A/N: ONE HUNDRED CHAPTERS! This marks the big milestone, though sadly, the big bulk of this arc isn't until next week... or so you'd think! I've gone and merged them. So enjoy and thank you for the continued support!
Chapter 100 - NARA
Down another narrow yet tall hallway, turrets spurred to life, releasing red blasts that ricocheted off the walls. Kovik charged forward, shielding himself and Drevis as she carefully blew the defenses off their stands. Once clear, they moved forward, deeper into the maze they pathed out, narrowing down every passageway toward the Doctor's location.
"We're entering a storehouse," Kovik entered first, the lights were out but Eliksni could see clearly in the dark so they navigated around the low-end Nomu, silencing them before the others were alerted. One by one, the two flushed out their enemies, moving toward the backroom that led into what appeared to be a simple, dam network of tunnels for maintenance.
The dimly lit halls were easy to navigate, coming to stop at an intersection that gave them breathing room, the large, circular space was illuminated through a grated ceiling, various chains hanging from the pipes and anchored into the concrete columns connected via a catwalk above. There was one doorway to take, leading up a slope.
"I suppose this is our destination," Kovik hummed, Drevis holding back. He paused, craning his neck. "Is something the matter?"
"...go," She murmured, tucking her hood closer before pivoting to face the silent Nomu that clung to the rafters, his crossbow charged, poised toward Kovik. He never even detected its presence, it survived Red Dragon's devastating attack. "I am suited for this, confront our target,"
Kovik turned away, moving in stride up the pathway. "Do not fail," His offer of concern was shoved aside, Drevis had to focus on what lay in their path. And if Kovik needed to confront the Doctor alone, well, that was his battle anyway. Drevis avoided the bolt as it tore into concrete, splashing water from the puddles around her.
Cloaking, she hid behind a pillar, poking her head out only to recoil, bits of rock striking her face as the purple energy hissed against the ground next to her. That's right, a quirk that can track its target, possibly by body heat given the cool atmosphere. Charging her wire rifle, Drevis rushed for the right-side pillars, feeling heat whiz by her head, blasting chunks out of the walls.
Sliding behind a pillar, Drevis hissed in pain as one of the bolts split into three, the smaller impacts shattering her shoulder plates and the burned her lower arms' barding. The Archer Nomu didn't speak, it just hunted, that's right, she and this creature were one and the same. Cracking her neck, Drevis grabbed two stasis mines, tossing them toward the Nomu's direction.
It shot the first one down but recoiled when the second was obscured behind the first, expanding into a wide net of static that pulled at its muscles. Drevis threw herself out of hiding, locking her crosshairs to its brain before pulling the trigger. The wire round connected, but the body... dissolved into smoke?
*Blam!*
Drevis howled in pain, her lower left arm torn from the elbow as she tumbled behind another pillar, evading the secondary shot. "It can duplicate fakes too?" She panted, seeing the smoking stump dripping with blood from the wires. She wasn't really a living, breathing Eliksni anymore, but pain was very much real.
Now, Drevis was a little on edge. Down an arm, her gear was still in need of repairs, and she was dealing with a lot of internal stuff that made her want to slap herself. She needed to focus, right now, she knew of three quirks. Smoke Copies, Energy Bolts, Regeneration, and Heat-Seeking. And Drevis had... whatever Drevis had.
Yeah, her odds were slim this time, she may as well face a Guardian.
Her head tilted up as if someone flicked her on the head. A Guardian... young ones are always sloppy. Rolling her shoulders, her cloak became transparent as she ran from cover, three small bolts tracking her disturbances across the ground as she spun through the air, seeing the Archer crane his neck toward her again, growling.
She fired three shots from her shock pistol, the faster draw with her lower right arm puncturing the Nomu's flesh but the holes quickly closed up, its aim hadn't flinched as a bolt shredded across the right-hand side of her helmet, breaking the horn as Drevis rolled onto all fives.
To her shock, several clones appeared from the shadows, all aiming their crossbows, she couldn't tell right from left. Acting fast, she threw a smoke bomb and tossed two shock grenades to her side views while firing a wire round to the clone she remembered to her right.
Two blue blasts echoed as the smoke billowed, and pain erupted from her left hip, seeing the amethyst burn through her hide, knocking her over as two arms pinned her down against the damp floor, the third bringing the crossbow against her respirator. Three arms, great, now it really was like staring into a mirror. An ugly, foul-smelling mirror.
If not for her mask, it might've seen her lips curl upright. Drevis' cloak was still active, so after a bit of fidgeting it believe to be her struggling, her shock pistol was pointed below its chin. A single shot up close tore through its jaw as Drevis put her legs against it and threw with her back. Seeing it collide and slide down a pillar, then it immediately crawled up the surface like a spider.
Since its jaw was regenerating, it left it wide open for a shock grenade to explode in its face, shredding the face entirely, leaving black, fleshy viscera to cling to a skull. Drevis then put her plan into action, limping over to another column, disabling her cloak. She would not fail, she refused to fail.
The sight of the impressive ketch hidden within a sulfur valley left Drevis with many thoughts of the last time she ever set foot aboard one. Perhaps during the Reef Wars? She wasn't sure, spending a very long time imprisoned stole her sense of time until her Kell freed her, all of their brothers and sisters.
A Ketch, the primary spacecraft for all Fallen, featured sweeping lines and bulbous curves. However given the current status of the Fallen as a species, they are often dirty and held together with the scraps of metal their crews come across. A light blue line could be seen painted across the main engine, the House of Winter's color.
"|You appear conflicted, against this operation?|" To startle Drevis from her daydream was the mighty Kell she swore her blades to.
A Kell bearing blue barding and dark grey underarmor. His sashes were woven with the House of Wolves that stretched down the cloth by his waist. A thick, crimson fur collar connected to his cape, flapping in the dust. A pair of vibrant orange tubes feeding into his helmet, curved and with visible, beady-blue eyes. Attaching to his shoulder blades were two large horns, the right one broken but it only made his stature that more threatening.
"|N-never Skolaskel, I...|" She never hesitated but it had been a long time since she had spoken directly to her Kell. She scanned the horizon where his Wolves and her Silent Fang approached to catch Winter off guard. "|Can we truly unite the other Houses? They are... stubborn, and of all Eliksni, Draksis is most... unpleasant|" Her throat clicked in disgust.
Skolas considered this, not moving closer less he give away their position atop the cliffside. "|I will run my blade through all banners, I will set my Wolves against any that dare to oppress our resolve, long enough we have suffered|" He stared directly down at Drevis. "|Will you follow me to that end, Drevis?|"
She lowered her head without question, "|Always, you gave us, me, a real devotion|" Their old Kell was brazen and it led to his downfall, when all his Barons sought to take the empty title, Skolas displayed cunning and strategy, unlike the others.
To her surprise, his lower left hand resided on her shoulder, opting for her to raise her head at his admiration. "|The Fang are my most trusted, but above all else, your devotion and loyalty are qualities I can never begin to repay|" To hear such honest words made Drevis's confidence in herself rise, lifting off any doubts of their mission.
"|...I will always follow you, into the Whirlwind without complaint|" That's right, she had no other reason to live other than for her Kell, the Eliksni that gave her hope for a better tomorrow.
But they took him from her, slew her Silent Fang, and when she was defeated, Skolas soon tasted that same, copper edge. Why was it she could live a second time? Why wasn't she stronger back then? Why did it have to be those three Guardians and that disgusting Devil!? Anger, guilt, loss, flooded her head every day.
The cold wind of the ancient Cosmodrome howled as the darkness settled in, the last cracks of sunlight turning the sky a strange mixture of blues and purples. Drevis' eyes glowered at the Eliksni bathed in a red cloak, a relic from long ago clasped in one of her hands. Behind her, three Guardians watched on patiently, the one in red, black, and white, that scarlet gun in her hands, just seeing her made Drevis' blood boil.
"|All Houses offered unity under Wolves, our freedom, liberty to prove ourselves to the Great Machine of our Kell of Kells|" Drevis proclaimed proudly, Silvis just eyed her unique cutlass, drawing it from her back to face the fanatical assassin.
"|Eliksni were proud, honorable, kind. Fallen are pirates, scavengers who lost their way|" She snarled. "|Monsters who kill and take innocent lives, Great Machine chose Humanity, then so be it, the Fallen do not deserve it's grace as we are|"
"|A lowly Devil like you can't understand anything|" Drevis raised a sword to Silvis. "|A broken House under a cowardly Kings' eye, a foolish Devil among pirates|"
Silvis just swung the blade slowly, looking more than ready to silence the Wolf. "|I hold His blade with pride, I honor His way, the heritage we lost with the same passion. I am Silvis of House Devils, Pride of Chelchis|"
Drevis would usurp them all. The Vengence of Skolas.
Once recovered, the Archer locked eyes with the cloak peeking out from behind the column to the right of the entry the Splicer took. He would hunt him next as he fixed his sights on Drevis without complaint.
The crackle and snap of the crossbow resounded, to the High-End's stupor, he struck only a blue cloak hung from a rusted piece of rebar prodding from the concrete pillar. It suddenly jerked back, swinging its arms to frantically scan the area with its quirk, nothing, there was no heat source resembling the Fallen. She fled.
From above, two blades carved their way down through its back and out the chest. It screamed, attempting to fling Drevis off as she grit her teeth and craned the beast toward the edge of the catwalk. Snatching the chain hung above them she wrapped it around its throat, attaching something to the oxidized metal before swinging back, shoving the Nomu over the edge.
The High-End threshed madly, firing random bolts in a vain attempt to slay the Eliksni that stood perfectly still, between her fingers, several pins were displayed, allowing them to clatter against the catwalk. Realizing this, the Nomu hadn't the leverage to free itself as several explosives quietly ticked around its ears.
Firing a blue bolt, Drevis disarmed the Nomu before it could do the same to the chains above, it was trapped. I may have been crafty but super strength wasn't one of his quirks. Drevis had seen through its strengths, and now, it was time to confirm her target. "Boom." She sneered, and behind her mask, she was smiling.
*BOOM!*
Bits of black flesh and other droplets of wet gunk stained the ground and points of Drevis' torn armor. The headless Nomu collapsed in a heap on the ground, unflinching, still. No signs of regeneration either. After a minute of waiting with her wire rifle charged, Drevis sighed, "Kill Confirmed."
Hopping down with a stumble, she cradled her injured shoulder from the entrance, kicking past the Nomu to approach the doorway Kovik must've taken. She had her orders, now, she had to choose.
Without hesitating, Drevis made her choice and stepped through the darkness.
"Why have you contacted us?" Drevis inquired, her fingers creased against her ear to listen to the old, dark laugh on the opposite side. Beside her, Red Dragon and Infernal did much the same with their silence kept. "
~All For One saw great potential in all of you, while that remains to be seen on my part, prove yourselves and I can promise you all will achieve the dreams you've been chasing!~ The Doctor proclaimed. ~The lives of those that drugged you on trivial matters like 'Destiny' and 'Hope', a childish fantasy!~ Infernal's fingers curled into a fist.
~A desire to liberate the millions from fate, to escape its control - believe me, I know that all too well~ Red Dragon barely moved an inch.
~A way back home, to cut down those that stole your leader from you, I would do much the same in your situation, Drevis, well, doesn't that sound fitting for you three?~ He eagerly said, awaiting their approval. ~I trust All For One with all I am able to provide and more, and if says he saw worth in all of you, then I would be more than happy to extend the same generosity~
"And for what price?" Drevis knew the cost of such wishful thinking, everyone had a price, even those of good intentions.
He chuckled loudly to himself, his sinister grin heard in his voice. ~Kill the Splicer you follow~
Further along the facility's winding hallways and chambers, the last opened up into a slanted elevator shaft. Hitting the switch, the orangy-brown lift groaned and buckled underfoot, eventually jerking down slowly to ground level.
With a jolt, the gears locked up, leaving Kovik to step out before a cave supported by an old mineshaft. Various pillars connected the ceiling and floor. A few odd square panels flattened the ground as a large puddle formed in the middle of the terrain. Straight ahead, a large set of blast doors appeared welded shut. For now.
~Ah, you finally showed up! I was beginning to worry my precious Nomu died for nothing!~ The Doctor chuckled through an intercom. Kovik didn't care, drawing his scorch cannon forward as it hummed before a large spotlight above illuminated a good portion of the cavern. ~Now-now, let's discuss this civilly, I'd rather avoid any unnecessary damage to my lab, I believe you can understand, from one scientist to another~
"I'm not here for conversation, Doctor, come out, you withering coward," Kovik's tone was hoarse and displeased. The effort taken to simply make it this far was taxing on all parties. And now, a single, metal door stood in his way. "I'll start by blasting down this doorway of yours, then-"
His weakened sensors flared, forcing his foot back in time to evade two blades from skewering his neck. They were connected to the arms, running parallel with the forearms.
The Doctor bellowed out laughing, ~Hohohoho! You're a slippery one! As expected from a battle-hardened alien race I suppose! My, what wonders your body could provide once we stitch that mouth of yours shut!~ The man mocked from the safety of his laboratory. ~Oh, I've waited a long time for this. You believe I never planned on your betrayal!? Many like you have tried, and as you can tell, none have succeeded, better yet, let me introduce you two of them!~
The creature that stood as tall as Kovik rose in the light, moaning as it brandished its blades. It was two Nomu stitched together by the back, the one with the bladed arms had a single eye with its frontal lobe exposed, the neck slightly elongated as it bent it in angles no spine could endure.
The one carrying the bladed half turned to far Kovik, four eyes narrowed venomously, their golden hue burrowing into the Splicer as it clenched its fists, white tattoos over its arms turning red as a vibrating force trembled across its knuckles. It was buff and had various stitches across its body from multiple surgeries.
"Is this it? All you got? No quirk, no strength, a dying husk!" It huffed, scratching its cheek with a finger. "Boring, how can a husk bleed?"
"Says the walking corpse, I can assume you're a High-End?" Kovik wasn't impressed but kept his guard up.
"Hahaha, yes-yes, you know! Called, uh, um... Flexile! Come, Splicer, let us see how quickly you'll die!" He taunted, his partner raising its blades with a howl. "I agree, less talk, I want to see some blood!"
~Hahaha, this is the end of the line for you, Splicer, it's been a pleasure to use you for your technology, that, and the girl's!~
The Twin Nomu, Flexile, charged, all Kovik could do was pull the trigger.
"What have you done...?" The woman in red and black armor gasped at the horrors sealed with an abandoned, Hive-infested missile silo. The bound abomination beside her thrashed around in SIVA chains, the rippling red aura digging into its wrists as it howled in pain. "Even for the Hive, that's... horrible."
Kovik chuckled, drawing his newest creation to meet her gaze, a scorch cannon modified with the eye ripped straight from the abomination's socket, infused to the weapon's barrel with SIVA, augmenting its capabilities. The hooded Guardian next to her pointed. "Uh, that... doesn't look like it went through regulations."
"I suggest we evade," One in white and purple robes declared, running around the chained beast as a fierce purple glare swelled across the optical organ.
"Every Guardian for themselves!" The hooded one panicked as they dived for cover.
The purple chain of plasma riddled the concrete as the High-End known as Flexile barreled through the attacks, striking Kovik's lower arms as they crossed to protect himself. A sudden blast of air pressure rippled through Kovik, flinging the Splicer above the archway, falling to the lip of the lift.
Flexile's thin eyes curved with a toothy smile. "What's wrong? That all... you got!?" He challenged, charging toward Kovik as gashes formed along his arms, spraying blood. "Go, Bloodletting Blades!"
Several small curved blades of his blood flew through the air, honing in on Kovik who quickly brandished his twin cutlasses against the oncoming attacks, slashing them until they either stained the ground or his body. Some quickly pivoted at Flexile's fingers, swarming around Kovik.
"He can change their trajectory in an instant, very well," Kovik knew better than to stand and ward off such an attack so he aimed his augmented cannon down and blasted the ground to pieces, the shockwave dispelling the blood as he brought his foot down at the edge of the dust cloud, Ultra-Slamming the Nomu across the cavern.
~Ohoho! You managed to escape his cage? Very impressive... for now~ The Doctor continued to taunt as his High-End lunged again.
Assaulting the Nomu with another barrage of void blasts, Kovik flinched as his attacks came flying back, the bladed half had spun around, screaming as it ate the attacks before spitting them back at the Splicer, forcing him to evade. That made strength, regeneration, blades, shockwaves, blood blades, and finally, energy redirection. Well, that's what Kovik could uncover.
It swung in wide bursts, keeping Kovik at a distance that he couldn't properly fire his launcher at. Leaping to a steel beam, Kovik bounced toward another, pursued by the Nomu as it slashed at the air, the lead half crawling along the vertical surfaces in hot pursuit of the Fallen.
~Time and again you've only proven your incompetence, never once have you truly succeeded in your efforts to steal Azuru's quirk!~ Again, the intercom continued to pound insults into the Eliksni's ear.
Purple blasts flew across the cavern, many sent flying back at Kovik who swung himself between the many support beams, evading blades of red viscous liquid, some of which sliced through his barding. Landing atop a horizontal beam, Kovik charged a shot as it ripped through the leading half's right shoulder as it spun, the right blade of the lower half skating by Kovik's hip as he leapt over them, blasting the support beam to molten slag.
Two more blood blades flew forward, connecting with his scorch cannon as Kovik stumbled through the large puddle. ~She bested you with your own power, and from my own observations, she has far better control over it - what I wouldn't do to steal that power from her, the applications you failed to provide myself and All For One have worn my patience, insect!~
"Do you ever... stop talking?" Kovik huffed, grunting against the overhead slam of Flexile's heel, the shockwave flinging the water high into the air before it landed, striking at Kovik's gut as he felt his inside buckle and bones crack. Gagging, he stumbled before blasting the creature full force, the knockback creating a wall of water between them.
Preparing another direct blast, Kovik's trigger finger stalled as two blades connected to the chamber, forcing him to block as the bony protrusions split his launcher in two, leaving him wide open to the Nomu spinning around to strike at his chest with a kick. Kovik slammed into a beam, bending it before he stomached the pain and moved before they could crush his skull through the steel beam, folding it entirely.
His lower right hand hid the void cranium that powered his launcher, drawing on his swords to counter the swarming blood blades, moving quickly as Flexile was in hot pursuit. "I have no room to breathe, my long-range methods are gone, and my nanomachines can't regenerate as fast as this creature," His options were running thin.
More flying blood blades were coming his way, thinking on the fly, Kovik used his lower left hand, breaking the fingers down to cast a puff of red dust to intercept the blood. The particles erupted into a crimson blast. He locked blades through the red smoke with the lesser half's arms, the frenzied strikes keeping Kovik from advancing while the leading half recovered from the blast, skin, and muscle joining together.
~All my other Near-High-Ends may have been a cakewalk but this is one of my completed High-Ends! I specifically had him wait just for you, knowing you'd come crawling after me~ The Doctor admitted, enjoying the desperate defenses the Splicer erected. ~You truly think we never expected your betrayal? You rambled on about how little you care for humanity, how predictable can you be?~
Parrying a trembling shockwave to his left, Kovik plunged his right blade forward, aimed for the brain. He froze, the grin plastered on Flexile's face hadn't wavered, his right fist arched to shatter Kovik's sword, twirling for two blades to slice across his torso. Spun on the ball of their foot, Flexile chuckled, bringing his right arm forward.
The fist connected to the remaining sword in Kovik's possession, his hands buckling to withstand the tremendous force behind the attack until his grip slipped, and he felt the full crushing weight of the fist breaking through the right-hand side of his helmet, smashing his right eyes. He gasped, stumbling backward into a firm stance.
With a rising slash, he severed the arm but watched as it slowly grew back, the bladed half spun round to assault the defenseless Splicer, hacking deep into his barding, the wounds shimmering red in vain to repair the damage. Two more shockwaves skimmed by his face, Kovik swishing his cutlass to ward off the air pressure as the pair spun around and around, changing their fighting styles constantly.
Two blades slashed at the ground under Kovik's feet, his blade ringing as it braced the left hook that followed, then several thrusts with the bone blades while blood sickles circled him, keeping the exhausted Splicer in motion around the skeleton of the mineshaft, slicing through the blood blades while evading the oncoming punches and sword swipes.
~Your constant augmentation makes it that my Nomu can toy with you for as long as I desire, to a reasonable extent, can't waste any precious information on a corpse, can we?~ He chuckled at Kovik's dismay.
Through the haze of combat, a pair of jaws sunk around Kovik's left arm, it was the lower half again, but it smiled through uneven teeth, a bright right glow emanating from its throat. Kovik recoiled as a searing hot blast left his bicep a smoldering stump of scrap and wire. "Not energy redirection, he just used a blast to repel them back at me!" This was problematic, a blasting quirk?
The gaps in its arms where the blades formed suddenly glowed, and the bone marrow split through their edges. Swinging frantically, every strike Kovik deflected exploded outward, battering his armor, shrapnel piercing his body while more blood blades tore into his back, throwing him into the leader half's direction as it grabbed the edge of Kovik's helmet.
"Die, rot in the ground! Quirk imposter!" It howled, dragging Kovik's head through a beam before tossing the Eliksni skyward. Leaping after him, Flexile spun slowly, swords crossed before blowing Kovik away with a cross-chop infused with exploding blood, several small eruptions separating the two as Kovik was buried deep into the concrete wall, rubble and dust burying parts of his battered, bleeding form.
~I've studied you for years, insect. We've reached your limit~
"My... limit...?" Kovik couldn't feel his arms, his legs were jelly, his stomach was in knots, head swirling with memory and pain. "Am I... dying again? Not even... in front of my enemy...?" He hated that, no... he refused to believe it would come to this.
Drevis entrusted her vengeance to Kovik, a Silent Fang, a Wolf Baroness. Red Dragon could easily have crushed him and Kovik wouldn't even know of it. Infernal is an immortal that devoured souls, what could Kovik do to stop him?
Toga was crazy, Twice even more so, the latter of which spoke often with the Splicer, and the former held suspicions over Kovik. Dabi didn't care, one wrong move would set him off. Compress often spoke on good terms with Kovik despite knowing well he disliked humans. Spinner was skeptical of the Devil's reasons too. And Shigaraki? What did he truly think of Kovik? After all, if he knew of All For One's demise at his hand, would the League corner Kovik? He didn't know.
Why... why all of this to kill one, insignificant girl?
"I've grown stick of your screaming... ~WILL YOU SHUT UP!?~" The Exo in white and purple yelled out as his purple body erupted with Void Light, knocking the blind abomination backward, landing atop the Splicers that swarmed from behind. "And stay down."
Kovik held the female Guardian in his crushing grasp, feeling her armor bend under his fingers while keeping his foot pressed against her comrade below, himself unable to shift from under the Splicer as his helmet glowed against the girl's face. Her emerald eyes glared back, struggling to free herself as Kovik raised his experimental weapon toward her face. At this range, her head would be vaporized.
"Ce...res..." Kovik worded slowly, rolling the name of the girl around on his tongue. "Rot... like the Hive." He sneered in her face, his Wretched Gaze winding up
Her fingers bent against his hand before becoming loose, she was giving up? No, her eyes stared through his mask, they burrowed into his own. "Ladies first," Something unbearably hot suddenly pierced his foot where the hooded Guardian laid, a vibrant, blue dagger split through his boot.
"Graaaah!" Kovik recoiled as the flow of electricity tore through his leg and across his lower half. The girl, Ceres, used this to pry herself free of Kovik's loosened grip, evading the glaring blast of Kovik's weapon as she spun around, her right arm smothered in golden flames that blinded the Splicer.
Clasped in her hand was a molten hammer, one Kovik had seen plenty of times, tanking the wide swing with his left arm as it folded the limb, clutching his cannon with his lower left and upper right, he released a steady payload onto the void-coated Guardian, his frame absorbing the blasts as that same hooded Guardian lunged with his knife, only for Kovik to grab him by the throat mid-swing, slamming him against the floating Guardian ahead.
He turned to face the woman only for something sharp and hot to plunge itself through his chest, her fist lodged through his heart, or where it used to be, and that neon blue knife prodding through from his back. The pair had planned this, using the momentum from their ally to fling the Guardian back while Kovik was distracted with the girl.
Did they best him? How? How could he lose when he had SIVA?
As his body crumbled to the ground, he only saw that girl's eyes, no sorrow, no joy, just relief. Relief that he was dead. No... not like that. He reached out his hand toward her, but it fell short, and his vision blurred. "I... will... per...fect... the...m all..."
"No," The girl, Ceres, spoke softly, staring down at his bleeding corpse. "Because you can't help anyone but yourself."
Himself? All of this was... personal gain, wasn't it?
Dug into the concrete, Kovik's body shifted slightly, the left-hand side's HUD flickering as it tried to sharpen the image of Flexile, the Nomu towering over Kovik with every step. Taken like a solid kick to the dirt, Kovik realized it, what it is he had been denying all this time. Drevis saw through the facade. That Guardian was - no, she and Azuru had what he lost.
"I can't lose, not when I'm... so close!" He heaved, feeling inside of him something dormant, something he never thought of until this moment. "I am no leader, not like my Archon was. Acceptance, that's what he... was trying to teach me," Coughing, his muscles flinched. "I'd give anything to be a fraction of the leader he was..."
~What are you babbling about now? A final confession? You must be delerious~
His visible eyes were wide with wonder, "No, clarity," He wrenched his right arm free from the rubble, reaching out to grab the air, or rather, to pinch it. "I have faith... in my comrades, human or not, I will do... whatever it takes to uphold my word to them all, that is what made Aksis the leader I followed complacently, the leader... I will endeavor to become!"
There was an abrupt twinkle between Kovik and Flexile, hovering around Kovik were four SIVA clusters. Red, White, Green, and Blue. He pried himself free of his concrete prison, tearing his lower left arm from its socket, he didn't care, it was all numb compared to the beating in his chest. "Yuki Azuru, Ceres... thank you, because now..." Behind the camera, the Doctor's face paled with horror as the bloodied glare of Kovik sent shivers down his spine. "...I can obtain a new reservoir of energy!"
The four clusters quickly flew back into Kovik's chest, and an intense dome of heat forced the Nomu backward, burning his skin as Kovik stumbled forward, veins of red, blue, white, and green snaked across his chest, spreading their web over his armor, breaking away the imperfections. An indomitable force swelled in the Splicer as he disappeared in a mirage of copies, the astral forms slamming into Flexile, himself heaving in pain.
Suddenly, two arms grabbed either head of the Nomu, Kovik slamming their scalps together as he injected the combination of nanotech augments into their bodies, pumping the fusion through their blood and bones. The two halves screamed, the leading half biting down on Kovik's hand, tearing into the fingers while one of the swords from the lower half pierced his abdomen.
The pair threw themselves around, one trying to set itself free, the other holding his iron grip to their skulls, feeding them more nanites that even his armor started to dissolve to compensate for the loss of nanomachines. Kovik's eyes glowered with hatred, burning ice-blue in the dark. "You will be the first, offer up your life, your pitiful resolve, to witness my GENESIS!"
~What are you doing!? You shouldn't be any stronger than them! T-this is bad, this is bad!~
The colorful lines of light fed into their veins, the cracks glowing brighter as the two screamed in agony, throwing the Splicer off his feet. He did not relent, pressing both legs between the two fused Nomu, refusing to release them until his nanomachines consumed everything, all down to their marrow.
"I am an Eliksni Splicer! There is nothing... NOTHING... we cannot accomplish!" Hack, augment, renovate, evolve, all limitless for a true Splicer of their kind. Kovik, would prove it with this act, be it his final or otherwise.
With a howl toward the ceiling, the various colors had completely spread through Flexile's body, the two halves freezing up as Kovik applied a little more pressed, falling to the ground a haze of dust colored the same as the four clusters. In a single move, he disintegrated the High-End into nothing but particles, some of which were absorbed to heal the gash in his stomach, but not much as he limped toward the blast doors, gathering a vortex of nanites around the void cranium he procured from his augmented scorch cannon.
"I am almost done - Knock-Knock, Doctor," Thrusting the void orb forward, a blinding flicker followed by a purple and white flash and ringing bang collided with the door. Dust and clattering scrap left the Doctor recoiling himself, rubbing his ears.
Through the thick dust cloud, a glint of red and silver flung from the haze. The Doctor was startled but realized that a weight had been snatched from his lap, in his horror, he spun on his chair to find Johnny impaled against the wall, the tiny Nomu twitching erratically from the arc spear embedded in its back.
"J-Johnny!" His only means of escape was cut off.
"Do not worry, I made sure to miss the vital points of his body, consider him... in a deep sleep," Through the smog, Kovik shambled through on his good leg. "I still have use for that particular Nomu, the rest... well, perhaps."
The blast may have torn a sizable hole through the blast doors, but Kovik had taken all that energy in close proximity. His right arms were destroyed, the upper-right spurting fluid and blood from the elbow. His barding and armor were burnt or warped by the void, shredding his equipment while the red glare on his helmet flickered. Despite how incredibly painful it appeared, it felt little more than a throb.
The purple glow from the various vats containing the other experimental High-Ends cast the room in an ominous glare, the constant whine of the Splicer's joints and stumbling made it clear how battle-damaged he was in his pursuit of the man behind the Nomu, the backing of All For One.
"First you destroyed my only good High-Ends, and now my precious Johnny, ohohoho, you've got a lot of nerve, insect!" The Doctor threatened, one eye narrowed behind his rounded goggles, waving his arm frantically. "To think, you would go behind your own comrades' backs, cutting off their only source of income-"
"You are not the only one capable of gathering monetary value," Kovik heaved himself over the pipes, shuffling closer inch by inch. "Your only purpose is the creation of Nomu, but even they are lacking seeing as your only ones have been slain so easily."
The Doctor's face scrunched up at the insult, slamming his fist against the arm of his chair. "You may have potential but don't forget how lost you were before Grain dragged your desperate form to All For One's feet!" That made Kovik hold his stride, seeing the man's disgusting smile. "Yes, you can call yourself a scientist, a supplicant of your leader, but without his guidance, you're a lost lamb. Pah, Tomura Shigaraki has proven, if only in word alone, his capabilities as a leader beyond your own!"
"What do you know? Cowering behind your screens and your puppets," Kovik dismissed, he had no weapons left, only two hands, one of which had no working fingers thanks to that High-End biting them until most hung on by wires. One pipe caught on his foot, causing Kovik to stumble down onto his knees, the Doctor laughed.
"You haven't got any strength left after that stunt of yours!" His condescending laugh, though it was more of a whine, led to him clicking his fingers. "And as you said, 'Almost'."
In saying this, Kovik heard several footsteps come out from behind the stasis vats for the High-Ends. Red Dragon stood off to his left, silent as a mouse but heavily damaged to his shield and halberd. Infernal appeared to the right, grinning devilishly as he played with the High-End's soul that he stole. And behind him, Drevis held her cutlass.
"What have you done?" Kovik asked, trying to pull his foot under him, he was only a few extra steps away from the Doctor looking down on him with a mighty chuckle of superiority.
"Why, I gave them a choice, of course," He grinned as the Splicer shook his head, almost expectantly, lowering it.
"You deceived me..." No weapons, no strength, no armor. Kovik had lost.
"When you came along, at first All For One saw such potential, a technology capable of creating anything, dismantling the environment itself to reshape its very nature, so similar to a quirk but without limitations. You carried commitment, fortitude, and yet... I saw only a child trying to fill big shoes," The Doctor swayed his head as he talked, leaning forward to glower down at the Splicer.
"Much like Shigaraki, you whine like a kid with pipe-dreams! A fantasy that's impossible to reach, yet you sounded so confident when you spoke, fantastical without proper direction!" He berated, leaning into his chair. "You came all this way, risking everything you've cobbled together, and now look at you, squirming around before your subjects, nothing is more pitiful than a villain with empty philosophy."
Kovik glanced back at Drevis, her eyes staring straight ahead. "So, you're with him?"
Grabbing his broken helmet, his claws curled behind the mask, visible eyes fogged over. "You're so blessed to have never seen what real strength does to you. Riis was a prosperous world under the guise of the Great Machine, when its enemies came, however, it abandoned us, leaving us to pick up the pieces, to forge on with scraps,"
Kovik lowered his hand, raising his head to eye the Doctor completely. "Do you know what kept us from tearing one another apart? Among the infighting of Houses, the torturous punishments done to the lower class?" No one spoke, so Kovik pressed on, not seeing the blade rising behind his head. "Loyalty,"
"Even against adversity, the cruelty, our brothers and sisters marched on as one, and now, I see... even those that aren't Eliksni, I see as my House," He saw the reflection in the screens, the blade was high. "And now I'm forced to live alongside parasites like you, who have nothing without their masters," He pressed with hateful eyes.
"Hahaha! An impressive speech, quite moving!" The Doctor commended, watching the Splicer's eyes fall to the ground again. "But, unfortunately, All For One, and my own patience with you, has run thin, I'll be sure to keep your research to further my Nomu."
"Have you ever died before? I have, that crushing abyss, isolation from all your senses, yes, I accept that I may die, I've known it since I fell into this wretched world," He placed his hand on his lap. "Yet, I will always believe in loyalty."
With a red flash, Drevis swung her blade wide, slashing through the floor with a vibration in the air. A single, red streak left, grazing Kovik's helmet as his eyes widened, clutching his chest as he nearly forgot how to breathe. Before them, the Doctor, Daruma Ujiko, gagged on the air, his throat slit open as blood caked his hands.
Like a fish out of water, he croaked, collapsing to the floor in an effort to seal his wound, but seconds later, his writhing ceased, and the tension was gone. Kovik slowly recovered from the ordeal. "So... he tempted you, did it work?"
"Not for someone as low as him," Drevis shrugged, kneeling down to wrap her arm around Kovik's waist, helping him stand again as Infernal did the same, appearing with a smile.
"Like we'd actually listen to some wrinkly old human!" He flinched, snapping his head toward Red Dragon. "U-um, well, you're cool, so it doesn't count, hehe."
Red Dragon cocked his head again before sighing deeply. "His offer was, much the same, as AFO years ago,"
Held in their arms, Kovik didn't feel the need to be on edge. A part of him had always felt that way around humans, they were what Guardians were before their little shells brought them back. Humanity was chosen by the Great Machine and that bitterness remained, Aksis displayed that displeasure greatly.
Yet, it was humans that banded together with him, gave him the resources needed for himself and Dren to rebuild Vosik, however little that meant, Drevis, an assassin who is loyal to another Kell. From there, they allied themselves with villains, a Nightmare, and a Vigilante. They were not just humans anymore.
Kovik had found his brothers and sisters again. "All of you, for your hard work, your efforts..." The trio eyed the Splicer, beaten and broken, with his honest tone rasped through his helmet. "Thank you."
The group took that by surprise, not expecting to hear something as sincere from the otherwise cold and calculative Splicer. Infernal was the first to react, patting the Splicer's lower back considering the height difference. "Aw, love you too, buddy!"
"Spare me," Kovik huffed, staring between two of the vats at something obscured in the back of the facility. "There's a door back there, is that how you entered without my knowledge?"
"A door?" Red Dragon turned his head to Drevis and Infernal, they too shared his skepticism as Kovik pointed forward.
"Down there, perhaps this is how the good Doctor traversed this place from the surface?" Questioning the obscure doorway, he ushered them forward to investigate.
Kovik reflected on what he had accomplished, with SIVA, fusing them seemed so obvious now, rather, he never considered their combined might before. Was that the Theif's trick? Merging the various forms to combat his Splicers? No matter the reason, he held a key to many doors, one, very real door, stood before them.
It was different than the gunmetal grey around them, no wires nor lights displayed it even existed. Placing his broken hand onto its surface, the metal was black, cool to the touch. Like a living thing, it reacted to the contact, and the wall rose between the doorway, unveiling a room beyond their reach.
A deathly cold air flew from the chamber, and their eyes shared a state of unease, like fingertips on the surface of their minds, it called to them. Find his voice again, Kovik croaked, almost suffocating on the air.
"What... is this?"
To Be Continued...
Well shit, I just killed off another important character, hahaha! Oh God, I'm gambling with chance here. So, this chapter and the next is where my story really takes MHA and twists it in a different direction. My biggest worry is I hope not to leave any of the League in the dust, that's not what I want, but All For One was a big step toward my own storyline and people seemed very surprised by that. And now the Doctor that created the Nomu.
Everyone will still have their moments, I can assure you, just the time and place will be significantly different as we'll come to see leading up to the beginning of the War Arc. Kovik has always been a wildcard since I added him long ago, I'll be honest, I didn't know what I wanted to do with him, was he a fanatic or just a lesser villain for something more? Well, after all his interactions I can safely say I have an answer.
But I'll save that for later, I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always: seeya in this arc's finale, Villains!
Next Chapter Intermission: Loyalty, Perfection, Salvation
"You didn't really think we'd kill you, right?" Infernal asked, swaying side-to-side.
"I had my doubts," Kovik replied honestly as Drevis tinkered with his cybernetics quietly.
"Aw, come on! We're buddies! Plus, I want my new Host, this one-" A black claw suddenly burst from Infernal's chest, forcing him to shove it back inside with a finger. "Now, now, back in you go..."
Drevis and Kovik stared at him, then moved a few paces left of Infernal. "...I see..." Kovik cleared his throat. "Well, coming soon, Loyalty, Perfection, Salvation."
"Go Confusion-" Drevis mindlessly worded.
"-Plus Chaos!" Infernal held up two peace signs, that same claw from before bursting from his chest again. "I said, stay put!"
To Be Continued...