Chapter 101- Loyalty, Perfection, Salvation

"What... is this?" For the first time in years, Kovik was at a loss for words.

Housed at the center of this dark, pyramid-shaped chamber was a structure of which none had ever laid eyes upon. There was only a single rectangular platform roughly the size of a table made of a black material similar to metal yet with a glossy, moving texture akin to faint ripples as if it were alive. Resting atop the surface were four black obelisks on every corner, between the two right and two left was a perplexing field of orange light weaved with a ghostly pale aura. The sense of uneasiness spread throughout the chamber.

"I've never felt... this sensation," Infernal was breathless, his hand reaching out only to recoil, he passed a genuine look of unease over the device. "As dark as my own kind... it's... alive, or, it feels alive. It's not Nightmare, not Vex either..."

"A dark omen," Red Dragon murmured, keeping himself steady against such an exotic yet mysterious discovery. "Perhaps, the Doctor, used this?"

"It would seem that way," Kovik surmised, looking around at the various unpolished Nomu in hibernation, pipes connected the base of the platform, feeding off its dark energy like leeches. His visible eye widened at the revelation. "This was how the Nomu came to be... the Doctor must've harnessed this... incubator to conjure his proxies for quirks," There was a slight hitch of wonder in the Splicer's tone as he reached for the platform, seeing the metallic surface bubble and flake, a crystal-blue substance suddenly encapsulated Kovik's hand, numbing him down to his bones as he retracted his claw quickly, and the reaction faded, the warmth in his cybernetics returning.

"Kovik, we wary of this... this darkness," Drevis hissed, clutching her rifle tightly as if they could be set upon by the shadows themselves.

"No, I must know how..." He reached again, this time, his nanites reacted with him, plunged deep into the cold substance that surrounded his hand entirely. He could feel it in the back of his mind, like invisible controls that plucked against his thoughts, woven to his whims, feasting on his speculations. The prongs found their resting place in his mind, and that shivering cold front became a dull pressure around his limb.

He was silent for only a second. Then, Kovik gasped as if he had been drowning, "A... A conversion engine for matter itself...!"

Infernal looked around, then deadpanned. "All that for a fancy workbench? Really?" He waved a hand in disbelief but despite that, Kovik's raspy voice lightened to a chuckle, even as Drevis and Red Dragon helped to steady his already shredded body. Kovik leaned against the black table, laughing at their discovery.

"Oh, Doctor... how thoughtful of you...!" It all became clarity, his actions, their sacrifices had been met with reward. "All our strife has finally paid off, and it was all under our noses, hahaha!"

"What does this mean?" Red Dragon inquired, unsure of their leader's reaction as he removed his hand from the incubator, leaning back into their supporting arms.

"That we... finally have everything we need," His eyes glowed in the darkness. "If Shigaraki's side prevails, then nothing will stand in our way now - this gift will set the stage of our two worlds' salvation," For that, he was certain of. His withered, beaten body felt so much lighter now that he leveled his hand toward the chamber's white spotlight in awe. "Thank you, my comrades, for bringing us this far."

"What are friends for, hehehe," Infernal grinned ear-to-ear.

"Our loyalty, will never falter, for our hopes," Red Dragon concurred.

"You gave me a chance at revenge, I will gladly follow you to whatever ends may come," Drevis assured him, nodding once. "Our Kell,"

"No," Kovik raised his head to them, he was weak without them, far too weak to stand or rebuild his own body. "I have not earned that title, not yet."

"Uh, you just did," Infernal quirked his right eye as if it were obvious, pointing back at the entrance. "You were awake for that whole 'loyalty' speech thing? Tense stuff too - plus, you promised me a newer, flashier Host, Boss! I'd follow you into hell and back for it."

"Agreed, you have our respect, unlike the League's leader, we followed you." The towering vigilante reinforced their points as Kovik was left without much to counter their arguments. He referred to Aksis as his Kell for he felt he earned the right for all he sacrificed for their House's return to glory. Now, he fell into that same level of murkiness, consequences, and the weight of others that relied on his judgment alone. It was a difficult process and yet, here they stood, supporting a leader who could be slain so very easily.

Gratitude left his broken helmet. "...I will not run away this time, together, we move only forward."


Far away from Kovik's location, a massive cloud of dust surrounded an even bigger crater at the center of Deika City. The ground continued to rumble from the initial decay of the world. Sat at against the slope, Re-Destro coughed, his breathing dry as he held onto a piece of sheet metal, what remained of his augmented suit after the decay radius dissolved the rest.

Hobbling through the crater, Shigaraki had endured so much, physically and mentally beyond his limits. His entire right arm was red and bruises, the skin peeled back, purple splodges dotted his torso and left arm too, dry blood clung to his face beneath glossy white hair. All that remained of his clothing were black cargo pants, they too torn in places.

"Did your feet touch the ground? Too bad," His voice no longer had that scratchy hitch to it, now, it was a little deeper. "You must've cut them off to keep your body from disintegrating, huh?"

"Hey, remind me, why were we fighting again?" Shigaraki asked, bringing his damaged hand forward with a mocking grin. "Oh, that's right, because you made us come out here, divided our attention."

Re-Destro could only breathe heavily, lips twitching into a smile regardless, but by the look in his eyes, his hopes were snuffed out. Upon the lip of the crater, Shigaraki saw those that remained of the Meta Liberation Army gathered for their leader. ~RE-DESTRO! DON'T JUST STAND THERE, GO SAVE OUR GLORIOUS LEADER!~

The speaker atop his van, Trumpet, used his quirk to abolish any fear within his subordinates, all in a desperate act to save their leader. Shigaraki gave them a single, crimson eye that gave off raw, unfilled calamity. A single look drowned their morale, their legs couldn't move any closer.

"Trumpet, anymore fighting..." Re-Destro raised his hand in defeat, putting it into an 'L' shape with the thumb against his forehead. "Would be pointless." Looking toward the sky, his eyes were no longer clouded by concern. "Free us of Meta abilities, not suppression but liberation, I understand... Great Destro. The one that should be at the forefront of liberation, the one who would create the world you dreamed of is a person who embodies 'freedom'."

His eyes settled on Shigaraki standing before him, "This young man laughed off our history and bloodline, saying they were restricting me," His eyes were half-lidded, exhausted, accepting his defeat. "I see it so clearly now, the figure before me is a shining beacon."

He put his hands out to steady himself on the ground. "This army agrees with mi - no, with Destro's principles. They are prepared to become martyrs for the cause, it is as you said, I picked a fight and you prevailed, kill me if you like, I'm ready to sacrifice myself for Destro's dying wish," Re-Destro bowed his head to Shigaraki. "The Meta Liberation Army is now under your command."

"Let's not be dramatic," To cut the tension short, Shigaraki and Re-Destro turned to the weak red rift closing behind Kovik and Infernal. The other two staying behind to 'clean up loose ends'. All could see the battle-worn Splicer in the light, his ice-blue gaze locked to Re-Destro. "For now, you're useful, but I can assure your lives will be given much more than simply sacrifice."

"Seems you ran into trouble?" Shigaraki commented.

"I... failed, but, the Doctor wasn't without a failsafe, but, more on that later," Kovik answered as Shigaraki plucked at his ear, the earpiece had disintegrated too. In that moment, Shigaraki's face lit up at something he remembered, something they did need desperately to survive.

"You're right, killing you now would be a waste, so tell us, you're the CEO of the Detnerat, right? Which means that you're rich." Shigaraki smiled widely, he had a few promises of his own to uphold. They lost something valuable today, but tomorrow, their triumphs would encompass that defeat.


One Week Later...

"How's the new arm?" Kovik inquired while Re-Destro gave a boisterous speech to their new followers. Compress looked up after giving his fingers a few flexes, the gunmetal grey with a red seamline standing out from his attire.

"Impressive hardware, I dare say it feels more like my left arm every day, your technical knowledge is extensive to create such a perfect replica," Compress commended.

"A Splicer must learn to understand all technology, to go beyond expectation and pass along their teachings," Kovik answered truthfully.

"Hey, so I thought all of Tomura's hands got busted when he was fighting?" Toga perked up curiously.

"Nah, one was still intact, it's a miracle that thing made off that battlefield unscathed," Spinner remarked.

"At least he doesn't have to come up with a new trademark unlike someone," Her eye met with Kovik who crossed his arms.

"You can thank Infernal for the suggestion," Kovik was unable to defend himself, he... struggled with good names for ideas. His new form of nanotechnology needed rebranding to set apart his from SIVA.

"Anytime, Boss!" Infernal waved his arms beside Dabi.

"-AS WE MOVE TOWARD FREEDOM, AND STRIVE FOR DESTRO'S WORLD, THE META LIBERATION ARMY AND THE LEAGUE OF VILLAINS UNITE UNDER A NEW NAME!" Re-Destro announced, their moment had arrived.

Toga beamed. "Oooh, here we go, here we go!" She quickly skipped her way toward the light of the rally with the others stepping forward. Drevis, Red Dragon, and Infernal all present.

"THE IDEA CAME FROM MYSELF, INFERNAL, AND SPINNER FROM THE LEAGUE-" Re-Destro announced as they appeared before the army of thousands present for the occasion. "-NOW, THE NAME PLEASE, TOMURA SHIGARAKI!"

"The Paranormal Liberation Front," He declared as his allies stepped in line for all to see. Toga smiled with her arms by her head. Twice slid forward on his knees. Dabi kept a cool stride with his hands in his pockets, Infernal's right arm around his shoulders. Compress gave a tip of his hat. Spinner walked in silently next to Red Dragon. And Kovik stood behind Shigaraki with Drevis as his shadow.

"We got rid of the term, 'Villain', and expanded on the whole 'meta' angle to be more inclusive. The twelve on stage are my Lieutenant, the Splicer Priest behind me is my right hand, teams will be assigned to them based on our needs, and future 'Barons' will be established by Kovik himself for more... progressive matters,"

"Anyway, the name is the same as this hand," Shigaraki plucked the remaining hand off his face, revealing to them his cunning smile and sinister glare. "A decoration, we'll do what we want."

The crowd ate it up, cheering for their new commander and his officers. Today marked the unification of four powerful factions in the battles to come. The League of Villains. The Meta Liberation Army. The Nightmare. And the Devil Splicers.

After the speech, Shigaraki had other needs to attend to concerning the next step toward their ultimate goal of dismantling Heroes and their precious peace. "Excellent work today, Grand Commander! Can I offer you something to drink!?" Re-Destro wore a very big crocodile grin to rival Toga's, rubbing his hands together so fast smoke was forming.

"Uh, is that healthy? I don't think that's healthy," Infernal whispered to Toga, pointing at the man.

"I know, kinda creepy if you ask me." She whispered back.

"Go, Kovik wants to see you in his lab later anyhow," Shigaraki dismissed. In a sudden flash, the chair-bound Re-Destro was gone in smoke.

"With Pleasure!"

After he and Trumpet left, Shigaraki tripped over his own cast into Kovik's hand, the Splicer was recovering himself but had a better footing. "Good catch," Shigaraki wheezed as he was helped to his foot again.

"He took so much damage it's a miracle he's still alive," Compress said as Kovik shook his head.

"Had the Doctor not been forced to silence himself before the heroes could capture him, if we were smarter, stronger, then perhaps events would've ended differently," Kovik's lie was crafted with every failsafe in mind, down to even the reports of heroes flooding to the scene. The perfect lie for a necessary step forward. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, as you said, we still have everything he left for us, all we need to do is crack the big puzzle encounter wide open," Shigaraki smiled as he grabbed his cane. "Machia listened to me, so I bet the Doc's 'minimum level requirement' was reached, so, go ahead, show him how much further we can go on our own two feet."

"With pleasure," Kovik turned the opposite way, nodding to Drevis to 'tie up' other issues that may arise from what came next. "They called themselves 'martyrs', why not cash in on such an offer?"

Shigaraki's smile mirrored Kovik's own.


Inside Kovik's private lab, the room was lit up with white spotlights, displaying an overlook covered in machinery, tables of mechanical repairs, and four docking stations for four variations of SIVA, all with various nanites surrounding them. Red banners of the House of Devils were hung from the rafters.

Dividing the entrance and chamber below, it was easy to see that the observation deck was built from the hull of a Fallen Ketch, the bronze tint faded to grey. Two stairways to the left and right hugged the walls, leading down onto the wide testing ground lined with grey square tiles and panels from that black pyramid room.

In the center when you looked beyond the observation deck, the ancient black relic was the centerpiece of the lab, the rest of the long, rectangular hallway lined with hundreds of purple vats, containing Splicers and humans in stasis. Kovik stood by his console, decking the screens for any change in the Incubator's abnormal energy. This was a dark relic from another time, he had to play with it wisely.

"Ah, so, you wished to speak with me, Right Hand!?" The doors to the lab shut behind Re-Destro, he was alone, sat atop his moving wheelchair. Then his grin faltered at the sight of the many experimental vats. "Huh, so this was what you were cooking up behind closed doors, very ominous!"

"This?" He motioned over his shoulder. "A long overdue project myself and Dren drew up, we succeeded in using a copy of SIVA to produce counterfeit Splicers, however, their durability and intelligence were lacking, a Hive-Mind was all that kept them from falling apart. Far too weak, but good at sowing chaos,"

"Then Dren experimented with the good Doctor's bioengineered Nomu to form stronger, more sophisticated Splicers, reforming Vosik with his memories within a Cluster, although, unlike myself, he was prone to glitches and experienced mood swings, far too unstable, and producing Splicers for an army was as tricky as he was," Kovik clicked, bringing Re-Destro closer to see what exactly was in the vats, helping him down the stairs and past the Incubator.

"Then I realized what I had missed, the Incubator reforms matter while retaining the original's mind entirely, combining that with All For One's ability to steal and transfer quirks, and the Nomu's enhanced bodies due to the Incubator being able to handle multiple quirks, I finally connected the dots,"

Fear stretched Re-Destro's face, some of the humans were... converting, their flesh was replaced with metal, some had extra limbs, others... were charred corpses. Sweat rolled down Re-Destro's face as Kovik continued.

"Quirks are the basis I need to make Splicers out of humans, how ironic," He knew it seemed blasphemous but as Overhaul once said, necessary steps toward the desired goal. "Their quirks will be suppressed, of course, but they will be as strong as the real deal, able to think and act independently as any living creature could, all under mine and Shigaraki's control,"

Kovik shrugged, holding out his hand as the variations of SIVA manifested on his palm. "I cannot control this power of mine, it's evolved beyond what my body can handle... so I will use the seed the Doctor left behind, or rather, All For One, to achieve a state of true perfection."

"Why are you telling me this? What have you done to them!?" Re-Destro demanded, trying to sound appalled but his voice failed him, Kovik shadowing his frail body. "This was to be a unification of our sides, when they hear of this they-"

"What's wrong? You said you were willing to sacrifice for Destro's cause, did you not? Is your devotion that fragile?" Now, that fear turned to terror, his heart was racing uncontrollably, and a single foot kept his chair from fleeing. "I'm simply accepting those terms now, the world you wish for will come to pass, make no mistake, you just won't be here to see it."

"No, wait-" Kovik leaned down, the red glare of his helmet blinding. "W-W-who - W-What are you!?"

"I am not your friend," His hand grabbed Re-Destro's shoulder tightly. "I am not your enemy," His other reached out, red and white nanites swarming around his palm toward the terrified man. "I am your..."

...

...

...

"Salvation."


As time passed, Shigaraki's body healed completely, say for the severe damage to his arms, and left foot. Decay had evolved exponentially, and his body couldn't withstand the impact it would have. The room Shigaraki was in was back at the Doctor's laboratory. Of all the chambers kept hidden underneath the hospital he owned, one was pristine and clean, white walls and operating equipment now merged with Splicer technology, the four variations kept close by.

Kovik hummed as he overlooked the blueprints he had fretted over for years, once a pipe-dream now a potential reality if he applied this carefully. This operation would prove to test his capabilities, both to Shigaraki and to himself as a Splicer. The perfect being like Aksis.

"After your battle at Deika City, your quirk evolved, now anything you touch, and objects connected, will be reduced to dust, quite impressive, I'm jealous," Kovik admired as he made the final preparations, beyond the windows, there was space he had Machia tunnel out for the Liberation Front to accommodate for a... larger scale project if things progressed smoothly. One half of the coin. "SIVA was designed to create, and now, you embody destruction,"

Kovik turned to Shigaraki staring at his remaining hand, "I must ask you once more, why do you seek more strength than now? And are you truly willing to accept you may be lost to your own self forever?"

"If more strength is available, why wouldn't I take it?" He grinned sadistically, not a hint of hesitation in his voice. "It's true that I'm not forced to use cheap tricks, but my arm is ravaged, this was from using my ability once, and there's a whole war coming," Looking closer, cracks split his skin too, a light breeze could cause his arm to collapse. "I won't underestimate heroes anymore, I'll use all the power I have to destroy All Might and his legacy, our next fight's his last."

Kovik couldn't help but laugh at the irony, "All For One picked quite the successor, no wonder he left it behind..." Hidden from sight, plugged into the machines awaiting the operation, something Kovik never anticipated came to light. "The catalyst I was looking for, and after some modification from the Incubator, our power will be limitless."

Shigaraki sat down on the chair as Kovik did his final preparations. "SIVA was the pinnacle of the Devil Splicers' discoveries, however, it consumed Aksis' mind before we could truly harness all its capabilities, in that time, I had discovered how extensive its applications were to biology, not just the environment,"

"All For One is much the same, while he can possess numerous quirks, there is a limit to which the human body can take, the Quirk Singularity theory suggests this may occur to future generations of quirks as complexity overrides the human body's tolerance for power, so, the question remains, how do you remove that limitation?" Kovik suggested as Shigaraki set the hand on the table.

"That is where the Thief came into the mix," Kovik snarled. "As much as I despise her, she rewrote SIVA, 'Enhance. Adapt. Protect', she gave me a form of SIVA that would no longer consume without input, that could be controlled, that could evolve further," Then he tapped a monitor, bringing up an image of the Incubator. "Then there is this relic, the ability to convert living matter into a new shape without risk to the subject's mind, well, unless the strain is too much for them to handle, hence the risk I present to you,"

Shigaraki smiled up at the ceiling, "Well? How long will it take then, Doc?"

"I prefer bioengineer, and you're quite happy, almost like a child waiting for... what's it called? Christmas?" It took him a second to remember that holiday.

"What can I say, I'm overflowing with beautiful dreams," He mused, again, causing a growl that must've been a chuckle to emanate from Kovik

"Very well, these next four months will feel like you're dying, an unimaginable agony you can't escape," Kovik stated bluntly, holding a claw up. "If you survive, you will emerge something new, someone with the world in the palm of their hand,"

Kovik clasped his hands together, "Combining All For One and my new technology, we will be unbound by limitations, and perhaps, even steal One For All," That last part drew Shigaraki's questioning brow as he sat back on the chair now laid down.

"'One For All'?" He echoed.

"Yes, the one thing All For One couldn't control, the quirk passed down by All Might and other successors before him," What the Splicer said next made Shigaraki's blood boil in revelation. A thorn to his side grew increasingly larger. "Even with All For One, this power couldn't be taken, I intend to succeed where he failed, rather, you will,"

"When these next four months of agony conclude, Izuku Midoriya's power will be yours, and with it, whatever we dream of."

To Be Continued...


And the Villain Arc comes to an end, and it was really fun to write from their perspective for a change. Many things have changed, just what has Kovik got planned for himself, Shigaraki, his 'New SIVA', and All For One's Quirk? And an army of Splicers may soon be on the horizon. There's so much closing in quickly, by this point, I'm going to start completely flipping the table to get ready.

The prelude to all-out war is upon us, how will our heroes survive? I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; seeya in the next arc, Heroes and Villains!

Next Chapter Intermission: A Step Toward Perfection

"Time to show everyone what we've learned!" Yuki pumped her fist with Izuku. "Though my percentage is still the same I feel a whole lot better after everything with Halimaka."

"Yeah, and I finally can control Blackwhip, but..." He glanced behind them at the screen where he floating in the air during combat training. "...Float, it's getting stronger now."

Yuki patted his back. "We'll get it under control, just like always,"

"Tch, speak for yourself," Katsuki crossed his arms with a cocky grin. "I can already float with my explosions, go ahead and waste your time while I get stronger!"

"Says the guy who can't perform well because of a little winter breeze," Yuki stared off to the side as a speech bubble stabbed him in the head, saying 'fact'.

Izuku sighed but smiled between them, "Up next, A Step Toward Perfection."

Yuki winked. "Go Beyond."

"PLUS ULTRA!"