Hello once again, everyone out there who has been with My Hero Academia: Son of Justice all this time; and let me joyously and personally welcome you all to OUR 100TH CHAPTER! I cannot begin to tell you just what a tremendous feeling this is, knowing that we've reached such a milestone as this! and you know what? I owe every bit of it to every one of you out there that has been reading and supporting this story from Day 1 and beyond! you are all incredible, and my gratitude for all your support and patronage can't be summed up with meager words!

It has been quite the bumpy ride, getting these first 100 chapters written, putting my time, blood, sweat and tears into trying to make this story the best it can be outside of its original source, while still giving that original source and its story the respect and adherence it deserves. Reception to Nikolay as the main protagonist may have been mixed at best in the beginning, but such rough beginnings can ultimately lead to the creation of truly worthwhile heroes in the long run; but there isn't a day that I've regretted starting this endeavor, and there won't be from now on, until the fateful day when we ultimately reach our penultimate ending point, whatever that may look like.

And I sincerely hope you all will continue to ride this incredible journey out with me going forward, as well. Because it was your continued readership and scattered comments of feedback and support that helped to keep me going with this on days when I was at my lowest. You all should give yourselves a real round of applause for helping make this possible as well, you all more than deserve it; from regular readers, to my beta readers, to my contributing artists, to individuals out there kind enough to even go and share this same story on other fanfiction platforms so that an even wider audience can experience it themselves who otherwise might not have; everyone involved with MHA: SOJ; you're all the real stars here tonight! Seriously, from the bottom of my heart, thank you all so, so much!

So I would kindly ask that you all sit back, relax, and join me in experiencing this penultimate chapter, and the beginning of the second leg of our journey through this version of the MHA experience, and seeing where all our Heroes, familiar and new alike, will be going from here. Because I can guarantee many of you will not be prepared for some of the plans I have cooking up in my head as we progress. i hope that excites you all as much as it does me.

My Hero Academia is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. I only own my original characters, and the original events surrounding them.

A/N: [[]] indicates that characters are contextually speaking Russian. Also, when dialogue text is formatted like this, it represents present day narration over the events of shown flashbacks.

Chapter 100

Fighting the Future

(Борьба с будущим)

Shie Hassaikai HQ Basement, Saturday, September 13th, 8:54AM

Shota Aizawa was in the worst possible position someone could've been in the middle of a mission like this. Ever since he'd gotten cut on his arm, even as his mind and speech could still run in regular time, the rest of his body had become torturously sluggish. And in the middle of all the chaos that had quickly unfolded in the battle against Overhaul in which it had happened, it had made it so easy for him to get plucked away elsewhere with nobody else even noticing.

Since then, he'd been left laid out on the floor, his visor removed, and his eyes subsequently blindfolded, making it impossible for him to know where in the basement labyrinth he was now being held. The only things he knew for certain was that with his body being placed under this slowing effect, his not even being bounded made no difference; without his being there, Izuku, Mirio, Sir Nighteye and Eri were all in incredible danger; and that right now, he still wasn't alone. He could just feel the presence of the masked, hood-wearing yakuza lieutenant known in the police briefing as Hari Kurono a.k.a. Chronostasis, kneeling directly over him like a lion perched atop its fresh new kill.

"There's no point wondering where you are right now. Nobody's coming to help you, and there's nothing you can do to escape. Oh, we know all about you, Erasure Hero, Eraserhead. We referenced your Quirk quite a bit while conducting our research on Eri. I've whisked you away without killing you, because there's considerable value in keeping you alive. You see, to him, the ability to erase Quirks is a very appealing one." Kurono's voice was as calm and professional as it was ice cold; his obscured eyes carefully watching even the slightest bit of attempted movement on his current victim's part, which ultimately came in the form of just a couple of his fingertips trying to reach out.

"Don't even try it. You're not going anywhere, moving at a snail's pace like that. You're worried about the others still out there, aren't you?" Not even expecting the Hero to answer him, Kurono proceeded to lower his hood and remove his mask, revealing the face of an apathetic young man with especially narrow and piercing dark grey eyes, and semi-long silver hair, with its bangs all hanging with arrow-pointed ends. "Now, you've been stabbed by the short hand, so you'll be left like this for an hour; more than enough time for Chisaki to finish the job with the rest of your allies. From there, we'll finally make our escape, rebuild and restart this operation…perhaps even on the grander worldwide scale he's set his eyes on these days…and Eri is going to be the key through that untouched threshold.

"I'm not sure just how much you Heroes know, but Eri isn't Chisaki's daughter. She's actually got some kind of blood relation to our big boss…and Chisaki has always been the kind of man who dedicates everything he is towards accomplishing his goals, with the willingness to use any person and any means necessary to make it happen. That's just the kind of man he is…and that's precisely why you all have no chance of winning here."

WOOOSH!

The moment Izuku's feet left the ground, he sent himself ricocheting from one disconnected chunk of broken rock to another across the battlefield, all while making a beeline for the steadfast-standing Overhaul; the two opponents never taking their eyes off each other, with the yakuza's mind similarly racing: 'He knows I can't control the disconnected fragments; that's why he specifically stomped to stop my spikes, rather than just punch or dodge them. He's using them as walls! Clever boy…but it won't make any difference! The moment I knock him off balance, he's done!'

A multitude of hands immediately proceeded to sweep through the air and slam into the floor all at once, sending a multitude of high-speed bending rock columns and rushing Air Shields of both Destroying and Repairing affects, straight for Izuku as he flew through the air. But with his intense green eyes watching every movement before him with surgical focus, Izuku proceeded to plant one foot on the edge of one column to use as a springboard, throwing himself out of the trajectory of one shield, before driving the toe of his other boot straight into the next column dead on, shattering it and sending multiple pieces flying into several more shields, destroying themselves and the walls in mid-flight, granting Izuku his opening…only for the last of the columns to come rushing in and grazing his left side, sending him spinning upright through the air with a pained grimace.

'I think I got the timing down for his Destruction attacks, and if I follow the motions of his arms when they aren't going for the floor, I can keep track of the potential size for his invisible shields! So long as I keep track of how many he makes in relation to the alternating affects, I should be able to work my way around them! But all of his attacks are still just too fast for me to dodge completely!'

Despite this unfortunate realization on his part, even getting hit in mid-air did nothing to stop him from finally following through the best way he could: driving his momentum and body weight with the power of One For All 20% into a massive stomping attack, which sent an incredible shockwave that annihilated the floor around himself and Overhaul in the blink of an eye.

But this and his quick reflexes didn't deter Overhaul in the slightest, as he was already following up with the exact same combination of attacks, sending more rock columns from what portions of the floor hadn't been destroyed by Izuku's attack, lunging for him with one arm to try and destroy him at a touch, and swiping and slamming another couple Air Shields his way. The close proximity between Hero and yakuza at this next attack had Izuku sweating bullets as he shot himself up with a kick to the floor, rolling himself in mid-air so his feet could meet the ceiling, leaving another huge upward crater in it upon impact, but still leaving himself in one piece for a few precious moments.

"DEKU!" As soon as Izuku felt the ceiling at his feet, he suddenly heard the powerful bellowing of Tunguska's voice all the way across the battlefield. He couldn't spare a second to look back to his foreign teacher, but Tunguska didn't let that stop him; having come to the dreaded realization that he couldn't come into the fight to help his student the way things currently were. Right now, the best he could do was give the brilliant boy some essential tips: "Vukodlak has some kind of new speedy Regeneration Quirk! With Chisaki having absorbed him, he must have it, too! He doesn't even need to use his own Quirk to repair his own injuries; Vukodlak's Quirk will do it for him! Any damage you land on him will heal just as quickly as you can deal it!"

And this advice was far from wasted on Izuku, as in that moment, he could just feel his mind explode with the possible approaches he could take with this battle, now knowing this. 'I thought I just needed to hold out through this pain until he was down for the count, because Chisaki's clearly not giving up! But if what Tunguska-sensei's saying is the case, and especially if I want to avoid accidentally killing Chisaki with one of those shields getting blown back his way, then I can't allow this fight to be prolonged any further! I've gotta take him out with a single shot! ONE BLOW…TO THE HEAD!'

With that, time around Izuku finally began to flow as his body followed through with the plan immediately taking form in his head as he went along, rolling himself forward in mid-air, one leg fully extended in preparation to drive his powered-up heel straight into Overhaul's head below.

Unfortunately, the yakuza's haunting eyes were observing Izuku's every move just as closely, as the moment he saw the boy begin to perform his descending attack, he was already building up another large Air Shield with his extra arms, before just as quickly driving those same enclosed fists into it, launching it upward with the intent of swatting Izuku out of the air like a fly, even if, by his own personal count, it was one with one with his Repair ability attached.

But the moment it began to propel towards the young Hero, Overhaul's piercing gaze suddenly noticed his opponent's gloved hand suddenly flick his way just the same as Sir Nighteye had done repeatedly before. In truth, after Izuku had seen Sir Nighteye go down with the Quirk-destroying bullet in his back, when he had charged forward past his fallen mentor, he'd managed to reach down and grab one of his trusty hyper density seals out of his one available pocket along the way.

WHAAM!

With surprising force, the tiny object that flew from Izuku's hand, slammed into the Air Shield with enough force to send it barreling downward right back the way it came, straight down into Overhaul himself, who hadn't had enough reaction time to even jump out of the way, even if his extra arms shielded him from the majority of the otherwise devastating impact.

And this momentary distraction was all Izuku needed to finally deliver the attack he'd really intended, bringing his heel down with the force of a freefalling bomb: "MANCHESTER SMASH!"

SMAAASH!

But as the rubble exploded skyward upon impact, Izuku never felt that sensation of his boot meeting Overhaul's head. In fact, the man himself was right now skipping backwards from the point of impact, ultimately unharmed as a result of a miracle of a dodge; his split-color eyes burning into Izuku before him. "You might be fast…but compared to the other two, I can see you coming a mile away!"

And with that mocking declaration, two of Overhaul's extra arms immediately reached for two of the biggest flying chunks of rock, immediately turning them into quickly extending spiked columns of rock, darting for Izuku at point-blank range; forcing the curly-haired Hero to throw himself back and aside with another destructive stomping counter in order to avoid getting obliterated…but even doing so, he still felt an immediate agonizing pain shoot up his right arm, as one of the shattered spikes managed to get lucky and stab into his forearm, sticking out and running red with his own blood.

*Huff*…*huff*…

The only thing Mirio could hear as he kept forcing one foot in front of the other, was his own ragged breathing, and the pounding noise of his heart racing inside his chest; made worse only by the dulling of his other senses as the wounds of his mauled left arm and missing right arm continued to bleed with every movement he made down the hall, with Eri's tiny footsteps beside him punctuating between every breath as she refused to let go of his one remaining hand, and never once looking back to the heavy trail of blood being left along the floor and wall with every step her protector took to get her away from the battlefield.

Whether she was actually saying anything or not, for once, wasn't reaching his ears, as through the cacophony of his breaths and heartbeat, his mind was likewise clamoring, trying to drown it all out and urge himself ever, ever onward: 'I gotta get Eri somewhere safer! With Midoriya fighting Chisaki to buy us time…and Tunguska looking after Sir…Eri is still depending on me! But these injuries don't matter, I'm okay! I can still move! I still have the power to save her…right? No sweat at all…KEEP MOVING, LEMILLION!'

But even as his feet continued to step down like cinder blocks beneath him, the physical pain was no longer registering in Mirio's exhausted mind. No, that which tortured him more than any amount of physical trauma, that which was currently blinding his eyes with burning tears…was the continuous replay of Sir Nighteye going down to the ground before him with one of those terrible bullets…all in an attempt to save him.

The more Mirio thought of this, the shorter his steps; until finally, his forward motions came to a complete stop, and no matter how much he tried to will himself to lift his feet, his body simply wouldn't obey, until it ultimately ended with him collapsing down to his knees against the wall, his face wrenching with agonizing sorrow as tears flowed freely down. 'I can't see anything…my body won't move! Have I lost that much blood already? How have I been able to move for this long in the first place…? Come on…stand up! Get up, Lemillion! Keep moving! They're all counting on you! She's counting on you! …*hic*…*sob*…Sir…I'm…I'm sorry! I-I'm so sorry! It…it's all my fault! Your Quirk…your Quirk is gone forever now…and it's all because of me! I tried to end the fight all on my own…and it got me in this state…and I was too weak to do anything to protect myself or anyone else…so you had to take the hit for me so I could save her! What…what kind of sidekick am I…what kind of Hero am I, if I can't even properly save one little girl, stop one criminal…look out for his own teacher?'

For the first time that he could ever recall, Mirio Togata was actually letting himself sink into true despair, the more he thought about his long-time teacher, mentor and friend…but it was likewise as he was thinking of Sir Nighteye, that another train of thought managed to shine through the mental miasma of hopelessness clouding his mind; one simple little question that managed to finally get his vision and mind cleared once more: 'What would Sir be doing if he were in my shoes right now?'

And it was with that clarity, that Mirio finally could feel the near radiant innocence of Eri's presence at his side. His body was still in too much pain, far too weak to look back to her in order to properly say what was coming to him, but he didn't let that stop him from doing so anyway, as he grit his teeth and clenched his one hand into a determined fist. "Eri…go find…somewhere safe to hide. Backup…will be here soon. Dozens of people…just like all those folks back there…are coming down here…just to save you!"

But even after what he had thought would be a perfect reason for Eri to do as he was asking her, Mirio still didn't hear her footsteps move past him. No, that poor, fragile little child was still standing beside him, refusing to take even a step away from him, as her wide red eyes continued looking over his miserable physical state with pure apologetic sorrow on her oh-so fragile face.

Bless her little heart, even when being told to, she was refusing to just abandon the young Hero who had already given so much for her sake when he didn't even know her…but no matter how touching such a sentiment was, Mirio still knew this was not the time for it, as he still managed to maintain his compassionate and even tone with her as he barely managed to move his head to look her way. "Eri…you don't have to be afraid anymore…you're going to be okay from now on. Eri…please…just do as I'm asking…and get yourself someplace safe."

The moment Izuku's evasive maneuver had come to a stop, and Overhaul's gaze had spotted the spike protruding from the boy's arm; the yakuza immediately acted upon it, by extending all of his extra arms his way at once, with every one performing simultaneous shield-creating gestures; ultimately forming a multi-layered invisible dome of both variant shields over where Izuku now stood.

As Izuku grit his teeth with both pain and frustration, the arms all retracted back to Overhaul, who was still standing tall and unperturbed, even cracking a stiff joint in his neck as he stared his young opponent down. "Normally, whenever I would have to use my Quirk to rebuild myself, I would still be suffering a recoil of pain from the initial destruction I'd have to use; I'm no more immune to its power than anyone else. But with Vukodlak's little smorgasbord of Quirks added to the arsenal, I don't have to deal with that issue anymore. How the hell was he able to hide his possessing all these abilities from us for this long?"

By this point, Overhaul had finally taken his eyes off of Izuku, but this didn't improve the boy's current situation any, as his face still grimaced with anger and pain all at once, looking all around himself, just knowing those damned shields were all around him, and with the rapid pace at which Overhaul had made them, he'd actually ended up losing track of what the last potential effect was that had gotten put in place.

'If I hadn't shattered the ground with those last couple stomps earlier, he easily could've finished me with one massive spike. But even if I bought myself that window, I still can't charge at him like this anymore. It looks and sounds like he's already getting used to using all those new Quirks of his, too. That means he won't be as desperate or reckless as before, which means leaving less opportunity for any of us to get close to him. There has to be some way I can get out of this cage and still finish the fight fast!'

While Izuku was still anxiously trying to figure a way he could break free without giving Overhaul ample time to counteract; the yakuza himself was simply observing the clear determination evident in the sparking green-haired boy's body language; a look of intrigue apparent in his cold eyes. "Ah…Lemillion was just as tenacious as you. The potential of those who refuse to give up is truly something to behold…but that applies just as much to you when it comes to me as well, boy. It's precisely because fools like you push yourselves to the brink of death, that you ultimately makes yourselves the bait."

Before Izuku could even hazard a guess as to just what the man was talking about, Overhaul suddenly extended one of his extra arms out, and within seconds, a human mouth began to take form within its palm, bellowing out: "THIS'LL BE ANOTHER DEATH ON YOUR HANDS! IS THAT REALLY WHAT YOU WANT, ERI?!"

Izuku's first instinct upon hearing Eri's name even emanate from the yakuza's direction, was to tell him not to even utter it after all that he'd done. But then his rationality kicked in, and with it came the horrible realization that Overhaul would only be calling Eri by name…if she was actually back here.

Immediately looking back, Izuku could feel his heart plummet at the sight of Eri, all alone, in the mouth of the hole in the wall, looking on in terror at the sheer level of destruction all around her, from the bloody and clawed-up Tunguska still trying to fight through his wounds to get the listless Sir Nighteye away from the action; similarly looking in horrified shock at her return…and finally to Izuku, likewise standing injured and at Overhaul's mercy.

"I…I don't want this!"

It didn't even occur to Izuku or Tunguska that Overhaul was using the absorbed Shin Nemoto's Quirk on Eri right now to get her to answer honestly against her own will. Her answer virtually fell on deaf ears, as both young and veteran Heroes alike tried to call out to, and step in to get her out of harm's way at once: "ERI, WHY?! GET AWAY FROM HERE! STAY WITH MIRIO!"

Ignoring Izuku's pleas and Tunguska's struggling movements towards her, Overhaul continued to pierce through her weak and shaken heart with his merciless gaze, as the mouth upon his extra hand continued to speak: "Eri…look at these so-called Heroes; one so old and broken he can barely walk, the other no longer having the strength or power to help you, and the little one trapped like a rat in an ever suffocating cage. Do you think this one can truly do anything to save you on his own?"

"I don't."

Those two words, as simple and mundane as they could've been in any other instance, spoken from anyone else; hit at Izuku and Tunguska's hearts like a wrecking ball, both now rendered speechless as Overhaul continued: "In that case…what should you do?"

Tunguska could hear Sir Nighteye beginning to groan in response from upon his shoulder, as his previous complete loss of energy from the hit to his Quirk was finally starting to wane. It was enough so for him to actually pick up on just what was happening between Overhaul and Eri at this very moment, as he began to lift his head and watch the unfolding tragedy play out before him and his fellow Pro, while Izuku was silently screaming at his inability to simply break out of this invisible trap and keep Eri from taking another step.

And all the while, all three Heroes could see the anguish on Eri's terrified and heartbroken face, as she looked to Overhaul, like he was the very Angel of Death himself. "Go back to you…and in exchange…please make everyone better again!"

And with that, and a timely planting of a hand to the floor in order to reconstruct the space between Eri and Tunguska into spikes to keep him from trying to grab her; the poor little girl proceeded to take a practical death march towards the monstrous yakuza looming over her, while both Heroes could only watch on with blood-chilling speechless disbelief at what was happening.

And all the while, Overhaul could only answer with a sickening apathy dripping from every word: "That's right…instead of letting all these people get hurt, it's way easier to just take the pain yourself."

As Eri continued to take one fearful step after another towards him, Overhaul could just feel the rage radiating from Izuku and Tunguska alike all across the battlefield…but this barely stirred even a reaction from him at all, let alone intimidation, as he stared them both down mockingly. "Lemillion was still giving her hope. But that faint hope he gave her is now crushed. I didn't even need to destroy his Quirk in order to break his spirit; and hers by proxy. Haven't either of you fools figured it out, yet? What Eri considers to be a burden? She…DOES NOT WANT YOUR HELP!"

As those words tore into Izuku and his teacher alike like knives of ice; Sir Nighteye could only look upon his intern from the pitiful position he himself was in, still too weak to even speak..but his thoughts in reaction were crystal clear: 'As I thought…One For All should've gone to Mirio, after all. Midoriya…there's no changing fate now. We won't manage to secure Eri. I've seen it all through Chisaki's eyes with my Quirk…the last thing I ever got to see with it…was you and Mirio in despair. Our fate is to ultimately be defeated here today.'

Class 1-A Dorm Building, Yuuei, Present Day

Where there had once been an unbearably tense silent air among Izuku and Nikolay's respective student groups in the commons area of the 1-A dorms; there was now a predominant atmosphere of heartbroken tears being shed; especially from Mina and Nikolay in their specific bunch, as Izuku had to struggle to recount Overhaul's unforgivably cruel words to such a delicate and innocent child like this. Already, they had all previously expressed their heartbreak at the world having even more than one such evil person who could use children of any age for their own selfish ends.

But now, where Izuku and his partners would all have expected there to be even more anger; they were instead now seeing a glow of determination settle within all their eyes, as Nikolay suddenly spoke up: "You guys…if you all managed to get out of this whole thing in the shapes you were in, and have been managing to carry yourselves throughout this whole week, then that has to mean you were able to succeed after all, right? So wouldn't that mean that this girl is being held in the same hospital as Togata-senpai right now?"

Before Izuku, Tunguska or anyone else could even start to answer, Mina was already one step ahead of her hopeful-looking boyfriend, as she eagerly shot back up to her feet with a fist pumped into the air; her black-gold eyes aflame with glorious purpose: "Hey, yeah! If we were all able to get permission to visit, maybe we could all be able to see her along with Senpai! It's not right for a little girl like that to be treated so badly by anyone like that! Midori-kun, you couldn't argue that if all of us together were to go see her, we could help her see the world can still be a totally beautiful and super-awesome place to be in, right? If you all fought as hard as it sounds like you did for her, she might already be halfway there at least, right?"

And that was when, to everyone's surprise, Tenya suddenly rose up alongside his two classmates…and actually proceeded to speak out in agreement with their trains of thought: "If I could elaborate further; before we all met up down here; those of us who participated in resolving the incidents in Hokkaido, had actually received a lengthy video testimonial from the Pro Heroes and locals up there, filling us in on everything since we'd left. Above all else, I think the most encouraging thing to come out of it, is that all of the children in that town have decided to properly pursue training their Quirks and branching out to the Japanese community as a whole. Perhaps, when the time is eventually right, we could all see about introducing this child to this community, to more children of her age range that can help her to integrate in a far more welcoming and friendly environment."

And just like that, Nikolay and Mina both simultaneously lit up with yet another idea, exchanging knowing smiles with one another, before the young Russian finally replied: "Even better: we also found out that Valera, the little boy we all were working to save from Pietro Granin personally; his family has moved down to Tokyo and registered him to a local preschool where he can grow up with other Quirked children as well. I don't know what all would need to be done regarding this girl once the police say she's okay to be let out of the hospital, but do you think it'd be possible to at least see about enrolling her in that same school, too? A whole community of children who don't speak her language could be a bit much for her, even with Linguist's help. You guys can't say these aren't worthwhile ideas, can you?"

They could all clearly see that, indeed, Izuku and his side of the room were clearly trying to weigh the pros and cons of any of these ideas, with all of them looking like they really wanted to give the okay for it all.

But in the end, Tsuyu ended up breaking the general atmosphere in the whole room: "None of you guys are wrong. They're all really kindhearted ideas that I'm sure would really do good for her in the long run-kero. I think it's really sweet and expected of you all to be so selfless for someone you've never even met yet like this…but the fact is that there's just a lot more behind what that little girl has gone through than we're allowed to share right now…more than a simple hospital visit could fix. I wish we could tell you everything…but that's just not the way things are able to go for us at this moment-kero. Sorry."

With everyone's bounding enthusiasm sufficiently dimmed for now, Nikolay, Mina and Tenya apologetically sat back down, with Izuku and the others looking similarly apologetic for the boundaries they still had to work themselves around with what they could actually share, before the freckled boy finally breathed in deep so he could continue.

"SO WHAT?!"

Out of the depths of momentary despair, Izuku's only words of defiance rang as loud as a bell in an echo chamber, as he finally grit his teeth and pried the painful rock spike free from his forearm; the green sparks all over his body only growing in intensity, as he crushed the bloody thing to gravel in the grip of his hand. His green eyes burned like righteous fire as he stared Overhaul down defiantly from within his confines.

"EVEN IF WE'RE BUTTING IN WHERE WE'RE NOT WANTED…YOU'RE CRYING, ERI! SO NO ONE IS DYING TODAY…BECAUSE ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, WHETHER IT'S ME OR ANOTHER HERO COMING THIS WAY AS WE SPEAK…YOU'RE GOING TO BE SAVED!"

Eri was already looking back at the sound of sheer conviction ringing in Izuku's voice; those very same despairing tears filling her red eyes all the same. At the same time, Overhaul was feeling his skin bristle with genuine physical frustration at the senseless child's stubbornness…before Tunguska's voice began echoing forth right alongside him; the larger Pro Hero keeping the now fully conscious Sir Nighteye straightened up and steady at his side: "That's damn right! No matter how much you try to immobilize or isolate him, Chisaki; the fact is that, no matter what fancy tricks you try to pull with your Quirks, even brainwashing an innocent child, Deku will never have to tackle any challenge on his own, least of all the challenges laid out by the likes of you! That's the biggest difference between us, after all your talk of diseases, sickness and madness: Heroes are never truly alone in the end, unlike Villains like you!"

Even if he could feel the murderous hate Overhaul was projecting his way through his stare; Tunguska refused to step down. Seeing this same stubbornness in both his present foes was a display the yakuza couldn't possibly forgive…and seeing the clear-cut teacher-student atmosphere being radiated between Izuku and the foreign Hero, ultimately gave him an especially cruel idea, as the mouth upon his re-extended hand spoke up once more: "Are you bringing this specific thing up, precisely because you don't think he can handle this on his own if he didn't have you or anyone else to back him up? Is that your way of trying to make him feel bigger and stronger than he really is?"

Izuku's stricken gaze immediately jolted back to Tunguska, genuinely uncertain just what his fellow mentor alongside All Might was going to say under the effect of Shin Nemoto's Quirk. It was unfortunately a fact that they simply hadn't really had very much training time one-on-one at all over the course of this year, so there was no reason for Tunguska to have any more faith in him than he did in any other student in Class 1-A. If he were to actually answer in the affirmative, Izuku would have to begrudgingly admit he wouldn't be terribly surprised…but no less disappointed, considering the experience this Hero had under his belt, just like All Might.

But, to Izuku, Eri and Overhaul's immediate and simultaneous surprise; Tunguska's bearded, aged face quickly began to grow a purely heartwarming smile of assurance, still staring the young yakuza down daringly: "No."

Just like that, it was as though the entire battlefield had gone as silent as the void; Overhaul momentarily looking between Tunguska, Izuku and the hand through which the new mouth was talking; genuinely uncertain as to just what was going on, before the older Russian Hero suddenly continued; slowly shifting his intense blue gaze from the yakuza to his curly-haired student, with a much softer gaze in comparison. "Because, speaking as a former Number One Hero like All Might himself…I know that Deku here has the heart of a truly game-changing Hero in the making; the kind that can dedicate himself to conquering any obstacle or enemy that can possibly be thrown at him…the kind that can put a scumbag like you in your rightful place in the blink of an eye.

"I only say he doesn't have to fight alone…simply because that's the truth: even as powerful as he already is, he'll never be alone. And that makes him a stronger Hero than someone like you could ever have a prayer of defeating." Even for as satisfying as it was for Tunguska to see those affirming words leave Overhaul subtly furious; it was even more gratifying to see the look of deeply emotional gratitude on Izuku's face when looking back to his teacher, his naturally intense Heroic gaze doing little to hide how much another part of him wanted to start crying with thanks for such a decorated Hero's heartfelt support and faith in his capabilities.

K-KRRRAAASH!

Suddenly, without even a tremor to serve as forewarning, nearly the entire ceiling above all their heads came crashing down like an entire air raid had been dropped upon it; with several massive chunks of rubble crashing down onto the Destroying Air Shields keeping Izuku trapped, while others crashed into the Repairing ones, causing several large chunks to re-bind to each other before collapsing to the floor around him all the same. By a miraculous providence, Izuku had been given that much-needed window of opportunity again.

And to his, Tunguska and Overhaul's mutual surprise, it was all thanks to the unexpected visage of the blonde-headed and red-clad dragon form of the Dragoon Hero, Ryukyu, currently pinning the familiar but unconscious muscular body of Rikiya under her claws and a huge pile of other rubble to the floor; closely followed by Ochako and Tsuyu from the surface level above, with Nejire Hadou levitating not far behind her two first-years.

'RYUKYU! AND THE BOTH OF YOU, TOO!" Izuku couldn't even hope to contain his surprise; which to his own confusion, was mirrored by Ochako and Tsuyu as well once they saw him below. "Deku-kun?! Wait!" "So who was that other Deku we saw-kero?"

As Tsuyu was already beginning to look back the way they had descended from, Ochako was quickly doing likewise, before her eyes widened with shock at the sight of Izuku and Tunguska both visibly bloody; the teacher looking as though he'd been mauled by a savage animal, and with Sir Nighteye slumped against his side with an arm over his broad shoulders, looking completely physically drained of energy, with a single syringe barely visible from her position, protruding from his back.

Tunguska could see the horrified confusion quickly form on his rosy-cheeked student's face, and through his own persistent pain, tried to gesture with his one hand that they were both as well as they could be. "You all made good timing getting here, Ryukyu, Uravity, Froppy! Some natural sunlight will get me back in fighting shape in no time, now!"

Suddenly, a chilling sound of giggling began echoing down from the surface. On instinct, both girls immediately looked back up to the rim of the pit they'd just created, only to find, to both their shock, the all-too familiar sight of Himiko Toga's chuckling and smiling fanged face, as the visage of Izuku was already half-melted off of her body. And she wasn't alone, either; as standing dominantly at her side were two more people they'd now come to recognize as other League of Villains members: Twice, joined by the masked magician-looking Villain known as Mr. Compress.

Of course, both girls' shock was completely lost on Himiko especially, as she couldn't contain her gleeful laughter at the sight of the three Yuuei students below her. "The plan was to toss the people up above down into the hole. Who woulda thought we'd bump into you, Ocha-chan, Tsu-Tsu? You go around screaming 'Plus Ultra' all the time, but I'd say this is more like 'Plus Chaos', wouldn't you agree? Oh, if only MiMi-chan were here with you, then we'd be having one big happy besties reunion!"

All the while, Twice was simply ignoring his partner's rambling, and their third wheel's subsequent request for Himiko to hurry and put some clothes back on as her disguise continued to dissolve. Simply assuming she'd actually do as asked, the Copy took that chance to turn its attention back to its creator. "So you made a Copy of me in order to help you two put some big plan Vukodlak-san shared with you into place? Then you went and made a few other Copies of yourself to help dig your way out to the surface so Toga could redirect the Heroes here? Am I getting all this right?"

Truth be told, Twice was going through something of a mental recoil from all that he'd managed to accomplish thus far, himself. For the longest time, his Quirk had only been limited to being able to make two Copies at a time, hence why he'd chosen 'Twice' as his Villain name. Granted, there were some exceptions, depending on the inherent strength of the subject he was Copying, but they had to be especially weak for him to make more than two at a time.

But ever since shortly before, and especially during their little side-quest to Russia, Twice had quickly come to notice that he was now being able to make more than two Copies of some much stronger subjects at a time with much less strain and greater accuracy. More than once, his mind had come to wonder if perhaps the Quirk-boosting compound in those fancy bracelets from back then had somehow permanently bonded with his DNA, thus granting him a permanent semi-boost…

…but he hurriedly shook his head free of such distractions, knowing full well this was neither the time nor place to start letting his mind wander, as he snapped his attention to answer his Compress Copy.

"There's more to it than that, so listen up, mister!" Twice authoritatively commanded, sounding like a measly substitute teacher trying to embody the authority of a full-timer as he continued to detail his own addition to their overall plan. "Vukodlak-san was able to pinpoint our attention to a little kid being held here. According to that super nose and those inescapable ears of his, she's the center to the Hassaikai's whole operation. Unfortunately, we couldn't get to her on our own, especially since none of us could stand a chance against Overhaul in a traditional fight, even with his fancy-schmancy new Quirks on hand. Lucky for us, these Heroes and cops all showed up when they did."

Upon Twice's explanation, the Compress Copy quickly glanced down into the pit, immediately spotting the only small child amid the destruction. "That little girl down there? She's the key to all this?"

Twice nearly gave himself whiplash, he was already nodding his head so quickly. "Yeah, that has to be her! When I give you your cue, you work your magic with that Quirk of yours; but until then, you just head down there and nab her for us. After all, these are our original bodies, and you're a Copy, so you should be the one taking all the risk here."

Twice didn't even need to see the actual expression the Copy was making underneath its mask when it jerked its head back his way with incredulousness at what he was suggesting. "What?! Is paying Overhaul back for what he did to my arm part of your little Plus Chaos plan, huh?!"

"You're a Copy, dammit! Hurry up and get down there before anyone else shows up!" Just as Twice was just about ready to literally kick the Copy over the edge so it could go swooping and plucking Eri right off the ground, it ended up gliding downward like a vulture of its own accord, descending right for the lone small child as its cape expanded like wings. "THIS IS TERRIFYING, YOU PSYCHOS! I WAS A FOOL TO THINK YOU HAD A KIND-HEARTED BONE BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU!"

At the same time; Himiko's own childlike excitement was suddenly snuffed out, as her menacing yellow eyes hurriedly scanned the battlefield; every passing unfulfilled moment making her heart start to pound harder and faster. "Hey, hey, Jin; Sensei said he was going to try and fight Overhaul and grab the kid himself for us, didn't he? I don't see him anywhere down there! He couldn't have gotten lost, could he? He couldn't have gotten killed all easy-like, right? Why isn't he here?"

As Himiko's once gleeful voice began to give way to her own style of panic and worry; her sentiments were going completely unnoticed by the rest of the Heroes below, but not hers and Twice's presence, as Ochako and Tsuyu were immediately getting into defensive stances; just as Izuku knew he now finally had the chance to do what needed to be done before anything else: getting Eri back. There was next to no time for discussing any elaborate strategies, but he also couldn't leave his newly arrived partners in the dark of any and all threats, either. So, with the sparks erupting from his body with growing intensity, he spoke up to Ochako, Tsuyu and Nejire with determined intent.

"Uravity, Froppy, Nejire-chan, I'm going after Eri! You three get Tunguska, Sir Nighteye and Mirio out of here to safety! They're all hurt!" Nothing more needed to be said on his part, as without hesitation, the three girls were already racing the rest of the way down to the basement level, getting ready to get the two Pros and their third-year, still in the outside hallway, away from Overhaul's immediate threat.

Fighting away the lingering traces of her own fatigue, thanks to Rikiya and his Quirk; Ochako was already bracing herself to take away Tunguska and Nighteye's gravity, only for her most trusted teacher to suddenly place his own hand firmly upon her forearm, forcing her to stop and look in his eyes confusedly; feeling an instinctive frightened chill when she saw the immense worry in his blue eyes through his red eye mask.

"You need to listen to me, Uravity. The moment you get us out of this hole, you need to be ready to give Deku whatever assistance you can, and I'll try to do the same once I get enough solar energy back. Chisaki's become far more dangerous than we'd anticipated. He's…he's destroyed and absorbed the bodies of both his henchman, Nemoto Shin…and Vukodlak. Red Riot and I ran into and fought him here earlier…he's with the League of Villains now."

Tunguska hadn't even gotten to the point of revealing Vukodlak's new allegiance before Ochako's whole face had gone snow white with horror. "What?! He's out of prison?! But how, Sensei?! How would no Hero anywhere not have heard about something like that until now?!"

A single slightest tightening of his hold on her shoulder, managed to help Ochako think to steady her breathing, as Tunguska continued to urgently fill her in: "That's not all. He's come into possession of several new Quirks he never had before…and because Chisaki has absorbed him, that means he has them to use at his will, as well.

"You, Froppy, Nejire-chan and Ryukyu; you all keep your eyes open from here on: he's able to create these moveable invisible shield-like walls with even simple gesturing motions of his hands. He can launch them, and just flat out hit with greater physical strength than he ever had before…and now they've even been combining with both sides of Chisaki's Quirk as well; alternating between destroying anyone or anything they touch, or repairing them, with each new shield he creates. We've been trying to keep track of each one he makes and which affect they would have as a result…but he's so fast now, I fear Deku and I may have both lost track by now."

At the same time as Ochako was having her momentary memory-fueled panic; Himiko, thanks to her vastly improved hearing, had likewise found herself descending into horrified hyperventilation and blinding anger, upon hearing Tunguska speak of how Overhaul had absorbed her beloved sensei into himself; her eyes narrowing with murderous hatred as she set her gaze solely on the masked yakuza below, as she bit her lower lip hard enough for one of her fangs to draw a single trickle of blood.

And as all of this unfolded, Izuku had wasted no further time, instead taking the chance to bolt after Eri, as she was just in the perfect spot between him and Overhaul; and from the moment he began to move, he could already see the yakuza's extra arms preparing to send another massive oncoming invisible shield barrage their way, only for his body to jerkily come to a premature halt once again.

Whether intentional or not, Vukodlak's stubborn will had bought Izuku an irreplaceable chance to reach and take Eri into his arms of protection once more…before the ground between them both suddenly sprang up in another massive collection of spikes, launching Eri up and over, out of Izuku's reach, and straight into Overhaul's below; the sight of which left the green-haired Hero seeing red, and not just from the blood running into one of his eyes as a result of the new laceration on his forehead from the spikes grazing him. "CHISAKIIIII!"

The moment he felt Eri land in his waiting hands, Overhaul immediately planted one extra hand to the floor at his feet, immediately causing a quickly rising column to rise up to the new hole to the surface overhead, with him riding victoriously atop it, and leaving Izuku in the veritable dust. But even an immediate advantage like this new escape route could quell his own frustration at things unfolding like this: "You've made a complete mess of things here, you scum!"

It took no time at all, considering the sheer scale of destruction that had been wrought, for Izuku to realize that Overhaul's sudden means of escape was due to destroying the floor underneath the rubble there already was. But none of that made a damn bit of difference, as with his 20% energy surging through his legs, Izuku proceeded to launch upward with his hand desperately outstretched to Eri, whom he could barely glimpse underneath one of the yakuza's arms. "NOT A CHANCE! YOU AREN'T TAKING HER AGAIN!"

His defiant cry reached Overhaul's ears with ease, and while he heard them as simply nothing more than the childish stubbornness of a fool in his last throes of action, that didn't quell his own desire to put an end to the annoying young Hero altogether. "Persistent."

But just as he began to reach one of his arms down to annihilate Izuku mid-jump; a sudden glimpse of red caught the corner of his eye, forcing him to look aside…and what he saw filled him with a retching disgust like few things possibly could have in this moment:

It was the sight of Mirio Togata's tattered and torn red cape, flying through the air against one of the multiple large rocks being tossed about from the sheer concussive power of his and Izuku's Quirks. "It got tossed into the air like the piece of worthless trash it is. Disgusting."

But at that same moment as he disregarded the simple piece of unattended cloth, Eri was seeing it as well, and where her captor only felt disgust, she felt something else entirely, something she couldn't ever recall having felt before in her few miserable years of life she could even recall…something that drove her body against any kind of forethought or conscious desire. Without even a word being uttered from her tiny throat, Eri watched in confused wonder, as her little hands reached out of their own volition towards even the very edge of Mirio's cape as it flew past…and clutching onto it with a grip that only could have come from the intent of one never wanting to let go of the one thing that gave them comfort and safety above all else.

And the entire time as she reached out and held on dearly, the only thing she could hear was the heart-shaking conviction in Mirio's voice from minutes ago; words that were filling every fiber of her being in this one desperate moment: "The reason Heroes wear capes is to wrap up and protect little girls in pain!"

But all at once at the same moment as Eri's tiny hand grabbed onto Mirio's cape, something else just as quickly began to unfold; something that Overhaul himself was the very first to realize, as his entire body suddenly became enveloped in a shocking, agonizingly painful tearing sensation, almost as though his entire physical being were getting pride apart from the inside out on the most primordial level.

But even despite this horrific sensation coursing through his body, there wasn't a hint of confusion present in Overhaul's mind…for he knew all too well of the potential for something like this to happen…and just where it would be coming from if things got as bad as he'd always feared they one day might. 'It…can't be…!'

Even now, for reasons he couldn't logically comprehend in this moment, Overhaul's mind instinctively went back to exactly when he had come to learn of the very same potential danger that he was now experiencing firsthand. In the grand scheme of things, it hadn't been too long ago, and yet it felt like a piece of an entirely different world, a different time as well…a time personified when the Shie Hassaikai's true boss was still ultimately healthy enough to be on his own feet, and had even called to speak to him one-on-one; a truly rare occurrence, but one he never failed to answer to with haste.

"My daughter…you remember her, Chisaki?"

"Yes, Boss. I recall you had a falling out over her marriage, and she left the family."

"You have perhaps noticed the quiet little girl that has recently been seen around the compound basement? Well, that little one is actually her daughter…my own granddaughter. If you can believe it, that fool daughter of mine just went and abandoned the poor child here…saying such wretched things as: 'my husband's dead,' and 'this little pest is cursed.' She wouldn't elaborate when asked, but from what I could gather; apparently, one day, her husband touched that girl…and he just vanished without a trace left behind.

"The power that manifested within that girl didn't resemble anything from either side of her family. It was a true mutation, not a curse. It's one of those rare spontaneous Quirk manifestations you hear about every now and then. I'm not sure about the particulars, or how it is she even uses it. Everyone I've had study her, they've all said that she isn't even aware of it, herself. But she has the power to completely annihilate. In all honesty, it actually can't help but remind me of you in a way, Chisaki.

"You've always proven one of my most trustworthy men…and that's why I want to place you in charge of looking after her from now on, Chisaki. While you're doing so, making sure she's always safe and protected…I'd like you to just run a few simple tests on her so we can better understand her Quirk, alright? You're pretty good at that kind of stuff."

Overhaul could easily remember the instinctive sense of fulfillment and pride he had felt that day, when first given such personal responsibility by their boss…but even then, when he had first gotten to see and truly understand just what it was that Eri's Quirk could do…just as it could now, his mind had come to the truth loud and clear: 'Her Quirk resembles mine? No way. What hers can do…it isn't restoring or healing anything after it's destroyed them. Her Quirk is something else entirely; something…truly terrifying. It's…a Quirk that REWINDS!'

And with a blinding array of pure energy emanating from Eri's entire body as she flew from Overhaul's grasp with the momentum of the rock propelling Mirio's cape; the tearing sensation that consumed his entire body finally culminated in something that none of the Heroes present would have ever been able to properly explain: from where Overhaul stood, Shin Nemoto's body seamlessly split apart from it like a human example of a cell dividing by mitosis; the black-clad yakuza thug plummeting listlessly to the floor below, while Overhaul could only look down, stricken stiff with shock at what had just happened to him because of one horrifying powerful Quirk in a frail little girl.

And with the fleeting thought of Eri herself, Overhaul's whole body radiated deathly intensity as he looked back over her shoulder to find her still clinging onto the cape for dear life as gravity finally began to take control. Such an action as this escape attempt was, for lack of any better words, impossible for him to have imagined her having the courage or willingness to take on her own. After all, for the longest time, he'd made every concentrated effort to snuff out such thoughts and desires she could ever possibly have.

Sure, there was the one time she'd actually attempted to run not too long ago, but he had been especially thorough in giving her every justifiable reason not to try again. It wasn't even the ever-present threat; nay, the inevitability of physical torment to her little body that dissuaded her from trying to escape between then and now. Just as was to be expected of a sheltered little child like her; her heart was simply too good to just take other people's suffrage for her in stride.

Such threats directed to others was what had efficiently talked Eri out of any other escape attempts…and his continuous patterns of keeping her in confinement under his ever-watchful eye, reminding her of the awful curse she couldn't even control that was her Quirk alongside the misery of her very existence, carving her up, destroying and rebuilding her body over and over again had ultimately managed to snuff out the fire of youthful vigor, of life itself, within her. Without those things, Overhaul had essentially made her a glorified doll that could sometimes talk; a living plaything for him to do with as he pleased, all for the sake of pursuing his own singular goal.

Through the unforgivably cruel process of taking away Eri's ability to hope, and replacing it with the silent self-loathing belief that she somehow deserved her nightmarish circumstances simply through the misfortune of her own birth; Overhaul had effectively taken a pure and innocent child, and turned her into a tragic porcelain doll of her former self for his own apathetic ends.

And yet, even despite all of that cruel hard work on his part; at this very moment, Overhaul was bearing witness to something he'd convinced himself was impossible…and yet, it had been made possible solely because of the honest and kindhearted words and actions of Mirio Togata. Through his dedication, courage and unwillingness to give up or abandon her, he had done the miraculous, the one thing above all else that a Hero was meant to do for any and everyone in need:

Mirio had given Eri the faintest ember of hope where there had once been none to be found. Even as she felt herself drown in despair at the sight of all her saviors here getting hurt for her sake, that faint little ember of hope Mirio had sparked within her fragile little heart refused to die out. And it was that hope that had triggered the spontaneous activation of her Quirk; that had now deprived Overhaul of one of the two bodies he had absorbed into himself, thus taking away that much of his total power in the blink of an eye.

"I never wanted…any of you to die!" Eri's proclamation, as her body flew weightlessly free from Overhaul's clutches, rang true with a lifetime of sadness and pain. Even if it killed them, she could see and believe that not one of these Heroes here would ever give up on her…and it was with that realization, and the acceptance of that fact on her part, that Eri had decided in her subconscious, to act upon the first thing this brand new sensation of hope had given her; as the countless cracks of her long-broken spirit, began at last to heal:

The desire, the very need to be saved.

And that need was what was now driving her into taking the insane risk of grabbing Mirio's cape and free-falling through the air; tears flying from her anguished and emotional red eyes, as she watched the infinitely driven and glowing Izuku fly towards her with his hand still outstretched, before finally grasping tight onto the other end of the tattered red cape right alongside her.

The once hope-deprived Eri had reached her hands out in need of saving in her darkest hour…and at long last, a Hero had finally heard her silent cries and reached his hand out back to her, and taken hers in a show of protection and aid. And as he looked into those large, fearful eyes before him, Izuku could easily recall the same look upon Eri's face the very day they had first met outside the mouth of that back alley…only then, she had been utterly devoid of the very glimmer of life that she had now. And seeing this, his heart swelled: "I…won't let you go! Not again!"

"Like I'd said before, we never had any clue that Chisaki and his organization had been experimenting on and torturing a child. All we'd known about was his bullets and Quirk-boosters in the underworld. I couldn't have begun to imagine the horrible things he'd done to this girl, or for how long…but none of that mattered, whether she'd been an original part of our mission or not. Heroes can't possibly just ignore when a child is calling out to them for help. I know not a single one of you guys here would've felt any different if you'd been there instead of me."

"GIVE HER BAAACK!"

The air between Izuku and Eri had immediately been shattered by a horrifying bellow of rage, as he immediately pulled Eri in by Mirio's cape, holding her tight within his arms protectively as he looked up, just to see Overhaul reaching his way from atop the column with every one of his hands; his already murderous eyes now animalistic with pure hatred; his mind barely even able to think straight the moment he knew Eri was no longer in his grasp. 'I can't risk hitting this insect with a Destroying Shield! Catching Eri in the crossfire won't matter; but if I immediately follow up with a Repair Shield, all that'll do is bring them both back, leaving me with the same number of damn problems!'

Seeing all of those hands lunging for him at once, and realizing he had no solid footholds to jump off of, Izuku could feel a momentary spark of immense panic rush through his body. 'CRAP! I'm not nearly as good at dodging in mid-air as Kacchan, Uraraka, or Kolya-san!'

But even despite this defeating acknowledgment, Izuku only tightened his hold on Eri that much more; his heart not racing, but beating steadily and resolutely. 'It doesn't matter, though. I'm not letting you go! No matter what! I can't let you go through that anymore!'

As his eyes, mind, and nerves all burned and raced for something, anything at all he could use to get himself and Eri away, a moment of remembrance and clarity suddenly came back to Izuku, as he could clearly remember back to the very first day he and Mirio had gone to see Sir Nighteye together; a question that had continuously been brewing in the back of his mind ever since his third-year had asked on the train ride then: "So…what kind of Hero do you hope to become, Midoriya?"

Even back then, Izuku thought he'd had a very good idea of how to answer…but to think it back to himself now compared to then, the conviction with which the words came couldn't have even been compared. Gritting his teeth and keeping his grip tight, Izuku could just feel his inner fire coalesce with all of his Quirk's energy throughout his whole body, as every word rang in his head like a cacophony of raw human endurance and spirit:

'If All Might and Tunguska could become the kind of Heroes they are, and still not be able to save everyone all the time…then perhaps that's the sign, the base plate I need to launch myself off from! That has to be why I was given One For All in the first place! That's the Hero I want to be, the Hero I know I must become, the one I'm meant to be: a Hero who's strong enough so that no one ever has to worry about me again! A Hero who always wins! A HERO WHO ALWAYS SAVES THE DAY!'

As those words fueled every cell in Izuku's body; at the same time, Overhaul was about to fall forward from atop his column in his desperation to grab Eri, using the one hand he still had gripping the edge to reconstruct the destroyed portions into a series of jagged stone fingers, ready to entrap both his targets where they now hung in mid-air.

And from down below, watching all of this as Ochako took Sir Nighteye off his shoulder, Tunguska was already focusing what little restored solar energy he'd already absorbed into his one available hand, readying to aim and fire off his Volgograd Volley special move in an attempt to destroy those encroaching stone fingers, in order to secure Izuku and Eri's escape route. It was going to be damn close, but he knew he could do it.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

With a furious and heartfelt battle cry that shook the very foundations of the basement and the hearts of all those that could hear, Izuku's whole body suddenly erupted in a flash of green light, and in the very next moment, he and Eri were both simply gone, with a corner chunk of the column where Overhaul had just been kneeling, gone with them. And before anyone could even blink an eye, let alone ask what just happened—

BKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The remainder of the whole basement ceiling exploded like it was ground zero for an atom bomb, sending everyone reeling to the floor in a desperate attempt not to get blown away like paper; rubble reduced to dust before it could even begin to fall, and a shockwave rippling through ground and air alike that one could have easily mistaken for an earthquake of exceptional magnitude.

And in the forefront of it all, was Izuku and Eri, now hanging momentarily high above the neighborhood rooftops, barely a couple of specks in the sky from where his fellow Heroes and Overhaul still stood looking up. Looking down upon the now tiny underground battlefield below, Izuku's body was rife with shock. Right now his mind was still trying to catch-up to the reality of what he'd just done, same as everyone else. 'What…just happened? I tried to kick…and somehow got blown away! Maybe it's like All Might's New Hampshire Smash; using sheer pressure to blast through the air. The sheer power was far greater even than my 20%! Does that mean I…I could've possibly just then reached the full One For All 100%? Wait, no, I can't think about that now! This isn't good…I let myself lose control, just like when I fought Kacchan all that time ago! If that's the case…then that must mean…my legs must be…'

Looking down his body, Izuku could feel his blood turn to ice, as both of his legs were flapping and twirling beneath him like two grotesque noodles; both hopelessly broken from the sheer power with which he'd unintentionally launched himself. He couldn't even feel the physical pain of such horrific injuries as he remained up in the air like this; all he could feel was the sickening dread that he was now in a horribly compromised state that he couldn't possibly continue the battle with once they were back down on solid ground.

Down in the ruins of the basement, Ryukyu had been quick to shield Tunguska, Nighteye, Nejire, Tsuyu and Ochako from the falling rubble left by Izuku's jump. Looking back up to see how much larger the hole to the surface had now become, the Dragoon Hero couldn't help but ask: "What on earth was that shockwave, just now?"

However, Ochako didn't mirror her mentor's confusion, as it was pretty easy for her and Tunguska both to realize Izuku had to have been the cause. However, before either of them could call out to him to make sure he was alright, the brown-haired young Hero suddenly caught more movement across the ruins, just to find a visibly badly injured Overhaul forming amid all the dust; just before she could then clearly see the multiple open wounds all over his body were magically sealing themselves right back up as he straightened himself out, until within seconds, he looked no worse for wear than he had before, save for the dust and grime.

She, Tsuyu, Nejire and Ryukyu all could see this, and Tunguska and Nighteye both could see the confusion and intimidation evident on the two young girls' faces. "What's going on? Nighteye said he could destroy and repair things and people…but that doesn't look like what that kind of Quirk could do. We saw that man in black split apart from his body up above earlier, but nobody that looked like Vukodlak. Tunguska-sensei, if he absorbed him and his Quirks, then does that mean Vukodlak has some kind of healing Quirk now, too?"

Looking back, Ochako could feel her heart momentarily seize when she saw the resigned look of frustration on the Russian Hero's face. "It's true. That, the enhanced strength, the moveable invisible shields…and he's even able to turn himself into a giant wolf, too. That's what makes me think he's with the League of Villains now; there's no other reason I can think of he would suddenly be this much stronger…and to be able to wield so many at once without being turned into one of those Nomu things, either, I can't make sense of it here."

Suddenly, before anyone else could say anything in light of this horrible bit of news, Overhaul's voice came echoing forth from where he stood, now rendered gravelly and dripping with something that went even beyond malice; his eyes never once leaving the two distant overhead specks that were Izuku and Eri. "This is why…I don't touch her. She was never given the guidance on how to properly use it…but still, somehow she…ERI! You bad, bad girl…you're still mine…! For the old man's dreams…I STILL NEED YOU, ERI!"

With that declaration, Overhaul's gaze suddenly fell from his two targets…down to the still-unconscious large body of Rikiya, lying barely several feet away, with the Heroes all twice that distance from being able to stop him. They could all feel another chilling stab strike them inside, as with a mad dash and leap, Overhaul proceeded to land a single hand upon himself and his out-cold subordinate, destroying them both in another pair of grotesque bloody explosions, that just as quickly coalesced back together into a quickly expanding and towering mass quickly growing beyond the hole to the surface.

That was when, suddenly, Ryukyu planted her clawed feet hard upon the ground, adapting a ready fighting stance in her dragon form, while Overhaul up ahead wasn't even paying her or any of the other Heroes any mind. "This is really bad, we don't have time for further talk about new Quirks and all! Right now, the focus should be on finding a way to separate both Vukodlak and Rikiya's bodies from Chisaki's! He'll be comparatively far easier to deal with, then! Nejire-chan, Uravity, Froppy, I'll keep you all covered. You focus on getting Tunguska, Nighteye and Lemillion to safety, understand?"

Tsuyu and Nejire were already bounding for the opening to the outside hall, the blue-haired third-year almost physically ill with worry at the sound of Mirio being hurt; while Ochako was just about to plant her fingers to the two injured Pro Heroes; only for Nighteye to raise one objecting hand. "Don't worry about me…this bullet…took a great deal of energy from me…but I'll be fine…just like you all will be, too. For what it's worth…right now, Chisaki isn't…focused on us. Right now…he's heading aboveground…in pursuit of Midoriya and Eri. That's when…he ultimately wins."

Nighteye didn't even need to look to see the looks of incredulousness and shock on his fellow Heroes' faces at this pessimistic revelation of his. "The last vision…I had…it was when I touched Chisaki, to see his future. I saw…Midoriya and Mirio…alive…but they were…they were both weeping inconsolably. I didn't have a chance to see…beyond that. But I…I can only wonder if it…if it means that Eri…will be the one to ultimately…perish. Or if he will succeed in getting her back…and escaping."

"HE CAN'T-!" Ochako's horrified declaration came with no warning, as she was already instinctively getting ready to sprint over to try and either stop Overhaul somehow, or get up to Izuku and Eri herself. Alas, with the lingering effects of her vitality having been drained before, alongside the greater physical strain she'd put herself through with her Quirk in her last-ditch plan to take Rikiya down in the first place; she could barely manage four sprinting steps before tripping, barely managing to catch herself.

Regardless, this was enough to get Tunguska to hurriedly come hobbling to her side, with Nighteye still in tow. "Are either of you still able to stand, or at least remain upright?"

As Ochako tried stubbornly to get back on her feet, Nighteye was likewise able to ultimately nod in approval, prompting Tunguska to finally release his arm from over his shoulders, helping his young student back to her feet. "Good. Uravity, Nighteye-san, you should both regroup with Froppy and get Lemillion out of here. Ryukyu-san and I can help try and divert Chisaki."

It was hardly unexpected to him and Ryukyu both; how explosively emotional Ochako's immediate response was: "What?! Sen—Tunguska, you can barely stand up straight, if you fight against that monster, you could get killed! I can't run out on you looking like this! At least let me help Deku-kun in your place! I can still fight!"

However, it was Ryukyu who ultimately answered, never taking her eyes off of Overhaul's ever-growing form: "Nighteye, you're saying you foresaw us losing? Regardless of the outcome, after hearing that, you can't expect us to just do nothing here!"

Fighting through the near-fog of lightheadedness of feeling his Quirk drained out of him, Nighteye resolutely argued back: "All of you; listen to me, to your own common sense! The futures I see are iron-clad; unable to be changed! Even if all of us were together to fight Chisaki right now; in the states we're all in, and with whatever nightmarish concoction of Quirks he has at his disposal now…we cannot possibly win."

"That doesn't mean we can just sit here and do nothing, Nighteye! There's no telling what the future holds!" Ochako's immediate retort was ringed with such passionate devotion to their goal, it gave Nighteye genuine pause, immediately reviving memories of his young intern's own similar declaration when things already seemed at their darkest minutes before: "I'LL SMASH RIGHT PAST THAT FUTURE!"

Mirroring his admiring female student's heart, Tunguska similarly refused to back down, trying not to look at the visible glimmer of worry evident in Ochako's eyes when seeing the extent of his countless bloody wounds. And yet, in the strangest way, bathed in the morning sunlight, such wear and tear somehow managed to make him look even more formidable and unbreakable.

And just like Ryukyu, the foreign Hero's eyes never left Overhaul as he spoke his own piece: "They're both absolutely right, Nighteye-san. Just because things seem hopeless, doesn't mean we as Heroes have the luxury of just backing down. As All Might's former sidekick, I know you know this just as well. He entrusted me to help raise malenkii Midoriya the best I can alongside him, just the same as he's entrusted every other Hero out there to do their part as well for him…just as he entrusted you. And no matter what happens to me, I have no intention of letting either of them down now."

Behind the three upstanding Heroes, Nighteye's eyes were left visibly shaken with precisely what Tunguska had just said, solely in terms of All Might himself. It was all true in the end: Izuku was the chosen disciple of the Symbol of Peace, and with his condition being what it was, he was inherently placing all his years of trust in every Hero that stepped forward to help shape the boy into the Hero he saw him to be capable of…and in his own persistent wallowing in the futility granted by his own Quirk, he'd allowed himself to forget that he'd been made a recipient of his long-time friend's trust just the same, the moment Izuku had first come through his doors. Here he was: the former sidekick of a Hero that embodied the very spirit of facing impossible odds and forging victory through it no matter what…and he was allowing himself to sink into despair before every possible action had already been taken.

Heroes were supposed to embody and inspire hope above all else. Even when faced with the inevitability of his own circumstances, All Might never allowed himself to lose hope…so what gave Nighteye the right to do otherwise?

While this painful epiphany was occurring to him, Tunguska was taking that opportunity to speak up to his two new inherent partners: "Uravity, you need to try and get your energy back as best you can for if things get even rougher. If you can take away my gravity, then Ryukyu-san, you can help get me airborne, and we can both better help Deku from there."

Thankfully, neither of the female Heroes looked to be in objection to this plan, but just as Ochako was about to plant her fingers to her teacher's side so Ryukyu could take over, the sound of Nighteye readjusting himself on the ground, drew all three of their attention, seeing a newly ignited spark in his yellow eyes. "Uravity, Ryukyu…just because my Quirk is gone…doesn't mean I can't still find some way to keep fighting…for Deku and Eri. Please…get me up there, too."

THUD!

The moment Izuku had felt gravity take hold of him and Eri once more, his whole brain had been bracing himself for the most devastatingly painful landing of his life. From this high up, with his legs broken and unable to break his fall while he was keeping hold of Eri, it would be a miracle if he would live through it. However, as long as he could protect her for just this little bit longer, that would be enough.

And yet, here he now was, landing perfectly on both his feet in the middle of a thankfully evacuated suburban road, still alive and well with Eri securely in his arms…and all the while feeling as good as new, as though he hadn't just obliterated his legs on the way up to begin with. Even the relief of having even momentarily gotten away from Overhaul didn't register to him, as this was the last result he'd been expecting.

'My body…feels like it's on fire…no, it felt that way before in the air, but now it feels cold. It's not like the numbing effects of adrenaline at all. It's like my body feels just fine as it normally does, even though I most definitely used 100% power! In fact, I don't even feel anything amiss with my legs anymore. I know they were broken seconds before…but now they're good as new again! In fact…ALL my injuries are healed! How is this possible?'

This most curious anomaly, however, would quickly become apparent to Izuku, as when he instinctively looked to Eri, he could see not only a visible sense of strain on her face, but even the faintest makings of a strange aura emanating from her body, much like the sparks coming still from his own. "Eri…is this…your power?"

KRIIK!

But before Eri could even nod or shake her head in answer, a jolt of merciless pain suddenly shot through Izuku's whole body, sending him collapsing in teeth-grinding cries of torture to his knees. "What?! W-what now?! It…it feels like…like my whole body is getting pulled apart…from the inside!"

"YOU CAN'T REGULATE YOUR OWN POWER. SOMETHING TRIGGERED IT, BUT NOW YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO STOP IT, DO YOU, ERI?"

As a greatly amplified form of Overhaul's voice echoed menacingly through the air, Izuku could immediately feel the ground beneath their feet starting to shake with growing intensity. Out of gut reflex, he immediately grabbed Eri close and jumped back, just as the entire ground below began to crack, warp and exploded with a multitude of stone columns lunging and slamming into the very spot he just stood at.

Finding his foot upon a nearby rooftop, Izuku finally looked back, and felt his defensive instincts and intimidation both spike at what now towered before him: a colossal amalgamation between what looked like a dragon and a wolf, made entirely out of stone from the ground beneath its claws, with a multitude of smaller and lankier extra arms of stone sprouting from its back, and an even larger human-looking stone hand erupting from out of the ground before it, surrounded by yet more rapidly growing stone columns for the other arms to grab and throw.

And within the dragon head's open maw, the upper half of Overhaul's body was protruding from out of the blackened ether inside, his eyes burning mercilessly through Izuku from a distance.

Just as Izuku was prepared to leap for another rooftop and begin an admittedly desperate plan to get Eri away; his darting eyes noticed the stone wolf head to the left beginning to rear itself back and open its jaws, as though it were about to howl…and that was when a sudden jolt of horrified remembrance came rushing back, Tunguska's warnings: "Able to instantly make and launch those invisible shields with naught but a howl.'

All at once, Overhaul's monstrous new stone body proceeded to throw a multitude of rock columns straight at Izuku and Eri, just at the same time the wolf head let out a deafening howl, sending a lightspeed-flying Air Shield careening right for him on their tail.

With One For All's energy free-flowing through his body, Izuku desperately sprang from the roof, throwing his blindingly fast empowered feet into the sides of one column after another, sending them ricocheting back into the invisible wall he just knew was now flying his way, while only barely managing to graze his feet upon the sides of others to use as a springboard to get himself out of the point of impact, while using his jumping power to likewise knock them off course.

Izuku's focus was so strictly set on escaping, he didn't dare spare a blink of an eye to see if the columns he'd kicked back were able to destroy the shield before it could reach him and Eri…but he ultimately found out regardless, as the force with which he'd kicked them back had managed to strike the shield with enough power to destroy it mid-flight, well before it would have run into the two…but the sheer concussive power with which it exploded still ended up producing a massive shockwave strong enough to blow Izuku and Eri off course, flying back towards the rooftop of another evacuated house, which he barely managed to roll himself through the air fast enough to meet with his feet in a scraping landing.

While a part of Izuku wanted to let out a sigh of relief that he'd managed to destroy the Air Shield before it could've reached him and Eri, the rest of him was only now on even greater alert after realizing what had just happened; his sparking face wrought with anxiety and frustration. 'Dammit! Not only are those invisible shields even bigger and faster now, but even destroying them carries an inherent risk! For all I know, it could just be because I'm at 100% that the columns I kicked could even break it down! It doesn't even matter what affect could be attached to however many he makes; if any of them end up reaching the non-evacuated areas, the collateral damage could be immense! I can't allow him to bring this fight any further than here!'

As Izuku and Eri continued to stand alone across from him in this new outdoor battlefield of theirs; Overhaul's cold and unforgiving eyes continued to directly contrast the frightening power now evident in his voice. "Rewinding humans; that is Eri's power. Depending on how she uses it, she could potentially revert a person back across the evolutionary scale to that of a monkey. Any longer, and she could perhaps even erase you from existence as a whole. That is the risk you carry if you refuse to let her go. Everything she touches is rewound back across time into non-existence. That's the nature of her cursed Quirk. Hand her over to me. Annihilating her now is the only way to stop it. This is ultimately for your own good, boy."

From where Overhaul was concerned, his request was beyond reasonable. Even after every bit of meddling Izuku had done to him up to this point, he was still proving himself gracious enough to offer the boy an out. Anyone with half a sane mind would have gladly taken it, knowing their very lives were on the line otherwise. Such was human nature.

Hence why it struck him silently to his core when, with eyes burning, Izuku instead proceeded to tie the remains of Mirio's tattered cape around his torso, with Eri herself firmly slung to his back with it, and defiantly taking on another aggressive stance immediately after, answering with a resounding: "NO…WAY!"

Even from this distance, Izuku could just feel the murderous intent Overhaul's gaze was sending his way upon his refusal…but now there wasn't even a trace of fear evident anywhere in his body or mind, as he firmly continued: "I understand it now. The instant my legs broke from that jump; the reason I didn't feel any pain from it was because…she turned the clock back for me. I don't know what could possibly have warped your perception as much as it is…but that sounds like a pretty kindhearted Quirk to me; nothing like the curse you're talking about!"

As Izuku and Overhaul's eyes continued to glare invisible daggers into one another; the young Hero could just barely feel Eri's body begin to tremble against his back as she held on tight; the otherwise silent air being only slightly broken by the sound of growing emotional sobs, which were accompanied by the wet warmth of incomprehensibly moved and confused tears dripping onto his shoulder.

But the thought of Eri crying, this time, didn't break Izuku's focus. No, this time, it actually served to drive him and stoke his fire that much stronger; for this time he knew in his heart that these were not tears of sadness or hopelessness.

These were tears of gratitude, of happiness, of HOPE. And those were the kinds of tears that Heroes could feel no guilt or shame in bringing, because it was clear a sign as any that they had done what they were meant to, and had saved those most in need of it, just as he was at this very moment, using his own body to protect this poor innocent child from any and all threats that could have possibly been thrown his way from now until the end.

"Having experienced it…I have a feel for it now! With those massive new invisible shields of yours, I can't just charge headlong at you, and risk her getting destroyed alongside me…but no matter where I have to go, what I have to do or how much it may hurt me, I know she'll be there to help heal me every step of the way! I can sense just how fast my body gets rewound! So…I'll just have to keep SMASHING MYSELF UP a little faster than that!"

KRSRSRSH!

With a near deafening eruption of pure energy suddenly cracking and surging from out of Izuku's body, Overhaul could now see the once green-sparking boy was now illuminated a near blinding light blue; his otherwise curly hair nearly standing on end from the sparks dancing all across him, energy radiating from his eyes in glowing tendrils, and his glowing and crackling hands clenched into steadfast, driven fists.

This had to be it; there was no other explanation for it that could have made anywhere as much sense in his heart at this moment. This really was, well and truly the culmination of his Quirk at its highest form of sheer power: ONE FOR ALL FULL COWL 100%!

And rather than a victorious or emboldened cry to the heavens at having pushed himself to such a level, the only thing Izuku could say was this, in the softest tone he could have ever managed in a moment of such monumental importance as this, something that would cement his honest sentiments towards the incredible power of the speechless little girl upon his back for all time: "Eri…mind lending me a hand here?"

Where all of Izuku's friends listening to his recollection in the commons area on both sides had once felt dread at the mention of his Quirk having injured him so badly for the first time in what felt like ages; now all they could feel was a kind of awestruck wonder and admiration for his example in protecting the enigmatic little girl that had so unexpectedly become such a linchpin in this mission of theirs.

And that wasn't even considering just the sheer potential scale of her Quirk as they were understanding it here, even if the initial concept did indeed sound absolutely terrifying. But that of course didn't stop Nikolay from musing at the thought: "To think we would both come across such little children with unbelievable Quirks on the same day in the same kind of circumstances. I wasn't ever really sure if I believed in things like fate, but this just can't be some kind of coincidence, can it?"

Fortunately, Nikolay could clearly see he wasn't the only one whose mind was going that way, as Momo, Mina and Kyouka both looked like their minds were just racing; the purple-haired girl finally answering: "I wouldn't be willing to think so, either. I mean, a girl whose Quirk can pretty much rewind genetics, and a little boy whose Quirk is literally able to bring life back to the dead, even if only recent? Those are the kinds of abilities I would think only come once in a lifetime at most."

"Yeah, and just think about what kind of good they could both do if they were brought here for protection!" Mina suddenly exclaimed while once again springing back up to her feet, unable to stand still with the sheer anticipation. "Valera-kun and this girl you guys fought for; brought together by similar experiences, both shown just how wonderful the world can be, raised and healed into becoming a pair of super Plus Ultra-style Heroes like the world's never seen?! It's like something straight out of the best kind of romance novel, isn't it, you guys? It's the least either one of them deserves after getting hurt so much!"

However, while Momo and Ochako were both quick to try and help calm Mina back down and not keep running wild with her projecting imagination (Tsuyu all the while commenting how impractical and ahead her imagination was for binding two little children who didn't even know the other existed to begin with), Tenya summarily replied: "All other…fanciful thoughts aside, I do have to agree with Ashido-san's general point: being that these children both would be done an immeasurable good if they were to one day be brought under Yuuei's protection, and given the years of proper raising and education so that they may have the rightful balanced lives they deserve, and the direction needed to use their gifts to their fullest potential."

Naturally, everyone looked to be in agreement with such an idea in their own degrees; but Tunguska was the one to look the most…doubtful of such a straightforward-sounding plan for the two children in question, clearing his throat to borrow the room. "You all have the right idea, but as malenkie Uraraka and Asui said before; there's a great deal more to that little girl than what you've all been told, and it's something none of us are at liberty to share, for her own sakes. After everything she'd been put through, it's going to take a great deal of time and effort to help her properly heal from the emotional and mental scars of her experiences. Right now, the one thing she needs most is peace, compassion and stability all around."

This thankfully got through to all of the students, as they all nodded in agreement and apology for their various responses and over-the-top energy across the board. Once it was clear everyone was ready for him to continue, Izuku steadied himself..but to everyone else on the other side's growing worry, the persistent troubled look in his eyes was not only markedly worse, but it was even starting to reflect in the eyes of Ochako, Tsuyu and Tunguska as well.

"Neither you nor Eri can see the value in this. Expanding upon her Quirk has led to great things. I've extracted the essence of her power through my research and have finally reached a point where it's all coming together. In the end, we're not just talking about rewinding individual bodies. No, this is something far greater than that. She can affect the evolution of our very species, rewinding to the state before these mutations called Quirks ever occurred. That's the sort of power Eri possesses. She has the power to destroy the Quirk Factor, and return humanity to normal! The foundation of this whole world is based upon Quirks! The power to destroy that entire way of life; THIS IS WHAT ERI REPRESENTS!"

As Izuku continued to stand his ground while his Quirk rippled through his body at its fullest power, he could still feel the sheer physical power of the conviction in Overhaul's own voice, reaching its crescendo before his stone dragon-wolf body suddenly proceeded to extend its multiple arms into roads and houses all around it. Within seconds, every single one immediately exploding into weightless clouds of rubble, punctuated by the scattered screams of surprised and frightened civilians still inside.

"A BRAT WHO CAN'T COMPREHEND ITS VALUE HAS NO CHANCE OF USING SUCH AN ASSET!" With this resonating declaration, all of the floating rubble immediately proceeded to reconstitute and launch in a multitude of massive stone columns all around the massive stone behemoth, all shooting directly for Izuku.

But with One For All at 100%, Izuku's already incredible speed and reflexes were on an inconceivable level for the vicious yakuza, as the young Hero had already leapt out of the way and was already dashing up the length of the columns right for him. The moment his inescapable eyes saw the stone wolf head about to rear back to send another colossal Air Shield at him, Izuku immediately skipped off of the portion of the column he was sprinting on, and proceeded to drive a sparking foot straight into it, snapping the whole thing in twain, and sending one massive chunk flying straight into the wolf head, shattering it into fine gravel with the force of a cannon firing at point blank range.

The moment his feet met the solid ground of another column, Izuku didn't even bother sprinting from here, instead springing off of it at well past the speed of sound, flying directly for the stone monstrosity's center mass, and as soon as he knew he was well within range—

SMAAASH!

With a shockwave rippling for kilometers all around, Izuku proceeded to land a mid-air flipping kick straight into the torso of Overhaul's stone body, uprooting the whole colossus and sending it flying several dozen feet straight into the air. But even this much, Izuku knew was not enough, as he immediately kicked himself upwards off one of the countless freefalling pieces of debris that followed, launching himself up right after the protective shell of a body in maddening pursuit.

And every step of the way, he could still feel the agonizing rippling sensation within every inch of his body, as Eri's power continued to encapsulate him in numerous waves of energy coalescing with his own. 'This pain…it's somehow getting worse! Eri's power is definitely getting stronger! Like he said, she doesn't know how to stop it. She's fumbling around with it, just like me when I was first using One For All and couldn't get a handle on it!'

Down below, on the furthest outskirts of the current battlefield, rubble was still managing to rain down even this far out. But this didn't even matter to Himiko and Twice, who had long since taken the chance to get themselves as far away from the direct heart of the conflict as possible. But a combination of morbid curiosity and anticipation had convinced them to hunker down out here for now, especially now that they were being given a chance to see Overhaul get his long-deserved dues, even if it was from the hands of a Hero, instead of their own.

And watching as the young Hero alone proceeded to send an incomprehensible stone monstrosity with Overhaul inside, flying into the air like it was nothing; Himiko could feel a tremor of pure awe-stricken enchantment course through her whole body, the one thing that could even match the intensity with which she was still feeling an immense worry in the pit of her gut. Was it possible for that tiny little girl on his back to somehow separate Vukodlak from Overhaul like she'd done to the black-clad man in the basement earlier? If so, would she and Twice be able to get to him before more Heroes or the police would?

This was one of only two things that was consistently going through her mind the more she watched this insane battle unfold. The other, naturally, was coming from her mutual amazement as she watched Izuku in action. "Izuku…so strong. And Tomura and his sensei are saying he's the latest person to get the same Quirk All Might was using?"

Of course, she didn't expect Twice to have an actual answer, since this was her simply echoing what she'd heard before. But the more she thought about it, the faint hint of an excited smile on her face began to grow more and more, as her imagination began going down a different path. "Hey, hey, Jin; when we were back in Russia, Tomura's sensei said all that boring old paperwork we got about Kolya-kun's old relatives, said that one of them was apparently an older user of that same Quirk, right? The one who changed his name and ran away from Japan but came back? He was saying it could mean a tiny piece of that Quirk might be in Kolya-kun too, right?"

"Maybe, I don't know, and I know everything there is! What does any of that matter right now?" Even in a whisper, Twice's voice was especially harsh and impatient, not wanting to risk drawing any unwanted attention their way.

But that still didn't erase the by-now giddy wide smile on Himiko's face, her eyes clearly showing she was miles away in thought, starting to squirm with anticipation. "Oooh…if that's true, and Izuku and Kolya-kun could both have even a little of the same Quirk in common, just imagine how strong they would both be together! Oooh, I wanna see them both like that so much now! Seeing them get all beat up and bloody after would look so…so cute, so amazing! Oh, I know a girl shouldn't want a love triangle, it's so scandalous! But how could I possibly just pick one when given the options?"

By now, even Twice could see there was no getting through to his partner. Besides, she wasn't the biggest priority he had right now. That was still closer to the ever-unfolding battle before them, and with every second passing, his own anxiety and unease was only getting worse and worse. "Dammit, why is it taking so long? How is that Compress Copy doing right now? He's supposed to be all zippy, in-and-out, just like that! Such a slowpoke!"

"I knew if we charged in recklessly, it would end like this. How unlike me." *SNAP!*

Down in the ruins of the compound basement, Ryukyu had been forced to take care of the incoming Copy of Mr. Compress that had come swooping down into the old battlefield mere moments ago, using her momentum from helping boost Ochako, Tunguska and Sir Nighteye up into the air, to just as quickly slam it down into the ground before it could try to pursue either the three of them, or Izuku and Eri.

However, once she'd managed to slam it to the ground underneath her claws, she heard the unmistakable sound of it snapping its fingers, before its whole body proceeded to melt away into nothingness. Knowing what all the Pro Heroes in Japan did about all the known members of the League of Villains and their Quirks, the fact this Copy was able to still do the one thing directly connected to its original's Quirk, had the Dragoon Hero's alertness spiking within her chest, already looking and listening all around her current position for any kind of sign that something had changed somewhere on the battlefield. Unfortunately, it was impossible to tell from down here.

Regardless, with this momentary threat having disposed of itself, Ryukyu quickly returned her attention to her fellow Pros and intern up above, crouching down in preparation to take off and join them, all the while hoping the battle with Overhaul and Izuku hadn't devolved too far already.

Even after having been launched with his whole of his new protective stone body high into the air, Overhaul's murderous focus wasn't averted, as he was quick to hone in one Izuku and Eri's lightning-fast approach from below; the determined young Hero's blinding energy aura inadvertently making him impossible to miss, even at his incredible new speed.

With every muscle in his own body tensing with focus and intent, Overhaul planted his hands to the stony mass engulfing his lower half, channeling his Destruction ability through the body and destroying several large portions of its stony hide, only to just as quickly have it all reconstitute itself into even more deadly stone columns, being thrown by the already present prehensile arms downward, ready to hammer Izuku straight into the unforgiving earth below like giant rocky stakes.

But with his own Quirk and the effect of Eri's Quirk working in tandem, Izuku was able to mentally numb himself to his pain enough to focus on the incoming barrage to maneuver himself enough to kick himself off the sides of one after another in a miraculous ricochet pattern; as well as channeling enough power into his feet to destroy the columns themselves on impact so they couldn't rain down upon the houses below that were still standing.

Within seconds, Izuku knew he was just about within range to hit Overhaul's protective shell with another 100%-powered kick. Even from here, he could see there were multiple large cracks all over the entire thing left over from the last successful hit. With any luck, this next one would finally shatter the entire thing, and Overhaul himself would be left unprotected and open for the finishing blow.

TH-TH-TH-TH-TH-THWIIP!

Just as he began to rear his foot back to deliver that resounding powerful kick, Izuku's eye caught the last-moment and completely unexpected sight of nearly a dozen extending sheets of what looked like plastic sheets shoot out from those very same multiple cracks in the stone, in a manner very much like Hanta Sero's own Tape. Because he was already so close to his target by the time this sneak attack was launched, Izuku actually wasn't able to react fast enough to dodge these things, and they all proceeded to firmly ensnare themselves tight around both his forearms, shins and stomach.

But rather than the simple sensation of being immobilized that he had naturally come to expect, Izuku instead began to feel something far different, and far worse; for the moment he felt these bindings snap onto him, the overwhelming levels of adrenaline and raw energy that had been lining ever fiber of his being for the last several seconds, all began to quickly drain away, leaving Izuku sinking into a rapidly growing state of breathlessness, dizziness, and all-around exhaustion.

At the same time as this was happening, Overhaul himself was just as surprised at this sudden intervention that had just bought him his chance. "Well now, what is this? Another of your little surprise Quirks you snuck in with you, Vukodlak? For once, I must thank you. This will be quite useful for now."

With that, Overhaul proceeded to command the numerous arms protruding from this monstrous body, to reach around and grab onto the bindings wrapped around Izuku. The moment they all had their grip and tore the bindings separate from the body itself; at his command, he proceeded to have those hands spin the ensnared young Hero like a lasso for one complete circle, and then finally let go once he was on a straight trajectory with the ground below. With his energy being drained, and with the velocity at which he was now being thrown down, the impact would surely be enough to kill him finally. And if Eri ended up in a near similar state, he would be able to repair her wounds easily.

For Izuku, the powerful wind friction with his speedy freefall was thankfully enough to unravel the draining sheets around his body, thusly freeing him again. But he didn't even need to look to know he and Eri were in for a terrible landing, one that he would only have this one chance to try and avert. "HANG ON TIGHT, ERI!"

While she immediately did as he asked, Izuku likewise grabbed onto the knot of Mirio's cape over his chest, before proceeding to use the momentum to flip his body in mid-air so that his feet would meet the quickly incoming rooftop below. With another wave of his remaining 100% power surging through his legs, Izuku proceeded to try and kick himself off the roof at the very fraction of a second that impact was about to be made. This thankfully managed to help him ricochet, but still left a devastating explosive shockwave that nearly leveled half the building, while he and Eri were still sent careening horizontally across another rooftop, before finally crashing hard into the side of another house half a block away, with Izuku having no choice but to face the impact head-on so Eri would be protected from the damage to ensue.

Such a devastating landing in normal circumstances would have easily left Izuku with countless broken bones, if not outright killed him. With the state of complete physical exhaustion those bindings had left him in on top of that, it was nothing short of a miracle that he was still alive once his momentum had finally come to an end upon slamming into one of the interior walls of the building.

And Eri was that very miracle, for from the very moment they had come to a stop, her Quirk was already working itself at full speed, with Izuku's injuries, great and small, were already healing in full as he struggled to get back onto his feet, even feeling his rapidly drained levels of energy being replenished alongside it. He immediately looked back in readiness to go after Overhaul again, all the while instinctively asking back over his shoulder: "Are you alright, Eri?"

He couldn't feel how she was nervously nodding her head in affirmation of this, but even if he could, he wouldn't have even noticed at this moment, for as he hurried to the hole he had left in the exterior wall; not only had Overhaul's monstrous protective body finally made landfall again several blocks ahead of where he stood, but its newly repaired wolf head was already at the point of having its head reared, and letting out another colossal rushing Air Shield right for him and Eri, too fast for him to get completely out of the way at this distance, even with his quickly regenerating 100%.

But even then, that didn't mean he couldn't still try, as he quickly launched himself out from the hole, silently hoping beyond hopes that he could pick up enough speed to perhaps try and propel them both from sheer air pressure from his feet, thinking back to All Might's New Hampshire Smash example primarily.

"DEKU-KUN!" "MIDORIYA!" WE'RE HERE!"

With nothing less than the best timing, Izuku's ears caught the echoing sounds of Ochako, Sir Nighteye and Tunguska's voices through the air, just before he was nearly cut off in the middle of his leap by a multitude of fast-flying large pieces of rubble tearing through the air at terminal velocity, only to all collectively slam into the face of the encroaching Air Shield with enough total power to break it, resulting in another massive rippling shockwave that forced Izuku to force another rough landing on his feet on another nearby rooftop.

Looking up in shock, Izuku felt an immense wave of both relief and worry, when he saw his partner and two teachers atop another rooftop not too much farther away. Even from here, it was obvious they weren't taking any unnecessary risks by waving him over to their position, as Ochako was clearly putting herself through the wringer of applying her Zero Gravity to one large piece of debris after another, just for Tunguska to either catch and throw it with his raw physical power through his one arm like a discus, and for Sir Nighteye to fight through his own exhaustion by flinging more of his hyper density seals with still-impressive strength and accuracy, in order to give the flying pieces just that much redirection to be able to slam into the hide of Overhaul's new body/shell across this neighborhood.

It immediately occurred to Izuku just what kind of opportunity they were all risking their lives to give him, and to not capitalize on it would have been nothing short of an insult. 'They can only draw Chisaki's attention for so long! If I'm going to end this fight before he gets his eyes back on me and Eri, I can't afford any missteps this time! I need to utilize One For All 100%, Full Cowl and my Shoot Style to their fullest now!'

With another blinding flash of light blue energy erupting from all over his body, Izuku launched from his rooftop, practically teleporting with such speed to the flying barrage of debris through the air from both his fellow Heroes, and from Overhaul himself, as his stone body was already proceeding to create yet more rock columns from weightless debris being drawn from all the destruction across the battlefield.

Using every piece he could see like stepping stones, Izuku flew across and around the immediate battlefield, watching every single move any part of Overhaul's colossal form was making, in preparation to evade. 'I can't let myself get caught in those energy-draining strips again! I need to get close to the head of that thing Chisaki himself is inside, and take him down with one hit to the head. That surely should be enough to keep either his Reconstruction or Vukodlak's Healing Quirk from keeping him in the fight. I just need to hope Vukodlak's will doesn't end up taking the wheel once he's unconscious, instead! But if Eri's Quirk was able to split that one henchman's body from him before, then maybe it could be able to do the same here, and separate both these extra bodies altogether!'

Sure enough, it wasn't long until more and more fast-flying strips began to shoot out from all over the stone body, but Izuku's reflexes were able to help him alternate between jumping from the flying rubble and kicking it their way, obstructing several from progressing his way, and granting him an opening to get even closer.

However, once he got past the first batch of wasted strips, now close enough to make one final flying leap to deliver his hopeful finishing kick, something else suddenly caught Izuku's attention: the multitude of other flying rocks and pieces of rubble hanging all over the immediate area around Overhaul's protective shell; namely the fact that they were all emanating from all over its hide itself, and all floating completely around where Izuku was now hanging mid-stride. Under normal circumstances, this shouldn't have meant anything to him, but somehow his gut instinct, in this moment, was telling him to be extremely cautious and prepared.

TH-TH-TH-TH-TH-TH-THWIIIP!

Without warning, everyone of the floating stone pieces began shooting out their own Energy-Draining Strands from their own perforations and cracks, all shooting towards Izuku from literally every single direction around him, all spaced close enough together that he couldn't simply Air Pressure Kick his way out of this impromptu trap fast enough to avoid getting snared by at least one.

Just as Izuku had always been fearing, even with his power at its fullest, Overhaul had likewise come to realize his inherent weakness at mid-air navigation, and simply been counting on him making a headlong charge at him like this. With any luck, the best Izuku could hope to do was grab some of these strands and somehow wrangle or swing his and Eri's way out of this deathly tough spot.

SSSSHWING!

But just as suddenly, with a flash not unlike the sun, several of the incoming strands and their attached stone pieces were nearly simultaneously and systematically destroyed by a flying disc of light, the one Izuku instantly recognized as the one always hanging behind Tunguska's head. Whether from his original position with Ochako and Sir Nighteye, or while trying to close distance to Overhaul; his foreign teacher had clearly seen the situation he'd ended up in, and was able to come in with a miraculous save, granting him the very opening he needed to get out and finally begin his final charge, kicking off with another tremendous blast of air pressure with the sheer power channeled in his legs.

Making a direct beeline the moment Izuku's feet met the side of one of the major supporting limbs for this stone monstrosity, he proceeded to kick himself off of it, nearly shattering it to dust in the process, and sending himself sprinting faster than sound up the length and height of the entire body, before launching himself once he was halfway up, and driving a glowing boot straight into the side of the massive wolf head on the right, sending a cascade of large debris flying outward, which he was ultimately quick to use as another set of ricochet points in order to turn himself around and prepare to send another devastating kick straight into the gaping maw of the opposite stone dragon head, wherein he could clearly see Overhaul still within its mouth.

However, as he and Izuku never broke eye contact as he watched the upstart young Hero directly turn his trajectory around, destroying every stone piece in his wake with the power of his jumps; Overhaul himself never felt a shred of intimidation, instead instilling an air of pure malice and mental invulnerability through his piercing eyes. "Your stubbornness and power has addled an otherwise promising mind! Don't you remember I don't need to just rely on that head's howling to swat an insect like you out of the sky?! What do you think I've been preparing for all this time?! Did you really believe repeating such a straightforward strategy would actually WORK?!"

With every one of the yakuza's mocking words banging within his head, Izuku only dared to take his eyes off his target momentarily upon making the last launching bound towards him…only to then feel an absolute chill pierce his heart. From all over the gigantic stone beast, an even greater number of protruding arms had been reconstructed out of all the floating rubble around it, attaching themselves to its mass; all of them extending outward beyond the head of the body, forming a complete encirclement in a vertical half dome shape, all aimed in Izuku's direction…and they were all making the same identical gestures that he now knew full well to be the ones for creating those gigantic Air Shields, and all rearing back to launch every single one of them at him from every direction he could possibly have feasibly dodged to at once.

The tension that seized Izuku's body as he continued to fly forward would have been enough to crack several of his teeth. There weren't any more floating pieces of rubble he could kick to try and destroy at least one and give himself an escape route. He and Eri were completely on their own in the empty air, totally exposed. With no other feasible option, Izuku proceeded to throw his body into a roll, preparing to try something totally desperate and kick himself and Eri back through the air with another 100% Air Pressure Kick. This would be their only chance.

TH-TH-THWIPP!

But suddenly his ears caught that horrible sound of those draining strands shooting out from yet more of the cracks in the stone body, and at the worst possible time when Izuku had his back to it for a blink of an eye, as it prevented him from trying anything else to evade. Thusly, this allowed two strips to tightly ensnare around his ankles, and already proceed to drain his energy at an even faster pace upon contact; and worst yet, prevent him from following through on his and Eri's escape attempt.

FWWWWOOOSH!

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, and with nothing but the piercing whistle of a high-speed projectile tearing through the air, Izuku found himself being overtaken by a blur of red. In reality, Ryukyu, the moment she had spotted Overhaul and his new body upon the surface, and what he was about to do to Izuku and Eri; had come barreling in low to the ground like a bullet, only ascending once she had a clear shot at getting the two children in time.

Throwing herself into a corkscrew motion as she rose into the air, and using her momentum and razor sharp claws and wings to sever the bindings keeping Izuku drained and trapped, the Dragoon Hero immediately took him just tight enough into her hands to give one more spin and throw him and Eri as far away from Overhaul as she possibly could, all the while calling out to him with all the conviction her dragon body could physically contain: "ALL OF YOU END THIS AND SAVE HER!"

BOOOOSH!

With her heartfelt cry echoing across the battlefield for all to hear and feel, Ryukyu only felt the closing impact of all the incoming Air Shields she had just saved Izuku and Eri from for half a heartbeat, before all physical sensation was instantaneously no more; not even a flicker of pain to be felt.

But the same could never be said for any of her fellow Heroes, and especially not Izuku, Eri and Ochako, as they had all bore witness to that earth-shattering moment when Ryukyu's whole body, having willingly taken Izuku and Eri's place, exploded where it momentarily hung in mid-air before Overhaul in a split-second cloud of red soon raining down upon the street below.

Tunguska, Sir Nighteye, and even Rock Lock (having by now gotten led out of the entrance of the Hassaikai compound by the police with his wounds as patched up as they could be, only to hear all the chaos and subsequently look at the distant scene unfolding) all felt their hearts plummet into the soles of their feet at this nightmarish sight. But Ochako was incomparably the most devastated of all, as she was unable to even think of keeping her emotions inside, as with tears flying from her eyes, she let out a heart-wrenching cry of "RYUKYUUUUUU!"

Izuku had fortunately managed to get his body positioned level with the incoming ground, thanks to Ryukyu's final saving throw, digging his feet and fingers into the ground in order to bring himself and Eri to a stop, but he had been just quick enough to do so, to likewise see what had become of the Dragoon Hero that had just saved their lives, knowing full well what it was going to cost. And the moment it finally hit him, what had just happened, he could feel all of that internal fire and energy of One For All 100% immediately extinguish, as his heart shattered within his chest; burning tears instantly flooding his and Eri's eyes alike.

'No…t-this…this isn't happening! The…the Dragoon Hero, Ryukyu's…she's actually gone. She's gone…because she needed to come in and save me…because I was so damned reckless! Chisaki was right! I was so single-minded; I didn't even consider everything I knew he could still do. Not only did I end up putting Eri in danger cause I thought I was fast enough…but I ended up costing one of the biggest Pro Heroes in the country her life for it!'

Emotions within the dorm commons area had truly been made into a veritable roller coaster over the course of this tale. From horror at Izuku's injuries, to inspiration at his powering up alongside his little girl companion's Quirk; now there was a deathly silence and all-around choking sobs when it came to Izuku detailing his soul-crushing guilt at what his actions had just caused, all made that much worse when Ochako and Tsuyu both were unable to keep themselves from openly weeping at the memory of their fallen mentor.

There was no doubt among Nikolay's side of the room that this, alongside Nighteye's loss of his Quirk, had to be the reason for Izuku and his group consistently looking so hesitant, so troubled when it came to retelling all of this. What else it possibly could've been, there was no way for them to guess, as they were just too overwhelmed with sympathy and sadness for their two female classmates' loss, with Mina immediately leading Momo and Kyouka to hug Ochako and Tsuyu in an instinctive heartfelt show of empathy and sympathy all in one; a gesture Nikolay, Eijirou and Tunguska were all likewise quick to follow through with, themselves; and which both weeping girls were more than happy to accept in genuine gratitude.

Of course, even as Nikolay and Mina were both openly crying alongside Ochako and Tsuyu, and Izuku wasn't able to stop some of his own tears from falling out as well; it was actually Tenya's expression that was the most profoundly stricken, as he was clutching his pant legs in a white-knuckled trembling grip, biting his lower lip and having to breathe in almost aggressively through his nose to try and keep himself from cracking as well; now just thinking back all over again to his own guilt and sorrow over the loss of Knightfall the very same day.

Eventually, even for as ultimately cathartic as it felt for all students involved to let their tears out at such a tragic turn of events, they all likewise knew there was still more of the story to be told if they were finally going to end things tonight, and so Izuku ultimately had to steady himself once more and continue on.

"CHISAKIIIIIIIIII! HOW DARE YOU?!"

As Overhaul stared apathetically, and with pure contempt and disgust in his eyes, at the spray of red on the asphalt and hide of his new body that was once Ryukyu, the air nearly shattered with the outraged bellow of Izuku's voice dead ahead, before a blinding flash of blue light ignited in the center of the road ahead. Looking forward, Overhaul felt his blood already return to a furious boil when seeing Izuku's power had once again activated at its fullest; the boy's eyes burning with even greater focus and determination than ever before in this fight.

BKOOOOM!

Leaving a massive crater in the ground from where he kicked himself off, Izuku was once more flying at the speed of sound straight for the monstrous yakuza, fists and feet at the ready to lay waste to him in every way he possibly could; the blinding glow trailing behind his body further drawing Ochako, Tunguska and Sir Nighteye's attention, as well as even those of the police and Rock lock a few blocks away.

As he flew once more into the fray, all Izuku could think was: 'No more! I'm ending this fight here and now! Ryukyu gave her life not just for me and Eri, but for every single person Chisaki's schemes would ultimately hurt or kill in the future! If I don't put a stop to him now, then what was her sacrifice for?! I won't let you waste it, you hear me, Chisaki?!'

Before Overhaul could start to raise any of the massive arms of his stone body to try and either swat Izuku out of the air or create another Air Shield to crush him with; another blindingly fast bit of movement out the corner of his eye once more drew his attention, just to find Ochako, Tunguska and Sir Nighteye daringly closing the distance to him, while once more flinging and redirecting multiple large pieces of rubble directly for the yakuza himself; thereby forcing him to bring a large arm up to act as a protection, and thus granting Izuku the very opening he needed.

But once more did Overhaul's own reflexes prove to be on the same level ("You foolish brat, DID ONE HERO'S DEATH STILL TEACH YOU NOTHING?!"), as once again, multiple new arms reconstructed from the mass of the body, all rapidly gesturing and creating their own Air Shields again, all reeling back in preparation to launch them all right for him and Eri.

KA-THNNK!

"DEAD BOLT!"

The chaos of the battle made it easy for anyone to miss the single voice crying out in a rage, but the one thing that nobody missed, was how just before those arms could proceed to send another devastating counter-attack at Izuku; Overhaul's entire stone body came to one complete frozen halt, rendered completely still and defenseless, to the surprise of the yakuza and all the observing Heroes alike.

However, even as he continued his flying trajectory, Izuku momentarily glanced from his three allies at his left, down to the ground level, and he couldn't believe what he was seeing: the lone vision of Rock Lock standing defiantly at the foot of the stone giant, with both his fingers dug into the side of one of its legs. Even from here, he and all others could see that the wounded Pro Hero was giving it all he had to have brute forced his way out here from the attending police officers back at the compound, and using his Special Move to completely immobilize Overhaul's new body.

Maintaining physical contact while he was still able to stand upright with his wounds, Rock Lock didn't even look up to meet Izuku's passing stricken stare, instead giving a faint but confident smirk. "My Quirk only works on inanimate objects…and with something this size, I can't hold it for long at all, Deku…SO MAKE THIS ALL COUNT!"

In that singular moment, realizing he'd effectively been prevented from further defending himself, all of Overhaul's anger, hatred, disgust, regret and frustration all began to culminate within himself. His mind was filled not only with the faces of his immediate enemies; Heroes, police and the League of Villains alike; but everyone throughout his life who had driven him to this point with his self-perceived sickness festering within their bodies and minds; all those who had essentially driven him to this extreme.

It brought his mind back to what felt like a page out of an entirely different lifetime, when life itself was simpler, and ultimately better; the days when he was but another loyal foot soldier to the Shie Hassaikai's true boss.

"I hear you found yourself in another brawl, Chisaki. The other guy's in real bad shape, unsurprisingly." There was no ignoring the clear disapproval evident in the true bosses' voice the moment he had walked in on his face mask-wearing enforcer, loyal lieutenant and all-but-literal son, Chisaki Kai; who he could already see was visibly washing his hands clean of the blood they had no doubt just been spattered in. Such unfortunate incidents as these were, sadly, becoming far too commonplace with him.

"He decided to play the fool in my territory, so I taught him a lesson, Boss. No more, no less. Those people out there, more and more of them aren't showing me the proper respect…not showing us the proper respect we deserve. It's gotten to the point where I have no choice but to make examples of them in order to get even a scrap of that respect."

The fact that the boss wasn't saying anything immediately, made it all too clear to Chisaki that this was far from the only thing he'd wanted to speak to the young yakuza about…and he didn't even need to guess what the other one was. It was only inevitable that this conversation would happen between them.

"I also understand you started a new project behind my back. I thought I told you not to mess around with drugs anymore. There are already plenty of hoodlums and wannabe gangsters across the world trying to delve into such things as Quirk-boosters and what-other-kinds of abominable affects in order to try and make names for themselves, and the results are clear as day and hideous to behold. We have a standard to uphold in the underworld, we need to be better than that."

For once, Chisaki didn't have an immediate response. Where the boss was concerned, that either could've been a good sign, or a very bad one. Either way, he was being given the chance to make his full piece of the matter heard, and he knew this boy, of all people, needed to hear it now before he would do something truly unable to be taken back. "Chisaki…I get that you're just trying to repay me for getting you off the streets. But you always end up taking things a little too far. As your boss, and as my personal responsibility, I can't have you straying so far from our way of doing things."

Such stubborn attachment to the yakuza's ideals of old was only to be expected from the boss at this point. Chisaki had been given some variation or another of this very lecture countless times…but now, more than any time before, did the pain of it all hit especially deep, precisely because he knew he had the key to something truly great, something that would put him back in the bosses' good graces for all time. It was all just a matter of ambition (and the assured confidence to back it up) butting heads with those firmly without it, because of subjective things like tradition and ideals.

And it was after this particular scolding, when he was at such a crucial point in seeing his own personal dream come to fruition, that Chisaki had been driven to the point of actually speaking ill about anything even remotely related to their boss that night, with Hari Kurono, his most trusted of followers, to always serve as his listening ear, his confidant.

"Following those damned ideals of his is going to doom us all. Why doesn't he see that like I can? I would've thought the Boss, of all people, would have a far better head on his shoulders."

Looking out at the lights of the city before them in the night sky, Chisaki and Kurono together could just see the deep-entrenching of Quirks and Hero society in the way the common people conducted themselves. And where Chisaki saw a disease needing to be cured, Kurono could only see…simply the way things had always been in their time on this earth. "Putting the yakuza back in control of the underworld, like back in the pre-Quirk days? I apologize, Chisaki-san, but I just can't see how that could be possible in a society like this, myself."

Clutching his hands together in a tight, trembling grip, those taunting lights ahead only seemed to be mentally beckoning Chisaki further and further, his own stubbornness and crystal clear vision only reinforcing itself in his heart more and more. "You both think it impossible, Kurono…but I'll make it a reality. If what I'm thinking pans out the way I feel it will, then the Hassaikai will rise back up as the dominant force in the Japanese underworld. I have the resources…and I'll ultimately gain myself the time, too. And with you and the others…I can secure the material resources for it, as well. The only thing we need to reach the fullest potential is capital…and for all internal opposition to be removed, just for a little while. When this is all over…the Boss will surely see that I was right, after all."

And it was with that same youthful confidence, that when the time had ultimately come, and he had gained the beginnings of those very same results he'd been hoping for, Chisaki and Kurono both had ultimately gone on to approach their boss, with no deceit nor hesitation in mind.

"The plan is simple, but undeniably effective in the long-run, Boss. First, we put the product out there; the pure, yet incomplete version we developed during the research process. Give the customer base a taste of what we've got to offer. The power to take out all those pesky Heroes; you know people will immediately start lining up outside the door for that. Then, when they're all good and hungry for it, we start hustling the finished product at a steep price; the stuff that destroys a person's Quirk permanently.

"Finally, once things are really set in motion, we flip things around and offer those same desperate Heroes the serum that can restore the Quirks they lost! Think about it: the Heroes will be after the serum, while the criminals and Villains will be clamoring for our guns and special bullets! Since it's all coming from Eri's body, and with my Quirk able to undo all the damage that's done to her in order to get the materials we need, we'll have complete control over that market, a true monopoly! At that point, the yakuza—no, the Hassaikai will once again control Japan from the shadows! In fact, with Hero society having virtually removed every other organized crime faction across the globe, once we reclaimed our rightful place here, we could even start expanding our buyer base to both criminal and Hero factions on the global market, start setting up our own branches on an international level, repeat that infinite process and establish ourselves as the wealthiest and most powerful organization in the entire underworld!"

There was no denying that this was easily the most animated Chisaki Kai had ever been in the time that he had been serving the Hassaikai's boss. Kurono could easily see that. Hence why it struck Chisaki so painfully, when his eagerness was instead met with an expression of purely horrified disgust upon the bosses' face, looking at the young man he'd taken in as practically his own son, like he couldn't even recognize him anymore…like he was nothing more than a monster. "Chisaki…haven't I told you 'no' already? For the love of God…the child, really? Honestly…just how little do you think of other people? If you don't want to follow our ways…then perhaps you should just leave."

The bosses' horror at the implication of what Chisaki was doing to his own granddaughter behind his back, ultimately blinded him from seeing just how this expression and declaration was killing the young yakuza inside; his once brightened eyes slowly but surely dimming and sinking in pain…but it wasn't the kind of pain any old person would have assumed it was. Chisaki's pain wasn't from being chastised by the man he admired the most in this world.

It was the pain of someone finally realizing just what line he would have to cross in order to finally obtain that elusive greater good he was so firmly rooted in pursuing, even if it went directly against his own personal preferences. And it was with that realization that he finally began to approach the boss, slowly clenching his gloved hands into fists all the while, silently begging for the old man's forgiveness in his mind with every step. "You're wrong. All I want is to just repay the life debt that I owe you…even if I have to discard the name you so kindly gave me…and use a branch of your own family to do it. So please, Boss…just sit back…and watch."

And it was with all those faces, those memories, in tandem with all those years of his slowly building hatred for the world as it was, and what he believed it had done to all its people, that Overhaul's last vestiges of composure and calm finally snapped, and all that emotion exploded out in a show of genuine, unfiltered rage: "NONE OF YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE BIG PICTURE HERE! WHAT I'M ANNIHILATING IS THE WORLD ITSELF, ITS VERY STRUCTURE, AND THE SICKNESS IT'S GIVEN YOU ALL! SO A BUNCH OF DEFEATED AND DESPERATE FOOLS, THIS SICKENING SOCIETY'S LAPDOGS, AND A PATHETIC LITTLE WOULD-BE HERO DRIVEN SOLELY BY HIS EMOTIONS; REACHING OUT FOR WHATEVER PETTY SENSE OF JUSTICE HE STUMBLES ACROSS; CAN'T STOP ME!"

But even despite the apocalypse-levels of fury tearing through the air itself as Overhaul screamed his defiance in the face of all the Heroes continuing to oppose him, it still did nothing to stop Izuku's penultimate charge, finally being given the long-awaited opportunity to close that last stretch of distance, and meet the jaw of the stone dragon head within which the yakuza was sheltered, with a sparking and glowing flying high kick.

'I already know that even without Vukodlak's healing Quirk, you could just break yourself down and repair any injuries you receive, Chisaki! But at 100%, I can use speed and power together to counter that! I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU HEAL YOURSELF! IF I CAN'T HONOR THE ACTIONS OF A SINGLE HERO GREATER THAN ME, OR SAVE A SINGLE LITTLE GIRL IN FRONT OF ME, THEN HOW CAN I EVER HOPE TO BE A HERO WHO SAVES EVERYONE?!'

BKOOOOOM!

With another rippling shockwave and deafening explosion, a skyward storm of stone reduced to dust erupted high into the air upon impact, sending Overhaul's actual body flying upward with it, finally pried loose of his protective shell, but still very much conscious, as he was already reaching his hands outward to try and apply his Reconstruction ability to the microscopic clouds of destroyed stone all around him.

But even within this thick and suffocating cloud, he could still easily make out the blinding glow of Izuku's power, as the young Hero was already about to shoot upward from the now-headless stone colossus straight for him, unquestionably to put him down for the count.

And all the while, down below, Ochako, Sir Nighteye and Tunguska ("Bozhe milostiviy na Nebesakh (Good God in Heaven)") could all only watch as Izuku finally landed the hit they'd all been waiting for, taking away Overhaul's biggest advantage yet. The sight of the young Hero shooting up after him into the sky like a human comet was nothing short of heart-shaking, and in Ochako's case, even genuinely awe-inspiring. "Nighteye…you said that your vision showed Deku-kun crying because he'd lost. Is that really true?"

Between her and Tunguska, Nighteye was likewise watching his intern in action. While he may have been able to regain enough energy to fight even to this extent, there was still no denying the permanent loss of internal energy that losing his Quirk had caused, leaving him still in a state of reeling. But even that didn't stop him from looking at Izuku, blazing gloriously in the air like All Might himself, and where he had once felt hopelessness…he was now feeling the stirring sensation of genuine hope, just like the Symbol of peace himself always instilled in all those around him.

"Such is the unalterable future I Foresaw…but…now…?"

Up in the air, Overhaul, while desperately trying to rebuild the stone all around him, in this moment of complete vulnerability that stood at this latest point in the road he'd decided to take with his life, Overhaul, surprisingly, couldn't help but once more find himself thinking back to his earlier yakuza days, and all the thoughts and feelings that defined those times in relation to where he was now:

'I owe the Boss everything. He gave me a name, a home, a family…a life. And all those sick, fake Heroes drove him into a corner. Even if his morals and his code compelled him to reject all that I wanted to do for him, I just didn't want him to see everything he and his predecessors had built over all these generations fade away into nothingness. That man deserves far better than to live the rest of his life in failure and shame because of frauds like these!

'Even if I had to discard my name, leave him temporarily indisposed and use Eri as my guinea pig, everything I have done has been solely for the sake of helping fulfill his dream! Even if, when this is all over, he may disown me from the Hassaikai, never wish to see my face or utter my name ever again, or perhaps even ask for my life; if it means I was able to help bring his organization back to prosperity again, then I can live with any consequence. If all goes according to plan, and we make it big again…I'll bring it all back before my end. You'll see, you're going to love it, Boss.'

Suddenly, the moment this last thought crossed his mind as he hung up in the air, Overhaul could suddenly see all of the once immobilized stone of his protective shell down on the ground start to move again just behind Izuku's incoming body. Indeed, back on the ground, Rock Lock's injuries had finally taken their toll, forcing him to release his Dead Bolt on it, and thus allowing all of those interconnected pieces of stone and rebar to finally start moving. And with that return, a last-second idea occurred to the yakuza.

Through his Reconstruction, Overhaul immediately managed to reconstitute all of that dust particles of obliterated stone around his hands, turning into two massive stone gauntlets three times his own size, swinging one in a wide arc towards Izuku, who easily managed to rebound off of it with a well-aimed stomp, shattering it and reducing Overhaul's means of attack by half, and likewise gaining himself the mid-air high ground.

But it wasn't a simple attack that Overhaul was aiming for. If anything, the fact that this one gauntlet of his had been shattered was exactly what he'd been counting on, as he immediately again used his Reconstruction to rebuild all of that broken stone into one elongated spear that was able to quickly stab into the hull of his waiting stone body. The moment contact was made, he just as quickly allowed himself to slide all the way down until his feet were back on solid ground, just at the same time Izuku had forced himself to a complete stop high up in the air, turning himself around to stare down from the heavens at his opponent.

Wasting no time, Overhaul quickly destroyed a large portion of the stone body beneath him with the touch of his hands, quickly plummeting into the chasm that followed, before a multitude of the remaining stone arms along the body all simultaneously began to explode upward in an outright barrage of stone chunks, many of which were already shooting out more of their Energy-Draining bindings from their surfaces the moment they got anywhere close enough to Izuku.

This time, though, the illuminated Hero was more than ready to counter, using a well-timed and even better-aimed Air Pressure Kick to swerve out of the way of the oncoming attack wall, ricocheting from one to another with a blurry frenzy of 100%-powered kicks that destroyed every single one he touched, along with all those around them. Within seconds, he was already on the other side of the now nonexistent anti-air attack, with not an ounce of his nor Eri's energy drained, and with just that much less distance to cross before he could finally put a stop to Overhaul with this annihilating descending kick he was charging up.

However, in the time he'd focused on getting through the Draining Binds attack, Izuku hadn't realized that Overhaul had likewise capitalized on that distraction by further focusing his Reconstruction on the rest of the destroyed stone all around and all over his protective shell, having it all just as quickly began to recombine into itself, quickly forming another massive stone wolf's head, this time positioned to where it was staring directly up at the now rapidly descending Izuku, and already rearing its head back at just the right timing to release another light-speed Destroying Air Shield with its howl, giving Izuku just short of enough time to actually redirect himself out of the way. After having managed to land one good hit to break the man out of his shell, he hadn't counted on him still having or regaining his own quick-thinking fighting spirit so soon, even with Vukodlak's Regeneration Quirk to consider.

With everyone else too far away to actually help, as far as he could tell in this one moment, Izuku could just feel his blood going cold, knowing that this time, even a desperate evasive maneuver wouldn't get him and Eri out of the way fast enough, clearly having banked too much on his lucky hits taking Overhaul out of the fight right out the gate. Now, he was physically bracing himself for the Destruction about to come, with the tiniest voice in the back of his head frantically hoping that perhaps Eri's Quirk would somehow be able to rewind the damage about to be done to both their bodies, and bring them both back to normal. It was a long shot, but he knew it was the only shot they had right now.

"VOLGOGRADSKIY ZALL (VOLGOGRAD VOLLEY)!"

With multiple incoming roars like thunder, Izuku had to shield his eyes as a multitude of powerful light beam projectiles came flying in en masse from across the rooftops, all smashing into the side of the incoming Air Shield, destroying it in another massive shockwave stretching across several blocks in all directions, and saving Izuku and Eri from near certain death. Even as his ears rang from the shockwave, Izuku still instinctively looked to where he had heard Tunguska's voice call out, and was stricken with immense relief and gratitude to see his foreign teacher levitating his way through the air, with Ochako and Nighteye both floating at his sides. Even as her face reflected her usual queasiness, she had still summoned forth the fortitude to take all three of their gravity away again in order to provide a more direct helping hand.

With only the tiniest bit of distance left to cross, Izuku prepared to roll himself into another all-powerful stomp in order to blast Overhaul back out into the open so he could finally land that finishing blow. But even when there was but one second and more than a hundred feet left before landing; Overhaul's utter Quirk control throughout his protective body was at its highest, as he once more launched numerous Draining Binds from out the back, straight up towards Izuku. And now with three more Heroes fighting alongside him, nearly all such threads were quickly severed, while Izuku continued his direct descent.

However, through the madness of the fray, one single binding strip managed to miraculously maneuver its way through it all, and ultimately managed to come in at a speed and angle that, while not managing to ensnare and drain Izuku of his energy yet again; did ultimately manage to sever the bulk of Mirio's cape at Eri's back, unraveling the whole thing, and causing the scared silent little girl to lose her grip on Izuku from the sheer wind pressure, sending her flying away from him, and ultimately plummeting to the unforgiving ground nearly two-hundred feet below.

Naturally, Izuku and the others all instantly noticed when Eri got separated, and all four of them immediately began to maneuver and launch themselves down after her with everything they had; Izuku having the slightest lead and reaching down to her extended little hands for her to grab onto as they all fell.

And as if her impending doom at the hands of gravity wasn't bad enough, even as they all descended at breakneck speed, the tons of rubble scattered all over the destroyed ground suddenly began to reconstitute itself into a giant reaching stone hand just under Eri; Overhaul channeling his Reconstruction through his stone body into the environment in one final desperate attempt to get his hands back on her again. All it would take is a second, and he would finally have his greatest asset once more, and this time the Heroes would all be wiped out right here and now before they would even get a chance to try again.

Shie Hassaikai Basement, One Minute Ago

Even as deep underground as this portion of the compound basement was, it was still impossible for either Aizawa or Hari Kurono to have not heard the ongoing chaos erupting aboveground, shaking the ground beneath their feet and showering them every now and then with dust. Neither man said anything, for they were both mentally giving all of their support to both respective sides of the ongoing battle, even when the rumblings became progressively lighter, meaning that the fight had extended just a little ways outside the compound's immediate area.

But after a short while, and with the rumblings still ongoing, Kurono's own frigid expression gave way to only the faintest glimmer of worries in his cold eyes. "He should've killed those Heroes and gotten Eri back by now. It's been going on for too long now."

And his own mind wasn't any less restless, either; his eyes impatiently scanning the room as he had to fight the urge to start pacing. 'But how? There's no way you could possibly lose to anyone, Chisaki-san. I've watched you preserve the dignity of our organization for a very long time now. Ever since you were a kid, the amount of hard work you put in for the sake of us and the Boss always bordered on the absurd. But…if Chisaki-san somehow does end up losing here today…then at least we've still got the finished product and serum to go with it.'

With that reassuring thought having crossed his mind, his piercing eyes once more fell to Aizawa's blindfolded body on the floor; the yakuza thug's hand instinctively going to unsheathe the large combat knife strapped to his waist, and his hairs standing with prepared anticipation. 'I don't have the luxury of babysitting this guy anymore, in that case. This is for the gang! This is for Chisaki-san!'

SHIIK!

But just as he began to bring the knife down into Aizawa's back, Kurono suddenly felt an intense piercing pain shoot through his wrist, evidenced by a large elongated stabbing bill, like that of a swordfish, piercing all the way through, and completely immobilizing his hand, forcing him to drop his weapon.

"Kurono Hari, right? Get moving. We know all about your Quirk's requirements." This simple declaration came with the metallic creaking of the only door leading out. Looking that way, Kurono's teeth grit with anger and unavoidable defeatism, as he was being stood against by a visibly very badly injured Tamaki Amajiki; his right hand having turned into the very swordfish he'd stabbed his arm with; and with a very bloody and barely conscious Mirio Togata hanging over his shoulders with his one remaining and badly injured arm. And on both their sides were a handful of police officers, all with their guns trained on the lone thug, who thankfully was smart enough to realize the overwhelming disadvantage he was in, and subsequently got down to his knees with his hands behind his head.

As those same officers rushed in and cuffed Kurono and removed Aizawa's blindfold; over a handful more officers soon came filing in one after another to reconvene with their comrades and the leading officer as well. "So, any further details to report, men?"

One by one, the returning officers succinctly gave nearly the same reports: "Yes, sir. We've scoured every corner of the basement complex from top to bottom. We haven't found any secret passages, though that'll take a more thorough follow-up investigation, anyway. We haven't found any further signs of any of the Hassaikai's labs or experiments, and other than the previously given reports of Irinaka Joi and Kendo Rappa being killed by Vukodlak and the League of Villains, we haven't found any extra gang personnel, either. So far, everything down here seems to be cleared out."

All of this chatter, at least for the moment, was falling on deaf ears, as far as Tamaki was concerned. From the moment he had regained consciousness minutes before, he had found Fatgum and Eijirou to both likewise be in terrible condition, but at least under the protection of the police in the spot where Tunguska had ultimately left all three of them, along with Hekiji Tengai. Being relatively the least injured among them, he had been quick to get back into action, especially when overhearing from other officers that Mirio had apparently gotten hurt, which naturally sent all of his own senses and instincts into a panicked overdrive.

The moment they had all gone further down and found him, barely clinging to consciousness, Tamaki had naturally been the first to get him back on his feet to begin the arduous trek back up to where he could get his injuries looked at. It was honestly a Herculean effort on his own part not to let all of his raging emotions get the best of him as they did so, looking at the sorry state the Hassaikai had left his seemingly untouchable friend in.

But along the way, they had likewise heard of Aizawa being abducted at some point, and only through quick and thorough investigation, had managed to find him when they did, and thus they were now in this advantageous position, and word had thankfully spread fast among all other police and Hero presence across the compound, as it wasn't long at all until Tamaki and Mirio both suddenly heard the frantic sounds of Tsuyu and Nejire's voices approaching from down the hall from whence he and Mirio had just recently come, clearly having only just ended up missing each other until now.

"Suneater, you're a real sight for sore eyes-kero!" "Tamaki-kun, thank goodness we found you! What happened to Mirio-kun? What happened to you?! Is he conscious? Can either of you still walk?"

Thankfully, this time around, being the center of attention of his two fellow Heroes didn't trigger Tamaki's natural awkwardness; his attention still firmly set on getting Mirio to some much-needed first-aid. "Ms. Ribbit, Nejire, calm down. I'll be okay, and we don't have much further until we can get Lemillion the help he needs. What's going on with you two?"

"It's Deku…we need you all to come back up to the surface with us." The moment Tsuyu mentioned Izuku's name, a spark lit inside Mirio's once blurry mind, as his whole body jerked to immediate attention; his fellow third years' calls for him to not push himself any further, ultimately falling on deaf ears, as he slowly lifted his head to meet the visibly concerned frog-girl's eyes.

"Midoriya…? What…what's wrong with him? I've been hearing…the rumbling…up above…is…is he okay? Is…Eri okay?"

However, Mirio knew it was a pointless question to ask. The fact that Tsuyu and Nejire had come all this way to ask them to come to the surface because of Izuku could only have meant that things were going bad for him and Eri. And that was something that Mirio wasn't about to let continue for a second more, injuries and blood loss be damned.

Thankfully, even his own grogginess from how much blood he'd lost, hadn't been enough to make Mirio completely dulled to the direction all the aboveground rumblings had been coming from. He had an idea of where to go, and right now, that was enough. He wasn't about to let one missing arm and one torn up arm stop him from keeping good on his promise, and saving both of them.

And so, without hesitation, Mirio suddenly proceeded to activate his Permeation through his one arm, phasing his way out of Tamaki's hold; his and Nejire's outcries to stop, quickly being added on by the police and Tsuyu, as he immediately began to run straight ahead into the wall in the same direction of the rumblings, putting all of his focus into his Quirk and the speed with which he was running. Whatever was happening, his actions were going to be close, but that was all the chance he needed.

With ever increasing speed and power, Mirio proceeded to phase into one wall, rocket out into the ceiling, only to phase through that, and subsequently shoot himself out of the adjoining floor into the next ceiling and so on, until he was finally back out on the surface, high in the air above the Hassaikai compound, thanks to all of that built up momentum. The sunlight was momentarily blinding, but all the noise of the battle nearby quickly helped Mirio hone in on the sight of Overhaul's new stone body, and the brilliant glow of Izuku in the air near him, surrounded by Tunguska, Ochako and…even Sir Nighteye, to his shaken disbelief, and all with the flowing silver hair of Eri visible even from this distance, perched upon his first-year partner's back, with a bright rippling of energy emanating from her just as well as Izuku.

But then, out of nowhere, a silvery strand looked to shoot out from nowhere, and the next thing Mirio could see, Eri was suddenly flying away from Izuku, plummeting helplessly to the ground, with all four Heroes flying in after her, and a giant stone hand forming from the ground beneath.

All of this playing out, had every remaining bit of pain Mirio had been feeling, go completely numb, as his teeth clenched, his muscles tightened, and all he could see through the flames in his vision as Eri. Izuku had clearly been fighting so damn hard to protect her while he was incapacitated. Sir Nighteye had made one of the biggest sacrifices a Hero could make, just for the sake of his sidekick's safety. All of these Heroes were putting themselves through hell in order to put an end to these people's schemes, in order to bring Eri out of the darkness and into the comforting warmth of the light.

Mirio knew that to not do his part in making every one of those people's sacrifices worth something would be unforgivable, not least of all to Eri herself. And so, with his ehart roaring out in impassioned determination, Mirio immediately phased back into the ground the moment he began to fall back down, only to immediately shoot himself out and forward through the wall of a nearby house, phasing through that and just as immediately shooting himself out of that and into the face of another building, once more repeating the phasing/shooting process over and over, building up his momentum and ultimate power tenfold with every move, closing the distance at the speed of sound, never once taking his eyes off of Eri.

Finally, at the veritable finish line, Mirio shot himself out of the wall of the last building, straight back into the ground, not releasing his Permeation until he knew from memory, that he was directly under the stone hand about to grab Eri right out of the air. Once he was sure of this, he let all of his building emotions out in one final furious cry of victory, as he finally deactivated his Quirk, shooting himself out in a white-and-red blur from the palm of that reaching hand, and grabbing Eri securely and safely in his one arm as he soared upward past all of his wide-eyed, awestruck fellow Heroes as they subsequently destroyed the hand below.

Izuku and Sir Nighteye were especially stricken speechless with surprise, admiration and pride as they saw the badly injured third-year soar and float in the air against the brilliance of the sun; his once burning blue dot-like eyes now reflecting nothing but relief and compassion down at the once-frightened Eri in his arm, who was now only looking up at him with tearful relief in her red eyes; the glow from her body never dissipating as he spoke softly to her: "I made you a promise, Eri; none of us will let anyone hurt you ever again."

Speaking from his heart to hers, Mirio was so overwhelmed with relief that he had managed to save her and ultimately live up to his lifelong dream of being a Hero, he actually hadn't even noticed how, as Eri's Quirk was beginning to run through his body in conjunction with hers, all of his numerous wounds were miraculously starting to heal within seconds. He only realized this when, upon seeing the tears of countless emotions running down her face, he instinctively reached up to wipe the tears from Eri's eyes, with the arm he knew for a fact was gone, only to look and realize that the whole of his left arm was back in full, without a scratch, just as his right arm was now back to normal just around her. Even his persistent exhaustion from blood loss was no more, as though all of it had just now been replaced.

"LEMILLION!" Izuku's voice came bellowing from below, finally stirring Mirio to look down and see his illuminated junior and partner flying up to him like a lightning bolt; his intense freckled face now mirroring a similar overjoyed relief at what he too had seen Eri do for him. However, both Heroes quickly came to realize that this was still hardly the time to celebrate.

"NOOO! ERIIIII! DAMN YOU ALL!"

Overhaul's rage erupted like that of a cataclysmic volcano, as a multitude of extending stone arms, Draining Binds and rapid fire Air Shields were now flying up after Izuku in a final show of murderous desperation…only for them all to start getting systematically destroyed before they could reach either of them, thanks to Ochako and Tunguska's combination of their Quirks with Zero Gravity Debris and solar blasts alike, and Sir Nighteye making use of the last of his vast hyper density seal supply; all three Heroes thankfully being smart enough to keep themselves on the move so Overhaul couldn't try to swat them out of the sky as well.

But Izuku and Mirio were just as much aware of the danger, as they were of the window the others were ultimately buying them; exchanging a single unspoken, but all-too communicative glance with one another, knowing the moment for the finale when it was there. And so, letting gravity once more do the work for the start, both of them proceeded to start shooting downward towards the stone wolf head upon the back of the stone body, knowing this had to be where Overhaul was hiding now. He still tried to send multiple stone arms after them, but whichever ones didn't either get smashed or blown up by Ochako or Tunguska; Mirio either phased into and out of, or Izuku sliced in twain with a well-placed spinning kick; both Heroes taking care to securely pass Eri back and forth between one another with each move they had to make; ensuring she wasn't put in harm's way any more than she already had been.

Finally, knowing he could start the finisher with one final shooting leap, Mirio proceeded to phase into the last stone arm that got shot out after him, immediately shooting himself out of it, downward into the center mass of stone they all extended from, only to then redirect himself until he knew he was aimed directly at the stone wolf head, and subsequently shot himself forward into that, phasing himself one last time through the side of it, and re-solidifying himself the moment he was back in an open space inside of it; spotting Overhaul crouched down inside of it, and only just now realizing that Mirio had already managed to close in on him so quickly.

BAAAAAAM!

In an explosion of rubble and dust, Mirio drove his extended foot straight into Overhaul's head; all of his momentum behind him giving his strike enough force to send the yakuza flying through the other side of the wolf head, and high up into the air listlessly, where Izuku had already ricocheted off the side of the body's center mass once again, flying upward after him, with Eri once more clinging securely to his back and sending the nonstop energy of her Quirk through his own in tandem with his 100% energy.

The moment Izuku had his sparking, glowing fist reared back to its fullest extent, every muscle in his arm rippling with tension and anticipation, he and Overhaul briefly locked eyes for a split second; and knowing he was, at that very moment, unable to use either side of his Quirk to defend himself any further…there was only a fearful kind of acceptance visible at the last possible moment before impact could finally be made.

SMAAAAAAAAASH!

With the deafening force of a cannon shot at point blank range, Izuku finally drove his fist straight across Overhaul's head, finally prying his beak mask free from his face, and sending his entire body snapping back in a completely different trajectory with the sheer godlike force behind that single punch. Everything from that moment ensued so quickly; Izuku didn't even see how, with Eri's Quirk still rippling through his fist at the moment of impact, his punch had sent enough of that energy transferring into Overhaul himself, to finally rip the form of Vukodlak free from his body in an instant; the foreign Villain plummeting listlessly to the rubble down below, where the once colossal body of stone was now finally collapsing into just another mountainous pile of rubble, all without him making even a sound.

Izuku didn't let any of that tension in his body dissipate until his feet were finally back on firm ground again, just mere feet away from where Overhaul's body had ultimately landed; the yakuza lying out cold with his entire face marked with dust, blood and bruises as he lay there, finally defeated. Not far from there, Mirio had likewise landed on the roof of another nearby building, finally emerging with his heart still racing, only to look with incomparable relief at the scene below, realizing with immense pride that Izuku had finally managed to do it. Together, they had all managed to finally save Eri, and ultimately save the day for countless others that could've been threatened by the Shie Hassaikai if the Heroes hadn't acted today.

"Eri…are you okay? Sorry…I'm not doing a very good job-!"

Before another sound could escape Izuku's mouth as he began to look back, his eyes suddenly became blinded by an intense flash of energy from behind him; the very same as what had been emanating from Eri all this time, but now amplified a thousand-fold…and it was only then that every inch of his body became engulfed in a torturous pain the likes of which he couldn't even begin to describe, something that killed any ability to even speak or move.

But just because he couldn't speak or move, didn't mean his mind wasn't able to inevitably string together a coherent thought of realization as his body began to feel as though it were being deconstructed by the molecule. 'Eri's Quirk…is getting more intense!'

"MIDORIYA! ERI! HANG ON!" Mirio's urgent voice came like a shot as he leaped down from the nearby rooftop, sprinting like mad the moment he saw the energy come exploding out of the horrified-looking little girl, and the agonizing pain visible on Izuku's face.

However, even through the light and his own suffering, Izuku noticed Mirio's approach, and of all things, it was Overhaul's previous warnings of just what Eri's Quirk could do that came to mind, and what ultimately gave him the will to speak out desperately: "STOP, MIRIO! DON'T GET CLOSER!"

At the same time, several yards away as they landed back on the ground; Ochako, Tunguska and Nighteye all likewise saw the brilliant flash, only to then be met by the horrifying sight ahead of Izuku looking like he was being tortured to death. All of them became overwhelmed with the desire to rush in and try to help him and Eri, but it was Ochako who had just that second's head start on the two Pros; prompting Tunguska to immediately call back: "URAVITY, WAIT! THERE'S NO TELLING WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF YOU GET TOO CLOSE!"

But Ochako refused to break her sprint as she barely even looked back; the light before her allowing Tunguska to see the desperate tears flying from her face. "I COULDN'T DO ANYTHING TO SAVE RYUKYU, SENSEI! I'M NOT LETTING ANYONE ELSE DIE TODAY!"

At the same time as this all unfolded; Overhaul, even in the depths of unconsciousness, couldn't help but just physically feel the sensation of Eri's Quirk going out of control near him, quickly restoring the beginnings of consciousness, and ultimately allowing his brain to instinctively think back to a much further time ago, the image coming in just clear enough for him to make out with his mind's eye.

It was back in his earliest days after being taken in by the Hassaikai's boss, after another tedious day at the private school the old man had personally enrolled him into. Like he often did even then, he had allowed himself to get pushed into fighting against some other students and civilians who had simply picked the worst person whose skin they could get under. His bandages and their overall hospital bills would attest to what had happened.

And just like all those other times, it had ultimately ended in the boss escorting him back home, never once looking at the frustrated glare in the young Chisaki Kai's eyes the entire way back. The explanations he gave were always the same as to why things unfolded like they had between himself and all those around him; people calling the Hassaikai a bunch of villainous bastards.

And just like all those times, the bosses' words of advice ultimately always came back to stating how the yakuza shouldn't let themselves get drawn into fights with civilians. However, this one particular memory had a special place in Overhaul's mind…for in the end, even after giving him the same lecture as he always did back then; this time around, the boss had actually added on something that had ultimately stuck with him deep down inside…something that now was spurring him back to instant life as it came ringing in his head loud and clear: "You shouldn't have done it…but…Chisaki…thank you…for protecting our honor."

Like a man possessed, Overhaul's semi-conscious body writhed upon the ground, his mouth open wide as though he wanted to let out one final war cry, but the sounds simply couldn't come out. But what he still could do, was plant one of his hands to some more of the rubble around, instantly channeling his Reconstruction into it in one final desperate spurt of energy, turning it into one last giant stone hand to reach over and try to grab Eri, even in the throes of her own power going out of control.

And it was his own lack of complete awareness of this occurrence that ultimately proved to be the final punctuation on this long, hard-fought battle, as the blinding tendrils and bolts of Eri's energy just as quickly started channeling themselves up the arm of this stone limb, and ultimately jumping from that into Overhaul himself, sending his own body flailing back like he'd just been hit by a tidal wave, and miraculously even splitting the listless hulking body of Rikiya from his own all at the same time, leaving both men lying completely out cold once more.

And Ochako, upon having seen what the yakuza had just attempted to do, ultimately found herself making the hard decision of breaking her sprint away from Izuku and towards Overhaul himself, practically throwing herself into a baseball player's slid the rest of the way towards him, and expertly affixing his arms behind his back, even though he was completely unconscious and unable to fight back.

At the same time, Tunguska and Nighteye had likewise come running the rest of the way, both Pros unable to hide their astonishment when seeing Mirio nearby with all of his wounds completely healed and his arms restored. Of course, that astonishment couldn't last long, before all of their attention immediately returned to the nightmarish spectacle of Izuku's body being engulfed in Eri's power; all while the small child herself had a look of pure agony and desperation upon her own sobbing face, refusing to release her hold on her suffering savior, even as her own racing mind kept being rhythmically intruded by the cruel sound of Overhaul's words: "Your very existence is cursed!"

'NOOO! GOTTA STOP! NOOO! PLEASE! THIS BOY IS GONNA DIE! I…GOTTA…STOP!'

But by the miracle of miracles, across the battlefield at the compound entrance, Nejire, Tamaki and Tsuyu had finally returned to the surface; the frog-girl carrying Aizawa alongside her, and immediately set their eyes upon the incredible scene before them. But where Nejire and Tamaki were both stricken with confusion at the sight of Mirio back in one piece, Tsuyu was more focused on Izuku bathed in light, and Ochako kneeling by Overhaul's body.

Thankfully, she was very quick to notice her fellow Heroes' arrival, as she desperately called back: "DEKU-KUN COLLAPSED UNDER THE BURDEN OF HIS OWN EXTREME POWER, AND STARTED WRITHING IN PAIN, SENSEI!"

Tsuyu was momentarily speechless, but she was quickly brought back to attention when she felt Aizawa's hand plant itself over her own. He had clearly heard Ochako's desperate cry to him, and with Kurono's Quirk still having an affect on him, he needed to silently communicate with Tsuyu in order to help the only way he could. Getting the idea, she thankfully helped maneuver her teacher into a position where he had a clear line of sight, able to clearly see from here that Izuku and Eri both were in pain. How Izuku's own Quirk going out of control was channeling into her, he couldn't hazard a guess, but right now that didn't matter. 'Sorry, Midoriya…but I promised I'd watch over you.'

In that instant, Eri and Izuku both felt their Quirks simultaneously deactivate as a result of Aizawa coming in with a miraculous save. Just like that, all that blinding light was gone, all had gone silent, and Izuku and Eri had both ultimately fallen unconscious in the wake of the unbearable physical pain they'd both been put through; leaving all the other Heroes present alongside the police, to come in and start getting everyone to their proper places, for further backup and emergency services were soon to arrive, now that the battle had finally ended.

Over the course of the next ten minutes, the entire block around the Shie Hassaikai compound had become flooded with police and EMT's, securing the entire area from any members of the public and any especially nosy journalists trying to get a sneak peek at which Heroes were involved, what their conditions were, who the criminals or Villains in question were, any one of those things. The air was all abuzz with countless different forms of chatter, as police conducted more thorough investigations into all levels of the compounds, ultimately discovering an unconscious old man on life support in a well hidden secret room in the surface level of the compound, the Hassaikai's original true boss.

Unfortunately, no sign had been found anywhere in the designated battlefield of either Vukodlak, Himiko Toga, Twice, Mr. Compress, or any other League of Villains member for that matter. Like magic, they had all successfully fled the scene without a trace, with far too many possible ways for them to have done so for the police to effectively pursue.

While all of the Heroes were brought to the convoy of ambulances to be taken to the local hospital; so too were Overhaul, his six living lieutenants, and even their two deceased comrades, loaded into a similar convoy of their own heavily armored ambulances, to be taken to Takodana Hospital, a well-known hospital that specialized in securing and treating Villains and Quirked criminals alike. With a whole backup convoy of police cruisers to attend to them the entire way, it was safe to say that there would be no chance of any one of them escaping, even if any of them had the physical health anymore to try.

But all was not well, even in these moments of the Heroes finally realizing their victory. Tunguska and Fatgum both were mutually devastated at Tamaki and Eijirou's condition as he'd been loaded up into his ambulance; the red-haired young man still completely unconscious. But even the two Pros' sadness couldn't compare to Nejire and Tsuyu's, when Ochako ultimately had to reveal what had become of Ryukyu in order to save Izuku and Eri; with the normally bubbly blue-haired third-year actually collapsing to her hands and knees as she tried and failed to keep from breaking down into inconsolable tears; her two juniors soon following suit once the reality finally set in.

Across the area where this cordone had been set, Izuku had been quick to regain consciousness shortly after emergency services had arrived, while Eri was still out cold in his arms. When he ultimately had to give her over to the police, they had then been busy getting a report from Mirio (for their sakes and those of the astonished EMT's) as to how his injuries had managed to heal so miraculously, before noticing Izuku and Eri's arrival.

"How is she, do you think, Midoriya?" Mirio had wasted no time asking with the utmost concern when seeing she still hadn't regained consciousness, just before the police gently took her out of Izuku's arms; the freckled boy likewise looking immeasurably worried at her. "She's was feverish when she fainted, but other than that, she didn't look or sound to be hurt anywhere else."

"Either way, we'll get her to the hospital, same as the rest of you. Load up into the available ambulances, and we'll get everyone there." As the police began loading up into their cars, and the EMT's were beginning to do the same for their Hero patients; Izuku and Mirio were quickly starting to move for the ambulance Eri was being loaded into, before Nighteye's voice called out resolutely from amid the chaos of the crowd: "Midoriya!"

Both boys came to a dead halt, turning in unison with their eyes wide and hearts hitched, when seeing Sir Nighteye sitting at the foot of his own ambulance, being carefully looked over by the men inside to test his vitals for any signs of abnormalities; while Bubble Girl and Centipeder were visible just around the corner of the vehicle; both looking especially despondent just through their body language…and neither Izuku nor Mirio had to wonder why. It was taking everything they had not to be looking the same at this very moment when they approached their mentor.

Looking his sidekick and intern in the eye, Sir Nighteye spoke firmly, yet compassionately: "You boys both accomplished an incredible…no, a miraculous thing today. My last vision…showed me the two of you shedding inconsolable tears…and all I could think of at that…was that it meant we were bound to inevitably lose, some way or another. But…in the end…I don't know what cosmic machinations were involved, but you both did what I always believed was impossible. My wish; together, you made it a reality: you were able to twist the future into something else entirely."

However, Nighteye's heartfelt words of incomparable praise, were instead met with the strained sounds of Mirio trying to choke down the sobs that had long been building within his throat, particularly at the mention of his mentor's last vision; a painful reminder that could no longer go ignored. "I'm…I-I'm so sorry, Sir…I was so reckless, and you…your Quirk is gone now, because of me; because I'd gotten myself in a position where I needed to be saved! I have no right to call myself a Hero who can save a million people after what I've caused for you, for everyone in the office. What's going to become of all of that, of you if you're no longer able to be a Pro Hero anymore?"

Nighteye could only look upon his always smiling sidekick, now reduced to anguished tears, with a truly sympathetic gaze; one that was soon replaced with a much more affirming one. "If you truly believe that one needs a Quirk in order to be a Hero, Mirio, then I've clearly failed somewhere as your teacher over all this time. If I can no longer fill that role the way I have before, then I simply have an obligation to find the next best way I can help people, plain and simple. The only way one can no longer be a Hero is if they are dead, and in the condition you were in, I wasn't about to risk you ending up that way, even if it would've meant my life instead."

Mirio finally lifted his head to see the sincerity in Nighteye's expression, completely speechless at how well the man was taking his new circumstances in comparison. "I have no regrets in the decision I made, so cut yourself some slack, let whatever regrets you have pass through you, and turn your head towards the future, Mirio. Such is the responsibility of every Hero…that, and to always keep a smile in your heart for those most in need of it. A smile and a heartfelt laugh can help keep a society at peace even when things seem at their most hopeless…so both of you never forget that, understand?"

Mirio could clearly still not believe just what an example of an unbreakable Hero Nighteye was proving himself to be, even in a moment as forlorn as this. Izuku, on the other hand, looked like he was in so much inner conflict with himself, obviously trying to put together whatever thoughts were tearing away at him into words; feeling similarly as moved by Nighteye's words, and devastated at his loss.

In the end, though, with a resolute step forward, Izuku finally let the secret he'd been holding in since the start of his internship, out for Nighteye to hear loud and clear: "Nighteye-sensei, there's something I've been meaning to tell you for a while now! I wasn't sure if you somehow knew already; knowing how you had left things with each other the last time you'd spoken, but the truth is that…that All Might is still alive! He told me that he thinks he has no right to face you, though! If his survival, if what we accomplished here today, has indeed twisted the futures you've seen, then don't you think you could be able to put both your emotions at ease, and finally meet each other again?"

For but a painful moment, Izuku's impassioned plea was only met with silence, as Nighteye's eyes became filled with a deep sense of emotion, of contemplation; momentarily leaving both his students fearful that he would say no to such a request.

But then, with his head bowed down so that both boys nearly missed it…Nighteye formed the beginnings of the faintest smile. "The reason I had broken ties with All Might, even despite how close we were, was because I knew my futures were inescapable, and I couldn't bear the thought of spending what time All Might had left, under some false pretense that the death I foresaw him suffering simply wasn't going to happen. He was shouldering an even greater burden than me, and yet I selfishly turned away for the sake of my own emotions. It's ironic, you saying that All Might felt he has no right to see me with his own eyes. For a while now, I'd found myself feeling the same way, ever since hearing of his survival at the Kamino Incident."

Izuku could instinctively feel a deep breath filling his chest with anticipation, before Nighteye finally lifted his head; his bespectacled eyes likewise showing he was on the verge of getting especially emotional as well. "The more I think about it…the more I've found myself feeling that, perhaps, losing my Foresight may ultimately prove a blessing in disguise. I had lost one of the strongest friendships of my life, because even under my adherence to the values of maintaining a sense of humor for the sake of all; I'd honestly let myself lose my sense of hope after all the times I'd futilely tried to change the futures I'd seen, with All Might's being the one that ultimately broke me. It's funny; it took that man whom so many have called a foreign All Might imitator, to make me realize that today…to help me regain the strength to fight again in the end of it all.

"Now, knowing I'll no longer be able to see the future…perhaps that can allow me to finally truly live, not knowing with any certainty…to live with a sense of hope again, just like All Might himself has always embodied for people over all these years…just like I know both of you, and every one of the brave Heroes that fought with you here today, ultimately will in his place. He truly did make the right decision with you, Midoriya."

Every one of these heartfelt words tugged hard at Izuku and Mirio's own heartstrings with ease, but it was that final, simple statement that finally broke through Izuku entirely, as he had to try and fight the urge to cry with gratitude, while already anxiously wiping the tears building in his eyes, to have received such heartfelt praise from All Might's sidekick, of all people, after everything they had just gone through.

But as he looked approvingly upon All Might's disciple and his sidekick; both aglow with pride and overwhelming emotion all at once; Nighteye's eyes then slowly returned to the still-morning skies above, feeling a great weight rest upon his heart, ultimately speaking to himself and everyone involved altogether: "All this pain…all this destruction, the sacrifices, the mortal cost of it all…it was all for the sake of saving one little girl. We've all suffered quite a lot of injuries…and Ryukyu even paid the ultimate price to help make this at all possible. That's a debt that none of us combined will ever be able to repay. We can't exactly jump for joy or celebrate, but…Midoriya…Mirio…everyone…THANK YOU."

Those words, two simple every day words, now carried the weight of the world upon them as Izuku, Mirio, and every single one of the Heroes involved in the Eri Rescue Mission, became the recipients of Nighteye's boundless gratitude for making this mission an ultimate success. Even in the overwhelming miasma of pain, grief and exhaustion they were all awash in among those ambulances; every Hero was filled with an undeniable sense of pride and true accomplishment deep in their hearts.

At 9:15AM, on September 13th, the Eri Rescue Mission was well and truly considered an official successful mission.

For so long throughout the telling of their story, with a few breakout moments here and there, all had been typically silent. But upon reaching what sounded like the natural endpoint of all their struggles, Nikolay and his side of the room couldn't contain themselves any longer, with tears, thankfully subdued personal cheers and congratulations coming all at once.

Just as Izuku and his now former-partners had been so overwhelmingly taken with pride in their friends here for all they had accomplished in Hokkaido; so too had Nikolay and his group now been unable to contain all their expressions of identical pride in Izuku's side; primarily when Nikolay closed the distance alongside the rest of his friends, planting a deeply proud hand upon his freckled friend's shoulder. "It's just…unbelievable, how much has happened over just one week, isn't it? all of us here, ultimately saving so many people in two completely separate incidents, in the long run. To think that this is the kind of affect even student Heroes like us can do…I have to admit, it's actually really frightening to think about, isn't it?"

"Indeed it is, Kolya…but not as frightening as the idea of what would become of people if Heroes like all of you weren't there to do something about it. Trust me, as dangerous as things get when in the moment of battle, the alternative when Villains and criminals are given free reign is incomparably worse. You all here did some truly miraculous things, when still so young and inexperienced. As a Pro Hero, as your father…and as all your teacher, I have to confess I'm very excited to see what all you'll be able to accomplish when you finally set out there on your own when you all graduate."

Tunguska's heartfelt pride left Nikolay, Mina, Ochako and Eijirou all especially uplifted, even after everything that had been shared. Although, that still didn't stop her and Momo from immediately turning their attention, and heartfelt sympathies, back to Ochako and Tsuyu again. "Urara-chan, Tsu-chan, I'm so sorry for what happened to Ryukyu! I was so happy for you guys when you got accepted by her! If either of you ever want to just let it out, you know you can come right to me, y'know? I don't care where or when, I'm here for you, okay?"

As Ochako was wiping her tears away; all the while smiling, nodding in acceptance and thanking Mina for the offer; Momo likewise spoke up: "To lose someone as close to you as a teacher in so little time you'd gotten to be with her…forgive me for speaking for you, Iida-san, but I know how hard it was for you, and still is. But Ochako-san, Tsuyu-san; I'm simply astonished that you both have been able to keep these mournful feelings of yours so well contained over all the time that you've been telling us this story all week."

Tsuyu wasn't able to hide her tears any better than Ochako was, but she was at least able to recompose herself enough to answer Momo in kind: "Well, it hasn't been easy, Momo. Honestly, it's been one of the hardest things Ochako and I have had to do yet-kero. There really hasn't been a day since then that I haven't had to at least take a minute to cry when thinking about Ryukyu-sensei, mainly in the morning or at night. It still hurts a lot, probably always will."

As Tsuyu bowed her head in saddened remembrance, Ochako suddenly chimed in: "But see, that's actually just the thing, Momo-chan. Tsu and I may have really only gotten to intern with her for a week, but in that time, I like to think we really got to know her well, maybe even half as well as Hadou-senpai did. And, seeing how she always conducted herself, how she always spoke to us and others in any situation…ever since what happened to her, I've been unable to stop thinking that, if she were to see us both right now, I feel like she wouldn't want us to hold ourselves down, mourning for her. I'm not saying she wouldn't want us to feel sad, that would just make us seem cold. But I mean, like, she would want us to let ourselves feel the way we do, and let that inspire us to push ourselves forward and harder than we already have been, so that we can get stronger…so that we don't risk such a thing happening to someone else again; because Heroes always have someone to save, somewhere."

Mina, Kyouka and Momo (not to mention all the boys) were all visibly moved by the sincerity in Ochako's sentiments for Ryukyu and her teachings; with Kyouka finally uttering in realization: "So that's why when we all talked the night we came back, about how you guys were feeling, the only thing you could say was that you wanted to save people…because of her."

As Ochako sniffled down another upcoming sob and nodded in confirmation, Tsuyu regrettably uttered: "We're still both trying to figure out what we're going to do next, with her gone…just like Hadou-senpai is, too."

Of course, this naturally had everyone now thinking just what was going to become of Nejire and Mirio, now that one of their mentors was gone, and the other no longer had his Quirk. However, Izuku was surprisingly the first one to speak up, with what sounded like an actual twinge of hope: "If Mirio-senpai could be able to pick himself back up and work as hard as he has been with the rest of Nighteye's sidekicks in light of what's happened to him, then I have no doubts that Hadou-senpai can ultimately do the same. The Big Three are all incredibly strong in their own rights; I'm sure she'll be more than ready to take up Ryukyu's mantle in time."

Suddenly, Tenya spoke up with that same intense authoritative edge to his voice: "Bringing up Togata-senpai, Midoriya-san; all this week you've been telling us that he was laid up in the hospital from intensive injury, hence why he hasn't been to school, like Hadou-senpai and Amajiki-senpai have. Yet, from the way the story has ended, he sounds to have long since made a full recovery. Why would none of you simply tell us that?"

Thankfully, it was Tunguska who ultimately answered: "It was all part of the same promise we all made with the authorities, regarding certain sensitive details about this mission being shared with the public, malenkii Iida. I…we all must sincerely apologize, to all of you. None of us wanted to deceive you, but knowing how naturally curious and hungry for answers you've all been proving yourselves to be, we knew that if you'd heard that malenkii Togata was unharmed but not in school, you would go seeking him out for further answers, and risk stumbling upon that girl, who to this day is still undergoing intensive treatment at the hospital, with him being there every single day when the chance has arrived, to watch over her.

"These were all things that you all simply were not in a position of needing to know, and it still currently stands that way. That boy has had a world of responsibility placed upon his shoulders to take up, now that Sir Nighteye-san no longer has his Quirk to help conduct all their future work with. In that way, he indeed has suffered a tremendous injury that can't be healed so easily…and with their history, I feel you can hardly find it surprising that his anguish would bleed over to malenkii Amajiki as it did when you all saw him. This was all ultimately, and unfortunately, necessary for all of us, even if we didn't want to do things this way."

Indeed, Nikolay, and ultimately all of his friends, could begrudgingly understand their friends and his father's need to keep certain things under wraps, even from them. Unlike them, whose mission had been put together on the fly in the face of an immediate crisis; Izuku and Tunguska's group's mission had time and extensive police resources put into it, hence the need for much more thorough and official protocol in the aftermath, at least for the time being.

In the end, though, none of this dampened the fact that their friends had similarly done something truly incredible, and as further congratulations, embraces, handshakes and the like were being shared all around, Nikolay ultimately commented: "The only thing that matters now is that this girl of yours is safe and sound, and those yakuza guys are all behind bars where they can't get to her anymore, right?"

And like the flipping of a lethal switch, nearly half of the initial relief in the room had vanished, as Nikolay and his friends all saw another deeply troubled look settle in Izuku and his group's eyes…and with that, they themselves could feel their hearts plummet, with Mina uttering in borderline emotional exasperation: "Oh, no…you're not seriously telling us that wasn't the end, are you?"

Unfortunately, meeting the worried eyes of their friends…Izuku and the others gave only the faintest of regretful nods.

And there you all have it, everyone: Chapter 100! I can imagine the death of a character like Ryukyu in Sir Nighteye's place is quite upsetting to her fans out there, but I knew that a good way to truly make this story stand out among others would be to completely flip the script in terms of predictability. It'll show that people you once thought were safe by rules of canon, are anything but from now on. That just makes the future in this story that much more exciting. And in exchange, Mirio doesn't lose his Quirk, but still gains the humbling lesson of the consequences of his actions, no matter how noble, that will ultimately help to make him a great Hero, and we may get to see more of Sir Nighteye in the future as a result, which I'm sure would make his fanbase happy as well.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, because as you can tell by the length, it took a great deal of time planning and writing in order to put it together like this. As such, I would really, really appreciate it if you would all give an honest review of what you think about this chapter and what it has ultimately done, what it could possibly mean for the future of this story, this take on the MHA world.

I hope you all have a good week going forward, and I will see you all with the next chapter, the beginning of another leg of our literary journey, on 11/12; between now and then will have been my birthday. Thank you all once again from the bottom of my heart for all of your support up to this point. It truly does mean the world to me.