly in the air as his cat ears.
"Darby..." Takashi breathed, relief his friend had made it in time.
"We're even. You saved me back then during the Provisional License Exam. Now it's my turn."
"Thank you...but I don't think you can beat him. No offense." Takashi stood back up, grabbing his arm."He's been treating me like his chew toy."
"That was a nice kick." Salazar guffawed."I guess I shouldn't have dropped my guard down so much. I had a feeling at least one of my minions would have been defeated."So, who was it? Darby Nishikawi."
"Don't you dare call them that." Darby snarled in rage."You used them. Haru told me so! You planned everything and manipulated their families into supporting this insane plan! Not only did you do that, but you...you had the audacity to kill them in cold blood! Those people who supported you are dead because of you!"
"They're dead?" Takashi asked in disbelief."Just like..."
"Their parents." Salazar finished for him, rubbing his chin." So, Haru is dead. Probably that tomboy as well. If that's the case, "she" made her move."
"Bloody Mary." He trembled as he pronounced the name."You cold-hearted monster! They didn't know their families were dead!"
"And it's better now. They'll be reunited in the afterlife." Salazar chuckled, wagging his finger."I'm sure you two will tell them about my success after you are dead."
"Wait, Bloody Mary? Like the urban legend? But that's just a myth." Takashi felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up."Are you positive?"
"Well, that's what she called herself." Darby swallowed the lump in his throat."I stood no chance against her. If we're going to take her down, we have to finish this fast."
Takashi couldn't help but crack a smirk."I see. So, I was right after all. You are not the main event for tonight."
In the blink of an eye, Salazar was in the middle of the two, elbowing them swiftly and sending them flying away.
"Takashi!" Hisashi grabbed his brother, falling on the floor with him.
Darby was grabbed by Hoshi and his shields.
Salazar looked above, as two golden arms hammered down at him, only for him to grab the attacker's foot with his tail and tossing him on the floor. Yasukage rubbed his read, his eyes staring impassively at the man-beast.
"So, the maggots pile up to take down a king." Salazar splayed his arms out."I have to say, I'm impressed. You all defeated my minions like nothing. Though..."
"We know." Hoshi scowled, helping his brother up."You ordered their deaths because they weren't useful to you anymore. We...we watched them die..."
"But we heard everything from your mouth." Hoshi chimed in."Now, all we have to do is take you down and make you face justice on their behalf."
"Ha! You speak as though they were saints. Each of them approached me out of their own selfish desires. But no matter...you are right. All I have to do is kill you all here then I can be on my way. If I hurry, I should make it back to the ships before they sail. Roughly in 5 minutes."
"Assuming Nebula and Angelo haven't stopped them yet." Takashi reminded him."Don't take us lightly anymore. It will cost you. Let's go!"
Darby and Yasukage rushed in at Salazar, both of them equipped with Black Batons and Gold Hands respectively as they try to land a punch on the Portuguese student. Salazar blocked their attacks easily, laughing as they struggled to no avail."
"X-Shot!" Both Kachidokis appeared from both exposed sides of the Weretiger, blasting neon blasts at him. Salazar grabbed Darby and Yasukage by their throats and threw them away, receiving the full impact of the attacks. From the smoke, the weretiger ran in all fours at Yasukage, slashing his claws at his chest, only for them to break into pieces once he covered his whole body in gold. Frustrated, he grabbed him by the ankle and tossed him to a nearby tree.
"I lied to you all, my dear enemies." Salazar gave a sadistic grin."My second Quirk isn't quite what I said it was. You see, I can already shoot my claws at will with my Weretiger Quirk." He squatted down, picking up a pebble from the ground and putting it above his thumb, under his index finger."Please. Do you really think anything about me would be so simplistic as that? Now. You see, I now have the ability to increase the power and strength of whatever I throw by tenfold." With a swift flick, he shot the pebble at Darby, piercing right through his left shoulder as he cried out in pain.
'I didn't even see it coming!' Darby gritted his teeth, grabbing his bleeding arm.
"That's right." Salazar sunk both paws on the ground, twisting it and grabbing part of the concrete and grinding it into pieces with his powerful claws."I haven't forgotten about the two of you, Kachidokis!" He threw with both hands, as if he were a professional baseball player, unleashing a volley of rocks at the brothers who did their best to blast them away with their neon but were quickly overpowered by the assault and left on the floor.
"It doesn't matter what I grab. As long as I throw it, I can increase the output power and make it a devastating attack."
"I'm not done with you either!" Darby appeared from the sky as his Black Spheres rotated, focusing his nature energy in one spot."Onyx Scorch!" He fired a black beam of raw energy at the monstrous enemy, creating a cloud of dust.
"Did I get him?" Darby wondered, landing in front of the aftermath of the explosion. A tail wrapped itself around his neck, lifting him up as the smoke cleared out, revealing Salazar scowling at him with scratches on his body.
"You sneaky bastard," Salazar growled, clenching his right paw. He let go of Darby as he swung his arm forward at the falling boy, aiming at his face."Disappear!"
Before his face could be smashed in, a green barrier was created around the man-beast."What the hell?!"
Darby fell on the floor, glancing at his savior."Exo!"
"Looks like I made it in time." Exo sighed in relief."You bought me the right opportunity to trap him. This was is seriously fast, so I couldn't find a perfect chance to get him."
"Release me!" Salazar pounded at the barrier. However, no matter how hard he punched, it wasn't budging."What is this? It has no effect?"
"My barriers lasts around three minutes." He explained."However, I have to be less than 5 feet than whatever I want to protect with my shield." He turned to Darby."So hurry up and go plan something. I don't know if the police are on their way, but even then, I doubt they're prepared to face this monster."
"Right." Darby nodded in agreement."Which means we have to take him down now. Yo! You guys heard that?!"
"Stop screaming." Takashi rubbed his forehead."This headache is killing me. Alright, meeting time." He beckoned the other three young heroes over to him."Let's brainstorm. We have two minutes to strategize a way to beat Salazar."
"But none of our attacks are working." Darby pointed out."I shot an Onyx Scorch right in his face and he was unscathed."
"Not quite..." Yasukage drawled as his arms reverted back to normal."He seemed he took some damage...He also seemed particularly pissed at that fact..."
"Right. Compared to when he first injected himself with the Trigger and the Nutrient, he's become a lot more sluggish." Takashi informed them."Both drugs give the user a boost. Although the Nutrient is more of a permanent thing, it was to be constantly monitored, especially for those who just used it and want a full effect of their power."
"So that means he's running out of juice." Hisashi surmised."He's gonna want to have to finish us off before that happens. He said the ships would sail within 10 minutes. If he beats us under three, then he'll have plenty of time to escape."
"I doubt he'd get very far. Ayushi and Nero are over there." Takashi folded his arms."If he goes there, he's screwed. Regardless, we do have to stop him now anyway. If we don't, the five of us are dead."
"Not to mention Bloody Mary...is still out there..." Yasukage trailed off, lowering his gaze.
"You okay?" Darby put a hand on his shoulder.
"Reiko...I can't believe she was that close to...dying by her hands...Thank God I talked her out of doing the ritual..."
"We're gonna get out of here." Darby reassured him."You'll have a story to tell her. First, we have to find a way to defeat him."
"I might have an idea," Takashi spoke up, earning their full attention. As the group finished discussing their plan, they heard Hoshi groaning as he reached his time limit.
"G-guys?!"
Salazar grinned from ear to ear, smashing the barrier into pieces once it was weak."Liberated!" He backhanded Hoshi against a wall, knocking him out.
"Let's go!" Darby and Yasukage rushed from both sides.
"This again." Salazar pointed at them with his claws, shooting them at rapid speed. Darby created a Black Umbrella while Yasukage clad his entire body with iron. Nishhikawi shot a sphere in the air, essentially launching himself and hiding in the dark sky.
Salazar regrew his claws and began blocking Yasukage's attacks with one hand and incessant neon blasts with the other."You insignificant trash!"
Yasukage was used as a meat shield and forced to take the incoming projectiles. Darby landed behind him, using his six spheres to create a Black Arm, and used it to grab Salazar's tail.
"How dare you?!" Salazar grabbed Darby and launched him in the air. However, he was suddenly dragged into the sky as well. He looked at his tail, noticing that black hand still holding onto him.
"You didn't do your homework!" Darby called out from above."You smacked the fuck out of me, but I intentionally left my Black Arm grabbing your tail. You see, there is a gravitational attraction between my spheres and I! When you tossed me in the air, you sentenced your fate!"
"This means nothin-Huh?!" He noticed out of the corner of his eyes two colored lights. One purple and the other one orange.
"Hit him with everything you've got!" Darby's hair went from blue to red as he positioned all his spheres in front of him."Imperial Onyx Cannon!"
"Let's do this, Takashi!" Hisashi and his brother rose their hands."HEAT DOME ATTACK!" Two beams of neon of distinct colors combined into one as they shot into the sky.
"This is nothing!" Salazar grabbed both attacks with his hands, struggling to use his strength in the air."I...I can't get out! I...I can't lose! I! I AM! RAFAEL SALAZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!" Salazar screamed as the combined attacks engulfed him in a humungous explosion that momentarily turned the night into day.
"Hell yeah..." Darby closed his eyes, fatigued. His body threatened to crash on the floor, but he was grabbed by Yasukage and Hoshi.
"That had to have work." Hoshi panted, lowering Darby down."You guys put everything you had into that, right?"
"Right." Hisashi fell on his knees."I'm all out of neon..."
Takashi remained silent, watching silently in the distance at the police lights coming near."Yeah...not too shabby...It's too bad I couldn't do it on my own, but...thank you guys...I feel shameful I couldn't defeat my opponent while you guys did."
"Hey, bro, don't sweat it." Darby shook his head."You had a way tougher opponent than us. To be fair, I didn't exactly defeat...Haru and Yuri..."
"I'm sure they are all resting in peace with their loved ones." Hoshi spoke up."The Lord will without a doubt welcome them into his kingdom. We can rest easy that now that we defeated Salazar, he will pay for his actions."
"You cocky brats..."
Out of the smoke, Salazar appeared wounded. His left arm had shrunk back to human size and his face was morphing back as well."You...you...You vermin!"
"No way..." Yasukage gaped.
"Shit!" Darby cursed, trying to stand up but his body didn't have the energy."How is he still standing?!"
"The Weretiger power gives the user outstanding resilience." Takashi grimaced."And combined with the Trigger, he was pretty much a tank. I should have known that attack wasn't going to be enough to defeat him."
"And for that...you will perish right here." Salazar snarled, raising his still transformed arm."I'm going to tear you to pieces, limb from limb!"
"Sorry, but I can't let you do that."
Angelo landed behind Salazar, catching him off guard."Ayushi said she's going to give these kids a fitting punishment for their recklessness. Until then, I can't let you kill them."
"You..." Salazar narrowed his eyes."What did you do?!"
"I admit, it took us quite a bit to clear out the ship, but I also helped in giving the police a hand. It wasn't only students, there were also robots. You came prepared for war, it seems. But it's over now. Ayushi is securing Saiko Intelli as we speak and the police are securing the boats. Your plan is over. You became overconfident and this is the price you're paying.
"I lost...?" Salazar stammered as if for the first time he heard those words."No! No way! I refuse to let it end like this!"
"Have it your way." Angelo shrugged, unsheathing his blade."To me, Guerra."
"Even though I lost power..." Salazar stared daggers at the newcomer."I still have enough strength to-"
Blink.
Angelo hit Salazar with the back of his sword against his head, knocking him out. His Quirk deactivated, leaving him only with his shredded pants on.
"Woah...did you guys see that?"
"His speed is incredible." Darby noted."He's something else, all right."
Takashi hummed, not having anything important to say.
Angelo approached the group, taking a long look at them."You look like a mess. Seems like they already gave you more of a beating than I expected."
"Uh...thank you?" Hoshi said, unsure whether that was an insult or a compliment.
Angelo rubbed the edge of his nose."It wasn't a...You know what, sure. I have to give compliments where it's due. I knew Takashi and Hisashi were competent enough, but the three of you newbies outdid yourselves tonight. Good job. Also, I only managed to knock Salazar out in one attack because you beat him up for me." He sheathed his sword back, turning around."Anyway, we should restraint him."
"I can hold him with my barriers until the cops get here." Hoshi offered, jogging over to where the unconscious Weretiger laid.
"Man, he's really bleeding out over there." Takashi pointed out.
"He's not the only one." Darby grimaced, holding his wounded shoulder. He noticed something odd about the amount of blood Salazar was bleeding."Hey...I know we hurt him and everything, but I don't think we got him bad enough to cause him to bleed out like that."
Angelo observed the blood cautiously, noticing a hand coming out of it."Exo! Don't move!"
"Huh?" Exo stopped in his tracks. He yelped in surprise as a slim figured literally climb out of the water onto the ground.
"That's...!"
"Bloody Mary!" Darby gasped."Fuck, that's right. We completely forgot about her. Where the hell did she even come from?!"
Mary quirked a brow at the commission, adopting a smirk."I didn't know there was a party. You could have let me know, now I'm soaked in blood. Well, his blood." She threw a knife she was holding to the ground."Sorry, but I can't let you take him. He's a valuable asset and I would hate to...hindrance the plan." She squatted down, grabbing Salazar's body with one arm."It was fun, y'all. We should definitely do this sometime again. Though I'm afraid it won't be possible. I have a tight schedule and-"
Angelo unsheathed his blade, dark branch-like wings growing from his back as he flew over to Mary. She shook her head, shooting Darby a wink before jumping inside the pool of blood and disappearing.
"Fuck!" Angelo cursed as he kicked the pool of blood."We had them! I should have seen it coming, but she was too fast on her feet."
"No kidding..." Darby agreed."I fought her before I joined in on the battle against Salazar. She gave me something." He took out the paper she had given him earlier."If what's in here is legitimate..."
"We'll take a look at it." Angelo informed him, glancing in the distance as he saw a group of cops approaching."Hide it for now. We'll meet back at the agency."
Kachidoki Agency, Meeting Room, Night
The group of five teenagers laid on whatever they could find. Exhausted and yearning for sleep, they waited for Nero and Ayushi to finishing discussing whatever they were talking about.
"You guys still awake...?" Hisashi asked his friends, earning a collective groan in reply."I...I can't shake my head off of tonight."
"I know what you mean." Takashi tried pushing Yasukage off of him, but he was being stubborn."Dude, there's no space in this couch for you, Hoshi, and I."
"I...was here first..."
Takashi deadpanned, deciding to let it go."You guys had it rough. Personally, I didn't witness anything you saw today. It must have been tough."
Darby rubbed his temples, a frown on his face."I had him with him. Haru. And Yuri was left unguarded."
"We did too many mistakes today." Hoshi eventually chimed in."Maybe what we did was a bad idea. Jumping in like that."
"It's hard to say. Had we taken any longer, the ships would have departed. And if they did, those drugs would have been distributed to God knows where. The Baron would have won." Takashi stood up."You all saw how powerful Salazar became once he awoke that second Quirk of his. Had he taken the battle seriously, I doubt he would have given us many choices."
"And we rescued that friend of yours." Darby added."Is she alright?"
"Yeah." Takashi sighed."She's just a little shaken up. I'll visit her whenever I get the chance."
Before they could continue their conversation, Nero and Ayushi walked through the door, standing in the middle of the room.
"I'm surprised you guys are still awake. It's four in the morning and you had plenty of exercise today." Ayushi placed her hands on her hips."I told you guys you could sleep if you wanted."
"No way, Jose." Hoshi firmly denied."We want to hear what you found out. Bloody Mary gave that document to Nishikawi saying it would help us. But can we really trust her? She saved Salazar."
"I admit it sounds rather counterproductive." Nero nodded at his words."But without a doubt, we can say this information is legitimate."
"It's worth its weight in gold." Ayushi continued."It has information on the whole drug operation. Where they got it from, where it was going, who was pulling the strings. It turns out we were right. The Yakuza, the Shie Hassaikai specifically, were the ones who provided the drugs to Salazar to sell. Not to mention we found evidence of the robots that were destroyed while holding back the police. They are similar to the ones found before."
Nero placed a hand on her shoulder, nodding."The ones found when Vermillion Ray died. If that's the case, we can assume The Baron is involved, since he was there that night. Which means The Baron is either associated or he is part of the Shie Hassaikai."
"That's..." Yasukage's jaw dropped in disbelief."
"Amazing! We found the evidence we needed!" Hisashi exclaimed in glee.
"Indeed." AYushi smiled at her younger brother."Now, all we have to do is get things started. Later today I will head to talk to an acquittance of mine who happens to be investigating the young head of the Yakuza, Overhaul, also known as Kai Chisaki."
"For now, we wait until we have all of our pieces on the table. Now that we're ahead of time, I'll ask one last time for you guys to back down if you want." Ayushi addressed everyone in the room."There is no shame in that. You've already done plenty, more than I could have asked for. This is a family affair. My selfish wish for revenge and justice. I won't bring anyone with me down by force."
"Hell no." Darby stood up as well as the rest, looking at their superior dead in the eye."I made a promise to bring the bastard who ruined your family's lives down. After what he did, I can't let him get away with it."
"Too many people died because of him." Hoshi forged on."It is our duty to make sure no one else dies because of him."
"We may have been late tonight..." Yasukage spoke up, determination filling his eyes."But...if we act now while we have time...we won't regret it."
"We'll continue fighting. The Baron used our little brother and killed our father." Hisashi clenched his fists."I can't...I can't stand by idly while he's out there. If we leave him, he will continue haunting us down until we're dead."
"That's true. I will follow you until the very end, Onee-san. I am the one who caused the majority of these problems when I joined up with him for power. I want to fix my mistakes and atone."
"As for me, I owe it to you, babe.:" Nero gave her a kiss on the cheek."What kind of boyfriend would I be if I leave my fiance all by herself? Your father would literally come back from the dead and kill me himself. Plus, I owe him a lot. Despite never getting along with him, he was the one who gave me a place to belong."
"You guys..." She wiped off the tears streaming down her face."You're so cheesy, you know? But shit...I'm blessed for having such a wonderful team like you...In fact, how about we celebrate? My treat! I know a place where they sell beef bowls and are open 24/7!"
"For the love of God..." They all deflated."No more beef bowls..."
Shie Hassaikai Compound, Eri's Room, Morning
"What is this?" Eri asked, grabbing a small red box with a smile drawn on it.
"Never had a Happy Meal before?" Taichi asked as he sat on her bed, taking his laptop out."Right. Kai is probably too picky with the sh-things! Things you eat."
"Were you about to say a bad word?"
"No. Anyway, just get on with it and eat. I didn't know what you would like from there, so I got you a bit of everything." He brought his index finger against his mouth."If anybody asks, I am the one who ate it. So don't hold back, kid."
Eri's eyes sparkled in delight as she carefully opened her Happy Meal.
"I know you like apples, so I got you some as well. There is a cheeseburger, nuggets, fries, hashbrowns. Of course, I don't expect you to eat everything but at least let me know what you like and what you don't dislike."
"Thank you, uncle..." Eri muttered, hugging the little princess doll she had gotten.
"Hey, you're my niece, kiddo." He shot her a smile."Of course, I love you. Though you might think I don't."
Eri perked up at that."I do-"
"It's fine." He cut her off."I don't know much about love or affection. I don't know how to receive it or give it. I guess I just act like I normally do. But it's all so complex to me. I spend time with girls here and there but it just doesn't feel natural. Kai is my brother and well you know how he is. Even worse than me. But he loves you as well."
Eri shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
Taichi sighed, typing a few things on his laptop and taking off his headphones."I know you probably think we all hate you and this is like a prison. Which really, it is. I hate how enclosed this shit hole is. Maybe if we had more windows or painted the fuc-poopy walls, it'd be more bearable."
"You almost cursed again."
"No, I didn't. Anyway, the point being, no one hates you. Perhaps your fool of a mother thought you were a curse for the gift you were given." He continued, taking a sip from his frappe."But she was a poor excuse of a mother. A mother should never abandon her child, no matter what. That is why I had no mer-" He stopped, frowning."Eri. For a mother, her child is the very essence of her life. It becomes her every reason to live and reason to devote herself to. When she breaks that cycle...she becomes worse than scum. Sadly, there are cases in the world similar to yours. Just like my mother..." He shook his head, taking a deep breath.
"Your mother?"
"It's not important." He rubbed the edge of his nose."But in essence, we were also considered cursed children. Kai, in particular. His power was...well, not well accepted. I don't remember much, since I was a child, even younger than you are today. I...I have a vague memory of that. But Kai has been in your shoes as a curse for a power we never asked for. I don't know how he did it, really. He not only looked out for himself, but also for me. I don't like to say cheesy things like this out loud, but for me, Kai has always been a hero. If he does the things he does to you, he has his reasons."
He proceeded to show her the background of his desktop, showcasing a group of girls on a stage with colorful outfits on."See this? I may not look like it, but I'm into idols and stuff like that. My favorite group has to be "Muse". My dream is to one day be able to meet them. I'm a very big fan. I'll let you listen to some of their songs in a bit. But what I'm trying to say is, normal life is certainly not possible as long as we're bound by the shackles that we were given. Kai uses you and hurts you because he knows he can repair you and get you fixed up. If he didn't, I'm sure he wouldn't dare to do it."
Eri was entranced by the picture, setting her food aside as she walked closer to the screen.
"Our goal is to use you to be able to get rid of all the Quirks in the world. To be able to lift that curse that has been tormenting people over the years. If Quirks weren't around, none of these horrible things that happen daily would occur. For that reason, Eri, I ask you to bear with it for a bit longer. Once we are ready, we'll save the world from Quirks. No evil will ever exist and everyone will have a chance to live a normal life. We can be a normal family. We'll get you a new mom and an aunt. We'll work on that. And after everything is over, I'll take you to a Muse concert. In fact, I'll get us VIP seats. How does that sound?"
Eri gave the tiniest of smiles as she hugged her uncle."Thank you..."
"No problem, kiddo." He kissed the top of her head."Finish up your breakfast, yeah? We don't want anyone to find out we were eating junk food."
The door opened, revealing a man wearing a white dressing shirt, black pants. He had short orange hair and yellow eyes. He timidly walked inside, visibly shaking.
"The fuck, Terezaka?" Taichi cursed, quick on his feet."I'm spending some quality time with my niece here. Make it short."
"I-I-I...well, sir...there is something you have to know..."
"Well, out with it." The young Chisaki folded his arms, tapping his foot impatiently."Come on, Lust."
Lust swallowed the lump in his throat, handing him a manila folder."T-t-this is the report...you've asked for."
Tai grabbed the folder from him and began scanning it. Something caught his eyes and looked up."The fuck? "Operation Failed? What does this shit mean? I asked for two reports. One for new parts of my automail and the other one about the drug deal."
"Sir...You see, the drug deal that was arranged for yesterday night...was unsuccessful."
Taichi's eyes widened, continuing reading through the report."Fuck...fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!" He threw the paper away, startling his niece. He stormed out of the room, grabbing his head."Fuck!"
"So, you read it."
Taichi spared a quick glance, noticing Megumi leaning against the wall next to his door."What the fuck happened?! I thought you were there to see it through!"
"I was" She nodded."However, my job was to ensure the deal was smooth. The deal never happened to begin with."
"What does that mean?"
"I observed from afar, mostly because I had the robots you let me borrowed fend off the police. However, that was not the original idea. The robots were originally instructed to make sure to never let anyone interfere. However, we weren't expecting to actually put them to use."
"Right." Taichi nodded, so far keeping up.
"So why were the police there?" She addressed the elephant in the room."It was inconceivable for them to know about our operation, so why were they there? The most logical conclusion was that someone leaked information."
"Who the fuck would have done that?" Taichi was visibly agitated, afraid that there was a mole among their ranks."You have to be mistaken. No way anyone could have leaked that info."
"We will get to the bottom of this." They all followed to where the voice emanated from.
The Baron stood firmly, his hands resting on his cane."We have ourselves a huge predicament. But..." He looked behind him, stepping aside and allowing Maria, push Salazar forward. He fell on his knees, groaning in pain as his wounds were still fresh.
"You will explain to us what exactly happened." The Baron stepped forward, grabbing Salazar's chin and lifting it up."From the report Sloth gave me, several bodies were found in that mansion. Along with the bodies of your subordinates. While I do not care for your particular agenda, I do want to know what led up to the massacre in that place. I doubt you had not only the spine but the power to do so. Even with the Trigger and the Nutrient combined. Obviously, you had different intentions."
"I did..." He muttered, audible enough for the leader of the Seven Deadly Sins to hear him."I was...using you guys in order to form an empire...with the amount of wealth and recognition I would get from not only selling your drugs but the power...I was bound to take over my homeland then eventually expand my empire to the rest of the world...I am destined to rul-"
Megumi swiftly silenced him by kicking him across the face, knocking several of his teeth out."Destined to rule? Be careful of how you speak in front of an empress, you mongrel. Unlike you, I am of actual royal lineage. You believe you're entitled to ruling the world because of your childish mindset of being wealthier than someone else. How pathetic.
Salazar spat blood, moaning in pain as he glanced up at the woman in front of him."You bitc-"
Megumi easily shoved half her foot in his mouth, causing him to gag."I could easily shove it all the way in, breaking your jaw apart and eventually cutting your head in two."
"Enough, Pride." Baron chided her. The sin of Pride sighed, stepping down."Tell us then...what was the real reason why?"
"I didn't give anyone any info!" He finally snapped, tears going down his cheeks."I didn't! You have to believe me! I didn't know they were coming to raid my mansion! Not until the last second! Someone told us a few hours before! It was too soon and we didn't have enough time to get the cargo on board before the heroes showed up!" He wailed, genuinely afraid for his life."Someone...she claimed she was with you guys...she was the one who brought me to your doors!"
"He's clearly lying." Megumi folded her arms under her chest.
"We could always just get Nemoto to get a confession." Sloth suggested, earning a glare from Taichi.
"That's a dumb idea." Chisaki frowned."Nemoto is devoted to my brother. If we asked him for help, he would fucking rat us out. And then we would be in a real shit show. Right now we need a plan before reporting to Kai."
"I believe him." The Baron admitted, catching his comrades by surprise."I know the face of a liar all too well. As long as someone who is afraid of their life. Very well, Rafael Salazar. If you tell me who did it..." He carefully grabbed his cheek."I won't kill you. In fact, I'll have Overhaul fix your body. In exchange, however, I want your services. You see, for being called the Seven Deadly Sins, we are only six. We are in search of a new Greed. The previous one was an attempted failure. I'm sure you're very familiar with him. Takashi Kachidoki."
"Kachidoki was...so he was working with you guys." He gave him a pained smirk."You bet I'm accepting that deal. If he failed at being Greed, I'll succeed and best him. I swear I will devote myself to you as long as I can fulfill my revenge."
The Baron hummed to himself, pleased with his words."Very well. I hereby welcome you to the Seven Deadly Sins as well as the Shie Hassaikai. You will be known as Greed, Greedy Weretiger."
"Thank you!" He bowed down, hiding his face. 'This is perfect. Not only do I get to live and get my shot at revenge against those bastards who ruined my plan, but I will patiently for my chance to take over this organization and start from scratch. I can still rule over the world!'
"By the way..."
Salazar lifted his head."Yes, sir?"
Baron chuckled."You can call me Baron, Teema or Wrath. But you have still to tell me the name of the person who sabotaged our strategy."
"Right. I was barely conscious when I heard her name, but when she presented herself in front of me...I will never forget those red eyes of hers. She looked like a demon. Her name is...Bloody Mary."
"Bloody..." Megumi started.
"Mary?" Taichi finished, frowning."You shitting me? Ain't she a myth? What are you taking us for, asshole?"
"Although his words might have some value." Megumi rubbed her chin in thought."I've been reading on the news lately the numerous murderers happening around Japan. Apparently, the culprit attacks houses where they do the Bloody Mary ritual, essentially summoning her. She leaves behind a star painted with their blood and their organs in bags. But still.."
"Really, Megumi?" He growled at her. He then noticed Lust shaking behind them."You too?! Hey, Teema, what do you think of these guys? I can't be the only rational one here, ri-Teema? Teema...?"
The Baron grabbed his arm, forcing his body to stop shaking. His respiration was becoming heavy and each breath was audible through his mask.
"We must hold a meeting immediately." He commanded them, his voice low but serious."If we don't act know, everything as we know it will disappear."
Tension is rising, and the two groups are about to collide. The Kachidoki Agency vs Seven Deadly Sins. Who will come out on top?
Also, I have to say I enjoyed writing Bloody Mary and Salazar. The weretiger idea sprung when I watched Bungo Stray Dogs and I was like, "why not"? To be honest, sometimes creating new powers for characters gets hard. For example, I am still trying to figure out how I can make Lust's Quirk work so it won't tamper with what happened with Takashi and the League of Villains. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Have a wonderful day/weekend and don't forget to leave a review! It really helps!
