Hello there, UltimateDemonBeast65 here with the new chapter of MVA: Symbiote's Justice! Over 300 favourites and 300 follows, thank you all so much for reading and supporting the story, we have a TV Tropes page, a small online following and even official cover art, so thank you to edCOM02 for making this cover art, and I hope you might even adapt or draw scenes from the story too. Sorry that we weren't able to deliver this chapter even though we started in December, we'll be sure to try and make sure we do a chapter per month, but that might mean shortening the length of the chapters like we've done with this one. Anyway, here are the responses to reviews:
For'Sleep 3rd: You're welcome, dude, and yes Overhaul is going to be a bit more depraved and evil here, but also willing to make the more pragmatic choices. We'll see how UA decides to act and think when the time comes.
Trux-Killer: You'll see in time.
Angel lara451: You're not the first to suggest we do this idea, and we've taken it into account. All I can say is keep on reading and we'll see what happens.
TheShadySlade: Sorry but I don't really intend to make a spin-off of this story, this will solely be a Venom x My Hero Academia story and utilize a mixture of symbiote lore from the comics and movies.
Maximum Rhapsody: There might be a potential for some other characters appearing, but they would need to more or less relate to Venom, Eddie and other stuff from the Sonyverse.
GabrielReyesOG: Thank you Gabriel for your review, we're glad that you are enjoying the story and we intend to make it worth every second of your time. The fight for existence will be an epic one, so stay tuned.
Gridman Telos: We'll see what happens.
With that out of the way, enjoy the chapter!
About an hour had passed since the Volcano Thieves had discovered where to go in order to locate the Grendel, though the three of them were still sitting around inside of the old farmhouse, resting up so that they could fully use their Quirks once again. Unbeknownst to them however, Eddie and Venom along with Sleeper were just outside, both of them moving towards the farmhouse on opposite sides of each other. Meanwhile, Lady Nagant positioned herself up on a nearby hill and waited for her allies to make their move in capturing the Volcano Thieves. Nagant sat herself down while turning her arm into its rifle form, her bipod tendrils touching the ground and then took aim as she loaded one of the tranquilizer darts in the barrel of the firearm.
"Let's hope this works…" Nagant thought as she looked through her rifle's scope, spotting the Volcano Thieves inside of the farmhouse, then spoke through her comms. "I've got eyes on the targets inside the farmhouse. I'm ready when you two are."
"We're approaching the farmhouse's gate." Sleeper spoke through the comms.
"Ready to bag and tag." Venom quipped.
"Seriously? You just had to say it." Eddie said with an annoyed tone.
"Focus." Sleeper said sternly, making the Lethal Protector duo silent.
Lady Nagant meanwhile rolled her eyes after Venom's remark then continued to stare down the scope on her arm. She could see the Volcano Thieves were in the middle of the farmhouse, trading banter with one another as Venom and Sleeper inched closer to their objective.
"Kazetani, status on your leg." Volcano asked as he adjusted some of the tubes and wiring in his gauntlet.
"I can walk with it again, boss, so that's a plus." Gust Boy replied with a grin, standing up from his seat though started to flinch slightly, gritting his teeth in pain. "Well, it still hurts but at least I'm not limping anymore."
"Good~ The sooner we find this manuscript for All For One, the better. " Dusty Ash said while twirling her tanto around, before putting it back in the sheath. "Oh, I already have been crunching the numbers!"
"Crunching the numbers?" Gust Boy asked, confused.
"She means money, you moron." Volcano said with a groan. "So, how much?"
"Thirty million Yen!" Dusty Ash replied excitedly, shooting one arm up into the air while lifting one leg behind her.
"Woah! That's quite a price you've set, Haizono!" Gust Boy exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise.
"That's quite the number, though I'm sure the big bad Symbol of Evil has enough bank accounts to cover that cost." Volcano said, before re-adjusting his gauntlet.
"He was the dark king of the criminal underworld, so you'd expect him to be loaded." Dusty Ash said with a giggle as she put her arm and leg back down and gave the two of them a wink.
"Nagant, do you have a clear shot?" Sleeper asked through the comms as he reached the shed near the farmhouse.
"I do, and I'm ready to fire." Lady Nagant replied, having her rifle aimed at Volcano's chest.
"Take the shot." Sleeper said, before summoning his Necrosword and prepared for battle.
Lady Nagant then exhaled and held her breath before firing her rifle. The tranquilizer dart flew through the air at supersonic speeds, through an open hole in a farmhouse window and struck Volcano on his chest, much to their shock and horror.
"What the fuck?!" Dusty Ash exclaimed as she took her sword and micro-uzi, taking cover behind the large doors of the farmhouse. "Are you okay, boss?!"
Meanwhile, Volcano looked down at where he was shot at and saw a dart sticking out his chest. He growled and yanked out the dart, throwing it on the ground.
"That bitch found us! Scatter!" Volcano ordered.
Dusty Ash put on her respirator then emitted a dust cloud from her body, only big enough to cover the windows that were on the side that the dart came from. Gust Boy then ran towards the other side of the farmhouse, ready to use his fans.
"I've lost visual of the targets, Dusty Ash used her Quirk to cover the windows." Lady Nagant relayed through comms after she loaded another dart into her rifle.
"Shit!" Eddie and Venom yelled in unison as they charged towards the farmhouse, only to narrowly dodge a powerful lava blast that shot out of one of the windows.
"Venom, don't engage Volcano head on!" Sleeper yelled before he moved quickly to intercept Gust Boy.
Gust Boy however spotted Sleeper approaching and began to spin his hands, unleashing a powerful torrent of air. Sleeper formed tendrils and anchored his body to the ground, preventing Gust Boy's attack from knocking him further away from his targets.
"This alien freak is anchoring himself to the ground! I can't blow him away!" Gust Boy shouted.
"Well then allow me to help you with that!" Dusty Ash called out as she then ran towards Gust Boy, shooting a burst of rounds from her micro-uzi at Sleeper and shot a stream of dust to combine with Gust Boy's attack.
Sleeper used his Necrosword to block each of the bullets, then switched to inferred vision to see through the cloud of dust fired at him. He then leaped through the dust cloud and swung his Necrosword down on Dusty Ash, who only managed to just block his blade with hers before Sleeper was blown into the shed by Gust Boy, crashing into a few boxes and tools.
"You okay, Ash?" Gust Boy asked his comrade.
"I'm all good~" Dusty Ash replied.
"Nagant, we need to tag the other two mercs fast while the first dart takes effect!" Eddie said within Venom and through the comms.
Volcano then rushed out of the farmhouse, furiously unleashing a volley of lava blasts at Venom, who dodged each attack before leaping into the air and drop-kicked Volcano into one of the farmhouse's walls.
"We've got this hot bastard, focus on the duck and the stripper!" Venom roared.
Lady Nagant quickly aimed her rifle at Gust Boy as she saw that he stood still long enough. She then took her shot and hit Gust Boy on his waist.
"Auugh! I'm hit, I'm hit!" Gust Boy screamed, falling to the ground and grasping his waist in an exaggerated manner.
"You only just got shot with a dart, dumbass! Now get up!" Dusty Ash yelled as she fired more rounds at Sleeper before creating another large dust cloud from her body.
Sleeper sprinted out of the farmhouse's shed, shrugging off the bullets fired at him before he launched a few tendrils at Gust Boy and Dusty Ash, to which she dodged or deflected with her tanto. And Gust Boy tried to spin his hands, but two of the tendrils grabbed his arms and pulled him towards Sleeper.
"Let go of me, you oversized blob!" Gust Boy yelled as he spun his hands again, and though it didn't break Sleeper's hold, it launched the mercenary into the air. 'Oh shit…"
Sleeper then yanked the tendrils and slammed Gust Boy head-first into the ground, knocking him out cold. Dusty Ash grit her teeth after seeing her comrade get taken down, she put her gun away and then charged at Sleeper, slashing at him multiple times once she got close enough. But Sleeper was able to keep pace and blocked each of her swings then counter-attacked with an upward strike. Dusty Ash blocked it just in time but it was still strong enough to send her flying back a dozen feet away from Sleeper.
"Volcano! Gust Boy is down!" Dusty Ash shouted before landing in a way that minimized the impact and quickly raised her tanto back up in a guarding position. She also quickly scanned the area and saw Lady Nagant. "I also spotted Lady Nagant! She's up on the hill!"
"Deal with her while I take on these freaks!" Volcano yelled before blasting a volley of lava at Venom, who just managed to dodge the blast yet again.
Without saying another word, Dusty Ash nodded and ran towards Lady Nagant's position while reloading her micro-uzi. Afterwards, she used her Quirk to shoot out a large cloud of dust in front of herself, but as soon as she did so, Lady Nagant fired the last dart at her before she could be fully concealed. Dusty Ash only felt a dart hitting her shoulder after failing to block it with her tanto.
"Shit!" She thought as she kept running through her dust cloud and taking out the dart. "That fucking stings! But it's still best to take this bitch down before the drug takes effect on me!"
"I've tagged all of our targets with the tranquilizers." Lady Nagant informed through comms.
"Take care of the female mercenary, Venom and I will handle Volcano." Sleeper said through the comms as he headed towards Venom and Volcano's location.
"Understood." Lady Nagant said before loading up one of her hair bullets into her rifle, waiting patiently for Dusty Ash to run straight out of the cloud of dust while looking down the sights of her scope.
A few more seconds passed but then she briefly felt the air currents and the sounds of bullets whizzing right by her, causing Nagant to duck down a bit to avoid getting hit. Lady Nagant still couldn't see the white-haired Villainess, but she did notice the dust cloud being slightly dispersed from the gunfire. She then took aim once more, being sure to keep track of her breathing while also predicting where Dusty Ash could be hiding within the dust cloud.
"There you are…" Lady Nagant thought as she settled on where to shoot, and then fired her rifle, hearing Dusty Ash scream along with some gunfire from her micro-uzi. She then saw Dusty Ash tumbling out the side of the dust cloud, letting go of her gun and tanto and ended up lying down on the ground shortly afterwards.
Lady Nagant changed her arm back to normal before going down to meet Dusty Ash face-to-face. Dusty Ash herself meanwhile tried to stand up as she saw the female sniper quickly running towards her, but ended up stumbling as she was hit in the leg. She quickly scanned the area for her weapons and shuffled towards her micro-uzi as fast as she could. And she did end up grabbing it and leaned up to fire at Lady Nagant, however, the former Pro-Hero was already in front of her and immediately disarmed her with a roundhouse kick to her right hand.
"You bi-!" Dusty Ash was about to shout but then Lady Nagant followed up her kick with a hard punch that landed on the right side of Dusty Ash's head, knocking her out.
"Dusty Ash has been taken care of." Nagant said through the comms before putting restraints on Dusty Ash then lifted her off the ground and started to watch the fight.
"Now we just have to cool this hot-head down!" Venom roared.
Venom leaped over a lava blast from Volcano before forming an arm blade and slammed it down on the mercenary, who blocked it with his gauntlet. Sleeper rushed over to Venom and Volcano, and swung his Necrosword at Volcano, who side-stepped out of the way as he released his hold on Venom. Volcano lifted his gauntlet clad arm to the sky as steam and smoke erupted from his shoulder volcanoes.
"Volcannon!"
As Volcano screamed his attack name, he blasted several jets of lava into the air that rained down upon the farmhouse and its surrounding area like a volcanic eruption. Venom and Sleeper both swiftly dodged and weaved around each blast of lava before the two symbiotes rushed towards Volcano and tackled him to the ground before they wound up their arms and double punched him square in the face, knocking the leader of the Volcano Thieves out cold.
"Looks like we got them." Eddie said as half of Venom's face opened up to reveal his host's own, then turned to look at Sleeper. "Guess we just take them back to the ship now?"
"Affirmative." Sleeper said as he approached the unconscious Volcano and lifted him over his shoulder.
Venom then walked over to the unconscious Gust Boy and picked him up with both hands.
"He really does look like a duck." Venom said with a chuckle.
"Well he's not a duck, his Quirk doesn't even have anything to do with ducks." Eddie retorted.
"So why the long face?" Venom asked, causing Eddie to groan in frustration at the symbiote's play on words.
After a couple of seconds, Sleeper along with Eddie and Venom could see Lady Nagant walking towards them while dragging Dusty Ash with her.
"Well, that's these mercs taken care of. When they wake up, it will be time to get some information."
"Agreed, but I believe it would be ill-advised to kill them afterwards. The Commission has shown us that they refuse to trust me and my kind, therefore bringing them in alive and giving them to the authorities should send a message." Sleeper stated.
"And what message would that be?" Nagant asked.
"We're not monsters, we can show restraint even when it would be easier to simply take their lives." Sleeper replied.
Lady Nagant only hummed and nodded at Sleeper's response. Sleeper began slapping special cuffs on Volcano and Gust Boy's hands, restraining their unconscious selves. But once they were about to make their way back to the ship Eddie and Lady Nagant started to feel off-balance.
"W-what the hell…?" Eddie and Venom said in a lethargic tone, and Venom himself put a hand on the side of his head.
"What's happening?" Sleeper asked, noticing the three's behaviour.
"We feel like we've chugged a dozen beers…" Venom said, as his face opened up and Eddie proceeded to vomit on the ground.
"You're in a state of vertigo….but how?" Sleeper questioned as he started to pick up something on his sensors.
"...That must be someone's Quirk…" Nagant replied as she stumbled and lost a hold of Dusty Ash. "But who…who could've found out about us?"
"Hic…that would be… that would be us." A male voice with slurred speech replied.
The group then turned to see two men walking towards them. One of them was tall and muscular with giant gauntlets and a plague doctor's mask that was colored black with red lines. He also wore a black tank-top, olive-green jeans and orange sneakers. The second man had long, greasy black hair and was much shorter and skinnier than his comrade, though he was somewhat muscular as well. He was sporting a furry vest along with dark pants and black shoes, and his mask was white with drains for the eyeholes. But they also saw him drinking a bottle of alcohol, but some of it was dribbling down his mouth and onto himself or the ground.
"Who…the hell are these….masked assholes…?" Eddie said.
"I don't know…but we need to deal with them…" Nagant said then she brought out her rifle and shot at the man drinking alcohol, but she missed her shot.
The alcoholic took out a few knives from under his vest and threw them straight at Lady Nagant. But as she tried to avoid them, she grunted in pain as one blade managed to pierce the barrel of her rifle, one managed to cut her on her waist, and two other blades were lodged in her shoulder.
"Oh…she's quite feisty isn't…hic…isn't she?" The skinny man in the white mask and fur vest chuckled, dropping his now empty bottle and picking up Dusty Ash.
"I thought these guys were meant to be the best." The muscular guy with the plague doctor mask said, picking up Volcano and Gust Boy.
"Well remember…hic…remember that we're only here to assist the mercs in case…hic…in case this was to happen to them." The skinny alcoholic stated. "And it seemed like they needed us…hic…after all."
"Hey….give those….back…you mother-" Venom tried to say, but lost balance and fell over.
"Try not to move while the Quirk's ability is still in effect." Sleeper said, moving about with zero difficulty.
"What the…hic…how are you still moving…?" The masked alcoholic asked in confusion.
"It seems that this Quirk only works on terrestrial organisms with developed organs. I have no such organs in my biomass, not ones that would be plagued by intoxication, not unless I was bonded to a host like you are." Sleeper replied, looking at the dazed Venom.
"I…I can still help to stop them…" Lady Nagant stated as she took out the knife that was blocking the barrel of her rifle.
"Hic, it seems as though you're also able to resist…no matter…we're only here to extract the Volcano Thieves anyway." The masked alcoholic stated, before just barely evading a tendril from Sleeper.
He then took out a couple more knives with his free hand and then threw them at Sleeper, before he and the larger man began to run away while carrying the Volcano Thieves. Sleeper weaved around the knives, quickly closing the distance between them and tackled the masked alcoholic to the ground. The muscular one then put the unconscious Volcano and Gust Boy under one of his arms before turning around and gripping on Sleeper's shoulder tightly, then an orange aura began flowing from Sleeper's body towards the muscular man, who looked to be inhaling the aura. Not only that, but he began to get taller and his muscles were getting larger.
"What the fuck?!" Venom yelled.
"He got bigger!" Eddie exclaimed, as Venom did his best to stay on his feet.
"Get lost, freak!" The larger man shouted as he then lifted Sleeper off the ground and tossed him into the farmhouse.
Sleeper crashed through one of the walls, but quickly reformed himself and stood up before creating some sort of firearm-like appendage on his arm and started to fire at the two masked Villains with small acidic projectiles. The larger man dived towards the unconscious members of the Volcano Thieves, avoiding all but two shots of Sleeper's projectiles, grunting and roaring in pain as he felt their acidic touch.
"Damn it!" The larger man yelled as he proceeded to use his Quirk again, absorbing the stamina and vitality of Sleeper once more.
Lady Nagant, who was trying to keep her aim steady the whole time under the effect of the alcoholic's Quirk, finally took her shot as she felt the time was right. And this time she managed to land a shot on the alcoholic's arm, causing him to let go of the knives he had in his hand. However, Nagant grunted as she felt the barrel from her rifle arm crack under pressure from where the knife penetrated. The skinnier man endured the pain and then threw a few more knives at Sleeper and Lady Nagant using his other hand. The former Pro-Hero dashed to the side to avoid them while Sleeper simply created holes in his body that the knives slipped through as he lunged at the masked drunkard, only for the larger man to step in front of his comrade and used a powerful right hook to send him skidding across the ground.
"That hulking brute…his Quirk seems to draw power from others, like an energy siphon…no wonder I feel weaker and light-headed…" Sleeper thought, as he used his claws to halt his body mid-skid and quickly stood back up.
"We're wasting time fighting these freaks, let's grab the Volcano Thieves and get the fuck out of here!" The larger man yelled as he scooped up Volcano and Gust Boy.
"I was thinking the same thing!" The alcoholic said before lifting Dusty Ash and began fleeing the area alongside his comrade.
As the two masked felons got further away from the farmhouse, the drunkard's Quirk faded away, to which Venom was able to stand up again. Lady Nagant sighed as she saw them run off and transformed her arm back to normal.
"Shit, they got away…" Eddie said as Venom retracted back into his body, panting from exhaustion. "No one said anything about them having back up."
"The Commission nor myself were aware of them." Nagant stated.
"All For One must have sent them to ensure the Volcano Thieves completed their job." Sleeper said before looking at his scanner again.
"So they weren't kidding when they said the boogeyman of Hero Society was involved." Nagant sighed. "We need to chase them down before they get too far away."
"Not with those injuries." Sleeper said, observing the incisions and cuts on Lady Nagant's arm, waist, and shoulder.
"Those look nasty, maybe we should stop for a little while and catch our breaths." Eddie said with visible discomfort, still feeling the effects of one of the mask assailants' Quirks.
"Damn it, Eddie, sit down before you puke again!" Venom roared as he forced Eddie's body to sit down on a nearby bale of hay.
"I can still track their location, we will be able to follow them regardless of how far they travel using my ship. Perhaps it is best we use this time to recover and rethink our strategy." Sleeper suggested.
"Alright." Nagant said with a nod before she glanced at her wounds on her right arm, waist, and then to her shoulder, which was trickling with a small flow of blood.
"Just when we thought we had them, those masked assholes had to show up and ruin things!" Venom roared as he protruded out of Eddie's shoulder.
"Easy on the yelling, my head is still spinning from that guy's Quirk…" Eddie complained, grasping the temple of his head. "When is this wild goose chase going to end?"
"When we catch them and prevent them from reviving the Grendel. Threat not, Edward Brock, for once we succeed, the Collective can assist you in returning to your universe." Sleeper assured.
"So they have a way to cross between universes then?" Eddie asked.
"No, but they know someone who can show you." Sleeper replied.
"But first we gotta save this world, Eddie, and everyone on it…except for the bad guys, they can just get eaten for all I care." Venom remarked.
Lady Nagant chuckled at Venom's remark as she found it rather amusing, and that surprised both Eddie and Venom.
"Was that a laugh I heard?" Eddie asked with a brow raised.
"Sounds like it to me, Eddie." Venom said with a grin.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Nagant said playfully before she sat down on another hay bale and looked off in the distance, thinking about her contract with the Commission. "Just how many more lies and deceptions have you got up your sleeve, you corporate assholes…?"
Overhaul's week had been eventful to say the least. He was given the order from All For One to create more Quirk-Destroyers, which meant doubling his work efforts and utilizing Eri's flesh and blood even more. However, yesterday, Eri escaped from the Shie Hassaikai's headquarters, forcing the young Yakuza to pursue her. This in turn led to an encounter with two Heroes-in-training who Eri ran into, running the risk of their plans being discovered. And since then, Overhaul was getting more suspicious that Heroes in the nearby area were catching up to him, fearing what All For One would do should he be captured or unable to meet his quota.
"Damn those brats, had Eri not piped down when I told her to, our base and operations could have been compromised. All For One had me send two of the Eight Bullets to shadow the Volcano Thieves as they search for their prize. He's yet to reveal to me who his benefactor is, but I will find out one way or another, it's just a matter of time." Overhaul thought as he walked down the hall towards the meeting room, before reaching the door and entering the room.
Inside of the meeting room there was a wall of multiple computer screens and inside of the room stood All For One, Shigaraki, Dr. Garaki, Kurogiri, Chronostasis, Nemoto, and Mimic.
"Apologies, I hope I'm not too late." Overhaul said in a formal tone.
"Oh no, you're just on time, Overhaul." All For One said with a smile. "How is production on the latest batch of Quirk Destroyers?"
"I have harvested the necessary amount of extract, enough to make twice as many capsules and bullets." Overhaul replied. "But how do you intend to give your Nomus the power of a Quirk Destroyer without nullifying their own Quirks?"
"That's where the Symbiotes come in." Dr. Garaki answered. "The Klyntar bonded and grafted to its host will possess the Quirk Destroyer within their biomass, independent from the Nomu's own anatomy and biology. Once we ensure that only a single consciousness remains within the Nomu-Symbiote hybrid, we can therefore order it to take specific actions, including firing off a Quirk Destroyer at their target."
"Just imagine the look on the Heroes' faces when they encounter the Nomu-Symbiotes and then in the blink of an eye, their precious Quirk is gone, and there would be nothing stopping our creations from devouring every Pro in the country!" All For One said with a sinister grin.
"Sounds like a twisted Frankestein's monster if you ask me…" Chronostasis said half-heartedly, causing Shigaraki to shoot a glare at the Yakuza.
"Remember your place, Yakuza dog, my Master chose to spare you instead of just killing all of you one by one. If his and the doctor's plan works, then we'll be able to destroy this rotten world." Shigaraki said, placing a hand on Chronostasis' shoulder, touching it with only four of his fingers.
"Let go of my shoulder…" Chronostasis said uncomfortably.
"Take your hand off my subordinate, Shigaraki, we may work under All For One but the chain of command in the Shie Hassaikai is shadowed by me." Overhaul said, glaring back at Shigaraki.
Shigaraki looked at Chronostasis before letting out a dark cackle as he let go of Chronostasis' shoulder, allowing the masked Yakuza to have a moment of relief, being glad Shigaraki didn't put down his fifth finger.
"Anyway, there are two other things I would like to discuss with you today." Overhaul stated to All For One. "First off, ever since Eri had run into those two Heroes-in-training the other day, I've been getting suspicious that Pro-Heroes nearby are starting to investigate the area."
"Are you serious?" Shigaraki scoffed. "If the Pros discover your work, this whole operation will go up in smoke!"
"Calm yourself, Tomura, I had foreseen this outcome as the Shie Hassaikai are directly and indirectly related to several purchases and use of Trigger. Therefore, it would have only been a matter of time before the authorities would have mounted an investigation." All For One explained. "It's quite simple, we must relocate the Shie Hassaikai and their operations elsewhere, a place that is hidden and guarded well."
"Sounds like you already have a place in mind." Overhaul remarked.
"Of course, no need to use any money from your own pockets, I do take care of my own after all." All For One said before turning around to face the multiple screens on the wall which all turned on. "Your compound is currently located in a suburb in Nara, giving you plenty of distance from major Hero Agencies and allows you to keep your operations quiet. But now that the authorities have wised up, they will eventually uncover the location of your compound."
"So where do you propose we go?" Overhaul asked.
"North, in Hokkaido. One of my hideouts from back in the early days is located there and shall be the perfect base of operations for both the League of Villains and Shie Hassaikai. It's been renovated to house an entire army, and the good doctor has had an underground facility built below it, big and sturdy enough for experimentation and research." All For One replied.
"I have already relocated much of my research and specimens to the Hokkaido facility, and I've had some success with Carnage's reproduction cycle." Dr. Garaki said.
"So she has conceived offspring?" Overhaul asked curiously. "All For One has been generous enough to inform me of your contribution to this army he seeks to build."
"Well I guess it can't be helped, best you understand what we seek to merge with the Nomu after all." Dr. Garaki replied with a shrug. "Come by the lab later and see for yourself, Kai Chisaki."
"My name is Overhaul." The Yakuza boss said with a venomous tone.
"But of course." Dr. Garaki chuckled. "But speaking of the lab, I should return to it, this Nomu-Symbiote army isn't going to make itself."
"That's one issue taken care of, I guess." Overhaul sighed. "However, there is something else I wish to discuss with you, All For One, in private."
"Shigaraki, you and Kurogiri can assist the rest of the Shie Hassaikai with the relocation process." All For One said.
"But Master, Kurogiri can surely handle this task alone." Shigaraki argued.
"Kurogiri is indeed powerful and capable of warping them and their resources safely to Hokkaido, but the Pro Heroes are after them as we speak and they'll need someone to shadow them. I can't afford to lose the girl and the Quirk Destroyers." All For One stated.
"I…I understand, Master." Shigaraki said with a nod as he gestured for Kurogiri to follow him out of the room, who followed obediently.
"The three of you can join them as well." Overhaul said.
"Are you sure, boss?" Nemoto asked.
"Yes. Now leave us." Overhaul replied sternly to which Chronostasis, Nemoto, and Mimic also exited the room, then made eye contact with All For One. "I'm going to come out and say it, you still haven't let me meet your benefactor yet."
"I had a feeling you would bring that up again." All For One said, adjusting his collar. "I have to warn you, Overhaul, contact with my benefactor is not an easy accomplishment to complete."
"What are you trying to say, All For One? That I haven't done enough for you yet?" Overhaul challenged as he clenched his fingers. "Well then, tell me what else this is going to take in order to meet him!"
"You misunderstand my words, Overhaul. I am telling the truth that speaking with him is no easy task, how a single mistake, any notion of hesitation will melt your precious brain into paste." All For One explained as he stuck out his index finger, with a small black tendril coming out of the tip.
"What the hell are you going to do to me?!" Overhaul exclaimed, instinctively backing away into his seat.
"Well, you wanted to meet my benefactor, didn't you? All you have to do is connect your brain into the Symbiote Hive-Mind." All For One instructed.
"The what?" Overhaul said in confusion.
"The Symbiotes aren't just bonded to their host, they are all connected to a massive neurological and metaphysical construct made from billions of years of knowledge and memories passed on across time and space by their kind. Through connecting to it like I have, you shall be able to meet my benefactor." All For One explained.
"...so, you're telling me that your benefactor is a Symbiote as well?" Overhaul asked.
"The answer to your question is right here." All For One said as the tendril coiled around Overhaul. "Word of advice: Don't fight it, just let it in."
He tried to break free of the tendril's grasp, but he could hardly move at all before feeling a sudden sting on the back of his head. Then shortly after, the Yakuza boss felt an overwhelming sensation throughout his entire mind as his consciousness shot down a stream of cosmic neurons, countless information spanning across billions of light years and across different universes flowing through it. His head was twitching and jerking around sporadically during that time. All this information came so suddenly and was passing by so quickly, Overhaul felt as though his brain was about to explode at any moment, as he gritted his teeth in pain.
"KING IN BLACK…."
Overhaul heard these ominous words in his head, in which the multitude of colours, images and information racing across the Symbiote Hive-Mind silenced as the Yakuza's mind was enveloped in darkness. It pulled him in and sent him towards the source.
Deep underground, within one of the small rooms in the Hokkaido compound used for Dr. Garaki's experiments and research was Himiko Toga, laying on a bed in the fetal position as a mix of emotions raced through her mind. There was pain, anger, sadness and a feeling of vulnerability overwhelming Toga, but Carnage however was silent for a long time, something that disturbed the young blood-sucking Villain. Carnage was usually very talkative and opinionated, but the Blood Hunter was now quiet and docile.
"Carnage?" Toga asked, finally deciding to speak up. "Carnage, are you there?"
But Carnage didn't say anything, causing Toga to let out a sigh of concern and frustration.
"Carnage, please, you can't stay silent forever. You're tougher than this, you've cleaved through cops and Heroes alike with a smile on your face, you've fought your dad to a standstill. We're stuck together and we feel what each other feels, no one else is like that…just please talk to me…"
"What's there to talk about...how they pumped us full of nasty chemicals, shocked us, threatened us with fire and sound as I gave birth to little monsters…?" Carnage finally spoke in a solemn and defeated tone of voice. "Your species always talks about the beauty of childbirth, how amazing and wonderful creating life is...but where is the beauty in forcing me to breed weapons…where, Toga…?"
"I…I don't know…" Toga replied after a few seconds of silence.
"...You and everyone might see me, might see all of my kind as weapons, as monsters who eat and kill to their heart's content…but we have emotions, we learn them from our hosts…you have taught me a lot about the wonders of killing and blood…but I also feel like there's a loneliness to you, that you still don't know where you belong…and you just want friends, you want people to relate with…maybe I do too…but I don't think Dad or that space cop want a psychopath for a friend…" Carnage said, still in a solemn tone, not loud and assertive like usual.
Toga sat up and looked at the edge of the bed, thinking about what Carnage had just said before letting out another sigh.
"…I know how you feel….at least in regard to people not liking you…not liking you for enjoying violence and blood…for wanting to be like the people you love…to want to be inside of them as they draw their final breath…or maybe it's all just pointless and meaningless, and that we just don't belong in society…Look, I don't know, I'm just as clueless as you…"
"Clueless? I'm not clueless, I'm in pain and confused…but I know that they don't care about this part of me…only the killer, the monster…why else would they want a Blood Hunter…?" Carnage said with a sigh.
However, both of their thoughts were abruptly interrupted with a sudden feeling of pain that flowed through them. Toga used one hand to rub her head to try and ease the pain pulsating in her head, while also hearing Carnage groan, as she especially was affected by this sensation. But not too long afterwards, the pain had gone away.
"That Yakuza guy…" Carnage said.
"What about him?" Toga asked.
"He's now connected to the Symbiote Hive-Mind…" Carnage replied.
"All For One jacked him in? Is he letting him meet..." Toga asked before trailing off.
"Looks like it…another puppet for the King in Black…" Carnage answered with a concerned tone.
"And from what you told me, the world or any world for that matter is going to die…" Toga said, looking up at the flickering lightbulb above her. "Maybe….maybe we should try to escape…"
"What? As much as I want to get out of here, they know our every step and move, they are monitoring us every time we leave this room…" Carnage argued.
"Maybe they do, but I know that….that maybe the two of us can figure it out…" Toga admitted, surprising Carnage.
"The two of us….you mean together? Like before?" Carnage asked.
"No…but maybe it can be better than before…if you're willing to trust me again…" Toga replied.
Carnage remained silent for a few seconds before letting out a groan. She then protruded out of Toga's shoulder and let out a quiet shriek.
"Fine, I'll follow your lead! Now hurry up and show us how to get out of here."
Toga let out a yawn and stretched her arms behind her back. She then stood up and looked at each of the walls before looking at the ceiling, spying a ventilation shaft above.
"Bingo…" She said before reaching towards the ventilation shaft's grate and used Carnage to form four small tendrils, quickly unscrewing each of the screws before taking the grate off and climbing through the vent.
"This is a little cliché, Toga…" Carnage said skeptically.
"There are no cameras in the vents, therefore they can't precisely pinpoint our location." Toga explained as she carefully moved through the ventilation shaft.
"But they did put a tracker inside me." Carnage said, forming tendrils around Toga's body which clung to the vents' walls and slipped her body through each pathway.
"Using your special vision powers, I was able to scope out these air vents as we walked through each of the wallways between missions and experiments. The path I'm taking us should lead into a warehouse where some of the Nomus are in stasis." Toga explained.
"And you're sure they won't wake up?" Carnage asked.
"They're controlled like a drone, they'll only wake up when told to." Toga replied.
Toga and Carnage continued to crawl through the vents of the hideout as fast as they could, following the path Toga envisioned in her head. Toga soon found the grate which led to the Nomu's warehouse, and used Carnage's tendrils to unscrew the grate from the outside, which fell off and made a quiet clanging sound as it hit the metal floor below.
"This is it, there are a few cameras in the warehouse, but we can sabotage them if we can get to the fuse box nearby." Toga explained.
"Alright, let's go." Carnage said in agreement, as Toga narrowly moved in between the blind spots of each camera.
Carnage's eyes formed over Toga's, allowing her to use the Blood Hunter's special vision to locate the fuse box. As soon as they set their eyes upon it, Toga quickly rushed over to the fuse box, however the blood-sucking shapeshifter was suddenly grabbed from behind by what felt like a tendril. Toga then turned to face her attacker. It was a Nomu that resembled a gorilla with four glowing yellow eyes coming out of its brain, two metallic horns as well as having the hooven legs of a buffalo with armored hooves. Instead of having dark blue or pale blue skin over its body, it was covered in a red and black ooze-like substance that pulsated and squirmed around erratically across its body. However, the most noticeable feature was the Nomu's mouth wasn't beak-like or human-like, it was a gaping mouth with rows of sharp fangs and an elongated tongue. Toga and Carnage stared in horror and shock at what could only be the first of the Nomu-Symbiotes.
"Oh fuck…"
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I will now go over my decisions made in the chapter!
So the Volcano Thieves are cornered but then they are saved by members of the Shie Hassaikai. I know that pragmatically speaking Venom, Sleeper and Nagant had the advantage when taking on the mercenaries, but the thing is: we can't have them fail, we need to escalate the situation, so All For One having contingencies like sending two of the Eight Bullets to shadow them. While they aren't necessarily stronger, Sakaki's Quirk which affects equilibrium could be used in a way that doesn't make it seem cheap, as the Quirk is only affected if the user is intoxicated or not. Venom, being bonded to Eddie, would feel the same thing he's feeling, before messing with both of their equilibrium. Sleeper wasn't affected by Sakaki's Quirk, but Katsukame's Quirk however could be used to weaken Sleeper and leave him vulnerable. Nagant had a higher tolerance to Sakaki's Quirk but was still not stable enough to fight back, plus does less well in close combat due to being a sniper.
If anyone has any questions or criticisms, review or PM me, but also, PLEASE if you're going to make a review, don't just give us a "good job" or "nice chapter" or a one to two to three-word responses, please give us insightful reviews both so we know what you guys would like to see and also if there are any parts or scenes you might have done differently or done better.
If that is all, then I will see you guys in the next chapter! MVA; Symbiote's Justice, Lethal Protectors away!