Heya. Another chapter of this. Thanks for all the support! Anyhow, let's begin.
RE:MADE (I've had enough. I can't keep burying the bodies of my family.)
Nedzu was busying himself with the tea set he produced from thin air(did geniuses like showing off their magic tricks or something?) while Aizawa recounted his "fight" with the new vigilante/cannibal/serial murderer. From time to time, Nedzu(was he a he? An it?) would ask seemingly odd questions, the strangest being Spectre's exact wording of his answers and his reactions to accusations. As Aizawa provided, Nedzu chuckled and muttered under his breath, which creeped him out to no end. As he finished with his defeat in a single blow, Nedzu finally sat down and poured two cups of tea, immediately sipping at one despite the clear heat he could feel emanating from the cup. Humming a strange tune, the Principal watched Aizawa with an unreadable, beady stare that reminded him of the same stare Spectre had projected when taunting him(and that irked him more than he cared to admit).
"Now I've heard your account of your own fight. Interesting, but also boring at the same time. What do you really think of Spectre?"
Aizawa could feel the change in the atmosphere almost immediately. Before, Principal Nedzu was still using his "I'm a funny genius, but this genius can and will drive you crazy" persona. Now? His eyes were glinting like he had found some new puzzle to solve, some new criminal to break. Wonder if this is how the devil really looks like. Hesitating for just a moment, then feeling sorry for the poor inhuman who had caught his attention, he answered the question.
"From his fighting style, I can tell that he has experience. I read the police reports and from the corpse I found, the man's head was pretty much gone, but they could only find one cause of death, from a single blow. That indicated a strength augmentation quirk, but he was still able to break my capture weapon easily despite my quirk being activated, so it may contain some mutative element. What mutation, I cannot confirm. It is more likely that he has a mutation, multi-purpose quirk, which would explain his speed, strength and odd eye. However, judging from the message he left me and his answer to my question…" Nedzu watched him impassively, blinking ever so slightly from time to time.
"He states that he is quirkless, but implies that he isn't human. With his cannibalistic tendencies, there's a high chance he is some biological experiment that escaped."
Nedzu grinned at that, tea forgotten and a manic glint in his eyes. Nodding, he considered Aizawa's words before speaking.
"Those were the conclusions I came to when his name first came to my attention. Good observations based on his appearance and elusiveness, but still flawed ones. With a little more digging, I managed to find some things that seemed like coincidences, but upon further analysis revealed something...intriguing." He pressed a button and a series of images were projected into the air, some recognizable(crime scenes), others just circled people and grainy footage from security cameras. Time and date stamps were present in every single one and the pictures seemed to be grouped by them.
"Whether intentional or otherwise, Spectre has set a pattern for himself. He shows up to kill people about to harm or kill others. With your words on his philosophy, I can tell that he's been following it ever since he started. Despite the fact that he is almost certainly a cannibal, he only takes parts from the people he kill, which shows a remarkable amount of self-control. Furthermore, he only kills the perpetrators and leaves the victims unharmed, hinting at a moral code. He usually kills once a month, but after particularly violent attacks with a death count higher than two for each one, he disappears and only shows up after a few months. So, human flesh is most likely his only source of food and he does not require much of it or he is restraining himself to the bare minimum. Spectre attacks at night, each attack usually occurring in a dark or secluded place and all of them happening within a fifty meter radius of each other."
The pit in Aizawa's stomach grows as the information fits together. "Spectre patrols and kills. How did no one notice that?"
"I'm under the impression that the police still think he's a deranged killer and have chalked it all up to random circumstance. However, the area in which he always shows up does have a higher number of police and hero patrols, so they clearly know some of it. Now, without information, we cannot confirm if he is an experiment or just an experienced liar. So Aizawa, what should we do?"
The expression(what little he can discern of it) Nedzu wears blatantly screams that he expects Aizawa to already have a solution. So, thoughts running quickly and ideas being dismissed just as fast, he finds that the optimal solution comes to him easily and answers. "Based on the fact that Spectre has just killed and his killing patterns, we can set a trap for him and get the information straight from the source."
"Exactly"
Nedzu watches, for once, not from his monitors but in person as some of the teachers from UA enact a scene that has been repeated(with variations and tweaks) in ten different locations across two weeks. He has seen all of them, in person moreso. To his disappointment(and a little glee), Spectre does not show up, either because he has enough sustenance or he can see the trap. Neither appeals to him, because they would need to resort to more drastic measures otherwise. Before he can call off the "simulation" and go back to UA for another round of brainstorming, a raspy but clear voice rings out behind him. "I don't suppose you're the one who's behind all this?" It doesn't take a genius to react, but before he can notify anyone(or press the panic button located in his watch), all the electronics on him(and near him) hum, heat up and stop working. Forcing an expression of calm, Nedzu turns around.
While he can see the similarities to Aizawa's description and the police sketch, something was off. Well, make that many somethings. Firstly, the whole "electricity shorting out" thing. Unrelated, never seen, never used. Spectre(?) no longer had white hair, instead the strands were coloured so dark a black that he felt as if the surroundings were being slowly leeched, colours sucked into the void of his hair. He was still wearing the odd mask that had been the one thing Aizawa remembered clearly, yet the eyepatch was flipped, uncovered eye a dark gray instead of the pulsating red and black previously encountered. The chill Aizawa described(an almost primal instinct, more hints to the true identity of their mystery man) made Nedzu's fur stand on end, but he could tell that it was being dialed back, suppressed even. Spectre(Black)'s first course of action was to short out the electronics. Conclusion? The ghost had been following, perhaps even watching the various tries to draw him out. Well, his previous question had been answered.
"Why would I be behind this? I am just a lowly animal serving a greater cause."
"Yeah...No. I'm not good with faces but those eyes remind me of a certain Principal."
"I presume you are the individual named Spectre?"
"I could be. I could also be his twin."
"No denial then. Before you do to me what you do to those you hunt, I would like to extend a deal to you."
"I'm listening."
"I would like you to peacefully turn yourself in. Once you are unmasked, I will then deem you to be under my supervision. We can then work together to solve whatever problems you have without resorting to unsanctioned mass murder."
Spectre(Black) laughs at that, a bitter, sharp sound that causes Nedzu's scar to throb. He pops a knuckle, a sickening crack that seems to focus his attention. His body posture changes from a straight, almost rigid stance to a much more relaxed one. In his one visible eye, Nedzu can see a dark sadness and it reminds of many people(All Might, not enough of his mentor left to bury, countless widows and widowers after their hero partners perish in the line of duty. Children asking for their parents, that childlike denial soon giving way to anguish). Behind that eye, doors slam shut, lock themselves and disappear. The smile drops from his face, replaced by a sadder, smaller one that evokes some form of sympathy.
"I tried. Whatever you've thought of, I've tried. Either I don't have the funding or the power to carry out my plans. So unless you're a filthy rich...whatever you are, I'll be taking my leave now thank you very much. I don't enjoy killing, no matter what Shiro likes to say. Be seeing ya." Spectre(Black) makes to step off the roof, pausing only because Nedzu calls out.
"I do admit that I have confidence that I have enough money to fund what you need. Does that change your decisions?"
"No. Yes. Maybe. I'll see you around."
"I'm afraid I can't let you leave unless you surrender."
"I'm afraid I can't comply. Plus, I don't think you're going to stop me."
"I won't. He will." Perfect timing. Nedzu feels himself get grabbed by a large hand, whisked to another roof, close enough to watch but far enough to not be a liability. Spectre(Black) pulls a small blade from a sleeve and deftly blocks a blow to the chest, grunting when the blade snaps and the punch still connects. He impacts loudly with a neighbouring building, enough to alert the heroes below to look up, startle and book it before gravity takes its course and the male falls to the ground inches away from them as someone lands next to the shallow crater, reaching for the prone figure and restraining him.
The Number One Hero smiles, then asks in a booming voice for the twitching victim to give up. When his movements continue, All Might tightens his grip, cracks now webbing from the force of which the person he holds is pressed into the depression he made. Nedzu reaches for his spare communicator, undamaged because it was never turned on and starts to call for assistance in capturing the killer when a sudden flare of murderous intent makes him pause. In a blink, All Might stumbles back in shock, hissing as blood drips from what seems to be a bite wound in his right hand and Spectre(Black) rises to his feet and draws another knife. Poking at a bloodstain with it, the knife expands to the length and structure of a katana, glowing a faint red and veins tracing from one end to another. Holding it in a defensive position, he glares challengingly at the Number One Hero, much to their disbelief. All Might recovers quickly, blurring out of view to launch several devastating blows, each holding enough force to take out a villain with a decent hardening quirk and dealt at such high speeds that Ingenium would be hard pressed to catch up.
Which is the reason why the two individuals, one watching the fight and the other in it, freeze when each hit is either taken without flinching or now deflected to collide with the wall behind him. It is then this miniscule pause that gives the oddity in their midst time to dart past All Might and run straight up the obstacle in his path, disappearing within seconds. Nedzu calls for back-up even as All Might turns to chase the Spectre.
Only to stop when the blade in his side extends and expands, impaling him like meat on a skewer. He retches blood and breaks the two ends of the weapon, leaving the part in him inside to avoid causing more damage. He still makes to go after the escapee, but then he flinches and dodges as strings, unseen until now reach for him and stab into stone when they miss. Even as he recovers, the strings resume their attack, chasing him like missiles seeking a target. All Might bats them aside, using a well placed "Smash" to clear the area. When he is done, more heroes have arrived and force him to stop trying to go after his target. Eraserhead and two other heroes take up the search, leaping gracefully and vanishing quickly. All Might coughs more blood and turns to look at Nedzu, who looks back just as confused.
He would need to update his knowledge.
Case File 147
Known Alias: Spectre, but has told Eraserhead that he would prefer to be called Eyepatch.
Description: Always in dark clothing, with a half mask and an eyepatch. Eyepatch is over the right eye, except on [REDACTED], when the eyepatch was flipped. In possession of several blades, number unknown, made of [REDACTED] and are capable of changing shape and size when in contact with [REDACTED].
Threat level: Extremely High. Has escaped from [REDACTED] and has only been caught in 2 confrontations. Hints at being a cannibal, but it is suggested that he is a [REDACTED]. Further interactions will prove key to subduing him.
Allies: None. However, another [REDACTED] has mentioned a "Shiro" and hints at there being multiple Spectres.
DO NOT ENGAGE. DO NOT OBSERVE. IF NECESSARY, KEEP DISTANCE OF AT LEAST 10M BETWEEN TARGET AND YOURSELF
I hope I did justice to the characters. How was it? I hope you enjoyed reading this. Drop me a review or something. We're in for a wild ride.