Chapter 4:
If there's no fear, let me see it

It was April 8. Meaning today Taylor Hebert was going to take her first step into becoming a hero. At least, that was how it should pan out. With Lung gone, her future was now uncertain. That made me nervous.

Kento Asago, Lung, was the catalyst behind her rise as Skitter. The Undersiders and Coil helped her grow into the fearsome Warlord of Brockton Bay, yes, but they merely helped facilitate her growth. It was Lung, the self-proclaimed Dragon of Kyushu, who created her in a trial by fire. She stood against his flames, proved herself, and caught the eyes of the powers that be.

With Lung gone, however, Skitter was effectively little more than small-time independent with a rather edgy-looking outfit. No doubt she'd get attacked by the heroes out of a misunderstanding. Either way, without Lung, Taylor was a huge unknown, which in turn made predicting the events to come all the more troublesome. Not that I could predict the future when I made the choice to screw with it at the start of my journey here. By killing Lung, I challenged what was to come.

The gang war was shrouded in uncertainty now that the Shie Hassaikai was growing into its own identity, washing away the rot of the Azn Bad Boyz. We still had enemies in the form of the Empire, Merchants, and heroes, but unless Bakuda acted out, the city wasn't going to be exploding anytime soon. The war was my immediate concern, as there was still that million-to-one possibility it would still happen under different circumstances. After the war came the Endbringer attack. Whether he'd go after Brockton Bay was also uncertain, and that in turn made me anxious as to whether Coil unmasking the Empire and the Slaughterhouse's visit would occur as well.

So much shit happening, and so little time to prepare. Now more than ever.

At least I was making immediate preparations for the early events.

My test with Bakuda was going smoothly. Lee kept me up to date with her activities. From the sounds of it, she was quite excited to let loose despite my stipulations. I put restrictions on her, but that only encouraged her to get creative. Telling a tinker that was asking for trouble, especially when you turned their attention to your enemies. It was only a matter of making sure her plans didn't blow up in our faces.

The plans to improve the Shie Hassaikai's image as a proper Yakuza, unfortunately, was slow going. Lung's rot was more troublesome than I expected. Even those who swore allegiance proved resistant to my reforms, despite knowing full well what would happen if they continued to defy me. I made it clear to everyone what would happen if they did anything to harm the Hassaikai or its members by throwing the more openly defiant ones to the wolves by doxxing them.

The businesses that the ABB forcibly closed down did not come back right away. It would take weeks, even months before the damage could heal. Neighborhoods where discrimination was especially prevalent proved quite troublesome, especially near the borders near Empire territory. Having said that, some had noticed there was change taking place as our members no longer wore the green-and-red colors like badges of honor and their graffiti washed away. We event extended helping hands to communities chaffing under what remained of Lung's faction, and in doing so, letting everyone know there was a change in hierarchy.

Slowly, but surely, the Shie Hassaikai's name would replace the ABB's in full. Once that happened, things were going to get quite busy.

As for me…

"How filthy."

One thing I noticed about being reincarnated into the body of an anime character was inheriting their traits. I didn't have Overhaul's absurd problem of breaking into hives whenever people touched me, but damned if it didn't make me chaff and feel uncomfortable. On the other hand, I couldn't help but feel revolted by the state of the building I and Yuki were in. It looked like it belonged in a demilitarized zone with how rundown it looked.

The walls were rotten, plaster peeling and crumbling away to reveal the decrepit infrastructure underneath. Rubble and debris was neatly swept into piles, some hidden amid piles of garbage. As expected, the air smelled foul even through my mask. The state of the people squatting in said building were not much better, all homeless and garbed in ratty clothes with blotches and stains.

"Don't mind the mess," the man ahead of me said with a grin. "It helps sell the ruse. Can't have the heroes finding out about this place, you know?"

"It still smells disgusting," I hissed. "At least make the effort to clean this place up. How much further?"

"Not much. Just down these stairs, gentlemen."

A few days ago, Lee handed me a curious report about an underground fighting circuit. On paper, it was basically an anything-goes brawler ring where people go in, one comes out with a bag full of money, and the rest go home with broken bones. In reality, it was a do-or-die death match where anyone not knowing what they were getting themselves into died a brutal, messy death. Homeless and former veterans came looking for easy money, some came to watch and get off on the violence.

Normally, I wouldn't care too much about it. It would make prime recruiting, but I wasn't interested. The reason I was here at all was because of who was participating in these events. Specifically, a parahuman and the reigning champion of the circuit. The guy won was 10-0, and now the organizers were pitting him against anyone looking to make a lot of money. Whoever brought down the cape went home with ten million.

"Today's your lucky day, Mr. Chisaki," the slimeball told me as he led me and Yuki down the stairs. "Tonight's match is the championship match."

We reached the end of the stairwell and entered a wide-open space. There was at least fifty or so people here, all surrounding a forty-by-forty steel cage. Inside the cage were two people beating the utter shit out of each other. One was a Latino boy, maybe sixteen at oldest, with an athletic build and cropped dark-brown hair.

As for his opponent…

"A Case-53?" Yuki gaped next to me.

I saw plenty of videos about 'monster capes' like the Case-53s, especially Weld. The guy was the most human-looking of the lot despite his gleaming metal skin. However, seeing a Case-53 in person was a whole new experience, one Wildbow couldn't hope to replicate. His descriptions didn't do them any justice, not when I was looking at one in the flesh. I couldn't tell if they were a man or woman, only that they were seven-feet-tall with a domed head and a lipless mouth. Their teeth were jagged and cut, like the fangs between the front teeth and molars. Their skin, an exoskeleton, was a cream-colored exterior of polished, if beaten flesh.

"Found him about a month back," the slimeball said. "The guy doesn't have a name, obviously. We call him Big Shot."

"Why's that?" Yuki asked, his eyes not leaving the Case-53.

"Because he's a cocky motherfucker."

I hummed. "Which one is the reigning champ?"

"The kid, believe it or not. Calls himself Browbeat."

My eyebrow rose significantly.

In both Worm and in fanon, Browbeat wasn't exactly the most well-known Ward. The guy didn't even have a civilian name. Disregarding that, though, the guy was almost always a hero. He joined the Wards late March, early April, it was never stated when. Either way, the kid should be a hero by now. So what the heck was he doing in an underground fighting ring? Was this because of me somehow? If so, how? What could I possibly have done to get this kid here?

…well, not that I was going to complain. If anything, this was good.

At least, I hoped so.

The Case-53 fought like a wild animal. He punched and kicked with no rhythm or finesse. He wasn't flailing, but he wasn't fighting like a sane man would. By contrast, Browbeat bobbed and weaved like a professional boxer, capitalizing on mistakes. He showed excellent control of his abilities, fists enlargening slightly when he went for the goal. When he was put on the defensive, he'd raise his arms and enlarge them to the point his muscles were bulging.

That said, it was clear we arrived to see the tail-end of the match. Despite his impressive stamina and defenses in the form of his rock-solid exoskeleton, the Case-53 ran on fumes. His erratic attacks did him no favors and worked against him in contrast to Browbeat's controlled movements.

The Case-53 lunged, reaching out to grab Browbeat by the head. He ducked and drove his fist into his opponent's chin, sending him flying. The second his body hit the floor, Browbeat was on him, pinning him to the floor with a knee and grabbing his head with one hand while the other mercilessly beat him into the ground. With each blow, he picked up steam until his fist was a blur. The pavement started to crack underneath the Case-53's head as had his exoskeleton.

The final blow landed in the center. The exoskeleton cracked apart, causing blood to come spurting across Browbeat's face and fist. Sweat dripped from his body as he glared at the defeated form of his opponent, who laid unmoving beneath him.

Ten seconds passed before the ref called the match. The crowd exploded into cheers as Browbeat rose to his feet, panting. He raised a fist in victory.

"Is he…dead?" Yuki asked nervously.

I shrugged. "If he isn't, I'm impressed. Tough guy from the looks of it." I looked to the slimeball. "So, what happens to the poor bastard now that he's lost?"

"If he's dead as a doornail, we'll call some friends from the black market," he said with a creepy chuckle. "Some will pay biiig bucks for a Case-53's corpse and whatever's left of 'em. So, what do you think? Browbeat's our rising star, here. Rakes in lots of money from the betting pools."

"Why's he here?" I asked out of curiosity. "Let me guess, he's got some sick parent and he needs scratch to pay the medical bills."

"Hell if I know. I don't pay attention to that stuff. Oh, and uh, by the way… If you wanna recruit him or something, I gotta warn you. The only way the higher ups will let that slide is if you beat him."

"Is that so?" I smiled underneath my mask. "Alright, then. Sign me up."

Yuki nearly did a perfect spit-take. The slimeball's smile dropped. "Excuse me?"

"I said… Sign. Me. Up." I slipped off my jacket and handed it to Yuki. "Tell Lee to keep the car running. I'll be back shortly." I turned back to the slimeball who stared at me like I was insane. "If your circus freak is still alive, tell your bosses to prepare a backroom. I'd like to have a word with him."

Half an hour later, the next match started. Browbeat stood in the arena waiting for me, barely winded and looking ready for the next fight. Now that I was in front of him, I could see the scars of past injuries scattered across his body. A good chunk of flesh around the left side of his abdomen was little more than patchwork flesh. A large scar ran across the left side of his jaw, nearing his eye.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our next challenger match of the night!" the ref called out excitedly. "A newcomer dressed quite fashionably, who I expect to come out looking like a bloody mess after this! From the ABB, heeere's Overhaul!"

The crowd, unsurprisingly, booed and yelled at me, shouting profanities and slurs. I ignored them in favor of looking at my prospective recruit.

"Awful young to be here, don't you think?" I asked casually.

Browbeat scoffed. "Old enough to kick your ass."

Ooh, the mouth on this one…

I took off my gloves, stuffing them into my back pocket.

"Same rules as always, ladies and gentlemen! Our challenger wins, he walks away a very rich man! If not, he'll either be dead in a ditch or regretting his life choices!"

"So who the hell are you, anyway?" Browbeat asked with narrowed eyes. "Never heard of you until today."

I chuckled. "Why ruin the surprise?" He raised an eyebrow. He asked nothing more and shrugged, putting his dukes.

"Has everyone made their bets? If not, better luck next time, because it's time for blood! FIGHT!"

Browbeat wasted no time and charged at me. His eyes never left mine as he prepped for a swing. I did nothing except ready myself for the blow. As everything began to unfold, a strange sense of nostalgia flowed through me. The feeling came not from me, but from someone else. A name came to mind, and I understood why this scene felt so nostalgic.

That said…

Browbeat threw a punch. I slapped it away and sidestepped, sliding my palm against his side. In one second, he was reduced to nothing but sprays of blood. In the next second, he stumbled and fell to the ground, dazed and wide-eyed.

He's no Kendo Rappa.

The cheers and taunts of the area died an instant death. The silence was almost deafening.

Browbeat stared wildly, scrambling to back away. Every muscle in his body was taught. His form was gone, overrode with fear.

"What…"

"The fight's not over yet, kid," I said coldly, wagging a finger. "Come on. I don't have all day. I've got a schedule to keep."

For a while, he refused to move. He stared at me fearfully. I could hear him swallow the lump of saliva growing in his throat. After a few seconds, he forced himself to move and went to attack me again. I backed out of his range, dodging his fist with ease. He went for another swing. I side-stepped and put my leg out to trip him, catching his foot and sending him to the floor. He picked himself up and swung a wild right hook.

I blocked and struck again. Once more, he was reduced to bloody bits and reconstructed in the blink of an eye. I heard him fall to the ground behind me. I looked and saw him on all fours, trembling.

I wondered what was going through his head right now. What did it feel like for every part of you, all of you, to be torn apart so thoroughly and utterly that your death was painless, only to feel it lingering as you were put back together? What did it feel like to glimpse death, for just a second?

Browbeat was shaken. The first glimpse of death made him fearful. The second made him a cornered animal. His eyes were as wide as dinner plates, hands shaking. A thin layer of cold sweat caked his skin.

I took a step forward. He took ten steps back.

"Don't drag this out any longer than it needs to be," I told him.

He screamed in response and aimed for my face. I grabbed his hand. In his frenzied panic, he was unpowered. No more than an experienced fighter at someone else's mercy. I saw his eyes widen further, the color gone from his face.

Then he fell to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.

If at all possible, the silence grew louder. I could hear it all. The shocked, horrified looks. The gulps of fear. Sweat dripping to the floor. After seeing it for themselves, they could do nothing but stare in fascinated horror.

I knelt down and pressed my fingers to his neck. He was still breathing. I opened his eyelids and looked at his irises. They were functioning normally. I'd have to do a more thorough examination, but he was unconscious after I more or less shredded his nervous system and put it back together in an instant. The shock knocked him out cold. It was hardly the first time I did this, but I was still unsure whether it had any lingering side-effects. The "guinea pigs" I recruited from among Lung's more fanatical followers made for interest test cases.

For as strong as Overhaul was, he relied in simplistic brute force. Yes, he knew how to meld bodies together and manipulate another person's Quirk, but he never really tried to understand or examine the full extent of his power. Never experimented how far it could go. Its limits.

I was. And so far, I was frightened and amazed by the power I had. Of course, the power was only as reliable as the user, and I was intent on using this power to its fullest.

I rose up to my feet and stared at the ref. He stared back, stammering and unsure what to say. I narrowed my eyes.

He called the match then and the fight was over. I alone stood as the victor.

Only Yuki clapped in congratulations.

The managers, per my request, freed up a vacant room for me, Yuki, and the prospective members to speak. Browbeat was still unconscious and would likely remain that while for a while, so we met with the Case-53 everyone called Big Shot.

Looking at him up close, I wondered whether he was Earth Bet's version of the Nomu. He looked the part, certainly, though in my opinion he looked much better without the exposed brain. His exoskeleton looked right as rain despite the beating he got earlier.

…he looked ridiculous sitting in that metal chair, though.

"S-so…" Yuki started nervously. "Is, um, Big Shot your actual name or your stage name?"

The Case-53 hissed. "Staff gave me name. Became mine. Don't like."

"So, why haven't you changed it?" I asked.

"Name gives respect. People respect me. Fear me." He lowered his head in shame. "Not anymore now."

"I see…"

"…you beat champion," the monster cape stated the obvious. "You strong."

"In terms of ability, perhaps. Physically, not so much. And depending on who you ask, strength is subjective," I said. "What about you? What's 'strength' mean to you?"

"Don't know. All I care is fighting." He looked at us curiously. "You said you want. Want what?"

Yuki cleared his throat. "L-let's start some formal introductions. I'm Yuki Nagase. This is my boss, Akuma. We're the Shie Hassaikai."

"We came here because I heard there was a parahuman of considerable strength," I said. "Although I didn't realize until we arrived there were two. I asked around before management prepped the room. Before Browbeat showed up, you have quite the streak going on. I'm surprised no one's picked you up yet." I tilted my head. "Got any offers from the Empire?"

To my surprise, the Case-53 shook his head. "One came demanding fight. Management allowed. No victor. He said he want fight. To test. He did not come to take."

I wondered why Kaiser hadn't picked this guy up when the answer occurred to me. It was obvious, of course. Max Anders was a businessman first and foremost, not a Nazi. To him, the Empire was a means to an end. Even so, he acted like a Nazi to ensure his men's loyalty. Even if he did think this guy could be useful, he was a Case-53—a monster cape, which by technicality made them unsuitable for the organization. Of course, that's not to say Max couldn't have recruited him. If he went for the tried and true method some villains in this shithole employed, the poor guy would be less of a recruit and more of an attack dog.

The Case-53 huffed. "What do you want?"

"Well, we're hoping you—"

I cut off Yuki and spoke bluntly. "You." My aide stared in shock. The Case-53 hardly reacted. "You have strength and ability. Moreover, you have worth. The question is…what do you want?"

"I don't understand."

"What do you want?" I pressed. "Why did you join this underground fighting ring? Fame? Prestige? Answers? Purpose?"

He did not answer. He stared at the floor. His silence told me all I needed to know. Like other Case-53s without any memory of their past, he had no drive or vision. In a roundabout way, he was just dumb muscle who focused on what was in front of him and what to do for the next day. He did not think about what he could do with his powers. The applications. I bet he never once asked himself what he wanted to do in the longterm.

"…I want to fight." He raised his head. The lipless mouth curved in a way that made it look like he was smiling. "The feeling. The excitement. The rush. Feeling my body break. Feeling blood on my skin. The pain. The sight of my enemy. I…" The Case-53 hissed again, this time with ferver. "I want to fight."

"And if I said you can fight anyone you want in the Shie Hassaikai?"

"Where do I sign?"

I smirked.

Back when they were the ABB, Yuki thought his life was relatively normal.

In those days, all he had to do was keep his head down, do what he was told to appease his superiors, and he'd be able to go about his days without much fuss. Unlike the rest of his fellow hooligans, Yuki preferred being as far away from violence as possible. He was good with numbers and management. It was why Lee put him in charge of a whore house way back when.

Life was good. He was somewhat respected, had good standing, could get laid anytime he wanted, and wouldn't have to worry about getting shot anytime soon.

Then the devil came along and killed Lung.

Akuma was fucking terrifying, to put it mildly. He just showed up out of nowhere, told everyone he murdered Lung with Oni Lee standing next to him, then asserted dominance when that dumbass Hatori tried to start something. In the weeks to come, he tore apart the ABB and remade it into something else. Lung's followers were culled, either killed outright or left to fend for themselves after Akuma made their identities public. Stories on the net told of Empire lynch mobs stringing the poor bastards up.

Honestly, they were the lucky ones. Rumors of what happened to the people who challenged or tried to kill Akuma painted a dark, bloody picture. Suffice to say Yuki was adamant about staying on his good side, especially when he realized the new boss didn't care much about him. He did have extra work helping Amaki with finances and put in charge of protection fees, but other than that, he was in the clear.

Having said that, however, for reasons Yuki couldn't fathom, Akuma brought him along to recruit new members. It was this moment in time the man realized just how dangerous Lung's usurper was. The "fight" against Browbeat was proof of that. There were no words to describe how brutal, how horrifying it was to watch a kid around the age of his daughter pop like a zit, only to reform moments later like nothing happened.

It's like watching Panacea if she were a villain, Yuki swallowed. The thought chilled him to the core.

Recruiting the Case-53 was not on the agenda, but Akuma thought he would be a worthwhile addition. Honestly, Yuki wished they didn't recruit the freak. Him being a monster cape wasn't the problem for the manager. Rather, it was the guy's attitude. It reminded him of those battle junkie characters in the shows his daughter watched in the living room from time to time.

Still, Yuki couldn't deny the awe he felt as he watched Akuma handle the negotiation and got the berserker to join them.

Wonder how it'll go with the kid…

The Case-53 was escorted out of the building and asked to wait in the car with Lee. Meanwhile, they went to the other room where Browbeat was waiting. When they arrived, the kid was already awake and sitting up with a troubled expression, his face held in his hands. When he heard the door open and looked at them, his pupils turned into pinpricks and went deathly pale.

It wasn't hard to figure out why.

"So," Akuma said casually. "How did it feel to experience death not once, but twice?"

"…terrifying," Browbeat admitted carefully, his eyes not leaving the biggest threat in the room. "What did you do to me? B-back then, when you had my hand… It-it felt like my body…"

"I destroyed your nervous system down to its roots, then rebuilt it. Think of my power like Amelia Dallon's, except with less emphasis on finesse." He walked over to the bed, grabbing a nearby chair and sat down. Browbeat shifted uncomfortably from being so close to the guy who killed him twice over and revived him equal times. "So then, Browbeat… Let's have a chat."

"Is this some kind of recruitment speech? I thought the ABB only accepted Asians."

"That was back when Lung was in charge," Akuma told him. Browbeat frowned in confusion, only for his expression to morph into shock when the boss dropped the bombshell. "Lung died a couple weeks ago. The Azn Bad Boyz died with him. I lead the Shie Hassaikai. Call me Akuma." Yuki got the distinct impression the man was smiling under his mask. "And your right. This is a recruitment drive…but first things first. I want to know something."

Akuma leaned forward, folding his hands. "Why haven't you joined the PRT?"

Yuki and Browbeat both blinked in confusion. The former was especially confused. Why was the boss asking him something like that? What was the point?

"You strike me as the type who'd rather be the wallflower and fade into the background. Yet your power makes you pretty noticeable so long as you know what to look for. You could live your life without needing your powers, go about your daily business as best you could in this shithole. Joining a villain group would just endanger your peace and quiet, put you in people's crosshairs. The heroes, though… They'd respect that privacy to a degree. You'd be expected to fight and be put in the spotlight, but at least then they'd just see you in costume. Everyone else wouldn't know the kid under the mask. Instead, here you are in an underground fighting ring. I could picture other ways you could train your abilities, things that wouldn't involve public spaces like this."

"So, why here? Why not be a hero and reap the benefits?"

Browbeat looked at Akuma with wide-eyes, shock written all over his face. The expression told Yuki his boss hit the nail on the head. For a while, nobody said anything. It was just stares and pointed looks. Yuki's boss and the young cape stared each other down, one impassive and the other glaring.

Ultimately, the boy gave in and collapsed in on himself with a sigh. He broke their staring contest and looked despondently at his bedsheets. "Money."

"Last I checked, the Wards get a generous paycheck. Way more than teenagers their age need, but a generous paycheck nonetheless."

"But not enough. Not nearly enough," Browbeat grimaced. "If it was just medical bills, I could deal with that, but…"

Akuma's eyes gleamed. "Who?" he asked.

"My mom. Early this ear, she got sick. Doctors can't figure out what's wrong with her. They think it's some kind of genetic disease or something. My dad's working his ass off just trying to pay our house bills." The boy gripped his bedsheets out of frustration. "Do you have any idea how much gene therapy costs?"

"What about Panacea?" Yuki couldn't help but ask. "Couldn't you get her to heal your mother?"

Browbeat let out a broken laugh. "And let the hospital stop rolling in the money? No. The doctors keep flagging her a low priority. They even prepared her a special room in one of the wards Panacea doesn't frequent."

Yuki felt a wave of disgust roll through him. He was no saint and would happily admit this, there were lows even he could not sink to.

"So you risk yourself in this place, knowing full well one of the gangs might notice you and try to recruit you, so you can help save mother dearest's life," Akuma recapped. Unless Yuki was mishearing things, the boss sounded…impressed? "Not bad for a kid your age."

"Fat load of good it does me now. I lost." Browbeat gritted his teeth in frustration. "It'll take me weeks to get back my champion spot, and by the time I get there…"

"…which hospital?" Akuma asked suddenly.

Browbeat stopped. "W-what?"

"Which hospital is your mother staying that?" the demon clarified.

"Why would I tell you?"

Akuma unfolded his hands. The air grew heavy. "A question for a question, kiddo. To save mother dearest's life, would you make a deal with the devil?" He spread his palms open, as if making some sort of grand gesture. "You've seen for yourself what my power can do. I can deconstruct and reconstruct the human body. I can kill you with a single brush of my finger, and if I want to, I can do so much more. The doctors looking after your mother? They're all sick. Sick with greed."

"Lucky for you… I'm the cure."

Realization sunk into Browbeat's features then. He looked like he swallowed a lemon. "…you want me to join you, in exchange for healing mom."

"That's right."

The boy laughed hollowly. "Well, at least you're honest." His face grew more serious. "…but you're serious. You can heal my mom?"

"I can. Like I said, my power's like Amelia Dallon's."

"…what will I have to do if I join your Shie Hassaikai?"

"That depends on your answer."

"Can I have some time to think?"

"No." Akuma's answer was swift and blunt. It caught both Yuki and Browbeat off guard. The boss' eyes were narrow and dangerous, threatening almost, like a wolf cornering its prey. "This deal is a one-time offer. Either you take it, or you don't. Like I told you back in the arena, I'm a busy man running on a tight schedule. I don't have the time to wait on you. Make your choice now, Browbeat."

"God, you're a fucking asshole."

"Is that a no?"

Seconds ticked by. The boy sighed in defeat. "…fucking hell."

The boss is scary in more ways than one, Yuki thought as he nervously looked at his boss. He got the distinct impression Akuma was smirking under that mask.

Despite the obvious fear and trepidation he had towards the threatening man in front of him, however, the teenager was not completely without bravado. "Let me make one thing clear about this offer. If I join your group, there's gonna be conditions. First and most importantly, my family's safety. If even so much as one of them gets hurt because they got dragged into this, I don't care if it kills me, I'll kill you."

"Any other conditions?" Akuma asked unperturbed.

"Secondly, I want amnity. No one knows who I am. Not Oni Lee, not your club, nobody."

"Is that all?" The teen nodded. Akuma extended a hand. "Then I welcome you to the Shie Hassaikai, Browbeat."

Hesitantly, the boy accepted the hand.

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Topic: Hostile Takeover
In: Boards ► News ► Events ►America ►Brockton Bay
Brocktonite03 (Original Poster) (Veteran Member)
Posted On Apr 15th 2011:
So, way back in the middle of March, there were a bunch of rumors going around that Lung kicked the bucket and some new guy took over the Azn Bad Boyz. I didn't put much stock in those rumors, and I doubt anybody else did until we started noticing something was up.

For those who don't live in Brockton Bay, there's part of the city we call Downtown South. Quaint little place with its own version of Chinatown. Bunch of Asian shops selling dango, yakisoba, stuff that's bad for your gut and all that shit. A bunch of shops got closed down because they either got trashed or were ran out of town by the ABB. Whole lotta graffiti in that area too.

For the last couple of weeks, some shops have been opening up again, thugs in red and green stopped showing up, and get this, a bunch of people that can only be described as YAKUZA suddenly show up and start cleaning up the place. Weird stuff and the sort of things Lung wouldn't allow, right?

Well, apparently, the rumors 'bout Lung dying ain't rumors because apparently Oni FUCKING Lee came out and said they were dead. Now the ABB's being replaced by this Shie Hashawhatchamacallit group and their new boss is someone called Akuma.

In case anybody's curious, I asked Laotsunn about it. Apparently, "Akuma" means demon in Japanese.

See, if it was just this, I'd already be shocked. I mean, come on, someone actually killed Lung? That's crazy? But do you know what's even crazier?

LISTENING TO A GODDAMN NEWS REPORT ABOUT HOW THIS AKUMA AND THE MOTHERFUCKING EMPIRE WIPED OUT THE MERCHANTS, THAT'S WHAT! SINCE WHEN IN THE GODDAMN HELL DO NAZIS WORK WITH YAKUZA?! DID KAISER GET MASTERED WHEN NO ONE WAS LOOKING?!

Well, well. Look what I managed to post while updating the craziest crossover my demented brain could think of.

So, two things. First off, I made the decision to remove around 1k worth of words. Without spoiling too much, it involved Armsmaster and Emily Piggot. The reason for its removal was because I felt including that particular scene would've been far too early and also do away with my experiment and plan for this fanfic. Namely, keeping all attention on Kai as he restructures the ABB into the Shie Hassaikai. If I do decide to revive that scene, it will likely be in an interlude chapter of some sort and much further down the line.

Secondly, the inclusion of Browbeat. Now, at first you might be thinking that I'm having my SI-as-Kai build the Earth Bet version of the Eight Bullets. I am not. While there will likely be other characters Kai will recruit, Browbeat's inclusion was me fiddling with a character we know jack all about in the web serial and putting my own spin on the character. I'm hoping I did my portrayal of him justice, but I'd have to show off more of him as we go down the line.

And as for the ending bit... Well, I won't spoil anything. Just know that we're getting close to the action. Depending on how Chapter 5's writing goes, it'll be prep work for the actual event or a build up and then jumping headfirst into the action. Quite honestly, I'm hoping for the former.

That's it for now. Outside of A Worm in the Gulch, my next planned updates are Invincible Girl in Another World and Perdition. They're coming, just hold your horses.

Cheers everyone, and have a happy Halloween.

BTW, as a quick reminder, I have a book out on Amazon. If anyone is interested in supporting me financially, please check out Chase Ryder and the City of Lost Memories by T.J. Howard. Not to be confused with Jo Ho's Chase Ryder dog lover series. I recommend the kindle and paperback options as they're the cheapest.