Chapter 6: Bite the Bullet
"Damn, a wandering boss appeared. Sucks to be them."
Watching from a pair of binoculars and a couple of monitors that had been hastily set up, Tomura scratched his neck in interest. A faint grin, full of malice was just beginning to form under the severed hand attached to his face. Beady red eyes flickered back and forth between the two, still undecided on which was of better quality. So far, he was leaning towards the hidden cameras; they just had more angles.
He had taken to setting up this little tactic a few months ago, placing cameras and microphones all over meeting spots. It's provided a great deal of information already, and has proved to be a wonderful application of his Warp Gates power.
And after Sensei praised him for such an amazing idea… yeah, he had decided that doing this every time was for the best.
The air was still with anticipation and blood was in it in abundance. Hell, it was literally flying all over the place. Left, right and center, mob characters were splayed in half or butchered into fine red mist.
Originally, Tomura set these up for ambushes. And while he hadn't planned on killing these NPCs since they were potential pawns… he had that feeling. That one, that all true villains and murderers knew so well.
It was oh, so familiar.
And it was just there. Something was going to happen.
And lo and behold, the event fucking started!
Serves them right for not giving him what he wanted. Dumbass NPCs. That's what happens when you fuck with the player, it's a Bad End.
"Kurogiri. Is Sensei watching?" His voice rasped out, tired and scratchy.
A smokey figure stepped forward, yellow eyes narrowed in interest. "Not at the moment," he shook his head, "he is busy with another operation. But it is being recorded."
"Tsk." Tomura sucked his teeth, but grinned a second later. The carnage unfolded almost immediately, bodies were getting torn asunder and people dying left and right. "Look at him go at those noobs. Fuckin' farmin' 'em real hard."
To their credit, the Yakuza were doing better than he thought they would. The maneater had a bit of a reputation after all, especially as of recent. It was a testament to Kendo Rappa's strength that he could hit Carthage with such force, much less push him back like this.
And wasn't this just a treat?
The real, genuine Carthage. Freaky fucking cannibal could fight with the best of them apparently. The way he slaughtered those NPCs? The guy certainly knew how to grind. Those weird tentacle things sure packed a punch, how high of a level was that skill?
"I must say," Kurogiri interrupted his thoughts, "he's far stronger than I assumed he would be. It takes considerable power to break through concrete like that. And he's quite fast."
Tomura agreed wholeheartedly. He knew his strength score wasn't very high -better than most NPCs- but this guy? "DPS-Tank builds are broken af." He muttered; he himself had high AP, but bullets still hurt him, and even if his DEX was pretty high up there… the only thing that would call for a total rework would be if Carthage had life-steal too.
"There's something to be said for hackers like this." Kurogiri looked over to his ward, an unseen eyebrow raised. That was about as close as one could get to a compliment from him.
"Do you believe they will win?" The Warp Gate asked in interest.
Behind the monitor, Tomura blinked. The question made him pause before he finally realized something. It was only now registering, even if he had been watching almost the entire time.
They.
"Holy shit! Carthage ain't solo anymore! What kind of bullshit is this?" The dude's duoing in ranked! He was a team all by himself, and now he has someone to watch his back? Broken! Hacks! Bullshit! Wandering Bosses don't get party members!
How are players supposed to survive a run-in with this kind of boss? The devs need to seriously think through their decisions and patch the fuck out of this glitch. "Well, the mobs are fucked. GG. I'm curious though, does Sensei have any more vids of Carthage?"
Even if he was a cannibal, that's a lot of power he's packing. Power, that he could really use in a party member. All these other trash fodder he's been recruiting couldn't and wouldn't, amount to anything beyond barely useful as a distraction.
"I believe he might," the man made of mist said in speculation, as if tasting the true validity of the words on his tongue, "you know how many eyes he has in the country, and Carthage has been active for a few years now."
Tomura grinned. If the fights were anything like this one, he certainly wouldn't be bored.
Suddenly, the fight took a dramatic turn. The end seemed to be nigh, and the Heir of Evil leaned forward in his seat. "Here it comes!"
The only thing that would make this better would be a stiff drink and some popcorn. Speaking of which… "Kurogiri! Get me some snacks! It's goin' into the final phase!"
He complied, leaving in a swirl of black mist.
Tomura kept his focus on the battle before him, grinning the whole time. "You know, he'd make a pretty good Nomu…"
"Sir!"
Naomasa startled awake, jolting up from where his head was resting on his desk. A stack of papers was knocked off his desk in his raised stupor, and he damn near fell out of his chair too.
But, this wasn't the first, nor the last time that he would be woken up like this. At this point, it was all muscle memory. Still, the groggy haze of sleep was still there, even as he stumbled his way out of his seat faster than he should have. "What is it?"
He didn't recognize the woman, she was of a shorter stature, with bright blue hair. Bright, as in a subtle glow bright, not the dyed kind. She must be a new recruit, that kind of hair sticks out.
She straightened out and snapped to attention. "Officer Manami Ishika! We have several reports of gunfire and probable acts of violence. Near the Shibuya ward and Musutafu border!"
Oh? That… was near Yakuza territory. Or, at least where they've been guessing is their territory. It was decidedly away from the port, but very near Shinjuku as well. Shinjuku, where many of Carthages' early kills took place.
Oh.
All weariness left his body in seconds, and his fingers were going a mile a minute to send messages out to those involved in the case. "How many shots have been fired? Any other noises of note or quirks used?"
Eraserhead was the only one to respond quickly, and he wasn't even in the prefect at the moment. Naomasa cursed to himself.
"Multiple gunshots fired, they could be heard from blocks away." The new recruit grimaced as they began a walk towards the administrative office. "So far, we have confirmed small arms, automatic, and possible shotguns and assault rifles."
Damn. What kind of battle was going on right now? They weren't in America, this is Japan! "And quirks?"
Up ahead, the Detective spotted Chief Tsuragamae. Relief washed over quickly, but was replaced with determination moments later. Things would speed along far quicker once the man was informed of the happenings.
"So far, we have nothing concrete on quirks used." She had to increase her pace when the taller man's gait began outpacing hers. "Possible strength enhancer quirks based off of the thuds and rumblings."
So no information to really help them then. Strength enhancers were a dime a dozen, every other person on the street had them. There were plenty of ways to counter them. "Head over to the armory, if we're dealing with super strength, I want tranqs ready to put them down."
The fresh recruit nodded and ran off around the corner.
Chief Tsuragamae took note of his best detective on the force quickly and they met at the halfway point. "Detective Tsukauchi. I assume you've been briefed?"
"Minimally." He responded, "Shots fired, unauthorized use of quirks, in suspected Yakuza territory. Did I miss anything?"
They walked and talked, heading towards the vehicle depot. "A bit. Confirmed explosions so far, crushing metal from passersby can confirm some form of strength enhancement. We've also had some… bodies tossed off the roof of the building the fight's taking place on. Woof."
Naomasa raised an eyebrow, "Is that so? Where is this all taking place at? I know it's in the middle of the city, but where exactly?"
The two turned a corner and started descending the stairs. Employees and officers coming up made way for them at their quick pace. "On top of a parking garage."
"Oh." That… is certainly different from Carthages' M.O. "Is it confirmed to be the cannibal? He normally sticks to alleys, not someplace so visible."
Once they finally got to the bottom, the two were quick to spot the assembled forces of police and heroes. "We have no confirmation, just because it is Yakuza doesn't mean that it's him specifically. That being said, with the most recent Endeavor debacle in mind, we're going in accordingly with force. Woof."
A smart plan, one that would save lives should the cannibal choose to finally act against police. That, the detective guessed, is where his smartest move came in. His lack of police and civilian violence has, unfortunately, put him as a lower priority than one with his body count should have. "What of the heavy hitters?"
"Nothing." The dog-man shook his head, "Most of the heroes are spread out around the country currently. Hawkes is on his way over, but he was in north Japan, by Kobe, dealing with a special H.P.S.C. mission. But, who knows how long it will take for him to arrive. Woof."
Had it been in his earlier years, the detective would probably have found annoyance in the verbal tic his boss used. Instead, Tsukauchi clicked his tongue at the relay of unfavorable information. "Any on-scene?"
"No." Even without a human face, the man still looked grim. "It's an, admittedly, out of the way area. Some en-route, but nothing at the moment."
Damn it! "Helicopter support?"
The chief of police growled. "Denied. Someone up above is pushing our efforts down."
"What?" This information unsettled the lie detector. "So… is it corruption?" That was the most obvious answer, and it wouldn't be the first time he had to deal with that sort of thing.
He waved his hand back and forth, "Possibly. But with Carthage, it could be a part of the other group."
"Ah." The other group. Or, the higher ups who were of a more… vindictive nature. They like the idea of having a monster clean up the city in a more permanent manner. On some levels, Naomasa agreed. There are some criminals and scum that deserve to be put down like that. But as a whole, someone with over a hundred bodies under the rug needed to be put down.
"Obviously, you'll have hero support. Air support too, should Hawks get there in time." Tsuragamae shook his head in despondence, "And while ground forces will be supplied, nothing more from us. Besides, this isn't the only thing happening right now. Woof."
"What?" He stood a little straighter, what else was going on?
Seeing his look, the chief of police sighed and shook his head. "Don't worry about it for now, Detective." He grabbed a shotgun out of the hands of a nearby Sergeant, startling him. Shoving it forward, his dog-features hardened with a stiff smile. "You've got your job to do, other precincts have theirs. Bring home the bacon, son. You know how an old dog likes his treats, right?"
"Yes sir!" While still curious, Naomasa had been at the job long enough to know when to focus.
Chief Tsuragamae walked off towards the opposite direction, already being flanked by subordinates no doubt filling him in on the ongoing situations. Naomasa turned around and took a deep breath. All attention was on him.
Feeling the weight of responsibility on his shoulders once again, he steeled himself. Before him stood almost two dozen police officers and several heroes he both recognized and didn't. Spotlight, Kamui Woods and Death Arms looked ready to go. The others looked nervous, but determined.
With one hand, he pumped the shotgun. "We all know the situation! Time is of the essence, everyone in a squad car and lets get a move on. Possible Carthage spotting, confirmed firearms use. Both automatic and semi-automatic. I want everyone in armor, we're going into a warzone!"
They all followed his orders without question. It wasn't the first time, and it wouldn't be the last either. Spotlight walked up to him and smiled. She put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it, before getting into the same vehicle he was going to go into.
Naomasa smiled slightly, he only hoped this wouldn't be as bad as he thought it'd be.
"Do you know why things are like this?"
A question he's asked himself over and over again. It wasn't one a child could figure out. Children had limited capacity to understand such things, especially when nothing's been truly explained to them.
"No."
A loud smack sounded out in the small room. The childs' head was turned to the side, but his expression was blank. It didn't hurt, no it couldn't hurt. Not something so weak. It took stronger things to make him feel pain.
"That's 'no sir' to you, monster." His father snarled.
Bleary green eyes glanced up to the hand not used. The one missing fingers. The fingers he ate.
Perhaps, in the beginning, Saigo felt remorse. Guilt, sadness, despair and shame too. But now?
Now he wished he took more. Maybe he wouldn't be locked up all the time if instead of a few fingers… he took the whole hand. Maybe the arm?
"What's with that look?!" Jugo slapped him again, harder this time. Saigo could feel it, but not the actual pain. He'd have to try harder. As usual, his mother was off to the side. Bottle deep in misery and determined to not notice the scene, she drank and drank…
Even as a child, Saigo found it pathetic.
And infuriating.
But he held his tongue. "No, sir…" All the trouble he caused though?
Well, there's certainly no small amount of guilt for that. His parents were teetering on divorce; it didn't matter how many locks they put on his door, he heard it all through the walls. The arguments, the begging and pleading, the actual fights.
Besides, he's just a kid, barely able to understand any of this. The feeling was there, but not genuine comprehension.
"That's better." And yet, he didn't sound pleased at all.
The room fell in silence once again, awkward and almost painful. Saigo glanced at his mother, hoping against hope that she'd do something. That she'd help him. She didn't. Mayuri just looked at him, his father, and then downed the rest of the bottle of wine.
Jugo grabbed his hair and yanked him forward with a snarl. "Don't fucking look at her, you little creature."
Saigo grit his teeth but said nothing. He stared up at the man that had fathered him, but hadn't actually been a father in years. Red bled over green, and like the coward he is, Jugo flinched back and dropped his son. "Fucking freak."
"Your cousin won't be visiting anymore," he finally said after composing himself, shocking the ghoul, "they're moving to Kobe, Shinji got a job up north. Don't ask for them again."
No… No! No! That was his last line of normalcy. His last piece of love that came from -anywhere! His parents certainly didn't give him anymore. And while Aunt Rika and Uncle Shinji were… wary of him, they weren't hateful.
And his cousin…
"But!" He tried, but what was he supposed to say? Ever since he was four, Saigo knew that life wasn't fair. He couldn't stop his relatives from moving, they had their own life. But if they left…
"But nothing!" Jugo activated his quirk, fear-induced rage finally breaking the surface, and Saigo was launched across the room. He crashed into his wall, denting the drywall, but was otherwise unhurt besides being startled. "Nothing! It's just a warning so you stop asking all the time! No more distractions, no more surprise visits. Just school and home. Period."
For three years, that had been his routine for the most part. They dropped him off five minutes before school started, picked him up immediately as it ended, and then locked him in his room. Taking Saigo out of school and having him drop off the face of the Earth would bring up a whole slew of problems. People ask questions, and in this day and age, homeschooling could only be completed if the parents had a proper license, or a home tutor with one.
And since they couldn't afford one, nor did they have said license, they couldn't take him out of public school. Saigo was kept on a strict schedule, limited to no reactions with other potential victims, supervised trips to and from school, and enforced confinement.
For all intents and purposes, Saigo was a prison with just a little bit more freedom. Locks on the door, abusive guard, bars on the window…
In retaliation, for the first time, his kagune manifested. From his lower back, just above his tailbone, a tendril formed. Black and red, thin, and pulsing with bloody power, it manifested over the course of seven seconds. Slow, and show to his warden holding him down.
Angry red eyes burned forward, ones Jugo hadn't seen for three years. He flinched back at the sight, both of the eyes that haunted his dreams and of the new appendage growing from the monster he spawned. Yet, he didn't drop his hold of the freak, more for fear of what would happen.
"NO! Leave me alone!" The kagune lashed out with surprising speed, but poor dexterity. It gouged a small trench in the ground, marring hardwood flooring with ease, but was stopped only centimeters away from hitting his father. Jugo had raised his other hand in a panic, stopping the new limb from skewering him like meat.
A stalemate ensued, during which Mayuri had stopped drowning herself and approached to see what was going on. She gasped and took a step back at seeing the scene, but her husband spotted her almost immediately. "Close the door, Yuri! Close it before it kills me! Now!"
"A-ah. Right!" Hesitantly, she complied. She reached to the side and started closing the heavy metal door. Jugo took a step back, sweat starting to form around his brow. And with each step, the kagune gained distance. Before she shut the door fully, Mayuri activated her quirk to see the finer details.
Suffice to say, her inebriated stupor was gone by that point. But if there was any left, she was completely sober now. The clusters, disgusting things that she had looked at time and time again, were reacting far differently now. It had been a year since she had last looked at them, and though they were growing bigger…
The ones in his lower back had converged, apparently, growing in size tremendously. The rest were smaller now, and the cluster below his tailbone was almost non-existent at this point. Only the ones around his shoulders retained some of their size, but even then, it was smaller too.
Pulsing with heat and energy, seeing something like that in her son was like a sudden reminder that he wasn't the sweet little boy she had raised anymore. The angry red eyes, vicious snarl, disturbing diet… this was a monster wearing her sons' skin.
She slammed the door shut post-haste. With vision now gone, Jugos' quirk deactivated and he lost control. Milliseconds later, a loud thud echoed in the apartment, and the kagune that had almost pierced him, nearly slammed through the reinforced door. It jutted out almost sixteen centimeters, a very real demonstration of what could have been him.
If metal was broken so easily… what of human flesh?
Back in the room, Saigo slid to the ground, panting and slowly calming down. He was in control, no longer angry and practically frothing at the mouth. The boy looked down at his new limb with curiosity and hope. It was small and thin, but armored and, if the door was anything to go by? Powerful.
This… was new. And exciting. He had thought that his quirk just made him a cannibal. But with this? Clearly, it was so much more.
Images flashed in his mind, ideas and ideals and desires peaking their way to the surface. And to a seven year old, locked away and treated like a monster...
The things he could do with this…
"The things you can do kid!" Kendo laughed madly, "What a rush! This is the fucking best!"
Each hit was like a truck smashing into him. The sound was less akin to flesh hitting flesh, but more like boulder meeting metal. Kendo Rappa had clearly earned his position on power alone, because it certainly wasn't brains that got him to be a Bullet.
The guy was borderline insane.
But, Carthage could dish it out just as much as he could take it. Buckshots of crystals blasted every few seconds, and the big man had to dodge each one. He didn't rely on his partner -for multiple reasons- but that caution had served him well. Only glancing shots had scratched him, but he took the brawl head on.
On some level, Saigo respected that.
Kagune swipes were batted away or dodged. Punches and kicks were taken and returned. Stabs and jabs were narrowly avoided. Someway, somehow, the broad shouldered oaf was keeping up.
But on every other level, it pissed the ghoul off.
On Himikos' side, Hikeji focused almost entirely on defense now. He didn't have time to focus on another fight and his own at the same time. Not with such an agile and disturbingly skilled opponent. Injured and bleeding, and against a fast opponent capable of dodging his shots, the traditionally dressed man was getting backed into a corner.
His shots, while silent, were barely useful at keeping the giggling freak away. Reloading took time, aiming was easy to track because of its size and laser and so was counting how many rounds were left. Every time he cycled through everything, the blond practically rushed forward in a blur of motion that left the Bullet frantically pulling up a shield. He was ranged support damn it, not a fighter!
"Soon~" She cooed, knife sparking against a barrier. It illuminated her wide golden eyes under the mask, "Soon, I'll get in there, cut you up, drink your blood~ and it. will. be. Amazing!" She threw a knife that he was forced to dodge, not block, but dodge. It cut his neck, nicking it just enough to bleed… but it was another wound of many that had been accumulating.
Damn it all, what was with all these cannibals?! "Stay still, girl!" He fired two more shots, the last in the cylinder, hoping to immobilize her. Hikeji had been aiming at her legs, knowing that without them she'd be easy to deal with, but her reflexes weren't something to scoff at. Dodging to the side and bouncing off a light pole, she practically jumped over the last bullet as she made her arc down towards him.
Four blades glinted in the small amount of light, and a barrier hastily appeared around him a second too late. One knife made it through -her aim disturbingly good- flying fast and… loud. It whistled as it flew by, slicing into his ear and cutting it in half. "Argh?!"
While not technically half-deaf, blood was pooling in his ear canal and muffling sound, throwing off his balance just a tad. Spent cartridges clattered to the ground in a series of clinks, and when another barrage of throwing knives came soaring at him, the Yakuza brought up the barrier fully to give him a safer reload. Seven bullets later and he was ready to go again, even if his opponent was learning how he found more and more.
He gulped, but sent out an emergency text. His phone was hidden in the large sleeves of his yukata, like how his gun was, but the blonde in front of him didn't seem to mind. Eying the grey goop still dripping off her, he spoke once again. "A transformative quirk. Useful for infiltration. I will remember to pass it along to the Young Master for future precautions."
"Oh?" Himiko tilted her head, the gold of her cat-like eyes practically glowing in the dark. "But, you're gonna die? Imma drink your blood, and my boyfriend's gonna eat your brains?" Her hair, out of its usual buns and in a ponytail for once, bounced a little more freely.
Ugh. Even behind the mask, his grimace wasn't hard to see. "Disgusting. Forget quirks in general, putting you two creatures down will be a service to humanity as a whole."
She laughed madly despite her broken nose, crouching almost impossibly low. In her right hand was a pink combat knife, Cutty-kun, her favorite, and in her left was a handful of throwing knives. Two between each finger, totaling eight. Hikeji wasn't the only one capable of ranged attacks.
And with her skill, she had one more shot than him.
Himiko shot forward, twitching left and right for each shot he missed. She threw two knives towards him, forcing a shield up, but tossed another two at his teammate. Knowing the loss of his partner would be his demise, the vampire grinned sadistically under her mask when he raised a shield to stop the two stray knives. Three more flew from her hand, and then the last, number eight, was trailing just behind the three.
The barrier popped up as expected, blocking the three, but went down almost instantly so he could return fire. The fourth throwing knife, hidden behind the three, flew true and forward, unabated and unstopped. At the last second, Hikeji noticed it too late. With no time to dodge, the knife slipped past any defense he could possibly make in time. "Urgh?! Insufferable brat!"
Buried in his shoulder -luckily not his dominant one- the wound will most definitely reduce mobility and hamper his already waning stamina. In retaliation, Tengai fired the remaining rounds in the cylinder with a furious sneer beneath his mask. Each shot barely missed, but the last managed to hit her hand.
"Eek!" She yelped in pain and jumped back far. Cradling the hand, she inspected the hand for damage as dumb-dumb reloaded his edgy weapon. One of her fingers was bent at a wrong angle, broken, probably from the knife flying out of her grasp so fast and with so much force, but it would heal. The metal shrapnel from the broken blade wasn't very deep either. But… "Awww, I really liked that knife!"
While she still had pinky, the butterfly knife was so fun! Getting another wasn't going to be hard, but definitely out of the way. Giran wasn't going to be happy, that'd be the fifth one she got from him.
They just… kept breaking!
Not unlike she was going to do to this asshole. Still, she was down a hand now… or rather, down some fingers. It would hurt, but Himiko could still throw knives with that hand, though they'd be limited. "I'm gonna cut you now."
The sound of rumbling broke her attention for only a single second. Glancing at her boyfriend, he was blitzing through the ground with his kagune. They were without the full plume, and instead lining up and down opposite ends, like teeth of a chainsaw.
Saigo and Kendo met punch for punch, neither willing to yield. But Saigo was gaining ground. He healed, the brute didn't. A few good hits here, a couple mean scrapes there; even if he was laughing like a madman, the Bullet was wearing down and edging closer to his demise.
Fucking psychopath didn't even seem to care.
A quick swipe of his kagune sent a barrage of crystal feathers his way. Kendo dodged with ease, but the attack went right for Hikeji. Cursing to himself, the blond man was forced to raise another barrier. It provided enough distraction for Himiko to get in close again, though she was forced to retreat when he brought his weapon up to bare.
"I gotta ask," Saigo said in the stalemate, "what's up with you? The other guy is kinda what I expected for a Bullet. But you're… just kind of a meathead."
Kendo paused, the ever-present grin on his face faltering just a little. He was missing a couple teeth now, and his nose looked ruined. Considering Saigo's only slammed his fist there a couple times, give or take a knee or two, there's no way all that damage is from him alone. "I don't follow Overhaul. Hell kid, I don't even give a shit 'bout the Shie Hassaikai. I'm just here to fight."
"What?" The winds may as well have been knocked out of his sails. "What do you mean? Then why the fuck are you up here fighting for your life for some shit you don't care about?! You know I'm gonna eat you right?"
He laughed again, a deeper and more guttural sound than his mad cackles from earlier. "He beat me. Killed me. Brought me back to life. So, I'm just stickin' around till I can kill Overhaul."
Saigo shook his head and leaned back out of his pounce. Peeking over, he glanced at Himiko and her fight. It was coming to a close, Hikeji wouldn't last much longer. His girlfriend had gotten shot a couple times, or possibly just grazes, but she's done much more damage to her opponent.
With an idle thought, he raised both kagune and launched a barrage of crystals at the blonde. A shield stopped them, but like music to his ears, the barrier finally shattered. He stumbled back with a pained yell and barely avoided getting turned into swiss cheese. Himiko pounced with the ferocity of a starving lion, grinning and giggling like mad. The barrier he raised in protest was weak, and the Bullet was only able to get a couple shots off to force her back.
That fight was over.
Returning his attention back to the man in front of him, Kendo was grinning once again. "If you just wanna kill Overhaul, then where's the main base of operations?"
"Ikebukuro," he smirked savagely at the befuddled expression that was barely visible, "on the north side, by that ancient language school. Can't miss it if yer lookin' for it. Just look for cars like the ones we came in."
The ghoul blinked in shock and stumbled on his words. Just like that? Also, that wasn't anywhere near where Saigo had initially guessed. "H- How are they made? Why?"
Any trace of amusement left his face. "'Nother reason I hate the little shit. Fucker gets it from this little girl -his niece I think, I dunno." A pit formed in Saigo's stomach, and the arm he was not-so discreetly grabbing with his kagune dropped in sudden apprehension. "Takes her apart with his quirk and puts her back together -be wary of that shit, one touch and yer dead. As for why… the germy little shit hates quirks, wants to get rid of 'em. Either way, I dunno the nitty-gritty of it, but it's kinda fucked up."
And like that, his questions were answered. So easily too.
In the background, completely forgotten about, Himiko finally broke through the barrier. She batted aside the revolver with her knife, taking a couple fingers off in the process. Hikeji sputtered in pain and tried to retaliate with a knee, but it did nothing to dissuade the vicious vampire. With a -quite literally- bloodthirsty smile under her mask, she stabbed him in the chest on the roundabout. Dragging it down, she cut through bone and skin with ease, practically vivisecting him on the way down to the ground.
With a mad cackle, she brought the knife down again, this time on his arm that was struggling to reach for the weapon. One stab, two, three, four turned to ten and more, and the limb was useless. Blood splattered left and right loudly, covering the area in large splashes.
Hikeji was gurgling on blood now, vaguely aware of his coming demise, but it didn't matter to the psychotic blonde. She stabbed and sliced more and more until she couldn't take it anymore. Lacking any care for the location and possible onlookers, Himiko ripped her mask off and dug in, biting down on the ruined arm that was barely held on by sinew and muscle fibers. Once done with the arm, she bite into his shoulder next.
She drained his blood with glee, yellow eyes glazing over in her high.
Ignoring the soft moans and quiet slurps coming behind them, the two continued the conversation. "What's her name? This niece? Where's she located in the facility?" While his home life was bad, this sounded so much worse. At least his captors couldn't harm him, outside of words and their actions, but it sounded like this girl was being… harvested.
The irony of his entanglement with them suddenly felt far more karmic than Saigo thought possible. They harvested a little girl, he harvested them.
"Eri." Large hands scratched the back of his head, and Kendo looked away in what he could recognize as shame. "I've never tried to get her out. That's a sure-fire way to get me killed… permanently, but every time I try to kill Kai, he just brings me back after splattering me a couple times." He shrugged his shoulders and looked back towards the stunned ghoul. "Figured that if I finally killed the bastard, her torture would stop. As for where in the structure she is… " He shrugged, "dunno.
Looking down, a thousand thoughts raced through his mind. It just felt… so surreal. Just like that, he had it. So long, after killing literally hundreds of people, he had it. A name to their boss, a location for their base, a motive for their means, and the means and method to their motive.
Finally, after a solid minute, Saigo took a deep breath and looked back up at the man in front of him. "Okay. Thanks. Ready to die?"
"Ha!" The brawler laughed, somber mood now forgotten, "That's more like it! Let's get this show on the road!" He slammed his knuckles into each other, the metal clanging harshly against one another.
Kendo rushed forward with that same mad cackle as before. Saigo held out his arms and concentrated for a moment. Feeling deep down, he flexed his muscles in a specific way he wasn't used to doing. Underneath his clothes, the skin turned rigid and hardened, a shiny red sheen just barely visible to those paying attention. Not by much, but on contact, anyone would notice.
Defense now stronger than before, he opened his eyes and dashed forward to meet the traitorous Bullet.
Honestly, he didn't seem like that bad of a guy. Doesn't mean he won't die still, inaction is still just as bad as the wrong action, and Kendo was still a villain anyway. No doubt, at the very least, under the service of the Yakuza, he's killed people time and again.
A blindingly fast punch sparked off his now partially-hardened skin, and Saigo capitalized off of his redirection. His fist flew up into Kendos' stomach, breaking a rib smoothly, but the brawler retaliated and lashed out with an even faster right cross. It smashed into his face, knocking the mask off in the process. Caught in his hood, the ghoul was quick to leap back and re-secure it.
"Wow," Kendo whistled to himself, "yer kinda young. Strong too. Not a bad way to go, ya got lots of potential kid! Maybe get some actual training instead of relying on instincts and yer gonna be quite the force to be fucked with."
Saigo took the words to heart. "Will do." Kendo's been rather forthcoming, something he's quite grateful for. Also, he's strong. No regeneration or super durability, he's just a man who's refined his body and quirk to the utmost limits. For every advantage he had, the man before him was able to ruthlessly fight back and shrug off everything thrown at him.
His kagune whipped forward, aiming for a quick impalement. The Bullet dodged and rushed forward once again, ignoring the ground that had been so easily pierced. The other wing, still without its crystals, lashed out in a horizontal slash. Street lights fell as if they hadn't even been there, cut through with monstrous ease. Kendo slid underneath the slice and pushed off into a down swinging jump.
Blocking the punch, he was forced back and down. Saigo had four more limbs to use, however, and immediately he retaliated. But each attack was coming faster and faster. For all his mobility and strength, the ghoul was being forced back more and more. Recovering was no issue, his regeneration is one of the best perks of his damning quirk, and it was working just fine.
But each injury slowed him down just a bit. And Kendo was getting faster and stronger with each punch thrown. He blocked some, managed to get some mean hits in that would debilitate most -even managed to break a few more ribs! It was mounting into a fruitless endeavor, however, as the berserker didn't even seem to care.
Whatever Kendos' quirk was, it was strong. Well documented meant nothing in the face of experiencing it firsthand. Laughing with each blow traded, the muscle-headed Yakuza rained blow after blow.
A punch came low, Carthage blocked it and sent it down into the ground. It cracked and cratered, but not enough to cause misstep. He sent a jab forward, hoping to skewer the brawler on his fingers. Kendos other punch met him first, dislocating his shoulder and forcing him into a backspin.
Righting himself midair, his kagune launched Saigo forward. "All I want is a good deathmatch!" The Bullet screamed in glee, already throwing a fist forward. "Let's see if you'll give it to me!" Their punches met, right on right.
And the gauntlet Kendo wore cracked, the same as Saigos radius, ulna, and humerus. The Yakuza recoiled back, but did not drop his offensive. Healing in seconds, Carthage did not back down either. He swept low in a kick, hoping the change up would catch the brute off guard. It didn't, his reward was a clean hit to the face, knocking his mask clean off and forcing him back nearly seven meters.
In a daze, Saigo gripped his face as his roll came to a stop. This was the first time, in all his hunting, that he had been forced back so much. No one's ever fought back so hard, hit with so much force, broke through his defenses so easily. Even tapping into the deeper aspects of his quirk wasn't working.
And in all that time, this is the first time some's knocked his mask off all the way.
Red eyes glared up at their opponent, shaking madly. A growl escaped his mouth through clenched teeth. With a twitch of his fingers, Carthage fixed his nose back into place and licked the blood off his face. A tendril scooped up the mask and brought it back to him.
"Oh?" Kendo paused, taking a good look at the downed boy. "Well, shit. Yer just a kid ain't ya? Thought you were young, but damn. Ya sure hit like a truck though, so who am I to care?" He shrugged carelessly, a mad grin still on his face. "Now come on, kill me! I wanna die bruised and broken! I want this bloody, I want this to the death!"
Fine.
Wordlessly, he placed the mask back on his face and clasped it tight. Saigo opened and closed his mouth, working his jaw and clacking his teeth. His other kagune brought back a gift, and with one swift move, he swallowed the arm whole, biting off the fingertips before he had to eat the nails. After liking the blood from his lips, the ghoul stood a little taller. Already he could feel the regenerative effects of consuming flesh, and it emboldened him.
Initially, Saigo had been a little hesitant about killing Kendo. Well, not initially, but after he had told him what he wanted. With no effort, the guy just spilled the beans and even openly admitted to trying to kill his boss. Same goals, right? But he wanted to die fighting, as insane as that sounded, and Saigo would respect that.
He didn't understand it, not at all. All his life, it's been about survival. By any means necessary. That still hadn't changed to this day, except he didn't target just anyone. A few civilians had fallen to his predatory organs over the years, mainly in the beginning, but for the most part it was only at the most desperate of times. Once he was old enough to differentiate between the criminals and civilians, Saigo took to eating them instead.
And none survived.
Rip and tear and kill and eat.
Kendo Rappa had been the first person he was even slightly hesitant to kill, if only because he was so genuinely forthcoming. He seemed likeable, almost. Hell, Carthage didn't even have to torture him for information first!
But look what that got him?
"No more games then." If he wanted to die in a bloody battle to the death, then that's what he'll get. So be it. Full throttle.
Wings extended out, full of crystalized murder feathers. Carthage clawed his hands, ready to rend. Kendo Rappa had some monstrous arm strength and durability, but Saigo had noticed that it didn't extend to the rest of his body.
A weakness to exploit.
But, it was a weakness that had been covered well. For all his brutish methods, the man had technique and was well trained in martial arts. His footwork let him pivot and dodge lethal blows at the last second. He could bend his body to provide the most power to those punches, even going so far as to break Saigos' bones. How long had he trained to get that level of skill?
Let's see you dodge this.
A thought later and his wings moved. They flourished and blew forward, sending a barrage at his opponent. Moments later, he used them to propel himself forward. Kendo, against all rational thought, punched the scattershot of crystals before they hit him.
Bullshit!
His fingers sparked along the ground as he brought them up to gouge into the soft flesh. It found air, and his opponent came crashing down on him once again. Copying the same movement he saw not even moments ago, Saigo pivoted and brought his other hand out in a close swipe. Kendo backed off just as his wings came swooping down to rend him in three, that ever-sufferable grin still on his face.
Bloodlust built and bubbled underneath the surface of his skin. Kendo wanted a deathmatch, but he clearly wasn't going to go down easy. Fine. Even if it was a battle of attrition, Saigo would win. He would heal and the Bullet wouldn't, simple as that.
This wouldn't be a battle of attrition, however.
Taking the initiative to engage this time, Kendo was upon him in seconds. Carthage responded in kind, opting to add in as much pressure as possible. Ukaku came swinging, aiming to maim, but even without the crystals they weren't fast enough. Saigo aimed for center mass with the extra limbs, but his red eyes followed those dangerous arms with careful precision.
Punch after punch he dodged or parried, but Kendo was the same, redirecting menacing wings and precise swipes meant to maim. Kicks were more effective, they disrupted the flow, but it reduced mobility.
And he wouldn't stop laughing!
So it came as great satisfaction when Saigo finally managed to land a meaningful hit. Barring the scrapes and bruises and occasional minor fracture that have no doubt been accumulating, finally the brute slipped up. A swipe down managed to cut a large gash right through his thigh.
He didn't hit the femoral artery, unfortunately, but a vain was certainly nicked. It bled heavily, but the true boon came in the misstep it caused. When Kendo put weight on it to step back, the leg buckled just a little, and his balance slipped.
Of course, that was the funniest thing in the world to Kendo. "Ahahahahah! Yes!"
Like a hawk, Carthage swooped in with rabid ferocity. He swiped left and right, brought down kagune to rend, and flung crystals as a way of both distraction, and lethal projectile.
The crystals, Kendo was able to avoid, but just barely. The kagune, he batted away with parry and punch alike. But it was the kicks and the stabs that brought forth demise.
Instead of trying to sweep out his feet, Saigo jumped high and chopped down. It was blocked, obviously, but when his foot came down, it wasn't aiming for the head. It landed right on the wound, and even this meathead, for all his muscle-for-brains attitude, was forced to grunt in pain because of it. His foot pushed down, blood splattered out from the open wound, and something cracked when it shouldn't have.
Distracted by the pain, he didn't notice the hand coming for him till the last second. Aimed at the throat, Kendo twisted his body at the last second. He avoided getting gutted at the jugular, but the hand swiped right through his shoulder, making it effectively useless.
He tried to retreat again, to retaliate with a strong-arm punch, but Carthage just tanked through it and kept up his advance. "Gah!" A punch to the throat startled him, almost breaking his windpipe, but Kendo had more important things to worry about.
With a bum leg, limp arm and quirk that's been effectively halved, he was on his last leg… literally and figuratively. And he loved every second of it! This is it! This is what he wanted! A bloody and brutal slug-fest, where one comes out on top. Whoever is stronger is going to be the survivor.
And as of now, it wasn't looking to be him. As he ducked under a punch and lashed out with one of his own, Kendo could accept this kind of death. Sure, the kid was a cannibal, but was that really so bad? … yeah, it is, even someone as fucked up as him knew that.
But Carthage is a hell of a fighter, and that's how Kendo Rappa always wanted to go out. Arms swinging, blood flying, people dying. And that entire thing was right here!
A kick came low, and this time the brawler fell to the ground with a grunt. He rolled to the side, dodging a kagune by mere centimeters, but a second one came down and trapped him between the other. Kendo tried to get up, but a hand came rushing down. Crossing his arms did nothing to stop it, the hand jabbed through his guard and both arms.
And now, he was disarmed. Literally.
Carthage yanked his hand back, opening the wound and making him gasp in pain. Another jab, fingers pointed out like a spear, sped towards him. They stabbed into him, between the ribs and entirely lethal.
Vision started to fade, his eyes became blurry, and darkness was encroaching. His whole body hurt, he was bleeding from all over -too many places to count- and he was effectively crippled for the moment.
And yet, Kendo had a smile on his face. Even as feeling left his body, and as one of those brutal tendrils stabbed into his cooling corpse, he didn't stop smiling or laughing. Not when the cannibal descended onto him, nor when he began tearing apart his limbs and eating them.
Kendo Rappa died in battle, the way he always wanted, completely satisfied.
"Young Master."
For a moment, he stopped what he was doing. Looking up, his yellow eyes stared into his lieutenants. "Chrono. What is it now?"
"Two of our Bullets, Kendo and Hikeji, have been ambushed."
Through his mask, Overhaul sighed. "Ambushed how? The police? Or did the deal fall through?"
"8."
They had set up a system for this sort of thing, being around as long as their organization had. 1, was a deal completed according to plan. 2 meant that the meeting fell through and devolved into conflict. 3 was basically the same, but requested aid. 4, was police interference. 5 is the same as 2, but with a request for assistance. 6 means third-party interlopers have attacked, and 7 was, again, asking for assistance.
8 was a recent one. Recent, as in, the last couple years.
"Carthage." The pen in his grasp turned and contorted in response to his rising anger, breaking apart and deforming, but after a moment, it returned back to its original shape and purpose. Overhaul took a deep breath, counted to ten, and put the pen down.
Standing up, Chronostasis pulled the chair out from behind him and pushed it back in when he moved. "Is there any other information?" He finally asked while slipping on his gloves.
"Police chatter for the most part, whatever's happening, it's not quiet."
His faithful follower was right behind him, not missing a step out of place. Police interference was expected for the most part, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a nuisance. "What kind of response should we be expecting?"
They turned a corner down the bleak halls, and several of his Bullets were waiting for his orders already. Chronostasis must have alerted them already; it's so nice having competent subordinates. Not all were here, besides Kendo and Hikeji, Mimic was also off on another mission.
That's fine though, they weren't going into battle. This is just a retrieval mission. Kai had no doubts that at this point, whenever they arrived, it would be too late. The battle would be over and the police would be mopping up the remains.
"Medium, possibly heavy. If they suspect Carthage is involved, then they'll request more backup." Chronostasis said calmly, sure of his answer.
Kai clicked his tongue in annoyance and gazed around at his Bullets. He waved a hand and they got up immediately to follow behind. "What are the odds that they survive?"
"It depends," he said through his mask, "it's possible that with their teamwork, they're able to get the upper hand. Carthage isn't known to work in teams, so the spear and shield technique they use should work."
"The fodder is dead though, I take it?" It was less of a question and more of a statement. At this point, hoping for some no-name goon to off that cannibal was wishful thinking. And wishes only came true if you made them.
Hari nodded his head, "Yes, most likely. They would be a decent distraction, but quantity has never seemed to matter to Carthage, so it's fair to assume their demise."
Oh well. No matter. They were only new recruits anyway, with no true ties to the family. Bottom feeders hoping to get scraps that fell to the floor.
Besides, so long as enough of them remained, Kai could put them back together. And reviving someone from death… has proven to be a great way to instill loyalty so far. Honestly, that's the only good thing that's come of this damn cannibal.
"We'll head over there now. If we're lucky, we beat the police and get my Bullets back."
Behind the mask, Chronostasis raised an eyebrow as an assumption was put together in his head. "And if the police are already there?" Normally Overhaul wasn't so bold, but this is the first time someone of true importance has been attacked by the cannibal.
Now in the garage, the lights automatically came on. Rows of vehicles lined the storage space, all white or black. The rest of the Bullets shuffled in from behind, with several lower ranks with them. They went over to the armory room off to the side.
Kai glanced back, his golden eyes bored with disinterest. "Then we go through them."
"Even to the end, the bastard still kept laughing. What a lunatic."
Shrugging his shoulders, Carthage got to work. With everyone dead, all that was left was to collect the food. And eat. Eating came first, then they'd start gathering food.
Without resistance, Saigo tore off Kendos' arms and began chewing on the bloody stumps. He looked around at the carnage, taking a small token of satisfaction with the bloody scene. The police were going to have a field day with this.
Or rather, some of them were going to need some serious shrink-sessions. Saigo had long since gotten used to blood and gore, given his dietary habits, though even he had to admit that this was a first in terms of… destruction?
Not quite. Perhaps genocide is a better word? Massacre! That's the word.
Once he was finished with the arms, Saigo moved onto the legs while his kagune ripped open Kendos' chest cavity to get at the organs inside. Looking over, he spotted Himiko with a leg raised above her and her long tongue sticking out to catch its sweet contents. Blood dripped down into her open mouth from the severed limb and she was without a care in the world for whoever was watching.
Well, hopefully no one was watching. His mask had flown off from one of the haymakers, and his girlfriend was lost in a blood high. This night, while really beneficial to the 'end goal' -or whatever this feud Saigo had going on with the Yakuza was- was still incredibly risky. If there were any cameras, his face would be seen and his identity would be out there for the world to see. He'd be ruined and on the run for the rest of his life.
That sounds like a pain.
Saigo has plans, to both live and thrive, and to help those with… 'monsterous' quirks like his. Perhaps bloodthirsty is the better word, since that's what his quirk was. Himikos' too. No doubt there's others out there like him, being put down for something out of their control. Truly misfortune maybe? Is that a better phrasing?
Those were the people he wanted to help. Honestly, the general population can go fuck itself for the most part. This whole Yakuza thing was just a… side-quest, so to speak. Something to do along the way till he reached the proper channels to go about actual heroism. The legal ways aren't exactly the most efficient, nor the easiest, and honestly incredibly time consuming…
But they were the best, speaking in the long term. Unless some sort of revolution comes along and the world is thrown into chaos, going about vigilantism isn't the best idea, not with the way they've been cracking down on it lately. Hell, his not-so-little stunts into villainy will only work for so long. Sooner or later, like that encounter a couple weeks ago, something was going to go wrong and he'd be tossed into the spotlight again.
Honestly, Saigo thought he had more time before getting exposed like that. That's the name of the game, I suppose.
Philosophical thoughts can wait, however. Time was running out, and they'd barely made a dent in the meat. Himiko looked to be on her third body, and he was barely starting on his second. She's lucky she only has to drink blood, where he has to eat whole people. Police would be here any minute, and that was something he wasn't in the mood to deal with.
Nor the accompanying heroes.
"Himiko!" He called out. She startled slightly and dropped the body she was drinking from. When she looked over, she had a huge blush on her face that he could see even now, in the dark. With no street lights left on the parking garage rooftop, the cover of night was theirs once again. "We gotta wrap this up. Cops are gonna be here soon. Start packing."
Though still in a slight daze, she nodded and scampered over to the stairwell she had come from. Moments later, she came back, stepping on corpses and body parts alike. She was digging around in a bag for a moment, before taking out some stacked tupperware and garbage bags. She tossed the bags over to her boyfriend, then crouched down next to the cooling body at her feet with a sadistic grin on her face.
Saigo turned away as she began hacking away, giggling quietly to herself. Taking whole bodies is not happening, it's too troublesome and humans tend to shit themselves after death eventually. The meat would be spoiled and the ghoul did not eat shit-marinated meat.
Fucking gross.
Kagune made quick work of chopping up pieces, primarily arms and legs, while his hands tore out long-lasting organs like hearts and livers and put them into another bag.
It took maybe three minutes before they were starting to get too full, and they weren't even through half the bodies. Looking over, Himiko had filled the clear containers and had moved onto blood bags.
"Alright, finish up." He finally decided, "We gotta scram."
She stuck a thumbs up and stopped syphoning blood. "Sure thing! Let's get outta here."
Before she rushed over, Carthage tapped his mask. Himiko got the hint and put hers back on, then skipped over to hang off his back. Non-discreetly, he grabbed a leg for the road before jumping off the building.
All in all, it was a very productive night.
They got the information. They got to eat. They got food for the next month.
Not too bad, overall.
Not bad at all.
"Oh my… it looks like we're a little late."
A scene of carnage would be putting it lightly. Across the top of the parking garage where the meeting took place, it looked like a blender had come through and wrecked the place. People included. "How disgusting."
If Overhaul wasn't entirely revolted by the entire sight before him, he would appreciate the level of destruction that had been wrought upon his forces.
But the whole place was overall gross, and to a germaphobe on his level, this may as well be a nightmare. Kai could practically feel the hives coming in already, and he had only just stepped out of his vehicle. Looking down at his feet, it took supreme effort not to lash out. His shoes were ruined, he'd be throwing them out later and thoroughly disinfecting his entire body when they returned.
It wouldn't help, no matter where they stepped up here, it would be in blood and guts and human meat. It was so bad, that on the way up, it had already started dripping down into the floor below. There were enough holes in the ground for it to drain anyway, but it spilled over the edges as well.
As his skin crawled, the young Yakuza boss looked over the massacre with unfeeling eyes. "So, I take it that this was a complete wipeout?"
"Yes, boss." Mimic said, coming out of the van behind him. "Looks like not even Hikeji and Kendo could handle the cannibal. Damn fools."
Hikeji is the easiest to spot, despite missing both arms and legs, his figure is still intact for the most part. A few bite marks here or there, mainly around his neck and chest, but otherwise still in good condition even if limbless.
Kendo Rappa on the other hand…
"They really did a number on him, huh?" Crouching down, Overhaul gazed over his destroyed form. Like Hikeji, he was missing all of his limbs. But his chest had been ripped open, the head was barely hanging on by a few muscle sinews, and most of the organs were gone. Like an egg, his ribcage had been cracked open to get at the contents inside.
Seeing how destroyed the area had become, especially around the brawler, it's clear just how intense the battle had been. Holes in the concrete floor aside, light posts had been sliced in half or bludgeoned into a crumpled mess. The cars were totaled and destroyed, but they weren't losses. Their incoming capital gain was more than enough to make up for those, especially with Quirk bullets and Trigger sales. Then again, his quirk did make this sort of thing quite easy to rectify.
"Are there anymore signs of the police?" He asked in contemplation.
Chronostasis peered over the edge, seeing nothing, then checked his phone. "None yet, besides the first responders we took care of. But it'll be a matter of minutes at best. We should hurry up while we can."
Overhaul nodded as he took stock of his options. On one hand, he could revive everyone here. Being brought back from death secures loyalty. Normally. But they were useless fodder that had most likely been of no help, all they would do is become more feed for Carthage later on. Besides Hikeji Tengai and Kendo Rappa, what could they provide for the Shie Hassaikai?
Nothing.
That was the answer he came to. They didn't have time to go around reviving everyone and fixing vehicles. His quirk didn't take longer than a few moments, but that was all they had to finish their business and get out of here. The vehicles and the Bullets, that would be it.
After taking off his glove, a quick tap was all it took to raise his Bullet from the dead once again. Muscle and bone formed and restitched back together while cracking and creaking horribly, biomass repurposed itself from the copious amount of blood around them, brain matter and organs regrew anew as his quirk worked its monstrous magic. In not even five seconds, Kendo Rappa was a desecrated and half-eaten corpse no more, and he was back in the land of the living.
"Welcome back, Kendo." Overhaul sneered as returned to his full height, "Get up, you're not done yet."
A gasp escaped his lips as feeling came back to the once dead man, he took in shuddering breaths. Realization returned to him as well, and fury bubbled up and exploded in seconds. "YOU BASTARD!"
Hikeji Tengai got to his feet without a word besides thanking his master. He may be grateful to be alive, but the brawler wasn't. Once again, he was denied the death he so wanted, and this time, it was a perfect one. He had fought, and bled, and beaten and broken until his body could hold on no longer. It was marvelous, glorious, a battle that would disturb the faint of heart and he was given death only the strongest could receive…
For a time.
Now he was back again, serving a man he despised.
He screamed in frustration as he lunged at Overall.
Kai swiped his hand and the upper half of the brute was gone, as if the Yakuza boss had expected the reaction. Another swipe brought him back.
And Kendo cursed his situation, bitter and resentful that once again, he was denied what he truly wanted.
A/N: Sorry for the long delay. More: and No Choice aren't the only thing I'm working on. Couple work and my admittedly small personal life with it, and I'm jumping all over the place. Man, I wish I was a kid again. You don't really know how good you have it until it's gone. Being a responsible adult is kinda lame if I'm being honest. Can I just win the lottery or something so I can dedicate my life to doing shit I actually like?
Moving on, I wasn't sure how to end this, but I decided to have the Yakuza outro. I really wanted to showcase a little of Overhauls power. It's just so broken that it's fun to write. Destruction and reconstruction with but a touch, what an amazing ability. And we only get one arc with it and it's in the hands of a generally unlikeable villain. A shame, really. How could you even think of hurting Eri, you monster.
With the newest manga chapter out, I've come to see a few plot holes. Like All for One letting Kai just walk away without taking that juicy quirk of his. That's literally the perfect fix, and he just ups and lets him walk. Wtf.
Moving on, I spent a good chunk of the last month cleaning up chapters of future stories, one of which I'm up to 15 chapters already. They are significantly shorter though, and I should be good to release it in maybe a couple months once I finish off the first arc. I have two Villain!Izuku stories in the rough as well, one where he has AfO and another with a variant of Overhaul.
It's still up in the air if I'll continue them, setting up proper motivation and origin stories without sounding repetitive is harder than you'd think. It's been done a hundred times before, and I want mine to be different and better, and to be finished. So it's taking some work.
I've also started on a Gamer fic, set in RWBY. I don't necessarily like the show to be honest, similar to BNHA, but the characters and world are amazing and have more potential than the show ever put forth. It'll be a big AU, I'm taking inspiration from a whole slew of Gamer stories both in RWBY, and out of it. Building a proper Gamer system and story though... is a lot of work to keep things balanced and consistent. It's also gonna be less gamey and more hardcore.
As an example, Gamers Body and Mind are starting at level 1, not max. I've only seen that done a few times, and only once can I say that it's been done 'right'. I'm hoping the difficulty will make for progress to feel more realistic and add to better story telling, but who knows.
Also getting into Worm now, and that's a whole new handbasket of grenades to get into. Seems interesting so far, at least.
Moving on, this chapter is 10k, hope you enjoy.
coldblue2015: Okay, wow. Lot's to read there. Gotta give it to ya, that's the largest review I've ever had, so there's that. Thanks for it though, I'm happy you like it so far.
As for the questions, 1: Yeah, he eats them. This is the first time I've showcased Carthage 'using' other quirks he's devoured, and I plan on explaining the process of how his quirk works in detail later. Probably four or five chapters from now, maybe more or less.
2: Himiko hasn't had his blood yet, not that she hasn't tried. The same can be said for the other way around. I have a special chapter for that, as well as the effects it has. I want it to be an intimate moment with character building and a milestone in their relationship.
3: Yes and no. Like I said earlier, I plan on explaining everything later. I'm going with a more... show, don't tell, feel with this story. So I won't be going over it unless it has immediate precedence to the story and current scene. Unlike other stories, I'm not just gonna go 'His quirk, Ghoul, functions like this and that and does this too...' I don't like those kinds of explanations. It feels cheap and like an info -dump to get out of the way. I want it to be of meaning and relevance. It's a different take from my other story, More:, which starts from the beginning, where as this one is more from the middle. Like I said when I first started this fic, the whole thing is an experiment on a different kind of writing style. I must be doing something right, it's surpassed my other story in terms of popularity... despite having a fourth of the chapters :[
Sorry for leaving questions unanswered or vague, but I want it to be revealed through my story as time goes on. It'll all be revealed along with the origin of the how his quirk came to be, eventually, but it'll happen before canon starts. Don't worry. I've thought a lot about how to put it all together, and it's all planned out.
Dyliokhan: It had to be done. On another note, how do you do those brackets? I know that there's special text on this website, nothing like RR, but I don't know how to do it here or there lol.
Tom2011: Not a hero, but our 'friendly' handman.
Vendicor: I hope this lives up to your expectations! Kendos' quirk is weird and hard to describe in writing. It seems like the more he gets going, the harder he hits.
Slimereader11: You never die with Overhaul looming over your shoulder.
Dalyn Hughes: Mistakes are made all the time. It's all about incorporating them so that way they have a purpose in a story that doesn't sound bullshit and leave the audience dissatisfied. I'm not writing about a perfect being after all, this is a neglected and cannibalistic homeless teen with mental instability. It's gonna happen, I just gotta resolve it in a satisfying manner.
NJred2000: Hadn't thought of that, but that is a scary combination. Quirks are hereditary, but they do change quite a bit with each generation. So it's a possibilitythat the kid either gets Saigos' Ghoul, Himikos' Transform, or a combination of the two. Haven't read a Prototype quirk story though, so that gives me some ideas.
EchoAwakens: I aim to please, here ya go.
BruhImTheGlitch: It had to be done. Thanks for reading!
Exofurios: I'm sorry, but it had to be done! The suspense is hopefully fulfilledin a satisfying manner.
PJShiper: I'm glad you like it, the beginning is a little rough and I need to fix some mistakes, but I jumped into more in this one than More:.